Better

Hi Everyone!

Marv is doing better. Eating, drinking and still hobbling around. The Cosequin and heating pad combo appear to give him relief. He hasn’t woken me up in the middle of the night or just started howling/yowling for any reason. He manages to get around even if his one back leg doesn’t want to always do what he wants it to. Sadly, he is old so there is no magic fixit for this. If there was and it was reasonable, I would certainly pursue it.

Gator is her normal irritating and infectious self. She knows how to push my buttons and how to warm up to me. Just like a woman (sorry ladies) that knows how to get what she wants. She permits me to hug her but only for short periods of time. It’s the only hug I get to give on a regular basis and let me tell you it feels damn good! I think she enjoys it as well.

As for me well I am holding my own. Sleeping has been a bit rocky. I have problems falling asleep and then staying asleep. I’ve had a few nightmares. Some of which is the result of long harbored anger and unhappiness from my childhood as well as a situation that took place a few years ago, lump that all in with not being able to say goodbye to my mom and you have one cluster. I also think this quarantine, stay at home is starting to get to me. Plus, I am really into The Rachel Maddow show and watch her before I go to bed. She doesn’t deliver happy news but I enjoy listening to her. I have a huge problem with stupidity and the more I hear about our government it’s infuriating as well as an embarrassment. I also have a fear that I will be rushed in going back to work and that is not something that I want. While it might not be ideal from a mental health standpoint to isolate, I have gotten used to it and I can talk to myself as well as the kids, so I am okay and actually prefer to stay the course for a while longer. I’ll get more details on what my employer plans next week and then I will be discussing it with my doc the following day. I’m sure it will all work out fine.

Last night I wanted to change things up, plus I knew that my P.O. BOX was getting full, so I opted to head out to get the mail. My vehicles battery is low and it let me know about it. That was a bit concerning. However, I charged it back up today and think I will be okay. I am sure it’s from the lack of driving on a daily basis and then just doing short trips on the weekend. I know I could have charged it by driving but honestly, I wasn’t in the mood.

My soap arrived and wow each bar (got 4 different scents) smells great. I think I found another expensive indulgent. It was $50 for the box but I got free shipping. Each bar is very large and based on use every other day it lasts for around 2 months. I suppose that it will go quicker once I get back to a daily washing routine when life finally gets back to normal.

I got a surprise I was expecting my face wash to show up but sadly it’s not here. I think they must have sent it by Pony Express. The soap people used priority 2 day and that order was placed after the face wash. Anyway, back on point. I got a new thermostat. My local electric company had an insert in the bill that if you gave them your email address, they would send you a free thermostat. Kind of neat, it’s a next gen thing that works with WIFI – Alexa and of course an app on your phone. I am placing it right next to my still new in box Google Home. I guess I am collecting these things. Hey you can’t beat totally free. I can always give them away if I need to give a gift.

The world in my area and probably in yours is starting slowly to go back to a state of normal. Next weekend restaurants can re-open but you have to wear a mask and maintain a 6-foot distance. How exactly does one eat if your wearing a mask? In the state I work in they are opening back up at a much more rapid pace. I worry that we will have a bad picture in another month with a surge in new cases. I talked with a co-worker today from my office that tested positive for the antibodies. He had the virus and didn’t bother to get tested, that was 2 days after we started working from home. I was around him so he could have easily infected me. He is actually excited to know that he has the antibodies. As if that means you can’t get it again. Uh nothing is 100% until they come up with a vaccine (in my opinion). If I feel ill or show symptoms, then I will get tested, otherwise probably not.

Another surprise came in the form of a bill from AT&T for my TV & Home Phone. Last month was manageable but it was pro-rated. This month I got the full bill for service and when you look at taxes & fees that is where a good portion of the money is going. I just changed my service up. I dropped Showtime (I will add it back when the final season of Shameless is out) for now and also dropped packages back to a notch below where I was. My next bill should be insanely cheap and that is what I am aiming for. I also have a hunch that were going to be hit with a pay cut, if not now then eventually.

Well time to call it a day, climb up the stairs and say hello to humidity and the cats. It’s a warmer day today and I most likely will need to turn on the AC. It’s comfy here in the basement. I am sure the cats are happy to have the heat, but I am not a fan. The more difficult task will be trying to find something that the cats will actually eat. Picky little things. As for me it will be another meal out of a cardboard box. It’s not the best but it works. I am mostly eating pasta and then sitting in front of a computer, I guess it’s no wonder why I am puffing up with weight.

Enjoy your weekend and we shall talk again soon. Be well and stay safe!

Oh, what a week

I am so thankful that this week is over with. It’s been uber stressful. A vendor we do business with got bit by Ransomware. That has caused my boss and others in our organization to be a little bit more paranoid. Lots of changes both in policy and in permitted applications. I suspect that this hysteria will continue for the foreseeable future. They are all focusing as if we could get hit by the same thing and while that is possible, there are a million different types of virus, trojans, malware, ransomware, crypto ware, etc. That’s why we have a defense plan in place and it’s a layered approach which is smart and the right thing for any business today. Sadly, things that we would mitigate and clean up before if found today will cause your machine to be removed from the network and replaced. We just aren’t in the chance taking business and while I don’t think that is necessarily right for all types of detections it’s the direction we are going and I have to support that despite how I feel.

I have also been involved in many calls regarding the corona virus and how we plan to respond to that. Jesus if there ever was a reason to work at home, this is it. That is pretty much our plan in a nut shell. Travel is limited and if you can get by with a video conference then that is the preferred route which for what we have invested in AV I would think would be the norm but sadly it’s not. I think that this virus is to the point of being the next pandemic and it will wipe out a bunch of people. Other people tell me that I am wrong and that things will get under control. I suppose it’s a wait and see type thing but wow it’s something I think about every day. Not to mention the fact that my body has been trying to get sick for months and while I feel bad from time to time and have some symptoms I have no concern that I have this but if you cough in an elevator or even sniffle people look at you funny.

On the home front things are going pretty well. Marv has been quite for the most part. He makes noise when I am home but no more yowling and waking me up in the middle of the night, which makes me happy. He’s taking his medicine and eating. I had some problems getting the cap off the needle to give him his B12 shot and wound up sticking my finger in the process. That fucking hurt into the next day. He got his shot and all is well. Over all I would say things are pretty well back to normal or a state thereof. Gator on the other hand is cutting back on what she will eat and she begs for more food, I give it to her and she smells it and then turns her nose up at it. She is otherwise normal but this whole battle of the food has been constant for a long time. I struggle with what I am going to feed them and I think they pick up on that. I wish that I had a crystal ball and could tell what they would eat, I would buy it and eliminate the problem. I hate the food struggle and it really irks me to throw away an entire can of food, that’s good money going straight to waste.

I got a call from the vet and they are going to give me my money back. I told them to write me a check that would save me from having to go back to present my credit card. Besides that, I really don’t want the big bank to know I was successful in getting my money back. I also did battle this week with AT&T this was a yesterday fight. I lost $75 in discounts and in order to get them back I had to involve the office of the president. I thought I made a huge stride until I got home and looked at what my bill was. Jesus, they had a serious rate increase and I actually was slated to pay more instead of less with the discount. To remedy that I reduces service today and now I will pay about $20 less per month. The change in service from what I was able to see online won’t be noticeable to me given the networks and shows I like. Besides that, you can offer me a million channels but I can only effectively watch one at a time. I did find out that you don’t have to have AT&T for internet to get the new AT&T TV, so that is something I may consider next year, but for the next 12 months I have what I have and am locked into a contract in order to get the savings, which is fine by me. I’m always looking for ways to cut costs. The more money I can hang on to the better for me. Rainy days seem to come more often than not, if you know what I mean.

I got my vehicle scheduled for service on the same day I will be seeing my new dentist. Car work in the morning and mouth work in the afternoon. That should make for an interesting day and leave me hopefully with some time in the afternoon to maybe grab a meal out. I did find out that my car dealer dropped the brand of vehicle I am driving. They can still provide service but just aren’t selling that brand. That is displeasing to me because I am still kind of looking to make a switch later in the year. I will have to travel either upstate or cross into a different bordering state to get what I have my eye on. Until I see it in person and drive it, I can’t say for sure that I will buy it, but getting up close and personal is dangerous for me because that brings me much closer to pulling the trigger. I actually found what I wanted online last night and it had everything I wanted but a sunroof. That is going to be a tough feature to find, I think. I’m close to the factory warranty being up on my vehicle from a mileage standpoint. I am at 43 thousand and at 50 thousand the warranty expires. I’d like to drive something new and pay less in insurance, car payments and gasoline. I don’t know how successful I will be at achieving that large goal but it doesn’t mean I won’t try. Who know I may just wind up keeping what I have? It’s not bad it’s just not new. I’ve got an extended warranty because I planned on driving this for a while. Insurance is really what is killing me but that is because of the Turbo. Don’t get me wrong I like the Turbo and I work it; it’s helped me out in a couple of close calls. This is the first turbo I have had and given the experience I really don’t want to give it up unless I have to. Kind of like the brand of the vehicle I don’t want to drive anything else now but if I have to I will.

I am on-call next week and do not look forward to that. Boss man will be going on vacation just for part of the week. He was actually scheduled to be off on Friday and all of next week but because of the vendor issue his plans were changed for him. The next full moon is on Monday. This is time change weekend and if all of that isn’t bad enough Friday is the 13^th. I am already stressed from this week and I don’t know that next week will be much better but I can certainly hope so.

I have slept away the bulk of the day and need to get dressed, grab the mail, something to eat and some cat food. Plus, work on laundry. With the change in the weather to spring the ants are coming in so I have that annual battle to look forward to. Spring is going to be costly for me. I need to get a power washer to clean the back of the house and the deck. I could use that attachment for the leaf blower to clean the gutters and the trim around the garage needs to be painted. If it’s not the money the physical activity will do me in. I really am starting to feel how out of shape I am. I went downstairs at work this week and back up to my office and I was so out of breath. It’s a simple trip that I used to make with no effort at all and today it makes me huff and puff. This extra weight that I have put on needs to go but I so lack in the motivation department.

I hope that you had a great week. I am going to get this published and then get moving because hunger is real. Take care and thanks for stopping by.

Another bumpy week

WORK

Yes, another work week has ended! Friday was a little bit of a nightmare. My dumbass co-worker took Friday off and that left me to process all the departures. I can handle it, I mean for the longest time I was the only person doing them. So, I had 2 and then came 3 and abruptly someone forgot and there was a 4^th. Just a little bit of panic and stress but I made it through just fine Just when things settle down a big blow came, I heard we have plans to close an entire small office soon. That will be a bunch more departures. I’ve already started prepping and it shouldn’t be horrible.

Next week will be my last week working with our help desk guy. I have got to know him, trust him and confide in him. He’s like my super close friend at work. It sucks that I won’t have anyone once he leaves. I also won’t get to hear the inside track on certain things but hopefully as soon as they find a replacement for him, that will change. I expect it to take at least a month but it could be longer. I also suspect that once he leaves, I won’t hear from him again or at least with any frequency. Were close but work is our common thread. Once that thread doesn’t exist and he is in a different part of the state the old adage ‘Out of sight … out of mind’ will come to play and that will be that.

HOME & CATS

Got a call this week that legal action was pending against me because of fraud on my SSN, some scammer wanted me to call them back and talk with an “officer”. Yeah sure thing I’ll jump right on that. I turned them into the IRS and blocked the caller. Good thing my job includes fraud and cyber security. I can see where the unsuspecting and uneducated average person would fall for this and several other scams. In the US the IRS doesn’t call people and they certainly don’t ask for payment over the phone. If the IRS wants to contact you, you’ll get a letter in the mail. The worst part of this scam was that they had an automated recorder making the calls and it was like an 80’s style computer voice so it stood out to me right away.

My tax refund came this week as well. I paid my state tax today and put another chunk towards my auto insurance. I could have paid it off but the balance that is left is so small that I can wipe it out in no time with a couple paychecks. I opted to keep some for me. Treated myself on Friday evening to a Large Chili and a Double Cheeseburger from Wendy’s. It was only $8 but well worth every penny. Both items are things that I crave and very much enjoy from Wendy’s. They have the best chili for a fast food restaurant. Steak N Shake is okay but Wendy’s is my top pick.

Today I bit the bullet and made a vet appointment for Marv. He’s going in next Saturday for an exam and blood work. I am kind of scared to go because I feel my time is limited with him but perhaps, I am overly sensitive and over reacting a bit. Earlier this week I saw him limping and thought he broke a foot but turns out the big lug just stepped in wet litter and it dried in his paw. That would make it difficult for anyone to walk. Cleaning it up I know didn’t come without pain but I got him back on the straight and narrow. I had to take him to the kitchen sink and held him the entire time. He cried like I was trying to murder him by plucking out his fur one by one. Seriously he got very worked up and I didn’t like that at all. His paw smells horrible but he’s not limping. His IBS (Irritable Bowl Syndrome) is way out of control and that is mostly due to the Thyroid medicine he has to take. I’m to the point where I need refills on his meds and that can’t happen without an office visit since it’s been a while since he has been seen. Ms. Momma needs to have her blood work done as well. Cats and pets of any nature are expensive. Just like a hobby they require money.

Earlier this week I saw a white cat with black markings. It was under the neighbor’s van and when it saw my vehicle get close it scurried off. By the time I got in the house it was at the back door and Gator was having a small fit. It saw me and took off in a mad dash. It was cold out and I felt really bad for it. Not sure if it was someone’s pet or if it just got dumped, but was very well groomed. Haven’t seen it since but I am on the lookout.

Went to breakfast this morning at where else but Cracker Barrel. Walked out with a Coconut Candle and a $35 bill. In the past I have always asked for extra grits with my breakfast and there was no charge now they charge $1.35 for a tiny bowl and if you get a big bowl it’s $5. Not sure why the change. Most people from the waitresses I have talked to skip the grits. I can’t get enough of them, give me a little sugar substitute and its warm goodness for my tummy and a great way to start off the day. If I could make them quickly like they do at the restaurant I would have them for my own breakfast every day. Bad enough that I eat oatmeal year-round. Yeah, it’s old but it works. Sugar cereal brings out the beast in me and I can devour an entire box in one sitting and then eventually get the sugar crash, so it’s far better to have oatmeal.

I have been thinking about Ruth this past week. Oddly enough there is a new pizza place in town and I looked them up on the web. They have a pizza called Ruthie and it’s sweet and spicy just like my little girl used to be. She looked so innocent but once you approached her you saw the tiger in her come out and she was instantly pissed. I really don’t know why her loss has bothered me so much, I guess it has a lot to do with her personality and how quickly things went from bad to worse. I wrote her a letter which helps with the grieving process. It is in draft mode and I need to finalize it. That is something that I am procrastinating on doing because it’s the last step. I know that she passed months ago but with past cats and loss, this is truly the final step and then I am able to move on. Part of me wants to and part of me doesn’t want to.

I didn’t go to that pizza place this time but it’s on my list of places to visit. I went to another chain restaurant. Wow I sat down and noticed this twink with a baseball cap on backwards and what looked like parachute pants. I was dying for him to get up so I could take a better look at his assets but that didn’t happen. If I hadn’t been through so much rejection, I may have taken a chance and asked him out but he was with his buddies and/or his boyfriend and a friend and I didn’t want to take the chance. Being alone sucks but it’s also nice in that you don’t have to answer to anyone (yeah, I know tell that to my cats).

Saw the First 48 this week and there was a case that involved a gay guy being murdered, oddly enough he had the same name as the first guy I ever had sex with but he was the wrong color the detective that worked the case is straight but damn he is fine looking! It took over a year to solve but he stuck with it and didn’t give up or take any shortcuts because of the sexuality of the victim. That was really touching. I have always enjoyed that show from the day it first aired. Not all cases and departments are as interesting as it was in the beginning but like a comedian said, watch that show and you will know locations to avoid in the US. With the way things are now you take your life in your hands just waking up and getting out of bed.

Kind of bored this evening not sure what I really want to do. I did get in a nap today with Gator. She really pushed me for lunch and eventually I gave in as I always do. They all know how to push my buttons. It’s warmer here but rainy and dreary out. That won’t last for long more cold weather I am sure is on the way but were getting closer to spring.

I have done some research today and I have 3 companies that were randomly suggested to me for yard cleanup and lawn mowing. Now I just have to contact them. I hope that I can find an awesome company that will work with my budget as well as my time schedule. I don’t look forward to paying for any of this because I know it will come at a premium price and even though I am making more money now it still will hurt. Given that I have also thought about packing up and moving, which would be my best option. Get closer to work or at least get out of this place and into someplace that takes care of everything for you. Problem is there is a ton of crap in this single-family home that is more than I can handle and while a good portion of it will be left behind, there are certain things I want. I’d like to be able to wave a magic wand and presto everything would be done. However, I won’t make any moves most likely until the cats are gone and I am not interested in hurrying things along. I love this house and the positive memories that it holds and the fact that I am a homo homeowner.

Latest update on my sleeping medicine fiasco is that I haven’t heard a thing from the company that manages my benefits nor the PBM that I am required to use. I tried to get my doctors office to call in a 90-day prescription to a local pharmacy for one of the medicines and the lady I have been corresponding with isn’t that bright, she fucked it all up and first I wound up with a 10-day supply and then she fixed it by changing it to a 30-day supply. She said there would be ample refills but that too was a lie. I got the medicine today and had the pharmacy back out the insurance claim and used a savings card instead. It caused the price to go up by $2 without insurance but still it was a decent discount. I’m keeping that card and will use it in the future. Meanwhile the second medicine I take should start processing through the mail order pharmacy within the next couple weeks. My hope is that they will dispense a full 90-day supply and if that happens, I’ll be somewhat happy. Meanwhile I reached out tonight to the company that governs my healthcare and asked for an update from the letter I mailed. I’m sure they got it but it probably is in line with a ton of other people’s letters and who knows when they will get around to responding. I sort of resigned myself to give up on this but part of me wants to see if I can push them to fix this. It’s an uphill battle and very trying.

AT&T alerted me that my special discount is going to expire for my tv and phone service in 60 days. I already know they have rate hikes on top of the promotion expiring. So, I have reached out to see what kind of a deal I can swing. I know they are killing off U-verse which is what I have but I want to keep it until the very end. I mean the whole reason why I have it is because I stupidly took the word of one of there people who told me the copper phone line would be gone in 2 years. Hell, here we are some 5 years later and copper phone lines still exist, I realize they are not as common place as they once were but point is, they haven’t gone away. The best thing AT&T has going for it with this service is the whole home DVR and the ability to add a wireless receiver. So, you can move the receiver anywhere in the house and still get your TV. The cable company doesn’t have that and their DVR service is clunky as hell. They have a whole home DVR and it’s in beta where it’s been for the last 2 years. I wonder if they will ever roll it out. Changing providers does get you a cheaper rate but it’s for a limited time period and then you play the game all over again. I hate that, just give me the best price possible and I’ll be your customer for life. I don’t know that any one company feels the same way as I do. Today everything and I do mean everything is disposable that includes people as well. I’m not a fan of that. Build quality products that last and you’ll earn your money back and more on the service. Sure, wish car manufacturers would take that advice to heart. I remember the days when you could get in an accident by tapping someone’s bumper too hard, if you did any damage it was $100 or $200. Today that same tap will cost you $1,000 minimum.

Okay well enough soap box. Going to see what I can find on the net and eventually travel back up stairs to be with the cats. Take care, stay warm and be well. I’ll talk with you again soon.

Sunday not Fun day

I accomplished my mission of getting to breakfast and the grocery store without any interruption.  In fact it was a couple hours before I got my first call, which was around 11a.  I have been kept busy.  Every time I tried to take a nap the phone would go off.  It was like someone had a camera on me.  I got a quick cat nap in but nothing substantial.  Laundry was done quickly.  Time got away from me and I have to skip vacuuming, the only ones happy about that are the other residents here (aka cats). 

We had a small outage today.  I started seeing repeat calls about the same thing.  I made mention of it to the Network guy but he said oh it’s just people being stupid.  Yeah, okay.  Turns out I was right and it wasn’t until we had 3 calls for the same thing within minutes that the issue was discovered and fixed.  I have had one or two calls since that but it sounds like things are going to get quiet, or so I hope. 

I was able to squeeze in a shave, shower and managed to eat supper as well as wrangle the trash.  My mom called while I was eating but I let her go to voice mail.  She told me that her cell phone was stolen.  It’s a pre-paid phone and she tried to call her carrier but says they were closed.  Okay if you don’t care I don’t care.  There is usually someone there that can suspend service 24/7.  It’s her battle to fight.  She hung her purse on the back of a chair at a local mall while her and my brother were eating.  They left and she forgot her purse.  She went back and someone had turned in her purse, minus the phone.  It wouldn’t surprise me if the phone was still in the house somewhere, but she says it was stolen.  Then she told me all about her night.  The neighbors rioting again and she had to call the police.  The police catered to her paranoia and told her they would beef up patrols, she should call if there were any other problems.  Then she said oh they have a police radio, they can hear our conversation.  Yeah, uh that’s not the case.  Police radios are for the police to talk on to their dispatcher.  Her and I were communicating on VOIP which is transmitted over the internet and there isn’t a way a radio could pick that up.  Now someone could have listened to our conversation on the internet that is presuming the packets were not secured and I honestly don’t know if either of us has an encrypted connection.  I did some searching but couldn’t determine.  At any rate I doubt that anyone is remotely interested in anything that either of us have to say.  Mom said that she would call me if she had any problems.  Yeah uh okay.  What exactly do you think I am going to do?  If you chose nothing, then give your self a pat on the back.  Unless she is in real danger or there is a serious medical problem, those are the only two circumstances that would cause me to act.  Otherwise I will just listen and push it aside.  Bottom line here is she is lonely and I am not sure if it’s her or her mental condition that is dreaming up the problems.  It’s all to get attention.

I was able to see what will be deposited in my bank accounts tomorrow.  I had enough money to pay for my auto insurance in cash, but if I did then I would have to live on $100 for 3 weeks, which is impossible to do between cat food and my food we would never make it.  So I opted to charge the auto insurance.  I will pay for it when the bill comes due next month.  Now I am all out of bills but I have money left over.  There soon will be more bills and expenses here to take away my money.  It’s a never ending cycle, even after you die there will be companies that still want their pound of flesh.

Here’s hoping that the remainder of the night and early morning hours are silent.  I just want to go eat my Chocolate Ice Cream, prepare my lunch and be able to relax before getting ready for bed.  I never look forward to Monday’s that is until I am on call.  Now I work all this week and then next weekend I will have 3 days off because next Monday is Labor Day.  Nice!  I see that on the 23rd we celebrate the first day of Fall aka Autumn.  Just bring on the pumpkin stuff and the Sausage Stuffing on Turkey day - - My stomach will be happy.

I hope that your weekend was enjoyable.  I was sad to learn that James Earl Jones passed away.  He had a most amazing voice and was a very good actor as well.  Another one of the greats is gone.  I will talk with you all again soon.  Be well. 

Incommunicado

I still didn’t hear anything from the ‘other’ lawyer.  I thought about things and remembered that I had to hire an Estate Attorney upon the death of my partner.  That case is still open, so I figured why not bounce things off of that guy as well.  This way if I get back two opinions that say the same thing, well then I will just feel that more confident.  I told the Estate Attorney a little more than I should have but the email was clearly marked as confidential – attorney/client privileged information.  Fearing that he would want to reach out to the Bankruptcy guy, I told him not to unless he clears it with me first.  I explained that our relationship has been rocky and that I didn’t want to go poking a sleeping rabid dog.  You got to love that rabid dog as a euphemism for an attorney.  I got a receipt this morning that the message was read.  No response as of yet.  I am expecting to hear a, you will have to come in for this.  Yeah, ain’t nobody got time to come in, I work for a living. 

As per usual I arrived home last night and Bear has made his Monday mess.  I think it’s the Rutin that is doing it to him.  So I am experimenting with not giving him his evening dose, things seem to happen more often and they are solid so far.  If that works then we will stick with it.  I hate playing with his medicine because if something happens then I will blame myself.  Truth be told no matter how much I prepare myself I will never be ready to part with Bear or any of the others.  Knowing that day is coming a little sooner rather than later with Bear makes no difference.  I do make it a point to single him out before I leave and give him some extra attention, because I realize that could be the last time I see him. 

I also found out that we had a power outage.  The microwave won’t let you cook a damn thing until you enter in the time and the date.  There is no skipping or bypassing that.  So I had to make sure that all of the clocks were okay.  I was thankful that I turned off all of my printers (except the cheap laser) the night before.  They use ink when they power cycle and things were stormy on Sunday night thought for sure we would lose power, but it never happened.  With the power outage also came some TV trouble.  My wireless TV Receiver lost it’s link so I had to go back through setup again twice in order for it to finally link up.  My back was killing me at this point and then of all times, the phone rings.  All I wanted to do was relax and watch TV.  It was a friend calling so we talked for an hour and then I called it a night.  No Marvin last night, just Bear.  I was kind of lonely.  Hopefully things will go back to normal tonight. 

My property tax bill has been paid, I got confirmation yesterday and an e-mail today.  I found out that the bank automatically gets the notices so I was just told file it away and they will take it from there.  Kind of nice to know.  Plus I took a second look at my Escrow account and found that there is plenty of money in there to cover taxes and insurance so there isn’t a problem like I had first thought.  It makes a difference when you look at the current balance vs the balance last month. 

Yesterday afternoon I spoke with Amazon about my headset order and turns out the package is now considered lost.  Yeah well you only printed a label, you never actually had a package.  In any event they gave me my money back and cancelled the order.  I could re order and get the items for the same price and they would also credit shipping if I wanted.  I purchased a different item and shipping was covered under Prime.  Being the Amazon Whore that I am I also managed to order myself a new Rollerball Pen.  I know I didn’t need it but I have had my eye on it for a while so I figured why not.  No one is going to treat me to anything, so might as well treat myself.  I think I am done for now with Amazon.  Funny didn’t I just say that like a day or two ago. 

Think I might have mentioned this yesterday but we were all notified that traffic would be a message getting out of work.  Well last night was simple as pie.  I hope that the remaining nights are the same.  However, due to road closures on Thursday I know that will be a bitch of a traffic day.  So I plan to back in that day to make it easier to leave.  Actually I’d love to either go home early to avoid it or call in – but it’s a little traffic.  This too shall pass.

Tuesday is going okay so far.  We are getting closer to lunch and I always look forward to food, even if it’s the same old sandwich.  I got some cheese cubes to help change it up a bit.  Plus I am finishing off some Tapioca pudding that I got last week in a moment of weakness.  It’s really good.  Then there is this mountain of grapes that I need to chew on.  That will take me a couple days and then I can start on Nectarines that I got this week. 

Supper last night was a frozen Italian dinner.  Not bad, but not what I had in mind.  Tonight will be a toss up as well.  I am not fixed on any one thing in particular, so it will be whatever strikes my fancy.  My volcano candle has been delivered so I look forward to picking that up and seeing what all of the rage was about.  Hopefully it doesn’t make me sneeze.  I’ve spied on Bear today and saw that he left me a present.  He was laying in front of the basement steps and was wagging his tail.  He normally doesn’t wag so I am not sure what that was all about.  Just so long as he is okay I am happy. 

I really could use the massage therapist today.  My upper back is killing me from all of the work last night with the TV.  I took some ibuprofen but that has only taken a little of the pain away.  I think some rubbing would do me wonders.  Thankfully she comes on Thursday so I have that to look forward to.  I just need to remember to stop and get money either tonight or tomorrow night for sure. 

There you have it another completed post.  I am washing my hands and getting ready to dive into my lunchbox.  Then the food coma will set in and I will want a nap.  Then before you know my afternoon phone shift will be here and then it will be time to go home, where I will yawn the entire way home.  Rinse, repeat.  I hope all is well in your world and that your managing to stay cool with the hot weather.  It’s supposed to be in the 90’s today here.  That will give the AC a work out along with my wallet.  Talk with you all again soon. 

Lost & Found

What goes up, must come down.  What is lost must eventually be found.  Yes, I finally found the pen!  It was right where I put it for safe keeping.  In my bottom desk drawer.  I started upstairs and rummaged around in his office again today, I also threw away a bunch of paperwork that he kept.  Everything from old phone bills to old medical bills.  I did think about shredding some of it but he’s dead if someone wants to steal his identity have at it, he’s in bankruptcy and couldn’t get credit if he were alive to try.  I found old mortgage statements where the payment was actually greater than what I had been previously paying.  It made me appreciate him that much more but still I wondered how he managed to get by. 

While I am happy I found the pen, in looking at it I remember exactly why I gave it to him.  It’s ugly.  It’s a brownish color when I was going for more like a tiger with stripes color.  In case your new here or didn’t know I have a HUGE writing instrument aka Pen fetish.  I have expensive taste but not necessarily the money to give in.  Some of the pens I own are made by Mont Blanc (my all time favorite), Pelican, Tombo, Waterman, Cross, Retro 1951 and Lamy.  I also like the ‘cheap’ pens you can pick up at any office supply store.  I have more pens than one person should have.  While I can’t write with all of them at once I do enjoy switching often which keeps it interesting and fun for me.  Life is short and you might as well enjoy it while you can. 

This afternoon one of my friends called, just as I was about to turn my phone off.  It was nap time.  She told me she was chatting me up to one of her gay friends.  Yeah, that is all I had to hear and I knew where this conversation was going.  She told me that he had a partner, which relieved me but then she said he knows of a guy who also just lost his partner.  They talked about a night out together in a couple months from now.  Oh boy, not exactly what I wanted.  I said so this guy who your trying to fix me up with, how old is he?  60 she said, I said well that is a deal breaker right there.  If he were younger then it might be something to consider.  I have already buried my true love and I am not looking to sign up to do it again.  She said well were meeting up at a gay bar and there will be other guys there.  Yeah, if I am with her, plus her friends how in the world will I get time to talk to someone else?  I don’t want to do this.  Even though it might be good for me.  The worst part is she has it planned for a Friday evening and it doesn’t start until late, like the time I would normally be going to bed.  After working all day I am supposed to drive across the earth to pick her up, then to a gay bar and when we are finally done I have to cart her happy ass home and then drive across the earth to get to my place.  Fuck no, that is too much time on the road, too late at night and I don’t want to do it.  So since she wouldn’t take no for an answer I told her that I would think about it. 

Then I went to lay back down and sun of a bitch, she called me again.  Now she wants to meet up to get a bite to eat.  I told her not today.  I mean I should have and could have but I chose not to.  Needless to say I got maybe 5 minutes to relax, never fell asleep.  That is probably a good thing, so I can sleep tonight. 

I just looked at the calendar at work a short time ago to find out who else is on-call from other teams.  The guy that I met during training is on for the networking team, hopefully all will be quiet.  There was an outage today which caused a fair amount of calls to flow in.  I looked at Friday night it was dead.  I looked at Saturday and it was busy from 10a until 3p then nothing.  This morning it started at 7a and the last call I saw was at 4p, which is almost a full day.  I hate to tell anyone but I will still do my usual running me and the cats need food, plus I have to get the mail.  The thing that I will enjoy is that there is no rushing home to beat a 7p deadline.  I can relax and enjoy my evening and even fall asleep when I want.  The problem comes if someone calls and it’s after 11p, which I hope doesn’t happen. 

I did the usual eat out this morning and went to the store, finished up laundry.  Had pizza for supper.  I will be having ice cream later and watching Looking & Shameless, all the while loathing that each hour brings me closer to Monday morning.  Ugh.  I mean I am happy I have a job but I would just as soon have 1 more day off and not be on call.  However, it will all be over with soon enough.  You have to take the band-aid approach and just rip through it until you reach the end. 

This morning I was up super early so I sat and finished watching Sordid Lives the movie.  It really pretty much rehashed the TV series.  I saw that via Netflix.  I did have a movie I was watching on Here but it was boring.  I paused it and then turned the TV off.  Turns out when you turn the TV back on the movie picks up automatically from where you left off.  Now that is kind of cool.  With cable I had to press buttons to make that happen.

I had a wonderful idea, I bought Bear a bed a while back but had to take it away because he kept going to the bathroom in it.  Well I got tired of doing laundry.  So I lined it with a pee pad and brought it back upstairs.  His sister was in it for the better part of the day.  Then he finally saw his chance and he went for it.  He ate his supper while in it.  Then his sister curled up next to him and they both fell asleep.  Of course by the time I went to get my phone, he was up and the peaceful perfect camera shot was no more. 

So I am feeling a little better today.  I still have the same needs and desires from yesterday in that I want and need a guy.  It’s the waiting I can’t stand, I am ready to speed it up.  Here’s hoping it will be a smooth and fast moving week and that there won’t be many or any calls after hours.  Now I probably just jinxed myself but my feet were crossed when I typed this and I believe we are no longer in the full moon phase so perhaps there will be no jinx even if Friday is the 13th!  Yeah and Saturday is Valentines Day, oh joy!

Have a great week and I will talk with you all again soon. 

Time Poor Weekend

Friday night was spent cleaning up the house and making it some what presentable.  I was really low on energy and didn’t put a whole lot of effort into it. 

Saturday I woke up super early.  I went out for breakfast at IHOP.  I went to spy on a guy that I like, who just got a new house in town.  He’s married so no chance anything is going to come of it.   I got cat litter/treats at Target, then on to the Cat Food Store and picked up canned and dry food.  Then I went home, switched vehicles and went to have the truck Emissions tested.  Then back home, put away the cat food.  Then went on litter box patrol.  By then we were looking at 12 noon.  I got the children their lunch and decided to rest.  I caught up on Social Media and sat and waited for the AT&T installer to show up.  I was given a window of 1-3 and I was really hoping he would show up at 1p but that wasn’t the case.  I settled in for a nap and when I woke up it was 2 pm.  I was starting to have second thoughts and decided to call to cancel.  That was the best move I could make.  They made me a better offer and I wound up getting an extra $100 rebate card.  So I went ahead with the install and after about 2 1/2 hours we were done.  Problem, the phone didn’t work.  So he had to make an adjustment, then the phone came to life.  I tested the alarm and it worked.  I noticed on our corded phones both lines (1 &2) lit up.  Back when my partner was alive, we each had a phone line, so I got us two line phones, so that each of us would have access to our lines in different places in the house and we didn’t have to go scurrying off for the phone.  I didn’t think anything of it at the time.  We went over the TV stuff and he was on his way.  Then I realized, we have a problem.  My line started to flash, which means it is in use.  After a couple minutes I figured out, there is a short on the line.  Well I didn’t have time to deal with it, but I tried to troubleshoot it quickly and failed.  I had to leave for dinner plans I had made with friends.  I had to drive like 80 to 90 mph and do some weaving, all on a very empty tank.  I made it spot on time.  I went to look for my friends and couldn’t find them.  Normally I make reservations but they couldn’t take us, so I said lets chance it.  I now know that if they can’t take us, don’t bother showing up in person.  The wait was 1 hour and 45 minutes for a table.  The place was packed from stem to stern.  So I called to find out where they were and told them about the SNAFU (Situation Normal All Fucked Up … just in case you wondered what it stood for).  They said they were close by but it took them like 10 minutes to finally show.  We decided to switch and visit P.F. Chang’s.  None of us had been there and all of us had wanted to go.  So we walked over and the wait was 45 minutes.  We said okay.  It was more like an hour but eventually we got our table.  There was a good sampling of man candy.  I found a server/busser that was the apple of my eye, he was perfect in every way.  Blond Hair, Blue Eyes, killer twink body.  I just couldn’t get enough of him.  I digress.  The food was really good.  I got Combo Fried Rice and we did Crab Wontons for an app.  I surprised my friends and picked up the tab, which was horribly expensive to feed 3 people and of course they had drinks so that didn’t help.  It’s not a good time for them right now, considering the stress of job loss looming so I figured I would hopefully give them a boost.  We headed out and it was close to 10p.  By the time I stopped for gas and made it home it was 10:45.  I should have relaxed and went to bed.  Nope back in telephone mode to figure out the issue.  Turns out that the phone in my office was punched down twice so that was the issue.  I had to remove everything and add it back, instead of going slow and testing as I went, I just went gang busters.  Then I had to rip it all out and do it over the right way.  By now we are looking at 1:30a.  Then I wanted to arrange the new Uverse equipment and get rid of the cable boxes, so they were all ready for me to take back.  It took a lot of time.  I had to figure out how I was going to keep my VCR & DVD working.  Thankfully COAX was the answer and both still work fine.  Now it’s time to get ready for bed.  It was 2a.  I knew that it would be 3 or later before I was asleep and I wouldn’t be worth a shit on Sunday.  I had to play with Uverse a little bit to try to figure things out, pretty straight forward and simple.  It’s just a matter of learning a new remote. 

Sunday the children were all over me at 630a.  I fended them off.  Then they came back around 8 and I said one more hour.  9 am came and they just didn’t give up.  So I got up and started moving.  I fed them and got dressed.  Off to breakfast where I ate way too much.  Then to the grocery store.  Then home.  I put away the groceries and then left to get a hair cut.  I had a coupon and well long hair drives me nuts.  I waited a little bit.  This hot looking twink walked in and I was sure to get his name as he gave it to the receptionist to check in.  Damn, he looks gay, acts gay but couldn’t tell a thing by his Facebook page.  I thought about asking him out and even offering to pick up his haircut but decided it wasn’t worth it.  Still I got to stare for a while and that was fun.  Then back home where I did what I never wanted to do in the first place.  Climb up on the roof.  I did it twice.  My late partner was into Amateur Radio and we have this monstrosity of an antenna on the house.  You have to put up guy wires, to help keep it in balance.  The one that goes towards the front of the house broke like 3 years ago.  We tried to fix it when he was alive but failed.  We always said when the weather got warmer we would tackle it.  After he passed that was the last thing on my mind.  So as you can imagine the thing was leaning and while it wouldn’t break or fall off the house, it could damage the damn thing.  I hate it because it is an eye sore, I have wished it to break many times.  Well I figured I should finally get off my ass and fix it.  So I did.  It was scary as hell and while the view was nice from the roof top, I quickly figured out that if I ever really wanted to take my own life, jumping from a high rise wouldn’t be an option.  I thought for sure I would have to call the Fire Department to get down but I managed on my own.  Still I had my phone and wireless panic button with me, just in case.  When I was a child I was on the roof of our carport and it took my brother plus my grandfather to get me off the roof, that is when I knew heights were not for me.  After the repair I drank a pitcher of ice cold water and relaxed in front of the TV as I prepared to tell the Uverse system what shows to record for me.  I made a list from TIVO but I knew a few of them so I just did those.  I still have plenty to add.  Then I PTFO (Passed The Fuck Out).  I woke up and was sore and had very little energy. The children pestered me once again so I got up.  I fed them lunch, it was 4p and they wanted lunch.  I finished cleaning the house and started laundry.  Then after a couple hours I made myself a pizza.  It was really good.  A Freschetta Brick Oven brand pizza, 4 meat.  I added a shredded cheese blend, because I love cheese.  Then topped that with fresh ground pepper and finished off with a sprinkle of the left over Parmesan cheese that I had.  In to the oven and after 18 minutes, into my belly.  Spicy, I went a little too heavy on the pepper.  However, that caused me to eat less which all things considered is very good.  I have left over's for breakfast or lunch, whatever the case maybe.  I am working on finishing up laundry so that I can get a shower, because I really need it. 

About the Uverse experience, the installer was a guy who was chunky but professional.  He said that he had been doing the job for quite sometime but a couple of his moves and I thought it was his first day on the job.  I did manage to get a free HDMI cable and an extra remote out of him, for no charge.  AT&T doesn’t give much away so I was thankful.  He kept asking me after he was done, if there was anything else he could do for me.  The first time I figured he was being professional the second and third time I started to think he is hitting on me.  I wanted to ask is there anything else that you want to do for me.  I have a tendency to read guys wrong and think they are flirting with me when they are just doing their jobs.  I know that desperate times call for desperate measures but he didn’t do anything for me from a physical perspective but he was very professional and I really liked that. 

I am thankful now that I no longer have to forward my home phone to my cell phone. I use the Find Me Feature so you call my house and it rings at home, plus up to 5 other numbers.  I just put in my cell phone and that seems to work out fine.  I added the office but figured out in testing, someone could wind up in my voice mail at work and I DONT want that, so I removed the number.  If there is ever a day that I am expecting a call I can always logon and add the office number.  Most everything with this system is controlled via an online portal.  You can make changes to your account easily on-line.  Plus control all of the features of the phone.  On the TV you have a menu as well that you can do a wide variety of things with.  I have the 450 package, which is everything under the sun in the way of networks and movie channels.  They have the Here Channel (gay TV) which I can add for $7 per month.  I have plans to stop by an AT&T store tomorrow to see if I can reduce the cost by removing the sports channels, they have an extra sports package and I have it but won’t ever watch it.  When I was being sold this by the door to door person, I was told that I could remove sports and save $7 per month – so that would actually allow me to add Here if I so chose.  I really wanted to downgrade to the next lowest package but you loose HD and that is $10 extra, add in the cost of the movie channels that I want and it’s a little more expensive than taking the package that I have.  While it’s still very early in the game I am really happy and think this was a smart move especially given that I can record 4 shows at once and no more worrying about will the DVR get the channel right.  I am used to my skip button on my TIVO which allowed me to easily skip commercials when watching a recorded show.  I have the ability with Uverse to fast forward but still you have to get it just right or else you are in to your show or still watching the last commercial.  I will get used to that and the remote eventually.  My biggest concern was the alarm system and down time.  The installer told me that unless the power goes out or the modem fails that the system will be up and live.  They don’t have down time and weather doesn’t affect service, just like cable.  The only difference is I am getting a little bit better deal, which is what makes this all worth it.  I am paying like $5 more per month for TV but given the fact that I have so much to choose from and the DVR, I think it’s worth it.  Plus now no charge for the wireless box, which works from a Cisco WAP (Wireless Access Point).  Basically you are outfitted with a modem and it’s separated in 3 areas.  1 for TV, 1 for Voice and 1 for Internet.  TV and Voice both come over the internet but that access is restricted so if you elect to do all 3, you get special access to the Internet and they have a business class firewall built in, so they thought of safety as well.  The cable modem is the basement and the Uverse modem is in the Living Room, so I would need to do some wiring changes but it’s pretty simple to flip the switch and move on over.  I have unlimited calling local and long distance and call even call Canada free.  I don’t have an international long distance (which costs more) but I wouldn’t use it if I did have it because all of the people I know and call are either in the US or Canada. 

Monday, thankfully I have an extra day off due to the Martin Luther King holiday.  I have an 11a doctors appointment and a 2p therapy appointment.  I plan on eating out for supper and then wrapping up loose ends here at home, getting the trash out and preparing to go back to work on Tuesday.  I am not excited about it because well it’s work, but more so because this is my last full week and weekend of peace and quiet.  Next Monday I will be on-call for a week.  Then a week of rest and back at it again the following week, which is when we change up to 1 person on call for the entire company.  That will be a jumping time I am sure, but the on-call hours won’t start until 11pm, most of the calls during the week are over with by 10p.  However, we do get calls at 1 and 2 in the morning, that will be the challenging part.  Then after that I am done until the end of May, when the next part of the schedule comes out.  My boss has it figured out that everyone will be on call 1 week every 13 weeks, do the math and that is 4 weeks per year.  Not bad at all.  However, if someone leaves that will shorten up the time, get a mass exodus and it could be a real pain.  They take good care of us, so I don’t foresee that happening.  The two things that I would love to get rid of in my job are phone time and on-call.  I have done my time in the trenches and deserve a break but this is what I signed up for.  If there is a next job I will be sure to make sure there is no phone time or on-call time.  The phone part should be easy to eliminate but the on-call part not so much.  That is pretty much a given in the IT field. 

Okay so I have rambled far too much.  I hope that all is well in your world and that you have had nice weather like we have had.  It’s time for me to follow my fortune cookies advice and “Relax & Enjoy yourself.”  Take care and I will talk with you peeps later. BTW there is a new podcast episode up, if your interested!

Did it!

Well tonight’s mail brought me a plethora of junk mail most of which was related to AT&T Uverse.  They are offering to give me up to $400 so I thought why not check it out.  I’ve been on the fence long enough.  So I bit the bullet and signed up for TV & Home Phone.  It will be much cheaper each month.  If things go well and I am happy when they expand their Internet I may consider switching.  For now I’m happy with my cable internet and that is the only thing I will have with the cable company.  I know the price will be going up but that is expected.  At least with the TV I only have to pay for 1 receiver and that’s $9.00 for a wireless receiver.  They give you the first receiver for free, already there is a cost savings because I have 3 boxes and they are charging me for 2 of them, the 3rd box is free for the moment. 

So no more whining on about should I or shouldn’t I.  I just hope I am not sorry.  The big day for installation is Saturday, I hope it’s quick & painless.  We shall find out over the weekend.  Fingers crossed that this is a good solid move and that everything works like it’s supposed to, including the alarm. 

Bills are paid and now it’s time to try to unwind and prepare for Friday.