Watching TV & Taxes

I came across a network/channel on my Roku called Tubi.  They have all sorts of content TV Shows and Movies.  The best part is they don’t need any of your information for you to watch and it is 100% free.  Everything has ad breaks in it, which is kind of inconvenient when your watching a movie but then again Hulu throws in commercials when I watch movies.  Anyway I figured out under TV shows they have The Best of Gallagher.  It’s 14 1 hour shows.  I am watching them slowly.  I can only take so much of Gallagher but he is truly entertaining.  I remember back when I was a kid and discovered him, I think it was my brother who told me about him.  The Sludge-O-Matic is how he closes out most of his shows by smashing food and the infamous Watermelons on the crowd.  I wouldn’t enjoy sitting in the front row and getting sprayed with food but I see lots of people pick up what they get splattered with and eat it. 

I have completed and filed my Income Taxes for 2021.  I usually wind up owing money to the state that I live in but since my employer has been deducting taxes while I was working at home for my state that changed the game this year.  I am getting a refund.  I owe money to the state where my employer is located but thankfully it’s a very small sum and I’ve got the check written and will mail it out tomorrow.  What I don’t like is paying money to file my taxes but my late spouse swore by Turbo Tax and that’s who I have trusted.  I tried H&R Block because my employer offered a discount one year but I didn’t like their interface.  I use the on-line portal and don’t bother with loading software on my computer.  My account has 2 Factor Auth. on it and I get emails whenever my account is accessed as an extra measure of security.  I really wish that instead of getting a refund or owing money that I would just break even but if that can’t happen a refund is my preference. 

As per usual there is always something that gobbles up my refund.  I see that my auto insurance is due and while it won’t take up my entire refund it will eat a good portion of it.  As the saying goes a fool and his money soon part.  Lucky me. 

Our little Winter Weather event passed and was mostly ice.  I got the trash out last night but walked on my lawn instead of the driveway.  A little trick my late spouse taught me.  It went off without a hitch.  No one had their trash out at 7p when I was out.  However, I see this morning that at some point my neighbors joined the bandwagon.  I heard the trucks this morning when I was going back to bed after waking up at 4am to the crowing Gator.  We both had breakfast and then watched some TV until I got sleepy (when the sugar high from the cereal wore off) and went back to bed. 

I am feeling pretty much normal, just working on endurance and fighting fatigue.  When I get that figured out I need to work on my sleep schedule.  Work will be calling in a few more weeks and while it seems like it’s far off, I know that all too soon I will be back to the grind, like it or not. 

I am also fighting off severe depression.  That’s not exactly easy when you see the same 4 walls everyday.  Getting out even if only the grocery store, cat food store and/or post office helps a little bit.  Lasts week and again this week I went out for a drive for about an hour just making a full circle from where I started.  It helped break up the monotony and gave me a change of scenery.  Not to mention it also helped charge the cars battery, which goes flat if it sits all week.  I haven’t had to jump start it but vehicles are made to be driven.  With all of the advances in technology I get the impression that even though that vehicle is not running a computer is powered on and transmitting data.  That was the case when I had remote access to my vehicle, it was always listening for a signal.  I really wish that depression would leave me alone it’s been a life long thing but worsened with the loss of my spouse and I have been to some very low points. 

I have had a flood of memories both good and bad while I have been recovering.  I think about the way things used to be when I was a kid, when I first moved into this place and can mentally picture my late spouse walking in and out of the house, meals that he made and things we used to do.  While my life hasn’t exactly been a cake walk, I think that I had a pretty good life.  My life right now isn’t bad, just lonely and I would like to change a few things like where I live and potentially where I work.  I also think about my brother and have thoughts of reconnecting with him but I know deep down that is a very bad idea.  I do wonder if he thinks of me, but I think that his wife occupies all of his time and he really isn’t able to think for himself because she is in control. Perhaps I am wrong but those are my feelings. 

It’s late and unusual for me to be in front of the computer this late.  I am going to publish this and then get back up to see what Gator is up to and find something on TV to watch.  The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is back on and I have already seen the first two episodes.  Next Friday there should be two more to watch. 

I hope that your warm, doing well and safe.  Take care and I will talk with you all again soon. 

Progress

I am happy to report I do feel a bit more like my normal self.  I still have issues with fatigue and tiring out.  I am still mostly lazy just staying in my room and only leaving for food for the cat, myself or to use the bathroom.  This morning I went to stretch and felt something around my right shoulder pop, it was loud and then the pain set in for a few minutes.  It’s a little sore now but I suspect that I pulled something and it’s only going to hurt worse with time.  Ah, the joy of getting old.   

Today I ventured out to the grocery store.  It was all okay until I got home and then I just collapsed.  I didn’t spend nearly as much as I did the last time I was there but it still was a hefty amount. 

Gator continues to enjoy my company and the attention and food that I pass out for her.  She isn’t allowing me to sleep very much at night, which is something I need to change with her.  For now it’s okay but once I am closer to going back to work we will need to get her adjusted or I am going to be mighty tired. 

I found the food that she loves so much at Chewy dot com but I have put off creating an account and placing an order.  I created my account today and went to place an order, of course they are out of stock now.  Just my luck.  I’ve got an email alert that is supposed to fire when it comes back in stock.  That’s when I will place my first order.  I really don’t want a whole case but I don’t see another way to make the purchase and if it keeps my little fur ball happy that makes me happy. 

I got paid like normal so that worked out well, however it doesn’t look like I accrue any time off while I am out on medial leave.  That’s fine I still have a week and 1 floating holiday that I have accrued to fall back on.  Communication with my co-worker has stopped and no one is really reaching out to me, which is all normal and fine.  My boss did try to reach me over the weekend but my phone was turned off and he didn’t bother to leave a message. 

I found out last night that the horrendous hospital bill I managed to rack up was paid along with the doctors fees.  I expected that is the way it would work out but I will admit I was holding my breath a bit.  I have to pay my new co-pay amount to my doctor’s office for our last virtual video visit but that’s fine.

I gave a go at filing my taxes and the numbers look really great right now.  I do think there is something wrong and there is a form I need that hasn’t been published yet.  Once that is made available I will go back over my taxes a second time and then file.  I still have to shell out some money from the way it looks but there is a bunch coming back to me, which is not normal and why I think something is wrong.  I’ve got plenty of time but like to file early to get it over and done with. 

Can’t believe that it is already the start of the 2nd month of the new year.  Last month got off to a really bad start for me.  I hope that this month things are better and that by March I am back to work.  It’s kind of all up to me and I really don’t want to entertain the idea of going back until I can get rid of this fatigue and get my energy back, then get Gator to permit me to sleep at night and I should be back in business.  First of the month is always a busy time for me at work and I suppose that is now true for someone else, I am not terribly worried about it but I am concerned about what shape things will be in when I go back and have to clean up and catch up, that is the part I really don’t look forward to. 

Well back up to be with the fur monster and see what I can find on TV.  Hope that your staying warm and that you are safe.  Talk with you all again soon.  

Last week of January

The week was okay, I had a day where I didn’t feel the greatest. I had another day where Gator had me up serving food a couple times during the night and she loves to wake me a ½ hour before it’s time to actually wake up.

We had our first real snow fall of the year and got about 3 inches. It looked so pretty, especially because I didn’t have to get out in it. Those are the best kind of snowfalls. Of course, with snow rain always follows in a few days to help wash it away. That rainy day was Saturday. I opted to stay home and sleep and watch TV. I did get in front of my laptop quick enough to gather some data that I need for my daily report and I used my phone to browse social media but that was it. The bulk of the day was spent watching TV and napping. It was good to let my hair down, so to speak.

Today was crunch time. I had to hit up the post office, cat food store and grocery store in one trip. That was not fun but I lived through it, even though I forgot cheese. I’ve also paid my bills and even started on my taxes. Oh, what fun taxes. Last year I walked away with a few dollars and this year I will walk away with a few dollars less. I get a nice refund from the Federal Government but my state eats most of that up, then throw in the cost of the software & filing and presto I walk away with maybe $100. Last year I filed on 02-01, but this year I am holding off for a little bit. I will for sure file in February because my Identity was stolen several years ago and the fraudsters filed in February so when I went to file in March, they already got their money and that’s when I learned the unfortunate news. It was a small nightmare but I survived. It did take much longer to get my actual refund but I don’t bank on my refund like I did in years past when I was younger.

My auto insurance will renew in March so there is more money to part with and it will be time to pay the post office again. Good thing I have some savings so these aren’t devastating expenses but it still sucks to shell out a bunch of money regardless what it’s for. I have never liked parting with my money but it’s one of those necessary evils.

My co-worker is closer to having his kid and that means this wonderful morning report we do as a team will be done solo by me. I am not looking forward to it. He is so lucky because he gets 12 weeks of paid leave and he can take the first 6 weeks however he wants. The last 6 weeks have to be taken consecutive and none of this affects his PTO time. It’s a great benefit from a great employer. I kind of wish I was having a kid so I could escape for 12 weeks, lord knows I need a vacation.

Looks like indoor dining has reopened in my area, I found that out this morning when I got out. I will for sure be going some place next week, provided it lasts that long. The infection rate always seems to rise once they open things up because people start getting back too normal. I expect this will be a temporary allowance and expect that we will eventually go back to prohibiting indoor dining. Speaking about the virus. I found that I can register both with the state/county where I live and also the state/county where I work. I’ve done both and am waiting to see who tells me first that my shot is available. I am not a front-line worker and while my job is considered essential, I can easily work from home. I told both about my health conditions, which will give me some priority but it is still going to be sometime before I go to get my Faucci Ouchy.

I still have to do house cleaning and I am having a California Pizza Kitchen Margarita Pizza (I know I probably spelled that wrong). I will be using my pizza stone and am looking forward to it. Of course, the grocery store is gearing up for the Super Bowl and that is one day I try to avoid. You can walk through an empty store but only if you wait until close to game time. Of course, most things are gone and if you’re looking for chips, forget about it.

It’s hard to believe that we will start on the 2^nd month of the year. Where oh where did January go?

I have found that on social media there are people who are expressing displeasure for our current president. Just my opinion but he’s far better than what we had. That said, I am sick of politics and mute or unfollow those that choose to talk about it in a negative tone. The county needs to heal, it’s a large open wound that will close slowly. We don’t need more salt we need more healing. That too is just my opinion. I wish we could all just get along; the world would be a much nicer place!

Nothing really remarkable to talk about, just wanted to put out a few words to let you all know that I am still among the living. I hope that your week was good and that next week will be even better. Take care of yourselves and stay warm. I will talk with you peeps again soon.

 

Yanni’s Nikki Nanna (We Are One)

The usual chaos

Ah, thank goodness yet another week has come to a close.  On-call has been really quiet which seems to be a theme lately for not just me but everyone on my team.  I have had 1 call so far this week and considering that I am salaried now that is a good thing.  It wasn’t more than a 10 minute fix.  I love quick and easy when it comes to on-call. 

Friday’s commute home was a little tricky we had snow but our temps were really low so it was melting due to the chemicals and then refreezing causing patches of ice.  I did some fishtailing myself and that was enough of a warning for me to take easier than I already was.  My top speed was 50 on the highway and the low speed was 15.  Thankfully most people left work early because of the experience we had last month.  What that meant for me is not too many people out and while I went slower I was able to get home in a reasonable amount of time. 

My brother called on Thursday evening to tell me once again he broke up with the bimbo.  What a complete shocker that was, not.  I listened to him drone on and on about her and what he went through this time.  Then I told him that if this really wasn’t the last time and he got back with her that I didn’t want to hear about it and we would probably part ways.  It’s exhausting listening to his story of back and forth, when it was obvious that he should have dropped her like a hot potato many, many, many moons ago.  I know I have thought that they were done before but this time does sound different, he changed the locks again and moved out all of her stuff.  He doesn’t want her to have any reason to come over, which makes sense to me.  So hopefully this is the last of that drama. 

My friend that I usually spend the holidays with ventured out last week on Sunday when we had all that ice.  He fell and broke his shoulder.  It sounds like he will need surgery but last I heard that was up in the air.  He’s not real great with communication but he was quick to reach out for sympathy.  While not able to talk on the phone he was able to text and post his issue on social media.  I do hope the best for him, surgery at any age is risky but when you get up in years the risks are more likely to occur. 

My other friend call to tell me that his former sister in law called him and one of his late wife’s kids has been diagnosed with colon cancer.  They have yet to meet with a surgeon but it’s going to happen soon.  That brought back a flood of memories for me.  I feel sorry for the family as well as the person even thought I only met her one time, which oddly enough was at my friends wife's funeral.

What I don’t understand is why the timing for the phone call from my brother and friend couldn’t occur at a different time.  Both nights I had really good porn to watch.  In the case of my brother he yacked so long I was exhausted when I got off the phone so I went to bed.  In the case of my friend, I was able to get him off the phone so that I could get off.  It was a really good scene and well worth my time and expectations. 

No more progress in my sleeping medicine issue.  I gave up and decided to let the mail order pharmacy fill 1 of the drugs and I asked my doctor to call in a long term prescription to a local pharmacy.  Where I will pay the cash price of $50.  I found a savings coupon on-line and will give it a try but I am fully prepared to pay the $50.  Now I am at the mercy of my doctor.  I also pray that the pharmacy will be able to back out the claim for the medicine so that my insurance company has no record of me getting the medicine.  If they know about it then my plan is for not and I will have nothing but problems in getting the second medicine. 

Worked with my doctor’s office to figure out what my new dose on medication is for diabetes.  They some how think I am on 10mg of the medicine when I am actually on 15mg but taking 20mg 1 time daily.  I was told that we can increase to 20mg twice a day.  I am adding in 10mg in the evening with the hopes that will get us more favorable results.  My sugar is way out of whack and it needs to come back into compliance quickly or I will suffer consequences.  

Got my state tax refund this week, which was a complete surprise.  My federal refund will be in next week.  Which is awesome because my car insurance bill came and it went up $65 but I see where I have accident forgiveness, so it doesn’t sound like I will be surcharged for the accident I had late last year.  I am going to clarify that with my agent.  I am also still considering changing vehicles later this year.  It will all depend upon circumstances at the time and if I can swing a lower payment.  I would like to have a model year 2020 of whatever I drive.  The lower payment will be the ultimate goal but even if the payment is the same I am okay.  I just can’t pay more. Stay tuned to find out what happens.  I don’t expect to make a move until August/September which is a ways off.  If I do get a new model year 2019 or 2020 I can tell you with certainty that my auto insurance will go up and that is close to becoming unaffordable for me. 

Saturday was a very lazy day for me.  I didn’t officially get out of bed and get moving until 2p.  I grabbed the mail, stopped at a local Mexican place for a bite to eat, then grabbed cat food and finally had a car wash.  Only to find out that were in store for more freezing rain and snow overnight and through tomorrow.  So much for a clean vehicle.  I guess I should enjoy it while it lasts.  It’s nothing that money can’t buy but I’d like for it to stay clean for a longer period of time.  I am giving consideration to signing up for a monthly car wash club, then I could have it washed as many times as I want.  But it’s another expense and I think it would probably be cheaper to pay by the wash.

I bought a posture correcting brace, it arrived on Wednesday and it was next to impossible to get on, despite the directions.  It was $20 and I sent it back.  I looked a little harder and got a different one that includes lower back support.  It’s difficult to put on mostly because I am fat and it’s not the most comfortable thing to wear but it’s impossible to slouch.  My back actually hurts from wearing it.  I want to see if it helps me or if I should give up and send it back.  This one was $27.  A good indicator will be how I feel tomorrow. 

That’s it for this post.  I’ve got another one I will be working on right after this so you’ll have two to read.  I hope your safe, warm and well.  Take care of yourself and be kind to each other. 

SOMETHING SMELLS BAD

Ø Friday

I managed to roll myself out of bed and take my lazy butt into the office. Even stopped off for gas. It’s bitterly cold outside and that didn’t help with my motivation. I took some extra sleeping medicine Thursday night and that ensured that I would be okay on Friday.

The work day overall was boring but I was also productive and accomplished a few things. I realized one thing I forgot as I was driving home, but hey that’s what next week is for, right?

Ø Sleeping Medicine

Sadly, the fight to get my medication continues. I received a denial email letting me know that they won’t be able to fill the medicine until after I have been out of it for days. I’ve given up on calling Customer Service. You talk with a different person each time, have to get them up to speed and then listen to the different reasoning they can pull out of thin air. I’ve been lied to so much that it’s honestly not worth my time. So, what to do? Fight back with the old school method. What’s that? I sent a certified letter to the president of the mail order pharmacy. I sent a copy of that letter on to my doctor as well as on to the organization that governs my healthcare. This should get me some traction and hopefully bring this bullshit to an end. I called BCBS and followed up with the lady that helped me the other day and gave her permission to call if she wants to argue with them but I told her I am done. My letter according to the post office should be delivered on Monday. Give it time to trickle to the right person and hopefully by this time next week I will have more information.

Ø Saturday

Well it’s the best day of the week. Unfortunately, it’s even colder outside today so that made me want to roll out of bed less. When I woke up it smelled like a skunk sprayed the room. I was by myself and not with any cats. I left the room and as I stepped into the hall way things were normal, then I got to my room and the odor was stronger. I walked to the kitchen and yep same odor. What in the world? The only thing I can think of is one of the Raccoons tangled with a Skunk or possibly killed it – thus the smell. It’s a specific and unique smell. If I am wrong then something is rotting outside or it’s the odor of raccoon feces. They are still huddled up under my deck and I’m fine with that. Just don’t bring problems to my property. I won’t call the city to trap them and I won’t harm them. Especially because I know they have babies. I’m not sure how they managed to get through the subzero snap we had but hey they are still here. Or did one of them not make it? I have been burning candles all day long and the house smelled great. I blew out the candles and went out for pet food. When I came back which was less than 20 minutes, the odor was wafting back through the house. I walked outside my house and outside of sticks and some small tree limbs, nothing stood out. I could smell the same odor outside as I did inside, so I know it’s not my imagination. I just hope it doesn’t get worse and doesn’t adversely affect me or my cats. If that happens then I’m left with no choice and will have to act. Until then I am just praying it goes away.

I pulled the trigger and filed my taxes today. Wow, they get you coming and going. Cost me $119 but I should be getting a credit because of the credit card I used, so say hello to $20. My refunds should be in quickly since it’s still early. Once they arrive, I will send my check off to my state to pay them off. Until that happens, they will just have to wait their turn, like I have to wait for my money.

I also pulled the trigger and killed off my yahoo email account. I migrated the account to a new account and the only thing that has been coming for months now is junk mail. Given their massive data breach and the fact they overhauled the application and now want to charge $35 per year for it was enough fuel to make me say its time for you to go.

Went out for breakfast and shouldn’t have. It was a horrible experience at IHOP. I got sat close to the door so the cold air kept hitting me. I have no idea if they even had the heat on. The syrup on the table was frozen and wouldn’t pour. I tried more than 1 bottle. I did get to see some hotties but honestly it wasn’t worth it. The waitress called me dear, honey and sweetie. None of which I was to her. It took a while to get my food and once it arrived it was full of salt and my eggs weren’t cooked fully to my liking but it was edible, just not enjoyable. I let them know about it and told them I wouldn’t be coming back at least not to that particular IHOP.

Got my first ever dental bill in the mail. They only want pennies for what wasn’t paid for my cleaning. They have yet to charge me for the repair of my tooth last year. I know exactly what I owe them but if they want less, I am happy to send that. Make them send two bills, it’s not like they can’t afford the postage for the amount of money they are charging.

Got my first contactless credit card in a while. All of my cards require swiping or inserting. This has an RFID chip in it so you can scan it and go. So can criminals. Thankfully I don’t carry this card with me. I use it sparingly for paying bills and it never leaves the house, so I think I am safe. I don’t like RFID cards due to the theft risk. I think we need to go chip n pin like they have in Europe that would combat credit card fraud. Apparently, the chip is no longer required because someone found a way to hack that, so much for security.

Ø The cats

Marv is still chowing down to this day. I think he is out of the woods at least for now. I need to get his blood work done and get some more medicine for him. His IBS really destroys his stomach and I feel so sorry for him.

Gator is living up to her name each and every day. She took a nap with me today and when I woke up, she didn’t hesitate to climb up on my chest. She loves to squish the hell out of my balls, that shit hurts and I keep telling her about it but I don’t think she understands.

Momma is as sweet as ever and I don’t understand why but she still to this day lets the kids eat first unless she is extremely hungry.

They all know they are loved and that I will move Heaven & Earth for them. They keep me on a tight leash and forever seem to need food, attention, cuddling – it’s always something. That keeps it interesting. I got to see them all around me today napping while I was playing on my phone. They are so angelic and sweet when they are asleep.

Ø Winter

Well winter is still here. Were under another Winter Weather Advisory that starts in a bit. Were going to get a small amount of snow but then it’s followed by rain, which will turn to ice quickly. So, getting out in the morning might be tricky. Sad thing is the same thing is going to happen tomorrow night so Monday mornings commute might be difficult, maybe I’ll get to work from home. I’d just as soon as have all of the ick pass us by. I love snow but hate ice with a passion the only place that belongs is in a glass. I’d love it if we got dumped on again with 12 inches of snow say mid-week to make it impossible to get out for at least 1 day. That to me would be enjoyable. I want spring to come but at the same time I am thankful for winter. Reason being is that I need to have yard work done. Bush trimming and clean up of all of the sticks and limbs that fell. That won’t be cheap. Then I will have to also deal with trying to find a new lawn cutter and that won’t be fun either. It’s just part of life for me.

I hope that your all warm, cozy and that life is treating you well. Were only into the second month of the year. Ten more months to go before were back to the end again. I’m not excited for 2019 but I am excited for 2020, I think it will be a cool year and hopefully we will have some great advances in technology. Well that brings yet another post to a close. I will talk with you again soon.

Taxes

I figured out tonight that I am ready to file my taxes.  I got through it online and I am getting a whole lot less back this year than last year.  So much for tax reform.  I haven’t filed yet because there is a small chance an additional form could come trickling in.  Presuming that doesn’t happen with in the next week or two, I will pull the trigger and get them filed.  What sucks is that I owe my state $233, the good news is I can file now but don’t have to pay until the 15th of April.  I won’t wait that long, as soon as my Federal Refund comes in, I will get them paid.  One less bill to worry about.  I normally look forward to tax time but now I am starting to dread it a bit.  Financing a home used to give you some additional tax breaks but eh not so much now. 

Wondering what I did today?  Well it took forever to roll out of bed but by 10a the kids had me up and going.  They got fed at 7a but I went back to bed.  Every place I went to try to eat was crowded.  I settled on Bob Evans and it was a good choice both for my stomach and my eyes.  There was lots of eye candy and I was so happy I made the trip. 

Hit up the Hallmark store to get a card for my sick co-worker.  Then over to Target to get some soap but they didn’t have what I want.  Why is it that stores will tease you by putting out something new and then once it sells out they no longer carry it.  I am looking for Dial Gold with Marula Oil.  This is a liquid soap used to wash your hands.  It smells oh so good.  I also grabbed the mail and sent my letters on their way.  Back home for a while.

I thought waiting would help some of the crowds dissipate but it didn’t work.  We got up to 60 degrees today and everyone came out of hibernation.  I got in a nap and then went back out.  Hit up the Hair Care store and dropped $76.  It’s a dangerous place for me to go, I usually drop $50 minimum.  Then over to get some cat food.  Then out to a new Mexican place.  It was okay, they brought me a glass that was a small pitcher.  I only had 1 soda but damn it was like a Big Gulp on Steroids.  Nice way to hydrate and not have to worry about refills.  Then back home but first I stopped at a car wash.  There was a line and I just gave in.  Now the crud is gone and it’s all shiny again.  Monday the rain comes in again so it will be short lived. 

I put all my receipts in my checkbook and did a good job of spending money.  I honestly tried to talk myself out of the haircare stuff but I didn’t budge.  I take care of everyone else and for once it’s time to take care of me.  I mean I have the money it’s not like I am going into debt for it. 

Drained the Hot Water Heater again for good measure.  It’s not something that I do on a regular basis so I am trying to make up for lost time.  Let’s hope it works. 

That’s it, my day is complete.  Now momma is after me to come upstairs because it’s way past our normal bed time but tomorrow is my last day off and this is my last night to stay up.  I am tired but really want to try to savor freedom because it is so short lived.  Monday will be here before you know it and it will be back to the old bump and grind.  Lots of BS to take care of since were into a new month.  Reports is the name of the game and I so hate them. 

I guess I’m giving into momma, at least we can watch TV.  Grocery store and Gas tomorrow and then house cleaning and finishing up on laundry.  A nice lazy day at home.  No I won’t be watching the super bowl and I don’t care who wins.  Just please lord let there be some chips and lunch meat in the store. 

Hope all is well in your neighborhood.  Take care of yourself and enjoy what is left of the weekend.  Talk again soon. 

Drugs

With my good prescription discount leaving I have been searching for alternatives.  There is a site called goodrx.com they can find you savings on medications and you can print free coupons to get the discount.  If you’d prefer not to print coupons you can join their gold program for $5.99 per month for a single person or $9.99 for families.  You get a card to carry and present it at the pharmacy.  They claim you will get 90% better price than the cash price.  That’s well and good but what about my cats?  They have a goodrx for pets but they also talk about a site called Heartland Vet Supply.

I just priced out my sudafed for 3 months I was paying $18 – the retail price is $90.  I found a coupon that takes the cost down to $26.40.  That is a slight increase and beats paying the $90 so I will be using this.  I priced out my cat’s medicine and both medicines are $55 for 3 months.  So I guess I’ll be having my vet reach out to them as soon as I can spare the money to take them in.  I was in more than a slight panic over losing discount pricing through work but turns out the discounts are out there, you just have to look for them!

It’s been a productive day.  I woke up at 7a.  I wasted sometime at home before I ventured out into the 11 degree weather.  I realize that depending on where your at that could sound like a heat wave.  In any case I made it to Steak N Shake for breakfast which was a nice warm bowl of chili followed by a Frisco Melt with Bacon, Fries and washed it all down with a couple Diet Coke’s.  The older guy that takes care of kids and some of us adults was there.  I noticed he had what looked like a book on his table and I asked about what it was.  He said it was a cigar box.  How interesting.  He wound up giving it to this little girl telling her to use it as a treasure box.  He’s always doing kind gestures like that.  While he was tied up giving that box away I paid his check.  Then it was on to the grocery store and finally the post office.  I had plenty of mail waiting for me. 

I came home to warm up because I thought my hands were going to fall off.  I have gloves but don’t usually wear them because they are bulky.  I wound up settling in and taking a nice nap with the kids.  Momma had the bed.  Gator and I had the chair.  Marv was behind me in the chair.  Not a sound in the air and it was so peaceful I just couldn’t resist. 

When I woke up it was off to Target, Pet Food Store and Sam’s.  As I came out of Sam’s it was snowing.  I guess that was the snow we were supposed to get yesterday.  I was going out for supper but the snow put a damper on that.  I had a casserole that I picked up at Target.  I’m not afraid of the snow but why go out if you don’t have to?  I need gas so I will go out to breakfast tomorrow, mail some letters and gas up.  Then home for the rest of the day.  I am working on laundry.  Fed the kids and did some letter writing.  It’s all business and it’s arguing which I am kind of tired of. 

Last night was productive as well.  I first solved a performance problem on my HP Desktop.  There was an HP Touchpoint Program running.  From what I saw on the web it uses up plenty of processor power as well as sending HP information about your machine.  It’s kind of like spyware but HP doesn’t call it that.  In any case I stopped it and wow it’s like I have a new machine again.  I originally blamed my new online backup program and made changes to it, which I undid last night after I found that other piece of software.  So if you have an HP machine and your having a similar problem look for that Touchpoint Program. 

The other technological advance I made was with my WIFI Router.  When I configured it originally WIFI calling worked on my cell phone.  Then one day months ago it stopped working.  I had no idea how to get it working again.  I did some googling and got an idea, sure enough it paid off.  I had to enable IPSEC.  I put my phone in airplane mode and then took it out.  Bingo WIFI Calling was on.  It’s kind of hit and miss, which is how it behaved before but at least it’s back.  I have it when I am at work and figured why not have it at home.  When it works it’s very handy, especially at work since the building is full of metal and cell reception is hit or miss, unless you go into an office or by a window. 

Working on laundry, I’ll be loading the dishwasher in a while and headed for bed.  Tomorrow will be finishing up on laundry, vacuuming and then relaxing as I mentally prepare for what I am sure will be a hellish and busy week.

Tax time is something that I sort of look forward to.  I got my first form from work.  Waiting on a few more and as soon as they are all in, I will file.  The sooner your file the greater your chances for cutting down on fraud.  The state I work in had their tax tables redone so the word is out that if you got a refund last year, expect to pay this year if you don’t break even.  Looks like all I can hope for is a decent federal refund, which hopefully will happen.

The scanner is full of car accidents and I am so very happy that tomorrow is a holiday and even more so that I am in my nice warm house instead of stuck in traffic.  I feel sorry for those people who manage to get in wrecks in this type of weather.  Best tip I ever got was to pretend like there is a raw egg between your foot and the gas pedal.  You don’t want the egg to break so don’t press hard on the gas.  It’s honestly so simple.  That applies to snow and ice but on ice you have to be extra diligent about your surroundings.  I kind of wish this would all end so I can have a clean vehicle again, if only for a few days.  Driving with dirty windows in the dark is no fun.  Hell I don’t really like driving in the dark, I guess I am getting old. 

Cheers for now!

Talk Therapy

It’s been a rollercoaster week.  Sit back, relax and I’ll take you through it.

We had a bunch of people at work forward and click on a malicious link, it caused a lot of work for me and my team but we made it through.  Things calmed down and then wave 2 hit later in the day.  You loose all track of time and really focus on what your dealing with, trying to cover all of the bases, document what your doing while hoping for the best.  When you can finally relax and let your guard down, you feel how emotionally drained you are.  These situations are nerve wracking, but I am cool under pressure or at least I give that impression.  Inside I am shaking like a leaf but that is what makes me so good at my job. 

We have some Next Gen AV software that isn’t playing nice with a particular application.  I have fought with support but the only fix is to hack the registry on each machine to apply a fix.  There are like 30 people that use this software.  I have been fixing them 1 by 1 as they come in.  My boss said that the dummy will be on call next week and I should train him on how to do this.  Yeah okay.  So I took time to prepare detailed written instructions.  I had a call with him and asked him if he ever edited the registry on a computer before.  He said yes.  Okay so let’s get into the registry on your machine.  Uh how do I do that?  Are you fucking kidding me?  You really did bullshit your way into this job, didn’t you?  Son of a bitch!  So I shared my documentation and then he was trying to connect to his own registry as if it was a users machine on the network.  This guy is a complete Fuck Tard, he lacks all common sense and skills that an average help desk person has.  He’s a senior level person and I am the junior level person – I run circles around him and know way more than him but I don’t tout myself as an expert. 

Thinking about that and how things are not likely to change, I decided to take a gander and see what the job market has to offer today in my current field.  There are no shortage of jobs.  It’s a matter of picking where you want to work and then applying.  My problem is I have a lot riding on my job.  I don’t want to fuck things up just because I am stuck working with a dummy and am trying to get away from him.  Plus there is the fact I need more money. 

I found a job, I think I can do.  I walked away and thought about it.  It’s been out there for a month and I just found it.  1 day isn’t going to make or break things.  I dreamed about it.  I couldn’t get it out of my head so this morning I applied.  Turns out it’s for the credit union that has my vehicle loan.  If I get more money, I would have to travel a whopping 12 miles to get to work and I would be doing very well.  I am asking for a serious pay raise and they might not have it.  I make a decent amount of money but I had and still have to work for every penny.  I am worth so much more than I am making.  I am nervous though, what if the stars and the moon align.  They like me and I like them.  I pretty much have a sure thing in my hand should I really throw that away for a maybe?  I have had second thoughts since I applied but at the same time it felt good to put myself out there.  I get my 2nd quarter review on Tuesday and I think I will have a lot to talk about.  Just as long as I don’t talk myself out of a job.  I am really frustrated but at the same time I don’t want to fuck things up.  

On to a different day, the morning is going by things are flowing.  I decided to take a break and started looking at Facebook.  That’s when I found out my friend in Canada suffered a major heart attack.  She’s fine and on the road to recovery.  It was just out of left field and really was quite the shock. 

Today I was on Facebook and saw on my high school page that something happened with a couple brothers I went to school with.  It was cryptic and sounded like at least one of them were dead.  I found out tonight that one shot the other and then killed himself. 

I am ready to dump Facebook it’s just bringing me devastating news.  I am so addicted to it I have no idea how I managed before it came along.  Social Media is a great escape for me and I spend way too much time there.  But I can see 1/2 naked men, catch up on what friends are doing and see funny cat videos.  I mean it’s a wide variety of things. 

Last night I met up with a friend who said he had cat toys for me.  I am really short on money but I found a way to make it work.  I drove in the pouring rain and had what was a more expensive meal than I thought it was only to find out my friend forgot the toys.  Fuck.  I wasn’t terribly happy but hell I was already there so might as well eat. 

Thinking about money, work and switching jobs.  I went to the grocery store this morning.  I forgot to pick up my brownie cookies that I like so much.  I also bought Diet Mt. Dew when what I needed was Coke Zero.  My mind is in a blender.  I stopped for gas, the pump shut off and I added just a little bit more gas to get to an even number.  Then I drove to the car wash where I discovered my tank was only 80% full.  I wasn’t happy about that at all but at least my vehicle is clean.  I’ll top things off on Tuesday after I get the mail, presuming there is something worth stopping for. 

The best thing to happen is I have one of my tax refunds already.  I am still waiting for my Federal refund but every penny of both refunds is going to a credit card company so I am just holding money and going to earn a little bit of interest off of it.  Every penny helps! 

There are plenty of things out there to take my money.  I got an advertisement from an adult toy shop and there are a couple items I desire but I just told myself no.  That is not an easy thing to do.  I don’t like the word no but we all hear it and have to deal with it.  Tuesday will give me a peek at my pay check which will hit my bank on Wednesday and I will either be breathing easy or gasping for air.  I am just ready to find out.  Oh and I even though my OT is limited I have managed to get 3 hours so far for my next check. 

I have a very boring and long conference call in the morning.  So not looking forward to Monday, but we will get it over with and then I will find something else to complain about. 

Been thinking about my brother and almost called him a couple times.  I wonder if I wait how long it will be before he calls me.  Now that he’s back with the bimbo she surely occupies all of his time and has that strangle hold on him.  I hope he’s doing okay, but my main focus has to be on myself and my furry family. 

So it’s been a while and I hope that the trash has been flushed.  I am going to turn comments back on and see what happens.  I hope your doing well, take care of yourself.  You are the best you that you have.  No one else can be you!

Falling Dominos

As per usual, what a week!  I am falling behind at work, which is no surprise to me.  I feel the pressure to catch up but the more I try the further behind I get.  Interruptions are a common theme if it’s not in person then it’s by phone.  Seems like everyone knows my name and while normally that is a good thing and should make me feel proud, at the moment it’s causing me a little bit of pain. 

Thursday night I was so excited for Friday as I normally am.  I had a bitch of a day but getting home with the kids and relaxing is what makes it worth while for me.  I went to bed at normal time.  I woke up at 3am wrapped up in blankets as if they were a straight jacket.  I had a Charlie Horse in my left calf and I had to get out of bed and stand up to make it go away.  I finally was able to get out of bed and as soon as I stood up I saw stars.  My blood pressure dropped, I got cold and clammy – felt horrible.  The pain in my leg stopped but now I had a greater problem.  I felt like I was about to pass out and that my sugar tanked.  I didn’t pass out but it was very scary and to be all alone was even worse.  I was able to get back to sleep but it wasn’t restful sleep.  I woke up at normal time and thought about forging forward, I mean I could have made it if I wanted to.  I felt nauseated and a little bit tired.  My neck was killing me.  Then I thought why should I kill myself for work, I am taking the day off and I’m not looking back.  I sent an email, turned on my out of office, recorded an absence greeting and then turned off mail on my phone.  I put my phone on do not disturb and that was it.  There were plenty of things that went wrong but I will deal with that on Monday.  I didn’t have much interaction with my phone.  I watched TV and slept the bulk of the day.  I also took a stronger muscle relaxer which I knew would knock me out.  It probably wasn’t the best use of my time, considering that it would have probably allowed me to catch up but it is what it is.  They don’t want to pay overtime so I’m not working it unless it’s for on-call related issues or some urgent departure.  Yes I am bitter but that is wearing down.  Overall I do feel better but I still am dealing with nausea.  It’s not nearly as intense as it was when this first hit.  I thought for sure I would puke but thankfully that didn’t happen.  

As for the early morning wake up call on Friday, I think I may have over done it when I was watching porn the night before.  Helix released an awesome scene with Blake Mitchell and Cole Claire, it was wicked hot and I was really into it.  I knew the scene was released early in the morning and looked forward to watching it.  Normally, if I skip a night or two that will generate Charlie Horses.  I did skip Wednesday night but that was because I got a phone call.  I didn’t have any side effects Wednesday night or Thursday morning, except that I woke up horny.  I thought about taking care of things in the morning but got side tracked with cat issues. 

Today I kept true to my word and I have filed my taxes.  Way to go me.  Well not exactly.  The Lemon Car settlement really fucked things up.  So my federal refund was lower, I owed my state more money and it also impacted the state I work in so I got less of a refund over all.  It was like domino’s falling because it’s income and that affects everything.  As far as the government is concerned I was self employed and was declaring that now that it’s tax time.  The only good news is that I don’t have to pay my state until April 17th.  I will get a check in the mail to them long before that date.  I feel like I should have cheated and kept my mouth shut.  Chances are pretty good that I would have flew under the radar but I did the right thing because sweating it out is no fun and I don’t want to do battle with the IRS, it’s daunting and costly.  It’s a headache I really don’t need.  My fear is that I will have raised a red flag by being honest.  I sure hope that is not the case.

Now I feel like the walls of debt are closing in on me.  I have renewal expenses in February and March that really suck the money.  There is the post office box and my car insurance just to name two.  The car insurance bill was waiting for me in the mail.  I was not happy to see it but knew that it would be there.  I really feel like I am being robbed by my insurance company but when I got to check rates no one can beat them.  I am tired of trying to fight it, I could change my deductibles but that wouldn’t be a smart move.  I just pay them all be it monthly because I can’t pay it in 1 lump sum like I used to.  There is and always will be someone wanting to take my money.  I just have to get used to it, I don’t know that I ever will.  I’d like to build a nest egg that I could pull from.  

I made a bold move today.  There is a guy on social media that I think is really hot.  The problem is that he is into pot and that’s not my thing.  I know he’s gay and I know he is in my area.  This morning he posted a new selfie and was going on about how he was depressed and trying to work on bulking up.  He is a twink, young and still in college.  I’m telling you the camera doesn’t do him justice, he is way hotter in person.  Today I reached out and left a comment on his post.  He commented back and said how sweet I was.  Yeah that is me Mr. Sweet and lonely.  I could probably push and get a date out of the situation and maybe a boyfriend.  However, the drugs are a deal breaker.  I know it’s just pot.  However, I am vehemently opposed to illegal drugs.  I saw what it did to my mom and how it messed up my family, if I only learned one thing in school it was to say no to drugs.  I’ve done a good job at that. 

Tomorrow it will be time to hit up the grocery store again and fill my tank to prepare for the week ahead.  I think I am seeing better gas mileage.  It might just be a fluke, I am hyper sensitive to it since it relates to money coming out of my wallet.  I got gas cheaper on Wednesday night and a car wash.  Of course Thursday it rained and fucked up my ride.  Dirty windows are a pet peeve of mine and if they get dirty enough I can’t see which makes driving more difficult  The back window on this SUV is everything and it’s the one window that I can’t seem to keep clean.  It’s supposed to rain the majority of next week and we have a heat wave coming supposed to be in the 60’s.  I know it’s still Winter but were edging closer and closer to spring. 

Pandora now has a premium service to make them more like Spotify.  Since I am a grandfathered subscriber, it wouldn’t cost terribly much to upgrade but I am happy with what I have and unless they force the issue I am staying put.  It’s just that when I launch the app on my phone I get a nag screen that asks me if I want to upgrade.  Asking once is fine, twice is even okay but beyond that I think is harassment.  Each time I open the app I get the same question.  They are trying to tempt me by offering it free for a period of time but thus far I have resisted.  I wish there was a way to turn off this nag screen.  I have Spotify Premium and it’s nice, picked it up at Christmas for 99 cents per month for 3 months.  It’s not all that and a bag of chips.  I like Pandora even if they do repeat songs several times per hour.  I don’t see me keeping Spotify past the 3 months.  Funny thing is I pay annually for Spotify and that renews in April. 

When I woke up this morning it was snowing.  I stayed home instead of going out to breakfast.  I didn’t get out until this afternoon.  I hit up Cracker Barrel and got their Meatloaf.  I started eating it and got the burps long before my body had any time to digest those green peppers that were in the Meatloaf.  It was a good meal that didn’t last long enough.  I wanted Olive Garden but settled due to being on-call and the fact that it is a little bit of a hike for me. 

The kids are all doing good.  They are keeping me on my toes.  Momma has been crowing and under my feet, she really wants to go upstairs.  I am content to stay down here but she must think it’s a normal night and if that is the case I am down here way past time.  She is a great time management boss.  She knows my routine and makes sure that I stick to it, including her belly rub club time.  I had everyone in my room last night.  3 of them were on my bed, 1 was on the cedar chest at the end of the bed and of course Bear was on the floor.  I was thinking it would be a great time for a family portrait, something we always wanted but never managed to do.  Getting them all together as adults is next to impossible.  I really wished we would have done that when they were younger, cuter and more cuddly.  Ah well, off to see what I can find to peak my interest on the net and then it will be upstairs and back to bed. 

I hope all is well in your world.  Thanks for your visit. 

Nightmare Week

It’s not that it was necessarily a bad week but I did have nightmares all week long and woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t go back to sleep.  I’m proud to say that I didn’t call in one day, I went to work [even thought I didn’t want to] each and every day.  Much to my surprise I was also highly productive.  I got stuck on a problem on Friday that was a huge time suck.  I was just about to be all caught up, ah well there is still something to strive for next week.

Nightmares.  Tuesday’s was that I was arrested for shoplifting but I didn’t take anything.  Wednesday’s was that my family had an intervention and was trying to send me to Fat Camp.  Thursday and Friday I don’t recall those details.  Friday was the worst because I woke up at 3a and tried but couldn’t fall back to sleep.  I moved from my bed to the chair in my room and that disturbed Mr. Big Boy who thought it might be time to get up but I assured him it was still far too early.  He wasn’t happy but he didn’t give me much more grief.  I did get slightly drowsy but every time I was just about out my mind would start racing.  I’d go from one thought to another. Oddly enough I have been concerned about getting my sleeping medicine refilled.  My doc had taken care of the refills but they didn’t show up until Thursday night.  Then on Friday I get an email that tells me they can’t fill one of the drugs because I have exceeded the maximum my plan allows.  WTF I have a legal prescription give me my medicine.  I had to fight to get 64 bills instead of the normal 90 I am entitled to.  Insurance Companies suck.  So the medicine should be cheap enough that I can just pay cash.  I am going to talk with the Pharmacist at work and if I can get it filled there w/o using my insurance and it’s cheap enough then I will ask the doc to send them a script.  I’d sooner pay cash and have my medicine than let an insurance company tell me when I can sleep and when I can’t.  Fucking nonsense.  Perhaps this is what my brain was concerned with, I don’t know.  I mean my life otherwise is ho-hum quiet and normal. 

The pain for my vehicle arrived and it might be Blue Jeans but it matches my vehicle perfectly.  I bought entirely way too much but better to have excess than not enough to take care of the job.  Plus it’s sort of insurance for down the road in case something else happens.  This whole mess got me looking at vehicles again.  I saw a really nice BMW SUV but the only problem is BMW doesn’t list MPG on their website.  You have to build your vehicle and then I think you get the information.  I didn’t want to devote that much time to it.  I do however long to own a BMW someday.  It’s actually within the range of what I paid for my present SUV but there would be no discount.  What killed me was the fact that I had to roll over the balance of the loan on the lemon car, otherwise I would be sitting pretty.  The folks at Credit Karma tell me I am paying way too much in interest and should look for another lender.  Yeah, I agree and I will explore some options.  Ideally I’d like to stay where I am and get a lower rate.  The problem is they already told me up front if you want to refinance with them to get a lower rate they charge a $200 fee.  That’s bullshit and I am not paying a fee, if you want to keep me as a customer do the right thing and lower the rate at no charge.  Your still making a killing off of me. 

Speaking of money I started my taxes.  I dreaded doing them as I do every year but I am actually sitting pretty.  My big fear was that I would wind up owing the state I am living in but that is not the case and like last year thus far I have broken even.  I plugged in all of the information I had but I haven’t pulled the trigger to actually file yet.  I am waiting to see if any more paperwork filters in before I commit.  I will file in the month of February not sure on an exact time frame.  However, I will have enough to pay off a credit card that I took a 0 loan on so that will be nice and I will have a couple hundred dollars left over.  So, while I am getting a refund it’s going to vaporize.  That is pretty much always the case.  I get a little bit of money and something comes along and sucks my bank account dry. 

I got a match on Tindr but it didn’t turn into anything.  We had the basic conversation of Hi how are you and what’s going on.  That’s pretty much where things ended and I waited but nothing more materialized so I unmatched.  I wasn’t terribly excited about the match because until I actually have a date, there is no reason to get all wound up and even then it’s just a meeting.  I still have some hope left even if I was told no by the Steak N Shake guy.  I am going to try to see if I can hold off a bit in the morning and go in closer to when he will be working so that our paths will cross.  While I don’t think deep down anything will change I really hope someone talked some sense into him and told him to at least go out for a bite to eat to see what I am all about. 

Today I was able to sleep in a bit and even get a nap with Mr. Big Boy.  He relaxed me so much I just drifted off while holding on to him.  No good deed goes unpunished because when I went to get him out of bed and put him back on the floor I accidentally lowered him on to my foot and he clawed it up.  That hurt and yes there was blood.  I tried to go back to sleep but my body wasn’t having it.  I had to get up and pass out lunch because it’s the weekend and that’s what I do. 

I went out for my supper and wound up getting charged for someone else's drinking habit to the tune of $77.  I quickly called that to my waiters attention and he said that it would be refunded.  He brought me my proper check.  Once I was home I realized I didn’t have any proof that they were going to refund my money.  I used my debit card and handed it over w/o seeing the check, so that is my fault.  However, that has never ever been a problem for me before.  From now on I am going to look at the bill and then pay it so that I am not in this situation again.  Plus I won’t be going back to where I went tonight for a while. 

Next week will be jumping there are a few departures and employee transfers.  Plus I will be on-call again and my dumb co-worker will be back from his vacation.  Fuck I hope that he is smarter after taking a slight break, but I have serious doubts.  Were also ending the first month of the year and with the start of a new month I will once again have to prepare a report for the big wigs.  I hate doing it but I put in some bogus data one month on purpose, no one said a word to me.  That right there tells me no one really looks at the report, it’s just something they are used to receiving and if they don’t get it they throw a fit.  It’s not my top priority but it’s certainly up there.  I’m doing good if it’s published by the 15th of the month. 

Well off to surf a little bit and then I will be headed up getting ready for bed.  Oddly I am tired again and hopefully I will sleep deep and well all night long.  I don’t even want to wake up to use the bathroom.  I can do that in the morning when I roll out of bed.  Just one night of solid sleep and maybe that will get things back on track. 

I hope that you had an enjoyable week.  Take care and thanks for stopping by to check on me, I do appreciate it. 

The First Day

I made it past midnight to welcome in the nude new year.  The police scanner and the cats kept me company.  Lots of interesting thing going on but after midnight the shots fired and fireworks calls start pouring in to 9-1-1.  I feel sorry for them but they have to check it out.  I didn’t hear of anything serious.  One lady went to a bar, they were closing and so she said that she would rather commit suicide than to be kicked out onto the street.  The bar called the cops and I suppose the drama began at that point.  That’s when I turned it off.

I wanted to see Charlie Puth on Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Years Eve.  As per usual I recorded the show and then fast forwarded through it.  I got a bonus because I also got to see Shawn Mendes.  Charlie was saved for last, I suppose that is because he is the best.  I don’t know.  All I can tell you is that kid has some pipes on him.  He’s good looking and I am sure there is no shortage of guys or girls who want to sleep with him.  Hell if I had his looks I’d have a boyfriend by now.  Shawn Mendes isn’t bad on the eyes either.  There is also Ryan Seacrest, who hosted the show.  I think he’s totally gay but it’s my opinion. 

2018 will be interesting to see who comes out.  However, closer in my reach is my taxes and the refund I hope to receive.  Paying off credit card debt is my plan, I hope that there is plenty of money to accomplish that.  I don’t plan on having any left but hey if I did that would be nice too.  I won’t be filing until February and a small part of me dreads it but hey it’s got to be done. 

I went to bed a little after 2a.  Woke up at 6a, switched beds and back to sleep I went.  Got out of bed for real at 9a.  I was going to go out for breakfast but opted to just stay home, it’s way too cold to go out for anything.  Were going into the negative digits tonight and that is never fun.  My poor furnace is running all the time and the electric/gas company probably love me but only for my money. 

Spent the day with the kids.  Eating junk food all day long, drinking diet soda as if that is going to wash away my sins.  Took a nap around noon and woke up an hour later.  Decided to get busy and clean the house and get the garbage out.  Cleaned off my back window so I can see what is behind me. 

I had an invite to be with friends for a very delicious meal but I opted to not go.  My time off passes so fast and I feel like I never really spend quality time with the kids.  So I opted to just loaf and it’s been fun.  I had a period of loneliness and some depression in being all alone.  That’s what I get for watching two gay drama/romantic movies back to back. 

Been thinking about getting out an adult toy and going for a ride but it honestly sounds like far too much work.  So I am sticking to my usual routine.  Been surfing and there is plenty of content for consumption.

I am interested in a show on Showtime about spies and the CIA.  It’s a little over 2 hours long so I am going to break away soon and go watch.  Hopefully it will keep my interest, otherwise there is always Young Sheldon. 

Momma is after me telling me it’s getting close to get upstairs and get ready for Monday on a Tuesday.  Fuck it’s going to suck going back tomorrow.  Cold, traffic and that work thing.  I have my PTO but in a couple weeks I will get to use some and we will have yet another holiday. 

Best part of the new year is hanging up all of my new male calendars.  I have Falcon’s 2018 Calendar in my office and Brent Corrigan is staring at me.  Naked Sword’s calendar is in my bedroom and that giant gallery size calendar by Dylan Rosser is hanging in my living room.  Nothing like a little eye candy to help keep me going.  Wish I could hang some up at work but that wouldn’t bode well in a professional environment. 

Up to be with the kids, break out the cocoa butter and moisturize my dry winter hands.  I’m not a lotion guy but I am not a fan of dry skin either. 

Here’s hoping your warm, safe and had a great first day.  Let’s try to keep that theme going.  Cheers!

Sunday Fun day

I was able to sleep in my own bed last night until 6a this morning, at which time Gator decided to start waking me up.  I changed beds but that didn’t stop her she sang even louder but eventually gave up and then I was able to go back to sleep.  Oddly enough I am had a dream about the grocery store.  I wanted this case of soda and it was on sale for $100.  I opted to pass.  It had to be a dream but it was so real. 

I woke up and checked ye old iPhone and thankfully nothing to deal with.  Fed the pussy cats and then got dressed and ventured off to the restaurant where the one legged waitress’ work.  Yep, IHOP you got it.  I had a full order of Blueberry Stuffed French Toast with a side of 3 scrambled eggs and 2 pork sausage links.  Washed it all down with Diet Pepsi.  It was good but then I got the bill and knew I should have gone some place else.  It was something different.  The Blueberry was a little too sweet for me but I ate it any way.  I took an extra pill in the hopes of keeping my sugar in check.

With breakfast all done, I shuffled off to the gas station top off my tank and get my car washed.  It wasn’t until I arrived at ye old grocery store that I discovered the automated wash did a lousy job on the back of the car, every place else is clean but the back.  Looks like I had a blind man wash my car.  I won’t be using that wash again unless I am desperate $10 for nothing. 

Came home, serenaded Bears while I put the groceries away and then he got a belly rub which made him happy.  He craves his daddy’s attention like daddy craves sweets.  Yeah he has it bad. 

I started the dishes going and resumed laundry.  Updated my finances and did some web surfing. 

I put on my elbow brace and have been wearing it for a good portion of the day.  Feels awkward as hell but it helps a little bit.  I am worried that the doctor has it wrong and there is something else going on with my arm.  I’ve a couple months before I go back but if it’s still bothering me I will say something.  I really want the pain to stop.  I’ve tried different keyboards, keeping the arm straight as much as possible and even backed off of picking Bear up unless it was necessary.  A couple days into the course of steroids I was doing much better but now that they are gone and have been for a few weeks the pain is back.  As for keyboards I haven’t come across one that I am t-totally in love with.  A trip to Micro Center would probably change that but I am also afraid that it would get me in debt.  I have said I am going to get to that store eventually and everyone I talk to says make sure you bring your wallet, you’ll need it.  There are lots of gadgets and gizmos that I will find as must haves and that will cause me to part with my money or perhaps spend money that I have yet to earn. 

Speaking of money, I took the time to check about amending my return since I got a corrected W-2 from work.  Turns out it’s just like I was told there is no impact on my taxes whatsoever.  So no need to file an amended return.  All of this is because they screwed up and thought the office was in a city that it is not in so taxes were inadvertently paid to that city.  They got it fixed, got their money back and fixed our paychecks.  I just knew that come tax time it would be a mess and that it was. 

Presently I am backing up ye old iPhone to my PC.  I elected to encrypt the backup so that all of my passwords that are cached will be saved.  I need to get a text message off of the phone and having an extra backup never hurt anyone.  I will be adding some music to it as well.  I really went all out with 128mb of space and the damn thing is no where near 1/2 full.  Might as well treat yourself, who knows what I will find in the next few years that I want.  I can say that the performance of the iPhone 7 at home is way better than my 5S was.  The screen is larger and the speed is remarkable, it’s a true pleasure to use.  I feel more complete now that I have my Official Mophie case, used it last night and again today.  Looking forward to wearing it during the week as well. 

Opted not to shower, Friday was the last time I washed.  Normally I take a shower on Sunday but last weekend I opted out and well it is kind of nice.  I will be shaving before I go to bed.  My next shower will be tomorrow morning and I can tell you even after I wash my hair with two shampoos it will still itch.  Nothing a little Tea Tree Oil can’t fix.  Weekends for me are a time that I am truly as lazy as possible.  I only do what is necessary and spend a good amount of time watching TV, Movies, playing on the PC and of course sleeping.  It’s my down time and I really enjoy as much of it as I possibly can. 

Made a pizza and left it in a little too long.  Some of the crust is burnt on top, but the bottom is just fine.  I cut it a little differently so I have some left overs for tomorrow night.  That will be something to look forward to after a Monday at work.  I have no idea what is in store for tomorrow let alone next week but I hope that things are a little calmer than they have been.  1/2 of our team will be tied up with some audit, that means me and the other guy I work with will be primarily holding down the fort.  Plus there will be arrivals and departures to deal with.  I really enjoy departures, thought I’d never learn it because there were like a million steps to it, but now it’s like 10 to 15 minutes and I can have someone totally out of the system.  Arrivals well I am still learning them and there is a thousand parts to it, you have to depend upon other people to get you information and I hate depending upon other people, they always let me down and never move fast enough for me.  Ah well I’ll get it down pat as well, just takes time.  Eventually the long term plan is that I will be dealing with both arrivals and departures by myself, which is a full time job in and of it’s self. 

Speaking of work, considering how much praise I continually get from my boss and the wonderful reviews, I am very interested to see what kind of a raise I get this year.  I would also love to see what extra tools we are going to get to help us do our job.  Putting new tools in place and learning them could make for an easier job and I am all for that.  I like the fact that when I have to leave a voice mail for someone I can tell them I am with Network Security or Information Security – that usually gets me an instant call back, kind of like the police calling you.  It’s nice.

Moving along I signed on to Bro and a couple of the guys that I fist bumped I sent messages to.  Thus far no responses but they are some good lookers.  Lets hope at least one of them responds and that they are as beautiful on the inside as they appear on the outside. 

My ice cream flavor this week is Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup and I am looking to dive right in.  Plus spend a little bit more time with the kids before I have to wrap things up and call it a night.  I hope that you had a great Sunday and accomplished all that you wanted to.  We have some unseasonably warm weather and it’s messing with everyone.  It’s suppose to be cold outside but it’s warm.  Hell last night I had my AC on in my car I was just that hot.  I’ll be glad when or if temperatures even out. 

Thanks for stopping by and reading this.  I hope for a great week ahead for all of us.  Take care and come back again really soon. 

Super Sunday

Happy Superbowl Sunday, it’s just another Sunday for me.  I know a lot of people watch the game, place bets and have parties.  Sports is just not my thing.  I can say that some of the guys look really good in their uniforms.  Baseball players by far show off their assets really well. 

Yesterday I went through with the upgrade of my phone.  Wow I got there later than I wanted but walked in and got helped right away.  I explained that I was apprehensive about the upgrade due to cost and that I needed to know what it would cost me before I went through with moving to a new phone.  The sales person I got took this as a green light that I was going to upgrade.  She said $25 per month on top of what your paying.  Great I knew I could afford that.  Now wait for it, there are hidden fees and surprise charges that I wasn’t told about until the deal was done.  First, there is a $25.00 upgrade fee, it’s a one-time charge and I’ll never be charged it again when upgrading.  Second, AT&T forces insurance coverage on the device at the cost of $8.99 per month.  You can cancel the insurance but you can never put it back on once cancelled.  I always get Apple Care.  However, the salesperson really sold the insurance in that anything and everything is covered, no matter what you bring it back to an AT&T store and they will take care of it.  There is a sliding deductible it starts out at around $250 and over time goes down as you begin to pay off the phone.  I can’t go without mentioning that I was pressured pretty hard to purchase 3 accessories because that would build a bundle and give me a discount.  Once all of the dust settled with this I learned that I no longer got a discount on accessories.  Glad I only got what I absolutely needed.  I would have purchased my Mophie from them but dumb dumb told me that it wasn’t available in bright colors.  When I showed her the Mophie web page she didn’t know what to say, other than oh we don’t carry that.  No fucking shit. 

I asked about getting the upgrade fee waived, which has been done for me in times past.  She told me it wouldn’t happen.  The store manager couldn’t do it and I would have to phone into customer care and they may do it but it was very doubtful.  Yeah, well you don’t know me very well.  I was all worked up and really ready to call it quits but then the real kicker, even though the new phone hadn’t been taken out of the store if I wanted to return it, I would have to pay a restocking fee of $45.00.  So they got you no matter what.  This is deceptive at best.  Moving right along being frazzled as I was I forgot to mention before the deal was done that my voice mail is special and upgrading caused problems in the past.  So the sales person insisted on holding me hostage until the phone was done restoring from iCloud.  The estimated time was 2 hours.  Fuck I was mad and I was hot – I just wanted out of that store so bad.  She changed to different WIFI Networks in the hopes of bringing the time down, eventually we got it to around 1 hour.  I asked about checking my voice mail and she said nope not until the restore was done.  I had to watch her yawn, which was aggravating.  She left me alone for a short period of time and went into the back.  Then I happened to start looking at who was in the store and saw a cute guy salesperson.  What a nice ass and a pretty face.  I wanted him to be my boyfriend but never approached him.  The cock blocker returned to tell me that she went to blow her nose.  Like that was information that I needed to know.  Then she yammered on and on about how she gets no sleep, has to constantly work and when she does try to sleep she has to have a fan going.  All useless information to me.  She was buying time.  I would have rather taken off my jacket and went into the back with the cute guy salesperson, I mean I am sure my idea of passing time would have been better and much more fun provided that he was up for it.  Finally I posed the question about my voice mail differently and she called my number, which stopped the restore process.  As soon as I heard the greeting I knew that everything was fine.  Then thankfully I was allowed to leave.   The whole process seemed to take 2 hours in it’s self but really I was in there for 45 minutes to an hour tops. 

Remember when I said that she didn’t know me?  I was really pissed about the way I was treated and how I was deceived.  So I wrote a letter to the president of AT&T and told them to fix this or else I am leaving, I’ll take my TV and Home Phone along with my wireless to another provider and wash my hands of them if they don’t.  Bet you I get the upgrade fee waived at a minimum.  I’m asking for a lot more than that.  Start high work low – always your best option when negotiating.  All of the carriers have you sign an agreement that you can’t sue them and can’t participate in a class action lawsuit.  Your only remedy for settling disputes is binding arbitration.  That’s crap but legal fees can get out of hand quickly, don’t I know that.  The cost to file a complaint for arbitration is around $200 and in my case AT&T will pay that fee, regardless of the outcome.  That sounds a little more fair to me. 

Funny thing is when we talked about a Mophie and also the color of the phone, she pressed me to get black.  I told her to look at the parking lot at the black car, it’s a piece of shit and it’s brand new.  Then there is Bear, an all black cat.  I have had nothing but problems with both of them.  Black is clearly not my color and I will never, ever buy something in black if I have the choice of another color, even if that other color is bright neon pink.  She couldn’t believe my reaction but I told her if you went through what I have been through, you’d avoid black as well.  Bear is a sweet boy and none of his health problems are his fault.  I would easily own an all black cat again as long as it was as sweet as Bear is, I wouldn’t go out of my way to get an all black cat but if one wondered into my life I wouldn’t object.  Taz was all black as well and he too was sweet once he got his nuts chopped off.  Then again I think any man would be sweeter without nuts. 

Spent most of the day on Saturday with the phone thing.  It was frustrating, I got my 2 factor authentication app all set up and working.  I even found a way to move accounts that I had in Google Authenticator all to my preferred app which is Duo.  So I got to delete an app from my phone, happy about that.  Tested everything and it’s all working fine.  This was my biggest fear and what kept me from moving forward.  Now that I know it’s easy I wouldn’t hesitate to switch phones again if the need was there.  I had to hook the phone up to my computer in order to get all of my music to download on it and that went quickly. 

Wiped the old phone this morning, multiple times.  Got a great offer from Gazelle to sell it, so I am mailing it off tomorrow and within a few weeks should have my check.  I could have gotten faster payment and $3 more if I opted for an electronic Amazon gift card but decided that $3 wasn’t worth it and having the cash in hand is far better.  That way I can spend or save it as I see fit.  It was also good to be able to pay cash for all of the accessories that I ordered, dropped around $400 but that is normal for me when switching devices.  Got a case from Best Buy for $40 and it looks great the only problem is it easily slips off my belt while I am wearing my coat.  That won’t work.  So I ordered a case directly from Mophie for around the same cost.  If the new case arrives in time, I will take the old case back to Best Buy and get my money back, no sense in keeping something that I won’t use.  Finding a decent belt clip is hard, but I know Mophie products and love their belt clip so it should be a great fit. I look forward to getting it.

Last night (Saturday)I got a call from my pal that just lost his wife.  He told me that he met a woman and went on a date last night (Friday).  I was flabbergasted and happy for him.  They went back to his place after enjoying a nice meal and some wine.  He could have easily put the moves on her but they watched TV and talked a bit more.  He made it clear that he wasn’t interested in having sex off the bat, if the chemistry develops and the time is right then he would not be against it, but right now he is just interested in a companion.  Turns out she is recently widowed within the past year.  Her late husband had a stroke, was in a nursing home for years and finally passed away.  I told him after I got done setting up my phone I would be driving to his house and maybe he could find me a man.  We talked about how difficult it was to actually hold a conversation with anyone on-line and to actually get meaningful replies.  Dating in general seems to be a lot of people that want to get off and then move on.  That’s all well and good but not what either of us is looking for.  Not sure if things will progress with his lady friend but I do wish him the very best.  It would be awesome if things worked out for him.  He was on the site our-time when they met.  He’s on many sites but this one seems to be the best.  I know they also cater to the gay community but it’s typically older people in their 50’s and 60’s.  I really want someone closer to my age or younger. 

This morning I woke up very early from a horrible dream.  It was 5:45a and I couldn’t go back to sleep, even switched beds – it was a no go.  So I got up, fed the children and then came to the basement to write the complaint letter I spoke of earlier.  By the time I was done, dressed and out of the house it was 7:30.  I went to Cracker Barrel it was so early I walked in and was seated right away.  I also knew that the guy that allegedly liked me wouldn’t be there because it was so early.  Had their famous Blueberry Pancakes.  The kitchen messed up and gave me bacon (not my fav) so I got that and sausage.  It was really a great meal.  Then I moved on to the grocery store where I glided through the store, no worries everything I needed was in stock and I got out for under $100 so I was happy about that. 

Came home, unloaded the groceries rented a movie started watching it and got sleepy.  Took a much needed nap and Gator made sure I was up in time to feed her lunch so I didn’t sleep the day away, which I could have easily done.  My back is killing me from my massage, it’s getting worse instead of better or so it feels.  Not sure if I will be getting a another massage on Thursday but if I do I will tell her to ease up.  If I wanted to be in pain I could easily find someone to beat the shit out of me, I pay her to feel good not to feel like shit. 

Supper will be the Chicken, Broccoli and Pasta casserole with breadcrumb topping from Stouffers that I like.  It takes forever to cook which is why I always have it on weekends when time isn’t of the essence.  Plus I will cut myself off after eating half of it so that I can have some left for tomorrow night.  I know I’ll look forward to coming home to that.  I’ll be finishing my movie while it cooks but first I have to put away the laundry.  Shave and shower and then I’ll be ready to make me some delicious dinner and feed the needy and greedy furry children. 

I will be on call starting tomorrow.  Last week was hellish and I was very glad it wasn’t my week.  Not sure what this week will be like but I am sure I will be busy, which is fine so long as it’s during working hours and doesn’t take up too much of my night.  I am not against overtime but would rather not work it unless I have to.  Oh and I found out that were getting corrected W-2’s because they screwed up so I may have to file an amended return after all.  My employer says not but I’ll take Turbo Taxes word over theirs when it comes to taxes.  The best part about my new phone is that I can’t get company email on it until tomorrow when someone releases it, after that then it will be buzzing and humming.  So for now I am enjoying the silence.  I am going to under take my first big project and upgrade our Anti-Virus client.  Working with my boss tomorrow to put together a plan and Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday I will be starting.  There shouldn’t be any problems it’s pretty straight forward.  I hope it goes as well as everyone says it will.  I am a little nervous but you have to start somewhere and I realize this is giving me a chance to learn in the process, which I am truly grateful for.  I have been so happy that my boss took a chance on me – I know he’s pleased and I am as well.  This job has it’s difficult aspects but most things are pretty easy.

Well on to my chores, dinner and my movie.  Stay warm, be safe and if your watching the big game, I hope that your team wins.  Take care and I will talk with you again soon. 

The Ketchup Post

Life has been busy and time just got away from me.  Let’s play the fun game of catch up, which is nothing like mustard. 

The car…... I have an attorney now, really sad that it had to come to this.  The last thing I wanted was to go down the legal road.  I am unsure what is going to happen but hopefully it will all turn out for the best.  I have the car back, got the dumbest explanation for the air bag light being on and here we are.  I am driving the car because it is my only mode of transportation.  I don’t have high confidence about it’s performance and/or if the air bags will deploy if God forbid there is an accident.  Who knows how long this will linger on, but lets hope its all done in six months or less.  The sooner the better for me. 

The funeral…. I made it to the visitation.  I took an extra handkerchief but didn’t need it.  I did tear up a little bit but I never actually allowed myself to cry.  I returned the next day for the funeral.  This was where all of the tears came out.  I just couldn’t hold back, once we got to the final procession where you walk in front of the casket to view the body one last time, that always is a tear jerker for me.  I was a mess and could have used some help to navigate but I did the best I could.  The service was very emotional, but simple – short and sweet.  I also learned that my late friend was quite the fan of Tweedy Bird and she even had a tattoo of him on her ankle.  She was only 60 years old.  She wasted away to nothing and looked horrible.  You could tell that she suffered.  Her husband showed me photos going from present day back a few months and I could see the drastic change in appearance.  He’s doing okay but this is understandably a rough time for him.  He called me today to go to supper, but I had to turn him down.  I had just eaten plus had some work to take care of, we did chat for a short bit.  Perhaps we can get together next week.  He goes back to work on Tuesday. 

Friday… Back to work for what was the last day of the week.  Wow it was a stressful one.  Someone fell for a weaponized word doc in an email that likely had ransomware included.  This all happened very late in the afternoon, quite close to quitting time.  The person forwarded the email to one of our internal help desks and then everyone that is on that help desk tried to open it, so we had multiple machines to deal with.  It was a huge mess and actually got me some overtime, plus caused me to take in Taco Bell for supper.  Got home around 7:30 after going through the drive up.  Watched a movie on Dekkoo (gay filmography pay streaming service) called Godless.  It was about two brothers who grew up gay, had sex together and how things turned out after they grew up and their parents died.  Interesting and worth your time if your interested. 

Saturday….. This has been quite the productive day.  I wake awakened by the serenade of The Gator.  Got up had breakfast after feeding them.  Then I slowly got dressed and managed to get out.  Grabbed the mail first.  It contained some good news, got a check that I was expecting.  A new credit card came in, my monthly cologne subscription arrived.  The rest was bills.  Hey it can’t all be good.  From there I made my way to the home improvement store.  Dropped $69 picked up some water softener salt, batteries, furnace air filters and the key lock box that I wanted for the garage.  Then hit up Target and got some cat litter, toothpaste and deodorant.  Back to home base.  Unloaded.  Got undressed, relaxed with the children in my room.  Finished watching an interesting but yet strange movie on Netflix called Take The 10.  Watch it is all I can say.  It’s good but yet it’s bad at the same time. Time for a nap.  That brought us to about 2:30 in the afternoon.  Got the children their precious lunch, as I was once again awakened by the Gator.  Twice in one day, she is going for a record or something.  Anyway, got dressed and then hit up Texas Roadhouse.  Had some country fried chicken, it was good.  Then it was on to the upscale grocery store to stock up on oatmeal.  Then on to Best Buy to look at keyboards and mice.  I have an obsession here and was looking to replace what I have at work.  I use the MX Anywhere Mouse by Logitech on my home computer and my laptop that is at the office.  I was looking to pickup another one to swap out with my mouse at the office.  I started looking at keyboard combos but none of them that I saw had a small factor mouse with them.  I think that helps the whole muscle tendon thing.  I wound up leaving w/o buying anything.  Shocker, that is a first.  I just kept telling myself you don’t need this, your wasting your money. 

Got home, put away the groceries that I picked up.  Then it was a retreat to the basement where I knocked out a bunch of things.  One of them being getting my taxes preliminarily together.  I’ve took time to put all of the figures in and my refund thus far is set to be about $300 less than last year.  Not bad.  Broke even on my state tax which is okay, better than owing them.  I am waiting for some additional forms to trickle in and once I have them I can hit the GO button and that will be one more thing I can check off the list.  Looking forward to it as well as to getting the refund deposited in my bank account.  I plan to pay off some debt and to try to save some for those rainy days that seem to come when you least need or expect them.  One thing I have learned is there is and always will be someone or something to take your money.  Better to have money to pay for it than not to. 

I got the key safe mounted, it’s up and won’t be coming down but I should have mounted it a little lower it would have been a tad bit more secure.  It’s inside the garage so I am not concerned at all.  I know I am no handy man.  Even if it did involve screwing, you’d think I would be a subject matter expert.  Yes that was a poor attempt at humor. 

Got the laundry going, loaded in the water softener salt.  That didn’t help out my arms or my back any.  I am on call but still going to take a 1/2 of a muscle relaxer, hopefully a hot shower and then call it a night.  I’ll be watching TV with the kids until it’s time for me to pass out.  I have to wake up early tomorrow to take care of some testing at work because I am still on-call.  Then it will be off to fetch breakfast, do my regular grocery shopping, get gas for the car, maybe pickup some cat food and that’s it – I am done with running for the day.  Still have to finish laundry and got to break out the kids least favorite thing.  Yep, it’s the ultimate sucking machine otherwise known as the Vacuum Cleaner.  Right now before I put it off any longer or it slips my mind I am going to order Marv’s medicine.  Poor guy, he’s still got the runs but seems to be doing okay. 

Hope all is roses in your world and that your comfortable as well as enjoying your weekend and able to relax.  Monday truly will be back to the 5 day work week for me for the first time in several weeks.  Let’s hope I make it unscathed.  Take care and we shall talk again soon!