iPad & Today

Welcome  - Welcome – Welcome!  That’s my best John Oliver imitation. 

Getting my iPad setup was quite simple as I kind of expected.  The time consuming part is figuring out where all of the apps are and what I want to keep.  I mirrored it after my phone but the icon layout on the screen sure doesn’t mirror that.  I do still have a home button so much for getting used to face id, that’s not even a thing yet on the version of iPad I have.  I also don’t have a flash just a camera, which I find rather odd.  The keyboard and knock off Apple Pencil both work nicely.  The case is a great fit.  I did struggle a bit to get the iPad in the case but it’s got a nice tight seal and I feel confident that the case has the goods secured!

I didn’t realize what a time suck this would be.  I got lost in this.  Thankfully the cats nagged me enough that I couldn’t possibly miss their treat time.  It’s actually Mora’s treat time and Rudy just gets to eat along side her.  However, she is the one who craves treats the most and often will skip her dinner so she has room for them.  Spoiled?  Yep they both are and that’s just the way I want them! Happy & Healthy, even if they are a PITA (Pain In The Ass) at times, I sure do love them. 

I was surprised that MS Authenticator doesn’t work across platforms.  I will be moving to a 2FA app that works cross platform so that if one device is broken or lost/stolen I am not up a creek without 2FA codes to access all of the many sites that use and require this.  This is all personal stuff.  Work stuff I am not as concerned with, it’s work after all. 

I don’t feel nearly as bad as I did yesterday.  Sinuses seem to have calmed down but I do get flair ups of pressure and my gums/teeth still ache a bit.  I didn’t really realize it until this afternoon but I didn’t eat much last night for dinner, my appetite was not there.  I heated up a Chicken, Broccoli, Pasta & Cheese casserole.  My favorite dish by Stouffers.  It sat a little too long in the freezer so it looks a little funny but it tastes perfectly fine.  I am already thinking about skipping supper tonight but I will probably force myself to eat something. 

I am in work mode at the moment.  It’s been a hell of day thus far.  I have a little lull which is the calm before the real storm picks up come 5p.  I hope that I will be done and back upstairs by 7p but it’s not like I have to go to work tomorrow but the sooner I can put some distance between me and work the happier I will be.  I used to really enjoy this day years ago when I started in this role but now I see it for what it truly is work, all work.  I am chugging along taking my time and it will all get done just not as fast as I want it to. 

Not sure if I am going to my friends open house tomorrow or if I am going to just loaf.  Loafing sounds really nice especially since I had been dealing with a fever most of the morning.  I just want to collapse and do what I want which is nothing at all, just watch TV and give some attention to the cats.  Speaking of which it’s about time for their supper or the soonest that I can pass that out.  Might as well take advantage of it while I have the time. 

Hope that you have a great New Years Eve and that Next Year is a brighter and better year for all of us.  May your dreams and desires come true!  Talk with you all next year.  Take care!

Maxillary Sinus Infection

Hello … I had a very bad night and reached out to the doc for help this morning.  The days of them calling something in I think are gone.  I had to have a virtual visit and saw a Nurse Practitioner.  She told me what I already knew that I had a Maxillary Sinus Infection.  Since I am allergic to most of the common antibiotics that would really go after this I got Doxycycline.  She pushed up the dose and extended the length of the treatment in the hopes that it would get me back to being well.  The whole process was rather simple but I hated having to go through it when it would have been just as easy for them to send something to the pharmacy.  I really was hoping for some steroids but didn’t ask and if things don’t get any better with the antibiotics then I will reach back out and ask.  Mainly I am looking for the sinus pressure to decrease so my gums and teeth aren’t bothering me.  That and all of the crud I continue to blow out of my nose. 

It took a little bit for the pharmacy to get the medicine ready and then I reached a stopping point where it was time for lunch and I broke off a little early to go grab my prescription.  Then back home to enjoy a new soft drink.  Sprite Zero Chill (Cherry Lime).  It’s really good.  Had that and a Grilled Cheese along with some Peanut M&M’s and my first pill of the antibiotics. 

My iPad arrived and I was really surprised that it had an 89% charge on it.  It was quickly up to 100%.  I walked away from it and plan to set it up tonight, provided that I am not interrupted by work. 

My boss reached out this morning to see how things were going.  It started off calm but got crazy, then calm and back to crazy.  Now that were in the afternoon and I am all caught up things are back to quiet again.  I just hate to walk away from the computer because I know that something will happen to bring me right back.  I was told that my mistake making co-worker was going to reach out to me today and he had plans to help me out tomorrow.  He won’t answer my phone calls for anything.  I did send him an email and told him that I’ve got everything under control and that if he would just take care of a couple things on Thursday & Friday I would be happy with that.  It’s much less work load for him and it would seriously help me out so I could enjoy my time off.  After the bullshit I have been through today once I sign off tomorrow and call it a day that’s it, unless something comes up on-call on Wednesday.  Funny thing is that my boss said he updated the on-call calendar but he just updated his local copy and not the copy on the server so it actually looks like the mistake maker is on-call and not me.  I could be kind and fix things but nope not this time.  I hope that he gets pestered instead of me if things go south. 

I did make it a point to tell my boss that I’ve been sick since Christmas and that I am still working despite how bad I feel.  I told him that I had a follow-up with the doc later this morning.  Clueless he only read half of what I wrote, he never really truly pays full attention to me and that’s getting old. 

At any rate at least there are no dumb ass meetings today.  I’ve got to run one tomorrow but as it stands at the moment it will be short and quick.

My hope is that I can have a holiday as well as enjoy my two days off and that I will feel better and can actually do something besides sleep in and loaf around here.  I’ve got nothing going for about an hour so I plan to head up and maybe give the iPad a go if the cats will permit that. 

Hope your Monday is going well.  Take care!

Working

Howdy!  All in all not a horrible day.  I had a hell of a nightmare and woke up with the covers off of me around 5a.  Covered back up and went back to sleep.  Rudy came to sit on me to help comfort me, it worked because I fell asleep.  He was there two hours later when I woke up.  Passed out breakfast for the cats.  Worked on taking my pills and getting dressed. 

Had something new for breakfast.  A Gyro Omelet.  It was just eggs, feta and lamb.  The sauce came on the side and wasn’t that good but it was from a Greek run restaurant.  I got it with French fries because I’m not a fan of breakfast potatoes.  It was good at first but something about warm Feta cheese just turned me off.  I finished it minus a lot of the Feta.  I saw a bus boy show up for work, he looked a little young but he was fine to my eyes.  He sat down and got a bite to eat before he started his shift.  I wanted to use my line on him but I found out that they eat for free so I couldn’t buy his meal.  I’ve got no idea if he’s gay or not but was going to take a chance.  However, that didn’t happen today. 

Took a quick spin through the grocery store.  When I walked in I kept saying remember cough drops.  Damn if I got everything but that.  I didn’t realize I forgot them until I got home.  I was mad but there is no way I am going back out just for those.  I do have some here they just aren’t as strong as I like.  I think probably because they have been sitting for a while.  I’m a Hall’s guy and love the menthol and how they open things up, what I have is Strawberry flavored and like I said very weak.  I suppose it’s better than nothing. 

Got everything put away and settled in to watch some TV.  Not much was on YouTube this morning so I opted to give in and watch Christmas Vacation.  I eventually wound up back in bed and dosed off for about a half hour. 

Once I woke up I got lunch for the cats.  Mora got sick after eating which was not ideal.  I was eating my lunch and it wasn’t that good.  My stomach wasn’t exactly feeling the best but I didn’t toss my cookies. 

Worked on getting my medicine set out as the cats played with each other.  They love to tag each other and run around like they are crazy.  They put a lot of effort into it, sometimes a bit too much.  They do remind me a lot of Momma’s family both the boys and girls used to do things like that to each other.  The house was much more crowded back then. 

Anyway once I was done with getting my meds out I sat for a little it and finished up Christmas Vacation.  Once that was over I got up and started cleaning the house.  Both cats were sleeping but they woke up quickly when the vacuum turned on.  They both watched me with an evil eye.  I didn’t bother either of them and I was surprised they both stayed put because it’s highly unusual. 

After that it was down to the basement.  Time to update finances from all of the spending I did in the am.  Then knowing what a cluster fuck tomorrow is probably going to be and to help ease my anxiety I opted to login and do some work.  I managed to get my mailbox cleaned out.  I was at a good stopping point for about 2 and 1/2 hours worth of work.  I also wrote some reminders and lined out a couple additional things I need to do tomorrow.  While it would be nice for my mistake making colleague who’s wife just had a baby to come back for a day or even two I really don’t expect that to happen so it will all be on me.  There are things going on Thursday & Friday that I should take care of and probably will but I’m not saying anything, I am planning for my PTO and will try my very best for those two days to mostly forget about work.  I wish his wife would have had the kid next month like the doctors anticipated.  I’ve got no doubt that I will make it, there is just a lot to be done and a bunch of moving parts.  I tell myself it’s just two days and that doesn’t help much. 

I did some laundry while I was working.  I took a break to step out for supper.  Just made a Wendy’s run.  I really wanted to grab a pizza and see some buns but a Burger & Chili sounded really good.  I also treated myself to a Frosty which is almost a requirement after you eat Chili.  Rudy climbed up in my lap while I was eating my Frosty and I wound up tossing him out, he actually fell which I didn’t intend on happening.  I was at the table after all and they both know not to bother me.  Damn if Mora didn’t try after Rudy.  I hate to have any animal bug me while I am eating.  I suppose they think I am soft and will eventually give in.  I almost gave Rudy some Ham the other day but I know once you start that it turns into a life long habit so I continue to tell them no and resist regardless of how much they beg and try to bat their eyes at me.  I spend a small fortune on their food I want them to eat it. 

After I was done eating came back down to do my personal browsing and goofing with the computer.  Now that is done and Mora is in my lap she is ready to go upstairs.  I need to grab my laundry and head up.  Like I just told her I will be down here tomorrow for the bulk of the day.  I’m hoping for a calm quiet Monday but since it’s so close to the end of the year everyone is rushing to get stuff done but a lot of people are on vacation as well.

As for my health and this infection that I have.  The worst part is waking up and the first few minutes of the morning as the crap drains from my head.  Once I eat and get moving it’s not too bad but I know that something is off.  I really wish that my gums and teeth would stop hurting.  I know it’s all sinus pressure but I really want to grab the pliers and pull my teeth out.  I won’t but for some reason it seems like that would help.  Hell if I could stick them back in and they would be good as new I would certainly give it a try but I know that’s not how things work.  I’ve got a lot of desire to sit and watch some porn but when I think about sitting and doing it I kind of lose interest.  That’s so not like me.  If things get too bad I can always reach out to the doc but I am trying to let my body do it’s own healing and hopefully I can kick this to the curb sooner rather than later.  Got the fluids going and that helps a ton.  I just hope that I can actually enjoy my time off this week because it will be the last of it until late February which is a long time away. 

Hope all is well in your world.  I am looking forward to getting my iPad tomorrow.  My plan is to grab it as quickly as possible.  I want it inside the house.  While I might not be able to unbox it and set it up right away at least I can rest easy knowing that it’s finally freaking here.  That’s really the only good part about tomorrow. 

I will update you as I am able to.  Saw that Former President Carter passed away today at age 100.  Wow that’s a life well lived, he got to see and do a lot in his 100 years.  Not many people live to that age.  It was sad to discover that news. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Unwelcome Surprise

I am still very much on the mend as this infection continues to work its way out of my body.  Rudy woke me up around his usual time and I had a sore throat.  I got up and put breakfast out for the cats.  I joined them and had a quick breakfast of my own. 

I had such plans for today but the way I felt it was one of those days that I was better off in bed.  Congestion was and still is my main issue.  I had some sinus pain and my teeth hurt a bit.  I made my way back to my room to watch TV and eventually got back in bed. 

I got maybe an hours sleep then woke up coughing and it felt like I was choking.  Sinus soup as I call it was flowing and I hate that stuff.  I have moments of feeling hot and cold as well as some minor body aches.  I figure I probably have a fever.  I’d love nothing more than to sweat it out under the covers for a few hours, wake up and be done with it.  However, it doesn’t work that way. 

I was watching TV for hours and debating on getting out today.  I knew the cats needed food and I really wanted something to eat but as per usual the subject of what to eat is always a difficult choice for me. 

It was a little after 1p and the cameras alerted that we had a visitor.  I was hoping it would be my iPad but nope it was an express envelope.  I figured it was a mistake and meant for someone else.  I was shocked to find my address on the label but the package was addressed to someone I don’t know.  My first thought was of a brushing scam.  As I opened the envelope I found another envelope that contained a new debit card from a bank that I don’t do business with.  I did a little bit of research and couldn’t find the person in the area.  There was an out of area phone number on the shipping label but no way I was making any calls. 

That was just the kick I needed.  I got a shower and then threw on some clothes.  I felt horrible but was on a mission.  I got my mail first then went to the police station.  I turned the whole package over to them.  They asked what steps I had taken and when the package showed up.  They said they would take it from there.  I got the usual advice to make sure I watch all of my banking and credit card accounts as well as my credit report.  I don’t expect anything will happen with my accounts, which I watch like a hawk and have alerts setup.  I just figure that I will probably get more stuff with that wrong persons name on it.  I figure I am on a suckers list or at least my address is for some reason. 

After my visit with the police I headed for Mexican food the closer I got to this place the worse I felt.  However, I ordered my usual and managed to woof it all down.  There wasn’t a morsel of food left on that plate I scraped and scraped.  You’d think I hadn’t eaten in a week the way I attacked that plate.  I was just as surprised but it sure was good. 

Back towards home and stopped to get the cats food.  Then finally home for the day.  Had to login to do some work.  I’ve got a mountain waiting for me on Monday and I just dread my two days of actual work next week.  Of all of the times to call in sick this would be the absolute worst because everyone else on my team is out.  It would sure cause some big issues.  I will make it through those two days somehow but know that I will probably be cussing the whole day. 

Time to change loads of laundry and head up to pass out treats for the cats and then to come back down and wait for the laundry to finish.  I am eager to climb in to a clean bed and I expect to sleep quite well.  I just hope that I feel much better when I wake up tomorrow.  I want this infection out of me it’s the absolute worst time to get sick but like I tell the cats we all get sick.   

Hope that your doing well and that your weekend is off to a better start than mine.  Take care. 

Catching up

Happy Friday!  I hope that you had a great holiday and that the week has been good for you. 

Tuesday all day long my nose was running and bothering me.  I figured it was just out of control allergies.  However, Wednesday I woke up and was sick.  I thought about going to Christmas Dinner but being sick was the perfect out so I stayed home.  I watched TV and napped didn’t really do much of anything. 

Thursday was kind of a repeat of Wednesday.  I wanted to come downstairs and get on the PC but I got comfy on the couch and the cats knew I was sick and were super clingy.  I just stayed upstairs and watched TV. 

I’ve seen a ton of movies.  The one that stands out the most was The Holdovers.  I would go back and forth between streaming services and just scroll and pick.  It was a lot of fun watching movies. 

This morning I woke up and felt even worse, it was all in my head.  My teeth were bothering me and even my jaws hurt.  I just listened to my body and watched more TV and dozed off a little bit.  However, I knew that I had a deadline looming over me to get the trash out.  Besides that all of this laying around was starting to get on my nerves.  I had better plans for my time off. 

I got out of bed to pass out lunch for the cats, then got dressed and enjoyed a Chicken Salad Sandwich from the store.  It was so damn good.  I feel better now and hope that I am on the mend. 

Theories as to what got me sick.  #1 remember that little boy who I saw last weekend that remarked about me being all alone?  He had a sister who coughed in my direction and it was a pretty bad cough.  #2 If that didn’t do it then it’s some donuts that I had shipped in from NYC they have been in the fridge the entire time they have been here (about a week) and I heat them up in the microwave before I eat them.  I paid so much for them I hated to throw 1/2 of them away but that’s exactly what I did.  In fact I got rid of anything that was expired that I might snack on just in case.  What I have doesn’t feel like food poisoning, more like a serious sinus infection. 

While it sucks being sick.  I knew that it was probably raining fire at work.  Yesterday was pretty easy to sift through email and I did that in the evening.  I looked today and damn it if my co-workers wife didn’t go in to labor.  I will be on-call next week for part of the week because of him and I will have a lot of shit to take care of.  My boss will be out on Monday & Tuesday.  Were off on Wednesday.  I took Thursday & Friday off and that’s when my boss is back.  It’s going to suck.  Her due date was the 9th of January and that’s kind of what we had prepared for because he told me to count on it due to advancements in medical science.  He’s supposed to be out for 2 weeks and then coming back but I have no idea if that is still the plan.  I sent an email to my boss and found out that she went into labor and were just figuring that he will be out next week.  My co-workers famous last words were that he wasn’t trying to screw me or leave me with a bunch of work but damn it if he didn’t do that.  I’ll make it and am not worried but I just wasn’t prepared to go back on-call so quickly.  This sucks!

Knowing what was looming for me I got the trash out and then came down.  I joined Chariotz only fans.  It’s $4.99 and honestly there isn’t a whole lot of content but he’s hot and there were a few videos that I was interested in, most of which were short.  I feel his price is fair and it’s nice to hear his stories told without censorship.  I was hoping for some hotter action scenes but again don’t feel bad for spending what I did.  I’m glad that I accomplished this because it was on my list. 

I did have my phone off since Christmas morning when I texted my friends to tell them that I wasn’t going to make it.  It felt nice but odd to not have my phone handy.  I did power it up on Thursday and then once I got caught up on a few things I powered it right back down. 

I’ve been tracking my iPad shipment.  Amazon now tells me I won’t get it until next year.  However, UPS still holds firm with a delivery date on Monday.  I won’t be able to use it or play around with it until later in the evening since work will likely have me busy.  I am relieved that after a couple days I saw scan activity that it’s at least in the same state as me.  I am really hoping that I’ll get it tomorrow but I suppose I am okay with Monday if it has to be that way.  Just as long as it surfaces and is in perfect working order I’ll be happy.  The keyboard and pencil are both charged up and ready to go.  To say I am anxious is a little bit of an understatement. 

This is the first year that I didn’t power up the ceramic Christmas Tree that sits on top of a bookshelf all year long.  That’s really the only tree I can have with cats.  I remember one year I put it on one of the pieces of cat furniture since it was just me and Gator.  She didn’t climb around due to her age but damn if her curiosity didn’t get the best of her and she had to investigate. Thankfully no harm came to her or the tree.  I quickly put it back on the bookshelf. 

I have had some egg nog.  It’s ultra pasteurized and it smells to high heaven but the taste is pretty good.  Still have plenty of cookies to eat.  I will be sure to get rid of it if it’s still hanging around here on Sunday.  I don’t trust dairy to linger like that even though the stamped on date says it’s safe for a couple weeks.  

At least I have the rest of today and the weekend to enjoy before I go back to the hell fire of a mess that is waiting for me.  Part of me is glad that I know ahead of time and part of me kind of wishes I didn’t.  However, my boss never sent anything out saying why my co-worker was out so if it wasn’t for my email exchange today I would have just been confused and wondering. 

Tomorrow I need to make a cat food run, grab the mail.  I’d like to grab breakfast out and something for supper.  As long as I continue to feel better as the hours and days tick by that is the main thing.  Not 100% sure if I will go to my friends New Years Open House not only because I will be on-call but because there will be a crowd of people and I am not a fan of crowds. 

Thanks for your visit, I will talk with you all again soon!

Merry Christmas

Man Candy - The BIG Christmas Load

Christmas Eve

I’ve got the big load of Christmas/Santa Claus themed photos scheduled to post a bit later this afternoon. I do hope you enjoy them.

I’ve got two meetings today and hope that they are quick and to the point with not a lot of fluff. I really don’t want to linger on the phone and hear a bunch of drivel. Although since both meetings are being run by my boss, I am sure that may not be the case, kind of depends on his mood.

In times past we would close our offices early and for me that meant after lunch your done. However, that privilege was taken away years ago so it will be a normal full work day but I don’t know how much work will actually get done today because everyone’s mind is on the holiday. I’m so glad that I took the rest of the week off so that I can really relax and get away one final time this year even though it’s only two days it’s better than nothing and I will only be short 3 hours that I am forfeiting rather than a couple days. Never had a problem using time off but it’s kind of a nice problem to have, that is if you have to have a problem.

I also think that the best way to start off the New Year is to take time off which is why I am also off next Thursday & Friday. However, next Tuesday I will be working my fingers to the bone and working late. I am hoping to have everything done by 6:30 or 7p at the latest. It’s just a matter of how the work goes. I am sure the cats will be confused and wondering if I am going to spend the whole night in the basement but we will cross that bridge next week.

I have researched movies that I want to see so hopefully I won’t be mindlessly flipping around for content on the various streaming services. Speaking of which I sure do pay a lot of money to watch TV and for that I think that there should always be something on when I want to watch. Kind of feels like these services are robbing me blind but only occasionally putting out content that I am interested in. Would be great if they would reward their long-time subscribers with a price drop but hey that will never happen.

Last night I was thinking about maybe going to the holiday event my friends are putting on. I remember last year I stayed home and had KFC. That was fun but I just know that depression is going to creep in somewhere and I will feel lousy.

My nose was out of control yesterday no matter what I did or took I couldn’t stop it from running, it drove me crazy. It would stop and start randomly. I figured it was allergies. Well, this morning I know it was not allergies. I feel lousy, my head and neck hurt and in general I just don’t feel good. Looks like my body kind of made the call but I am still going to see how I feel come tomorrow morning before I send a definitive response that I am not coming. Deep down I don’t want to go but would be doing it more for me & my depression rather than to see in general a bunch of people that I could care less about.

I hate being sick no matter when it happens. I will be “working” from my bedroom and taking my chances with my laptop by my side and sitting in either in the recliner or in bed. Know that the cats will be glued to my hip.  I know I could call in sick today but it just seems wrong since I believe it’s going to be an easy day. Then I am off for 5 days in a row and hopefully I can beat this thing and feel better. I do have some plans in theory that only live in my head. I’d like to accomplish them but we shall see.

I wish you all the best this holiday season. Thanks for being along with me for the ride regardless if today is your first visit or you’ve been here for a while.

Take good care of yourselves and I will talk with you all again soon!

Friday or Monday ?

Turns out my iPad shipped out this morning and UPS has it.  The bad news is that it won’t be delivered tomorrow as Amazon indicated.  However, the keyboard case and the knock off pencil will be coming tomorrow.  Looks like I will have plenty of time to get those items charged up. 

As for the iPad Amazon indicates that it will arrive on Friday, which would be fine but UPS indicates that it won’t be here until next Monday.  I suspect UPS has the more accurate estimate but I’ll keep a watch on the item and just hope that a shipping miracle occurs and I get delivery before Monday but I won’t hold my breath.  I don’t want to turn into a smurf. 

I am disappointed but honestly not terribly surprised.  If the item was in an Amazon warehouse there estimate of shipping would have been applicable and I’d have it tomorrow.  I wish that their website shipping estimates took things like this in to account so they could better represent delivery of items to their customers. 

I’m sure I could complain and probably get some promotional $5 credit but honestly it’s not worth my time.  However, if this was a gift or my need was immediate you bet I’d be complaining. 

Well on with the afternoon!  Take care.

Almost

I made my trip for pizza and was able to enjoy that.  However, no buns.  The waiter wasn’t working and there weren’t any cute guys around.  Shortly before I left I had the entire place to myself.  The waitress remarked that I must not have been very hungry since I had a lot of pizza to carry out.  I said not really.  Between the grease from the pizza and the burger I had earlier in day my stomach was a little full and uneasy.  Besides that I wanted to have a decent amount of left overs to munch on for a couple days. 

Made it back home shortly after 5p and the cats were pleased to see me and hungry.  I took care of them got the pizza put in the fridge and then changed close and took my evening meds. 

I had other plans for the evening but wound up just watching TV with the cats and relaxing.  I got tied up watching a where are they now video on YouTube for the cast of Home Alone.  I had to pause it half way through because it was time to wind down and get ready for bed. 

Meanwhile I got a text invite to Christmas dinner.  That was certainly unexpected.  From the way it sounded at Thanksgiving I wasn’t going to get an invite because they were going to have a house full of people.  I’m sure that is still probably the case and honestly while I don’t want to be alone on Christmas Day I don’t want to see a bunch of people that I could care less about.  It’s my friends clergy and their family and their families.  There will be at least one kid and a baby.  I am just not up for that plus I have to censor what I want to say.  It all amounts to a bunch of work that I really don’t want to do on a holiday.  Right now I am leaning to just stay home and be with the cats.  Maybe get out to look at Christmas lights but probably not just stay home.  I haven’t declined yet but I will make the final call tomorrow.  I was thinking of offering to get together on Thursday or Friday have a meal out at a place of their choosing just the three of us.  It would be a much more private event which is what I am looking for.  I know that next week they will have an open house for New Years and that is also full of people that I don’t give a shit about but there are some interesting conversations and plenty of food.  I usually go to that but not 100% committed to that either.  I can grab breakfast out and be just as happy sitting at home with the cats. 

The cats seemed to know that were in a holiday week, they really didn’t want to part with me this morning.  However, I assured them I really had work to do.  I knocked out what I had to and wanted to accomplish and now the rest of the day is mine unless something comes up.  Lots of people are on vacation all week long.  I thought it was rather humorous that HR sent out a memo reminding us that there is still an in office expectation this week.  I’m only working two days and I’ll be damned if I am leaving home to do that.  Requirements be damned!  All of our offices will be bare but I know that a few people will make the trip in, just not me because well I’m special. 

My nose is acting up this morning and I am headed up to be with the cats, relax and hope that my nose calms down.  Just waiting for my Amazon delivery tomorrow.  I was pleased to learn that the iPad is coming with a cable and charger.  The case and knock off pencil are rechargeable by USB C.  That toy will certainly occupy a lot of my time in getting it setup, yet another reason why I am not anxious to go out on Christmas.  Who knows though guilt might eat at me and I may give in.  I kind of hear my late spouses voice saying, go… you need to get out and be with people.  Yet I am still content as ever to sit here and not move an inch. 

If you have to work today like I do, I hope that your work day is quiet and moves by quickly.  I think that this entire week will be over with quicker than most weeks.  Thanks for stopping by, talk with you all again soon.

Getting it

Well the more the thought I put in to an iPad and the use cases that I am thinking of I opted to give it a go.  Here’s hoping that I won’t be sorry.  I purchased a refurb iPad 2021 [WIFI ONLY] 10.2 inch model from Amazon in Space Grey.  Got a keyboard case and a knock off Apple Pencil.  It was around $300 total, which isn’t horrible.  The trio of technology if Amazon’s website is correct will all be delivered to me on Tuesday aka Christmas Eve.  Perfect timing.  Lots of time to charge everything up and then work on setup and playtime.  Considering that I will have 5 days in a row off once I end work on Tuesday.  So looking forward to it and hoping that all of these arrive on time.  If I use this 1/2 as much as I think I will it should really cut down on the battery use for my iPhone and help to preserve it a bit longer.  It’s 2 years old and still running with 80% battery life.  I just tamed some applications that were hogging the battery and the performance now is decent.  A benefit to getting the iPad is that I will have to get used to no home button and face id, which will help me when ever it is that I finally do upgrade my phone. 

Here’s the best part of the whole purchase is that it’s all paid for or will be come Tuesday.  The money will actually go out tomorrow morning and my bank aka credit card company will process it on Tuesday.  I sent them an excess of money so if my math is correct I will have around a $95 credit balance which won’t be hard to go through. 

I had some great plans for last night but by the time I got the bed made, fought with Mora to get her back upstairs and worked with the dishes and my normal shutdown routine I was quite tired.  The sleepy time meds kicked in what seemed like in record time and I was super drowsy so I just opted to watch TV and I was in bed and passed out pretty fast. 

Chariotz the You Tuber I spoke of had a new story out and I was eager to hear it last night.  I had forgotten all about it.  Rudy woke me up at 6:30a this morning and I had time to kill.  That’s when I turned on the TV and that video was the first thing in the list.  I listened to it and he got me all worked up.  Had to watch some porn after that and wow what a great way to start the morning!  Morning time is usually the time of day that works best for me to be super horny but unless there is something that turns me on it’s not something that happens automatically any more.  Used to be when I was younger morning time was always a good time. 

Got dressed and headed out for breakfast.  Ordered a burger with an over hard fried egg, got fries with it and it came with soup but I upgraded to chili.  Kind of to relive the good old days of when I went to Steak N Shake for breakfast and would order the same thing and finish with a milkshake to help calm my stomach down a bit.  No milkshake this morning.  The idea was great but the taste wasn’t there.  Only thing that was really on point was the fries.  The chili was good for the first couple bites but then I could just taste salt and grease.  Cheese on the burger was salty and the burger was way oversized to the point where I think I ate more like a burger and a half. 

Next stop was the grocery store.  I got a lot of Christmas junk food.  Chocolate and more cookies, along with more pie.  I told myself that I would get some decent food so that I wasn’t going to starve and picked up a few frozen items from Stouffers.  Also got a couple pints of Hagen Daz.  I did get another ham holiday meal for one and know that will be delicious.  Finally last thing on the list that I promised myself I would buy this week and that’s eggnog.  I didn’t get a lot but am sure that once it chills up to my preference it will be delicious. 

Came home and put everything away.  Started my morning tv watching and preparing for a nap.  Just fell asleep when the damn phone rang and it was the trash company reminding me that pickup this week due to Christmas would be a day late.  I don’t mind the call but their timing could have been better.  I tried to go back to sleep after that but it was pointless.  Just laid in bed with both cats and eventually Rudy had enough and left.  He begged me to get up and I wouldn’t budge that is until after he stormed off.  Mora stayed behind to help coax me along and that worked.  They some Salmon for lunch.  It’s been out of stock everywhere for a couple weeks, so I was thrilled to see it back in stock even if I did have to pay grocery store prices for it.  The cats deserve something as well. 

Now I just want to see some hot buns and I’m talking on a hot guy.  The best way I can think to accomplish that is to head out for pizza.  Going to a place that is a bit out of the way and taking a chance that the hot straight guy I like will be working.  That would help make my Christmas.  Nevertheless I will be having pizza.  I could go local to a place where I know I’d see a hot guy or two but I really want the drive.  My poor vehicle has sat idle longer than I want it to and I thought up this trip idea for pizza last weekend.  Despite being on-call it’s a trip I am going to take and hope for the best outcome.  Pizza and some guy watching is the perfect thing for me on a Sunday or any day for that matter. 

It’s warmer out now than it was this morning but I still don’t relish getting out in the cold.  At least the roads are dry and we have no snow or rain to contend with as that would probably work to help keep me home. 

I’m hoping that this two day work week will be quiet and fast moving because I am ready to disconnect for a bit if not from the world as a whole at least work.  The last week of the year will be very busy for me even though that is only two days as well but I will be earning the time I took off.  Last business day of the year is always when all of the “fun” happens. 

Well the dryer just went off and I guess I should get going.  Hope your Sunday is going well and that you too only have a short work week ahead.  Stay warm and well.  Talk with you all soon!

Why Mommy?

Finally a relaxing Saturday.  I didn’t sleep in because Rudy was my alarm clock.  I did use my new white noise machine last night and it was great.  I had been relying on my Amazon Echo for this but if the internet goes out or Amazon just decides the white noise stops and that will cause me to immediately wake up.  Now I don’t have to worry about that, only a power failure will make it stop and those well thankfully they don’t happen that often and if one does happen it will for sure wake me.  Lots of alarms go off when I loose power so it’s not something I could sleep through. 

I watched some TV after passing out breakfast for the cats.  Finally gave in and got some breakfast myself.  Checked my phone and all was quiet and calm.  Eventually I wound up back in bed to take a nap.  I haven’t had a nap in a week and man I’ll tell you what that was amazing.  I’m sure it will mess up my sleep tonight but I know I won’t be up all night long. 

Eventually towards the afternoon I got up and showered.  That too felt good.  Threw on some clothes and my hat & coat, went out for the mail.  Got a bill from the lawn guys which perplexed me.  I paid my last bill and it is rather odd to have a bill come rolling in not even two weeks later.  Turns out it was a duplicate bill for the last time they were here in November.  I already paid that but rather than just not paying the invoice I sent a letter and explained myself.  I don’t know why every single lawn person/company that I get can’t seem to manage the accounting piece.  I get overcharged, duplicate billed or billing just stops then I send in money and that really messes them up.  It’s just simple accounting.  I’m no rocket scientist and certainly not a super smart person but smart enough to know that I don’t pay twice for service I only got one time.  If this happens to me I can only imagine that I am not alone and their other customers have similar problems.  That’s why it pays to keep records, you never know when you’ll need to rely on them to help prove your case. 

I went to a steakhouse for some fancy dressed up chicken.  I was surprised that the place was packed at 4p.  Normally the place is just starting to fill up but the holidays bring people together.  I jumped in the waiting line which wasn’t that long.  I sat down and noticed a little blond boy, he had to be about 5 to 7 years old.  He smiled at me.  I thought he wanted in the jug of peanuts next to me he had been near them just before I sat down.  He said something to his mom.  She explained that I was just waiting for a table.  I offered to move, thinking again he wanted peanuts and she told me that he asked why I was all alone.  Wow, smart kid.  I could have said because my husband died but just sat there silently a little sad and touched by the remark. 

After my meal back home to work on laundry and writing that letter as well as paying bills.  I’ve been fending off Mora for a while.  I passed out treats at the normal time.  She came in and squealed I picked her up and flipped her over.  Just rubbed her belly and she was purring and soaking it up like the sponge that she is.  That satisfied her for a while and she left me.  Now she’s back chirping again and wanting more attention.  Actually, I think she wants me to go up stairs which I am headed there in short order. 

Found a great deal on a refurbished iPad Air 2, a folio keyboard case and a knock off Apple Pen/Stylus.  All of this was on Amazon.  I really want to give in and buy it.  Money isn’t the issue for me it’s that I think it will sit and I won’t get much use out of it.  I thought well I could take it to the office when I go, plus it would be nice to travel with.  However, at the end of the day I know that I’ve got good intentions just like when I purchased an iPad years ago.  It’s sitting on the kitchen table battery dead and needing a charge.  It’s super old, I did use it for a while but really wanted a laptop.  However, I don’t like the small phone screen and an iPad would help with that but then it’s also more devices that I would need to charge.  I am just teetering on the fence.  I saw the full retail price on the iPad Air 2 and there is no way I’d pay full retail but I am not typically one who buys anything refurbished or used not that there is anything wrong with it, you can get some good deals.  Hmm, what to do?

Before I close this out I got one of those texts claiming to be the post office having a package for me and unable to deliver it because the zip code was missing.  These are always scams and could lead to phishing or malware.  Your best defense is to block the number and delete the text.  You can report it to your carrier if you’d like.  I’ve seen several videos on YouTube over the past few days with the hack of the cellular networks everyone is getting pelted by these.  It’s also a good idea not to use SMS Text messages to get authentication or 2FA codes so says the government, just because the cellular networks have been compromised and chances are good all of our usage is being monitored.  End to End Encryption is the best but a text from a bank to your phone isn’t encrypted.  If you go iPhone to iPhone or Android to Android those texts are encrypted.  Nothing really seems “safe” anymore and privacy seems to be something that went out with high button shoes.  Like the average person I’m just living my life and not up to anything nefarious but still there is a reasonable expectation of privacy that I think we are all entitled to. 

Hope that you had a great Saturday.  Christmas is only a few days away.  The thought of being all alone on Christmas isn’t exactly sitting well with me but I am planning for that to be the case.  Better to plan for the worst and hope for the best. 

Stay warm & take care!

TGIF

We made it to yet another Friday!  Things are still calm here.  However, when I woke up this morning I kept hearing my phone chirping that new mail from work had arrived.  It was buzzing but when I went to look I found that all was under control and that I wasn’t walking into a storm.  My colleague had taken some of the work load which is kind of a surprise when were on-call.  Normally no one takes anything and your stuck with all of it for the week.  I lend a hand now and then so I suppose it’s karma catching up with me. 

In fact that’s kind of how I kept semi busy this morning.  I helped out another team where I could.  Some things I knew would wind up coming at me and just headed them off and others well they would have went another direction.  However, I know and still remember what it’s like to be working the front lines where your bombed with all sorts of requests and I like to help out where and when I can.  That is when I feel like it.  Normally that mostly only happens when I am on call but every now and then I will see something that I decide to take.  Sometimes it results in a storm and I wish I had never helped and other times it’s just simple and easy. 

Speaking of simple it was a great decision I made to grab the trash barrel this morning first thing.  It sure was cold out.  However, that wind is blowing.  Lots of my neighbors will be chasing their trash barrels or find them knocked over.  That hard plastic cracks when it hits the ground with force.  I know because it’s happened to mine.  One time we had rain & wind I found my trash in the middle of the street.  That was not fun at all. 

Just an average day here.  Waiting on an Amazon delivery.  I don’t think there strike affects my part of the world but hey you never know.  Those poor drivers bust their asses and it sounds like they have a very poor work environment.  Sounds like they are bullied by the algorithm.  I just know it’s a job I couldn’t and wouldn’t do.  So my hats off to every delivery driver, you go!

Well time to run off to a dumb meeting at work.  Then up for lunch with the cats and hopefully the rest of the day is calm and passes by quickly.  I am eager to relax and not be in work mode.  Hope your weekend is the best. 

Take care and stay warm!

All is calm

Today appears to be the pick day of the week.  Not a whole lot going on and I am okay with that.  I’ve actually been looking for this calm all week long.  My hope is that it continues until I am done with being on-call. 

Last night was just an average evening at home, nothing terribly special.  I passed out a heaping helping of attention to both cats.  They got playtime and cat nip as a follow up, so all in all they were pretty happy. 

Had Mac and cheese for supper.  Added a little bit of hot sauce to pep it up a bit.  Had some yogurt pretzels as a snack later in the evening.  Saving my slices of pie but I will be enjoying what I saved of that slice of Pecan pie earlier in the week.  Not sure on what I am having for supper. 

Enjoyed 1/2 of a Chicken Salad Sandwich on Cranberry bread and had an authentic NYC Jelly Donut for lunch.  Thus far I am disappointed in the donuts but I’m going to try heating the next one I have to see if that helps to make it better.

Time to lug the trash out this afternoon.  It’s cold outside and tomorrow the wind is going to blow heavy, so the weather people are saying.  Guess I will need to fetch the trash barrel first thing in the morning so it doesn’t blow away.  No chance at all of a White Christmas here as it stands right now. 

We have had a few birds fly around during the day and that keeps the cats occupied.  Also had a cat visitor early this morning but I didn’t know it until I got up and saw the alert from the camera.  It’s a cat that has been lingering around here off and on for a few months.  I’ve only seen it on film.  Hate that an animal is out in the cold weather, even though it’s not nearly as cold as it could be. 

Hope that your staying warm and doing well.  One more day and this week will be done.  Hallelujah!  Take care. 

Man Candy - Enjoy :)

Santa is cumming

In one week Santa will be cumming and emptying out his sack.  I’ll bet it will be quite the load and there will be lots of goo gifts for all of those of you that were good.  Just in case you can’t tell I am a little horned up.  I’ve worked up a collection of eye candy photos that are Christmas related and plan to post them next week, so now you have something to look forward to. 

This time of year always takes me back to my younger days when Helix had a well hung performer named Tommy Anders and he got spanked by Santa.  That’s just one of the photos that I am planning on posting.

I don’t know about you but it’s been some year.  Lots of ups and downs.  The remaining time this month will be nothing but a blur and will go by so fast that we will soon be in January. 

I do hope that 2025 is a good year and that we can all survive another year, especially with our former leader coming back to the helm in January.  He’s nuttier than a Fruit Cake and that’s saying something!

Yesterday afternoon was jumping.  We found out what can happen if you scan a malicious QR code because someone at work did that.  It kept me busy for a couple hours.  This is not only the season of giving but the season of taking.  Threat actors know that your guard will be down and that your in a hurry and that’s how they get you.  So be extra careful and watchful so you don’t fall victim to a scam or scheme.  Shame that this is what our world has come to but if you think about it there has always been someone trying to make a buck and doing it illegally.  The process has just evolved to keep up with the times.  I’m sure this will continue until the end of time. 

Had an okay evening.  Got in some play time with the cats.  Enjoyed a wonderful slice of Pecan Pie.  It was so good that I only ate half of the slice.  I want to be able to enjoy the rest as another snack.  I’ve also found something called Peanut Butter Silk Pie and wow that is good as well.  Been buying individual slices rather than a whole pie so I can have some variety.  Got Pumpkin as well.  Normally I would have had a bunch of Pumpkin pie by now but it seems each year it seems that my consumption of Pumpkin Pie keeps trending downward.  I couldn’t let this holiday season pass and not enjoy a couple slices of it.  Just forgot the whipped cream but it’s not like I need it!

Got a few meetings on the docket today.  One of which is a company wide meeting.  I just expect to hear how much money the place is making and how overjoyed the people at the top are because that contributes to their individual bottom lines.  I don’t expect any bombshells or drama but I am on guard as per usual when we have wide gatherings like this.  You never know when some bad news could be dropped.  That’s been my experience at past employers. 

I hope for a little bit less busy day as the week thus far has been jumping.  I suppose it’s everyone trying to fit in the last full week before the end of the year.  I will just be much happier when I am not on-call.  I just think how different things will be this time next week.  I will probably be watching TV or in bed.  Thus far no official invite to Christmas Dinner and I am not expecting one given the crowd that will be there, not sure if I will go should an invite materialize.

Have a pleasant day and take care!

Not again

Yesterday was quite a busy Monday.  Things were going really well in the morning.  After lunch is when things really picked up.  I saw yet another long time co-worker get let go.  We had a few interactions but I wasn’t terribly close with this person.  It is a surprise but it also reminds me of what I heard when I was a kid.  That is no matter who you are, everyone is replaceable.  That’s a tough fact to swallow.  I’ve found that usually when people loose sight of the fact they are replaceable is when they are replaced.  As much as I complain about certain aspects of my job, when the end comes for me I want it to be because I quit or retired.  I want it to be of my doing and not because I was staring down a barrel of being given an ultimatum of quit or be fired.  Seeing long time people either be fired or abruptly quit is very sobering for me and causes some anxiety.  I just have to remind myself that I am okay and to keep on moving forward. 

Last night we had a stink bug on the living room ceiling.  I’ve got cathedral ceilings.  Mora happened to notice it and she just jumped up on the couch and looked up.  She watched it even as I set out supper for the cats and went onto get food for me.  She was quite diligent.  Of course the moment she took her eyes off of it the damn thing disappeared.  It did resurface and I got it.  Wouldn’t you know it happened while I was holding her and it just popped out next to us.  Her eyes got real big and that’s how I knew she found it, I just followed her eyes and presto.  Finally it’s gone.  Good to know that Mora is so attentive to notice something small as a bug.  I’m quite sure if I wasn’t there to supervise she would have eaten it but not before playing with it. 

My dinner last night was a Holiday Meal for one from the grocery store.  Ham with a pineapple glaze, Cheesy Potatoes, Green Beans and a roll.  They put in Cranberry’s but I can’t stand them so out they went.  Rudy was my new best friend and didn’t want to leave myside.  He begged and begged.  I honestly thought about giving in for a brief second but then I reconsidered and chased him away.  It was a damn good meal.  The pineapple glaze is what makes it for me.  I’ll be getting another one of those when I go back over the weekend.  They usually have them until the New Year starts.  I don’t like hot ham though.  What I did was warm the glaze up and dip the ham in it. 

I was saddened to learn of yet another school shooting, this time in Madison WI.  What shocked me was that the shooter was a girl.  I can’t ever recall hearing about a girl shooting anything up, but maybe I’m wrong on that.  Anyway the whole thing is a tragedy.  Every time one of these events takes place everyone says we have to do more.  However, the issue looses focus and we go on with our lives until the next one happens.  Actions speak louder than words.  I honestly don’t know that this problem is ever going to go away or that there will be a solution put in place that solves the problem.  I feel like most of it comes down to education getting parents to lock up their guns and to never give put a firearm in the hands of a child unless they are supervised.  However I think never putting a gun in a kids hands is probably the best solution.  Educate them when they are older like in their 20’s.  Meanwhile let them live their lives as kids should and grow up. 

There is never a good time to loose a loved one, especially a child but so close to Christmas just puts extra suck on it.  That forever changes the holiday for all that were affected by this.  They will remember it for years to come and I’m sure for at least one or more of them it ruined the holiday for them. 

On a different note I spent my evening watching YouTube videos mostly about the making of movies like Home Alone and Planes, Trains & Automobiles.  Didn’t know that Planes, Trains & Automobiles had a bunch of footage cut from it, so much so that the cut footage I heard is longer than the abridged version of the movie that was released.  It would be quite interesting to see the whole thing unedited.  I’m sure if we saw all movies without editing that would change our opinions about them. 

Well here we go with Tuesday.  Thus far it’s starting off calm but that can all change in the blink of an eye.  Here’s hoping it’s a good day for all of us.  Wouldn’t it be nice to turn on the TV and listen to the news just once to hear nothing but good news.  I think that would have a profound affect on the world. 

Take care, stay warm and be well!

Home Alone Christmas Ambience | Iconic Music with Animated Holiday Scenes | 4K

 

A happy accident.  I found this video on YouTube while I was trying to pass time this morning.  It’s 3 hours of Christmas music with video backdrops from the Home Alone movie.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I am. 

Ah Sleep

Morning … I felt drowsy and momentarily passed out around 10:30p but woke back up.  I thought it might be time to go to bed but then I felt fine.  I kept watching TV and didn’t hop in bed until closer to 11:30p.  It was a little after midnight when I finally turned out the lights.  I remember wishing for good sleep and even praying for it.  Well next thing I know Rudy is waking me up and it’s about 10 minutes before the alarm was to go off.  I had no covers on me, which is not a surprise.  Rudy made his biscuits with claws on my chest and before I broke out in itchy spots I got up.  Glad that I made it through the night with no interruptions but I could use a couple more hours.  I don’t feel that well rested feeling but I will keep searching and hoping for it.  

It’s overcast and rainy here but a bit warmer outside with temperature’s in the 50’s.  That doesn’t exactly feel like December but I’m not a fan of super cold weather.  It’s only temporary before were back in the freezer again.  I am done with the rain though. 

Laundry was all put away and I got my shave & shower last night.  Rudy wasn’t a fan because that meant he had no play time.  I just wasn’t up for it.  Eventually I had both cats curled up between my legs while I was watching TV.  Mora never tries to reduce her size but Rudy can sure curl up and be very small when he wants to. 

I had a nice surprise this morning when I opened the fridge.  I forgot about the Cinnamon & Raisin biscuit I brought home from Saturday mornings breakfast.  I heated that up with my bowl of Cinnamon & Spice oatmeal.  It paired up nicely.  Also had a couple Christmas cookies. 

Work thus far isn’t terrible, I think people are still crawling out from the weekend.  This being the week before a holiday I think that some people might have opted to take a couple weeks off and it’s fine by me.  I am hoping for calm and easy sailing since I am on-call.  Here’s hoping that it’s a peaceful week not only for me but for all of us. 

Stay warm, be well and take care! 

As per usual

Sunday is an as per usual day.  I woke up at 7a after having gone to sleep much later in the evening.  Kind of slept solid but didn’t feel well rested when I woke up.  I am long overdue for a good nights sleep and waking up feeling well rested.  Maybe Santa will deliver that to me as a Christmas present. 

Fed the cats, got dressed, gulped down my pills and threw on my coat and out the door I went.  Breakfast was the first order of the day.  A Strawberry Waffle with whipped cream and a Sausage & Cheese omelet.  While it sounds good it wasn’t anything spectacular.  Off to the grocery store next.  I spent some money there.  I picked up a holiday bag of Lindor truffles, a huge platter of holiday cookies, some yogurt pretzels and then my usual regular items.  The cookies alone were $26 and while they were well packaged there was no lid, so once you broke into the plastic you either had to eat them all at once (next to impossible) or plan on serving them at a party.  They were sold as a platter so a holiday party makes sense.  I however broke the plastic and then promptly put them in to a gallon size Zip Lock bag. 

I will be eating cookies for days.  Next weekend will come the real treat when I pick up egg nog.  Just the plain stuff not spiked.  I can drink glasses of it.  That is just something that says Christmas to me. 

Last stop before home was the gas station and filled up the vehicle.  A lady pulled up next to me and she got out and left the fob in her SUV.  The horn honked several times to alert her but she told me that she got it new back in the summer and still wasn’t used to it.  Meanwhile there are thefts in the area at gas stations because of people like her.  They enable thieves and make their jobs super easy.  Not me I exit and lock up, then go pump gas.  Always have done it that way and always will do it that way. 

Common sense isn’t so common today that lady is just one example of many.  Crazy ass people here park their vehicles in their driveways and leave the fobs in it and they are inside.  When they come out they wonder why their vehicle is gone.  A better one yet is they park with the fob in the vehicle as well as their garage door opener.  Leave on vacation come back to find their vehicle is gone and their house has been robbed as well.  The police here actually have to take time to warn people several times during the year NOT to do this but yet there are those that don’t heed the warning.  I say they are just asking for it and they get what they deserve for being stupid. 

I digress, took off my clothes and watched YouTube.  Crawled back into bed after an hour and a half.  Had to kick Rudy out of his comfy spot so I could get in bed.  Then we curled up together.  He wasn’t terribly pleased with me.  When we woke up I took my time in getting moving.  Passed out lunch for the cats and that’s when I did the cookie bag up.  I had a few for lunch as well as a couple Lindor Truffles.  Damn that’s good stuff!!  Set out my medicine for the week ahead and plopped on the couch afterwards. 

Watched The Real Full Monty and as expected the TV Network blurred both the front and back of the stars so there really was nothing to see but some shirtless guys.  It wasn’t bad but damn there was a lot to sift through before they got to the action.  Thankfully I had a fast forward button. 

Then I watched SNL Weekend Update for a chuckle.  Went back to live TV and got stuck watching a Christmas episode of The Beverly Hillbillies.  Never saw that episode before but it was kind of interesting. There was a second episode on after that but I turned the TV off and got to cleaning the house.  Scared the cats with the vacuum.  Then we came down stairs and I started laundry. 

Wow time passed by pretty quickly I was down here for about and hour and then it was time to head up, get dressed again and leave for supper.  Had Mexican food and it was good.  I got my usual dish and don’t feel uncomfortable but I know I’m full.  I had to pass out treats early because Mora was all over me when I came back home.  It was only 5p but in her mind it was 6p so I just gave in because otherwise she would just make me uncomfortable until she got her way.  I am waiting for the dryer to kick off so I can go up for the night and put laundry away as well as make the bed. 

Before you know it I will be shaving and showering, climbing into bed and Monday will start.  I sure don’t look forward to Monday but after next week is when the holidays roll in.  It’s almost like 2 weeks of vacation.  The week of Christmas is only 2 work days for me and I expect things to be quite calm.  It’s the week of New Years that I will be working my tail off.  New Years Eve that’s when I start taking care of all of the promotions and people leaving or retiring.  I actually enjoy that but it’s kind of hell preparing for it all.  Then we come back and I get hit with a laundry list of people that got more promotions but HR didn’t bother to tell me and they are all retroactive to the 1st which means I have to jump to get people promoted.  However New Years is also only 2 days of working for me because I took the 2nd and 3rd off.  Nothing special will happen and if it does I know it will all be waiting for me on the following Monday when I come back.  That’s all of my “vacation” until late February.  I do hope that 2025 is a good year despite the change in our governmental leadership. 

Well thanks for stopping by.  The dryer just went off and I am out of here.  I will be trapped down here tomorrow so no sense in spending more time down here than I need to.  Hope all is well and you had a great weekend.  Take care and be well!

Sleep Issues

Hello and thanks for stopping by. I’ve been having some sleep issues. I will pass out at a decent hour but then after a few hours I am awake. Be it a call to the bathroom or the temperature in my room (I get hot at times under the covers and have a heat intolerance). To fix it I typically have to stay up for an hour and then I am drowsy and can go back to bed. Problem is that whatever time is left to sleep goes by way too fast. Usually if I am worried about something I run into trouble like this. I have had a few worries and a couple of long-time co-workers that just vanished was quite a shock to my system. I often worry or am bothered by things that are out of my control, yet I still worry as if that’s going to help things.

I thought that since we made it to the weekend that I could at least get a decent night’s sleep Friday night into Saturday. However, I woke up to use the bathroom and now suddenly I can’t go back to sleep, despite trying. What to do? Watch tv is my usual go to. Silly me I picked a movie out. Carry On from Netflix. It’s an action movie. Once I started that movie I couldn’t stop. It was a damn good movie and I was interacting with the TV as if my voice was somehow going to change the story line of the movie. I bothered the cats a little bit but they fell back to sleep like nothing ever happened. I should have stuck with a YouTube video or something mild. Normally I like to hear a podcast some talking will usually lull me back to a drowsy status.

I made an agenda for today last night and am proud to say that I accomplished everything. I got up early thanks to Rudy who wanted breakfast. Then I got a shower, put on some fresh clothes, threw on my hat & coat and headed out. First stop was fast food breakfast. Then to the post office and finally to get my haircut. It was cold out and pouring rain. Once I was done with all of that I came back home. Opened the mail and watched TV with the cats to pass the morning into early afternoon by. Then I left and headed into the office. Turns out this was my first time there in a month. I didn’t think it had been that long but the last time I was there was late October, according to the calendar in my office. I hung up a new calendar. Changed the day at a glance calendar that my employer provides. Passed out a couple of cards. Grabbed my water bottle and headed out. On to food, BBQ more specifically. I knew I had reward points and it saved me $6 so not a bad deal. Then last stop before returning back home was the pet food store.

I changed clothes and headed down to work on laundry and of course I had to pay some attention to Mora and give her a belly rub as I tried to work/play on the computer. Finances are taken care of. Caught up on email. Thinking about what to eat for breakfast.

Tomorrow is just the usual run morning errands of breakfast, grocery store and gas station. Then maybe out for a meal later in the day. After that I will be “trapped” here since I will be on-call next week. Working at home has its perks but I have zero social interaction and I wouldn’t have much if I went in. Driving in today in heavy rain made me appreciate the luxury that I have. I do feel better when I make it in though. I do think if I wasn’t on-call next week that I’d be in the office. However, unless something goes seriously wrong, I won’t set foot in the office until January 2025.

On a different front I found a hot guy on YouTube. He’s hot to me but might not appeal to you. He goes by the name Chariotz (@xxchariotz). He has some hot sex stories that are censored for YouTube. Turns out he’s got an Only Fans account. Last night I went exploring and found his profile on X (F/K/A Twitter). Damn he’s packing some wood and I am seriously thinking of paying the $5 for one month just to see his content. I haven’t pulled the trigger on that just yet. It’s tempting and I know that I will want to subscribe to more than just his channel. Kind of like opening the refrigerator when you’re hungry you grab a soda and a snack, next thing you know you’ve emptied out an entire shelf because it’s just so good. As you might imagine X is more explicit than YouTube and it’s honestly why I have an account there just for the porn clips and to keep up with some of my favorite porn stars. I need a man badly not only for companionship but for sex as well, that would certainly help keep my porn habit more under control. Chariotz is my type of guy, younger than me and sexy AF. While I am sure that if given a chance, we could have some chemistry in bed I don’t know that we would be compatible otherwise. That’s kind of the downfall of being into younger guys (late 20’s to 30’s). Not to mention his sexual history, his body count sounds like it’s way higher than mine, that is scary to me. However, I think if I was given a chance to repeat my youth again and my life went in a different direction my body count would probably be higher but I’m not ashamed of having a low body count.

On a different note, I just started listening to the audio book of Matt Rife’s called “Your Mom’s Gonna Love Me”. It’s pretty good thus far I am in Chapter 6 I believe. That is just from the running I did today. Might listen to more of that if I can’t find something of interest on TV. Audio books are so cool.

Well now it’s time to climb the stairs and go do my next least favorite activity of unloading and reloading the dishwasher. Then to search for something to watch on TV or perhaps look at what is on the DVR and play catch up as well as freeing up some disk space. Poor thing has tons of content. I just finished with the Thanksgiving Parade from last year, have yet to watch this years. Also have some Independence Day celebrations that I need to watch. Something about seeing fireworks in the winter sounds appealing to me. Watching a Thanksgiving Parade in the middle of July makes me feel good. I know it’s strange I never used to be like that but here I am.

Enough yapping I’m publishing this and then heading up. Hope all is well in your world. Stay warm and take care.

2 Years Ago Today

Today is a difficult day for me.  Two years ago, today I lost my sweet Gator.  She stopped eating and I had to let her go despite best efforts there was no hope.  We spent 18 long years together and I miss her very much! 

Her and her siblings and mom are still very much alive in my heart and my memory.  Typically, there isn’t a day that goes by that one of them doesn’t pop up in my daily photo memories on my phone.  This morning, I had a photo of her from years ago.  She had gotten cold and crawled under the covers in my bed.  She was laying on the electric blanket but had pushed back the comforter.  She was the only cat that I have ever had that crawled under the covers when she was cold, provided the bed wasn’t already occupied.  I’d often look for her and find a lump in my bed, I knew it was her.  If I said anything she would wake up and come out to greet me but I often just let her be since she was comfortable. 

That’s just a glimpse into the vast array of memories that I have of her.  I had the privilege of being with her mom as she gave birth to her and her sister. Her brothers had been born by the time I arrived home. My late spouse called me at work and told me that we were having kittens. He watched the boys be born. That day was something special. I felt a peace and a joy like I have never ever felt before. I didn’t ever want that feeling to leave but sadly it did after a day.

I had taken her mom in a couple days prior to her giving birth because it was a hot and miserable summer day. I could just tell that cat was quite uncomfortable. Little did I know that action would lead to years and years of memories. I was confident that my spouse would have kicked up a fuss but I got no fight out of him.

The plan was to give a couple of the cats away but to keep Gator and one of her brothers. I tried but kept running into road blocks. No one wanted kittens they were in surplus in the area. One day I came home and my late spouse gave them all names and well that’s how we became a family. I remember saying I’ll never remember their names. However, after a couple days I learned them all quite well.

I miss my family which is comprised of my late spouse as well as all of the cats. I hate that I am the one who has survived them all. It’s quite painful but yet I keep on moving.

There is no way that the two cats I have now would have integrated into that family but I could see them being companions to Gator. They are just too young and have lots of spunk left.

It is my sincere hope that Gator and her family are all at peace. Forever and always in my heart & memory. My sweet Gator! Your daddy loves and misses you.