Virus Time

Howdy folks.  Just a quick note to let you all know I am still among the living.  Tuesday morning I woke up and didn’t feel well.  I tried to shuffle along working from home but something wasn’t right.  I swiftly took the day off and went back to bed.  I ached all over and felt like I had a fever.  My first thought was oh no, not COVID again. 

I’ve been down for the count all week long.  This morning I mustered up enough strength to finally get a shower.  Then to get dressed and drive to an Emergency Room. 

That place was packed to the hilt and I waited my turn, thankfully they put me in the fast lane and I was only there for 3 hours.  No COVID or any of the other respiratory threats that are present right now.  I’ve likely got a virus that is working it’s way out of my body.  The sooner the better. 

Right now I am off on Friday and the plan is to resume working on Monday.  I am at a critical point with my time off.  You have to use 5 of your days before you quality for short term disability (the only kind of STD that I want, if I have to have one at all).  If I go back then don’t feel well the clock starts all over again.  So if I don’t feel well on Monday I will need to reach out to my doctor for a follow-up visit. 

It’s more painful to stay home and sit around than it is to actually work.  There are cluster fucks brewing and I see that by only skimming my in box on my phone. 

The cats have been comforting but they are all so a huge pain when I am sick.  I still have to feed them, clean up after them and try to provide some form of entertainment.  The boy and I apparently have something in common, we both get horny.  He tries to jump his sister and it’s not pretty.  They are both fixed so I don’t understand why this is happening.  It’s apparently common according to Google.  I really hope this is a problem that will go away but kind of don’t think so. 

They love to groom each other and lay in close proximity to each other.  One or both of them are in bed with me at night.  One is about all my twin bed can handle.  They are both large cats. 

I am tired of being sick and I really could have done with out this.  I think that one of the cat scratches that I got might have be what done me in but it’s healing.  If it wasn’t that then I’ll point to the van ride with my friends from last Saturday. 

Have a good night and I will talk with you again soon.  Just wanted to publish something quick to let you know that I am still here.  Take care, stay warm and be well. 

Another crazy day

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Sneaky Gator

Last night was a pill night.  I had to wake Gator up in order to get her to take her medicine.  I put it off as long as I could and then I had to wake her up.  It was easy and done.  She appeared to take the pill without an issue.  This morning I was feeding her and noticed the pill in her bed.  Not exactly sure how she did that but I think it’s an ability that all cats have.  I’ve been down this road many times.  No big deal, she will get the medicine tonight.  She did really well overnight, drinking and eating.  I got 1 wake up call I think, honestly don’t remember.  I know I was awake and then back asleep multiple times, had some odd dreams as well. 

No bothers from work last night.  I did have something come in after 5 but it was a quick win and I was done.  Of course you know the time that came in was the time I had to reboot to apply updates.  It’s like someone is watching somewhere and you think your in the clear and boom goes the dynamite.  The story of my life. 

I got my caulk yesterday so there is a weekend project waiting for me to seal a few windows.  I bought more than enough but that’s because I can’t always tell size well from a photo on a website.  Better safe than sorry.  Besides that it’s not like it was a million dollar purchase. 

Allergies were a bit too active for me yesterday.  The morning and the evening.  I did manage to pass out around 4p when I transitioned to upstairs, I put on a podcast where the guy that talks just makes me drowsy.  I was interested in what he had to say but my body was just exhausted.  I had tried to nap earlier in the day but it didn’t happen.  I figured I would have trouble sleeping, I stayed up a little later than normal but by 10:30p I was done and in bed. 

Here we are in the middle of the week once again.  Apple apparently has asked their staff to come back 3 days a week.  Kind of similar to what my employer has done with 2 specific days required in the office and the 3rd to be determined by your team/manager.  Apple is apparently on a 2 day in the office schedule now but all of that changes after Labor Day.  Oddly enough today my employer is hosting the first in person staff meeting that we have had in well over 2 years.  There is supposed to be a Zoom link but thus far it hasn’t been distributed.  I think the idea is to encourage you to go in person.  Even if I was in the office I wouldn’t go.  With COVID still high in the area it’s a bad move in my opinion.  If there is a Zoom link that is sent out I will join, otherwise it’s a no go for me.  I know I am not the only one.  I was really surprised last month when they sent out the invite but they have been telling us for months now that they are looking at getting back to more normal in person meetings.  Until the pandemic is really done or at least more under control you won’t find me at any in person office gathering of any kind.  The part that really irks me is that management tells us they are concerned about our safety and well being but their actions I feel display a different message.  With COVID still being high in the area whom ever thought it was a good idea to gather everyone in person wasn’t using their brain.  We have people out with COVID all the time but it’s treated much more like the common cold, there is a short isolation period but your back in the office before you know what really hit you.  Most cases are mild to very mild, which is good but still it’s COVID.  I can’t wait to see how they handle the first person who gets Monkey Pox.  At the end of the day management cares about one thing only, that’s earning the almighty dollar and to hell with everything else, if you die it matters not just so long as you earn them some money before you kick off.  I hate big business and politics, both suck and not in a good way!

Speaking of politics I happened to stumble on a way in my area to register for permanent vote by mail.  I went after that right away.  It beats having to remember an election is coming up and then to request a ballot.  Now I should get a ballot automagically when it gets closer to an election.  I had an aunt who was handicapped and she didn’t get out that much, she always voted by mail.  I kind of understand more of what her life was like since the pandemic hit.  She didn’t have a job and she did a lot of cooking and baking.  I understand that.  I mean you need something to occupy your mind.  She went grocery shopping once a month but it required someone to take her because she couldn’t drive.  The poor thing had a stroke later in life, was legally blind but she still had some faint vision.  Her kids wouldn’t tell her about the stroke.  They didn’t check on her all that much and a few days lapsed where no one heard from her.  She was found dead in her apartment.  This was years ago but I still reflect on it from time to time.  I’d love to know her secret for curing boredom and how you get the energy to do things.  She always looked forward to visitors and if you said you were coming but didn’t show that just ruined her entire day.  My mom was famous for getting her hopes up and then never showing up. 

Ah well enough of memory lane.  Nothing major brewing here.  Have some work stuff to tend to.  I should actually get a formal lunch break today and kind of look forward to that instead of having to cram food down and run back.  It’s been an okay week thus far.  Hopefully, today and the rest of the week are okay and productive. 

Be well and stay safe!

Back at it

Tuesday I was pretty well good enough to go back but between Gator & the Weather Radio I was up most of the night.  It didn’t take me long to decide to scrap Tuesday.  I of course peeked on both days at work later in the day to see what I was missing.  I also saw an opportunity to step in on each day and help out with one issue.  I stayed silent as long as I could.  Monday I got away with not saying a word and Tuesday I had to out myself that I stepped in and helped out.  There is no harm since I was helping and not hurting, even though when your sick most people don’t work at all, I like to help.  I mean in the end it all pays the same.

I don’t exactly feel 100% more like 90%.  I’ve just got this feeling of being unwell.  My sore throat is better but I have an occasional cough now.  I think whatever this is or was has been pretty well beaten up by my immune system (which is a huge surprise to me).  I just hope that the rest of it goes away so I can go back to feeling 100%.  I didn’t bother to test for COVID because my nose is dry, I figured with no nasal secretions the test would be a waste of time.  I think this could have easily been a mild strain.  I have had some headaches, which I rarely get.  There was also a fever associated with it but that appears to have passed.  I threw some Chicken Soup at it and might do that again for good measure.  Lots of fluids as well.  Water on Monday and plenty of Soda on Tuesday. 

Speaking of pay, I got an email yesterday that I am getting a large bonus on my next check.  By the time Uncle Sam takes out his share it won’t be so large but it’s nice to get extra money when your not expecting it.  I mean I knew a bonus was in the works but had no idea when or if it would be approved. 

It took me a good portion of the morning to get caught up.  Friday is a big day where there are a lot of people leaving and also since it will be the last working day of the month I have some people who got promotions that I need to take care of as well but can’t do that until it’s late in the afternoon or even into the evening. 

Today I finally placed another Chewy order.  I had been promising Gator since last week and finally got around to it this morning.  Once again it’s a lot of food and I spent more than last time.  Chewy is great for speed but I don’t like it overall because you can’t get 4 of this or that, you have to buy a whole case of 24 cans.  Once again I have no idea how in the world I will be able to store it all.  I still have left overs from the last order but we are getting low on Duck.  They also don’t have the Chicken in that line which was disappointing but I suppose you can’t have it all.   I am giving some thought to hitting up the pet food store over the weekend just to see what they have in stock, although it’s not a requirement since all of the food I ordered today should be here by Friday based on my past experience. 

On to my cell phone experience.  Turns out for spam/call blocking Hiya was much more effective when it was added at the carrier level.  I got a fraud call yesterday (it went to voice mail) but I had to take extra steps to ensure it was blocked in the future.  I opted to ditch Hiya since it really wasn’t working.  I gambled and got something called CallControl.  This works similar to how Hiya worked at the carrier level in that my phone doesn’t ring when I get spam or fraud calls they are just handled.  I like that part but I wish there was a way to tell what actually came in.  CallControl is a couple dollars more per year than Hiya but since it actually works I don’t mind paying.  They have an appliance you can also attach to your home phone to get the same level of protection but I’ve got my home phone forwarded to my cell phone so I never miss a call, not that anyone other than work or spammers actually calls me but once and a while it happens.  The only thing I miss about AT&T is the level of spam/call blocking that I had, which is the main reason why I stuck with them since I discovered Mint mobile last year.  I won’t miss their inflated prices and surcharges which is why I left.  They always had some fee that was increasing or being implemented.  They took me to the cleaners for years but now that I no better I am doing better.  It will be odd to not have a cell phone bill to pay but I am sure I will get used to it soon enough.  I’m more interested in the final bill to see how it shakes out if I owe them anymore or if it is as I suspect they actually owe me since they bill a month ahead.  I know if I owe them they will want their money right away.  If they owe me no telling how long it will take to get the check in the mail. 

On a different note I am running super low on Sudafed.  I checked with the mail order pharmacy and turns out they have it on back order so they can’t fill my prescription, even though they have been holding it for a few weeks.  You’d think they would plan ahead but apparently that is using common sense, which isn’t so common anymore.  They already charged my credit card but since they are trying to fill it they won’t be giving me any money back just yet.  I have a message into the doc to see about getting a script called in to the local pharmacy, I think I will be stuck going this route but only time will tell. 

I am looking forward to Uncoupled the new Netflix series with NPH in it.  He shows some skin but it’s only his ass.  However, that is the part I am most attracted to and seeing it in the flesh will be nice.  It’s a whole new series and it’s scheduled to be out on Friday.  I will be binge watching this weekend.  I have no idea how many episodes are in the series but chances are good I will finish this in one or two days of watching. 

This past weekend I watched it’s a Mann’s World.  It’s a documentary series that followed the lives of David and Tamela Mann as well as their family.  Season 1 was free with Paramount Plus.  Season 2 costs like $1.99 an episode and there are 8 episodes in the series.  I don’t want to buy or even pay to rent I would rather it be included.  I thought I could outsmart the system by trying BET Plus but that failed, they have the same offer Season 1 was free but Seasons 2 costs.  This is old TV that I am just now discovering.  David Mann is known for playing Mr. Leroy Brown in Meet The Browns (TV Series and Movie) and has been in a good portion of the Madea movies from Tyler Perry.  The guy is just plain funny, even though he never says a cuss word.  His wife Tamela played his daughter in the TV Series and Movies - Cora Jean Simmons (Daughter of Madea).  In real life Tamela is a Gospel Singer.  The whole Mann family is interesting.  At the time the series was filmed they lived in Mansfield TX a town I never heard of but it appears that it’s a suburb of Dallas.  The house looks stunning and it would be way too much for me but I wouldn’t mind staying there for a week or two.  It’s more like a Mansion than a house.  If I took Gator with me, it could easily take hours to find her but I know when she got hungry she would make herself known.  She’s got great lungs still for being 18. 

Speaking of 18, today marks my 8 year service anniversary at work.  I can’t believe it’s been so long.  I have never in my life worked this long for one employer.  I have motivation to get to 10 years because on the big years like 5, 10, 20, etc. they pay you $100 for each year you stayed.  They make sure to make up the taxes so you get exactly what they intended for you to get, which is $100 for each year.  Kind of nice.  Money isn’t everything but it is the reason why I am working.  If I had an endless supply of money, I know that I could easily find other things to occupy my time.  Lord knows I wouldn’t have any issues with being lonely everyone would want to be my friend, to sleep with me and all in the name of money.  I’d like to try that on for size as I think I could spot the fakes but then again some of them do a damn good job and are difficult to find.

I’ve got a meeting to run to.  This day has sure been fast moving.  Here’s hoping that the rest of the week is easy with little to no stress.  It’s my on-call week (minus two days) so I have to be available even when I am not working in case something comes up but normally all is quiet. 

Hope your all doing okay, staying cool and safe.  Thanks for stopping by!

Death

I woke up in the middle of the night with a very dry mouth and a very sore throat.  I got up and got a drink but that didn’t help much.  I was able to get back to bed.  I have a slight neck ache and my throat of course is very sore.  I also feel like I might have a low grade fever.  The first thought I have is oh no not COVID again.  I haven’t taken a test and honestly am a bit afraid.  However, I don’t feel nearly as bad as I did when I woke up with COVID back in January.  Perhaps this will pass in a day or maybe two. 

Saturday I was at home most of the day.  I got out to get the mail and got pizza.  I did myself in with Double Pepperoni as there was a bit too much grease.  Between that and the sauce it got to me and I didn’t feel the best.  I only ate one slice, had a salad before as well as a soda.  Dropped $40 and don’t think I will be going back there next time I want pizza.  If I do I won’t get double anything.  I at least took an anti-acid pill before I went because I knew there sauce would get to me.  Came back home and that was the day.  Watched TV and loafed. 

Sunday I got up had breakfast out, hit up the grocery store, topped off my tank and then came back home.  I’ve been here ever since.  I had a very long battle yesterday with AT&T.  We broke up and it was quite difficult.  Years ago there was fraud with people randomly being able to switch your phone to a different carrier.  AT&T put protection in place and I opted in.  Well this port protection is next to impossible to get removed.  Customer Service said they couldn’t do it, someone from Loyalty had to do it.  Then I heard Mobility Tech Support had to do it. Then and finally then I got to the Fraud Department who was actually able to help me.  The person verified it was me, then had to call me on my cell phone to confirm that I really wanted to remove fraud protection and port my number.  I did that, we hung up and back to the original call.  He was able to then remove the protection and I ported away.  They did try to keep my business but turns out I was already on the lowest cost rate plan they offered and it worked out to a little over $50 per month plus taxes and fees – which easily drove the bill into the $60 mark.  They tried but couldn’t beat Mint Mobiles low price and were astonished and amazed that I found something so low cost. 

Mint mobile is where I am at now.  It’s great I’ve got the same plan I had with AT&T and paid for a year of service up front, they do charge tax and have to collect the 9-1-1 fees so it worked out to about $200, still that is not bad at all considering it would have cost me much more in the long run with AT&T. 

Once my number ported I had to call Mint to reset my account as I couldn’t get any incoming calls but that was an easy fix.  Next it was up to me to figure out what to replace Active Armor with to combat spam.  I opted to go with Hi-Ya which is the same service AT&T was using and I got it for a lower price.  It’s not tied directly to my account but rather to my phone.  I needed one additional layer that was tied to my phone line and for that I went with YouMail, which is a voice mail service that also combats spam calls.  They have a free tier but I paid for a year of service because that was the way to get the best discount.  Everything is in place, setup and working. 

I started this little venture around noon and didn’t get finished until about 4p.  Most of my time was spent with AT&T calling, getting transferred, calling back and calling back and calling back until I eventually was able to wiggle free.  I’ve got 59 days if I change my mind and I can go back if I want to.  After that I would start over as a new customer if I wanted to go back. 

Mint is powered by T-Mobile.  I don’t know that I will ever be with a major carrier again.  If something would happen to Mint my next choice would be Visable which is a company powered by Verizon.  You get unlimited for $40 per month but if you can bring some friends with you it can be as low as $25 per month.  Verizon has the strongest signal in my area.  I wanted to try Visable but tihngs went side ways when I tried to take them for a test drive.  They wanted a credit card number, which they said they didn’t need up front.  I spoke with support which is via chat only and was told that they wouldn’t charge the card but it was needed, which turned me off. 

Gator as you can well imagine wasn’t happy with me because she wasn’t getting any attention. I also think she might not have felt the best but since I am taking today off I think she will be a little happier.  I am sitting on the couch next to her and was feeding her.  This large spider just came crawling up next to me and I smashed it.  Not happy about that.  This is the second time in two weeks I have seen a spider on the couch and I am ready to throw it out. I don’t want Gator to get bitten or even eat one of them.  I think a Spider was the undoing of her mom and I don’t know if she could or would survive a bite.  I also do not want to find out. 

I ran out of time yesterday so I didn’t have a chance to vacuum but I will be doing that today, which won’t exactly please Gator but it will me.  I hate bugs in general they all belong outside and since I am inside I feel they should leave me and everything that is inside alone.  Speaking of bugs no more mice kills.  I found out that they produce a litter of 5 to 11 at a time.  No wonder they multiply so fast.

Well time to publish this and clean up the spider ick and then rest up.  I don’t want to sleep a whole lot today for fear that I won’t sleep tonight.  I really want to get back to normal tomorrow but that all depends upon what my body says.  I guess it’s a good thing that I had no plans to go in this week. 

Here’s hoping that the rest of the week can be more normal for me.  Stay cool and be well. 

Weekend recap

Saturday

Got COVID shot. Used massager on arm helped a bit with the soreness. Went to get pizza. Saw hot waiter he took care of me initially but it was shift change and I got handed off to someone else. I heard him talking about his weekend plans. He muttered something about tonight, we are going to. I had almost asked him out but in a way kind of glad that I didn’t. We kind of implies to me that there probably is someone else. I mean it could be him and a friend or it could be something beyond that. Patients can pay off sometimes and I think in this case I’ve got to know a little bit and while my heart still says try my brain says he is taken and give up. Turns out my pizza was crap. There was a layer that hadn’t finished baking yet so I got served raw dough. Not the first time that has happened. I said something but they just couldn’t manage to fix the problem. I filed a complaint with the health department so they are going to have to find a way to fix it. I don’t think that will happen again but hey who knows. All I can say is if it does, I won’t be back, hot waiter or not. I don’t want to risk food poisoning. I got ½ off of my order which I think should have been free considering the circumstances. However, I took what I was given. I will make sure to heat it well before I eat it and even then, I am going slow to make sure I don’t get any raw dough.

The fireworks began at dark and they were pretty loud. I was tired and just wanted to get to bed. As per usual it didn’t seem to bother Gator. I think she has some hearing loss otherwise I think she would have been climbing the walls.

Pet food store had only a couple flavors. I had to switch brands totally and what normally costs me $35 wound up costing me $50 and that’s just for one week to keep my hungry girl happy. I’ve tried the new food on her and she seems to like it, which is good.

Sunday

Woke up feel fine but wasn’t expecting to. I’m glad that there was no after effects from my shot, other than my sore arm which isn’t nearly as bad as the previous times. I was told that in 4 months I could come back to get another booster even though technically it hasn’t been released to the general public. Since I have diabetes that is what qualifies me to opt in early. My doc told me that the shots last for 6 months before they wear off as it stands now. I don’t know how eager I will be to get another one since I don’t like needles. Only time will tell. It also depends on what the infection levels are and how rapidly it's spreading.

Hit up the grocery store late. They didn’t have much Gator food either, considering what I spent yesterday I opted to not get any further food. I am confident that I have will get us through the week. I did pick up a sympathy card for my co-worker who just had a death in the family. I read it and though wow this says everything I want to say, all I need to do is sign it and mail it. As I was walking away, I looked that the price and the damn thing was $5.50. That is a lot of money to spend for a card. I bought it but damn I don’t know if the shoe was on the other foot that he would do the same thing. I had mixed feelings about it but just opted to get the damn card and be done with it. I’m still mad as hell at him but I felt it was the right thing to do.

Came home, did some laundry. Need to work on cleaning up the upstairs. I found that there is a showing of Top Gun 2 in IMAX tonight at 10:30p. There was one last night as well and I could have made it but since I felt so tired. Tonight, however I am not going to pass up the chance to do something that I really have wanted to do for a while. On call be damned it been quiet all weekend long and if my phone goes off well then, I will deal with it but I don’t expect that will happen, especially considering the time. It will be after midnight when I am home and I know that will make Gator a little unhappy but she will probably sleep it away. I know I will probably be ready for bed as well when I get home.

I have plans right now to hit up the car wash tomorrow afternoon on my way to my friend’s place, stop by the mailbox first to drop off my card and then head towards the food. Hopefully it will be a good time and worth it. Gas prices are horrendous. I thought about topping off but I can go another 200 plus miles so I opted to just wait. It will be a shock when I do fill up considering that Tuesday I will be heading back to the office.

Monday

I got home a little after 1a from the movie. It was a great time and a very good movie, so much that I want to see it a second time. I am a huge fan of Miles Teller and he was among several good-looking men in the show. There is a scene where they are all playing beach volleyball and most of the guys have their shirts off. That was pretty enjoyable. The whole flying thing is appealing to me, not to drop bombs or shoot at something, just flying its self. I can imagine that it feels great to jump in a plane and go up above the clouds to get away from everyone. That was one of the things I liked when I flew for business, no one could reach me.

I took my sleeping pills when I got home and tended to Gator. She was a little confused and upset with me for being up so late. She got more food out of the deal so I don’t think it was that bad for her.

However, I was wiped out when I woke up and while I had so many plans, I wound up doing bare basics. Got the trash out, ran the vacuum, Gator of course got fed. I had breakfast and a light lunch. I napped and then managed to get a shower and head out to my friend’s house.

The company was nice and enjoyable. Their house smelled like cat pee and that was a little over whelming especially because they had a fan going and it was circulating the smell. It took a bit to get used to. There was plenty of food but as per usual everything was charred and I am not a fan of burnt food. I gulped it down but didn’t really enjoy my meal. They had Strawberry pie for desert and I was really looking forward to that until it was served and it wasn’t like anything I was used to because it was home made and didn’t look that good. It was okay but I have had better. They tried to get me to take food home but if I did, I’d just throw it in the trash because again it wasn’t that enjoyable. I just as soon someone else eat it.

We had to wait on their neighbor to join us before we started and of course that meant we didn’t eat on time, but that is normal. I asked about the neighbor’s wife because she had been pretty ill. Turns out she passed and no one bothered to tell me in advance. I don’t even know if there was a service but damn it would have been nice to know ahead of time instead of finding out after the fact. They did the same thing when my spouse passed away, they never told their neighbors. I showed up to a holiday get together and they asked where my guy was, which I though was in poor taste because surely, they knew in advance and I flew off the handle not knowing they had no idea. I still feel really bad about that to this day. As you can tell my friend is not much of a communicator and that pisses me off to no end. Not much I can do about it though.

We will all probably next be together on Thanksgiving. They do a block party on Labor Day but it’s all outside in the heat with the bugs and you get the same charred food. I showed up for it one year, didn’t know half of the people there and felt very much out of place. I do still get invites to that event but I always decline them.

I got home way too late to do much of anything but pack lunch, feed gator, brush my teeth and take my sleeping pills. Watched a little TV and then fell asleep. Gator woke me up one time I fed her and then she didn’t bother me for the rest of the evening. I emptied out her litter box before I left and was really surprised when I got home that it was full again. We skipped the probiotic yesterday because Sunday she didn’t seem to be feeling the best. I think it might be a bit strong for her so I am going to try it to switch up to every other day this week and see what kind of results I get.

Back at the office this morning, hated to get up so early and to leave poor Gator. However, I told her we will be together for the rest of the week in the hopes that would cheer her up a little bit and give her something to look forward to. I tried pretty hard last night to get her to come join me in my room but she wanted nothing of it. I miss her. I kind of feel that she is starting to self-isolate a little too much for my liking. Cats do that when they are preparing to die. She is still eating, drinking and has her sunny disposition. In fact, she licked my arm last night which is unusual. She may know that her time is winding down or maybe just feeling her age and being a little lazy. Hopefully, tonight we get lots of time together. I have no plans to go downstairs for any reason and plan to be with her all night.

It does feel odd with Monday having been a holiday the week seems a little odd but it will be a fast mover and I am all for that, never can have too much of a weekend or time off.

Hope that you all had a great weekend and were able to relax and enjoy the holiday. Take care and I will talk with you all again soon.

Fire Friday

Today has been nothing short of small fires cropping up everywhere and I feel as if I am using a faucet instead of a fire hose to put them out.  Last minute notifications of people starting on Tuesday.  Yesterday I got last minute notice on a person leaving today.  Then lump in my colleagues issues with his work and people asking me questions about what he did or didn’t do and I have to speak to that since he isn’t around.  I’ve indeed given the boss more content to share when they talk next.  The more I have to deal with his silly bullshit the more unglued and intolerant I become.  Stupidity is one of the quickest ways to raise my blood pressure in a negative way.  I just see red and get mad.  I am hoping that today will calm down a bit and I will get to take a break, like I am now. 

Yesterday the Amazon person finally got to my delivery at 6p.  He sat in his van parked on the street for 15 minutes before he finally walked up to the door.  I also don’t know who did the packaging but they need to learn how to use a tape gun.  This was by no means packaged professionally.  Anyway, I had to charge the massage unit for 1 full hour.  Then I was able to get to work.  I followed instructions and used the air cushion attachment first and the moved on to the others.  There is some get up and go to this thing.  I wouldn’t say it feels amazing but I can see where it can make a difference to break up a knot or help some sore muscles.  I used it off and on for the course of an hour.  I felt the blood moving everywhere I put it – back and arms is what I concentrated on.  I woke up a little sore this morning, but I was expecting that.  I am still very much in an evaluation period but thus far I like what I feel. 

Gator was eager to see me this morning, since she slept by herself and polished off the one can of food that was left out for her.  I heard her in the middle of the night but the white noise helped to filter her out and I was able to get back to sleeping.  Another night of strange dreams and thankfully they are a bit fuzzy to me now.  I woke up feeling okay and started the morning a half hour early.  It was actually an hour but I spent the first half of it in bed relaxing. 

I got to spend some extra time with Gator this morning and she was happy about that but it is never enough time for her.  I wasn’t down stairs for 10 minutes and she started crying for me to come up.  I was dealing with work so my mind was focused on other things.  I eventually was able to take a short break and get her a snack.  Her appetite is pretty healthy today.  It feels much more to me like I am feeding a worm than a cat.  I hope that calms down as the day wears on.  She’s had some water as well.  Not sure how much she drank but she got herself wet. 

Last night I started on Season 2 of The Upshaw's.  It’s a series on Netflix with Wanda Sykes.  It’s mildly entertaining and I needed to fill a content void, which is oddly how I got into the first season of the show.  For me it’s just a way to pass time I can’t say that I totally enjoy it but I also don’t totally hate it. 

Managed to fall asleep pretty quickly.  Heard from my friends and as of now it looks like were getting together but sadly it will be late in the afternoon on Monday and I will have to dine and dash.  I’m sure nothing will be ready on time as it never is but I can still hope.  There is a small chance of a cancellation.  If that happens so be it.  I know I won’t go hungry. 

Got my reminder this morning about my shot tomorrow, I really want to move that out.  I saw an article yesterday that said a lot of people my age or even slightly younger only have 1 shot and not many people are opting in for the 3rd and 4th shots.  I get it’s a personal choice.  For me I’ve been vaxed against so many things as a kid and the same for my brother.  Oddly neither one of us was wild about the second shot.  He didn’t really want the first one but I was all for that.  I do think that as a country we are slowly emerging from the woods on COVID but by no means are we 100% safe and the pandemic is still very much on-going but lots of people have their blinders on and want to play make believe.  As for me I won’t like it but I will take my shot and move on.  It is quite interesting how quickly a vaccine was available for COVID and I think if we had different leadership it would have been available to everyone a bit sooner but hey that’s something we will never truly know for sure. 

Rain is on the way this afternoon and through most of the weekend there is a chance for showers.  No sense in gutter cleaning or house washing this weekend, even though it would be ideal.  I will rest and stay cool on Saturday morning.  Going for the shot in the afternoon and if all goes well Pizza afterwards.  Sunday I have a built in day of rest if I need it.  If I am feeling okay then I will mosey out to the grocery store, if not then it will be a Monday thing.  Monday nothing outside of getting together with my friends is planned.  I will be headed back to the office on Tuesday and really not looking forward to that but am kind of interested in seeing my new laptop. 

That’s all I got for now.  Hope you have a fantastic weekend, get to rest and see some fireworks.  Stay cool and be well. 

Semi-stressful Day Ahead

Looks like were almost to the finish line! One more day after today. I’ve got a few things going at work today so perhaps that will mean it will be a quick moving day. I suppose only time will tell.

Yesterday morning after I made my initial post, work was dead so I just went backup stairs to be with Gator. Got her a snack and watched a YouTube video and managed to fall asleep. My phone kept waking me up with stupid emails from work. It was stuff that I didn’t need to know or frankly just didn’t care about.

Finally woke up after a short bit. By then Gator had left me and moved on to the living room where she was all curled up in her bed and sound asleep. I grabbed a sandwich and a soda for an early lunch. Then went out in the garage. It was actually quite nice. I had a peck in my windshield and went to fix that. I didn’t quite have enough resin but I gave it a go. It didn’t turn out that well. I ordered another glass kit from Amazon and it should be here today. When I have another minute, I will try the repair over again.

Since I was out there, I opted to pop the hood and check on the air filter. It was fine and didn’t need to be replaced. I at least have a spare on hand when it’s needed so long as I keep the same vehicle. Getting the assembly apart was easy but putting it all back together is always a pain and I wind up straining my back each time. I sensed by the way the hood closed that the strut that holds the hood open is going. Over the winter it wouldn’t stay up when it was cold and I went to charge the battery. Now that it’s warmer weather it stays up but who knows how long that will last? The hood doesn’t get opened but for oil changes and if I need to charge up the battery, but since I have been going in once-a-week charging isn’t really something I do anymore.

As luck would have it, I got a couple of emails that I needed to tend to while I was doing all of this work. Quiet all morning and the second I go to try to be personally productive suddenly work needs me. Infuriating but that’s my luck.

When I got back to sitting in front of the computer after lunch, I did some clean up work and found some more mistakes that my colleague had made. I’ve been so patient and tolerant with him. It’s been 3 fucking years and were still no further ahead. He makes the same stupid mistakes over and over again. I had it. I sent him an email and looped in the boss. That will give those two something to talk about. I hated to do it but at the same time I hate cleaning up someone else’s mess constantly and it’s not like he hasn’t had plenty of chances to learn from his mistakes. I’ve been beyond patient and nice with him, time to pull the gloves off. My goal isn’t to get him fired or in trouble, my goal is to get him to stop fucking up and leaving something for me to clean up. I wasn’t hired to be a maid or janitor. My experience has taught me that Millennials aren’t the brightest people. They tend to forget easily. While I want a younger man if it means he’s going to be a dummy then I would just as soon stay single as frustration on a personal level would probably drive me to blow a couple blood vessels. I hope that my action doesn’t cause him to turn on me but for my own sanity I’m going to keep this process up when I continue to uncover his mistakes. It might just motivate him to stop making them. I wasn’t perfect when I was learning this job but at the same time it didn’t take me 3 years. We all have our strengths and weaknesses and this part of the job just doesn’t seem to be well suited for him, yet it’s pretty straightforward and simple. There are lots of moving parts and things change but overall, it’s simple, at least to me. I don’t give myself all of the credit I am due but I can tell you for sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that if I can do it, then for sure he can too.

My evening was pretty calm, I got a little bit of work stuff to do for about an hour and then I was left alone. Watched a couple episodes of Jeopardy then switched over to find something on You Tube. Got a shower and here we are again today to essentially do it all over again.

Really looking forward to the weekend just because it’s one day longer. Not looking forward to getting shot and I’ve thought about putting it off but I can’t benefit from it until I get it so might as well just get the ball rolling. I’m convinced that the 2 shots I got last year is what kept me out of the hospital when I got COVID in January. If I can get that same kind of protection again and for free, why not. I don’t want COVID again but I would like the peace of mind knowing that comes with getting vaxed. Just don’t want any of the side effects like the sore arm or the feeling wiped out the day after. Here’s hoping that things aren’t that severe for me when it comes to being wiped out.

Really looking forward to putting today behind me as the BS meter is on high today. A difficult person to deal with already this morning, two meetings today that won’t really be necessary but I’ve got to be there. It just makes me long for Friday and the weekend.

Hope your having a great day and life is treating you well. I should get back to the fun.

Hump Day

Good Morning!  I woke up early from a strange dream.  Last night I thought I was smelling another dead mouse and for sure that is the case this morning.  I hope this is the last one.  Smells a little like gasoline but it’s very foul.  Unfortunately, unless I can locate the carcass (which I won’t be trying to) it will take about 2 weeks for the smell to go away.  It bothers my nose/allergies a lot and it is mild to Gator but she does do some sneezing.  The smell is the worst in my bedroom and in my office.  As for the rest of the house you get a mild hint but for the most part its peaceful.  Sadly I spend the day here in my office and at night I am in my room for a good portion of time relaxing and sleeping.  I don’t wish the mouse problem on anyone they are crafty little bastards and difficult to get rid of. 

A colleague of mine that I work close with is taking the rest of the week off due to a death in the family.  He’s got to do some travel.  Not exactly a bad time of year for travel with the Independence Day Holiday near but the price of gas won’t be the best.  This of course means a little bit more work for me.  I’m not thrilled about it but there isn’t exactly much I can do about it either.  I do wish that it was me traveling (not for the same reason) but I could use a vacation and some new scenery for a few days, maybe a dip in an indoor pool – it sounds really nice. 

Today is one of those days where I really don’t want to work at all, I would be happy just being with Gator and lounging.  I am keeping an eye on the work email and jumping in when I need to.  I don’t have a lot scheduled for today but there are a couple of tasks that I need to take care of.  Thankfully no meetings are on the books as of yet and I don’t anticipate anything developing.  Since were at the mid-week point I think a lot of people have or soon will check out and begin to enjoy the extended holiday weekend.  My expectation is that it overall will be quiet but I can’t rule out an emergency here or there. 

I spent the bulk of yesterday configuring my new work laptop.  It wasn’t exactly a fun task.  I did it to help speed along the process as I need to surrender my old laptop and plan to do that next Tuesday when I go in.  Not super excited about the new hardware because there really isn’t a physical dock to snap the machine into, you have to hook up and unhook a bunch of adapters each time you want to go from it being a laptop to more like a desktop.  That apparently is the wave of the future for laptops, not sure what dummy thought that would be a good idea but I personally like a docking station – just a snap and your done. 

I am really looking forward to tomorrow and the arrival of my Pure Wave Massager.  I do hope that this thing is all that is cracked up to be as I am in some pain and it would be nice to make that disappear. 

Bills have all been paid and I am damn near out of money but thankfully pay day will be here tomorrow and I will get a refill on money.  That will only be for a couple weeks then the cycle will begin all over again empty and refill just like a cup of soda. 

Speaking of soda, I have my 3rd COVID shot scheduled for Saturday.  I originally put it late in the day but moved it up because I want pizza.  I figure I will get the shot and then make the hike for pizza.  Hopefully my luck will pay off and I can look at the cute waiter again, that just never gets old.  I do want to ask him out but don’t know if he’s gay and the fear of rejection or the fact that we just might not be compatible (due to the wide age difference) is what is stopping me.  I will have the morning if I want to take care of any tasks and there is plenty of time for cat food shopping.  The question is will there be any cat food on the shelves for purchase?  Last week was the lowest it’s ever been.  I have a thought of going over on Friday afternoon but not sure that will materialize.  The grocery store had food for purchase but just not a lot of what Gator regularly consumes.  Wish she wasn’t so picky then it would be much easier to feed her. 

Saw a movie last night on Starz called Death of a Telemarketer.  It was pretty good and there was a couple of plot twists that I didn’t see coming.  It came out 2 years ago so not that old but not something that was on my radar.  I watched the trailer and that is what caused me to watch the movie.  The trailer is how I determine if I want to see a movie or not.  I kind of wish that I would have played hooky on Monday I could have gone to see Top Gun 2 in IMAX at lunch time.  That was the last showing in my area in the IMAX format. I’m just too honest and dedicated to my job.

Gator seems a little bit better from what little I have seen of her this morning.  Usually we get the most time together in the afternoon and evening hours.  I really wish that she didn’t have kidney disease, I think that is what will be her undoing in the end.  Right now the goal is to keep it under control and hope that it doesn’t advance quickly. 

I don’t have much else to blabber on about.  Kind of in a talkative mood this morning but I don’t want to ramble on too much.  Hope that it’s a great day for you and that you get everything accomplished that you want and need to.  I will of course have some man candy that posts a bit later this afternoon so come back if your reading this in the morning. 

Bye for now.  

Deep Sleep

Good Morning!  To ensure a good nights sleep I doubled up on my sleeping meds last night.  Gator happened to be out of my room at the time I was going to bed so for extra good measure I closed the door and turned the white noise machine up to high.  It wasn’t log after my head hit the pillow that I was out like a light.  I woke up at 6a and was freezing and of course needed to use the restroom.  Reluctantly I got out of bed for a trip to the bathroom.  Gator was waiting for me.  She managed to get up off the couch a little rough and moved her bed so she was relegated to the floor.  Of course she was noisy and wanting food.  After taking care of my self, I went to fix her bed and then opened her breakfast  I got that in front of her and she seemed happy.  I was ready to get that last hour of sleep that I so needed.  This is one of the few times that I rely on an alarm clock and if not then I have no idea when I would have woken up.  However, it went off promptly at 7a and I of course didn’t want to get out of bed.  I really wish that I slept this well every night or even some what close to it.  I think that I would have a lot less complaints with my body and the world as a whole. 

This time Gator was all nestled asleep in her bed.  I of course had to use the restroom again.  It’s times like this that I wonder where does all of that fluid come from considering that I didn’t drink anything when I was up an hour ago.  You’d think that my bladder would be empty. 

I made my way to the kitchen and everything was all quiet until shortly after I turned on the TV to listen to the news.  That is when the monster woke up from her sleep.  She started crying but I managed to get her to stop.  I was able to finish my so called breakfast (a couple bowls of cereal & a banana) and then shuffle off to the bathroom.  Take my meds and then get dressed.  When I was done with that I went back to hand feed Gator her left overs from breakfast.  It just so happened to be duck and she was crazy about it.  She gobbled up a good portion of what was left.  Then I grabbed my water bottle and phone and shuffled off to the basement. 

Logged on to the work computer and got logged into all of the systems I am going to need.  Went through my morning tasks what I remembered to do.  Then just realized what I forgot and went through that quickly.  I am so ready to climb back into bed.  That’s the problem with a double dose it makes me just want to sleep for hours and hours and hours.  I wake up with what I am told is the hang over affect and it’s difficult to get moving. 

My hope is that breakfast will kick in soon and wake me up.  If not I may just fall back asleep.  According to my work calendar I am essentially done for the day except for lunch that is until some problem crops up and I need to deal with it.  If it’s all quiet all day long (that’s too good to be true on a Monday) then I really will be done.  I need to stay awake or at least alert so if anything fires off I can deal with it.  Otherwise I would be back asleep.  It’s no comfort to me now but next Monday at this hour I will be sleeping and not have to worry about work. 

I have scheduled my 3rd COVID booster for Saturday.  I plan to do that and then go for pizza so long as my blood sugar allows.  It’s an afternoon appointment.  I chose Saturday because I will probably be out of commission on Sunday if this has the same affect the other shots had and that way I can hit up the grocery store on Monday or so I hope.  I may just try to incorporate shopping into my Saturday routine to be safe. 

That is really all I have at the moment.  Hoping for a quiet week that is BS free but I know that is asking for a lot since my boss is still around.  Maybe with any luck we will hear about pay raises but I don’t anticipate that to happen until mid to late July. 

Wishing you all the best for the week ahead.  May it be fast moving and the weekend be extra slow.  Take care, stay hydrated and cool. 

Gator’s Big Day

I am very proud to announce that today is Gator’s 18th Birthday.  I wondered a few times if we would make it to today but here we are.  Here’s to many more.  She of course has no idea that today is her birthday or what that means.  However, I woke up early for her and got her breakfast.  I spent a few minutes with her and she watched me walk out the door wishing her a happy birthday and telling her that I would see her tonight. 

I have looked after her on camera a couple times.  She was at the top of the steps by the vacuum cleaner.  She loves to catch me by surprise when I come upstairs.  She can blend in there really well and she loves to see the look of panic on my face, like where in the world could she have gone to.  She has gone from sleeping in my room to sleeping on the couch.  From what I can see doesn’t look like she has touched much of her food.  However, she will get more fresh stuff tonight. 

I look forward to seeing her and spending the evening with her tending to her needs and cravings.  Today it is all worth it.  Quite a milestone birthday that many cats don’t get to see or if they do they aren’t in as good of shape as she is. 

Nothing much going on here at work.  This morning was busy with catching up from the holiday.  I also had to backup some data and take some screen shots since my laptop will be swapped out. I’ve got a meeting about that later this afternoon, it’s the last meeting before the day is done.  I don’t expect that it will take long but when were done that is when I plan to walk out the door so I can get home to my baby. 

I heard the lawn mower guys when I was listening and watching Gator on camera early this morning.  I also got a note that my radar detector was delivered.  I’ve got no reason to believe that it won’t be there when I get home but I am a little nervous considering the value. 

It was really difficult to come in today.  Partly because of Gator’s birthday and partly because I really didn’t have a whole lot of sleep.  I think tonight I will pass out with out a problem.  I just hope the little woman doesn’t wake me.  I try to make sure that she has some pate food instead of gravy food before I turn in.  Gravy doesn’t stick with her nearly as long as something solid.  Usually it’s a 2a wake up call if not before.  Her timing isn’t ever the greatest and I think I would be pretty shocked if I actually got to go an entire night with out her bothering me.  I don’t mind taking care of her but just wish my body would permit me to go right back to sleep instead of having to stay up for an hour and then go back to sleep.  That is what gets old.  It’s not her fault just part of my insomnia, I think if she realized what she was doing she wouldn’t wake me at all.  However, I think her stomach gets a hunger pain and she just starts in not knowing if it’s going to be easy or difficult to wake me, the sooner she starts the better for her.

Looking forward to finishing off the pizza when I get home.  I plan to eat it cold.  I bought some Klondike Ice Cream Cones.  There is unicorn and vanilla.  I thought there was also a chocolate in the bunch but nope.  They are pretty good for being frozen and so small. 

I’ve got a few minutes and then it will be meeting time again.  Just about done for the day just a few more hours.  I hope the ride home is as fast & smooth as the ride in.  I know it’s 100 out and I don’t look forward to driving in that but at the same time my office has been 70 all day and it’s really cold.  I think that is part of my employers plan on fighting COVID, just make it so cold germs can’t survive.  The coolest it’s been in here in the past 24 hours has been 66 degrees, that was probably overnight.  My house gets a little chilly in the middle of the night on occasion. 

Hope your having a great Tuesday.  Be safe and stay well.  I plan to talk with you all again soon.  

No Patience

While I realize that I only got my new chair on Friday, I am disappointed when I come down to sit in it because of the broken gas lift.  I kept obsessing over ways to potentially resolve the issue and just opted to bite the bullet and purchase a new gas lift.  It should be here tomorrow.  I thought about getting a clamp that costs much less and that would do the trick but what if when the replacement part arrives they want the defective unit back, plus what if I want to make an adjustment that would just be awkward.  Which is why I opted to pay for the new gas lift.  It’s rated at holding 1,000 pounds and while I am on the heavy side I am no where close to 1,000 pounds nor do I want to be.  Patience is not my strong suite when it comes to certain things and this is just one of them.  I am beyond pissed and if it wasn’t such a large job to disassemble and reassemble a new chair I’d box the fucker up and take it back.  If I had another day off work that’s probably where we would be at but I have to go back tomorrow. 

Amazon was already getting an order from me today and I just threw that in.  Gator needed some filters for the fountain and pee pads to go under the fountain because it leaks.  Not sure if it’s her or the fountain that is defective but it’s a small price to pay to keep her happy.  I got a few things for me as well, not everything will come tomorrow but the important things.  The rest of it will trickle in through out the week. 

No surprise I woke up sore.  I broke out the shiatsu massage cushion I have to help break up the knots.  I can be knot free and use this thing, regardless I am always sore the next day.  It hurt like hell but it did some work on the knots, not sure if it was exactly good work.  I followed up with a brief foam rolling session and then relaxed until it was time for bed.  When I went from my chair to the bed I already knew that the morning would suck. 

Gator tried to wake me a couple times during the night.  I think I actually got up 1 time to feed her, the rest I just laid in bed and she gave up pretty quick. 

I rolled out of bed at 8a and grabbed breakfast, fed gator as well.  She was all sacked out on the couch and I actually woke her up for a change.  She was pleased as punch to see me.  Even happier when I put some food on the floor.  She wasn’t wild about getting up to eat it but she managed.  I like to keep her moving as much as possible so she gets some exercise but like me it’s no where near enough. 

Gulped down my pills and then threw on some clothes.  Headed to the car wash and then the grocery store.  I still had bugs on the windshield that I had to manually remove.  I also noticed some new chips which I wasn’t happy about.  Windshield glass for me holds up for about 3 years and then after that I start getting chips, cracks or something winds up hitting it that it needs to be replaced.  I’ve patched up all of the cracks in this one myself.  I know auto insurance covers it and a pro would do a much better job.  I know eventually I will either need a new windshield or get a new vehicle, so it’s a timing gamble.  It’s still in really good shape for being 5 years old.  Not exactly sure why rocks or objects start to fly towards me but freeway or interstate travel that is just one of the risks you take. 

Came home and unloaded and put the groceries away.  Sat with Gator for a bit and got her some more food.  Then watched a little TV.  Got sleepy and headed back to bed.  She came to wake me as it was getting close to lunch time and we can’t miss a feeding for her. 

Fed her and then grabbed a snack aka junk food for me and my so called lunch.  Then worked on replacing the water and filter in her fountain.  Vacuumed and took out the trash.  Cleaned the windshield and got the spots off of the back window of my vehicle.  Moved the chair box out of the living room.  Then came down and entered in what I spent to the computer and went on to place my Amazon order.  Here we are blogging away. 

Threw the laundry in the dryer.  It just went off so I will be tending to that soon.

On a different note, last night scrolling through my IG random feed of videos they think I’d be interested in.  I saw an odd one of Charlie Puth and watched it.  It was a TikTok repost but damn he wasn’t wearing any clothes and almost showed the goods but stopped short.  He’s horny and well so am I.  That led me to install TikTok on my phone and sign up for an account.  I only followed him but I get all of this random shit that shows up.  Not exactly pleased about how that app works and it may be short lived on my phone.  A porn star said the other day in my feed that he thinks Charlie is trying to post his own nudes and he should.  Yeah I’ll agree with that but I honestly think more than anything it’s just PR and he has no intention of showing any skin.  He has already showed off his booty when he was younger and a fine booty it is.  The most skin I think we will see are shirtless photos and I am good with that but always of course thirsty for more.  Not exactly sure why because everyone has pretty much universal body parts and when you’ve seen one you have seen them all.  Just some are larger than others and that of course is always nice to see.  There is some footage of Charlie whacking off but it doesn’t show his face, there is no audio and therefore it’s just taking someone's word that it is him.  I mean it could be him but it could also be some random guy.  There is no question that Charlie has a high sex drive and is horny based on all of his posts.  I tend to read into those situations and that can get me in to trouble.  It’s also odd that it’s hot and erotic to post a nude but once you do it, have an orgasm and a moment to think, you realize it’s not a good idea and want to take it back but the second you post anything, presume someone took a screen shot even if you go back and delete it right away.  If your that famous and have that many followers chances are good someone has a copy. 

I hope your having a good Sunday.  I need to do a little bit more surfing on the net and then tend to that laundry.  Watching a tech pod cast, sitting with Gator and then figuring out what is for dinner and prepping for going back to the grind tomorrow.  Semi looking forward to my trip into the office on Tuesday, I will feel much better when it’s done that is for sure.

I did check the weather before I washed my vehicle.  No rain in the forecast for the entire week.  I’m laying in bed trying to nap and the weather radio goes off.  We are under a severe thunderstorm warning.  Thankfully I have a garage or I will be quite upset.  It usually always rains after I go to the car wash within 24 to 48 hours.  That’s just my luck or lack there of.  Take good care of yourselves and we shall chat again soon.  Be well. 

Rest on Saturday

Today was a day of rest as I kind of figured it would be last night.  As the evening wore on I got stiff in all the wrong places and quite sore as well.  Gator was sleeping by herself until I discovered a problem with the DVR and my shows didn’t get recorded.  I had to go to the DVR which is in the living room and fire up the TV to reboot the receiver and that fixed everything but woke up Gator in the process.  She clamored for some attention.  As per usual just as I got comfortable she came in my room and started asking for food, so I had to get up and that was no easy task.  She also complained when I was up past 11pm so I had to go to bed in order to get her to be quiet.  50 years old and I’m being bossed around by a 17 year old little crabby cat woman.  The things I do for her. 

Woke up this morning didn’t feel as bad as I did last night.  Grabbed some breakfast and fed Ms. Gator.  Went to go back to my room but she settled in on the couch so I had to sit with her there.  Went to grab my phone and check on things at the office.  It wasn’t terribly long after that some work came in and I had to login.  Boy she wasn’t happy about that even thought I was in the same room and just had to pick up my laptop.  She’s not a fan of the computer or cell phone, I guess they take away the attention or focus from her.  Kind of surprised she lets me watch TV.  Anyway, took care of the issue at work and waited for a confirmation email to come in, which finally happened so I could log off. 

Much to my surprise I was visited by the UPS man this morning.  It was my prescription from Amazon.  Amazing!  It wasn’t supposed to be here until Tuesday then that got bumped to Monday and last night I had an email that said it would be here today.  I figured it was a mistake and Monday would be the day but nope all here today.  My only two complaints are that they don’t ship a 90 day supply even if prescribed.  They also used a large bottle for 30 pills which made it look like I wasn’t getting anything.  However, it’s the same stuff I would get at Walgreens not only was it brought to my door step but I saved $14 in the process – can’t beat that.  I am so pleased that I am off of the retail pharmacy merry go round.  I only need to go there if I need something in a hurry like an antibiotic.  Everything else is now done by mail order. 

I went to take a nap around Noon and got woke up twice by work.  Two additional requests came in but they were not marked urgent so I did nothing.  They can both wait until Monday and I will deal with them then.  The deal with on-call is urgent or high priority issues/requests only or if it comes from a VIP, otherwise it sits.  Most everyone on my team won’t let anything sit and wait they deal with it right away but as for me I’m tired of working when I don’t really need to so my new policy is unless it meets the criteria for immediate response it waits. 

I took in a movie this morning Hello, My Name is Doris on Netflix.  It’s got Max Greenfield in it.  He’s fucking hot in my book and even though he’s straight I take in as much viewing of him as I can.  Plus he’s funny.  Sally Field and a whole host of other well known actors were in this it was a hoot.  I woke Gator up a couple times because I laughed so loud, boy that felt good and was much needed.  This was something I stumbled on and just had to see it. 

Around 2:45p I hopped into the shower and got clean.  Then got dressed and departed for the cat food store, post office and to get some food for me.  I am so glad I did things in that order.  I was stuffed and miserable when I was done eating.  I went to the BBQ place and a baseball team walked in.  Had to be High School but there was some fine looking boys there.  Nice to get eye candy with my meal.  This is the same place where the College Volleyball Team was eating back in February when I had COVID and I found a hunk of a guy to look at, damn tall as well.  This place has good luck written all over it and the food is wonderful. 

I’ve been thinking about my chair and the gas lift.  I found a couple of replacement gas lifts available on Amazon but it will take a few days if I were to order for them to get here. They are both under $20 but I shouldn’t have to shell out more money and don’t plan to at the moment.  I fiddled with the chair some more to see if I could fix this but there is no fixing something like this, it’s just defective.  I tried to get the lift off of my old chair but that is on tight.  I went to another chair and that was even worse.  I need a pipe wrench and know there is one around here but damn if I can find it.  If I would find it that would aid me in solving the problem.  I hate having to wait for this company to ship me a replacement.  I get to use the chair but I need to be a little bit higher to be comfortable.  It sucks to have paid all that money for an experience like this.  I could take it all apart and take it back to get a replacement chair but that seems a bit drastic and labor intensive so I’m opting to wait it out and bitch about it. 

My lab results came back.  I am astonished and totally amazed.  My A1C is at an all time low of 5.7% and that is the lowest it has ever been since I was diagnosed as a diabetic.  It’s almost like my body is healing it’s self but I know it’s the meds that are keeping it down.  With the amount of sweets I consume there is no way it should be this low.  I feel like having a slice of cake to celebrate, only I don’t have any cake.  I sent a note off this evening to let the doctor know.  Since the hospital I went to is not affiliated with my doctor, they don’t always relay the information to him.  That’s the only downside of having the work done outside of his office.  I am waiting for his reaction.  I didn’t see anything else to be alarmed about but then again I’m not a doctor.  I booked my follow up appointment with him the day before my birthday, which this year is on a Friday.  So it’s my usual Thursday/Friday off.  I’ve got nothing else on the books as of now but I can always put something down.  Chances are good with the stress level being high that I will probably have a need to take a couple days but I want to carry over 2 weeks or as close to that as possible, that’s the max carry over.  After my COVID experience it’s a nice cushion to have, you never know when you might really need to use it.  Think of it as an insurance policy.   

The lawn guy hasn’t cashed his check which is kind of odd.  I was concerned that maybe he didn’t get it so I texted him this morning.  He said they just went to the bank on Friday and if it doesn’t clear by Tuesday to let him know.  He couldn’t say for sure if he got it or not.  Typical lawn company, they don’t keep good accounting records.  I expect that it will clear on Monday now that I said something.  First time this has happened.  I paid him for the month of May, but was invoiced only for 4 weeks and not 5 like I paid, so I anticipate this month they will ask for money that I gave them last month.  Thank God I can easily get a copy of the check and I always put the dates down so it will be easy to reconcile any issues should they arise. 

I’ve got nothing else other than it’s hot out and it’s only getting hotter as the week goes on.  Thankfully I am not in Phoenix where it’s sizzling.  Grocery Store tomorrow and that will be my running for the weekend.  I’ve already used a wee bit of gas and I like to top off to have a full tank to go to work with but not doing that now.  I’ve got plenty of fuel to get from here to there and back.  I plan to be in the office on Tuesday.  We have a big wig coming for 2 days, as we have gone back to having group meetings in person.  I won’t be in the meeting because COVID cases are rising and I think it’s far too risky.  It’s even risky for me to go in at this point considering that I haven’t had the 3rd shot.  I have yet to schedule it but I will get around to it, it’s just something I don’t look forward to because I hate needles. 

Need to get back upstairs to clean out Gator’s fountain and get the dishwasher loaded.  Then before you know it, back to bed.  I will probably be up a little later tonight because of my nap but it’s not like I care all that much, so long as my automatic built in alarm clock gets me up at a decent hour so I can be one of the early birds to the grocery store and avoid the crowds. 

Hope that you had a nice Saturday!  Bye for now. 

Last 2 1/2 Days

Feels like it’s been more than 2 days, lots going on or so it seems.

Wednesday - night I saw the final episode of The Real-World Reunion – Season 3. I really love the original Real-World Series and seeing the reunion series is great to know how people turned out. Everyone showed up for Season 3 which was nice. The only 2 that I cared that much about were Danny & Matt. Danny is the gay guy and he was cute back in the day but doesn’t do anything for me today. Matt is very straight, blond and attractive even today. Not exactly sure what he does for a skin care routine but damn he looks fabulous! I’m not a fan of goodbyes but it was an enjoyable season to watch and to get an update on how people turned out. I hate subscribing to Paramount Plus just for this but as long as they continue the series and the cast is of interest to me, I will subscribe. I just turned off my subscription and glad I did. I thought it would renew on Sunday but it was actually set to renew tomorrow. Talk about timing, I made it just under the wire.

Thursday – I got my haircut, Gator had me up during the night so I wasn’t highly motivated and wound up sleeping in for a bit. I was overall drained of energy. I mentioned the rash and itching on my neck. The barber said that it sounded like Barber Rash which is a form of contact dermatitis, it takes time to go away but should resolve on its own. I made the mistake of letting a different person cut my hair last time and that person was a Cosmetologist and they can’t use a straight razor like the barber can. There all supposed to follow the same safety protocols but it sounds like something slipped last time. My new reason to keep going to see the barber, because I love a neck shave and nothing beats a straight razor.

I came back home after my haircut and just napped & watched a little TV. Grabbed a quick bite to eat and got dressed then headed to the doctor. Holy Cow he was running behind all because of two people that were ahead of me. The wait time was quoted at an hour and a half. The waiting room was full and it was all people in front of me waiting to see the same guy. A guy came in after me and he was the one the receptionist informed about the doctor running behind, not exactly sure why they didn’t tell me but that’s how everyone in the waiting room got the news. Funny thing is that guy was called before me and I was kind of glad. He was coughing and hacking – we all had masks on but he clearly had something. I was never so glad I chose an N95 mask. The damn thing was tight and difficult to keep on for the 2 hours I was there. I was the last patient of the day, lucky me.

The doctor agreed with me that I need the services of a massage therapist but we didn’t venture down the physical therapy road. I am trying to work this out on my own but if it gets worse, I will ask about that. We had plenty to talk about, traded jokes and funny thing is we both had COVID. He just got over his case. I was encouraged to get both the 3^rd and 4^th doses but I need to wait 6 months between each. He told me sadly that it was not safe to start dating just yet. I kind of want to take my chances a bit but holding off for now. Since the lab was closed, he gave me orders to go get blood drawn on my own, so I was glad that I had taken Friday off as well. I got him to send my sleeping meds to Amazon. Only since he was having a bad day he screwed up and sent both over, then sent a cancel order for the 1 drug that he filled there by accident. That of course threw Amazon off and I had to call this morning to get it sorted out. He prescribed a 90-day supply but they only ship 1 month at a time – even if your paying cash. That sucks but it’s still cheaper than Walgreens. Oddly enough they also charge sales tax whereas a local pharmacy doesn’t.

I came home and it was a long ride back because I was in the heart of rush hour traffic. I don’t miss that at all. When I got home The Gator was napping and I woke her up. I checked on her from the doctor’s office and saw that she was passed out in my room just like I left her. When she sleeps, she sleeps.

I looked at Fandango to see about going to see the new Top Gun but damn they are only showing it in Standard version now. I wanted the IMAX experience. Since I can’t get what I want, I will just wait for it to come to the streaming platform.

Friday – I got up early, got dressed and headed for the hospital. I thought about bringing a mask but didn’t. Damn if they weren’t required to enter. I got one of the free ones, not terribly happy about that but I suppose it’s better than nothing. Learned when I was there, I fasted for nothing because there was no LIPID panel ordered. The lady that drew my blood was not exactly happy, she was pleasant but she was all by herself and there was a stack of people. She was damn good at what she did, first try and bingo she struck pay dirt. She took like 5 or 6 tubes from me I was starting to wonder if she was going to take it all but I didn’t say a word.

I hit up Cracker Barrel after I was done and had a decent breakfast. Came back home, tried to nap because I was sleepy but I passed out for like 5 minutes and then was wide awake. After loafing for a few hours, I opted to get moving.

Hit up the office supply store. I got a Serta iComfort High Back Executive Chair in the i5000 series. It’s got gel foam in the seat and super comfortable. Built for sitting for 8 plus hours. I thought about letting them put the chair together but that would have cost more and I would have had to wait 1 day. I figured I would do it myself. Damn it took me a couple hours but I got it together. Me and my bad luck. The gas lift is defective. I sit in the chair and it sinks to the floor. There is no way to adjust the height. I thought I had put it in backwards so I removed it and learned that I had it together correct from the start, so I put it back the way it was and same problem. I called the 800 # and a replacement part has been ordered but it will be something like 15 days before it’s here. I’m not pleased about that considering all of the money I shelled out for this thing, it was a little over $600 which is quite a bit to pay for a chair. However, I have found the more money you sink into a chair the better quality you get. Sitting in it typing away I can already feel the difference, I would just like to be a little higher as that would make it more comfortable for me.

I hit up Sam’s Club. Of course, I couldn’t resist the bakery. They had a breakfast platter that was as large as a case of soda filled with all sorts of pastry, muffins, donuts and I’ve always wanted to try it. Well today was the day. It was $20 by itself. I picked up the other items I went there for. In the soda isle I saw Zach a red head who works there. He’s very much a Twink and wow I was so glad our paths crossed. I’ve seen him before but never knew his name, since he was wearing a name tag, I know it now. That was a pleasant welcoming surprise. Also an affirmation that I need to get laid but they say good things come to those that wait, I’m starting to wonder about that.  The unpleasant part came when I went to check out. This was the middle of the day on a week day albeit Friday but damn I’ve never ever seen so many people there at once. The lines went on forever, even in self-checkout which is where I went.

Once I got the car loaded up, I headed over to the gas pump and damn another unpleasant surprise when the total reached $52. I had 80 miles left to go but I never ever go that far down. Gas was $4.78 a gallon and I think that is probably the last time I will get that decent of a price. From all signs things are only headed up, sadly. Another reason why I only go in 1 day a week.

After the chair was together, I rested for a few minutes and then got dressed. Headed out for the Olive Garden. It wasn’t a bad meal but the Lasagna was a bit over done as the noodles were crunchy in places. It was also very hot. They skimped on the bread sticks but it’s not like I needed them. Then I returned home where I plan to stay for the remainder of the evening.

I got my chair in the basement and all of the paperwork and mail I had from the past couple days. I went to work on business first, looked for some porn and found none. Then started writing this. My next thing to do is check in at work to see how bad my email is, I kind of dread it. Back to on-call tomorrow so I might as well turn email back on tonight.

If I get up in time and feel like it, I will work on the gutters if not then that will be another day. Need to hit up the pet food store tomorrow, get the mail again and then find something for me to eat. It would feel amazing to be able to get the home project done but honestly my back is killing me and I’m not horribly interested in manual labor right now. I need to fix the old back. I probably added to my misery with wrestling with the chair as well as putting it together. My pedometer was off the chart today and I am very close to hitting my step goal which I almost never do.

It's 8p and I am truly exhausted. Looking forward to trying to empty out the DVR and getting to bed.

Hope all is well in your world and that you have a wonderful weekend. Talk with you all again soon.

Monday

I did my foam rolling last night and my back does feel a bit better but is still bothering me.  A new bed would probably help me out some as well, but there are many choices.  I have thought about getting one of those beds in a box that is delivered, you unpack and magically it expands.  However, kind of like some other things I tend to want to try a bed before I place an order or commit.  I did get a decent nights sleep and had a semi-pleasant dream about a couple of stray cats that we took in years ago.  They both unfortunately have passed but they are still alive in my heart, as are all of the others that have gone after them. 

Gator woke me up 1 time last night and after giving her food I closed my door and that is when the good sleep really began.  Something about knowing she won’t wake me up causes me to really just drift. 

I didn’t realize it but the boss man is off today.  Not sure how that slipped my mind but in fact it did.  I got everything squared away at work this morning and even went through the arduous task of changing my password.  My time was running out and better to take care of it while things are calm than went it’s the 11th hour and all hell is breaking loose.  Plus there are multiple, multiple systems where I have to change and each one has a different place to accomplish the task.  Sometimes it’s just easier to click forgot password and use an email link than it is to try to dig through a system to figure out where your supposed to click.  

Things appear to be rather calm and serene today.  Tomorrow is meeting city and that is when chaos will be back, oddly so will my boss. 

Last night I watched Liar Liar which was one of the only Jim Carry movies I enjoy that makes me laugh.  This was the 2nd or 3rd time I’ve seen it.  I also watched more car videos.  I realize that upgrading I would be giving up somethings but also gaining newer features.  It would be nice to get massaging seats but nothing I am looking at has that feature that I am aware of.  Gator was chirping at me to go to bed.  It was way past my normal time but I just didn’t feel that tired.  Funny thing is when my head hit the pillow I started to feel a little drowsy and it wasn’t long after that I shut everything down and passed out. 

With only 3 days to work this week I am staying home, plus the fact that I am on call.  I think staying home on the weeks I am on call makes more sense than not.  Because something can and often does crop up and then I am here to deal with it and not stuck in traffic or in transit.  I will be back in next week for my 1 day.  I feel even safer in staying home this week because the COVID cases are on the rise and oddly enough the county where I work is seeing the worst of it.  Some mask mandates are coming back but nothing thus far that affects me, all though that is always subject to change. 

Looking forward to seeing my doc this week.  The last time I saw him I didn’t have COIVD and it was 2021 still.  Very uncommon for our paths not to have crossed in person but with me getting COVID at the start of the year that is what has put distance between us.  It will be good to touch base. 

Looks like property tax bills are in the mail.  I checked on line and mine went up $132 from last year, which isn’t bad but property taxes where I live are horribly on the high side.  I am making it but mostly because I still have a mortgage and all of that is part of escrow so my mortgage payment is divided up into buckets for taxes, insurance (which is also due, that went up $60) and the principal of the loan.  The housing market is kind of like the car market where you can get decent money for your property now but then there comes the problem of moving and finding a new place.  It’s not something I am giving any thought to though.  I’m more apt to buy a new car before I ever consider moving. 

Almost lunch time, I’m going to publish this.  Check on some bills and then look into getting a little something to eat and maybe taking a short nap.  I’ve got my electronic leash if something happens I can spring into action. 

Here’s hoping it’s a great day for all of us!  Take care. 

Tired

Saturday after I made my post I lost all interest in doing anything.  I stayed home all day and chilled with Gator.  She kind of enjoyed the extra attention and I enjoyed her company.  I picked her up and hugged her, she kept it together for a short time but then wanted down and I almost got clawed in the face.  It’s dangerous to pick up a Gator, be that an Alligator or an Instigator!  She turns into an instant Gator. 

Today I woke up early, had breakfast and then got dressed.  Hit up the post office, new car wash, grocery store and gas station.  Home for a few hours.  Then ventured back out later in the afternoon to get Gator’s food.  My the supply chain is failing me.  Not much cat food in this area to be had, at least not Fancy Feast.  She likes Duck and also Chicken from Purina their sensitive stomach line.  For a 3 ounce can they get $1.50 for 1 can.  It’s pricy but she likes it so I bought 4 of each.  I found a new flavor and grabbed 2 cans of that, if she likes it then I will get her more next week. 

After I grabbed her food, I hit up White Castle.  The way I went I found the damn road was closed I had to turn around.  I jumped a curb but did it at a very low speed.  Well that curb did some sidewall damage to my tire and also damaged my wheel.  Shit just isn’t built like it used to be.  I was upset about it but now that I know I will never, ever come in contact with a curb again.  The damage is minor and cosmetic.  However, if you talk to a tire person you will find out there is no such thing as minor sidewall damage.  You need a new tire and that is the right thing to do.  It’s risky to roll around on a tire with sidewall damage.  I’ve fucking spent enough money on tires and right now I am just taking my chances, at least for now.  It’s holding pressure and it was a tiny piece of rubber that came off the side.  In my book it’s nothing major.  I actually found a company that sells a patch kit for sidewall damage on Amazon but I didn’t buy it.  I wish the black cloud that follows me would leave.

The new car wash was interesting.  No paper receipt they offered to text a receipt to me but I skipped that.  My vehicle is cleaner but it by no means was a perfect wash in my book.  It took about 5 minutes.  I will probably go back there just because of how well it did and the cost.  Top wash went for $14 whereas you can easily spent that and more at other washes in the area, they all average out to be about the same experience. 

I found that there is a small branch resting on top of the house by the blocked gutter in the front.  I’ve prepared myself and plan to climb on the ladder early tomorrow morning to go gutter cleaning.  Not fun but hey I’ve got nothing else going.  It’s best to start early when it’s cool out because it starts to really cook as the day progresses.  When I say early I’m talking like 7a or 8a, nothing past that. If all goes well I will be able to put in the gutter guard mesh I bought and perhaps this will be the last time I am up on a ladder for this task.  It will kind of depend on my energy level.  I really need to cover the whole house but I really only concentrate on the gutter in the front and the gutters in the back.  The front one is the real bitch to get to.  I want to also hook up my house wash stuff but I might be trying to cram too much into the morning.  That may have to wait for another day.  Thus far all quiet for on-call and I think it will stay that way.  I want to see the new Top Gun movie but I am waiting to not be on call before I under take that.  Let the popularity of the movie die down some so there will be less people when I go. 

When I am done with whatever it is I am doing outside.  I plan to come in, take a shower and cool off.  Probably nap a little bit.  Then need to get the laundry going and all of my chores will be done. 

COVID in the area is spiking once again, not a complete surprise but most people I think are over it and just say fuck it and take the risk.  I don’t want it again.  I am probably going to get the 3rd shot in the next couple weeks.  I don’t really want to do it but I think it’s my best protection and way to stay safe.  That along with limiting where I go, which is partially why I only venture into the office 1 day a week. 

No invite, text or email from my thanksgiving friends.  I know that Memorial Day is difficult because their son died in the Iraq War.  It was a helicopter accident.  That forever changed them and we weren’t really close back then.  We used to get together, have a small meal and chat for a bit.  Nothing terribly special but the invite would always come the day before the holiday at the last possible minute.  I think perhaps since I had COVID they are afraid of me now.  Plus I also think our friendship is dying a slow death, not exactly sure why.  I’ve always been the one to reach out but when I don’t they get upset when we next see each other.  The last I checked the phone lines run in both directions.  The burden shouldn’t be on one party to call the other party.  Both parties should be free to call whenever.  I don’t bother because I get rushed off the phone, I either call at a bad time or there is always something going on and it just feels to me like they no longer care, at least that is the vibe that I detect.  Maybe I am wrong but a true friend exhibits different behaviors in my experience. 

Well I need to get my meds, wind down for the night and prepare for what lies ahead tomorrow.  I also have to go into the office on Tuesday and that won’t sit terribly well with Gator but it is for the best that I go in. 

Payday is Tuesday but all of my money is in the bank, I do enjoy early payday’s, even if it’s all going to vanish in a couple days.  Easy come, easy go. 

Stay cool, be well and hopefully you will be able to enjoy some good food.  I’ve got a BBQ Dinner from the store and I plan to have that tomorrow for my supper.  Tuesday it will be back to TV Dinners, yuk.  Talk with you all again soon.