Woken by Rudy

Hey!  I had problems with feeling tired and wanting to sleep last night so I was up until around midnight before I crawled into bed.  I told Rudy that I didn’t need to get up until 7a and not to wake me early.  He did the opposite of what I asked.  He got me up at 6a and there was no going back to sleep. 

I fed him and his sister, got breakfast for myself and then had my medicine and threw on some clothes.  Sat and watched TV as I played a little bit on my phone and then scrambled to find something to watch.  By 8a I wanted to go back to bed but I knew that the alarm tech would be on his way so I kept myself awake somehow.  The tech arrived a little after 9a. 

The alarm job was supposed to take 2 hours wound up taking the morning and then some of the afternoon, it was 12:30p by the time he walked out the door.  I was bushed.  First thing I did was check in for a haircut and shampoo.  I booked it for 1:45p.  Takes 10 to 15 minutes depending on traffic to get there.  Then I laid down and relaxed, hoping to take a brief nap but my brain was hardwired to the ON position. 

I like the new alarm, I can turn it on and off from my phone.  I’ve got a duress feature so I can enter a code that I chose and it will silently send a signal that I need help and the police will come.  It operates over Cellular Signal and WIFI.  The system talks to you and it scares the jeepers out of the cats.  They were both resting and I turned the system on, it talked and they both woke up and looked around as if they were looking for a person.  No doubt they will get used to it with a little time.  They used to jump at every little noise my phone made and now they ignore it.  I’ve got access created for the police/fire department.  I just need to call or stop by to give them the updated code. 

Left a little late for my haircut appointment and I had to do some aggressive and slightly illegal driving.  Almost had someone side swipe me because they had no idea I was beside them.  Thankfully the signaled that they were wanting to change lanes and I caught it, blasted my horn and they got the message.  Phew, disaster avoided.  That would have ruined the day as well as the rest of the week. 

I got my haircut and had a nice shampoo, talked the nice lady into doing two shampoos.  She used 2 different shampoos to add some variety to it.  Then I got some leave in conditioner.  Stopped for gas.  Saw a lady driving a vehicle that I am interesting in buying, talked with her at the gas pumps and she told me that she loved her vehicle.  That was helpful, even though for now I am keeping what I have. 

I returned home and tried to take a nap.  It took forever but eventually around 3:45p I passed out and woke up around 4:30p  I really wanted to head for a drive but I didn’t fully trust myself that I wouldn’t tire out.  Instead I ate supper locally at a Chinese Place I’ve been wanting to get to.  It was nice, had a red headed twink that was helping out and we had a few interactions.  Man he had a nice body.  He looked to be right at the border of potentially legal and illegal.  I didn’t make any moves, just admired him from afar. 

Tomorrow is a free day for me, nothing scheduled.  I wanted to get together with a former co-worker but she is out of town, also on vacation.  Therefore I will be taking care of my shopping needs.  Hitting up Sam’s Club, Target and The Home Improvement Store.  I anticipate that to wear me out a little bit.  Then I’d like to head to the buffet or perhaps a new place that is on my travel to list.  A guy is supposed to drop by in the late afternoon/evening to give me a bid on the column.  The hillbilly guy that was here gave me a bid of $1,200 which is a little on the high side.  The other guy with the contract and 1/2 down was cheaper.  This is not high on my priority list but I am kind of tired of dealing with it so I am ready to pull the trigger but I’m sure patience will pay off in the end or so I hope.

Paid bills tonight, including the alarm system. This was expensive.  I’ve spent a little more than a mortgage payment on this alarm fiasco but it’s over now!  I forgot to mention to you that I got hit with a $39.00 fee for the tech coming out today, he failed to mention that to me.  He was kind enough to leave his number so if I have any issues at any time I can call him instead of waiting on hold with customer service.  

Now it’s off to deal with a little work email and then perhaps I will have some porn time.  My battery is running on low and I have a feeling that I am going to be ready for bed very soon.  Tomorrow I really can sleep in but not with Rudy around, he is an early riser wanting his breakfast!  Mora is mostly medicated for the evening.  She hates pills.  Need to give her some pain medicine before bed and then were done for the day.  Here’s hoping we all sleep soundly tonight. 

Hope it was a great day for you.  Talk with you tomorrow.

Productive Monday

Hey thanks for stopping by. 

Today was a productive day.  I got the car taken care of.  It needed to have the brake fluid changed, that along with the oil change & filter.  Tires balanced and rotated.  Around $250 and about 3 hours of my time.  It’s solid and got a clean bill of health.  Spark plugs are due at 100,000 miles.  Don’t know if I will have it quite that long but good to know that I can keep on driving it without any concerns.  I’m so addicted to saving the money I would otherwise pay for a vehicle.  I have gotten a decent return on the purchase of the vehicle and it’s serving me well.  It’s a 2017. 

Got the alarm issue all worked out as well.  I called the company this morning and after about 45 minutes on hold and then another 15 minutes on hold to talk to the correct department, everything is taken care of.  The tech also called me and told me that he would be here tomorrow.  He didn’t set the appointment for Monday and told me that he wouldn’t have come out because we discussed the work being done on Tuesday.  It’s all good. 

I’ve medicated Mora a few times now.  She’s not fond of having pills shoved down her throat or liquid squirted in her mouth but she is tolerating it rather well.  I put the cone of shame on her this morning otherwise known as an Elizabethan Collar, she is not happy with it.  It is the only way I can prevent her from licking or otherwise bothering her rear end.  She walked around bumping into things and trying to get the collar off.  Rudy didn’t help and she got mad at him more than once and hissed at him.  I hated to stick the collar on her and then dash out the door but I needed an assurance that she wouldn’t constantly lick or otherwise bother her butt. 

When I came home after the car service she was waiting for me in the living room sitting down.  She normally is right by the door.  I knew she was miserable but she was so happy to see me.  I took the collar off for a bit and she was relieved.  I let her relax and enjoy her freedom.  Passed out lunch and she ate a little bit.

I came downstairs to get laundry started and to watch some porn.  Then I decided to check work emails and needed to tend to a couple things that were time sensitive.  Yeah, I know I had the day off but I almost never totally stop working, unless of course I am sick.  Peeking at emails on vacation helps to lighten the catchup work that I will need to do.  A few hours passed but I got things taken care of. 

Headed back upstairs, put the collar back on Mora.  Was all excited to go for a drive, get some Onion Rings and BBQ.  Turns out the BBQ place I was heading to is actually closed forever.  I asked my Echo before I made the trip.  Imagine traveling an hour all excited only to find the placed closed.  I would have been super upset.  Glad I avoided that.  Instead I went to a local place had a Philly Cheesesteak and some Onion Rings.  Got tied up in traffic, damn near everything around here is under construction.  Eventually I made it home. 

I was never so glad to get home.  My lower back was killing me and my bladder was full.  The pain was like nothing I have had before, it was clearly in my kidneys.  After I went to the bathroom the pain went away.  It was a serious close call I almost didn’t make it home.  Sitting in bumper to bumper traffic didn’t exactly help things. 

Mora was once again happy to see me.  She rolled over to show me her belly.  I rubbed it and gave her lots of attention.  Took the collar off and gave her about an hour to be free of it.  We played a little bit.  She sat in my lap and got brushed.  Her purr motor was on high.  I peeked at her butt and things have dried out a bit, it looks way better, as if it’s healing.  Like time and the medication are working together – to her benefit. 

I almost forgot to mention that I made a trip back to the vet to complain about some of the treatment and things that have been festering for years.  It felt good to get it off my chest.  I talked about Gator and I was overwhelmed and reduced to tears for a bit.  It hurt.  I am over the loss and have accepted her death but it was like a flash back being there.  I made it clear that I wasn’t there to seek money back but kind of felt like Mora got the short end of the stick yesterday and I was talked in to wasting money on the x-ray.  Now that I am home I got progress notes from her exam and it says that I chose to go the medical route and not have them flush her anal gland.  That’s not the case at all I wanted them to flush it but the vet didn’t seem to want to take the time to do that.  I am pissed off all over again but it’s done. 

I’m watching more porn, believe it or not.  I will be headed up soon to get ready for bed.  Give Mora her pain medicine and then we will retire for the evening.  I need to be up early for the alarm install tomorrow. 

Other plans for tomorrow include getting a haircut & shampoo from a place that knows how to do the shampoo right.  Hitting up Sam’s Club and Target.  Then taking a road trip to either discover a new place OR go back to the buffet, either way I will be on the road for at least an hour each way.  It will give the vehicle a bit of a workout, plus hopefully get me some good food.  I need some time to decompress a bit. 

Hope you had a great day.  Talk with you tomorrow.

More fresh hell

What an exhausting and costly day this has been. 

This morning after I came home from the grocery store and we had our nap, I came downstairs to surf on the computer.  Mora jumped on my lap and she has this bad habit of rubbing her butt on my arm.  She doesn’t always do it but it happens more frequently than not.  It happened today and she didn’t leave anything but it smelled really bad.  I took a look and she has an Anal Gland Abscess. 

I made a vet appointment for her thinking that it was this Tuesday, that was the soonest they could get me in.  As we got into the afternoon it looked like things were getting worse.  Something told me to call and check to see if there were any cancellations.  Turns out her appointment was booked for next Tuesday and not this Tuesday.  I got her moved up to this evening at 6p. 

As you might imagine the poor thing is in a lot of pain.  I haven’t seen her actually go to the bathroom but she has tried.  That made me glad that I was taking her over.  It’s a few minutes after 8p and we just got home about 15 minutes ago. 

I hate professional people.  We waited 30 minutes to get to a room and then another 15 minutes before a doctor came in.  Since she (Mora) wouldn’t let me touch her rear end I knew that she wouldn’t be super pleased about the vet poking and prodding.  However, the vet was able to take a look and determine that the abscess has ruptured and is draining.  They took at x-ray at my request to make sure that she didn’t have any stones or wasn’t constipated/impacted.  She has some stool that is in the process of working it’s way out the exit so she should be going to the bathroom eventually. 

She got a shot of a NSAID to help with the inflammation.  They sent her home with a narcotic for pain and I’ve got her first dose on board.  I’ve got more of the NSAID in pill form to give her in the morning.  Then I have to make sure that she eats breakfast and I can give her an Antibiotic.  She’s got 2 weeks worth of the antibiotic.  They want to re-check her in 2 weeks.  However, if she hasn’t made progress in a couple days we will be going back.  Otherwise as long as things progress and she heals I honestly see no reason to go back. 

I booked an appointment for Rudy on Saturday but I am going to be calling and cancelling it, he’s fine and there is no reason to take him over just yet.  I think it would be wasted money. 

Now on to the alarm.  I had this feeling that I should check the appointment to make sure that were on for Tuesday.  I logged in and found that the appointment was scheduled for Monday by the tech.  I told him specifically Tuesday, I said it twice and he confirmed it to me.  However, when he plugged it into his computer he did it for Monday.  I won’t be available because I’m taking the car in and I have no idea how long that visit will take.  I suspect just a couple hours but it could go longer. 

Anyway, I called and was told that they didn’t have any availability on Tuesday and that I would have to wait until Thursday.  The dummy I talked to cancelled the Monday appointment and then tried to book for Tuesday but the system wouldn’t let him.  He transferred me to “scheduling” and they told me that the first open date they had was Thursday.  I asked what I had to do to cancel service.  They said to call back tomorrow as the cancellation department was closed on the weekend.  Needless to say I am quite pissed off. 

I calmed down a little bit, called back and got someone to work with me.  We booked the Thursday appointment just to have something on the book so I don’t get totally blocked this week.  I have to call back in the morning and talk with another department as they should be able to get this fixed.  I also called the tech and left him a voice mail message, asking him to call me back to confirm that we are on for Tuesday.  This is going to be done my way, since it’s my money.  If they can’t accommodate me then I will sever the relationship.  I’ve been a customer for 28 years.  I paid for the install in full which back then was $700.  Then add on to that all of the money I’ve spent over the last 28 years for monitoring.  They have made a bundle off of me.  I really don’t want to lose the low rate I have for monitoring and if I cancel I know that will go away. 

However, I thought about it and while I miss the alarm system and the peace of mind it provides, like I told the tech we have never had any issues or needed to use it.  There have been a couple cooking related “fires” back when my late spouse was the cook.  We have had multiple false alarms because one of us forgot the system was on but I’ve not needed it.  That made me realize I can just walk away from this and save my money if I so choose.  I am not under any contract, nor do I want to be. 

We shall see what tomorrow brings, hopefully not more headaches and tons of money siphoned from my bank account.  However, vacation is always expensive even if you don’t go anywhere.  I can’t wait to get on the road to travel to a restaurant and clear my mind.  If all goes well that will happen tomorrow for supper.   

I’ve done a light cleaning of the house and got the trash out.  Need to still do laundry but there is no hurry it’s not like it’s going to get up and run away.  I am going to head up, hope that we can get a good nights sleep and get up early tomorrow, shower and put on some fresh clothes.  Have breakfast at home and then take the vehicle in for the service appointment.  While I am there I will call the alarm company and see what we can work out or if I am going to wind up walking away. 

I’m not sure why the black cloud that is over me is dealing me so much chaos but it’s like I have had a bit of a break for too long and it’s making up for lost time or so it seems.  I know it can always be worse. 

Talked with my Thanksgiving friends, they like the idea of going out on the 4th, so I am waiting to hear where they would like to go and a time.  I’m not going to push if they call great and if they don’t well then I will go somewhere by myself. 

I do hope that your day was way better than mine.  Damn I hope that things get better soon.  Take care and I will talk with you again soon. 

Alarm Results

Greetings,

Hope that you’re doing well and enjoying the weekend!

The tech came for the alarm system, I had to pay a trip charge, but his labor was waived. It was a 15-minute visit. He confirmed what I pretty much knew already. The keypad is fried and I need a new system. It’s an upgrade, most of the hardware can be re-used but a couple pieces must be replaced. I will get a touch screen keypad and can control the system from my phone. The cost with a discount on my account brings it to close to $1 thousand dollars. It will take 2 hours to install, and the work is scheduled for Tuesday. I will have to pay the full cost when the job is done but my low-price monitoring rate of $6 will remain in place since I’m not signing a new contract. The system uses cellular and WIFI to communicate, as I suspected. Therefore, there is no need for a home phone. My home phone is under contract since it’s bundled with my TV.

I like the old-fashioned home phone even though it’s not a copper line anymore and it’s VOIP. There is just something about it that I honestly don’t want to part ways with, but I will have the option when the contract is up next year.

While I really didn’t want the alarm system to fry, I am hopeful that it’s my largest expense on this “vacation” that I am on. I am hoping for a clean bill of health for the vehicle. I will find out the results of that on Monday when I take it in. I like it and keeping it, a bit longer will permit me to continue to save money so that I can be in even better shape when it’s time to buy. The plan was to trade in September no matter what, but I am really addicted to saving money. I like seeing my bank balance rise which beats seeing a credit card balance rise.

I took time off from work because I needed a break. I didn’t need extra problems; life has given me plenty thus far.

Wanted some human companionship so I talked to my Thanksgiving friends, and he joined me for supper, she wasn’t feeling up to it. That’s when I found out that they aren’t going to be doing anything for the 4^th of July. He’s got prostate cancer and the treatment is wiping him out. He looks like life is draining out of him, kind of like my late spouse looked when he went through chemo & radiation. My friend only must go through radiation, and it starts on Monday. They started him on two pills, one of which is a testosterone blocker and the other is Estrogen. I made the offer that we could go out on the 4^th if they wanted, I’m waiting for an answer on that. Not sure that they will take me up on it but time will tell. Sounds like our gatherings outside of Thanksgiving might be stopping for a while. The folks are old he’s in his 70’s and she is in her 80’s. I know they aren’t going to last forever but I am kind of hoping for a couple more good years. When one dies, I think the other will follow in short order. I don’t relish losing them even though they haven’t exactly been the best of friends.

Got the mail, hit up the bank and got a 2^nd breakfast this morning. It felt good to get out and check some things off my list. It also feels good not to have to rush to conform to my usual weekend routine. I am not doing laundry now as I normally would be. I plan to work on that tomorrow. Cats need food but I might get that tomorrow if not then for sure on Monday. They have a few cans left so I’m good for a short time. However, I don’t like pushing things to the absolute limit.

Hopefully, I will feel better as the week progresses. One I know about the car and the alarm install is behind me then I will exhale and I think that’s when things will get better.

Well off to surf for porn, cuddle with the cats and eventually prepare for tomorrow. Plan to get up early, have breakfast and hit up the grocery store and Target. BBQ for supper tomorrow night, wanted that tonight but I had Olive Garden instead.

Stay tuned and we can both see how things turn out with the car, the alarm and the rest of my time off. I know that time off always flies by quickly. Shame that’s not true for the work week.

Take care!

Long Hot Day

Howdy!

Things were moving along and I managed to some how wake up.  I had some lulls in work but kept busy.  The meeting this morning was super short which is quite uncommon but I was thankful for that. 

This afternoon around 1p I lost power.  It came back quickly but then was out again and stayed out until 4p.  It got quite hot in here.  The cats were enjoying it but not me.  Every UPS in the house was drained of it’s battery.  The backup battery in the alarm system died as well.  I heard that the cause was a tree fell.  It took out quite a large area from what I heard on the scanner, glad I wasn’t the only one without power.  We don’t have power issues much but when we do they tend to be lengthy.  Back when we moved in the power would go out all the time, so glad that is not the case today.  It’s not fun running around setting clocks. 

Electronics don’t like power outages and usually when we have one it costs me some money.  This time it looks like it’s the alarm system.  When power came back on the system got power but no display or light on the keypad.  I think that perhaps the system board or the keypad got fried.  I did some research on line and tried a couple things but no luck.  Reluctantly I called for service, first time in years that I have had a problem.  This system has been with us since we moved in.  Tonight will be the first night that I will fall asleep without setting the alarm.  Service won’t happen until Saturday afternoon and I have a large window to wait.  Hopefully the tech shows up early and this doesn’t get too costly but I have a feeling that I am going to be sinking some money into repairs.  I’m not wild about the idea of a stranger in my house but I really need this problem fixed.  I’m sure they will try to get me to upgrade but I’m quite happy with what I have and want it back in working order.  I ordered a replacement backup battery that will be here tomorrow.  It would be awesome if I installed that and then things came back to life but I don’t think I will get that lucky.  I’ve got the whole thing disconnected now so it has plenty of down time to discharge and perhaps reset. 

I’ve made multiple trips up and down stairs.  Had to get on my hands and knees to get to the plug for the alarm system.  I’m sure I will be sore tomorrow, hopefully I will get lucky there and things won’t be that bad but I know I’m quite out of shape. 

Had another contractor stop by, he looked like a hillbilly missing teeth and kept calling me by a wrong name.  He took some measurements, told me that he couldn’t replace it with wood but that he could find a replacement in aluminum so I’d never have to worry about the column again.  I am fine with that, I know it’s going to cost more.  He takes all forms of payment.  I’m looking forward to getting his quote hopefully it’s not too much more than the last guy and despite his looks I will hire this guy just to get this behind me.  The sooner the better.  However, I know when you solve one problem it’s not long before another one comes along to take it’s place. 

My neighbor that moved out is back and doing some churching up on his stairs to his enclosed deck.  I think he is either going to rent the property out or eventually it will be sold.  Right now it’s just a matter of waiting and seeing.  He’s been working all day long and made quite the progress, it looks nice. I’d just like to see him disappear, get a new neighbor and perhaps make a friend. 

It’s 5p and my boss calls to tell me that someone is getting fired tomorrow and he had a technical question about removing access.  I answered that and told him that I would be on standby tomorrow.  I’m pretty sure we know who it is but I don’t have anything from HR asking about it so I don’t for sure know a name.  I just hope that the mistake maker comes back tomorrow because there are 2 other people leaving and I could use the help.  If not I can handle 3 people leaving, it is a bit much but I’ve done it before.  I have a very strong feeling that tomorrow is going to suck and not in the good pleasurable way. 

To add to the fire, we have a high wind advisory and are under a Tornado watch.  I hope that doesn’t create any additional problems for me. 

My neck and shoulder are aching just from the little work that I did.  Looking forward to getting a shower, watching some porn and maybe just maybe a good nights rest.  Rest would sure help me a lot.

Here’s hoping that tomorrow and the days ahead aren’t nearly as bad as I think they will be.  Time to get away from computers for the day and watch some TV.  I hope your day was better than mine!

330a Alarm

Morning …

Yet another semi-sleepless night.  I’m so tired both physically & mentally.  Ready to take a couple strong pills that I know will knock me out for the night and leave me hung over the next day just to get a good nights sleep. 

Last night I woke up around 3a to use the bathroom, made it back to bed and fell asleep.  Only to be woken up at 3:30a by the burglar alarm.  It was a beeping telling me something was wrong.  Turns out it was a communication problem.  I looked it up online to be sure.  Then power cycled the alarm, tested and everything was fine.  I pressed my luck and tested a second time only for the issue to come back.  I got it cleared and set the alarm.  As I went to climb back in bed the actual alarm went off, apparently I forgot to bypass a motion detector and that picked me up as I was trying to get back in bed.  Rushed to cancel the alarm, sat up in case the phone rang, which it didn’t. 

Finally by 4:30a I was able to climb back in bed and try to go back to sleep.  Rudy climbed on top of me, which was nice of him.  Then I was able to fall back to sleep. Had a strange dream which isn’t out of the ordinary.  Woke up at 5:45a went back to sleep, woke up again at 6a and then 6:30a.  By then I just decided to get up.  Alarm has been silent since, so I’m thinking that it was doing a silent test (which are done all the time at random) and the phone line wasn’t available for some reason so that’s what caused the alarm.  Last thing I need is to add another problem to the list. 

The guy who asked me to send photos for the column on my porch, called me yesterday afternoon and came by in the evening.  I got a better feeling about him seeing him in person but then he ruined it when he told me that he would require half of the money down as well as a signed contract.  Half of the money down is what causes concern, he wants cash or electronic funds.  The contract isn’t a big deal.  I may still wind up hiring him but for now I’m waiting to hear from the other guy today to see what he will charge.

The mistake maker is out sick today, claims he lost his voice.  I wanted so badly to write back, do you know where you left it?  If not head to the nearest store and you can hopefully pickup one that sounds better.  Yeah it’s mean but I’m not fond on the sound of his voice.  He should be back tomorrow but since tomorrow is our last day of the week I have my doubts that he will actually return for one day, I wouldn’t.  I actually wanted to call out today and spend the day in bed resting.  However, I’m not leaving the new guy all by himself. 

It’s been a busy morning and more work just came in so time for me to dash.  Have a great day!

The rest of Sunday

Morning

I did some surfing after I put my up last post.  I was surprised to see that another young Porn Star had died.  Seth Peterson (real name Adam Daniel Aguirre) who was 28 years old, passed away on Saturday.  His body was discovered by his Fiancée.  Cause of death has not been released as of yesterday.  There may be more details forthcoming.  Seth was on my list of favorite porn stars and has given me plenty of orgasms during his career.  He started at Helix Studios and that’s where I first saw his work. 

While I know that it is possible to die at any age from newborn onward.  It’s tough for me to see such a young person pass.  He had a whole life ahead of him and who knows where that journey would have taken him.  My mind can’t help but think that this was suicide or an accidental overdose, however I want to stress again that is speculation in my part and no official cause of death has been released. 

There is a go fund me page that this Fiancée to put up for funeral expenses but another porn star was quick to say not to donate because he wasn’t positive where the money was actually going.  I don’t know if the young man had a family but presumably he did and the expense legally would fall to them since he wasn’t married only engaged.  The whole situation is sad. 

On a different note, I went to get a car wash and then drove for BBQ afterwards.  The wind was whipping so hard, when I got on the freeway it was slightly difficult to keep my vehicle in it’s lane and I wasn’t the only one who had the struggle.  Then I heard a strange sound, it sounded like something was rubbing like when your on a rumble strip (that indentation they make in the pavement, to let you know that your about to go off the road).  I exited onto another freeway and the sound stopped.  Then I heard it again on the way home and the winds had only intensified.

We had a rapid cool down.  It was in the 90’s when I left and when I got home roughly an hour later we were in the 70’s and that quickly dropped to 50’s.  I looked out to see no more weed by the front window and was so happy.  I glanced at the driveway and it looked like something was laying there.  I walked out and that’s when I discovered part of the driveway had collapsed.  There had been a small tunnel underneath for years and we never though anything of it. 

My YouTube research skills kicked in and I started watching videos.  Sounds like water got in and eroded the soil and then with the freeze/thaw cycle that occurs many times over in winter, that puts stress on concrete and hence the collapse.  Yesterday the guy parked his heavy ass truck in the driveway and I think that was probably the final straw and it gave way.  It doesn’t look bad just a slight unevenness.  However, the videos all say get it fixed now before it spreads and becomes a bigger problem.  I saw videos of guys drilling holes and using lots of spray foam to raise their driveways on their own.  That’s what the pros do but they use a different kind of foam.  I don’t plan on trying to DIY this. 

A couple houses in the subdivision have had their driveways ripped out and re-poured.  That’s got to be expensive.  It looks very nice though when it’s done.  Honestly the only qualm I have with my driveway is that it’s dirty and I’d love to see 100% clean concrete.  I learned last night there is special caulk and sealers that you can apply that prevent moisture from seeping in and doing more damage overtime.  I have some cracks and honestly never thought about it.  Just found out that homeowners doesn’t cover damage to driveways unless it’s the result of a storm or falling tree. 

As if that’s not enough I noticed that I have a roof brace on my front porch that is rotting.  I for sure will need to have that replaced or the roof over my front porch will sag or worse yet collapse.  That I for sure plan to address.  Cost for that according to the internet is all over the place from a few hundred to a thousand to thousands.  It’s one small white pole I can’t imagine that it would cost more than a thousand to fix but hey I’ve been wrong before.  I suppose it depends if you get an individual who does it or if you call a roofing company.  I plan to do both just to have a few estimates on hand before I make a decision. 

What can I say?  Every time I manage to save money there always seems to be something that comes up to try to take it away from me.  So much for my good luck thoughts.  That didn’t last too long before I got the wind knocked out of my sails.  Homeownership sucks sometimes. 

Outside of that yesterday was just a normal afternoon.  I left the AC on and then woke up at 5am to flip the heat on.  It was down to 71 in the house and the cats weren’t happy about it.  I never fully got back to sleep and both cats visited me in bed.  Mora got a hug and little bit of cuddling before she took off.  Rudy came in a bit later and he hung around until I woke up.  He started making his biscuits trying to get me to get up and get his breakfast but I told him we still had a couple hours before that would happen.  Eventually he laid down on my chest to make sure he didn’t miss a muscle movement of mine and/or that I’d disappear on him.  That’s never happened before.  Both cats always know where I am at but I don’t always know where they are. 

Damn, it’s Monday already and I have dealt with a few things at work.  The day is warming up and as people start to get working I know that my workload will increase.  I am still hoping for a decent day.  Take care and be well. 

Expensive & Long Day

Woke up around my normal time, Rudy was pleased to see me as always and gave me his usual morning greeting. We made it to the kitchen where I got breakfast ready for him and his sister. Then I worked on getting my breakfast. I took a shower after that and then I got dressed. I had maybe 15 minutes to spare before it was time to leave. I spent that time giving attention to both cats.

Left and arrived at the haircut place on time. As usual despite having a set appointment I was taken late. I absolutely hate that if I show up 5 minutes late, they cancel the appointment (I only have done that one time). If they are late nothing is done.

Right after my haircut I knew I’d be super early, but I decided to hit up the tire shop. I thought the sooner I get there, the sooner I will get to be on my way. Boy, was I wrong about that! They took my vehicle 15 minutes after my set appointment; I wasn’t happy about that. After an hour I started to wonder what they were doing. A guy came out to tell me that they couldn’t do the alignment because a tie rod was broken. They could fix it and then could do the alignment. They told me they could do it today so I said might as well. I was kind of glad that I stopped in. I didn’t have any problems or notice any issues prior to stopping in. I spent 4 hours total there and the price went up $400. My appointment was set for 9a. I left a little after 1p.

The waiting room was freezing cold. The upper half of my body was nice and warm thanks to the sweater I wore. The lower half of my body was super cold. I got to see a hot guy that I really liked but I didn’t make any moves. About an hour before I left a guy that appeared to me to obviously be gay walked in. I wasn’t attracted to him but almost chatted with him. Sitting in silence for 4 hours with nothing to drink and really nothing to do was horribly boring. I didn’t plan on being held hostage for quite that long.

Once I got out of there, I headed for the post office. The theme for today’s mail was data breaches. I got to sign up for more credit monitoring – yippie, just what I wanted to do. After that I headed home for a bit.

The ride is smooth and much quieter than I had been used to. The steering seems a little loose to me, but I suppose I will adjust with time.

I made a trip to the office, had a package to put away. I was glad that I went over. However, I wished I would have taken a different way home. Out of nowhere I hit a decent-sized pothole. I was pissed, $200 for a 4-wheel alignment down the tubes. The vehicle took it and didn’t feel like anything was wrong, but it just made me angry. I’m sure things aren’t out of line.

I hit up Red Lobster on the way home, they had a decent wait time. Saw a hot busboy who if he would have made his way by me a second time, I planned on giving him a compliment on how good looking he was. Unfortunately, he never made his way by me. Service was poor but only because they were busy and I’m sure my waitress had a million tables. I had to wait longer than I wanted for a drink refill. The food was out quick given the circumstances. It wasn’t piping hot, but it was enjoyable. I was never so happy to be on my way home.

I am exhausted, been up since 6a. No nap and just on. I’m working on getting my bedding through the laundry. Once that is completed, I am tempted to call it a day. However, if I do that I would surely be up in a few hours with a bad case of insomnia. I will stay up as long as I can until hopefully it’s closer to normal bedtime. I have a feeling I will fall asleep rather quickly. I felt a bit better after I had supper but still, I am exhausted.

Tomorrow I just have my usual morning errands to run and then figure out what I want to eat for supper and where to get it. I’m already looking forward to a nap!

So not ready for next week. It’s my turn back on-call and extra laser focused. I thought about that when I was lounging on Thursday. This is the last week for my older colleague, he will retire on Friday the 13^th, of all days. The boss will be on-call when my week is done, which means everyone is on-call, because he can’t possibly do his job and pick up on-call through the day. He’s fine after hours just during the day he needs a hand. I am not planning on jumping and hogging the work, I very much plan to share the load and try to be relaxed. Going the extra mile and helping like I usually do is a path to burnout and the more I take, the more the fuck up I will be stuck with will let me take. I honestly don’t look forward to the boss being on call ever. I hope that we find a replacement sooner rather than later but I’m preparing myself for it to be 6 very long months. The boss thinks it will only be 3 months or less. I’ve been down this road before, and I know the wheels move very slowly and no one is in any hurry; that’s kind of why I figure I might not get in a hurry to take work.

For now, it’s just one day at a time and enjoying the rest of the weekend. Hope you are having a good weekend. If you’re a Football Fan and interested in The Super Bowl, I hope that your team wins.

Take care and stay warm!

Getting Plowed ?

The snow has fallen and it is going to continue for a few more hours and then we are done!  I am VERY GLAD that I listened to my little voice and went to the grocery store on Thursday.  It is IMPOSSIBLE to get out today.  I have a foot of snow in my driveway.  While I know that I could get out if I needed, getting back in would be the challenge, especially now that I am about in the market for tires. 

Yesterday (Saturday) I woke up early to feed Rudy, had my breakfast, and then watched TV and went back to bed.  When I woke up, we had a dusting of snow.  It took a long time before it started to really accumulate.  One of my neighbors bought an electric snow blower and he cleared his driveway in record time.

I watched TV and got some porn going on my laptop.  I surfed all day long and got quite worked up.  I also decided to give cupping another try.  That was a stupid idea.  I did not know that you could burn yourself from the infrared heat. That is what happened to me.  I got two burns.  One on each shoulder.  When I looked at it at first it looked like a pimple, so I popped one side wide open, that is when I realized it was a burn and not a pimple.  I put some ice on each side for a while and that cooled things off.  Then applied antibiotic ointment.  I put my shirt back on and just went about the day.  Before bed I found some sterile nonstick pads and some first aid tape, applied more antibiotic ointment and some Aquaphor.  Put the pads on with the tape.  Then I wondered, is this what it feels like when you get Angel Wings? Now my back does not hurt from muscle pain it hurts for a different reason. 

I had a nice release before bed since I was still quite worked up from all the content I watched earlier in the day.  Made it through the night and slept fine.  Woke up early to take care of my work testing and to feed Rudy.  Had breakfast and watched TV for a couple of hours before I headed back to bed. 

I am working on laundry now.  I’ve done some surfing this morning and got my desktop rebooted so it’s all fresh and ready for the week ahead. 

Made a call to a guy I called last year when we had a large snowfall to get my driveway plowed.  He asked if I needed to get plowed today. He’s talking about my driveway, but my mind went elsewhere because sex is always on my brain.  I said no hurry I do not plan on going anywhere.  He said to plan for tomorrow hopefully to take care of things.  I will be up and around since it’s a workday.  Last year his plow broke down, and he wound up letting me down and that is when I had to hire some kids off social media and got raped on the price.  I hope this is a better experience.  I never asked price, but I am hoping he will be cheaper than the kids that raped me last year, that is if he shows up.  I honestly do not plan to leave all week long until Saturday, but it would be nice to know that I could get in and out if I wanted to. 

Come Saturday I plan to get a quote on tires.  They are not bald but I am for sure in the market for new ones.  Braking takes a bit longer and I’d just as soon get new tires and be safe, even if I do wind up trading this vehicle later in the year.  However, I am thinking more like hanging on to this vehicle a bit longer. Kind of depends on how things go. 

I have been listening to the scanner and yesterday the trooper I rode with last year was working, he must have pulled a 12-hour day.  Lots of accidents and medical calls. Today is much of the same and there appear to be a lot more accidents.  I am not hearing a whole lot of activity locally, most of it is State traffic.  There are also lulls and I wonder if my scanner is still powered on, then activity starts up again.  This is for sure busy season for all first responders and telecommunicators (aka dispatchers). Kind of glad that I am on the listening end but kind of wish that I could be at the helping end a bit.  I’ve thought of a career change to a dispatcher.  However, my current job isn’t that bad and I can work. from home.  I could not do that if I changed jobs. 

Waiting for the laundry to finish and then I am headed up to put it away and start cleaning.  Then getting my pills set out for the week and by then it will be figuring out what to watch on TV to occupy myself.  I could easily sit in front of the computer screen all day, but I would rather watch TV.  I will be back in front of the screens tomorrow.  I’m going to get a shower tonight and I am low key a bit nervous since I do not know how bad it will feel on the burns.  I know that cleaning them and getting fresh dressings on will be a good thing.  They are very minor burns but still they hurt a bit at times.  Hopefully, they will heal up quickly. 

Hope you are safe, warm, and enjoying the weekend!  Take care and thanks for stopping by.

Sick

This is the first day since Sunday that I have been out of my room, except for feeding the cats, getting food for me or using the bathroom. 

Nothing mattered to me and I felt horrible.  Took me back to when I had COVID.  My head and shoulders hurt.  I don’t get headaches as a rule so when one crops up something is seriously wrong. 

Haven’t been to work and since today was my 3rd day out I knew I would need a doctors note.  That’s the only thing that got me out of bed.  I did a video visit and got some antibiotics.  Since my teeth are bothering me along with many other issues, the person I saw thinks it’s a sinus infection.  I was told to rest and stay put for the rest of the week.  By Friday or at the latest Saturday I should be back on my feet.  If I am not I should seek care again. 

Relayed the bad news to my boss.  Found out that the old guy that I work with has given his notice and he will be retiring in a month.  That means on-call will be a mess and I am sure I will get to help train a new person when we eventually find a replacement.  On average that takes somewhere between 3 and 6 months from the time the job is posted.  Looking at my inbox it’s been hell all week long and I know when I go back on Tuesday (Monday is a holiday for us) I will busy and probably screaming.  Therefore, no matter how I feel tomorrow or Friday I will be taking those days off.  Here’s hoping that I do feel better. 

I’ve been busy watching lots of movies.  Found a new hunk to obsess over.  Tom Blythe is his name.  He’s in People We Meet on Vacation and Plainclothes.  He reminds me of Mike Manning.  He’s just hot. 

I did make it out of the house to grab my medicine and took a spin through the drive thru at Wendy’s.  Got a cheeseburger and large Chili.  Burger was lunch and Chili was supper.  Not a bad deal for $12. 

I am in need of a shower.  I smell so bad the cats are trying to bathe me.  If my progress continues I am planning on trying to tackle a shower tomorrow.  I wanted to go downstairs today but instead am on the couch with the cats.  Were about to start the wind down routine and get ready for bed.  I am tired but really don’t miss my bed.  I’ve spent so much time in it that I would like to be anywhere else but eventually I know that I will need to sleep – that is how I will see the biggest improvement.  Sleep for me is like Chicken Noodle Soup. 

Tuned in to see some news to find out what is going on in the world.  Looks like I haven’t missed a whole lot.  Got on social media for the first time in a few days and can pretty much say the same.  It felt good to do some normal things. 

I’m watching Home Improvement on Netflix.  This is the first time in a very long time that I am getting my money’s worth out of my Netflix subscription. 

Despite the bad luck, I hope that this is not am omen of how this year is going to pan out for me.  Thanks for stopping by, I hope that your well.

One Day Left

Sadly I only have 1 day left before it’s time to return to work.  I knew it would go by fast but having two weeks did make the time last longer.  The first week flew by. 

I’ve eaten at all of the places I had on my list.  I’ve been to all of the retail stores I needed to visit that were on my list.  I’ve knocked out a good portion of the chore list I had for myself.  There was some stuff I didn’t get to but that’s okay it’s waiting for me and I know it’s not going anywhere. 

Christmas was a clusterfuck.  I didn’t get any invite to my friends house until 8a on Christmas day.  The timing just sucked so I decided that I wasn’t going to go.  I also wasn’t going to bother calling or replying back to the text I got.  I was pissed.  It felt like inviting me was an after though or something last minute that just didn’t get done.  As if I can’t make other plans. 

Well my little plan of ignoring them and not going kind of backfired on me.  They called the cops to come check on me to make sure that I was still alive.  I knew the cops were coming I had my scanner on all day Christmas, something that I do every year and I will do it again on New Years.  They took their sweet ass time getting here and once they arrived I stepped outside to chat with them.  They never asked me for ID.  That was a little concerning but that’s where they draw the line.  They did their job and they don’t follow up with the person who called unless something is awry.  I thought about ignoring them because there is no law that says you have to answer your door regardless of who’s knocking.  However, that could have led to them coming inside either with a key or forcing there way in.  I just as soon avoid that drama as well as the potential for damage. 

Anyway, I called my friend back and told him that since I didn’t hear form him I got a pizza earlier in the week and I’ve been snacking on that and just chilling at home.  I was actually watching porn.  He apologized for the mix up and the lack of communication.  However, he told me that I should have followed up.  Nope, I don’t go where I’m not invited to and I’m not trying to insert myself.  If you want me there then damnit invite me and don’t wait until the last fucking minute to do it.  I wound up going over there and we hung out for a while and chatted.  They talked me into coming back yesterday (Friday) for Christmas with just the 3 of us.  They had Prime Rib and I told them I wouldn’t eat that I don’t like it.  So they went out to get ham.  It was a very small meal compared to Thanksgiving but we had lots of conversation and I wound up leaving way later than I wanted to. 

I did make it to the office on Christmas Day and much to my surprise there wasn’t anything waiting for me.  I threw away my 2025 calendar and came back home.  No one was there but me and I kind of figured that is the way it would be, I like to slip in and slip out going unnoticed.  I’ve already checked email and got my inbox cleaned out.  I do have a few things to do on Monday but for the most part unless there is something that is waiting as a surprise, it won’t take long to get to the point where I am caught up. 

My vehicle has had many miles put on it over the last two weeks.  I’m pretty well done with running.  Have to make my usual Sunday trip out in the morning and then a trip out in the late afternoon for supper, then I will be done. 

Today I went back to a place I had lunch with a friend at last week.  I got what he ordered.  It’s called a Pony Shoe.  It’s a hamburger, topped with chili, fries and homemade cheese sauce.  It was a decent ride out there and back but well worth it.  I could have gotten the same thing but larger it’s called a Horse Shoe.  I will be going back!

Not sure about your neck of the woods but the weather here is wacky.  It’s unseasonably warm.  It cools off a little bit at night and we have fog or dense fog, which isn’t the most fun thing to drive in.  We are headed back to the deep freeze but it’s a slow decent. 

Cats have been enjoying the extra attention I have been able to give them.  Bought the last cat food of the year yesterday.  Last night Rudy just like last time, knocked the new bag of dry food off the table and tried to open it with his claws.  I woke up to a mess and I was not happy.  The crime had RUDY written all over it.  Well he got more dry food, way more than he wanted.  Next time I will leave the new bag of dry food in the garage until it’s closer to the time for me to open it. 

I did waste away a bit this morning and enjoyed myself relaxing and watching TV with the cats.  However, I got to a point where it was like you need to get up and get moving, so I did.  Working on some of the laundry now and I plan to finish up tomorrow. 

Hope that you had a great Christmas.  I wish that I had another week off but I know at the end of the day you eventually have to go back sometime.  I did buy lots of lottery tickets with the hope that I wouldn’t have to return but I didn’t win anything for the $30 that I spent.  I buy tickets with the hopes that my luck will change but I think that I am destined not to win big in the lottery and also not likely to find a man.  However, I still hold out hope for both. 

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed your visit.  We will get back to regular posting next week so long as I’m not too terribly busy with work.  I will be on-call so that should be extra fun (not).  Take care!

Monday

Feeling a bit depressed today.  Still looks like I will be alone on Christmas. 

Wanted to attend a visitation for a lady who passed away, she ran a business that my grandparents frequented.  The lady is also a relative to my Thanksgiving friends.  However, I called the dentist and had an afternoon appointment. 

I was hoping that the dentist would just smooth out the rough edges and we could call it a day.  Well that sort of his how things worked out.  Turns out I didn’t break the tooth it was part of the filling chipped off.  There is a divot that she can get to without drilling out a part of the old filling and replacing it.  For now were leaving it as is.  If it bothers me or breaks further I’m supposed to call for an appointment to get that work done.  I don’t like the divot but the edge was smoothed out so I think it will be okay or so I hope. 

Got the car washed on the way home, there was supposed to be a special gift waiting for me since I subscribe to the clean car club, but I got no gift and didn’t see anyone passing anything out.  Hey, I broke even on my membership.  To do that I have to have 2 washes in the month, anything else after that is just gravy for me. 

The cats sense how I am feeling and they are super clingy.  It helps knowing they love me but it’s not the same as being with a human.  I’m so glad I have them. 

Checked in at work, things appear to be calming down a bit, which is good.  Hopefully, that trend continues.  Only time will tell. 

Went to Olive Garden for supper.  That’s the last restaurant on my list that I wanted to visit while on vacation.  Since I do believe I am going to be alone on the holiday, I am heading for pizza tomorrow so I will have something quick on hand to munch on.  If I am alone I will make a trip to the office just to get out of the house and check my desk. 

Purchased a few lottery tickets with the hopes that I can actually win.  I’ve got a theory that no one wins off a quick pick, but I know that’s false.  So I picked my own numbers for one ticket and then got a quick pick for the other ticket.  I still figure that my chances are the same regardless if I played or not, I’m probably out the money but it’s nice to have a tiny chance, better than nothing.  I’ll bet if I would win big that lots of people would be beating down my door and my problem of finding a guy would be over.  I’d love to be able to quit my job, travel and generally do what I wanted without any concerns or having to answer to anyone but the cats. 

I am still enjoying freedom from work but know that will soon come to an end this time next week.  Not looking forward to that. 

Called to argue with the cable company today about the price I am paying for my internet.  They told me that I have been a customer for 27 years.  The only way to lower my cost of internet is to add TV and then my entire bill would drastically increase.  I explained that I wanted to lower my bill and not add any other services.  They told me there was nothing they could do for me now but if I would have called last week they could have helped me.  WTF!  I plan to call back and I’ll bet if I told them I wanted to cancel service they would come up with some 11th hour magical deal to try to keep me.  Cellular Internet has come a long way and they have competition.  Just think about how much money they have gouged out of me for 22 years.  I say that because for 5 years I had an employer that paid my internet bill in full.  The cost has always been outrageous and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.  New customers seem to get all of the great deals but like any deal it’s only temporary eventually it expires, they pull the rug out and you pay the higher price.  My way of thinking is that companies that provide a services like internet and cell phone should reward their loyal customers, we got them to where they are now but they quickly forget.  I’ve already reached out to a new company that is supposed to be coming to the area, when they get here I am jumping ship.  I hate the cable company just like I hate the phone company. 

Hope you had a great day.  I kind of loafed a bit and now that it’s late it feels like I wasted a day but I consider it time well spent, taking care of me.  I just need to get back to my list of things to do to be able to cross everything off my list by the time my vacation is done. 

Take care!

Bad Luck

Well what was supposed to be a simple windshield replacement turned out to not happen.  The company doing the work brought damaged glass and didn’t discover that it was damaged until they pulled it from the truck.  It had a crack in it.  The tech tried to push me to take it but I told him I’ve already got damaged glass, I don’t want to put a new piece of glass in that has damage to it. 

Something like this could only happen to me.  Well, turns out that the crack I had has further spread and looks like it’s not going to stop.  The guy told me I could still drive, which I already knew.  If it wasn’t for the laminates in the glass I would be out of luck but that film hold everything together pretty well. 

Right now I am scheduled for Monday to do this all over again.  However, I hit up a friend and he told me of a local place that does work for his shop.  I am trying to see if they can get me in and speed this process up, if so then they will get the business and if not well then I will wait for Monday. 

I really wanted to get this over with but given my luck, it sounds like that probably won’t happen.  I just couldn’t believe that they really wanted to put damaged glass in and charge me.  What fool would sign up for that?  If I was going to trade right away I would have gone for it just to get the job done but I plan to hang on to my vehicle for a bit longer. 

Hey at least I got to work from home legally today, I guess that is the upside.  I will let you know if I make any progress but I’m guessing that I am probably at waiting until Monday.  I don’t have a bunch of running to do over the weekend but I also don’t plan on sitting idle at home. 

I guess you can’t win them all but it’s sure nice to try.  I’ve never had an experience like this before.  The tech should have looked over the glass before he put it on his truck.  Fingers crossed that the replacement that is scheduled for Monday arrives unharmed.  However, nothing I would love more than to change vendors and give someone else the work. 

Happy Wednesday!

Quick update

No surprise my back is killing me.  I was really exhausted and out of it after this morning.  I was able to take a short break to help recover.  Then work just came flooding in and I had no choice I had to stick with it.  I powered through and made it to lunch. 

The carpet is dry thanks to the help of a fan.  It is stained but I am sure if I use the carpet cleaner on it I will probably be able to clear that up.  I am in no hurry.  The cats weren’t too happy about it but it got the job done.  I pushed the fridge back in place and confirmed the floor was dry prior to doing so.  I found one spot after I pushed it back that had some moisture, which I cleaned up.  Right now it’s a wait and see situation.  I do think and hope the problem is solved.  However, I want to confirm that for sure before I walk away from this. 

I plan to pull the fridge back out tonight after supper and check the floor.  If there is any moisture then I will be calling for a repair person.  I’ve double checked both the fridge and freezer sides with a thermometer and they are both working.  If there is still water/moisture then it has to be a drain line like the YT video said.  I really hope that I solved this on my own, it would make me feel pretty good. 

Even if things are all dry tonight I will still check it again in the morning for the extra piece of mind. 

I dislike household issues but especially when they involve water. 

Since I already feel some of the affects of my so called morning workout I am sure that I will probably be stiff in the all the wrong places come morning or at least I expect that to be the case and to hurt a little bit more.  Having a massage booked on Friday is a good thing!

Right now I just want to coast through the afternoon and am eager to make it to bed time.  Not exactly the Monday I wanted but I know it can always be worse. 

Talk with you all again soon!

It’s here

My new phone arrived less than 5 minutes ago.  UPS person just walked up and placed it on my porch like it was just another package.  No signature required, which is exactly how my last phone came back in 2022.  I don’t get it with something so valuable you’d think Apple would require a signature.  At any rate I have it and have unboxed it.  It came with a 76% charge on the battery.  I’ve got it charging now and unlike other iPhone’s I have gotten in the past I am not anxious to make the change. 

My Mophie case arrives today as well and after making sure that fits my phone and sticks to the magnet mount in my car, I will charge it.  Thursday is when the glass protection arrives and provided the accessories are in place is on I will make the change.  It will either be a Thursday night or Friday night thing. 

Thinking about all of the things I do like taking screen shots, using tap to pay I think I will probably require some fumbling around before I get used to the new phone and how it works.  It’s so much bigger.  I got the purple blueish one in case your wondering.  The Mophie case only comes in black so the color of the device will mostly be hidden.  I would have much preferred Red but that wasn’t offered. 

Check back and you will here how things are going.  I’ve already explored my carriers websites and know exactly the steps I need to take to get my new device activated.  I am apprehensive, nervous but also a little bit excited.  Not to mention anxious for way better battery life.  Fingers crossed when I am ready that this all goes way better than I am expecting!

Yesterday was a cold day but we made it with the space heater.  It was nice when we went to bed but the house was cold again this morning.  Today the sun is out and it’s supposed to be warmer and more normal in terms of temperature.  I’ve got the space heater on upstairs for the cats but will probably turn it off at lunch.  I’ve got another one in my office that has been going.  It’s always cold in the basement until we get to summer and then temperatures equalize. 

Enjoyed my take out BBQ Turkey for dinner last night.  It was so good.  Rudy didn’t bug me but his nose was going and he looked in my direction.  It was nice being able to enjoy a meal cat free. 

Watched the last episode of The Righteous Gemstones.  Man that didn’t end like I ever though it would.  Sad that it’s gone I thought I had one more week but nope it’s over.  It was a great show!  The cast was really good.  I really enjoy John Goodman’s work.  Adam Devine is pretty good and not bad on the eyes, never thought I’d see him in a gay role but wow he did a great job.  I have a crush on Skyler Gisondo despite knowing he’s straight and married.  Walton Goggins gets on my last nerve, there is just something about him no matter what he’s in I am not a fan of his.  Seann William Scott is also really hot but he was only on this year, I’ve always had a thing for him ever since American Pie.  I’d love to see his Stiffler!

Got in some play time with the cats.  Had some cookies and milk and got ready for the morning.  Watched a comedy crowd work special on You Tube to pass the rest of the evening.  I was supposed to shave and take a shower but I honestly didn’t feel like it and there isn’t anyone here to complain about it.  I will get it done tonight.  Got some new sweatpants to put on, they look really comfy, hope my eyes are deceiving me. 

I am working on a big project at work, most of my part of the work is done but I am waiting on another team to finish their part so I can complete mine.  I am also waiting on the mistake maker to sign in and complete his part.  We talked last week so any day now.  If his part isn’t done by Thursday I will be calling him again and probably will wind up doing his part I really hope it doesn’t come to that. 

Found out that another clusterfuck is in the works a project is starting to take shape and I really think this is money that they are wasting but it’s not my money.  It’s also going to cause a bunch of work for me in the short and long term, so hence why I am not overly excited about it.  No one asks me for my input – management just does their stupid thing thinking they know best when that is not always the case.  Guess that’s why I am a worker bee. 

Today isn’t so bad.  My wrist is bothering me a little bit.  I didn’t sleep in the brace last night and wow that was refreshing.  I had to put it on this morning for a while while I was doing some keyboard and mouse work.  Right now things are okay.  I hope whatever I tore, sprained or messed up heals up pretty fast and that this won’t be another lingering thing that I have to get used to.  I see the doc in a few weeks and I will be sure to mention it to him.  Damn me and my bad luck. 

Well just about time for a meeting so I guess it’s back to work and then I can go up and enjoy some lunch with the cats.  They have both been greeting me at the top of the stairs when I have went up a couple times.  I know they miss me and are both eager for attention plus some food.  I really lucked out with them.  Rudy tried waking me at 6 but since I wasn’t having it he let the alarm clock do the job at 7a.  I set the alarm just in case but most mornings Rudy or my body do the job on their own, the alarm rarely goes off. 

Hope the sun is shining where you are and that your having an awesome day.  Thanks for stopping by. 

Still Kicking

Hi everyone, hope that your all doing well.  Thursday evening I opted to port my cell service away from AT&T, they made me mad.  It took mere minutes for that to go through.  I ported to one of their MVNO’s so I was still on the AT&T network just had a better deal or so I thought.  I realized after the fact there was no Active Armor spam/junk call protection and no call forwarding.  Things started off bad with the port over in that I had data service but no voice service.  It took hours to get that fixed.  The MVNO tried to pass it off as a problem with my device but in the end it was a problem with the activation and it had to be re-sent three times before it went through.  That mixed with the aforementioned things I discovered after the fact made me regret my decision.  I actually lost sleep over this, which is kind of silly. 

Friday morning I woke up at 4am and just couldn’t go back to sleep I was sick over the whole thing.  I called the MVNO that I just ported to and told them that I wanted to port back to AT&T.  They put up a little bit of a fight but in the end gave me the codes so that I could port away.  I was one of the first calls AT&T got on Friday morning to port back.  I was told that since it had only been a day and not longer than 59 days I could port back and it would be as if I never left.  If only that was true.  There was a technical issue that kept AT&T from completing the port back but the transfer went through so as soon as they fixed this technical issue I would be back with them.  They told me I had to wait 48 to 72 hours for that to get fixed.  It amazing that I could port away quickly but porting back was some how more complex.  I called bullshit and just kept calling until I got someone who was able to complete the port back.  It was a lot of time on the phone.  Once the port back was completed I though I was done for sure but that was only half of the battle. 

I got a bunch of text messages from AT&T telling me that my data was throttled because of excessive use.  Then I got a warning that my bill was over $100 and then another warning that my bill was over $200.  Seriously I knew something went awry.  That’s when I logged into my account and found that I was on a new rate plan and didn’t get my old rate plan back.  That started another round of phone calls and being transferred around like I was on a merry go round.  Never mind that Friday was just another work day for me and things were super busy at work so I had to talk with AT&T and work at the same time.  Not fun at all.  Eventually I was told that the rate plan I had was grandfathered in and quite old they didn’t offer it any longer.  I apparently forfeited it when I ported over but no one told me that.  I was told that things would go back like they were, just another lie.  They wanted to charge me $20 more than I was used to paying them and I wasn’t going to stand for it.  They offer a rate plan that was similar but actually a bit better of an offering on their pre-paid side.  I was a post-paid customer and had been ever since I was a teenager.  This is how they are rewarding me for my loyalty by lying to me and making what should be very simple and straight forward process more complicated than it needed to be.  I asked to convert over and was told I needed to go to a corporate store to make that change. 

I went to the corporate store and they told me that my account was locked and I had to call in to customer service they would be the ones who could remove the lock and make the change.  Turns out that it was a protection feature they offer that I enabled called Wireless Lock that was causing the problem.  I got another person on the phone went I went back home and he walked me through how to remove that so he could make changes.  He knew his stuff and I wished that I had talked to him much earlier in the day.  He got me converted.  Just when you though things couldn’t get worse they did for a bit. 

When we hung up he had transferred me to pre-paid customer service.  Their automated attendant told me that I needed to call from my pre-paid cell phone for security issues.  However, I had no service since I hadn’t paid for it.  I called for help but kept running into the same brick wall and couldn’t get a human on the phone.  Finally logic kicked in and I had an option on screen to make a payment on my account without logging in.  I did that and magically my phone came back to life.  Then I was able to complete the setup process.  It was a little after 5p when that happened. 

I spent all damn day on the phone with AT&T, minus the short trip to their corporate store.  It wasn’t a total waste they had a hottie that I was eyeing.  He was busy with a customer but I wished he was busy with me instead.  Fucking cute and hot!  Anyway, I did some testing and confirmed all was well. 

I was physically drained and mentally wiped out.  I had a bunch of rush work that I completed and hope that I didn’t mess anything up since I wasn’t fully concentrating on work.  I think I am okay but it’s a bit of a blur to me. 

I had some supper and passed time with the cats until it was time to leave for my massage, which I desperately needed.  My back was a landmine full of knots.  Just when she though she got them all another one would pop up.  It hurt like hell but I knew that I would feel better in the end.  As I was turning over I did something to my wrist on my dominant hand and something felt like it snapped and I was in pain.  It wasn’t horrible but it didn’t feel good.  I said nothing and when I got home I wrapped up that wrist.  I had some chocolate cake and milk.  Then watched some TV with the cats and went to bed.  I was exhausted like I haven’t been in years. 

Saturday I woke up with the intention of trying to get ahead at work I’ve got some work looming and based on the fact the boss is on call next week I know that no one will do a damn thing and it will all fall to me.  Well I was still a bit out of it.  I wound up sleeping most of the day away and didn’t really get going until 3p.  It was pouring buckets outside and while I hate going out in the rain I needed to get out and go for a drive.  I had some Mexican food which was enjoyable and then came back home after stopping to grab the mail.  It rained the whole time I was gone and it was colder out too, so much that I had to grab my winter coat.  I got in front of the computer when I got home but I felt much like a zombie and said screw work I am getting away from the computer and watching TV.  I went to bed early.  The cats wanted to play but I wasn’t in the mood for that.  I felt bad about it because this wasn’t their fault but I just had to zone out and get back to sleep. 

This morning I woke up feeling much better.  Had Strawberry French Toast and Eggs for breakfast.  Pretty damn good.  Didn’t fill me up but I had enough that I was satisfied and think that I will be ordering the same thing next weekend.  Hit up Target and found the Greenies treats for the cats, they cost $2 more than what I normally get them and I got the same size container it just wasn’t as full as it could have been.  Picked up a few other items and I just knew I had spent $100 and I was right.  Had a hottie for a cashier which was nice.  Then on to the grocery store where I spent less than I normally do.  Came home and put everything away. 

Then as per usual I got in front of the TV.  I wanted to get in front of the computer and kind of wish that I did because I had much to do.  I wound up watching TV and napping.  I didn’t think that I could possibly nap with all of the sleep that I had from the day prior but I was wrong.  I got up an hour earlier than I normally do.  Passed out lunch for the cats.  Had a donut and a soda.  Then put out my pills for the week and got in front of the computer. 

I decided that AT&T was going to pay for the hell they put me through and I went on quite the letter writing campaign which cost me time, ink, paper and $7 in postage but if I get what I want out of it then it will be time well spent.  I not only wrote AT&T but regulatory agencies as well as legislative bodies.  I think I will get something out of this but time will tell.  I should probably have my head examined for sticking with them after how I have been treated.  However, in the end I did wind up saving myself money and getting a better rate plan.  It also appears to me that I got away from their dumb administrative fees that they tacked on to my bill when I was a post paid customer.  As a pre-paid customer I only pay a 9-1-1 fee as well as taxes, which amounts to like 40 cents.  Everything works just like it did before and I should be getting a refund for the service I had already paid for, just have to wait for that to come rolling in. 

I am still mentally spent but tomorrow is a new day and unless something goes awry I should be able to concentrate on work and be more productive.  Here’s hoping that I don’t feel as mentally spent as I do at the moment. 

I know that was quite a lot of yapping but it feels good to share.  I know that no one else would put up with what I have.  I kind of created my own nightmare but honestly it shouldn’t have been such a nightmare to port back and I shouldn’t have lost my original rate plan.  I never understood why there was such hate in the world for AT&T but after this I totally get it.  They suck and are awful but if it wasn’t for their superior spam protection I would dump them and not look back. 

Well here’s hoping that things get back to normal and I can look at porn, work and just exist in my own world with my two cats.  They both knew that something was wrong and they have both shown me extra affection and I have really enjoyed their support.  Animals are amazing.  Feed them, pet them, take care of them and show them affection and they are your friends for life no matter what, no judgement.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again if it wasn’t for these two cats I don’t know how I would have made it this far totally on my own after Gator passed. 

Bring on the sunshine, good times, and hot guys!  I might not be able to post tomorrow or much this coming week but I will certainly try.  Thanks for stopping by.  Take care!

What a day

Yesterday I continued to get an error from the battery charger.  I ran a cranking and load test from another tool that I have and the load test failed.  That made me think that whatever issue has been going on was coming to a head.  I threw caution to the wind and phoned my friend he said come on out.  I told work I had car issues and would be gone for a bit.  Changed clothes and then I drove out and made sure to run the blower on high, lights on and radio on.  I figured if it’s going to die then it should happen on the way out or at the very least it should cause some alarms to start to go off.  Nothing happened. 

Sure enough I got there and my friend ran every test he could think of even scanning codes and nothing.  The charging system and load tested out okay.  The battery did loose 10 cold cranking amps according to his test results.  It’s only been about two weeks since I had my oil changed and they checked it then I had extra cold cranking amps.  The advise I got was drive it until it dies.  Personally, I think the battery is on it’s way out but we shall see. 

At least I got a free lunch out of the deal and spent some time with my friend, all while getting paid.  Plus it didn’t cost me anything but my time and the gas money for the drive.  Not too shabby.  Most shops would have at least charged for the diagnostics. 

My phone was going nuts while I was away and I knew that work was just pouring in.  A few hours and I was back home and in clean up mode.  There were only like 26 emails and most of which were junk.  I started to deal with what I had to and then my bosses boss called with some questions.  Damn the one person I never ever want to hear from.  I took care of him and then another storm started brewing and before you know it I was neck deep in work. 

The afternoon passed by quickly.  I hadn’t done any personal surfing and still wanted to do some of that.  By the time I got back upstairs it was around 4:30p.  The cats were upset but glad to see me.  It didn’t help that I went to the garage to tinker for a bit.  I thought I would add the charger back on to maintain the charge but it was moving slow, progressing but still moving slow.  My volt meter showed the battery was overcharged and at that point I just said screw it, if the battery gets low then I will deal with it. 

Got to eat some supper and pass out dinner for the cats.  Someone got pretty sick while I was gone in the morning and I had quite the messes to clean up.  Once I got past those land mines it was just a matter of passing out attention to each of the cats to get them to calm down and forgive me for being so inattentive for the bulk of the day. 

Settled in and watched some TV catching up from Sunday’s great shows and then moved to YouTube for a bit.  Saw the wireless access point in the kitchen was off so I had to tinker with the home network to get things back in working order, just a simple reboot and some patience.  Then it was back to watching the F1 series on Netflix.  Both cats were sleeping and I pulled out the laptop to continue on with personal surfing and clean up of my desktop. 

I think I had too much screen time before I went to bed because I was wide awake and it just felt like I couldn’t shut my brain off.  I did manage to fall asleep but that never really registered with me.  I woke up at 3a and had to use the bathroom and then needed to watch TV before I was able to get back to sleep around 4a.  Once again it never really registered with my brain that I was sleeping.  I woke up at 6a and just bided my time until 7a rolled around and I had to get up. 

I watch the local news when I get up but I was surprised to see a baseball game being broadcast, so I had to switch to national news to keep me company while I scarfed down my breakfast.  Then I heard the local weather we have an expected high today of 78.  It’s going to be a scorcher in the house again.  I am going to try to suffer through it since it’s only supposed to be for one day.  Maybe I will get lucky and see some hot shirtless dudes walking by the house.  I don’t expect it but still can hold out hope. 

As for tomorrow right now I am planning on just staying home.  I was really looking forward to going in but I think that once I am in I will be trapped there until rush hour and I hate driving in that.  I might change my mind but it’s kind of doubtful.  Plus with my co-worker gone I never know when something is going to pop and need me.  This way I am right here and can jump on anything that needs quick attention. 

Here’s hoping that it doesn’t get terribly hot in the house today and that I am able to get some quality sleep tonight.  Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.  Take care!

One More Day

I had a great time with my friends at dinner last night.  The food was nothing special but I enjoyed the human contact and being able to catch up.  Sounds like were getting together for Easter.  I thought it would be nice to take Easter Monday off but turns out I am on call that week.  I look forward to seeing them again!

Last night I took a double dose of sleeping meds as I usually do on a Sunday.  I knew that I would feel what I am told is the “hang over” effect.  I’ve never been drunk or hung over in my life.  However, I know that this medicine makes me feel super sleepy and sluggish the next day.  However, I push through it and usually wind up taking a nap during the day if time permits. 

However, this morning I felt exhausted.  I have been going and going non-stop for days traveling here and there, I took little to no time for myself and what free time I had I was feeding my porn addiction.  I just called it a day today and took an extra day off.  I scanned my inbox this morning and things didn’t look terribly bad and there wasn’t anything from the crazy lady I encountered on Friday.  I do feel bad about taking a day after I had been off but there was just no way I could do much of anything. 

I watched a lot of TV and slept more.  Rudy loved that because he laid on top of me and that helped to lull me to sleep.  Mora was by my side.  I’m telling you this is the perfect family for me and I am so glad that I have them. 

It wasn’t until late in the afternoon that I had some energy and felt more “normal”.  Not sure if I am getting sick or if this was just the medicine kicking me a little harder than I expected.  I do hope that I sleep tonight but I am sure that I will be awake part of the night.  I plan to take my normal dose of sleeping pills and hope for the best. 

I learned of two deaths today.  The first was a great uncle that died around Christmas.  He was 81 and lived quite the full life.  I am sad to learn that he passed and that I didn’t have a chance to attend the funeral (not that I could because I was sick around that time) or to send flowers.  We lost touch with that side of the family because they were rich and they looked down on the rest of the family.  Still I was sad to hear of his passing. 

The other death I just learned about a short time ago in browsing the net is Porn Star Tim Krueger of TIM TALES died in an accident at home on Saturday.  He was only 44 and there were no drugs or foul play involved.  Damn 44 so young.  You just never know when your time will be up. 

On that note I am about to head up, I just had to get online to see what was lurking in my inbox at home and catch up on a couple things.  I’ve not yet peeked at my work email from today but I think I am going to be a little extra busy tomorrow.  I do hope that I feel as good as I feel now come tomorrow morning.  I also have plans to go in on Wednesday and really want to make that happen.  So if it all works out I’ve got a 4 day work week ahead.  Here’s hoping that it’s a great week ahead not only for me but for you too. 

Thanks again for dropping by.  Talk with you all again soon, until then be well. 

Time Off = Time to spend $$$

Hi and I hope your doing well!  I’ve really enjoyed my two days off, however as you can surmise by the title I have spent some money while I have been off. 

Thursday I went to the doctor and of course just my luck he was running behind.  I had an 11:30a appointment and I didn’t leave until 2p that includes seeing the doc as well as having my blood drawn.  I also had to get stuck twice because the first batch of blood they took spoiled after it was spun in the centrifuge.  Better that they caught it than calling me and telling me I had to come back because that would have angered me.  I do have a ganglion cyst in my wrist.  My doc wants to refer me to a hand surgeon rather than taking any action.  He told me that since it’s shrunk and seems like it’s going away if he were me he’d just leave it alone for now.  However, if it becomes bothersome or flairs back up then it’s best to have it out.  This reminds me of the long fight I had with a dentist years ago about getting my wisdom teeth out, eventually I had to give in because they kept getting infected but I fought it hard and wish in the end that I would have had all 4 pulled at once.  My fear here is not only the bill but that once the surgeon cuts that there could be damage done that can’t be undone.  Plus I am not crazy about seeing another doctor.  We also chatted about my neck rash and he told me that he could try one more thing but if that didn’t work then my best route would be to see a dermatologist.  Again as my luck would have it he didn’t call anything in so I am debating about asking him now or waiting another 3 months and bringing it up again. 

I had BBQ for supper and it was really good.  Then I came home and started work on some laundry.  I took care of updating my finances and paying bills.  Then it was off to surf for porn.  I wound up joining a couple more porn stars OF’s and damn I lucked out on some good content.  Rudy had to pry me away from the computer by nagging me because it was getting late and I needed to get up early on Friday.  I gave in, had play time with the cats and went to bed.  I don’t remember a whole lot because I was really tired.  I didn’t get much sleep and had no nap.  I watched a little TV and I passed out. 

Woke up early this morning went to breakfast at a fast food place.  It sure was good and I ordered so much that I brought home some left overs.  Then I left for my 9a appointment for car service.  Just an oil change and a cabin air filter.  They had to order the cabin air filter but then break time came so there was an hour added to my sitting time.  Then they took the long way on replacing the cabin air filter and that racked up a labor bill for me.  Long story short I spent the morning there and wasn’t back home until noon.  I wasn’t pleased with the bill just because it cost way more than I anticipated.  However, it’s not like I don’t have it, just didn’t want to spend it. 

I stopped off at Sam’s Club and wow there went some more money.  Just got home stuff like Kleenex, Toilet Paper, Water, Salt for the water softener and muffins.  Don’t you know I snagged part of the Salt bags on the shopping cart while lifting it into the trunk and a little salt escaped into my trunk.  When I unloaded I put that bag down upside down so salt didn’t get in the house.  Then vacuumed out the trunk, presto problem solved. 

It was a really nice day we were in the 70’s  I opened up the windows and the cats went crazy.  I ate some yogurt so I could take my antibiotic and then watched some TV.  I really wanted to work in a nap but then remembered I needed to get laundry done.  So I started working on that and wound up having an hour to lay down.  I did lay down but never went to sleep. 

Decided since it was such a nice day that I would venture out to a place that I have been before but it’s costly.  Damn I dropped $70 for dinner and that was just on me, I didn’t pick up any other tabs.  I got Chilean Sea Bass, a soda, a slice of Carrot Cake.  I didn’t get a real good look at the specials but when I did I saw they had Grouper and I would have rather had that.  The dinner was $45 that included a salad and it came with mashed potatoes and a side of vegetables.  The Carrot Cake was homemade.  The entire meal was all so good. I told myself to stop eating the cake because I was stuffed but then I got a refill on my soda and just attacked it and demolished it.  Then I suffered the whole way home but it was a good kind of suffering.  I wish I could eat that good every night!

I came home and opted to stop to fill up the tank because I plan a long drive for breakfast to attack that breakfast buffet, been looking forward to it all week long.  Anyway the lady in front of me kept having problems with her card.  I got out to see if I could help her and we struck up a conversation that would never end.  She went on and on and 20 minutes had gone by.  We were chatting about jobs and she has been unemployed for a while.  I wound up giving her my business card and telling her to consider applying where I work.  Then she got into all these jobs she has held in the past but she quit every damn one of them.  That’s when I wish I never gave her my card.  I think she is a bit loony and this is going to mushroom into a problem.  She kept trying to give me her resume.  I told her to go on line and apply for a job, she can put my name down but that is the extent of it.  I have nothing to do with making a hiring decision.  Then she went on to tell me she was going to email me her resume.  I told her again all I could do was pass it on to HR and they would tell me to tell her to apply on the website.  Finally I managed to tell her that I needed to get moving and then she drove away.  She almost backed into me as she was leaving her vehicle went into reverse and thankfully I was a considerable distance from her.  I just got a bad vibe after the fact that I can’t shake.  I hope she doesn’t turn out to be crazy and become a problem for me.  I didn’t promise her anything, she offered to give me a reward if they hire her and I told her I didn’t want anything.  This was on her merit and would be between her and HR if she applied for a position and landed it.  There is an incentive for me if she is hired and stays for 90 days then I get some money but honestly I wasn’t thinking of that.  I like to help people but damn you have to be so careful these days.  I’ve never given a complete stranger a business card.  I’m very glad that I work in a secure building and she can’t just come waltzing in because she strikes me as that type of person.  Please dear God tell me I didn’t just make a HUGE MISTAKE and invite a LOONY WOMAN to apply for a job where I work.  Not much I can do about it now it’s over all I can do is react if she become a problem.  Shame there isn’t a do over button in life because I’d do things differently if I could go back in time.  Everything happens for a reason just not sure why this happened other than I was trying to be a nice guy.  

In addition to the expenses I’ve mentioned I also did some shopping on Amazon.  Got some cardboard replacements for a toy that Mora threw up on.  Along with pen refills, eye drops and some other junk that I really didn’t need.  The cats just loved to see me opening boxes but they were sad when I threw them in the trash.  This place was cardboard city and I wasn’t about to let that continue to build.  I had been hanging on to boxes from when I ordered my iPad and since that worked out and I am keeping it time to get rid of the boxes.  Thankfully I did it on trash day. 

I am excited about the breakfast buffet but not excited about getting up early.  However, Rudy will wake me regardless so I will be up anyway.  It’s going to be back into the deep freeze tomorrow and that doesn’t exactly make me want to jump to traveling.  I would love to sleep in just one day.  Sunday it will be even colder and I need to make a Target run because the cats will be out of treats.  I thought about doing that today but just never got around to it.  I am tired of running and just want to lounge at home for a bit before I get back to it again.  Who knows maybe I will make the Target run tomorrow but I kind of doubt it.  I’ve plotted dinner for tomorrow night and that will require a little bit of travel as well.  I figure might as well live it up a little while I can.  Life will be back to normal come Monday. 

I am not looking forward to going back Monday not only because of having to dig out but because the boss schedule another meeting for a small project that I know will turn into a cluster.  However, right now I am just thinking about the weekend.  It’s nice not to be tethered to a phone and to hear my work email sound going off.  Wishing that I had scheduled more time off but hey I’d have to go back sometime.  Good news is that I did put in for 2 more days in 3 months so I can go back to the doc.  Speaking of time off I did think about the fact that if I did have surgery to remove the cyst that I would probably get some time off from that but it probably wouldn’t be more than a day or two at most.  It’s not major surgery but there would be stiches and that’s super inconvenient.  I hope this thing goes away and doesn’t flair back up for another thirty something years if ever again. 

Back to laundry and surfing for porn until I get tired or the cats beg me to come back upstairs.  Talk with you all again soon.  Take care and be well.