Famous Last Words

What a year it has been.  We’re about to enter year 3 of COVID and this is something that I thought would be a couple months long.  I sure hope that this time next year we have better news when it comes to COVID. 

It’s been another year of HIGHS and LOWS.  In some ways it seems like this year went by reasonably fast and in other ways it seems like it took forever to get to this point. 

The weather has been crazy with unseasonable high temperatures for December and even an outbreak of tornados earlier in the month.  We lost a lot of good people this year as we do every year. 

Here’s hoping that 2022 will get us to the point of peace on earth.  I hope it’s a year that brings me more good news than bad and that my Gator is still by myside this time next year. 

Now I shuffle off to work (from home) to take care of end of year business.  I will be working a bit tomorrow to take care of first of year business.  My friends have invited me over for an open house they are having.  Allegedly everyone is vaccinated but I don’t want to go and it’s got nothing to do with the virus.  In many ways it will be just another Saturday for me.  I plan on business as usual. 

I don’t think that I will make it past midnight but may well surprise myself.  One thing is for sure that tomorrow will be here if I wake to see it.  New Year’s like Christmas has lost it’s luster with me being alone.  I just hope that things turn around soon.

May the New Year bring you many blessings and good times.  Here’s hoping for the best for everyone in 2022!

Close to EOY

I finally got rid of my holiday blues last night.  I was listening to some music and I just broke down.  Gator doesn’t like it when I cry, it woke her up and she was concerned.  Not exactly sure what she was thinking but I told her what was on my mind and why I was crying.  One can only take so much before you reach your breaking point.  I am glad that it’s behind me and hopefully it won’t hit me again with the short pause we have for New Years, but it is possible. 

My work email was a nightmare but I managed to wade through it and took care of what I needed to and filed/deleted the rest.  So much of it was junk.  It wasn’t until late afternoon that I was able to be with Gator upstairs.  She was really good about it and napped away in my room but eventually moved to the living room, waiting on me.  It was a productive day but it was a bit of hard work as well. 

I made the decision to order the parts needed for my vehicle to upgrade to 4G.  Let’s hope that sticks around for a few more years.  Figuring in high for taxes it will be around $700 installed, that’s parts and labor.  Once the parts arrive in then I will get a call to schedule the work.  It takes 2 hours to complete.  The dealer where I have to go is about an hour from my house, so this will be at minimum a 4 hour trip.  It’s not like I am short on time off but I am trying to hopefully work it in with my trip to the doctor in a couple weeks, the timing of the parts arrival will be everything.  Hopefully, there aren’t any supply chain issues that affect me but if so there isn’t much I can do about it but roll with it.  The 3G Network shuts down towards the end of February 2022.  I will admit it is tempting to buy a new vehicle and when I get to the showroom while I wait for the repairs to be done I will want one but all things considered it’s reasonable right now to hold off.  I have my eyes open and when the time is right for me I will make that move, for now I have to be content with what I have and what I have isn’t bad it’s just 4 years old, soon to be 5. 

Today I figured out that my boss is only out of the office this week  He had planned for two full weeks but apparently changed his plans, which I am not thrilled with at all.  There is just much more drama and chaos when he is around and it’s mostly needless. 

There isn’t much going on considering this is the last week of the year, lots of people are on vacation.  I got a little curiosity and that is kind of a bad thing.  I heard this little voice in my head say don’t do it but I forged forward instead.  I was spying on a crush an set off an alarm.  I took care of the alarm because it’s part of my job but where I was on the network is logged in a file forever and if someone gets curious and decides to ask questions that could cause problems for me.  I know how to be vague and call it an accident but not sure how well that will fly.  I was vague with my team on the alarm.  I don’t think anyone will be asking questions or so I hope.  I have to learn to trust that little voice more because when I don’t there is always a price to pay. 

Speaking of voices, I feel my sugar starting to drop.  I didn’t eat much for lunch because I wasn’t feeling the best but that has changed and I am ready to mow down a buffet line.  Instead I will be having some pasta.  I am thinking later about some of the Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Pudding and then topping that with Chocolate Pudding.  It sounds strange but it also sounds really good to me. 

Not sure of what I will watch on TV tonight but I am ready for some relaxing time, sleep and to tackle tomorrow.  Hope your doing well and that I didn’t make you hungry.  I will talk with you all again soon. 

Alone on Christmas

For the first time in 9 years I found myself all alone on Christmas.  I’ve still got Gator but I wasn’t around any other humans.  Christmas at my friends house was cancelled because one of them got sick.  I suggested cancelling and he went for it quicker than I sent the text.  I got a message back that said we will get together after the new year.  If Easter counts as after the new year then I guess that will be a true statement.  Look I had had my mind made up that I wasn’t going but honestly I probably would have gone just to be around others.  It’s really depressing to be all alone on a holiday with no one to talk to, other than a cat.  I’ve also had my phone turned off on purpose so I didn’t have any distractions, I turned it back on because I need to get somethings done and in this modern day and age with 2 Factor Auth. I can’t get in to anything with out my phone. 

I woke up early, fed the cat and started watching TV.  Eventually went back to bed for a couple more hours, then got up and had breakfast.  Then back to the TV.  I had all of the intentions of getting a shower but that never materialized.  I wound up taking an unplanned nap and then watching way more TV.  Snacking and feeding the cat a couple more times. 

I am exhausting all of the streaming content that I can.  Saw 8 Bit Christmas on HBO Max.  It’s an NPH movie and it was really good.  Been through the series Twenty Somethings on Netflix, that was like a Real World but much shorter.  There has been so much content that I have consumed I don’t honestly remember most of it but there have been some good movies.  Kind of appropriate but I started the day out watching Christmas is cancelled. 

I’ve been depressed over this but hell it’s just a holiday and time alone can be a good thing.  I like not having any pressure and being able to do what I want when I want.  However, that will all come to an end when Monday gets here and it’s back to work.  Feels odd having Christmas on a Saturday. 

The grocery stores here are all closed all weekend long.  I got up early on Friday and hit up breakfast out, the grocery store and gas station.  I’ve been home ever since.  I’ve managed to get the bathroom clean and clean part of the kitchen.  There are many other cleaning projects I had planned but never got to them.  I don’t have high hopes that I will get to them tomorrow but I guess I don’t know that for sure until tomorrow gets here. 

I got some really upsetting news late in the day on Thursday.  The modem in my vehicle is a 3G modem.  The 3G cellular networks by all of the major carriers (ATT, Verizon & Sprint/TMOBILE) will all shutdown in early 2022.  That means that those devices will become giant bricks and won’t even be able to call 911 for help.  For me this means I have to reach out to my dealer to find out the cost for a 4G modem and what it will cost in labor to install.  This is all out of warranty so I will bare the full cost.  However, I do have an extended warranty and they may well cover some of this.  Plus the fact that the announcement was made back in 2020 that these networks would be shutting down, back then my vehicle was well in warranty so I am going to argue with the manufacturer.  I shouldn’t have had this dropped in my lap last minute.  If I don’t upgrade then I loose all of the remote functionality like remote start/stop, unlock/lock and being able to check on oil life and see how much gas I have left.  It negatively impacts the cars resale value as well.  I have until May I believe to get the new modem and other parts associated with the upgrade.  Chances are pretty good I could do this myself but I am comfortable letting a dealer do the work just as long as it doesn’t cost me a bunch of money.  I will also have to start paying for the app and have no idea what that will cost me.  The infotainment system will still work because that is powered by Bluetooth, so if I am in a serious wreck and my phone is paired up, it will call 911 but it won’t be able to tell them where I am if I don’t upgrade the modem because that is what powers the onboard navigation system.  I could always trade the car now and let it be someone else’s problem but that I feel is rash and would put me further into debt.  As it stands now I am very close to paying off my current vehicle.  It’s a 2017 and were just about to approach 50 thousand miles.  That is thanks to the pandemic that the mileage is so low.  I am pretty sure that trade value would easily come close if not pay off the entire loan.  However, my plan was not to trade until later next year.  Chances are I will keep this even after the extended warranty expires because it’s been good to me, other than eating tires.  I put a new battery in it at the start of this year and that was covered under warranty.  If it starts acting up and draining my bank account I will get rid of it but as I see it now I’ve got something dependable.  I really didn’t need this but hey no one ever really needs a problem.

Going back in time I got my massage and I have been really sore ever since.  I took a muscle relaxer afterwards but it only provided minor relief.  I’ve been living with the soreness and it’s starting to wear off.  If I could get 45 minutes every week I think it would help keep the knots down and I would feel much better but it’s not cheap and not everyone uses the same level of pressure.  I wanted this to be more firm pressure and for her to really dig into the knots.  I also said I only want to focus on the upper back and not have anything else touched.  Next thing you know she is pulling my underwear down and touching my butt to work my SI joints.  I don’t know why she bothered to ask what I wanted since she clearly had a mind of her own.  Were midway into the massage and she tells me she is bi-polar not exactly comforting news.  Ah well it’s over. 

I need to grab some laundry, check on the gator and then I am going to dig into the Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding I found by accident when I made my panic run to the grocery store.  I was more worried about having enough food for Gator. 

Hope you had a Merry Christmas.  I have enjoyed my time with Gator and am glad that at the very least we are together.  She knows I am depressed and that something is bothering me.  She has tried to keep me cheered up when she is not passed out cold or demanding food.  I still have to do my stupid report, even though it’s Christmas and I am on vacation. 

Take care and we will talk again soon! 

 

Surprise

All of my Amazon deliveries arrived today.  I got the new camera setup this evening.  It was very simple.  The only draw back is there is no zoom (which I thought I had).  It’s got motion tracking and sound alerts so my phone chirps when Gator cries or if she decides to get off the couch.  I have a limited field of view but it does a good job of tracking her.  Kind of makes me want to setup additional cameras throughout the house to have full view and watch her.  There is a cloud recording feature and the company pushes that pretty hard with all sorts of special introductory offers.  I do see the use case for it but given that I am just tracking a cat and not using this for security I don’t think that I need a cloud to be able to review the data. 

My new Air Pods are really good.  I like the Spatial Audio it really makes the music come to life.  It’s not quite as the same as a concert but it is really good.  I used them for a phone call and that went very well.  The left pod/bud kept falling out of my ear but the right one stayed put. 

As for the mouse pad I don’t like the wrist rest, it’s not spongy like I was expecting but I opened 1 already.  I am using it but just not happy.  So I will take a gander if I manage to make it to Target tomorrow. 

I wound up waking up super early and stayed up until about 11a, then had to take a nap.  I woke up and that’s when I got involved in a phone call.  I went to leave to get Detroit Pizza and learned that the place didn’t have dine in.  I didn’t want carry out considering the distance so instead I went to Red Lobster.  I had a decent full serving of Crab Alfredo and wolfed it down.  It was only my second meal of the day and my sugar levels dropped when I woke up from that aforementioned nap. 

I had plans to hit up Target tonight but instead opted to come home.  My colleague managed to loose several days worth of data in our stupid report.  I have spent an hour gathering it all up again for him.  Not exactly how I planned on spending my evening but I am a team player or crazy – perhaps both. 

I got a text from my friends and were having Prime Rib and Mashed Potatoes on Christmas.  I really want to pass on this.  I am not a fan of his Prime Rib nor his Mashed Potatoes.  The Prime Rib is very fatty and not cooked all the way done.  Mashed Potatoes have like 35,000 cloves of garlic and it’s just too over powering for me.  His wife likes it that way and that is why he makes them that way.  Were also having company and part of me wants to see these people and another part of me says stay away.  I will probably guilt myself into going but it will really depend on how I feel. 

Looking forward to my massage tomorrow morning.  I still have my booster setup for tomorrow afternoon as well but I don’t know if I am actually going through with it.  I will probably guilt myself into doing this as well.  I really hate the poke in the arm and then the sore arm afterwards.  As well being wiped out the next day.  I may luck out and that may not happen with the 3rd dose but I won’t know until I get it.  I’ve got the time now and it will only work to my benefit to get it.  I just wish they would pick a different spot to administer the injection but no matter which muscle they push it into, you will find that you use that muscle way more than you think you do. 

If I get the shot then I plan on treating myself to some BBQ and then coming back home.  I really want to grab breakfast out tomorrow as well but I don’t know if I will have enough time but I am sure going to try to make it all work. 

I still have plenty of work to do around here so it would actually be a plus if I could have tomorrow evening as well as all day on Thursday to accomplish my cleaning goals.  Friday will be Cat Food shopping again. 

I guess it’s up to be with the little furry lady and listen to her complain to me about her troubles.  She is really limping (arthritis) but it doesn’t seem to slow her down at all.  Back when we were on the full dose of the steroid that wiped out her limp but it was murdering her kidneys at the same time, so I wanted to keep her around and the vet opted to change us to the 1/2 dose.  I can always go back up but it’s not something I want to do because it will shorten what time she has left. 

Hope you had a great day. 

Vacation is here

For the last couple weeks, I have been watching the trial of Kim Potter. She is the former police officer who mistakenly drew her gun instead of her taser and shot & killed Daunte Wright back in April of this year. That feels almost like a lifetime ago with COVID and blursday (every day blending into the next). Closing arguments took place this morning and the case is in the hands of the jury. It was interesting to see how this all played out. I watched from opening statements until today. I have never, ever seen the jury shown on television and I think that was by design. Everyone will have an opinion in this matter. Personally, I believe this was an honest mistake. She meant to draw her taser but her brain took a different action. Had she known she had a gun in her hand and planned to use it, I think that she would have fired more than once. Police are trained to shoot to kill and they are also taught to fire at least twice. It is a very unfortunate mistake and incident to have taken place. Had Mr. Wright complied this wouldn’t have been an issue. His character came out in court and he wasn’t exactly an upstanding citizen but he was young and had his whole life in front of him, which makes this all the more tragic. Needless to say, I am interested in the verdict and think that if we do not hear anything this week, I expect to hear something next week. If deliberations go past that and into the New Year it will very much surprise me. I hate waiting for most anything but regardless of how the verdict is handed down it won’t have any impact on me.

On a different note, I made it back to the office for the first time in 2 years. I went in Saturday afternoon. I only planned to be there an hour or two but wound up staying way beyond that. I have no windows in my office and wasn’t really paying attention to the time. All things considered my office was in decent shape but there was much to clean and sort through. A colleague sends chocolate each year and someone is either holding that for me or swiped it, not sure which. It’s not the greatest but if its in front of me I will devour it. I got some promo gifts from a vendor and that was expected. I got a Christmas card from my boss but this was the second year with no gift. Normally he buys us each something and I am typically not that pleased with what I wind up with but never express any displeasure to him. It was nice of him to send the card. I had a mountain of dust to clean away. I found out the hard way that the refrigerator where all of the soda is stored for clients is now locked on weekends. Good thing for me I had some change in my office and was able to buy a soda. I got my new keyboard hooked up and it’s delightful. Someone turned up the heat my office was amazingly hot. I threw away all of the calendars for 2021, I mean it’s not like I will need them now. I also tossed my 2020 train calendar. There is plenty of trash to be hauled away. I walked around and figured out that a fair number of people have moved. Some even have their own offices now. Since we had some construction done, we have a lot more offices and they are currently empty but I am sure in time they will begin to fill up. I had the entire place to myself. There were people in but they had all left by the time I did my walk around to see what was different. It’s interesting at what has changed and what has stayed the same.

Oddly enough my boss called me last week to talk about of all things my return to the office. He has been under the assumption I have been going in 1 day a week for at least a month or more now. I didn’t bother to correct him. He even told me to keep doing what I am doing because the work is getting done. I think he wants plausible deniability. In any case he said that between the two of us we have an agreement that I will go in 1 day a week. Even when we start to return to more normal and are required to be in the office 3 days a week, he told me at least for a little while I could probably get away with 1 day a week. I still plan to address that with my doctor but don’t have high hopes that I will be told I need to work from home. I am obviously on vacation this week. My boss is out for 2 weeks starting on the 27^th and I have no plans to return to the office while he is out. When he gets back then I will probably start going in. I don’t miss the daily drive of 40 miles 1 way and I certainly don’t miss rush hour traffic. Ah well it is all there waiting for me – the good, the bad and the ugly. I’ll get to it all eventually.

Friday was the start of my vacation and I didn’t really do anything. It was a lazy day. I had my morning call to get the stupid report done, really wish I didn’t have to spend my time off doing work but it is what it is. I watched the series on HBO Finding Magic Mike. I had left a couple episodes for Saturday but it was done in the morning and I knew who the winner was. The one guy I wanted to win was dropped towards the end. It’s a great show and if you like looking at hot shirtless men then this series is a MUST WATCH. Apparently, they perform a live show in Vegas regularly. Not sure if they admit guys but I wouldn’t mind seeing the live show.

Saturday, I had booked a haircut and got that out of the way. Then hit up the post office and pet food store. It’s a Christmas Miracle. I found on an empty shelf sitting all alone 5 cans of Fish & Shrimp which is the flavor Gator loves. I grabbed them in a hurry, even though no one was around. I looked for more but there was none to be had. The selection was still pretty horrible but I managed to get a few cans for her. Then I came home, took a nap and that’s when I went on my trip back to the office. I stopped to get a bite to eat before I came home. The waitress told me they were out of what I wanted and had been for a couple weeks. I ordered something else, meanwhile the guy sitting next to me was served exactly what I wanted in the first place. I was not happy at all. I dropped $30 on a meal that I really didn’t enjoy.

Sunday was another do-nothing day. I had breakfast and stayed in my room all day long. Gator wasn’t very pleased with me but she stuck by my side.

Monday (today) I got the stupid report call out of the way. Watched the trial, got a shower and went to the dentist. I chipped a couple of teeth. When I left everything felt fine. This was quick work and the chips were very minor. Now I still feel a bit of a ridge. I am debating about going back to get it fixed. It’s not sharp but it’s a place that my tongue wants to fidget with and it’s kind of obsessive. If I can train myself to stop then were good, otherwise I need to go back. I hit up the grocery store and Sam’s club. Traffic is abysmal because everyone is out doing holiday shopping. You’d think that since it was a work day that people would be working but that is not the case, apparently, I am not the only person on vacation this week.

Tomorrow I’d like to hit up the breakfast place for that kicked up French toast I had back in October. Then pick up a few pies from Cracker Barrel and deliver them to a couple of unsuspecting people as a holiday gift. Not sure if I will follow through on that part but the breakfast part I will. I need to clean up the house and put up the plastic on the patio door and front windows, winter is here and you can feel it at night. We’re talking lower 20’s and it’s only going to get worse from there. Oddly tomorrow is the first day of Winter. There is also a new place that serves Detroit Style Pizza that came to my area and I want to hit them up to try it because I’ve never had it. They also do New York Style and I’ve had that before and it’s really, really good. I can only imagine what the real thing tastes like from NYC.

I haven’t spent anytime in front of my computer until now. I kind of missed it but it was also nice to get a diversion into TV and escape reality for a while. I am doing the 7-day trial of Paramount Plus through Amazon and have found a few additional things to watch. I haven’t been sleeping the best because I am not really on a regular schedule or at least wasn’t until last night. I am going to try to stick with my normal schedule as much as possible so I won’t be shocked to get back into the routine when this little fun ride of time off ends.

Wednesday I am scheduled for my COVID booster. I really don’t want it at all. However, I know it’s a matter of time before a vaccine mandate is in effect and there is talk about redefining fully vaccinated to include at least 1 booster. I will feel like crap on Thursday, which is why I am not looking forward to it. However, I am on vacation and won’t need to use a sick day. A day of sitting around is good for me, so long as I can accomplish everything else that I need to get done. So right now, Thursday is a do-nothing day. Nothing planned for Friday but I will probably get my cat food shopping out of the way. Saturday being Christmas I am invited to my friend’s house but don’t know what time dinner is or what is being served. I probably won’t like it but being around other people will be nice, I suppose. Sunday will be the usual breakfast and grocery store runs, so that I can get back to all of the fun on Monday. I haven’t been watching my email and that will be fun to plow through.

I’ve got a few orders placed in the last couple days with Amazon. I broke down and ordered the 3^rd generation Apple ear buds. They were at an all-time low price and I just couldn’t help myself. I’ve already sent the money to pay for them so I won’t have a bill hanging over my head. They won’t arrive until towards the end of the year. Tomorrow I have a new security camera coming. This was a must since going back to the office, I need to be able to check up on my girl. My old one has a security flaw and I really don’t want to put it back on-line. Wednesday I will be getting a new mouse pad for the office, my old one is beyond cleanable and has all sorts of crumbs it’s a mess. I recently discovered that Amazon Pharmacy is available in my state. I took a look at what my sleeping medicine will cost, without insurance and it’s $5 for 30 days when I am paying $12.99 now for 30 days. I take a couple pills but they are in the same drug class and the insurance company will only cover 1 of the 2 drugs, so I have to pay cash for 1 of them. When I go back to the doctor next month, I will be telling him to send a prescription to Amazon for a 90-day supply. I am also going to have him transfer my Sudafed prescription to a different pharmacy. Walgreens wants to play games and limit my supply. I hate being on a merry go round where each month I have to hit up the pharmacy. It’s needless aggravation. Walgreens is fine if I am sick or need something in a pinch but otherwise, they have become a huge pain in my ass and not in a good way.

I haven’t been wearing my regular prescription lens that I need to wear. I have been using computer glasses when I am in front of the computer. I just put on my regular glasses tonight to try to start getting used to them and wow it sure is a change. Better to train my eyes now than have to jump into this all at once. I can actually see well enough to drive without them but better safe than sorry. I also need to setup an eye appointment with a new doc to see what’s what. I haven’t had any real noticeable changes but ever since my last eye appointment that guy has me wondering if there isn’t more going on with my eyes than I realize. You only get 2 of them and once they are damaged you are screwed and not in a good way. I want to preserve them and keep them in good working order so I can continue to enjoy looking at hot guys and good food!

I do hope all is well in your neck of the woods and that life is treating you fairly. Take care of yourselves and enjoy the holidays!

General Rambling

I have four more days (Monday thru Thursday) to get through and then my vacation starts. Unfortunately, I have to keep up with the stupid report that I run in the morning. It’s a two-person job so I will have a phone call with a colleague. We chat about everything and can easily talk for an hour or more about anything other than work. It’s kind of a challenge when one of us has the day off to try to stick to just the work stuff and then end the call.

While I am eager to start, I know that it will all be over in the blink of an eye and then it will be back to reality. When I go back on the 27^th I don’t expect it to be that busy. I am ramping up for people leaving at the end of the year and the promotions. Being hourly I really looked forward to this time because it was a good way to make some extra money. Now that I am salaried, I am just a work horse and don’t get any extra pay for my efforts. Going into the new year it will also mean that I will be physically back in the office (most likely) and I am thinking about making a trip over to clean off my desk, hang new calendars and in general get things in order so I have a smooth transition. Plus walk around a bit to see what has changed. We have a ton of new faces and that is always fun trying to figure out what name goes with what person.

Nothing much in general going on today. I got up early, had breakfast out and then hit up the grocery store. Came home, unloaded everything and passed out with Gator. My stupid phone kept chirping with either news alerts or I would get an email from work. I hate being on call because it seems like when you want to relax that is when the phone starts up. Sort of like trying to squeeze in a nap during the workday. It matters not that it’s your lunch the phone does its job in pestering me. If it’s not the phone then it’s Gator.

I had thought about going out last night for supper but my sugar dropped and I wound up staying home. I am thinking of going out tonight but I will probably wind up staying home again, kind of depends on my mood and the weather. Plus, if I really want to get dressed again.

The house cleaning portion of the day is done and I did the dishes on Friday night before the big storm hit. I was out of bowls between breakfast and the Spumoni I got I was constantly using a bowl. I filled up again so I suspect I will have a similar problem come this Friday.

I’ve got some menial tasks that I am putting off for taking care of while I am off but I probably won’t want to do them then either. Relaxing and watching TV with not a care in the world is just my favorite thing to do right now. Gator likes to curl up in my lap or close by and nod off. She can usually lull me into a slumber because it’s just so relaxing to hear her motor running and then to hear her snoring. Cats in general have always had the affect on me and when I had multiples it’s like they would gang up against me and we would all wind up having a sleeping competition.

Here’s hoping that it’s a good week ahead for all of us. Take care and be well.

Scary Night

Last night was very scary.  Lots of severe weather and a Tornado in my neck of the woods.  If the trajectory would have been slightly different my entire neighborhood would have been wiped out.  Thankfully we have no damage.  We did get some winds and rain but you can’t tell by walking outside how much danger we were actually in.  However, there are other people a short distance away, who aren’t as lucky and tragically there has been loss of life. 

I was watching Single All The Way on Netflix and got to about the last half hour of the movie.  The weather alert went off on my phone first and that sound grabs your attention (or at least mine).  I read the words tornado watch and tune to local media.  The movie was on pause and I switched over to local news.  The weather radio went off.  I opened up the police scanner app on my phone and tuned into the local police (there is a delay of 2 minutes, meaning what they say is broadcasted two minutes later).  I saw something headed for my area and then the sirens went off, then the weather alert went off on my phone and it said tornado warning.  I heard an officer a few minutes later say that he spotted a tornado.  I had grabbed my handheld police scanner and turned it on (thank goodness the batteries were freshly charged).  I heard another officer from a different department that was in the next town over report a tornado.  Then the reports of all of the devastation started to roll in. 

I knew that I should have been in my basement with Gator but we were sitting in the living room as all of this unfolded.  She knew something was wrong with me but not exactly what it was.  I was scared.  Being a former trained weather spotter I know that when you get warnings you should act because after that it is usually too late.  My late spouse never was one to run to the basement, he too was a trained weather spotter and wanted to run outside and see what was going on.  That is kind of why I didn’t move.  Plus nothing usually happens despite the fact that we are in an area well known for tornados we usually get straight line winds. 

I kept hearing radio traffic but it took a long time before the local media started broadcasting because we had a couple waves of this rolling in and the weather folks were very busy trying to do their jobs.  I flipped between channels constantly throughout this because one would start talking about my area and then they would start talking about another place.  I was only concerned with my area, which I think is most common for folks.

The power flickered a bit during all of this and I thought for sure we would lose power, which would suck because then it’s flashlights, the police scanner and my cell phone.  Thankfully the power stayed in tact to allow me to continue watching the TV.  

The urge to pray came over me and I did just that.  This has been a trying 2 years for all of us with COVID.  For this to happen so close to Christmas is sad.  This is not something that we ever needed.  It does show you how people come together in trying times though. 

It was well after midnight before I went to bed and Gator was quite upset with me.  I needed to know that all of the severe weather was out of the area because the last thing I wanted it to get comfortable only to have to climb out of bed.  Not to mention my nerves were shot. 

I did feel all alone.  I thought for sure when the damage reports started being broadcast that my friends would reach out to me, but nope not a text or a phone call.  Just makes me feel like they really don’t think of me as a friend, unless there is a holiday and they want company.  I thought about sending a text saying, thanks for checking on me and Gator.  Were fine and so is the house.  But I figured that would just cause issues so I let it go. 

I did get out today and drove around to look at the damage and it’s heart breaking.  You don’t normally think of severe weather this time of year but it can happen.  Especially when the temperature swings rapidly high and then rapidly low over the course of a couple days. 

Considering that my neighborhood is untouched and I still have my Gator, I am beyond thankful that we were spared.  Hopefully, the remainder of the year will play out and be uneventful and oddly calm.  Lord knows we could all use some calm. 

I hope that you are safe, well and you don’t know anyone that was affected by this horrific event.  Cheers! 

 

Oh Charlie

I had an interesting find on Netflix.  A series dedicated to Colton Underwood and his coming out.  He wasn’t someone that I was interested in before this.  The series did a good job of covering the many struggles with coming out.  He also tries on a leather harness and damn, he looks hot.  Chest hair doesn’t turn me on but man he just looks so good.  If you have Netflix check it out it is worth your time. 

I picked up a massage gun from Amazon it was delivered on Thursday and sadly it was defective.  I got it to work one time and I think was a fluke.  It was perfect because it articulated so that you could get spots on your back without needing a second person.  I returned it and got a replacement on Friday but purchased a different model that doesn’t articulate.  It works really well and the battery lasts for hours. 

On the COVID front the state where my job is located has the Omicron variant of COVID.  A couple of the other states that have it are states where we also have offices located.  It’s business as usual at the moment and nothing has changed, were full steam ahead.  I am happier that I have been working from home and am going to game the system until I either have to go back because I was discovered OR we get to next year and I no longer have a choice. 

I knew about the school shooting that took place earlier this week in MI.  I watched the arrangement of the parents and thought it was rather interesting that the state is holding the parents accountable.  I think they are well within their rights because the parents had the power to stop this from happening by opening their mouths and by not purchasing a gun for their son.  This was a horrible tragedy that could have been prevented.  I really hope that this is the last school shooting but sadly I don’t think it will be.  Kids are innocent and to rob them of that is a huge violation in my book.  Probably because I was robbed of that innocence myself.  I’m not looking to debate gun control or this situation – simply stating my opinion. 

As you may or may not know I am huge fan of Charlie Puth.  He celebrated his 30th birthday this week.  He posted a photo of him in his underwear with that looks like an erection.  He has indicated more and more that he is sexually frustrated.  It is certainly showing and I think he is going to get himself into some hot water if he isn’t careful.  Today he released a tweet about the winter air and had a has tag about jerking him off.  Look there are no shortage of people who would love that honor.  I’d love to have him as my boyfriend but he’s straight but I do wonder about that a bit.  He is under some stress because there is a single called Light Switch that people are clamoring for.  He says it’s going to be released soon but that has been his position for a while.  He also said that he has an album coming out and people really want that as well.  The album should be released in the month of January 2022.  I like him for his music and his voice, he is very talented and this all started for me with his single See You Again.  That song speaks volumes to me.  It was a few years later that he started to appeal to me sexually and now I feel that he is just teasing people because he is horny.  There is alleged video of him jerking off both in bed and on an airplane on the internet.  There is also some videos that show him in gay porn but I don’t think any of this is authentic.  He has released photos of his ass and that is well worth looking up.  He’s got some great cakes!

  This is the photo I am talking about.  Thirst trap at the very least. 

I visited the Farm store for cat food and they too have a supply chain issue.  Not sure where all of the cat food is but I will sure be glad when it gets back on store shelves.  I can only hope that is within Gator’s lifetime.  At least I am able to get a couple of flavors that she really likes just no fish and shrimp. 

Drove for pizza and the hot waiter took care of me.  He looked hot as usual and I really wanted to make a pass at him but resisted.  If he’s not into it that could ruin me going there for pizza, which isn’t something that I want.  He was nice enough and took decent care of me.  He made some small talk but I think he was being nice.  Hey maybe he likes me as well but neither of us will know until one of us asks the other. 

My mystery odor has surfaced again.  It was really in my bedroom and made it a challenge to sleep.  I got some candles this morning from Cracker Barrel that helped.  I also ran my O3 machine and opened the windows.  The bedroom is fine but the kitchen is the new target.  I purchased some air freshener gel that is made to go in the airduct of the furnace.  It will be here on Tuesday and I hope that will fix things.  It’s good for 90 days.  The temperature change seems to bring this about.  I will be glad when mother nature makes up her mind and we can just have winter, things will normalize more.  I will probably have to face this again in the spring.  I think that I need a good air duct cleaning, a new furnace and to fully professionally remediate (as in rip out and replace) the wood that was affected with mold.  I’ve only treated one side of it and while the water problem is fixed the wood is still infected and needs to be replaced. Then I think this place wouldn’t have any odor issues or so I hope. 

I will be back on call come Monday.  I have one more time left after this and that will happen when I come back from vacation.  One more week here, then next week I work 4 days and my vacation will start.  Then when I come back my boss will be gone on vacation and we will deal with end of year.  It’s getting busy but I kind of enjoy some of it.  Busy means the days go by faster and I am for sure a fan of that. 

I am still using my mouth guard and it seems to help.  My teeth are a bit sore for a minute after I take it off but otherwise all is well.  Looking forward to enjoying the rest of the evening, it’s been a productive and busy day.  Some final R&R is nice.  Getting a shower before climbing into a nice freshly made bed.  I should sleep really well tonight. 

Hope all is well on your end.  Sweet dreams!

Friday Eve

Howdy … here we are at another Friday eve.  One more day and the week is over, I am so thankful for that.  This week has been quick moving.  If the rest of the remaining weeks fly by as fast as this one has this year will be over in the blink of an eye. 

I ordered a percussion massage gun it is a knock off brand and not one of the major players.  It looked like a good buy but instead I am saying good bye to it.  The damn thing doesn’t work.  I charged it and managed to get it working once.  I tried a second time and no matter what I do the damn thing will not work.  I need to print a shipping label and then get over to the UPS store. 

I got an email today that my new pen shipped and I am eager to get it.  That will be a couple days, probably next week considering the slow down at the post office and the fact there is holiday mail.  If it arrives on Saturday, I will consider myself very lucky. 

I plan to go to the farm store on Saturday to see if they have Gator’s favorite flavors of cat food.  This is my last hope.  I am not eager to get there because it’s not in the best part of town and it’s a lot like going to Wal-Mart.  If they have what she likes then it will be worth it because there is no price I can put on her happiness.  I enjoy seeing her happy.  Right now she is turning up her nose at what I put out or eating very little of it.  I want to fix that and see her lick her chops knowing that she enjoyed what I gave her. 

Made it to the dentist and they did some different x-rays to show a bit more detail and couldn’t find anything wrong with my mouth.  I kind of expected that.  We chatted about the mouth guard and I was told if it’s helping continue to use it and they can make one that fits better and is a bit more durable.  Who knows if my insurance will cover it, I suspect they will but that is a road I am not traveling on right now. 

Everyone seems to be sick.  My co-worker has something again and called off one day.  My boss has something.  Is it any wonder why I want to stay home.  Germs they are everywhere.  Needless to say I am going to try to continue to milk my current situation as long as I can, might as well.  I have thought about going in on a weekend just to grab a couple things from my office that I know are waiting on me and make it look like I have been in since the pandemic.  Then I think, I’ll get there eventually and nothing that is waiting for me is going to get up and leave, unless someone steals it.  Unless I give in I don’t see myself in the office until 2022 and that will probably be mid-January at that. 

Yesterday I was super horny and decided to revisit an old past time.  I wrote a couple of erotic stories.  They are hot and I am thinking of more.  Not sure if I will publish them.  I am considering it but not sure if I want to travel that road again.  Last time I did I lost my blog, my followers and that’s why I had to start this blog.  That was a different time but once bitten, twice shy.  If I get any interest and decide to move forward I will let you know.  Not exactly certain that appeals to everyone.  Oddly enough that was my first piece of porn.  I sent away in the mail for a book that I thought would have naked men in it and it was all stories, I was not happy when I figured that out but then I started reading and well let’s just say I got really good at reading a book one handed.  I am kicking around an idea for a couple more stories now and just had to get on the computer.  I am fighting against it but I think I will eventually give in.  It’s like looking at some good food and knowing that it will make you fat – eventually you throw caution to the wind and chow down. 

I am eager for my week of vacation but it is still a few weeks away and I know it will go by super fast.  However, being lazy, watching TV and doing whatever I want is of great appeal to me.  I am still very much in Thanksgiving mode and it’s a struggle to get out of bed and teleport myself to work, despite the fact that I don’t have to leave home.

I am caught up in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime and it’s oddly entertaining.  Like every other series it started with watching one episode and I was hooked.  I take in a couple hours of it each night and then struggle with You Tube videos until I eventually fall asleep. 

We had some summer like weather here today, it was in the 70’s and I was starting to roast.  Gator loved it.  I thought about turning on the AC but opted not to.  Once the sun goes down things really cool off.  It won’t be terribly long now and we will get much colder weather and eventually snow.  Right now I am enjoying what is being served even if it is mildly uncomfortable to me.  It’s great watching my gal just lounging in her bed and basking in the sun.  She sleeps for hours on end, usually from about 2 until 5 in the afternoon when the sun beams in the window as it is preparing to set for the day.  She hates to see the sun go away but is happy the next day when it’s back.  I do wonder what she thinks.  I know that she loves to be around me. 

That’s enough babbling for now.  Hope that your well and thanks for stopping by.  Talk with you all again soon.