checkmate

Yesterday was Gage's 15th birthday and I'm glad we were busy yesterday, because when I went to check the news this morning it was all about the Hunter Biden iphone hack. In case you are being distracted by this garbage, let me remind you that this world is run by pedophiles. Trump never drained the swamp. If anything, he's floating down it with a beach drink in his hand. Trump is that little brother constantly poking and annoying his sibling. He's a pot stirrer. An antagonist. We will never see a real guest list for Epstein's island, and Hunter Biden will never have to take accountability for anything. I'm not saying that you shouldn't be concerned about the amount of child molestors in high office, because it is a big deal. I am just saying there will never be any justice. 

Anyway, we took Gage to Steak n Shake for lunch. I don't think we had been there in a few years. Instead of servers you now order at a kiosk and bring your food to your table when your number is called. They have also removed all the chicken items from their menu, which might be a good thing considering the quality of chicken lately. We didn't mind the kiosks, but it was a little surreal. They had a total of three employees, but they were on the ball with the orders. Steak n Shake is the last remaining building in an area that has been remodeled and urbanized. Everything is new and shiny, and by comparison, Steak n Shake looks dull and sad. Our food was great though. I wonder if they will be able to remain open. 

Later on we had family and a friend come over for cake. I had made Gage a chess cake this year with the pawns molded with chocolate from a hobby resin kit I found on amazon. It was easy to do, but it was a long process of melting and molding the chocolate, and then waiting for it to harden so I could use the molds again. The chessboard was also made from chocolate bark. 

Gage had a great day and had been anxiously waiting for his birthday so he could get his new monitor. He had been waiting to play a game he had recently bought because he wanted to experience the HD quality of his new monitor. Unfortunately when he took it out of the box he saw there was a big line down the center that was just black space when they hooked it up. Peppy called amazon and they are sending another one by Tuesday, but it was still a bummer because he had been looking forward to it. I hate that his birthday ended on a bad note when he had been in such a good mood all day long. Hopefully these next two days will go back quickly for him. 

It is crazy to think he is 15. I remember that age well, and I hate it for him and all the young people everywhere that this is the time in history they have to grow up in. I guess every generation has problems, but this is an especially crappy time to be a young person. Gage is so intelligent and has a good head on his shoulders. He knows who he is and doesn't care if he doesn't fit in all the time. That's my boy. 

The pawns were moveable, so Gage and my brother played some chess.