Chicken Fried Sunday

Greetings one and all!

This is the last day of PRIDE month.  I’ve still never attended a pride event in person.  I’ve seen plenty on YouTube.  Perhaps someday I will make it to one.  I think it’s one of those events that your better off going with someone or a small crowd of people rather than attending by yourself. 

I ended my Saturday at normal time and this morning Rudy started with a 4a wake up call.  Way to early to make biscuits but he was going at it like it was going to work.  We wound up cuddling and I fell back asleep, then he just waited patiently while sitting on top of me.  Meanwhile Mora was sacked out next to my feet. 

I got up at the normal 7a and fed the cats.  Then threw on some clothes, took my medicine and headed for Blueberry Pancakes.  They were pretty good and quite filling.  Next stop was the grocery store.  Got everything I normally get and two things that I wanted last week but forgot.  Next stop was the gas station and then home finally to unload. 

Everything got put away and then I settled in my room to watch some YouTube.  Eventually sacked out in bed and both cats fell asleep in my chair.  They looked so damn cute snuggled up to each other. 

Enough time passed and the UPS store was open so I picked up my old modem and headed out to drop that off.  Realizing that I had tasks at work that I need to do.  They will kind of put a bit of a damper on my eating out.  I had some place in mind but instead talked myself into getting KFC as take out.  I can do my work then head over and get carry out.  Come back home and chow down with having left overs for a day or two.  Not a bad idea. 

The day started off overcast with some drizzle while I was out earlier but when I got back out to go to UPS the sun was out and it was looking to be a nice day.  I lowered the temperature in the house from 77 to 76 and the cats don’t like it that cold.  It was really refreshing when I was watching TV earlier and napping.  We will go back to 77 for the felines since they love heat.  I can always lower it again.  The house seems to stay cool longer before the AC has to kick back in but the AC does run longer. 

Time to do the regular house cleaning and terrorize the cats by turning on the vacuum.  At least they are downstairs with me now, hopefully they don’t follow me upstairs. 

Very much looking forward to a short week.  I hope and think that a lot of people will take the week off so that will mean that things will be calmer than normal and make for a bit less work.  Time will tell but I think I am on to something.  I go on-call tomorrow and as per usual I never look forward to it. 

Hope that your having a great day!  Take care. 

Difficult as expected

Got my new modem and hooking it up was just as difficult as I expected it would be.  None of the instructions they included actually work to “self activate”.  I called and the automated phone system said it sent an activation signal, went through that twice in 10 minutes and still no luck.  Finally I opted to talk with a human and they got me going. 

Getting on the internet was the simple part.  Then getting my home network back up that was where I was spinning my wheels.  I had to unplug and replug in the cable from the modem to the router on both ends.  Went through multiple restarts of the modem and router.  Finally everything came back or so I thought.  Then some of my cameras weren’t working.  One of the WAP’s (Wireless Access Points) decided it didn’t want to play nice.  I had to reboot it twice and then finally everything is back to normal. 

It was a 2 hour ordeal and I actually knew what I was doing and it was driving me batty.  Imagine if I didn’t know what I was doing, I would have had to call someone like me to help.  Technology is great but only when it works.

I’ve run multiple speed tests and I’m getting the speeds I was promised which is a minimum of 300mpbs up and down.  Actually my speeds were a bit higher but nothing to rave about.  I know that slowly over time speeds will increase as they continue to improve the network and that will also drive the price up.  That’s how it’s been from day 1 and that was well over 20 years ago.  Prices were high back then and have only gotten higher with time. 

I had a horrible nights sleep.  Was up at 1a and by 3a I was eating a bowl of cereal.  It was so cute to have Rudy follow me to the kitchen and beg for breakfast.  I told him no, only because I knew he’d still wake me up at 6a and start his routine.  Don’t you know that’s exactly what happened.  I got back to bed around 4:30a.  I managed to stave Rudy off until 7a but then I got up and fed him. 

Had my haircut and made it to the post office.  Then it was back home to wait for FedEx and the new modem. 

Now to get dressed and head out for my Mexican food.  Looking forward to getting away from the chaos of the cats and hopefully enjoying some good food.

Thanks for stopping by!  Take care :)

Ask and ye shall receive

I made my dreaded phone call to the cable company.  Turns out service in my area has been updated so with a new modem I’ll be getting parallel speeds of 300mpbs up&down.  The new modem will arrive over the weekend.  I don’t look forward to activating a new piece of equipment but hopefully it will be painless.  The call over all wound up saving me $300 over the next year, which breaks down to a $25 credit per bill.

I am relived that I am back to a decent rate.  If I want to sign up for auto billing I can save an additional $60 per year, which breaks down to $5 additional dollars per month.  There aren’t any taxes/fees added on to the end price so I know exactly what I will be paying. 

The guy tried to upsell me, which I realize is part of his job but for now I’m just content with keeping my internet connection.  I’ve got 30 days to call back to take advantage of the upsell offer he made but they won’t be hearing from me.  I’ve thought about increasing my speed to go faster but honestly I don’t use the full speed they have given me, it’s been something I’ve wanted to do for years but once I see how much it costs I quickly talk myself out of it.

Glad that something went my way and I got a win of sorts.  I’m not locked into a contract and can walk away at anytime.  I wish that companies would automatically reward their loyal customers with the lowest rates instead of having to make them call in and beg.  Trust me when I tell you they would still make a profit if that happened it’s just that it would be less of a profit because the majority of people hate calling and would rather pay.  Not me.  If you want something ask, the worst they can say is no. 

It’s been a chill day.  Need to go up and bring in the trash can/barrel.  Just passing time until later this afternoon when I have a laundry list of tasks at work to knock out.  Right now is the calm before the storm.  There is more work waiting for me on Sunday, which is unusual but it happens from time to time. 

Once again enjoy the weekend.  Just wanted to share my win.  Finally, fact if you want something from someone ask on a Friday if at all possible.  Most people are in a good mood and more inclined to say yes.  It’s not a given but it’s been a well proven method.  Do with that what you will.  Take care!

The Debate

Morning … Happy Friday!  I watched the 1st Presidential Debate last night.  About 30 minutes is all I could stomach and then I had to turn it off.  I think that both candidates should have been provided a glass of water.  President Biden sure could have used it, I know now that he is fighting off a cold but his voice was horrible. 

Politics is a dirty word and by in large no good comes from it.  I am honestly scared to see the results of the election in November.  Neither Trump or Biden seem like great choices in my opinion.  I know who I am voting for already but the debate was interesting, it seemed a bit more tame than what took place 4 years ago.  I like the mic muting thing that was an awesome touch. 

In other news Mora is eating I guess she just decided to skip breakfast yesterday.  Things are largely normal here.  I decided to get out the jar of bubbles I bought and give that a second try.  Mora ran for the hills and didn’t want anything to do with them.  Rudy just kept sneaking up on them and smelling them. He was stunned when they popped.  He gets all wound up a couple times during the day.  He wants to play with me as I am getting ready for bed.  It matters not the day of the week.  The other times he gets wound up he just causes trouble with his sister and they play together or she smacks him down and a fight breaks out. 

Looking forward to the weekend and I will savor those two days, probably will turn my phone off just because I can.  I am thinking of getting some Blueberry Pancakes for Breakfast tomorrow and then I’ve got my haircut appointment.  Need to go cat food shopping and get the mail.  Otherwise nothing else is on the books per se but I am sure that I will find a way to occupy my time and some sleeping and chilling in front of the TV sound really good. 

The humidity is back today and it’s going to be sticky hot all weekend long but we have some rain moving in, not that it will be of much help. 

Got my invite to my friends house for the 4th.  They are eating early and that is even better, I want to be home by dusk so that I can be with the Birthday Cats.  I’m sure there will be plenty of fireworks and they will freak out.  They will both turn 5 years old on the 4th.  What a great day to be born, that ensures that I won’t ever forget their birthday.  I’d like to forget mine though. 

Stay hydrated, cool and take care of yourselves.  Thanks for stopping by!

@Home

Yesterday afternoon things picked up and I was quite busy.  I got to leave around the time I wanted to but was late getting out into traffic by I think 15 minutes.  Not terribly bad.  The phone had a few emails come in while I was traveling home.  I checked when I got home and nothing required my attention which I was thankful for. 

Came in and the two little tigers were waiting for me at the door.  Loving but hungry.  I passed out food for them and Rudy dug in right away.  I was surprised that I wasn’t exhausted as I normally am and just kept waiting for that feeling to kick in but it never did.  I went to bed with a lot of energy but was also quick to fall asleep. 

Had Four Cheese Ravioli for supper last night by Rao’s and it was good.  I didn’t follow the instructions for cooking on the box to the letter so I’m sure it could have been better but it was still good. 

Feels weird that today is Thursday just because I went in yesterday.  However, I’ll adjust.  Got a haircut booked for Saturday and of course there is rain in the forecast so no chance of doing outside work that is on my list.  I’m thinking of knocking it all out over the long holiday weekend next week.  It’s only a 3 day work week for us and there is another thing I am grateful for.  I’ll probably go for the Mexican food that I wish I had last weekend, it’s been something I’ve been craving for a bit. 

Paid bills this morning and waiting for more to come rolling in.  I plan to call the cable company tomorrow to try to negotiate a new more affordable rate for my internet.  I am coming off a 2 year promotion and it’s been nice but I really don’t want to pay full price it’s an absurd amount just for internet.  Outside of going with cellular internet the cable company has a lock on high speed in the area.  We have other providers that are moving in and are offering faster speeds for lower prices, but that’s going to take time for them to complete their infrastructure.  Once that happens I’ll bet the cable company comes down on their prices.  I hate that the cable company has a monopoly if you want good/quality service.

Very strange this morning that when I came down I saw food crumbs on the floor.  Like they were from cat treats.  The cats don’t eat down here.  I touched them to make sure they were real and not just spots on the carpet.  The door is closed full time except for weekends when we all come down and they are supervised.  Not exactly sure how the crumbs got down here but I’ll be bringing down the vacuum to clean up the mess.  Kind of makes me wonder if we are truly alone here or if there is something else besides the ground hog that occupies the premises.   Right now I’m chalking it up to a one time fluke but I’ll keep my eyes open. 

Got one meeting just before lunch, other than that hopefully it’s a quiet day.  I’m headed back up to be with the cats. I will be taking my electronic leash (aka Cell Phone) with me, I just know I’m going to get bothered.  Mora didn’t eat breakfast and that’s unlike her.  It’s probably nothing but I will have my eye on her.  Hopefully, she grabs some lunch when I pass that out a bit later on this morning. 

Thanks for stopping by, hope all is well.  Take care!

Man Candy - Enjoy

Middle of the week

Seems strange to be in the office on a Wednesday.  My brain is trying to tell me it’s Tuesday just because that’s my normal day in.  Talked with my colleague who is leaving and gave her a card.  Were supposed to get together in a few weeks but it’s best laid plans.  I will be shocked if it actually happens.  People always say they will keep in touch but rarely does it actually happen. 

Had an okay night with the cats.  Rudy was all about playing this morning.  He nibbled on my fingers for a little bit.  I hated to leave both of them but there is nothing like coming home to their welcome.  Of course after a few kind words it’s all about where is the food.

It’s rained overnight and there is more rain pushing through the area today.  It looked horrible coming in like the sky was just going to open up and pour.  Thankfully before that happened I made it in the garage.  My phone has been telling me all about the rain all morning long. 

Been through the obligatory meeting and got a meeting with my boss that was scheduled for tomorrow pushed up to this morning.  Nothing much came out of either meeting and for that I am thankful.  They are just a waste of time.  Found out that I will need to probably be on call on Friday next week, normally boss man takes the 4th of July holiday and we only get one day.  However, he’s planning a get away so that kind of leaves me to cover things.  No big deal so long as I get the 4th off and am free I’m okay with that.  I don’t anticipate anything big will happen over the long holiday weekend anyway. 

Now on with trying to pass time until it’s time to leave this place.  Hope that you are having a good day and staying out of the heat.  Take care!

Clean Break

I had a difficult nights sleep and come Monday morning when I got up, I felt lousy.  Muscle cramps in my legs and just wanted to go back to bed.  That’s the luxury of working someplace for a long time, I just picked up my phone sent a quick email and made a clean break for the day.  Powered the phone off.

I took a muscle relaxer after feeding the cats and came back to bed.  Then watched TV for a little bit and then it was lights out.  I slept the bulk of the day away but damn it felt so good.  Watched TV when I was awake.  By supper time I was wide awake.  I just watched TV. 

Only left my room to use the bathroom and/or get food from the kitchen.  The cats were not terribly happy but were supportive.  They napped with me. 

I took a little extra sleeping medicine last night and I had some moments where I was awake but they didn’t last long.  Rudy had me up at 6:30a and I just bided my time until it was closer to 7a and then I got up. 

I really didn’t want to come back today and wanted to take an additional day but hell I’d just sleep that away too so might as well be productive.  I didn’t miss hardly anything for being out a full day and am already caught up.  Powered up my phone and watched it light up like a Christmas tree with notifications and emails.  Felt kind of nice to break away from it for a whole day.  I kept wondering what I was missing but looks like it wasn’t much of anything. 

Were in an excessive heat warning today and then were supposed to have some severe thunderstorms later tonight to help cool things off a bit.  Hopefully, it’s nothing that wakes me up.  I’m only going in tomorrow to say a final goodbye to a friend that is leaving.  Otherwise I’d stay home given the extreme weather. 

There isn’t much going on at the moment and by my calendar tomorrow looks to be quite a boring day but of course we have one meeting on the books.

I hope that your staying well hydrated and cool as summer temperatures rage on outside.  Take care!

Hot Weekend

Hello & Welcome!  I hope that your staying cool in this heat wave of summer we have going.  I elected to rot and be lazy on Saturday instead of taking care of the outdoor work that I wanted to do.  It will be there waiting for me not like it’s going anywhere. 

I had originally thought about Mexican food from the place I grew up eating at but talked myself out of that and in to a local place that is known for filling you up.  However, when I got there and walked inside I saw a line and it’s just pure chaos, so I left and went and had BBQ Turkey.  It was okay just not what I really wanted.  I should have gone for the Mexican food. 

Nothing waiting for me at the post office, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing just that I like to receive mail just not bills. 

My pest control spray came so I can add a task to my outside to do list. 

Managed to work on the fridge to quiet the noisy fan down that has been growling at us off and on for a few days.  We should be good hopefully until Fall/Winter.  It just needs some lube and that silences it. 

Found my favorite original legal drama LA LAW on Prime and I’m watching it from the start.  Finally paying for commercial free is paying off.  There are 8 seasons and I’m still on Season 1.  That show was on when I was growing up and in High School.  Lots of good memories. 

Rudy woke me up early this morning and not wanting to I climbed out of bed to get him and his sister some breakfast.  Then I got going and headed out for my breakfast.  Hit up Target, The Grocery Store and Gas Station before I came back home.  It was early but still hot outside and it’s only gotten hotter. 

We relaxed back in my room with some YouTube and then I dove back into LA Law before I had my nap.  Woke up from that again not wanting to leave bed but put out my medicine.  Cleaned the bathroom and house as well as took out the trash. 

Down in the basement blogging with both cats.  The dryer has gone off and it’s about time to gather the clothes and head up.  It’s getting late in the afternoon and time for me to head out for a bite to eat. 

I’ve got the paralyzed by choice thing again on what I want to eat.  I’m thinking go for pizza, perhaps see some cute guys, drool a little and then come back home.  I could go back to the place that I wanted to go yesterday that was packed but they have a Fried Chicken Special and there is always a huge crowd and waiting line because it’s an all you can eat.  It’s a great deal and if you leave there hungry on a Sunday damn it’s totally your fault. 

Plan to head in to the office on Wednesday this week.  Saying goodbye to another co-worker who is leaving.  I thought there might be a chance that this wouldn’t happen but it’s for sure a done deal.  This is going to hurt but I get that at the end of the day you have to take care of yourself and do what is best for you & your family.  I’m told that we will continue to talk but I honestly don’t think that is the case, it’s the old out of sight out of mind saying.  All I can do is wait to see what happens.  I’m not looking forward to going in not only because my friend is leaving but also because it’s damn hot outside and me and the heat don’t mix well. 

Take care and stay cool!

Technology

Morning and Happy Friday!  I hope that you are doing well and looking forward to the weekend. 

Last night watching YouTube videos I watched one of a new stroke ambulance.  This particular vehicle was based in Cincinnati, Ohio.  It’s a custom built ambulance with a CT Scanner built in.  This thing is packed full of technology including a link to the medical charting system at the local hospital and video conferencing.  I wish that something like this was around back when my late spouse had his strokes.  This vehicle will save lots of lives and the people of Cincinnati, Ohio should be grateful.  I am sure there are probably many more of these scattered across the US.  I’ve not seen one in my neck of the woods.  This is cool!

I was quite bored last night but managed to find a few things to watch that kept me busy.  The cats oddly were not bugging me much until it got closer to bed time.  They got their loving when I came up early and took the trash out. 

We had a large black dog visit us at lunch time, he just came walking up in the back yard.  I saw him but the cats didn’t.  Then something bothered him and he started barking and that’s when the cats knew he was there.  It’s wasn’t a big deal just something interesting that happened.

Yesterday I had a grand plan for the weekend of getting out to spray/clean the front gable vent, sidewalk and driveway.  Then power wash the deck.  The energy and drive was there.  Now that I’ve slept that energy and desire has kind of dried up.  It will depend on how I feel when I wake up tomorrow if it gets done or not.  It’s not like it’s going anywhere.  We do have a small chance of thunderstorms on Sunday night but they say it will be hit or miss.  Now that the gutters are cleaned out I’m anxious to see how things look for the first rain fall.

I am just tired and lack energy today.  I’ve had breakfast and sleeping wasn’t bad at all.  Mora gave me one of her magic hugs and that was all she wrote for me.  It’s like the sleeper hold.  I think that it brings her comfort and she knows what it does for me. 

As per usual all of my work tasks are complete.  I’ve got a small load of laundry going and that’s it.  Looking forward to going back upstairs and relaxing with the cats.  My back is sore and I’ve still got one knot left over that didn’t quite get worked out in my massage.  Kind of like I am ready for another massage already.  I still miss being able to get a weekly massage at the office for cheap. 

Random fact if Gator and her siblings were all alive today it would be their 20th birthday.  Still miss all of them and Momma.  I remember when they were born like it was yesterday and how I raced home like an expectant father.  Never saw anything born until then and don’t know that I want to see anything else born again.  Momma made some awful noises and that was proof positive that birth of any kind should involve drugs to comfort the mother.  Poor thing she had 3 of them and then like an hour and a half later Ruth came along and I thought that was going to kill her, she was out of energy and I had to take care of the clean up for her, thought I was going to make a mess of my own but I managed to hold it together.  Wow I was so much younger 20 years ago.  Where does the time go? 

Stay cool and have a good weekend.  Thanks for stopping by.  Take care!

MIND IN THE GUTTER

Yesterday started off great. I woke up at my normal time, got the cats fed and had my breakfast. Then threw on some clothes and sat on the couch and waited for time to pass. The grass guys showed up about 10 minutes before my gutter cleaning appointment. Thankfully they were done by the time the gutter guy arrived. Mora was sitting in my lap and she was looking out the window. When the gutter guy got out of his truck and started to approach the house, she started growling and sounded like she was ready to charge. I calmed her down and told her that he’s supposed to be here it’s okay. That seemed to do the trick and she relaxed. I’ve never gotten that reaction from her nor did I expect it. Guess she wants to protect daddy.

The gutter guy was a hot young stud in his mid-twenties and he got all my juices flowing! We shook hands and told me the work he was going to do, sadly it was all about gutter cleaning and had nothing to do with jumping my bones. I let him get to work and he did his job and gave me a show in the process. First thing he did was remove his company polo shirt. He was wearing a wife beater but damn he works out. Anyway, being the pro he was he climbed on the roof and cleaned the gutters from there. Pretty neat trick. I know if I tried that I would have fallen off the house. That kind of made child’s play of the job. The cats were caught off guard when he was walking around on the roof, they both looked up and had this confused look on their face. Every so often he would heave a large bag off the roof and it would land in the front yard, there were a total of three. These were some dirty gutters. He took photos of before and after and it looks great. I talked about putting up the gutter guard that I had purchased but they wanted a little bit more money for that and I just said no thanks. He told me that if I call again and keep them on a rotation, they will lower the price. When the job was done, he told me the bill. He was wearing some cologne that smelled damn good. I really wanted to ask him out. I just didn’t quite get a good reading if he would be open to that or if he’s all about the ladies. Take this for what it is but one time I said I had a question, he said ask me anything, anything at all. I wonder if he was wanting me to ask him out or if he was just trying to be helpful? I know that you miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take but sometimes it’s better off to just keep things on the professional level even though it’s not easy.

It was nice being able to return to my bedroom after that, have a soda and watch TV. Only to wind up taking a nap with the cats. It was even better knowing that work wouldn’t be bothering us. Just felt so relaxing and kind of felt like a Saturday. It made me think, what if I started taking every Wednesday off that would be kind of fun. I work with a guy who takes every Monday off all year long.

When I woke up, I passed out lunch for the cats. I had some yogurt and just sat on the couch and watched TV. Talked with my friend from work who is leaving. We managed to chat for an hour. I’m really going to miss her but I think that she is making a smart move especially given the change of the time she will be required to be in the office as well as the large pay bump she is getting. It’s just one of those offers that is too good to refuse. Sad part is that she is leaving a couple months shy of having a full 10 years in so no bonus for her. However, for the crap she has been through and the way she has been treated if I were in her shoes I don’t know that I would have lasted that long. Were in two different areas of the business and thus our experiences are radically different.

Had a power surge where the house went dead for a moment. Of course, the AC was on and that killed the compressor outside. Thankfully it sprung back to life but it took two restarts that it did on its own. It’s an old system and I know it needs to be replaced but it does a great job so as long as it’s working, I’m saving my money. The surge totally killed internet here and we were out for about 30 minutes. Of course someone fired off in the Neighbors app, hey did anyone loose power? I see things in there all the time like I heard gun shots, did you? Why post that? Pick up the phone and call the police like a normal person would. Some of the things that people post about are totally ridiculous. I do get sad to see a lost/missing pet post, that’s a smart way to circulate the word about your pet quicker than you can put flyers up.

Passed the time on the couch watching random crap on YouTube, the cats were close to me. Rudy fell asleep next to me which is something that happens quite frequently. There’s no doubt in my mind that both of these cats love me and appreciate me as much as I appreciate them. I think we each rescued each other.

I made my Sam’s run they were out of my printer ink, I forgot to get Water Softener Salt but I did remember to get Peanut Brownies and took the last package. Don’t you know they were a couple days old and not fresh. They taste okay but are hard and crunchy. At least I got my soda. Everyone else had the same idea I did and the place was packed for being a weekday.

Got my Mexican food. It sadly wasn’t the greatest but I ate it and came back home. Watched the movie Bowfinger. It was just okay in my book. I expected that with Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy that it would be a laugh out loud movie and well nothing made me laugh. I’ll admit it I am a tough customer but once you get me going it’s tough for me to stop.

Never set one foot in the basement or even remoted in to my computer. There was some work email that came in but nothing that I needed to take care of. Hard to believe but in a couple weeks we will be celebrating Independence Day as well as my cats’ birthdays. Since the year is half over the other half will certainly fly by and we will be back in Winter quicker than I think we want to be.

Back to the old bump and grind today but there isn’t much on the agenda at the moment. One meeting before lunch. Got to remember to take the trash out and try to stay awake as much as possible. I had a hard time falling asleep last night it wasn’t until after mid-night that I was out. Of course, both cats had to be in bed stretched out so that didn’t help things.

Happy Summer today’s the first day of the season! Stay cool and take care.

Man Candy - Summer Time Guys

Homo Today

That’s my cute way of telling you I’m home today.  I feel better now that I am fully awake but it was a difficult night.  I am drowsy and itching to go back to bed.  There are only meetings on my agenda today 2 just before lunch and 1 after lunch, then the day is done unless something comes rolling in. 

My throat was really bothering me last night so I ate some ice cream and that helped.  I turned off my ceiling fan before I went to bed.  I know that I can easily get sick in the summer with too much of a breeze on me or if the room gets too cold.  At least this morning when I woke up I wasn’t all congested. 

The cats stayed with me all night long so that kind of added to my difficulty of sleeping solid.  I got up at 6a because I had to use the bathroom and Rudy thought for sure it was time to wake up.  He was all happy until I just bounced back in bed.  He just looked at me with a look that said damn I was hungry.  He curled up with me for a bit then got up and moved towards his sister.  We had an hour to go and that passed by awful fast. 

Had some Stouffer’s Fettuccini Alfredo for supper last night and that was really good.  Had to surf around to find something interesting to watch most of which was random YouTube videos.  Makes me wonder why I shell out so much money for TV and yet can’t seem to find something enjoyable to watch when I want. 

Waiting for my confirmation call about the gutter cleaning tomorrow.  I figure they will call as soon as I manage to take a nap at least that is the way my luck seems to run.  I figure if they don’t call by late afternoon I will be calling them to confirm.  I really want the gutters taken care of so I can put that behind me. 

I hope that I continue to feel okay because I’d like to make it to Sam’s Club tomorrow as well as hit up the Mexican place.  Those are my only two real goals outside of relaxing and trying to enjoy a day off.  I might push my luck and try to make a Target run but if not there is always the weekend.  I kind of want to take the rest of the week but unless I take a turn for the worse I will just tough it out here. 

It’s going to be another hot day and were not even officially in Summer until Thursday.  Stay cool and take care!

Pizza & Ranch

Tried it at lunch and wow, it’s really good!  I’ve slept/napped a lot today and feel lousy.  Not exactly sure that I am going to make it in the office tomorrow.  Not sure if this is allergies or if I am getting sick.  I’ll probably just base it on how I feel in the morning but right now it’s not looking good.

Hope your having a good day!

Gr8 here we go again

Ugh Monday again.  The good news is that I’m not on call.  Otherwise, it’s still Monday.  I’ve wrapped up my tasks for the day and it’s wide open.  I woke up not feeling the best and wanting to take the day but considering that I don’t have much going I figured that I could just limp along. 

On top of that the one person that I actually go in to the office to see and talk with turned in her notice and will be leaving in two weeks.  She said that we will talk now more than ever but I really don’t foresee that happening.  I know that everyone has the best intentions but it’s kind of out of sight, out of mind as my late grandfather used to say.  She also said that she will be looking and let me know if there are any positions where she going to open up.  Her and another person went to the same place and they both really want me to come over with them.  It’s a much better working for them, not sure if that would be the case for me but I’m told that you work 3 weeks at home and have to go in for 1 week of the month.  Doesn’t sound bad but I’m not holding my breath for a job offer, nor do I know if I would actually make the change it would depend a lot based on the offer.  I’m pretty comfortable where I am.  It just sucks for me because she was kind of one of the reasons why I went into the office, it gave me someone to talk with. 

There was a small group of people that I happen to fall in with and we were like a little family prior to the pandemic.  They have all been working together and in and out of places over the years so the core is pretty tight.  However, with this person leaving it will mark the third person in the small family that has left.  There are only a couple of people left and with their work schedules they aren’t in the office a whole lot or if they do come in it’s on days that I don’t, so it’s kind of hit and miss if we happen to see each other. 

Right now I plan on going in tomorrow if possible just because of the news.  I think that my gutter cleaning is on Wednesday but for some reason in my mind I’m thinking it might be Tuesday.  They said they would call the day before to confirm so as long as I don’t get a call today I will plan on being in the office.

Last night I drove to the Mexican place after getting the cats food.  There was one car in the parking lot and the open sign was on but they very much looked closed.  I opted not to stop and find out and instead went on to the BBQ place.  Had a great meal and no issues with getting in, it was just like any other Sunday and they were busy but plenty of open tables. 

Came home and put away the food and got comfy, just watched TV until it was time for bed.  Slept pretty good and both cats were in bed with me.  They started a fight just after I rolled over from turning the TV off and I told them to knock it off.  They continued but got things sorted out.  Rudy was all over me this morning as per usual. 

Heard a food tip to add Ranch dressing with Pizza.  I picked up a small bottle at the grocery store yesterday and plan to try that out to see what that tastes like.  Your supposed to use it as a dipping sauce.  I hope it’s as good as it sounds. 

I’ve got a unique issue I am dealing with at work that hopefully will be resolved soon.  It’s mostly finding someone to do a favor because all of the usual people that help out are out of the office for one reason or another.  I don’t enjoy relying on other people but it’s kind of what I need to resolve this particular issues.  I’m sure it will all work out in the end. 

Another hot day with the chance of storms.  Stay cool and be well. 

Sunday

It was one thing after another last night in trying to wrap things up.  I forgot about putting on my new license plate sticker, so I had to do that.  I’m strange in that I actually remove the plate, wash it and dry it.  Then scrap off the old sticker and put the new sticker on.  I’m probably the only person in the whole state that does that, but it’s one of my crazy routines.  I also take a razor and use it to place an X on the new sticker.  There have been intermittent cases of sticker theft and if your going to target me, I don’t want to make the job easy.  It also helps me when it comes time to remove it.  Then something from work cropped up and I had to deal with it.  The cats were staring at me like I was going to melt in front of them and damn I kind of felt like I was. 

Eventually I had a nice cool shower last night and it felt pretty good.  I felt the DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) kicking in from my massage.  I got all comfy in bed and then realized damn forgot to turn on the dishwasher.  Had to get up and take care of that, then back to bed.  The sad part was that Rudy joined me before I had to get up and we were both quite comfy.  He came back eventually and brought his sister with him, so then they were comfy and I was just in the way. 

Slept pretty good as I had suspected would be the case.  Still didn’t make getting up any fun this morning, I still wanted to go back to bed.  However, when I woke up I thought for a split second that it was Monday.  I was really sore this morning when I got up. 

Passed out breakfast for the felines, got me ready and headed out for breakfast.  I went to the same place I was at yesterday.  Damn they were starting to get packed and they had only been open for a half hour.  By the time I left the place was really hopping.  I enjoyed a nice Cheeseburger with an Egg on top and some fries.  Pretty good.  They changed up the bun and it’s now made from cornbread, it kind of looks like an English Muffin and it quite tasty. 

I had the desire to go to Target but lost it as I started to approach and just figured on to the grocery store.  Last week I spend close to $100 and left with 3 bags of groceries.  Today I spent the same amount and left with 5 bags of groceries. 

Once I arrived home I got everything put away and then watched some YouTube and had a soda.  Not before throwing the laundry in the washer.  As I began to get sleepy and eventually wound up back in bed and taking a nap.  It’s a typical Sunday routine for me.  Mora slept with me.  Rudy came to wake me up and he got in some cuddles as well. 

Out to eat lunch in the kitchen and put out my meds for the week, how exciting.  Then it was time to vacuum, which the cats hate.  That’s when I noticed the neighbor out with his wife and kid in a new blow up splash pool.  Better them than me it’s damn near 100 outside and I got beat up enough yesterday with the heat. 

The only thing left to do is figure out where to dine at.  I am having a heard time deciding on BBQ or Mexican.  I think that the Mexican place is less likely to be packed but then again it is Father’s Day so I won’t know until I show up.  That’s where I think I am going.  The BBQ place will surely be packed.  I know one thing and that’s that I won’t be going hungry. 

Got my clothes in the dryer and just waiting to hear the buzzer.  I never look forward to putting laundry away or doing it but it will be nice to cross that task off the list.

Now I’ve got nothing but time on my hands and part of me hates that but part of me enjoys it as well.  No doubt that the cats will help me occupy my time.  It’s time for a brushing and claw trim for both of them and that’s a job I don’t look forward to anymore than they do. 

Just keeping cool and trying to beat the heat indoors.  It’s a great day to go for a drive as long as you have AC.  It’s days like this that make me glad that I got my refrigerant topped off, the AC in the car gets freezing cold and it’s so enjoyable. 

Back to the fun tomorrow at least I won’t be on-call and it’s a four day work week since we have the Juneteenth Holiday on Wednesday.  Stay cool and take care!

Hot n Sweaty

I took an extra sleeping pill because I knew that with the “worry” on my mind I would have issues with sleeping.  True to form I was up at 1am.  Didn’t go back to bed until 4a.  Then Rudy wanted to try to get me up at 6a.  I did get up a little bit after 7a.  I passed out breakfast for the felines and I got a shower.  Then dressed and headed off for breakfast.  While I was out I grabbed the mail.  Then returned home. 

Sat on the couch with the cats waiting for it to be time to leave for my massage.  I didn’t know it until I went to pay for my massage but the lady raised the price $10.  Then to top it off she’s pregnant and not booking new appointments until October.  I really wanted to get back in the groove, but looks like unless I want to see a different therapist between now and October that’s the only way it will happen.  Today was just okay, she spent a lot of my time stretching me before she actually got into the massage.  I am sure that I will be sore tomorrow, hopefully it won’t be terrible because she did go easier on me but man there were some moments that I had to ask her to ease up or stop. 

After the massage was done it was back home to wait on the Amazon driver.  I got a delivery window of 10a to 3p.  The driver showed up around 1:45p.  That gave me ample time to charge the battery in the new camera and get it mounted. 

While we waited I went to town in cleaning off a sticker on the back door.  That was something my neighbor was interested in with his photo taking.  My thought process is that he is going to try to file a complaint saying that I have 6 cats.  Jokes on him those six are all dead and I’ve got their cremains to prove it.  The sticker was a rescue the animals in case of fire.  However, I’ve already told the police department that I have two cats so it’s no secret.  Plus my home security provider knows about the cats and would alert first responders.  So it’s not like I am placing their lives in jeopardy.  Besides that I can always go get a new sticker once the jackass moves. 

I really do think that someone turned my neighbor in for his uncut yard and damn instead of trying to seek revenge look in the damn mirror because that’s the person you have to blame.  When it happened to me I owned it and got it fixed and moved on.  Besides that he’s moving to a new city and a new home in short order so why be such a dick before he leaves?  If he thinks that I turned him in why not come talk to me and ask.  If I did I would honestly tell him yes but I realize that most people would deny it or say no.  That’s not me.  Also I think since he is in county government that he likely would get some professional courtesy and might even get told who turned him in.  I kind of think that he feels he’s untouchable or above the law since he works for the county.  

Anyway, I was getting hungry and didn’t want to leave without putting the new camera in place just because I have lost all trust in my neighbor.  The camera is up and working fine.  I can see my deck and part of the side yard.  He’s going to notice that I removed some items that have been out for a while and were left from the construction of the deck, removed the big sticker from my back door.  I did all of that so if he does complain about something it’s all resolved so his complaint looks frivolous and he looks like an idiot.  Neither of our yards are 100% perfect.  He’s got trash in his back yard from December and I’ve not said one word about it.  If I was going to turn him in for uncut grass don’t you think I’d mention the rubbish as well?  If code enforcement looks at his house it’s very easy to spot violations.  I’m waiting to see what if anything comes from his photo taking adventure.  I wonder if he will be smart enough to connect the dots and realize that I caught him trespassing and taking photos. 

With the camera working I left and went to grab a pizza.  The place was damn near empty.  I went to the place with the hot guys that I like to look and drool over.  A new waiter started and he’s perfect blonde hair & blue eyes.  I looked him over pretty well and am pretty sure he noticed me doing just that.  The guy that I have the big crush on brought me my pizza and was super nice.  Asking a guy out at a place that I eat at regularly has proven to be an issue in that if I get a no it makes me want to stop going there to eat.  It’s like a rule of not mixing business with pleasure, sounds strange perhaps but my luck isn’t the best and I know it doesn’t help that I like younger guys.  Dating app is gone and has been for about a week. 

I didn’t let him totally ruin my evening I watched an Only Fans scene that involved multiple guys and it was super hot! I’d love to watch some additional porn tonight but I don’t know that I am going to have much energy left. 

Currently working on washing the bedding.  Once that is done I want to shave and get a shower to get all of the remnants of the massage oil off.  The therapist used a warm towel to wipe me down but that isn’t quite the same as adding in some soap and scrubbing. 

I plan to have breakfast out tomorrow.  Debating if I want to go to Target or put that off until next weekend.  I need to get cat food but they have enough food to make it through the week, it’s just not loaded with a lot of variety and I like to spoil them and change things up to keep them guessing as to what I am going to serve.  I think that the variety makes them happy. 

My effort purchasing a bottle of bubbles was in vain.  Rudy was curious but didn’t know what to do with the bubbles.  Mora was frighten by them and ran away.  All of Momma’s kids loved to play with bubbles.  I might try another round with them but I don’t have high hopes. 

The heat has done a damn good job of beating me up, making me feel ill as well as sucking the life out of me and between that and running low on sleep I am exhausted and looking forward to climbing into bed and starting fresh tomorrow.  I planned for a nap today but just told myself that I needed to keep moving.  They say a body in motion stays in motion, I suppose that’s true until you fall down.  Today is pretty well done for me even though it’s still very early in the evening.  I am going to play a bit here on the computer, work with some bills as I wait for the washer to finish so I can start the dryer. 

Looking forward to having Wednesday off, hopefully the gutter people show up early and charge me the lower of the two prices that I was quoted so that I can make my Sam’s Club run. If that happens it will probably be expensive but then again what today isn’t expensive.  I will probably also eat my evening meal out for a chance of pace.  

I hope that you are having a good weekend and managing to beat the heat.  Thanks for dropping by.  I will keep you updated if anything more develops with the neighbor.  Take care!

Waiting for the shoe to drop

Today was a decent quiet day and a great way to end the week.  However, this evening my hot neighbor came on to my property with a camera and started taking pictures and was in quite the hurry.  He was actually at my back door and I caught him, but he doesn’t know that.  I don’t have a camera there yet but one is going up.  That way if he tries to pull anything else I will have video proof. 

I really wanted to go over and ask what the hell he was doing.  However, I don’t know a good way to phrase that question without being confrontational.  My best guess tells me that it’s going to result in some kind of “violation” either having to do with the city or the HOA and there will be some notice forthcoming.

We (him and I) have gotten along just fine and we have never given the other an ounce of trouble.  He could have just been taking pictures for the hell of it but considering that he was being sneaky about it and was in a hurry tells me otherwise.  It just seems highly suspicious and nefarious. 

All I can do is sit back and wait to see if there is a shoe that drops.  Until then it’s probably better to remain silent.  I’m sure if I went over and asked him I could easily clear up the “mystery” that is provided he would own the fact that he was trespassing.  However, I don’t know that this would remain a civil discussion and for that reason it’s just better to be quiet. 

I’m not some monster that you can’t approach and ask questions or even complain to.  My best guess is that the reason why his wife mowed the yard is because someone complained about the fact they had high grass.  Kind of like I got hit a few years back when my then mower guy dropped the ball. I suspect that if that is the case they think I turned them in.  I didn’t but I do know that the city takes pictures when they send their notice.  No one comes on to your property they just pull up to your house and take pictures.  I know this because I watched it happen to me and put the puzzle pieces together after the fact.  I am very much a live and let live kind of guy, unless you rub me the wrong way.  I subscribe to a saying my late spouse had, which is you fuck me, I fuck you and we all go fucking crazy. 

Here’s hoping nothing much comes of it but only time will tell.  I know that this will be festering all weekend long and will probably ruin my weekend.  Kind of makes me wish that I never saw a thing but I can’t unring a bell that has already rung. 

Cool Friday

Another hot day here, sun shining and no rain.  Exactly what I asked for.  We got rain last night it was falling as I went to bed.  Had a horrible dream about my gutter cleaning gone wrong.  Glad to wake up and find that it was only a dream.  The AC is on right now and it’s cool in here.

Looking forward to my massage tomorrow.  Grabbing a bite to eat out, probably will go for pizza I’m kind of hungry for it.  The cat food pantry has slim pickings so I will go back to the cat food store, although they could probably make it through the week.  I just don’t see a lot of variety there and know that I wouldn’t want to eat salmon more than two days in a row.  Cats are picky by nature and my two know that if they turn their nose up as something I put down they are going to go hungry.  That is unless I am trying something new and they don’t like it, then and only then I give in an open a new can of something I know they will like. 

Not feeling much like working today.  I’m caught up until I have to take care of a task mid-morning and we have our company wide staff meeting.  That’s all I have on the books for today and hopefully I can maintain the Q for the day, that would be a sweet way to end this week. 

Here’s hoping it’s a great weekend for all.  Take care!

Hot in the city

Morning and welcome.  It’s setting up to be another hot and dry day in my neck of the woods.  I’m happy there is no rain.  Not the biggest fan of the heat but it is nice to see the sunshine. 

My hot neighbor cut his grass but he made his wife do it.  I heard the mower going yesterday at lunch time and looked out.  She scalped the lawn so who knows if it will grow back or just fry.  Matters not to me unless it means he will cut it one last time. 

Speaking of neighbors the walking traffic in the afternoon/evening has tapered off.  There are only a small hand full of people.  I saw one lady yesterday and she worried me a little bit, I thought she was going to drop but she didn’t. 

Looking forward to Saturday as I have my massage booked.  I know I am full of knots again and I don’t look forward to having them worked but I would like to get rid of them.  Here’s hoping I am not beaten up too bad and that I get some enjoyment out of it. 

My allergies are working overtime as they have most every morning for the past few days.  Kind of wish that I didn’t have them.  If I get up too early that will set them off as well.  It’s like I am allergic to waking up early. 

The cats both got plenty of attention this morning and belly rubs, which they both just soaked up like a sponge.  You could see the joy on their faces.  Glad that I can make them happy and bring them some joy.  They bring me plenty of joy.  Rudy thought that I was going to cheat him out of his cat nip last night because I took a shower.  He came in and got his water and then threw a fit about the cat nip I just hadn’t gotten to it yet.  I some out for each of them and then I went to watch TV. 

On the work front, yesterday had a little bit more noise than the prior days.  It was mostly meetings.  I did get one after-hours issue to deal with but it was quick.  I’ve got one meeting today but it’s not until after lunch.  Just sitting and waiting for something to roll in but I won’t complain if that doesn’t happen. 

I hope you stay cool and are able to enjoy the day.  Take care!

Man Candy - Come n Get It

The Gutters

Welcome and Good Morning!

Well, the gutter quote came back higher than I anticipated. Apparently, it costs a few hundred dollars to clean gutters. Hell, it’s a dirty and kind of a risky job so I get the charge. I booked the job and were scheduled for next week. If you want to use a credit card there is an upcharge, that is becoming a thing with many merchants. If you don’t like paying the fee just have it documented in a detailed receipt and then you can dispute the fee with your bank and they will usually just credit you back whatever the upcharge was. Back in the day it was primarily a thing if you used AMEX but today it matters not what credit card you use, lots of places pass their cost of doing business on to the customer which just isn’t right. If you’re going to accept credit cards as a merchant then your well aware that the bank your doing business with is going to charge you, again it’s the cost of doing business. In my case I’ve got the luxury of writing a check for this job so no big deal, I just hate writing checks, using the card is faster.

The lawn guys showed up a day early. Apparently, they picked up a neighbor down the street as a customer. They don’t drive a marked truck or advertise. I found them through word of mouth, that’s the best way to get customers.

I tried the Alfredo dish from Rao last night. It smelled like warm cat food to me. The cats thought that I made them something special. Rudy tried begging when I sat down to see if I would share. He was cute as ever but I said no. It didn’t taste the best but I ate the whole thing and decided that I won’t buy anything alfredo from Rao’s again. Their tomato-based sauce dishes are delicious and that’s what I have planned for the rest of the week for my pallet.

Three meetings today and I look forward to none of them. The first one and last one will be the best because there is really no participation required from me, just join and listen. However, I pay attention and try not to get too comfortable as you never know when there will be a surprise and you’ll be asked something.

Rudy was early with the morning wake up call again at 6a. I didn’t have the best nights sleep and it felt good to tell him nope you’re an hour early back to bed. He just waited for me to get comfy and then climbed on top to wait patiently as the time ticked by. As per usual he was so happy to see me when I woke up and was five whole minutes early. Mora was waiting for us in the hallway just watching from a distance. I greeted her as well on the way to the bathroom. Then we marched on to the kitchen as I got food for Rudy who always eats first. Then Mora comes in after him. Then they both look out the back window to see what’s going on in the backyard, which is normally a whole lot of nothing.

Saw our groundhog last night when I was heating up my dinner. He was off in my neighbors’ yard who isn’t cutting his grass. The groundhog probably thinks he got a buffet. I say eat up little fella. No chance of him starving.

I guess it’s time to savor the Q while it lasts (that’s quiet in case your wondering). Yesterday turned out to be light and I’m perfectly okay with that. There were some peaks but worked stopped at 4p and no one bothered me for the rest of the evening. Here’s hoping that can be replicated today, only time will tell.

Have a great day!

Great Idea

Morning & Happy Tuesday!  Well looks like we survived another Monday.  Mine wasn’t horrible but it’s just the idea of getting back to the normal grind that I dislike.  Now that I am in the thick of it (so to speak) it’s not terrible but I know if I had an unlimited money supply I could find better things to occupy my time. 

My idea to get a dinner to do from the BBQ place was a great one.  I really enjoyed supper last night.  Rudy got to lick some of the garlic from the bread on my hands and he was pretty happy about that.  I was stuffed for a while and didn’t eat anything more than what I would get in the restaurant.  I did drink less which probably helped. 

Called a place yesterday for an estimate on gutter cleaning.  I was surprised they called me back just as I sat down to eat.  Thankfully the call went straight to voice mail since they aren’t in my contacts.  I need to call them back but figured since it was so close to 5p that I might as well wait until today.  I don’t want to do the work much less try to lug the ladder around it’s just not worth the potential risk of injury.  I know I would get a sense of satisfaction of doing the job myself but I’ve never really enjoyed manual labor.  Here’s hoping they don’t ask for an arm and a leg. 

Watched some deleted scenes from Ms. Doubtfire, they showed up in my YouTube feed and while they were enjoyable I didn’t laugh.  That was a blast from the past.  Finished watching That 90’s show on Netflix.  I was kind of out of energy by the evening.  Needless to say when I finally did turn in for the evening it didn’t take long at all to fall asleep. 

Rudy tried to wake me at 6a I guess he was hungry or thought that it was a normal Tuesday where I was supposed to be up so I could make it in the office.  However, I tell him each night what time to make the biscuits.  He doesn’t always listen but for the most part he gets it right.  I’ve been watching my fair share of funny cat videos on You Tube and some of those get their attention. 

Funny thing last night Mora and I watched Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.  She sat in bed and stared right at the TV, I just happened to catch her.  Somethings peak her interest.  Rudy watched a little TV now and then but Mora is much more attentive.  Put a bird making some noise on the screen and you’ll get both of their attention as they watch, stalk and eventually attack the TV.  I learned that earlier this year and it was lots of fun until they tried to knock the TV over. 

The sun is out and the heat is supposed to be rising.  It’s just nice to look out and see sunshine kind of brightens the day.  Work currently is the Q word and I’ve got 2 meetings today.  I don’t think the odds are in my favor that I will be able to go all day and just attend those without anything else coming my way but I’ve got some small hope that is how it will turn out. 

Here’s hoping it’s a great day for all of us.  Thank you for stopping by.

Ah Monday

Back to the grindstone.  I actually felt pretty good when I got up and thought about just taking the day off just because.  However, I know that I would just lounge around, sleep way too much and cuddle with the cats.  Yeah it kind of sounds like fun but at the end of the day I wouldn’t have accomplished anything and would have to dig myself out of whatever it was that I would have missed.  Playing catchup just isn’t a whole lot of fun.  For that reason and because it was the right thing to do I logged in. 

I’ve plowed through all of my tasks and the items in my calendar, with the exception of the entry that is labeled lunch.  Got to wait to eat that meal it’s still early. 

As I strolled through the grocery store yesterday and came across the frozen breakfast food, I saw Eggo Waffle’s Thick & Fluffy.  I said that is a fitting description of Mora.  I’ve been calling her Thick & Fluffy ever since.  She’s been soaking up the belly rubs from that comment.  She doesn’t seem to mind what I call her just as long as I pay attention to her.  She was all about the belly rub this morning. 

Meanwhile her brother Rudy was all about playing.  He attacked my feet and then I fell for his trap to try to rub his belly and he went after my hand just as I knew he would.  He was just all excited and feeling playful.  I’m quite challenged because there doesn’t seem to be many toys that he likes here.  I want to get him something that’s next level which he will love and play with.  However, there are no guarantees with any cat.  You can like it buy it and they will ignore it.  Meanwhile you bring home an extra straw from a restaurant or happen to let a q-tip fall and they will play with those for hours and they didn’t cost you anything.  I’m sure the right toy will eventually cross my path and I’ll buy it but I really want that to happen sooner rather than later. 

Both cats are spoiled and all outward signs show me that they are quite happy here and with me.  This is the only home they have been in the longest.  It might not be anything terribly special but it’s got to be luxury for them with all of the cat furniture that I have. 

Got my Smoked Turkey with BBQ dinner last night and it was damn good.  Brought home one to eat tonight for supper as I had planned.  Looking forward to that.  My total bill was about $10 shy of what I spend for supper on Saturday night and I didn’t have to travel far for it.  This place has potato salad that is really good and I can never get enough of that.  They were doing a booming business as they always do.  It’s a little less packed mid day during the week.  However I imagine they have a decent lunch crowd as there are plenty of nearby businesses. 

Watched the movie Retribution last night.  That was quite interesting.  Surfing for something to watch sure does get old but I have so many choices of streaming services it’s just a matter of something appealing to me and giving in.  I was kind of bored to tears and glad that I gave in on this one. 

That’s all I have at the moment.  Here’s hoping that Monday along with the rest of the week is kind to me.  I think today is the calm before the storm.  Hope it’s a great week for you as well.  The sun is finally shining so that’s kind of good news. 

Take care!

2nd Car Wash

Happy Sunday!  I managed to wake up early and take care of the cats.  Got dressed and headed off to breakfast.  Had those Blueberry Pancakes that I wanted so badly.  Damn they were just a little busy and I was starved.  It took forever to get my food. 

When I returned to the car I got to see the passenger side and there was still mud everywhere and the front grill was covered as well.  I know I paid for a wash yesterday but I went to a place that is well known to suck.  I went against my better judgement.  To solve the problem I went to the expensive car wash, they flood the car with soap and water so I knew that would solve the problem.  Got to see a cute guy in the process.  This wash did a much better job than the first one. 

Off to grab groceries and get more money taken away from me.  I’m trying Chicken Alfredo by Rao’s this week.  Its’ my first alfredo experience with this brand so hopefully it works out well.  I am looking forward to it. 

Before heading home I had a half tank and opted to fill up.  Not that I am going anywhere that I will need it but better to be prepared in case something comes up and have peace of mind. 

Felt pretty down when I came back home.  Just a case of loneliness and not really having anyone to talk to that I feel truly cares.  Seeing the cats helped a bit.  I got out of my clothes and relaxed in front of the TV.  The cats joined me and we watch a YouTube Video that was interesting but the sugar from breakfast was wearing off and I got sleepy.  No reason not to take a nap so that’s what I did.  The three of us were all passed out in my bed.  It’s quite uncomfortable but we manage to make it work. 

Woke up and it was time for lunch for the cats.  I had some pastry and a soda but not before I put out my medicine for the week.  Then on to clean the cats water fountain and change the filter.  I loath that task but it’s a must every 4 weeks.  Going any longer made my old cats sick and I don’t want to take any chances with these two.  It’s bad enough they have a fur ball issue. 

Got the trash out and opted to skip vacuuming this week, just not feeling like doing much.  It was all gloomy and drizzly this morning but now the sun is making it’s debut.  Hopefully, it sticks around like it’s supposed to for the week. 

I’m going back out to get my BBQ and very much looking forward to that.  I plan to bring a plate home because I can only eat so much frozen food in a week.  Being on-call I don’t want to leave home because it will be much like taking a nap, the phone knows I’m doing something I shouldn’t so the problems will filter in.  That’s why I just stay put.  I’ve peeked ahead and it’s going to be a little busy this week at least according to my calendar.  No shortage of meetings. 

Used that new toothbrush last night.  The old one you pressed the power button once it was on and if you pressed it again it went off.  Kind of like my Sonicare works.  However this new Oral B has three modes all controlled with the power button so it starts off slow, next press is faster and press again for fastest.  Slow is for sensitive teeth or to get used to it.  The faster level is for everyday brushing.  Fastest is for whitening, which can be used occasionally or daily.  My mouth felt damn clean when I was done which was the objective.  It’s just so confusing to press the button so many times.  I made a little bit of a water mess when I was cleaning up.  Still wish it had a light to let me know that it was charging, who knows maybe I got a defect.  Of course I saw a better model at Target in the weekly ad this morning for the same price I paid at Amazon. 

That’s pretty much it for Sunday thus far.  Here’s hoping the week ahead it great and there are no curveballs waiting for you or me.  Take care!

Silent Saturday

Welcome!

My chest pain stopped yesterday evening.  I typically don’t take in a whole lot of caffeine but I backed off of that and also refrained from watching any porn.

I got caught up in YouTube shorts last night.  I came across a clip that someone put up of their HOA and this dumb ass chatting at them through their video door bell.  I don’t know if it’s a skit or if it’s real.  I just can’t decide.  However, it really displays how over reaching an unpleasant it can be to live in a subdivision with an HOA.  I’ve never ever heard of this but in the videos apparently in this particular HOA the board members all have a master key to everyone’s house and can enter at anytime for any reason.  This guy said he was needing to check things like the furnace filter and he was getting alerts that something was wrong.  The owner changed the locks and the HOA guy had a lock smith drill the locks.  Another time he just brought over a chain saw and went at the door to gain entry.  He showed up for what to me looks like every damn day and pestered these people.  If a package was dropped off they had to have it cleared off their front porch within a certain period of time or they got a fine.  Same thing with Super Bowl time and they had a ton of pizzas delivered.  The Domino’s box clearly says recycle but apparently in this HOA they can’t be recycled and the HOA guy pulled them from the recycle bin and dumped them on their front door, also gave them a fine because you know it’s a package and wasn’t picked up in a timely manner.  It was barely spring and they had a small tree growing in their front lawn.  It wasn’t blooming fast enough for the HOA guy so he took his chain saw and chopped it down because they weren’t allowed to have dead trees in their front yard.  They tried to plan 3 or 4 other trees around their property but when they were delivered he scrambled over to tell them that they weren’t HOA approved so they couldn’t be planted.  The guy would show up at 11 and 11:30 at night saying it was an emergency he needed to talk with the lady’s husband.  They got a bunch of fines like $24 thousand dollars and they were sued by the HOA more than once.  Just watching the videos made me want to grab a baseball bat and go beat the shit out of that guy.  The HOA guy tried to tell the owners of the house that the he/the HOA owned the house and he had a lot of power he could evict them if he wanted to.  Which is actually true if there are unpaid dues, fines, etc..

As you might not be able to tell I fucking hate HOA’s.  I am in one not by choice.  The damn thing existed when we moved in but no one told us about it because it was essentially inactive.  One day someone breathed life back into the thing by that time we had been here at least 10 years.  My late spouse refused to pay and got into many arguments with the officers from the HOA and told them to go fuck themselves because it would be a cold day in hell before they got a dime of his money.  They threated constantly to try to intimidate him into paying saying they would place a lien on the house and he countered with that’s fine I don’t ever plan on moving so good luck, you’ll still never get your money.  Well he passed and I got the home in my name.  The HOA kept coming and I ignored them for the longest time.  Lots of people in the subdivision did.  Well when I found out that they had the power to evict me and even sell my house that’s when I wised up and started paying them their dues, not that I want to but it’s better than facing the alternative and much cheaper.  I still hate them with a passion and if I ever do move I will do my very best to find a place that has no HOA.  They collect their dues and say that it goes to insurance and maintenance of the common ground.  Common ground that I don’t use but since I am in the HOA by default I can be sued along with them if someone gets hurt.  It’s all bat shit crazy.  Last Week Tonight with John Oliver had done at least one piece about HOA’s and how evil they are, it’s worth your time if you’d like to know more. 

At any rate my blood was boiling so much that I wasn’t able to do what I really wanted to and time got away from me.  I wound up going to bed and watching something else to calm down.  Oddly enough being that upset didn’t seem to affect the little chest pain I had. 

On to today … I woke up early and damn if it wasn’t pouring buckets outside.  That was NOT in the forecast it was supposed to be sunshine all weekend long.  I got breakfast and my haircut.  Then I went on an adventure and drove to see my neighbors new house that is being built.  Damn if I didn’t hit a mud puddle and that crap was everywhere.  My vehicle looked horrible.  Funny thing is my neighbor and I crossed paths.  Our property tax bills came and I like to compare to make sure that I am not paying too much.  That’s when I discovered that my hot neighbor had bought land.  I just went to be nosy and check it out.  He’s already got one kid and I suspect being younger that he probably wants to have more kids and well you need some room for that.  He’s moving to a small mansion that is at least worth double what his present home is and it’s much, much bigger.  No wonder he stopped cutting his grass and only mows occasionally.  His lawn is getting pretty long and it looks like shit so I suspect that I will hear a mower firing up any day now.  Here’s hoping that I get one last glimpse of him shirtless before he moves out.  I also hope that I get someone equally as nice as he has been, the few times we have interacted. 

Got an Amazon delivery.  A new toothbrush because my old one died for the second time.  Odd thing is the old one had a light to tell me when it was charging.  The new one has no lights so I have no idea if it’s taking a charge or not.  It works though.  I maintain two brushes an Oral B (which is what died) and a Sonicare (used to be my late spouses) I alternate between them and that combined with flossing and Listerine keeps getting me rave reviews at the dentist so I don’t plan on making any changes to that plan. 

Watched a movie on Prime called The Boys In The Boat.  It was really good, a bit long but good.  Took a nap and just wasted time.  I drove out to the restaurant I wanted to eat at.  Damn if I didn’t hit a mother of a pot hole on the way.  A semi was in front of me and he hit it first by the time I saw it I had 0 reaction time.  It didn’t look that bad but once I hit it I really felt it and figured that I would have some tire issues but thankfully that wasn’t the case. 

Enjoyed Chilean Sea Bass and dropped a decent amount of money for what was a damn good meal.  All of the male waiters seemed to have the night off.  I only saw one hot guy in the whole place working.  I enjoyed that view while I could.  I was in and out in 30 minutes which is pretty good.  Had to stand in the sun a bit until they opened the front door as I and a bunch of other people were slightly early.  Normally they let you in as long as it’s within a few minutes of opening but not today.  People were bitching about that but I just continued to bake with them in the sun until the door finally opened.  Then I held the door and let everyone pile in before me, there were a few large parties.  I already knew I was going to the bar and thankfully I was the only one. 

Made my way back, got the mail and some cat food.  Stopped by a car wash and then made it home.  Been playing on the computer and found lots of new porn that I want to see, who knows when I will have time for that. 

It’s kind of late for me to be in the basement but I have finally cooled off from baking in the sun.  The cats really want to go upstairs but they don’t dare make a move without me.  It’s like they are my shadows. 

Time to try to make them happy and head back up.  They both know that I should be getting ready for bed and that means cat nip for them.  It’s all a nice little routine that I have that seems to work out rather well until the weekend comes along and once and a while I want to play and do something different. 

I know for certain I will be eating BBQ tomorrow.  My taste buds are craving it so much that I actually thought about switching my plans for tonight but I know I can have the best of both worlds it just takes a little patience.  Something that I don’t have a lot of but for some reason when push comes to shove my patience shows up most of the time, depends on what I am having to be patient for. 

Hope that you are having a good weekend thus far.  One more day away from work and then I will be back and on-call.  Oh joy!

Cheers for now!

Great Day

Another Friday!  I hope that your happy the weekend is around the corner and that all is well. 

Nothing terribly special going on here.  Blew through my morning tasks and then some additional work came in.  I got lost in things before I was able to take a short break.  Then had a meeting and went back up for lunch. 

As I was loafing for a bit a co-worker asked for some help so I came back down.  When I got up I started having some chest pains.  They have calmed down but are still around.  It’s been about 45 minutes.  I did a portable EKG reading through Kardia and it just says normal sinus rhythm.  I know it’s not meant to tell you if you are having a heart attack.  The only thing I feel is chest pain, don’t really have any other symptoms.  It started as a constant pain when I got up, but now it only bothers me if I take a deep breath.  Oddly enough I’ve had chest pains ever since I was a kid.  I know chest pain is something serious but at the same time I don’t feel a need right now to take any action.  If this keeps up and doesn’t go away that will be a different story.  I don’t plan on doing anything other than loafing and eating supper.    

I really have nothing going for a couple hours then it’s just a quick task that is time sensitive and unless something else rolls in my day will be done. 

Insomnia kicked in at 3a and I got some comfort from both cats.  Mora tried to give me one of her magic hugs but it wasn’t doing the trick so I got up and watched some TV.  She got up and started to play with a toy.  After an hour I was able to coax myself back to sleep and I know I had a cat next to me when I did but don’t remember which cat it was. 

The trash people provided me with a 6a wake up call and Rudy jumped at that to try to get me out of bed but it didn’t work.  He just sat on top of me and waited patiently until it got closer to 7a and I opted to wake up.  He’s always so happy to see me in the morning.  Guess he likes breakfast as much as I do. 

Still not looking forward to getting up early on Saturday but it’s probably some good medicine for me.  If after my tasks are done I can’t find a reason to stay awake I can always go back to bed, I know the cats won’t mind. 

I’ve never been in this situation before with these two cats but I’m down to just a few cans of chicken or turkey cat food.  I used up my seafood cans at breakfast and lunch.  I plan to hit up the cat food store tomorrow hopefully they don’t protest or stop eating.  Rudy tried to get in on some of my snack last night and Mora wanted some of my cereal at breakfast time.  Normally they don’t beg or bother me but every once and a while they put on the sad eyes and beg.  I am guessing that one of their prior owners fed them human food.  They both were beggars when I got them but it’s tapered down a lot once they figured out that I won’t give in and I stand firm on that, regardless of the sad eyes or how cute they look.  It’s difficult but I tell them the same thing this is my food and I point to where their food is. 

Speaking of food I hope that I get to enjoy some good food as I have planned for the weekend.  Still on the hunt for a companion but the dating app looks like it’s going to get deleted when my subscription expires.  My luck will be that I meet someone just before I am ready to delete it and have to renew, hey if I have a reason to that would be perfectly fine. 

Have a great weekend and stay cool!