Antigen and PCR COVID-19 tests

I am a researcher. I have been researching COVID-19 tests in my area and in Minnesota.

Here's the weird thing. To get over the border and enter the US, Canadians need an antigen test. A test starts at $40, which isn't horrible.

When coming back to Canada, an antigen test is not accepted. Instead, a PCR test is required. The cheapest price that I have seen to get this test done is $199 USD at MSP airport, which is where I'm flying in and out of.

It's not cheap. I am glad that I am staying for over a week at the end of this month to take in two hockey games. Before this pandemic, I would have made two separate trips. If I did the same thing now, just these two PCR tests would cost me the price of a round-trip flight to the Twin Cities. Yikes!

I am hoping that, down the road, PCR tests won't be required. Either Canada will accept an antigen test or possibly drop the test for those who are fully vaccinated.

Day off from work on Thursday and finding cheap eats

I had Thursday off from work. We had a summer work event. It was nice to kick back and have fun.

After this event, I found a small restaurant that has prices from the 60's. As an example, I had an orange ice cream float for $2. Insane!

I should go to bed. I was so tired after being out for the day that I took a fifteen-minute nap.

Travel, caffeine pills, and savings

My guy has left for India for business. Although I always miss him when we are apart, it doesn't feel as bad this time. It's likely because we spent a decent amount of time a couple of weeks ago that we are good for the time being.

He has recently stopped drinking coffee. The problem is that he isn't a morning person and needs something to wake him up.

"Let's go to to the drugstore to get me some caffeine pills for my trip," he said to me.
"Sure," I said. "I have a rewards card if we go to Walgreens," I said.
"Sounds good. Let's go there," he said.

I am the one who is the researcher. I found the local Walgreens in Dallas on my maps phone app and he drove us over there.

Sure enough, caffeine pills were on sale with the rewards card. It was several hours after I had landed and did not have a chance to pull out the physical plastic reward card from my wallet in my computer bag. Instead, I had loaded it on my Google Pay app. It scanned nicely at the store and my guy got a decent discount.

"I'm so happy. I bought one bottle and got one free with your rewards card," he said gleefully.
"I love when you're happy about saving money. You are my Cheap Bastard," I noted.
"Yes, CB is happy to have you with me in many ways," he said.

He's sweet. We both love saving money. It's helpful and feels good.

Dollar Tree and rope

My guy loves Dollar Tree. I do, too. You can get practically everything there.

I found one fairly close by our hotel. We went over there after dinner. It even has a frozen foods section, including ice cream and breakfast items.

We walked by the hardware section. There was rope.

"You could use it to tie me up," I said to him quietly.
"Good idea," he said, grabbing a neat bundle.

Later on in the store, he discretely groped my buttock.

"Now, I'm all horny," he said.
"I know," I said to him.

Yes, thinking about the possibilities of using rope on me are nice.

Chatting and teasing my guy

I enjoy my chats with my guy.

"I have to go. I forgot my earbuds and am moving to weights," he explained while at the gym.
"No problem. Are you going to buy a protein shake or do you make yours now?" I asked him.
"I make my own. It's in my car. It costs nearly $10 to buy one here," he pointed out.
"Yes, we can't have Cheap Bastard spending a ton of money," I said.
"You got it," he confirmed.
"Well, enjoy the rest of your workout. Say hi to your car for me. She will tell you that she wants me to drive her," I said.
"You think so?" he asked me.
"I know so," I said confidently.
"No!" he exclaimed.
"I love teasing you," I said sweetly.
"I know," he admitted.

It's fun when we chat.

Avocado sock and a spanking certification for being like Cheap Bastard

I was talking to my guy about the Toronto Christmas Market. I went there a couple of weekends ago with friends.

"Did you find anything interesting?" he asked me.
"There were some unusual items. I found a single sock for your avocado," I said.
"What do you do with this sock?" he asked curiously.
"It keeps your avocado safe while ripening it," I replied.
"Wow," he said.
"I can't make this stuff up. It's all yours for a whopping $20. I sounded like you. I was outraged. I can get a pair of socks at the dollar store for much less," I admitted.
"Yes, you could get it for a dollar. You're becoming me. You are CB-certified," he replied.
"Thanks. That's a high compliment to be certified by you," I replied.
"I'll certify you when I spank that butt of yours and leave a red mark or so," he replied.
"You haven't spanked me for a while. It's long overdue," I noted.
"It is. When I see you again, I want to spank you for being my bad girl," he said.
"You'll need to rectify it soon," I replied.
"You mean erectify," he said, being punny.
"You mean you can erectify the situation. It's all you! I love it. It's clever and funny," I commented.
"That's a first. I didn't have to force you to admit that it was both clever and funny," he pointed out.

I like his certification style.

Dropping in at 6 am to cuddle and kiss

Last Sunday, my guy knocked on my hotel room just before 06:00. I opened the door and liked seeing him smile at me.

"I'm sleepyhead," I said, which made him smile.
"I know," he replied.

He got plenty of sleep on the plane. This time around, he found the bathroom just fine. Last time, he thought the closet was the washroom.

We sat on the couch and cuddled. I got him some powdered peanut butter. It's great for travelling. You just add water, stir, and you get peanut butter. It has practically no carbs, which made him happy. I also got him sugar-free mints from Sweden.

He thanked me. He moved in to kiss me on the lips. I loved having his lips pressed against mine. It was nice.

We held hands. He admired my pink nail polish. He loved looking at my hands. He then enjoyed looking at my wrist.

"You're wearing the evil eye bracelet," he observed.
"Yes, I have been wearing it since you got me it. I love how when light hits it, the blue changes to purple," I said.
"Nice! It looks good on you," he said.
"Thanks! I love it," I replied.

It was my time of the month. He was also a bit tired from his travels, so it was nice to chat and cuddle.

"Is your shirt new?" I asked him, snuggling up to him.
"Newish. I got it at our favourite liquidation outlet for $5. My pants were $10," he said proudly.
"I love you, CB," I said.

I love when my sweet Cheap Bastard takes pride in saving a ton of money while looking stylish.

Jetlag and travel cause my guy to save some money

My guy has made it safely to his second and final city for business. He is there this week and then comes home, which we are both looking forward to.

He texted me on Sunday afternoon. It was nice chatting with him over Skype for over an hour.

"I got to the hotel at 3 am this morning," he explained. "I slept so much that I got up at 4 pm. I then ate."
"So, you had breakfast, lunch, and dinner just now," I remarked.
"Yes. I saved many dollars having a single meal today," he pointed out.

We both laughed. He is my Cheap Bastard, after all.

Saving time and money shopping with my guy

Last Friday, my guy and I met up at our favourite liquidation store. I am glad that I took my guy's suggestion to book a hotel in his town. Driving from the hotel to the liquidation centre took me twenty minutes. Had I decided to drive from my home, it would have taken me over two hours.

I have never been to this place when it first opens at 10:00 am. There is a ridiculous lineup!

My guy got there five minutes later. I found him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey!" I said happily
"Hey, sweetie!" he exclaimed. "I see that you have a number of goodies already."
"I do," I said, showing what I had so far.
"Is our favourite cleaning solution there?" he asked me.
"Yes, there are a couple of tubs," I replied, as he went over there.

It's funny that he knows that I look at everything. I had a good time there, buying decent food items, and three pairs of pants going for $10 a pair.

I like that we love shopping together, especially when it comes to saving money and getting great deals.

USB C cables have many uses

One of the first errands that I had to run on Saturday was a stop at the gas station. I needed to fill up my car with gas to actually get on with my day!

A while back, I spotted a new technology section at this gas station chain. There were tons of USB cables. It makes sense, as many of us have phones and tablets. We need to stay connected, even on the road.

In the past, I have owned phones that either use a lightning cable (iPhone) or a micro USB cable (Blackberry). I own a Google Pixel phone. Naturally, it is special and needs a USB C cable.

Guess what? This gas station sells them for $10. Wow! That's a deal compared to how much they sell for at other electronic stores.

I took the plunge and purchased the USB C cable. There were only two colours: black and hot pink. Considering that all my USB cables tend to be boring black, I went with the hot pink.

Let me say that this cable works well. It's one of those flat cables. All the ends are protected. It charges and syncs my data nicely.

I bought a crappy USB C cable several months ago. Depending on the angle at which you insert the cable, it either charges my phone or decides to go on strike.

"What should I do with this useless cable?" I asked my guy.
"I can tie you up with it and spank you," he suggested.

I suppose that I'm keeping it.

Cheap, cheap, cheap!

Sometime last month, after my guy and I had some quality time in our treehouse, we heard birds chirping nearby. We were both in a happy, lethargic state, which led to this conversation.

"The birds are calling your name. They are saying, 'Cheap, cheap, cheap!'," I noted.
"I'm Cheap Bastard," my guy said affectionately.

On Sunday morning, just after 03:00, I woke up to what seemed to be chatter. I then realized that there were birds chirping in the nest in front of my bedroom.

I told my guy about the birds.

"I don't get why the birds are chirping at that time of day. It's not like they have a sale to go to and are letting you know that deals are cheap, cheap, cheap," I said.
"Are you telling me that I'm cheap?" he asked, with a teasing tone to his voice.
"I call you Cheap Bastard, but you know that you aren't cheap. You like good deals and saving money. You're frugal," I replied.
"I know. I can't find birds that chirp frugal, frugal, frugal," he replied, which made me laugh.
"Well, if you got a parrot, you could teach your pet to say that," I pointed out, which made him chuckle.

We chatted for an hour on Monday afternoon, which was Victoria Day in Canada. It's always nice to chat with him while he is abroad.

Noticing details about data plans, travel, and jet lag

I feel like I have been living in some secluded area for ages. I have noticed details that I have never really paid close attention to.

Let's take my Internet plan at home. For years, I was on a monthly plan that gave me 300 GB of data. The nice, crazy part of this story is that my Internet service provider dropped the price that I was paying each month. I recently noticed on my bill that it also gave me unlimited data and I have been paying the same price. Where have I been?

It comes in handy. I stream a lot of programs these days. I cut my cable cord well over a year ago. Netflix and a bunch of programming on my Roku have filled in the void nicely. 

These days, I am in travel-planning mode. I am bringing two suitcases with me to Shanghai, simply because I can without paying extra. I have three sets of travel adapters. I actually appreciate the fact that I am that prepared.

Naturally, my guy is so used to travel that it's second nature to him. The only exception is jet lag. He is horrible at flipping over.

The last and only time that I was in Asia was Hong Kong. It took me a couple of days to flip over. We'll see how I do this time around. Here's to melatonin to help make the transition easier!

My guy telling me that I am bad on his birthday

My guy's birthday was yesterday. We are rarely together on each other's birthday. Last year was one of those rare, special occasions.

I sent my guy an e-card. I also wrote him a loving e-mail. I listed my favourite CB-isms from him. Some of them include the following:

• I demand whining!
• I am a woolly mammoth, with a tusk that needs polishing.
• Just give me the f*ckin' PowerPoint! 

I ended my e-mail by saying, "Your good girl."

A few hours later, my guy responded. He loved both my e-mail and e-card. I could tell by all the smiley emoticons. I especially liked the end of his sweet e-mail:

P.S. You are still a bad girl!

I like when he tells me that I am.

Watching Fifty Shades Darker again and saving money on plastic bags

On Saturday, I went to see Fifty Shades Darker for the second time at a movie theatre. I can't recall when was the last time that I have seen a movie multiple times at a theatre. It is rare. I love this one.

Seeing a movie that you love over again makes you pick up details that you hadn't before. I can't wait to get my hands on my own copy. This time at the theatre, there were about five people who stayed to watch the credits and get a glimpse of Fifty Shades Freed.

My guy has returned from his travels and is dead tired. We talked briefly. He asked me what I did after the movies. I told him that I went grocery shopping.

"The woman cashing me out asked whether I wanted a plastic bag for five cents. I declined. If I needed two trips to get my groceries to the car to save money on plastic bags, I would. I have plenty of reusable bags in my car's trunk," I explained.
"You are becoming a true Cheap Bastard like me. I am so proud of you," he gushed.

He's tired, but he's not so tired to recognize CB tendencies.

Switching fitness trackers and enticing my guy to exercise for money

A few weeks ago, I noticed that my Pebble watch was not recording my steps correctly. The app that helped track my steps was not working properly.

Fitbit bought Pebble. All support for Pebble pretty much disappeared.

I love my Pebble watch, but I needed to track my steps. I went back to my Fitbit One. The downside was that the band that I had purchased to wear it around my wrist wasn't comfortable. The Fitbit One is normally worn clip-style. However, I broke several of them, which prompted me to try wearing it as a wrist bracelet.

The One is accurate and reliable. I determined that I wanted the best of both worlds -- a fitness tracker that provides some alerts that I love, such as phone calls and text messages, and accurately track my steps.

I settled for the Fitbit Alta. It is stylish and comfortable. You can actually change the bands. Mine is purple, which is my favourite colour.

The Fitbit Alta is equally as accurate as my One. The difference is that the Alta has to be charged after nearly a week. My One can last for two weeks before I need to charge it. The Alta is still better that charging my Pebble Time Round watch every night.

I do love my Alta. It buzzes when I have an incoming call and when I receive text messages. I don't have to deal with the various notifications that I can customize on my Pebble.

At work, we got fitness trackers. I didn't like it because you have to physically get a battery once it dies. My guy put it away after trying it out for a month. He told me that I am polite for not calling him lazy. I simply said that he got bored with it.

Well, I told him about our health program at work. You exercise in three months periods. Depending on how many points you accumulate, you earn money towards getting a prepaid credit card.

I told my sweet guy, whose nickname is Cheap Bastard, that we get money to spend on whatever we'd like when we reach certain fitness goals. He perked up. 

He's sweet. He is my Cheap Bastard.

Corporate discount on Microsoft Office for Mac - CB-approved

Well over a year ago, I upgraded my Mac mini to the latest operating system at the time. The upgrade went horribly wrong to the point where I had to go get help at the Apple store.

I had a pretty old version of Microsoft Office for Mac installed before the upgrade blew everything up on my Mac mini. The Office version was 2004. After getting my operating system reinstalled, reinstalling Office 2004 would not work.

I have been without Microsoft Office on my Mac mini since. I also have a Macbook Air. It does not have Microsoft Office, either.

On Friday, I received a forwarded e-mail from Sharky. He is a development manager who likes me. My guy constantly teases me over the fact that Sharky lusts after me.

Anyway, the e-mail stated that employees can get a home copy of Microsoft Office for Windows or Mac for $13 each. Wow!

Part of me thought that this price was too good to be true. However, the e-mail came from our company's IT department. It was a valid e-mail offer!

I went ahead and paid $13 to have Office installed on my Macbook Air. All Office applications work well.

My guy was so proud of me for saving so much money on software. He is my sweet cheap bastard (CB).

Visa photos, manicure, and price comparisons

I got a couple of errands out of the way on a soggy, rainy Tuesday. It felt good.

My first errand was to go to Costco to get photos taken for my tourist visa application for China. My guy and I had a talk about photos the other day.

"I always go to Costco to get my passport photos done. It's cheap at $6.99. I don't know whether it does visa photos," I said.
"It does. You can indicate what size you need and the place will do it for you. I went there to get my visa photos for India," my guy replied, being the seasoned traveller.
"Oh, good. I'll go to Costco," I said, with a hint of relief.
"You can't go wrong with that price. It is cheap bastard-approved," he stated proudly.

He was impressed that I have been going to Costco to get my passport photos done. He was also thrilled that I knew how much it cost.

After that, I went to redeem my about-to-expire Groupon for a shellac manicure. My manicure would take an hour, which was roughly the time that my visa photos would be ready to pick up.

I do like my nail polish. It's peach with glitter. Yes, I'm in a girly mood.

I got hungry and went to a Japanese restaurant within the same plaza. The lunch special was great. I had chicken ramen with salad and miso soup. I also got gyoza and a Diet Coke.

After lunch, I went back to Costco to pick up my photos. Sadly, I can't smile in them. At least I don't look like I just broke out of jail!

I then visited Staples to get some graph paper, which was an unplanned errand. Coincidentally, you can get passport photos done there. The price? It's double that of Costco.

My guy is so proud of me that he nearly called me a good girl. Nearly.

Seat sale on a flight and approval from my guy on my plane ticket

I have two more days of vacation left before I go back to work. I wish that I could be so relaxed like I have been so far.

During the holidays, I managed to book my flight and hotel to visit Shanghai in late May. Yes, I am planning my next block of time away from work.

I have been thinking about doing this trip for three years. Thanks to a Boxing Day seat sale, I managed to nab a decent price.

I told my guy about how much I paid for my round-trip price. He was pleased.

"That's cheap," he replied.
"It's cheap bastard-approved?" I asked him.
"Yes, you're a good CB apprentice."

My next task is to get a photo taken for my tourist visa. Ah, the joys of paperwork!

My guy marking up the price of laundry soap

My guy called me yesterday afternoon to chat.

"I went to our favourite liquidation centre last Friday," he reported.
"Great! What did you get?" I asked.
"I got two buckets of our favourite laundry soap. It was going for $15 each," he noted.
"Cheap, indeed. It's practically half price," I indicated.
"Yes," he agreed. "If you want a bucket, I can sell you one for $25."
"But, you got it for $15. You're marking it up just for me?" I asked.
"Sure," he replied.
"You're so mean. My boyfriend is not only a cheap bastard, but a meanie. You can take that laundry soap and shove it up you-know-where," I replied.
"At least my colon will be clean," he joked.
"I will be far away when you explode," I noted.

Naturally, my guy was joking. I brought it up again later on in our conversation, so he knew that he had to make it up to me.

It's a good start to the year so far!

Brunch at a Chinese restaurant and gift suggestions

On Saturday, I was probably ten minutes into my drive over to the Chinese restaurant where we were to meet when my guy called me. I indicated that it would take me another twenty minutes. He told me to take my time while he sipped some green tea.

I got to the restaurant, walked in, and it was packed. I was trying to find my guy, but I couldn't. A nice man at the restaurant asked if I needed any help. I asked whether he knew of a male customer sitting by himself. He pointed to my guy about four feet in front of me, sitting at a booth. I wouldn't have seen him from the angle that I was at.

I walked over to him and caressed his perfectly uniform head. He had soft stubble that felt nice. My guy smiled at me.

"Hey, you made it!" he said, putting his phone down.
"Yes, I finally did," I said, removing my coat and sat down across from him.
"Have some tea," he gestured.
"Is there any left?" I joked.

My guy is an attentive guy. He noticed my bracelet that he has never seen before.

"I got my bracelet for less than $20. It's sterling silver with a cute diamond ring charm," I described to him as he analyzed it on my right wrist.
"See, you're becoming a Cheap Bastard like me," he said proudly.
"I'm a CB-ette," I teased, which made him chuckle.

While we ate, we chatted about a number of things. One thing led to another and he asked me what I wanted for Christmas.

"I want you," I said to him without thinking.
"You can have me for Christmas, and all the days before and after it. I'm yours," he said.

He's sweet. He tends to ask me for gift suggestions, although he's good at gift-giving. I need to compile my list.