LAST ENTRY FOR 2017

Wow where did the last 364 days go? It seems like just yesterday we were embarking on 2017 and here we are ready to ring in 2018.

2017 has been a year of ups and downs. I got fired by my attorney, got a settlement on my own for the lemon car I bought and got rid of the car. As for the attorney he’s sorry he fucked with me because there is a pending bar complaint. I bought a new car. I got a pay raise and a good review. I worked to train a replacement of a co-worker who has turned out to be quite a burden. I didn’t lose any pets but did have to make several vet visits. The first one started in January with her bloody tongue that she got from biting it. A co-worker/friend of mine got fired and has subsequently stopped speaking with me, so much for that friendship part. I unexpectedly lost my mom and regret that I didn’t speak with her prior to her death. I stopped to help a motorist and almost wound up going to jail. I won a drawing for a Southwest Airlines Gift Card and a Gas Card. I watched a ton of porn and had a lot of orgasms. I searched for true love on-line and failed once again. However, I have not given up my quest to meet a man. I asked a guy out without knowing that he was under age, which was by far the most embarrassing thing I did all year long. I learned a classmate of mine contracted cancer, he’s physically fit and were the same age so this was a shock. I saw a lot of movies and tv this year. The most favorite thing I watched was Shot In The Dark along with the Showtime series Active Shooter. Both provided me with insight on things I knew nothing about. I listened to a few audio books as well. I lusted over many cute guys that I saw in person. I had my usual Thanksgiving Dinner and Sausage Stuffing at Maggiano’s. I joined a LGBT Greif Group and have worked to help others with the loss of their spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend/partner. I became a Minister.

Wow that was a quick synopsis and kind of explains my life for the past 364 days. I left out lots of work, overtime, weekends and evenings as well as being on-call. Eating a lot of good food as well and of course having pie.

I complain and gripe just like everyone else, but when I type this I realize I am lucky. Many people don’t have a home, water, food, clothes, power, transportation, etc. not to mention a job which pays well to allow me to afford what I want.

2018 is about an hour away as I type this. There will likely be fanfare of fire crackers and gun shots. I am listening to my scanner and there is a lot of crazy stuff going on tonight. Fires, Thefts, Traffic Stops, Sick people a lot of it the result of trying to celebrate the holidays a little too hard.

I do not make new years resolutions, because they are something most people aren’t capable of keeping. Sure, your good for a few weeks and then presto it’s forgotten about and you go back to your old ways.

That said I do have aspirations for 2018 …

I’d like to weigh less

I’d like to find a boyfriend

I’d like to build a stronger relationship with my brother

I’d like to get a promotion and a huge pay raise while increasing my knowledge and skills

I’d like no pet issues, other than maintenance

I’d like to be able to take a vacation, I mean a real vacation for a few days or even a week

I’d like to get my blood sugar under control but still being able to consume more delicious food and of course pie along with sweets

I’d like to move but I know that probably won’t happen because of the animals

I’d like to be happier

I’d like to help others personally and professionally

I’d like to marry a couple or two couples

I’d like more time with my pets to bond, relax and just be together. They keep me going more than they know. They all know me better than I know myself or so it feels.

I’d like to win the lottery – the big jackpot or even 2^nd prize

I’d like better overall luck in life

Even if none of these things happen, as long as I have everything that I have today, I think everything will be okay.

I wish you all a wonderful and happy new year … ready or not 2018 will be here. Let’s make the best of it. A fresh start and a chance for new beginnings.

Preverbal ton of bricks

Last night as I was wrapping up my work day, it hit me.  Tomorrow is the 27th.  I knew it was a special day but my mind drew a blank for a brief moment.  Then it came to me.  It’s my anniversary, exactly 3 months after my late partners Birthday.  I picked today so he couldn’t forget it.  While we were together for 20 plus years, we never officially celebrated an anniversary.  Then we make everything legal and 3 months later he dies.  Today would be our 3rd year.  Where exactly does the time go?  I’m a little bummed by the significant of the date and my mind won’t let me forget about it.  I miss him tons and he will always live in my heart, so long as the blood is flowing and I am of sound mind.

On to other news.  I made it to my vehicle which was semi-cozy but it still had a bit to go before it was warm.  Heater on full blast, heated seat on and down the road I went.  Got home and turned it off after closing the garage door.  I got out and it made this god awful noise.  I wonder if that is it’s way of saying it’s cold out?  It’s never made that sound before and hopefully it will never make it again but time will tell. 

I had this on going debate in my mind Soup or Chili?  I opted for Chili, from a can of course.  It was Campbell’s Chunky Roadhouse Chili.  To that I added 1 mild packet of Taco Bell hot sauce and 1 packet of Wendy’s Hot Chili Sauce.  Then into the microwave for a couple minutes and the fun begins.  I didn’t have sour cream but I did finally remember to get cheese [it’s only been 2 weeks].  I cracked open a fresh package of saltine crackers and crushed up some of them and then put in the cheese.  Stir and it was time to consume.  It made canned chili palatable and was rather good.  Nothing like Wendy’s chili but hey it was okay. 

Tonight will be Soup.  Beef Barley and I am so looking forward to it.  The only good thing about the cold is that all of the bugs outside are dead.  Outside of that it sucks, but it’s not my first winter.

Work had some busy time this morning but now that we have made it to late afternoon things are calm.  I got a call from HR and there is going to be some potential new hires that could start when we come back for the new year, if not then in a couple weeks.  Some employers are funny they will show you the door as soon as you show them your 2 week notice and others well they let you work the full 2 weeks.  I hope that someone smiles on me and I don’t have to rush on Friday to enter in 2 new hires.  I should know for sure then, but I don’t know what time.  I may not get to leave early as I have planned but we shall see what happens. 

I have prepped as much as I can for those folks that are leaving on the 31st.  I am ready for time away but it will be short lived and then I will be back in the thick of things.  My real time off will come during Martin Luther King Jr week.  Were closed on that Monday.  I work on Tuesday & Wednesday.  Then I will be off Thursday to see the doctor and Friday to get my vehicle serviced.  Plus the weekend so 4 days in a row off.  I won’t want to come back after that. 

Last night I got tied up with a computer problem.  I use a program called Emby it streams movies through my wireless network at home to my Roku boxes.  Most people use it to stream movies, not me I use it to stream porn.  Well turns out that there is an update that isn’t applying right, so the server shuts down and when I go to watch, nothing happens.  Yeah I know there is a pill for that but in this case it’s my computer that needs the pill and not me.  I digress, so when I go to run the update it tells me that the computers administrator has limited the programs that can run on the machine and this program is a security risk.  There is no override prompt, running it as an Administrator doesn’t work.  So I got to looking on the net.  Seems as if there is some extra protection from Internet Explorer that is enabled.  There are plenty of sites devoted to documenting how to turn this off for multiple versions of Windows, except for some odd reason Windows 10.  Of course I am the odd man out and running 10.  I love it but trying to navigate this little circus of a problem is driving me insane.  Momma was yelling at me that it was past my bed time but nothing could pry me away until I resigned myself that this will have to wait 1 more day.

My plan was pretty simple, remote in during a lull period an fix it from work.  Well now it seems that my PC isn’t on-line, which is rather odd.  It worked last night and I got to watch my porn from the comfort of my bedroom.  I checked and the internet is up because the cat cam works.  If only I could tell someone to go to the basement and reboot my machine I would be all set but there is a limited number of words that cats understand in the English language.  Hungry, Food, Snack, Vet, Bed, Out of the way and Knock it off are my cats limits.  I’m not happy about the situation but I’ll deal with it and I have no doubt I will fix the issue even if it takes me all weekend.  Funny thing is that I can install the software on my laptop here at work and it’s running similar software as my desktop at home.  Emby is a cool program and I have used it for at least a year if not slightly longer.  They have a pay tier where you get some extra bells and whistles like being able to stream anywhere there is an internet connection.  In my case that wouldn’t be beneficial but I can see how for movie buffs that would be a wonderful benefit. 

So now I sit and try to entertain myself without doing anything illegal or immoral.  There are fewer people here today than yesterday.  As we inch closer to Friday they will drop like files.  One guy came in because he had to and he was up all night with the flu and puking.  I don’t want it.  I mean I didn’t get a lot for Christmas but that is one thing I don’t want anytime of the year. 

Bundle up, stay warm and be safe.  I set the thermostat at 76 to keep the furry kids warm, so they won’t crab at me when I walk in the door about the temperature.  They will crab because they are hungry but that is the norm.  I’m off to play on my phone and look at hot guys and what is happening in social media.  2 more days of regular work in the week.  I’ll be working on Sunday as well but from the comfort of my own home.  How long I work is up to me and that depends on my mood which could be altered by many factors.  I’ll for sure be listening to the police scanner and hearing about all of the happenings on the roads.  It’s very interesting on a normal night, a holiday night well that makes for an even greater time. 

Cheers for now. 

Snowy & Cold

I made it in this morning, despite not wanting to.  The dummy co-worker called in sick another incentive for me to show up.  I did get a bit of a surprise when I was looking in the mirror this morning I have a boil in my groin.  I was wondering why it was hurting to walk and when I got to the mirror I got my answer.  Fuck, there was my motivation to stay home. It’s cold out and I need to take care of myself.  What did I do?  Gave it a good squeeze and jumped in the shower.  Note to self, don’t put water on a boil you just popped it will hurt.  Got it cleaned up and went about my day.

The cat kids didn’t want me to leave but I told them I had to go back to pay for all of the relaxation I had.  I told them it’s not over with though we get another long weekend.  I will have to work for part of it but hopefully not terribly long. 

Playing on my phone at my desk I found out it was snowing outside.  That means it will be fun to drive home.  Thankfully there aren’t a lot of people out and about.  Most people are home or have departed to warmer climates.  Talk about a slap in the face having to come back to work is bad enough but having to leave a warm climate to come back to snowy cold, wow that has to take the cake. 

Christmas Eve dinner was okay.  I enjoyed the conversation, got some laughs and of course made a bunch of inappropriate remarks and used my odd ball sense of humor to liven things up.  It worked!  I got invited back for New Years Day but I don’t want to go back.  They will be having Honey Baked Ham so that is kind of an incentive but I can get Ham at the grocery store and make a sandwich from the comfort of my nice warm house.  I really want to be able to lounge all day long and do nothing, which is pretty much what I did this weekend.  I got all of the necessary stuff done but I took my sweet time and having the ability not to rush well that is a luxury I don’t often afford myself. 

I got in my naps, watched TV.  Rented Christmas Vacation and watched that yesterday with the kids.  It wasn’t funny but enjoyable to watch.  I already knew how it was going to turn out.  Thought about Home Alone but I have seen that so many times, don’t need it this year.

So two hours and thirty minutes more and then I can get on the road and drive home.  I’m thinking soup for supper.  Might have Chili instead but it will be something warm.  I got some Gourmet Ice Cream … Bananas Foster.  Came from CA and it’s pretty good.  1 pint was $6.  I am eating it very slowly and yes in case your wondering there is Rum in it. 

I still have yet to make up my bill chart for 2018, sort of like if I don’t make it maybe they won’t come.  Honestly, I lack motivation.  This time of year is a huge reminder of what I don’t have and well I don’t take it so well.  However, when I hang up the calendars of men that may just get me in the mood. 

I hope your all enjoying the last Tuesday of the year! Talk with you peeps later. 

Leaving on a jet plane

Holy shit, life has been really crazy!  Work is nothing but drama and busy.  Our new Help Desk guy came out for a couple days this week.  We had lunch together and they were some tasty meals.  It’s damn expensive to eat out everyday, so glad I bring my lunch.  I can see the appeal of going out, which we all need to do from time to time.  We had a retirement celebration for a guy this week.  I stood around for an hour before they cut the fucking cake.  Then I found out the cake was horrible.  Red velvet that was rich with buttercream icing and it tasted like chocolate carrot cake, yuk! 
It’s the middle of the week and I get a phone call from the bank.  When I saw the number come up I figured that it wasn’t good news but I was delighted to find out otherwise.  It seems that my luck has changed and for the better.  I won a drawing for a Southwest Airlines Gift Card.  I was just beside myself.  I have won a couple things in my life but honestly I am not a ‘lucky’ person at all.  I got so excited that I checked my lottery tickets only to find out that I didn’t have a single fucking number.  Ah well, I can at least board an airplane.  My initial thought was to sell the card for cash.  However, I’ve been thinking about California and this could be my ticket there.  I checked out flights in March and it’s well within the limits of my winnings to go out and back.  I’d be on my own for transportation, lodging and food.  The bigger concern is what if I actually love it and decide to move?  Everything happens for a reason. So I am pondering what to do.
Today I went to fill out paperwork and have to wait for validation and then I will go back in a week to 10 days and pick up the card.  They will also take my photo, so I will be sure that my makeup is done just right.  LOL as if I wore makeup. 
I checked in with the Funeral Home on Friday since I would be in the area on Saturday about the fingerprint necklace of mom that I ordered.  Turns out they just came in and they reached out to my brother.  I hit the fucking roof over that.  They took my money and said they would call me when they came in, they specifically asked for my phone number for that purpose and then they called him, WTF!  I voiced my displeasure.  My brother picked them up yesterday.  I looked at it and he said that is the finger print of Elvis.  I got the most confused look on my face and said huh?  He said it could be anyone’s fingerprint, I mean we don’t know that is our mom’s fingerprint, but we are trusting that it is.  We are both displeased with the final product as it was advertised as larger and I think we were expecting something better than what we got.  I’m the poor bastard that shelled out close to $500 for both of them, so I am particularly disappointed.  It’s done though.  I will add it to my yellow gold chain that I wear with mine and my late partners wedding rings.  Still hard to comprehend that she is gone, hell it’s hard to comprehend that he’s gone too. 
My brother was all set to break up with his girlfriend, she was clearly taking him for a ride but somehow magically they patched things up.  I am so disappointed in that.  White trash!  My brother showed me today what he thought of me.  We had plans to meet up.  He called me around 9a and we finalized plans to meet up for lunch.  Then just before I was supposed to leave he sent me a text and said change of plans I am helping a friend move some furniture and won’t be able to meet.  Fuck I expected it but hoped beyond hope that it wouldn’t happen.  We still met but he was with his friend and a pickup truck full of furniture so there was no meal to share and conversation to have.  I am a second thought.  Now if someone would have called me I would have said sorry, I have plans with my brother.  Not him friends are more important than blood family.
Speaking of family, I sent off two hot letters this morning to the nursing home and their parent corporation letting them know that were pissed and we want our money back.  This is the second time I’ve reached out and it’s the last.  Next time a process server will be delivering a lawsuit.  They have 10 days to respond from the day they get the letter and of course I will build in some extra time but not much.  I plan on seeing this through to the end and getting what is rightfully mine back, unless they can prove I am not entitled to it.  However, I found a state law and cited that in my letter, it says that expenses have to be prorated so I think they are jolly well fucked.  I also involved a bunch of regulatory agencies and told them they are likely engaging in fraud and overcharging others as well as the Government.  So that will trigger a bunch of investigations and who knows what they will uncover when they turn over rocks.  I don’t understand why people fuck with me, they think I will roll over and go away.  In the past I probably would have.  This is a lot of effort to get a few hundred dollars but damn it, the money is mine and my dumb brother just gave it away.  He can’t speak for me.  I mean I could sue him for negligence because this is all his fault.  However, I kind of enjoy slaying a giant.  Shame I am not an attorney, which was an aspiration of mine.  What this nursing home doesn’t know is that I work for a very large law firm and have multiple attorneys giving me advice, free of charge so I think I have the upper hand.  I won’t stick my neck out on a maybe but if I am positive then it’s game on!
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, doesn’t feel like Christmas even though we got our first snowfall last night.  There is more on the way for tomorrow.  Of course there is I gassed and washed my vehicle.  Anyway, I’m going to my friends house for prime rib [insert gag here].  It’s crap but hey it’s free and I get to be around friends, so I suppose it’s not all bad.  At least I can be alone on Christmas Day to do what I want.  I can’t stray too far because I am on-call.  I’d love to venture to see Call Me By Your Name.  It’s playing but the theater where it’s at is 30 miles away.  I’d go if there wasn’t a risk of being interrupted.  I mean nothing is going on because it’s the holiday but somehow Murphy would know that I went to enjoy a movie and then chaos would break out and I’d not get to see all of the movie, better to wait until next week or until it comes out in the rental market.  Hopefully, I can see it next week though.  I hear good things about it. 
I am feeling a little depressed because I am alone and haven’t found anyone yet.  I mean it’s been 4 years, it’s like what is wrong with me.  My straight friend has already been laid twice and on a couple of dates.  Granted he thought with his dick and not his brain but hey he’s not exactly pleasing to look at, not that I am but hey c’mon.  I jumped back on Tinder today with the hopes that I will find someone.  There is still the guy at Steak N Shake that is way too young for me that I want to ask out.  Pretty sure he’s on my team but not sure that he would say yes.  I’ll never know until I ask or check with one of his co-workers.  Looking forward to being there tomorrow for my usual Sunday breakfast.  Then the dreaded Grocery Store, yikes!
Treated myself to some Spaghetti today.  I had crappy service and the bill was $20 for a bowl of noodles, sauce and two decent size meat balls along with a diet coke.  Fuck, I like a little KY and a kiss when I am getting fucked.
Momma Cat is telling me it’s time to call it a night.  Everyone wants me upstairs.  They want more food, more attention and more of whatever else they decide.  Oh speaking of them, I got Big Boy’s blood work back and he’s doing well.  Kidneys are a little on the questionable side.  They want me to encourage him to drink more, yeah okay I’ll jump right on that.  So long as he is peeing a large amount and often I won’t complain.  I checked his PH today and it’s 7.0, they like to keep it around 6.5.  More water would help but hey if he doesn’t want it there isn’t much I can do about it.  He’s up a pound and a half.  Going back to being a fatso, but he’s my fatso and I love him. 
That’s it folks!  Going to spread holiday cheer tomorrow and hope for some decent food and a good time.  Maybe the cats will let me sleep in on Christmas Day.  They had me up at 6a this morning.  C’mon it’s my day off.  My work is just never, ever done!
Merry Christmas to you and yours.  I hope it’s a magical holiday for everyone. 

Streaming Music Question

I was talking Friday with a co-worker about streaming music.  He ruined Pandora for me by telling me that they repeat songs several times per hour.  I never noticed it until he called it out.  If I ruined it for you, sorry.  Anyway he was telling me that he likes Spotify.

I signed up for Spotify at their Christmas Rate of $0.99 cents for 3 months.  That’s a nice deal and will give me time to decide if I like it or if I can live without it.  Thus far I am not impressed.  Pandora’s client is much more user friendly.  Spotify has a very large audience and a very large library but still right now as it stands I get a better deal from Pandora – I pay by the year and have been a long term subscriber so I get a grandfathered rate that is less than 1/2 the cost of Spotify for a year. 

What’s your preference and why?  Just curious. 

The day got away from me, I had a power issue in the middle of the night that I had to deal with and I was sleepy all day long.  Someone is watching over me because by what I saw there could have easily been a fire.  There were 2 issues today and all is well. 

Work is kicking my ass with the volume of work I have to do.  Right now I need to scoot because Shameless is coming on and that’s part of my routine for ending Sunday.  Followed by brushing my teeth and hopefully a whopper of an orgasm and then finally bed!

Bears made it to the vet on Saturday.  I’m waiting on the results but his weight is up a couple pounds like his brother, so I have high hopes that the results will be good.  Fingers crossed. 

Can’t believe next Monday will be Christmas.  It’s all winding its way down to start what I am sure will be an interesting year.  Hope all is well with you.  Talk with you again soon. 

Better

This morning marked Ruth calling an end to her being mad at me.  She is cautious but allowed me to touch her and of course she requested “special food” as she does on most mornings.  She stayed in the basement all night long, which is a little abnormal.  However, it’s fun I have a light on a timer and when the light goes on in the morning, about the time I am in the bathroom she will come sleep walking up the steps.  It’s the funniest thing in the world to see.  I wonder what will happen if the light bulb burns out?  She no doubt would hear the noise and come to investigate. 

Marv’s blood work came back last night and he’s in great shape, which is good news.  I still worry about him because his behavior/personality has changed a little bit but deep down he’s the same cat.  I looked at the bill from the vet and he’s 14 all of them are 14 except for Momma who is 15.  Where is the time going?  Seems like just yesterday we were welcoming him into the world with his brother and sisters. 

I opted to stay home today, there wasn’t anything pressing on my schedule and my back was still sore from all of the claw trimming with Ruth.  Wow, I picked the wrong day for that.  All sorts of requests came in and the guy who replaced me in my last position was fired today.  I knew that was coming, we all did because every time you turned around he wasn’t in the office.  He pissed away a great opportunity and for what some travel and gaming.  Well he’s got a family to support and he just bought a used car and has payments on that.  I have no idea what he is going to do.  I think the timing was bad as in just before the holidays but then again holidays have a way of bringing all of this out in the open.  My boss was stuck with the useless fool because my other co-worker is on vacation and well I was at home.  That kept things extra busy and he for once had to baby sit.  I hope he enjoyed his time.  If they want to fire someone it should be the useless fool, he is just taking up space.  If you don’t spell out each and every detail the task won’t get done right, he doesn’t use any common sense or logic and won’t go the extra mile – unlike most people. 

I had 1/2 of a muscle relaxer and slept a good portion of the day away.  I saw some interesting things on NetFlix and of course the cats were all over me.  When things started heating up at work I kind of wished I was there.  No matter what happens I have to go back tomorrow there is a huge mess to clean up and that is the price I will pay for being out a day.  Plus there is some auditor that wants to meet with me.  This is an outside party that we hire to conduct a yearly audit for security purposes. 

My evening will be long and boring, I will struggle going to sleep and about the time I get comfy will be the time the damn alarm goes off.  Momma is already crowing at me to go back up stairs.  Yeah she likes it up there it’s a little warmer and plenty of furniture for her to crawl around on.  There is nothing and I mean nothing on TV tonight so I will have to rely on streaming services or channel surfing. 

It’s also going to be colder tomorrow but the good news is that I saved 1 days worth of gas and lunch by staying home.  That will help me in the end.  Work is a good thing as it keeps me occupied.  When I have time on my hands I usually waste it instead of being productive then think after the fact of all of the things I could have done.  Regerts I have a few and yes I know the word is misspelled it comes from a Snicker’s commercial and a guy getting a tattoo. 

Here’s to a better more productive and lucrative tomorrow which will bring us all 1 day closer to Christmas and the New Year.  Talk with you all again soon!

Ruth Workout

Today I followed through with claw trimming for Ruth.  She was a complete bitch and we had to go at it multiple times.  I thought she was going to have a heart attack.  We got into a wrestling match and that’s when she got in a couple licks on me.  I got all of her claws but 1 trimmed.  Each time we go at this in the past couple months she gets progressively worse.  I remember back to when I gave her some reprieves because she put up such a fight.  I suspect she remembers that and figures if she is an ass that I will just give up.  I stopped a couple times and just held her and told her to breath, we both needed a break.  I am so fucking out of shape that she almost killed me.  My back is a complete wreck because of her.

The things we do for love.  I am seriously going to ask the vet if there is something that I can do to make her a little groggy before I go in and do what I need to.  I love her and I am not getting rid of her but damn I need a break from this.  She gets everyone in the house upset.  She has the worst temper out of all of the cats and she is not shy about showing it.  She is my cat from hell when it comes to claw trimming. 

I put out food and she won’t come out for that.  Hopefully when I am watching Shameless she will come out.  I wanted to brush her but that wasn’t an option.  She is so sweet and adorable when she is free and if there is food involved.  She doesn’t like to be isolated but if I carted her ass off to the vet when we get there and she comes out of her cage, she wants to be by daddy and at that point I can do anything to her, she is putty.  In the house if I pick her up with out protection I will be seriously injured.  I don’t know how to tell her that I am not going to hurt her I love her with all of my heart and it really kills me to fight with her.  I know it does damage to both of us and I really don’t want that. 

Ah frustration.  So I got my Royale this morning and decided to add mustard.  Damn that is the home run of burgers.  I was thinking of my late partner and he always loved a BLT but cover it in mustard.  This is essentially the same thing because there is bacon, burgers, cheese, lettuce, extra tomato and now mustard.  I was pleased that I thought of this and was thanking him as I gulped it down. 

Grocery store be dammed no fucking Christmas cookies.  I could have gone to a 3rd store but decided to use the power of Amazon.  I placed another $100 order.  Got my cookies, 3 boxes of them!  Also pee pads for Bear, A clock insert to fix a gift that was made for my grandma, A Clergy sticker for the car, some Sake Bomb Lotion by Billy Jealousy.  That stuff is awesome.  The only exciting thing in this order is my cookies and I so look forward to them!  I just don’t understand why it’s so hard to find a common holiday cookie in a store this time of the year.  It is mind boggling.  Yeah I am sure some off the wall small mom and pop store has them but I don’t have the gas money or patients to drive around looking for cookies, thank you Amazon for coming to my aid.  My doctor will be pissed but hey no one gets out of here alive, right?

Friday was password change day at work.  I have around 22 different systems and/or web pages that I have to change.  I also have 2 accounts so this takes time and is something I dread.  Better now than putting it off to just before the holiday, when the actual due date would come due. 

My iPhone wipe and restore was successful but I lost my cached biometric profiles.  I couldn’t remember the password that was stored in iCloud.  I tried to recover them by approving on another device but at the time I didn’t have another device powered on and by the time I got to it, there was no prompt so I had to scan all of my fingers again and enter passwords to get into apps then I could enable authentication through my finger print.  Everything is back to normal.  Now I watch and see how performance is and hopefully the issue is gone.

I got the Fall Creators Update applied on my laptop here at home and now it’s downloading a feature update.  This fucking machine will never be up to date, at least that is the way it feels.  To make things worse this Tuesday will be patch Tuesday so even more updates.  Kind of a pain in the ass for something that I don’t use on a regular basis. 

It is very early in the evening but I am so ready for bed after my work out. All of the work outside of prepping for the morning is done.  I also have to pass out medication to the cats and that will prompt them to seek out another snack.  Food is what it’s about for them.  Marv gained 3 pounds since the last time he was at the vet.  I am happy about that.  I suspect Bear will have an upward weight change as well but I won’t know that until Saturday. 

So as the final hours of Sunday tick by, I will be going at it yet again for another week.  Best thing about this week is Friday is pay day!  Plus it will bring us closer to Christmas.  I look forward to that but not to New Years because that is when the shit gets real and I will have a ton of work to complete.  I made it through last year and I’ll make it through again this year.  Meanwhile I will enjoy the lulls as they come. 

Hope you had a great Sunday and that it was a fun day!  Stay warm and be well.  Talk with you peeps again soon. 

What a week

Hi and thanks for dropping by to check out the happenings in my life. 

I am glad this week is done.  It’s been a mix of riding waves this week.  One point I am slammed in crisis mode and wishing for the work day to be done.  The next moment it’s calm, quiet and I have nothing to do.  That is exhausting!

I continue to find fuck ups of my senior co-worker and continue to bring them to my bosses attention.  Now all of a sudden my boss says that a duty that we all preform is not something that he wants this new guy doing.  Then there is a huge push to have extensive meetings to talk about on-call.  The fuck up is joining the schedule in February if he lasts that long.  So I talked with my boss about the on-call meeting shit.  He said send me a list of topics that your going to talk about.  I did that and the next thing you know he sent out an email telling everyone that I would be talking about the topics that I listed – that’s not what we agreed upon in our conversation.  He was supposed to digest this and then come up with a more team inclusive approach.  Now my boss is starting to get on my nerves.  I am frustrated because the fuck up is being treated differently than the rest of us, I call it discrimination but you can call it what you’d like.

My friend that lost his wife called about the holidays.  He’s going to do Christmas Eve so we got to talking and I told him about the nursing home and how I am trying to recover the overpayment.  He said what will you do if they don’t comply.  I answered his question and the next thing you know he is yelling at me that there is a point where you stop fighting battles because it’s not the right thing to do.  Then he admonished me for buying my vehicle and spending my money.  He’s jealous that he didn’t buy an SUV and I did.  I was very close to telling him to go fuck himself because it’s my money and I’ll spend it however I please.  I earn it and I don’t tell you or others how to spend their money so fuck off.  I let it go, this is the 2nd time he’s barked at me.  When and/or if we get to the 3rd that’s it.  I will blast him.  I don’t want to ruin a friendship but come on there are boundaries.  What got him all upset is that I said that I would sue to recover the overpayment and he doesn’t think that is right.  Well you didn’t get fucked over, I did and to recover my money, albeit a couple hundred dollars I will do what I think is proper to get it back.  If I file a suit and win, they pay the court costs and filing fee not me.  I just have to front the money and then get reimbursed on the back end.  Do I want to sue, no I want them to give me back what is rightfully mine and then we can go our separate ways.  

I got a massage this week.  I was told things moved easier, it was a little more painful.  The therapist is disappointed in that she used some marijuana based cream last time, it has all of the THC taken out so it’s not like it would show up on a drug test.  Anyway the shit is super expensive and she is trying to get her clients to pay for the stuff by up charging.  She gave me a sample last week and said that it really worked and just poured on the sales pitch.  Yeah it helped a little bit and I wasn’t as sore but I am against drugs in whole or in part, knowing that this stuff is marijuana based was what soured me.  If she would have just told me it was a new cream I would have been fine.  I know that not everyone shares my opinion but I saw what drugs did to my mom and I saw how it sucked in my brother.  Drugs (the illegal kind) fucked up my family and that’s why I am so strongly against them.  Anyway, the massage this week hurt more.  My back is just a field of knots and I don’t foresee that changing anytime soon.  I don’t know that I can afford a massage every week but it does sound nice. 

Got Mr. Marv to the vet this morning.  They were on the ball. I have never gotten in and out so quickly.  I sure hope they are operating with the same efficiency next week.  I am also glad that I split the boys up and didn’t have them both done today or I would be out of money.  Once we came back home, I dropped him off and then jetted back out to grab the mail.  Then came home. 

Everyone but Ruth was in my room for the day, we watched TV and took a long nap together.  It was very enjoyable.  Then I got moving and went back out into the cold to look for Wedding Ball Cookies, which I couldn’t find.  I got some Christmas Cookie Sampler that I get every year for $12 and it’s good but not exactly 100% what I want.  So I am keeping my eyes open and if that fails there is always Amazon.  Grabbed some litter from Target, that place was filled with people like everyone decided to do their holiday shopping today.  Then it was on to the pet store where the same thing was true but there were isles upon isles of people with their dogs.  I just wanted to get in and out – back home with my furry warm family. 

Had some of Oprah’s Oh it’s So Good Broccoli Cheese Soup for supper.  It wasn’t so good, really.  I didn’t read the fine print until I got home and saw it had squash in it.  That soured me. 

Watched Office Christmas Party and Lavell Crawford Home for the Holidays both on Showtime.  They were really good!

I got a new credit card in the mail because they decided to redesign the card.  Anyway, it says on the bottom of the card, do not shred contains metal.  This card is heavy compared to regular plastic cards.  Not sure what is in there but maybe I should take it to the scrap yard when it expires to see how much money I can get for the metal.  Yes, I am only kidding.  I went through the task of updating all of the merchants that bill the card.  One of my banks actually will send you an email with a list of merchants prior to getting a replacement card.  I like that much better than me having to scour through 3 months of statements to make sure that I have all of the bases covered. 

My iPhone has been acting up and tonight I decided it was time to wipe it.  I hope that helps!  I just got the damn thing in February and I am already ready to upgrade.  Problem is it’s not paid for so I can’t upgrade.  Plus that would cost me $ in getting a couple new accessories, which is always where they get you outside of the base price of the phone.  Ugh, technology is a pain in the ass but I love it because without it I wouldn’t have the job I have today and I wouldn’t have all of the toys that I have today.  So 22 minutes to go before my phone is ready again, oh joy.

Going grocery shopping in the morning but not before grabbing breakfast at Steak N Shake.  I hope my favorite waitress is back.  I’d like to ask her about a co-worker of hers that I have a crush on but not sure if I will. Anyway those two stops followed by a stop at the gas station and then I am home for the day.  That in and of it’s self knowing that I don’t have to go back out is so refreshing.  Winter has arrived here and I am ready to go back to summer.  Silly human never happy!

That’s it waiting on my phone, rebooting my computer and then upstairs to be with the furry bunch. 

Here’s to a better week ahead for all of us!  Take care and stop by again. 

Mid Week

This week is crawling along and were 1/2 way done.  It is so much harder to get up knowing that you have to go out in cold weather.  I just want to stay in bed.  Bears and I got our sleep on last night and I even got a bear hug.  He’s such a sweetie. 

Tonight I am looking forward to visiting the post office because my Lewis Black Bobble Head is waiting for me.  That was super fast as it should have been considering what I paid for shipping. 

Work has been a little busy with people falling for Phishing Emails and clicking on links they shouldn’t.  Plus the names for end of year departures are rolling in.  Mostly things are dead but I don’t dare say that out loud.  For the most part so long as I monitored email I really don’t need to come in but I would never be able to convince my boss of that and it would really hurt my pay, so I come in and find creative ways to occupy myself and pass the time.

I tried to start my vehicle remotely last night so I would be getting in a warm vehicle instead of ice cold.  Well apparently the signal failed to reach the modem over 3 separate times.  I figure it probably had something to do with where I parked, so today I made sure to get a spot on the edge and I plan on trying again tonight.  I will also need to grab fuel on the way home.  I have had to take alternate routes to and from work on different days and the gas tank took a huge hit.  Plus I am a little more aggressive now that I know what my 4 wheeled money pit is capable of.  I love the sound of an engine accelerating.  More specifically the gears shifting.  It sounds best in a police car, something about it is so pleasing.  My engine is close but it’s no cop car, just think of the gas that would go through. 

I am also looking forward to making a pot pie not sure if it will be Turkey or Chicken but I have both.  Then following it up with a piece of what is left of the cheesecake sampler, there are 2 pieces left.  I know I shouldn’t be eating it but beats throwing it away.  I still have a bunch of sweets on the table and this weekend I am going to look for Christmas Cookies.  Wedding Balls to be specific, I just love the pecan and the powered sugar and lets not forget the butter!!  When I die it won’t be from the stress of my job or life, it will be because of what I ate but so long as I go out with a full belly it’s all good. 

Well time to start to wind down and call it a day.  Stay warm, be safe and take care.  Talk with you all again soon.  Thanks for dropping by!

Updates

I got the Fall Creators Update for Windows 10 on my desktop today.  It took a while to install as the update said.  The machine also rebooted a couple times and that too was disclosed.  Can’t say that I see a whole lot of difference but I am not a power user.  I just sick to the basics of what I use a computer for.  My laptop that I don’t power on that often has been installing update after update after update.  I mean it was just updated last month, not sure where all of these updates are coming from but I’ll be glad when they are done.  Looks like I will have to power on my laptop at work to get the Fall Creators Update.  Were looking at going to Windows 10 at work but it’s about a year away and that will also mean upgrading MS Office.  Were licensed for it already the problem will be implementing it.  We have a pretty secure environment and use a lot of software.  Technology has made it easier than ever to get our respective jobs done but it doesn’t always play nice.

I did some on-line shopping.  Picked up a Lewis Black Bobble Head.  I was going to get 3 of them but they are $25 each and that’s on-sale.  I know of 2 other people that would appreciate it but I opted to take care of myself.  Also got a DVD of a show of his, which I haven’t seen before and look forward to enjoying.  If they ship it on Monday I will have it on Wednesday because the only option available in checkout for shipping was Priority Mail 2 Day.  I love upgraded shipping but give me the option to upgrade and provide some standard speed cheaper shipping.  $11.70 for shipping is a little outrageous in my book.

The new pet bed I got for the kids and put in my room is getting a work out.  They have all used it and even Bear fit in the damn thing.  Of course it’s dark blue and he’s black so it makes it look like he has disappeared.  Just as long as he doesn’t confuse it with his personal litter box which is nothing more than a large pet bed with pee pads on it, I think we will be good. 

Picked up some Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate squares with Bourbon Caramel, fuck they are delicious.  I had 4 squares and told the kids I was getting drunk.  Once the sugar coma kicked in I put on some Pandora Relaxing Radio and closed my eyes.  I started concentrating on my breathing and I was out before I knew what happened.  Only 1 hour and then the damn phone brought me back to reality.  It was a BS message from work that I deleted and then moved from the chair to my bed.  Gator joined me and back to sleep for another hour until the phone woke me up again for work but this time I needed to act.  It’s just as well I can’t sleep my life away, I mean I can and would but then I would be upset that I got nothing accomplished. 

Looking forward to tonight’s episode of Shameless.  I still have cheese cake left from last week and there is now ice cream and cookies as well as a fresh batch of Krispy Kreme Pumpkin Donuts.  I just love sweets and wish that I wasn’t a diabetic.  I still eat what I want and I know full well it’s killing me but then again no one gets out of here alive. 

The dude I am interested in at Steak N Shake wasn’t working today and it’s just as well.  If it’s meant to be it will happen.  It is a little scary making the first move with a stranger.  I mean there is a physical attraction but I don’t know him or if we even have anything in common other than were both male and require food and oxygen to keep on living.  Considering the age difference I don’t know if we would have anything in common.  I gravitate towards younger guys in their 20’s but 30’s would be more idea.  Hell if I could find someone that was cute and was in their 40’s that would be awesome.  I don’t want an older man as I have been down that road and it’s not one I want to travel again.  In case your new here, he passed away 4 years ago.  It’s been a lonely long road but I am managing to keep on keeping on. 

Accomplished all of my chores for the weekend and I kind of wish I had another few days to myself but then again I always wish that.  Check on my PTO and I have 3 days left.  Now I am thinking of taking time off around the holidays not sure if it will be Christmas or New Years, maybe 1 day for both it would be nice to have an extra day off.  Of course until we have the first full week without a holiday is when the real work will start back up. 

Cleaned up the car as if it was dirty in the first place.  I like to keep the leather conditioned, even though I bought a protection package.  I am quite proud of my purchase and I take care of the things I buy to ensure they are around for a long time.  Speaking of which I have to make 2 vet appointment for the boys.  They both need their blood drawn to check their thyroid levels.  I’ve put it off long enough that it’s just time to bite the bullet and do it.  So I guess I am going to schedule that do a little bit of playing and then it will be upstairs to prepare for tomorrow and watch Shameless. 

Take care and best wishes for a great week ahead for all of us! Two more weeks to go after this one until we get to Christmas!  Wow, where has this year gone? 

Splits Ville

My brother called Thursday night, this was totally unexpected and I was quite surprised.  Anyway it sounds like he is breaking up with the bimbo.  Ever since our mom passed away they have been fighting and he is tired of it.  He doesn’t get any sleep and is walking around with his stomach in knots.  He has had enough.  Turns out she has been asking to get her name on the title of the house but yet she doesn’t have any financial responsibility meaning that she doesn’t pay for a damn thing.  Ever since they moved in after he got the house, she went on a buying spree and he told her she was out of control.  You should acquire things over time not go on a shopping spree to get it all at once.  He just bought her a phone and has it tied to his account, so he would be on the hook for that unless she opts to split off on her own.  I told him that he could always enable parental controls and limit what she can do.  They are to the point now where they are no longer communicating.  He has told her to fill out an application to find an apartment, I told him he should be more direct and just tell her she needs to move out.  There is no point to being ambiguous and beating around the bush.  He says that is what his heart is telling him, he might be sorry after she is gone.  I told him hindsight is always 20/20.  He is worried about loneliness but in his words, life goes on.  I spoke with him today and he said that he got drunk last night.  That’s not a good sign – usually when things go out of control he goes to booze and cigarettes.  I sure hope he can keep himself in check and under control.  I also hope that she moves out soon.  I don’t trust her and never have.  I hope that this is all handled in a professional adult manner even though she acts like a child.  Who knows maybe I will actually develop a proper relationship with my brother. 

He is pretty close to her son and allegedly her son is having a hard time dealing with this because my brother was the only stable thing in his life.  The kids is 18 to 20 years old.  Time he puts on his big girl panties and deals with it.  I know how he feels but things don’t always work out the way you want them to.  It will be okay and life will still go on. 

In other news we made it to the weekend.  I broke the seal and cracked open my copy of My Cousin Vinny and watched that today with the kids.  I didn’t laugh because I have seen it before but it was a way to pass time.  I got in a nap afterwards with Marv and Gator.  Then my phone chirped and I had to get out of bed because work was calling.  I’m getting an alert for a server that says it’s down but it’s actually up.  I’ve rebooted the damn thing and the alerts still keep happening.  Boss man said we can worry about it on Monday.  So I created a rule in Outlook and all of that noise is being filtered to a folder so I am not bothered. 

I put together a letter to the nursing home where mom used to live and am trying to get back the overpayment that my brother gave them.  Surprisingly enough nursing homes are allowed to bill for a full month regardless if the resident no longer lives there for whatever reason.  However, in order to do so it must be in a contract or agreement that is signed.  By law in our state everything has to be spelled out in writing prior to admission.  This place is not the greatest and I am betting they don’t have their act together.  I am giving them an ultimatum send me a copy of the agreement that says they can do this or send us our money.  I realize they may be right but if I don’t ask I will never know and this will fester inside of me like it has ever since he told me he just paid them.  I am not a person you can fuck over and hope to never hear from again, I fight for what is legally mine and I will go balls to the wall until I win or exhaust every avenue trying.  I had to do this when my late partner passed away and it was rough but sometimes you just have to show people they picked the wrong person to fuck with.  I got everything I was entitled to then and since then very little scares or intimidates me. 

There has been some good porn scenes released and I have been less than interested in getting off.  Last night I was looking forward to getting off but I started watching and it was one of those scenes where you get to know the actors, that turned me off and I just gave up.  So when I finally do blow it will be pretty intense.  Hopefully, I don’t alert the neighbors.  I am loud in bed, learned that from porn and if I am quiet it doesn’t feel as good.  Sometimes you just have to scream. 

There is a guy at Steak N Shake that I have been watching.  I did my homework and he’s legal but I am on the fence as to if he is gay or not.  I want to ask him out but there is a serious difference in our ages.  He’s in his 20’s and I am in my late 40’s.  I mean it’s possible it can work but the odds are against me.  Not sure if I am going to make a move, I am hoping that my favorite waitress will be working tomorrow and maybe I can find out if we bat for the same team.  If so I will likely ask him then the worst thing he can say is no.  I’m looking for a date and not a hookup.  I think I am pretty clear about that in my pick up line when I simply ask if they would like to grab a bite to eat.  If you have a better way, by all means tell me.  I am ready to go back to the dating apps on my phone but hesitant because the holidays are coming and people will be coming back to see their families.  I don’t want something temporary but rather long term.

My friends sent me a text message tonight and they are doing Christmas Eve this year which will be nice, so I am on board for that.  They are doing New Years Day and I am not sure about that yet.  Kind of depends upon work and end of year stuff. 

That my friends is all I know.  I have to get to bed at a decent hour because I have to be up early tomorrow for server testing and then I can fetch breakfast and go on with my day.  No doubt I will probably have a nap tomorrow as well.  I hope that life is treating you well and that your staying warm.  It’s been hot here but they say Winter weather is on it’s way next week.  Hooray I say bring it on.  I’ve got remote start and heated seats it will be nice to take advantage of them.  Talk with you all again soon.   

Hot in November

This weather is crazy, it’s very warm for being the end of November.  I’ve never experienced temperatures this warm in this kind of year.  I guess I now know what it feels like outside on Christmas in California.  I actually wore a short sleeve shirt to work today, felt odd since I have been used to putting on a coat or jacket before going out.  If it was up to me, this mild not terribly hot and not cold weather would be fine year round.  I am not a jacket or coat fan because they make me feel bulkier than I already am.  However, with time I get used to it and it won’t bother me until next Winter season. 

Monday was still kind of a boring day but I kept myself entertained and occupied, I didn’t do work stuff I did me stuff.  When there was work I of course shifted gears but for the most part I got paid to sit at my desk and surf on my phone.  There are worse ways to make a living. I also got news that I am getting another bonus for helping with the office move that happened in October.  Not sure how much it will be but hey every dollar helps and it makes me that much prouder of myself and my employer.  I love positive unexpected surprises just as much as I love money!

Today was a little boring in the morning.  The afternoon was full of events and quitting time came but still it was not fast enough for me. 

Lord help me because tomorrow I have a video conference to attend.  If it doesn’t keep pace and my interest I will be falling asleep on camera.  The part that sucks is my boss and his boss will be in this meeting so I have to do what I can to stay awake. 

The support group I joined has had a lot of people posting, reaching out for help.  I really hate reading their stories because I know I am reading about the end of a relationship due to death.  One guy posted something like his partner died suddenly of a heart attack.  He had heart surgery at the start of the month but he was making a great recovery.  No one ever said that his heart could stop.  Heart problems or not, it can happen to any one of us at anytime and no one can predict it happening just out of the blue.  What was even stranger about this is that he was in a Throuple and his other partner doesn’t live close by.  I don’t see how 3 guys make a relationship work much less how an open relationship works.  It just boggles my mind but while this guy is short 1 partner he still has the other.  That is not an option most of us are afforded. 

I do enjoy putting in my 2 cents and outside of the creepy old guy hitting on me, this has been a positive experience. 

I know it’s uncommon for me to make a post at night during the week.  There isn’t anything on TV and I need to pass the time before I got to bed.  Besides that it’s cooler down in the basement.  When I do go up in a bit I will have to contend with cats meowing and clamoring for attention.  Ah the life of a Cat Daddy. 

Looking forward to the weekend even if I am on-call.  I have to get up early on Sunday to remote in and do some testing, outside of that I hope it’s an uneventful weekend. 

Before Momma blows a gasket I should probably go upstairs.  That little lady runs this house and she follows me everywhere I go, except for the bathroom.  I am so glad she is here with her kids, I can’t imagine life without any of them.  They truly keep me going. 

I hope all is well in your world and that life is being kind to you.  Thanks for stopping by. 

One more day

I took advantage of the day and was lazy again, sort of.  I had breakfast out, grabbed the mail.  I picked up two candles after breakfast – got Warm Lux Cashmere and Coconut Beach.  They smell amazing and both are by Yankee.  I got some money in the mail shame there wasn’t more.  Just a rebate check from one of the medicines I take that costs a small fortune.  I also got my bank statements, I didn’t pay much attention to the holiday gift that was distributed last pay period.  Turns out it was in a different account other than my primary, that could have been disastrous.  Thankfully I got the money transferred tonight and it’s will be fully in my account on Tuesday.  After hitting up those two places I opted to get a car wash.  Wow it’s beautiful again!  I also got to see some cute guys at the car wash.  After that I was all hot and I had to come home.  Not hot from the guys but hot from the wacky weather.  It should be in the 30’s but it was closer to 70 here today.  Totally unseasonable weather. 

Got cooled off, played on my phone.  Had an old man hit me up on Facebook wanting to chat, sorry gramps I buried one old guy and I am not looking to repeat that again, so he got blocked.  I know it was kind of rude but I didn’t want to reply and get something started.  Eventually I grew tired and fell asleep. 

The best part of my day was to learn that Zak from On Scene TV accepted a friend request on social media.  He’s a hottie and has a very interesting job.  I like the way he works even though his competition doesn’t.  He’s very professional. 

Back on track.  I ventured out after my nap was over with for a hair cut.  The mobile app was all messed up so I just decided to show up.  Turns out they were booked until they were closed but thankfully I was there at the right time.  The place was empty.  They took me right away and I was in and out in 10 minutes tops.  It was awesome and I had them take the sides shorter, if the weather goes back to normal I will fucking hate that choice but it looks really good. 

Ever since Thanksgiving I have been hungry for Spaghetti so I went out to a local Italian place and got my noodle on.  There have been cute guys that have worked there in the past, my waiter wasn’t ugly just not my type.  Plus he was not focused on me to the point I want to leave him the tip of you need to pay more attention to the customer.  The food was good and I opted not to get desert because I know I have been really, really bad from a dietary point of view.  That won’t stop me from getting a shake tomorrow morning. 

I went on to battle the Pet Food Store something I try to put off especially now that holiday shopping is in full force.  I hate the traffic, the crowds, the lines – it all sucks.  If I can get in and get out that’s fine.  The trip wasn’t as bad as I had planned it to be and I spent way more than I planned on.  However, it will keep the children happy and that’s what it’s all about. 

I came home and have been here ever since.  I am done for the day.  I got to watching TV and spending more time with the kids.  They didn’t want me to go to the basement.  I watched the boys.  Marv started to give Bear a bath and then they got into it.  Just playing but then they stopped and Bear had this death stare, I knew something was going down again.  With in seconds it did.  Then that was over and they fell asleep next to each other.  The two best brothers that ever lived.  I am so jealous of them.  They each compete with the other as to who can occupy the most of my time.  I hate being in the middle but welcome to the joy of cat ownership.

I bit the bullet and upgraded my screen capture software.  I use Snag It.  They have come out with several versions past what I had and the $24 was worth it.  It’s one of those must have pieces of software, regardless of the computer I am using.  It comes in handy when you least expect it.  I use it to grab pictures and to document things both at home and at work.  Speaking of work I really don’t look forward to going back to it, but it beats the alternative. 

Thankfully, I have 1 last day.  Breakfast out, grocery shopping, filling up the tank and then I will be home for the day.  Hopefully my trusty inner alarm clock will be working and I will be up by 8 or 830 and out the door by 9.  The sooner I get moving the sooner I can get home.  I didn’t accomplish anything other than seeing a movie and just loafing.  Hey it’s necessary and something that I wish I could do more often.  Everything else will come together eventually.

I feel so sorry for the kids, they will miss me and I will miss them but it’s only been 4 days and not 14 days so this shouldn’t be that traumatic for them.  We get to do it again next month but only for 3 days.  Same is true for January but we get to do it twice in January.  Once to ring in the new year and once to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr Day.  I’ll take that.  I have scheduled a doctors appointment in January and need to request time off.  That will be a 4 day weekend as well.  I see the doc on a Thursday.  He’s always off on Friday but then I can get my blood work done and presto I have the weekend – 4 days it’s awesome.  In case you can’t tell I am all about time off!

Well off to see what else Saturday night brings.  Momma’s playing and crying her head off.  Better now than at 2 am when I am sound asleep.  Yes, she really does it then.  That’s why if it’s a work night my White Noise Machine is on and my door is closed.  You can play and scream all you want to while Daddy enjoys a nice slumber.  If the house alarm goes off that will wake me white noise or no white noise – it’s loud and that is by design.  I need sleep in order to make money.  No sleep means no money and that means well you get the idea. 

The best part of all of this break is not having to be chained to my phone.  I can turn it off, I can put it in Airplane mode or I can put it on Do Not Disturb – all of which I have done at some point.  I make sure I am available for calls by forwarding my cell to my home  - no one calls.  If I didn’t forward I would surely miss something or someone.  That is just the way the game is played.

I hope all is well in your world.  Talk with you again soon.

Thanksgiving Weekend

The big event went off without a hitch.  I believe I figured out why my friends chose to meet up at the restaurant and not at their house.  Their dog suffered a stroke last week.  She is making progress.  I was surprised that the dog isn’t on aspirin or some form of a blood thinner.  Such a sweet dog.  Her life started off rough as she was part of the show dog world and was abused.  They rescued her from that.  When they got her she was in kidney failure.  I believe they said she was 13 years old.  Not terribly old for a dog.  I hope she pulls through and makes a great recovery.  She forgot everything how to eat, go to the bathroom, walk it was quite a mess but everything has come back.  She just doesn’t navigate stairs. I didn’t get an invite to Christmas Dinner not sure if one will be coming or not.  I won’t force the issue.

I got to take home all of the food this year.  I threw out the Maggiano’s Salad and the Creamed Spinach because those are things I don’t like. I am not wild about hot ham either but I ate it.  Everything is gone but part of one pasta side and some Cesar Salad.  Putting everything away last night I was still hungry when I got home so I finished off the whole thing of Spaghetti with a Meatball.  No one touched it and it was mine.  I was kind of wishing I had some of that today.  I have stuffed myself very well and hope that I can get used to going back to “normal”.

My internal calendar is all messed up feels like Saturday but it’s only Friday.  I certainly don’t want to rush things.

I haven’t used the computer since I left work early on Wednesday.  Seems foreign to me but it was nice to have a break.

AT&T opened up all of the premium channels for the weekend so there is plenty to watch but most of it I am not interested in.  I have exhausted my choices on Amazon and Netflix.  I found and watched an entire new series on Netflix called Shot in the Dark.  It’s about stringers.  That is a fancy name for a camera guy.  They have cars all decked out with scanners, what have to be upgraded engines and a spotlight.  They all drive very fast because it’s a competitive business.  Based in LA they cover stories and sell them to the networks, if they buy them and make the news then they get paid.  It’s very neat and they get all of the good stuff.  I came away with a crush on Zak.  He’s a smart guy who uses the gift of gab and some charm to his advantage.  If your looking for a new series and like adrenaline as well as drama this is the series for you.  I wish they would have included more episodes because it ended as all series do on a cliff hanger.  I fucking hate that.

Today I watched Beach Rats.  Cost me $5.99 and it was interesting.  I thought there would be more sex and more nudity but it was an interesting story.  I am glad I was patient and waited to rent it versus just outright buying it.  Not something that I want to own but renting it was fine. 

I got the vacuum hose changed and it was quite simple.  I hooked up the new phone I bought Wednesday when I got home from work, it was a bargain and fills a void.  The personal massager I got for myself looks great and its functional.  However, the charging port is just plastic there is no metal and I fail to see how it will charge.  I tried to drain the battery but there is a safety feature built in that allows it to run for 30 minutes, then it shuts off.  I want to drain it and try to charge it back up, that is the only way I can prove or disprove if it will work.  I’ve got until the end of January to return it.  I don’t mind keeping it and using it if it will take a charge but otherwise, I want my money back. 

I have spent a boat load of time with the kids, we are to the point where we are getting on each others nerves.  They of course still love me and I love them but I need a little time away.  I have to grab cat food for them tomorrow as well as litter.  Then there is food for me.  I am going out for breakfast and need to check the mail.  Not a lot going for a Saturday.  Extra patrol is out on the interstate and that makes me want to stay off of it.  Too many crazy people out there. 

It’s been enjoyable to take a nap, sleep in and do what I want.  I really didn’t like having extra time on my hands after the meal yesterday but it was nice.  I was a little down but I realize my friends have their own lives as well.  I’m still here and kicking. 

It was a close call for me when I decided to power up my iPad and I had problems remembering what I used for the PIN.  Thankfully after several tries it finally came back to me. 

Listened to the news and I didn’t hear about any loss of life or injuries as a result of black Friday, which is kind of refreshing.  I hope people got their bargains, I know there were plenty of them out there.  It’s just not worth it to me to risk life and limb just to get a bargain.  Sure I like saving money as much as the next person but I value my safety more than the sale. 

I have been in my support group and passed on some advice, that feels so good.  I really wish I would have found this group sooner.

No word from my brother, not a text, an email or phone call.  Not terribly surprised.  I am more of the keep in touch type person.  I don’t know how long it will be and/or if he will call me.  He’s more interested in his life and that bimbo than he is me, which in some ways I understand. 

Holiday letters went in the mail on Thursday so they should be arriving next week for most folks.  I am interested who I will hear from as I sent them to a wide variety of people.  I am sure that the days ahead will also bring cards from one or two people that I didn’t expect to hear from.  Holidays would be easier if there was someone special in my life, in fact that is what I want for the holidays but not sure that will come true. 

Meanwhile I reflect on all of the many things that I have in my life today … a house, a nice car, my kids, health, knowledge, an awesome and well paying job (there is always room for more money), freedom and friends.  None of which I am willing to part with.  It’s been a hell of a year losing a friend at the start of the year, a co-worker over the summer and my mom last month.  The year isn’t over with yet but I certainly hope the loss part is.

Cheers to the weekend.  More rest, relaxing and great food ahead.  Mixed in with some chores  I am not making the progress I had hoped for but then again the weekend isn’t over with yet. 

Day Before Turkey Day

Work is super slow this week, as I expected.  I honestly don’t mind the calm it’s enjoyable but I would like to have something to do.  You can only play with your phone for so long before even that becomes boring.  I have a task to take care of after lunch and if that finishes up and there isn’t anything pressing I will be asking to leave early.  I can be bored at home with my cats. 

Besides that I have to hope there are no porch pirates.  I’ve got stuff coming today from Amazon.  I told Ms. Momma to watch and if anyone takes something to yell at them.  I know she will be napping and won’t careless, but if they came inside and tried to do something I think she might actually throw a fit.  I don’t want to find out. 

I’ve been pretty active on the support group I found.  Wow so many people just like me and some of them have been in this longer than I have, others it’s fresh.  I try to lend words of comfort as best as I can.  I haven’t made any friends from it yet, but I suspect that will happen.  These are people all over the world.  Primarily based in the US but there are some that are in the UK.  Sad that a loss is what is bringing us together but it’s also nice to be there for someone.  I have yet to share my full story and not sure that I will.  It’s also tough to be verbose when your typing from an iPhone keyboard.  I see things at the oddest times and I am either too lazy to go to my computer or I am away from one. 

There was a pretty bad wreck last night that claimed the life of 2 young people.  The cause is still under investigation but it sounds like there was an issue with a Semi Truck – not sure if he lost control or fell asleep at the wheel.  I feel for him whatever the case knowing that 2 people are dead and several others are injured and had to be air lifted out. 

Looking forward to Maggiano’s and their famous Sausage Stuffing as well as time with my friends.  I hope that we can share in more than a few laughs.  I’ll bring along my odd sense of humor that will likely cause me to say something witty that will get a chuckle.  I’ve got this Petroleum Joke but it’s crude.  Get it? 

Last night I got my Ministry credentials.  Very nice but not worth what I paid.  They are big on bumper stickers but I am not.  I’d be happy with a small sticker for my back window that identifies me as Clergy, outside of that no thanks.  They sell them but I am not buying one at this point.  They did give me a clear cling sticker but that broke away from the window overnight.  I guess it’s too cold for plastic to cling. 

Our door at work broke again, as much as I would love to see the hot door repair guy he took a shortcut last time and I am kind of hoping we get someone else.  I need this thing fixed.  I can watch porn at home and oogle over guys there.  Besides that it’s not like I have a chance with the hot door guy, he’s straight or so he says. 

Way more cars on the road today and also in the garage.  Normally it’s really light in the garage the day before a holiday but all of the good spots were taken and I got here super early.  That in and of it’s self does make for a longer day but hey if your on the clock and getting paid, it’s worth some sacrifice. 

We have a team meeting in about 15 minutes and I am sure that will just be a jabber session where I listen to someone ear fuck me for an hour.  I hate all of the corporate double talk and same knee jerk sayings, like if that makes sense, you know what I mean, etc.  I could just puke every time I hear one of them.  Every place you work has some phrase that everyone over uses way too much.  One place I was at it was we will get there. Yeah, no shit but when.  That was always my favorite response, people hated it but I on the other hand loved it. 

Not sure why but my feet are freezing and once that happens the day is pretty well shot.  I can break out the heater which I will do soon but still, it’s kind of a give up and go back to bed type thing.  It’s not officially Winter yet but you can’t necessarily tell that by the weather here most of the time.  It does warm up a little bit in the mid day but that quickly dissipates by the time I leave because the has already set. 

I need a little fuel for the long weekend for the vehicle and outside of that give me some good old fashion relaxing, lots of naps and sleep.  I’ll be just fine and of course it will all be over way too quick and then the countdown will be on to Christmas, which will be here even faster. 

I suppose I should go in anticipation of the mindless gab session that I must attend.  I hope that all is well in your world.   

Helping Others

Today I joined an LGBT Support Group on social media.  I found that there are a lot of other people who are just like me.  I read and understand the pain they are each going through.  I try to put my wisdom in words and help them as much as I can.  It’s really sad, some of these people haven’t given themselves permission to move on.  Until you reach that point you will struggle.  Just because you give yourself permission doesn’t mean you will have someone next to you, but you can be open to someone new coming into your life.  I see several things that I have done wrong, I should have moved and I should have gotten rid of a lot of crap that I am surrounded by.  There are far too many memories here and it’s like I am keeping myself in some state of pain.  However, finances dictate what I can do and I can tell you for a fact there is absolutely no way in the world I can afford 2 mortgage payments.  If I could I would fix this place up with the repairs it needs and put it on the market sooner rather than later.

It was a briskly cold day here.  I hauled myself out of bed way too early considering I was up way too late last night.  I made my way to Steak N Shake and there was a most handsome guy cooking so I had that going for me.  One of the waiters that is hot came in and I decided for whatever reason to play detective.  It didn’t take long to find out his full name and locate him on social media.  He’s 21 which is a wee bit young but hey at least he is legal.  I didn’t ask him and his profile indicates he might be gay.  Just from what I see I think we could hit it off but then again it could all be a fantasy in my own mind.  I also don’t know that someone who is 21 would be interested in someone who is in his 40’s.  I may ask just to see what he will say but for now I remain silent.

Powered through the laundry and a nap.  Placed yet another Amazon order.  I tried to clean up a laser printer that I have and wound up with toner on the carpet.  I was torn on how to clean that up.  Thankfully I made the right choice and got out the vacuum.  That worked like a charm.  I still went over the area with a cold water rag for good measure.  No sign left behind.  Toner will ruin fabric in a heartbeat and there is no cure once the damage is done, at least that has been my experience.  I wound up pitching the cartridge which was still full of toner and putting in a new one.  Then I researched on line and decided to stop buying name brand toner when there is cheaper alternatives.  A laser cartridge of toner will last me for years, I don’t do that much printing.  However, I do like to use it for envelopes and some letters.  It was also handy when I was looking for a job. 

I picked up a hose for the vacuum which has torn, that will be here on Friday.  So now I know part of what I will be doing on Friday.  I also got a massager for one of my friends who has had a hell of a time with her muscles.  In looking I found a personal massager for me and while it’s marketed for aches and pains, it’s a sex toy straight up.  I didn’t buy anything else terribly exciting but it will all be here with the exception of the toner by the end of the week.  I will be giving my friend her gift, this week just because I want her to have some comfort and plus she won’t be expecting it.  I like to throw people off, there is some joy in a total surprise. 

Well Shameless is on and Momma is crowing so I guess that means I am going.  Here’s to a short and quiet week.  I hope the majority of people decide to stay home so those of us that have to work can have an easy breezy commute.  Stay warm!

What a week

Greetings one and all,

Work has been slow, I have tons of free time and lounged away.  It does make for longer days and yes there were things I could have done, but I chose to coast.  I’ve been going full bore for over six months and it’s time to come up for air. 

The dummy made more mistakes this week, I know that probably won’t come as a surprise.  He actually had the balls to call me and try to argue when I called him out.  It’s not a debate dude, just do better next time and for God’s sake get your head out of your ass.  I still say his days are numbered because he keeps making the same mistakes over and over again.

The best part of the week is when one of the doors stopped working.  The reader was just stone cold dead, it would beep if you put your card up to it but nothing happened.  I got to call for repair and they sent the same hot and hunky guy out to fix it.  I saw him over the summer.  Fuck he was even hotter this time.  He got on his knees to work on the door and well my head went to sex instantly.  I chatted him up and then got depressed, he’s got a girlfriend.  He also thought I was married, I didn’t say I was or wasn’t.  I did get a nice look at dat ass and it was super fine.  He would have been perfect, only 10 years younger than me.  Where is my prince charming and what the fuck is he doing now? 

I met my brother today at the bank, of course he came with the bimbo.  He can’t go anywhere without her, I don’t know how me makes it to work by himself.  Fuck leave her at home once and a while.  Anyway, we got our money and it was way more than either of us anticipated.  Turns out there were multiple savings accounts.  The bimbo peeked her head over the counter and she said there are like 8 accounts.  Yeah, no you ditz there are a total of 4 accounts the lady wrote down the balances and that’s when I got out my phone and started calculating.  I wish that I would have gotten all of it but we agreed to split it 50 – 50, which is fair and what is right.  I did get to talk with him without her and that was nice for the short time we chatted. 

When he went to settle up with the nursing home they didn’t pro-rate the bill like they should have.  He tried to explain it to the lady but they wanted a full months rent.  This is the one time he should have had someone with him and of course that’s when he elected to leave her at home.  He paid them rather than debate the issue.  I got a letter ready and just needed some basic information, I am sure I could easily compel them with my fancy word smiting skills to fork over what little bit they owe him.  It’s deceptive and fraudulent.  He on the other hand doesn’t want to fight and is willing to lose his money, which is actually our money.  Well that is unusual but I can’t make him do anything.  I don’t want to overstep so it is what it is. 

I did find a Western Union Settlement, where the USDOJ sued Western Union saying that it failed to protect consumers from wiring money for scams, like the one mom fell for.  I filed a claim for that, they have paid her some money in the past so that will reduce whatever it is we get but getting something is way better than getting nothing.  The bad part is that it can take up to a year to process a claim.  This was just announced this week and I found it when I was passing time at work on social media.  I was over joyed.  I don’t expect much out of it, even if we get nothing that is better than not trying at all. 

I am waiting to hear about the other account she had with a credit union, I mailed that paperwork off this morning.  Again getting nothing is better than not trying at all.  I know mom was poor as a church mouse and spent every fucking penny she ever came across.  She had to have forgotten about the savings accounts that she opened or she would have spent that money a long time ago. 

Tonight I put the finishing touches on my holiday letter.  I have 10 of them to mail and they won’t go in the system until Wednesday night.  Thursday is Thanksgiving so Friday they will be on their way.  I always mail holiday cards/letters the day before Thanksgiving.  I decided to reach out to the convict, I don’t know if this will cause him to get in touch with me but after all we (me and my late partner) did for him I feel as if he owes me.  All I really want is friendship.  It’s been 4 years since we talked and it’s time to break the silence.  I will be making the first move and he is going to make the second move.  It will either be positive or negative, that is entirely up to him.

So, Wednesday of this week I became an ordained minister.  For real.  I can do weddings and funerals.  The ordination is free, if you want the official documents that is what costs.  They got me for around $60 but this is a lifetime thing and unless I actually go to marry someone in another state I won’t ever need a thing from them.  There are no on going or recurring fees, which is what made it even more attractive.  I told my brother but damn I sure hope he doesn’t marry that bitch. 

I went to the dentist today and was really surprised to hear that my dentist sold her practice.  Her and her husband were in business together and this is an exit strategy for him.  She will be sticking around but next year he should be retiring.  So they are owned by a small corporation.  She used to write off the $2 and $4 balances that I would have, now the corporation will be doing the billing and they will want their money so I was told expect a bill.  I am really not happy about their business move but I totally understand that it made sense for them and they likely got money for turning over the practice so that made it even more attractive.  I just don’t want to lose my dentist, it took a long time to find her and I want to keep her for as long as possible.  It’s about an hours drive and people tell me I am crazy but hell I’ll drive a couple hours for pie, why not drive an hour for a dentist.  It’s all about who your comfortable with.  Corporations are taking over all aspects of health care which puts bean counters in control and takes the doctors out of control.  That is the part I am not crazy about.  Welcome to the fast food of health care in the US. 

Well the clock just struck midnight and momma is yelling at me so I am going to publish this and watch some TV.  Hopefully, I will fall asleep.  I have a few things on the list for tomorrow.  Hope all is well in your world.  Stay warm!

Get ‘er Done Weekend

Friday night I kept true to my word and had my Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese and a Medium French Fry.  The fries were fresh and full of salt.  Instantly transported me back to my childhood.  The sandwich was good as well.  Not a bad treat for 5 days of hell. 

Saturday as soon as the Gator had me awake, I sprang into action.  Breakfast for the children was the first order of business.  They were all chatty, I guess hunger pains finally hit all of them and it’s such a rare feeling they didn’t know how to react.  Seriously, they do not starve.

I went out for breakfast, back to the place where the 16yo was.  I feel like he is taunting me.  He figured out I was there and started seating people around me, he would walk right by my table wiggling his ass.  Yeah, dude is still cute but now that I know his age the interest is gone, I mean long gone and never coming back gone.  Food was very good.

On to grab the mail and hope that Death Certificates were in.  No such luck.  Then it was on to the haircut store.  Where I let a different person cut my hair and I got charged wrong, as in too much for my shampoo.  It was only a couple of dollars and I wasn’t going back to argue. 

Next stop was the upscale grocery store.  Where I spent way too much money for “oatmeal”.  The oatmeal is my excuse for going in but I always buy way more stuff than I planned on. 

Next stop the dreaded home improvement store.  Man alive it was like it was Christmas shopping at it’s finest.  Tons of rude people to block the isle, stop and chat and that stressed me out.  I had to keep reminding myself why I was there.  I passed on one item and now I’ve forgotten what it was so must not have been important. 

I should have gone for cat food but opted to go home.  I was a little tired.  Unloaded all of my purchase and then began toilet repair.  Yep, it was the flapper.  The old defective one was rubber and it was just disintegrating.  I had this black goop all over my hands, a real mess.  Got the new one installed and tested it a couple times, presto change-o fixed. 

Finally time to rest up and relax with the children.  I decided to call my brother, the phone rang off the hook before VM picked up.  I left a message thinking he was dodging me.  He called back about an hour later once I had settled down for a nap.  I told the kids he would call and yeah just as I was falling asleep boom.  He paid the nursing home, the doctors are paid.  He has the death certificates and we agreed to meet up on Saturday to close out the bank accounts that are local.  I still need a death certificate to send off for the remote account(s), if there is any money there it will be a surprise.  The bank has frozen the checking account and that was actually expected.  So he has no way to get a balance for the Savings account.  We shall just have to wait and see what’s what.  I think I will walk away with a couple hundred dollars, which will be nice. 

I got on the computer and went porn surfing, that was fun.  Never know what I am going to find but I managed to locate some decent scenes.  By now were at 3 in the afternoon.  I opted to make a pizza, which I picked up earlier in the day.  It was a Gino’s South of Chicago Sausage & Pepperoni.  Pretty good stuff.  However, the first bite the sauce went onto my upper lip and I managed to burn the corner of my lip.  It’s a little painful but just looks like I have a chapped lip.  Doesn’t feel anything like a chapped lip. 

Oh, I ate the whole pizza.  As I sat down I got a call for work, but I elected to defer it until I was done with my food.  I took care of that and another hour had passed me by.  I got out and filled up the vehicle with fuel and then went on to the cat food store.  Then it was back home for the remainder of the evening. 

Of course I went back to the computer and I started music surfing.  Acoustic Alchemy has some great stuff.  I had a very good evening listening to their music which is classed as smooth jazz.  Very relaxing.  I just love music, the older I get the more I have to have.

Finally I called it a night close to 11p that is after I put out my medicine, medicated the cats and had a stinging time brushing my teeth with my lip burn.  Watched TV and saw the latest episode of Active Shooter.  Man that was an eye opener.  After that was over with I went to bed. 

Sunday once again the Gator made me rise from bed with her magically gifted set of lungs.  It’s annoying to hear but also entertaining to hear some of it.  Got the furies fed.  Then on to grab my breakfast and hit up the grocery store.  Once again I dropped way more money than I thought I would.  They didn’t have my Diet Code Red Mt. Dew which didn’t please me at all.  I got home and got everything put away.  Then down I went in my chair.  Watched a little TV felt sleepy and I was back in bed by 10:30.  Slept until 11:30 and then said give me a 1/2 hour.  True to form Gator started her racket at noon.  That was the lunch bell ringing.  So I had to feed them.  Then I found out what a Blueberry Oatmeal Cookie tasted like.  I paid $5 for a box.  They were really good. 

Now we start laundry and that’s all done.  So here I am giving you the play by play.  Next it will be carrying everything upstairs and getting ready to clean the house.  Which will send the cats into a panic because the vacuum cleaner comes out.  Then I’ll wrangle the trash.  I’ll probably take a short break and then it will be time for a shave and shower, followed by supper which is going to be frozen Turkey, Mashed Potatoes and Stuffing.  You might think I am gearing up for Turkey Day but it’s actually an enjoyable meal that I can have year round.  I’ll probably come back to the computer for a couple hours then it will be upstairs to take in Shameless, Vice Principals and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.  Then hopefully I will feel drowsy and go to bed.  Then I’ll get to rise early again and go back to the fun that is work. 

I realized after the fact of speaking with my brother this coming Saturday I have a dentist appointment.  So hopefully he will get moving early because come noon I’ll be in the chair getting my pearly whites cleaned and polished.  Now that’s my real turkey day preparation.  Then the following week the big day will be here and we only have to work 3 days.  Nice!

While it’s not exciting news I am proud  of the fact that I finally got everything done that I have been putting off.  Here is to a fast moving and highly productive week ahead with little stress and no worry.  The refrigerator for temperatures has arrived, so my wardrobe has changed over to all long sleeves.  Still not a fan but it is normal for this time of year.  My lawn guy mowed 1 last time even though our contract expired last month.  That’s another can of worms.  So stay warm and be well.