Boot or Sandal?

I sure have fallen out of the journaling habit.... Using the same headings and order as the last time:

Car
The dealership wants me to sell them my car (2021 Totoya Avalon Hybrid). I may answer them at some point, but they won't be happy. My terms are "Give me a similar 2026-model vehicle as its replacement, for only the cost of the trade-in plus whatever I still owe on the existing loan," which as of next week is just over $6,200. There's no way in hell they'll do it, so I'm comfortable making the offer... and if by some stroke of luck they do go for it because of their desperation, I get a new car for "nothing."

It had its semiannual maintenance visit last week. Took a little longer than I wanted but still ready by the time they promised and under the initial estimate (even after adding new wiper blades).

Food
The food I'm making is in the previous entry. I did have a trip to Texas de Brazil a week or so ago, and there's commentary in the "Vacations" section below about Chicago food.

Health
My health has been generally good. Itchy eyes from allergies, being careful in the heat (especially this past couple of weeks). Had some issues with billing from the physical therapy that finally got resolved. I'm supposed to be on the hook for the co-pay, but they screwed up and tried billing three or four of the 15 visits against worker's compensation (from the 2019 broken foot which I closed out in 2020) instead of my actual insurance, so when WC declined the hospital billed me the whole cost. I, as you might well understand, objected. They eventually fixed it but I had to call about it twice because their first fix didn't catch all of the misbilling.

Home
Nothing major to report. The new tree hasn't died yet, though a lot of the ivy in the front landscaping has (thanks in no small part to my applying poison semi-regularly). The garage door cable broke and I had to get it replaced. They're supposed to be power-washing the building this summer, and they're fixing the brickwork. The major road through here (the city's responsibility) got a chip seal. I think my own road (the association's responsibility) is gonna be completely redone next summer.

Vacations
Cleveland in April (CLAW) went well. Both of my workshops were well-received, though they were more lightly-attended than I'd've liked. We were in a new venue out by the airport (who were cold to us at the start, until they realized both that we drink a lot and that we tip well; they warmed up by the end of the weekend), but we may not be there next year because rumors are they'll stop being an event space and become a data center. We had multiple hotels out towards suburbia, which was problematic in and of itself; my hotel was pretty craptastic: the building was settling such that there was a noticeable deep crack in the ceiling and floor indicating imminent structural failure, it felt dirty, and after we left they were supposed to close for a major renovation... which it desperately needed. The off-site dungeon space was too small and had no parking or signage.

Chicago in May (IML) went well too. The hotel was as expected, my one volunteer shift went without any problems (though I got to shush some of the executive board who were being noisy in the quiet-for-contestant interviews area. Had fun in my trip up to Boystown. I ate well (including my annual visits to Girl and the Goat and Giordano's). I tried a new-to-me Chinese place near the hotel; the food was passable but the service was abysmal; I might give them another chance next year but haven't decided yet. The train rides in each direction were uneventful, though I don't care for the new Amtrak Siemens cars. The Amfleet were more comfortable and their café car more convenient.