End of the week

Greetings

Just like that the week is over with.  I am so happy to see another Friday!  Just need to make it through the day and then hopefully I will have two days of peace and quiet. 

I had a few things to take care of this morning and lucky me, Rudy woke me up super early.  I dismissed him for a little bit but kept eyeing the clock.  Then I had to turn over and there was no turning back from that.  He knew for sure I was up and he just worked those paws of his making biscuits until I opened my eyes.  I never said a word to him but started petting him.  I felt his motor kick on low and I could see his face light up he was so happy.  It’s amazing that I can make an animal that happy. 

Mora is no different but her joy comes after breakfast.  She hops on the bed and once I am dressed I shower her with attention.  Some mornings we play, if she wants.  But most of them just involve belly rubs and me singing her song that I came up with.  It’s corny but she’s grown to like and expect it.  Her motor is running on high every time.  After belly rubs she meets me in the living room and we play ball.  She has a ball in a circle that only I can get out with two hands.  She bats it to me and I make it go fast and fly by her, she stops it and passes it back to me.  Then sometimes I get the ball out and set it in front of her.  She loves that and wants to take it and run with it but I don’t let her because who knows where that would wind up.  I put it back in the circle and she tries with both of her front paws to pull it out but fails every single time.  Then she looks at me as if to say “how in the world did you do that?”  it’s funny. 

I came down to start the work day early and plowed through my work.  I’ve got a report to run but I am giving some time to lapse before I start down that road.  Then at closing time there are a few more tasks to take care of and I will be done.  I just hope that not too much comes my way today so that I can relax as much as possible. 

I did grab the trash barrel because the morning forecast includes rain that is on it’s way towards my house now.  Speaking of which the trash people showed up yesterday and took all of the junk from the neighbors house.  Glad that is gone. 

Still plan on getting up early grabbing a shower, then breakfast and a haircut.  Probably will stop by the post office to check mail.  I don’t think I have anything.  No movement on the letter.  I am so disappointed with the post office.  I know I’m not the only one.  Kind of makes me wish I would have used UPS or FEDEX but they don’t have the Restricted Delivery feature just the ability to require that someone signs for the package and that’s the reason why I stuck with USPS.  I’m anxious how the news is going to be received and what reaction if any that I will get. 

Well on with Friday.  Looking forward to this day ending and the weekend starting.  I’m over working for a living and seriously want to walk away it’s just the money that I would find difficult to live without.  Have a great weekend!

Thursday already

Greetings!

The week is moving fast and I am happy about that.  I want to be rid of being on-call.  Although, thus far this hasn’t been a horrible week.  I know there is still time for that to change but I am hopeful that it will not. 

Looks like the Mistake Maker and I will be out around the same time.  i will be on vacation and he will be on Paternity Leave.  That will leave the new guy all by himself for a week.  It will be good for him and kind of give him some Baptism by fire.  He will have the boss around to back him up so he won’t totally be alone.  It’s about a month away and I am looking forward to getting away. 

Nothing much going on.  Letter still has no tracking updates, which I am highly disappointed about.  Paid all that money I hope they don’t wind up losing it.  Since I don’t fully trust the USPS site I am prepared just in case the phone rings or I get an email, I left my contact information in the letter in case the kid wants to reach out.  Part of me thinks he will be cause family seems to be important to him.  Part of me thinks he won’t because well it’s kind of a messed up situation.  I can speculate until I am blue in the face but that won’t tell me how this turns out.  I am a little anxious.

Cats are doing well, Rudy hung around me last night while I watched TV.  He was in the way for a bit but I tolerated him because he looked too cute to wake up.  It funny to see him all confused when he is woken up, it takes a minute for things to register just like with a human.  He tried to jump start me this morning but it didn’t work.  He wound up cuddling up next to me until I was ready to get out of bed. 

Insomnia hit me again last night but it was super early 12:30a.  I laid in bed and watched TV.  The cats came in to keep me company.  It’s nice but I think I might enjoy it more if I had time alone.  They give that to me on rare occasions but it’s never long enough. 

Trash day is tomorrow and my neighbors yard looks like Fred Sandford stopped by.  Someone came by to pick up the appliances he set out but the furniture is still sitting.  I honestly don’t think it’s going anywhere anytime soon.  However, it’s in the front yard so everyone has to see it, not just me. 

Weekend plans right now are shaping up to look like an early morning shower on Saturday.  Going out for breakfast and a haircut.  Then who knows what.  I’ll probably want to nap but you never know I might turn productive and start doing something. 

Hope it’s a great day for all of us. 

Not tracking

Morning

Well I tracked the letter/package and the status updates have stopped.  I see that it made it to the regional facility and today it should be out for delivery but that doesn’t show.  Perhaps the clerk that told me it would be delayed wasn’t kidding around.  I don’t get how the post office charges more for everything now but service isn’t what it used to be.  I am keeping an eye on this and will be until it’s complete, which who knows how long that will be. 

In other news the boss kept trying to schedule a meeting with me as our monthly touch point and I kept declining.  He brought it up in our meeting yesterday and I told me we spoke on Monday, nothing has changed since then.  He said oh I thought you would have something you wanted to talk about.  Nope, not unless you know something I don’t.  That kind of ended it.  I think he is stressed out and has far too much going it’s either that or he’s going senile. 

Speaking of work, one meeting on the books for today.  I don’t see any other meetings on my calendar for the rest of the week and hope that I can keep it that way.  There is plenty of other stuff populated on my calendar and in case your new here, I don’t like meetings.  They happen way too often and aren’t productive and turn into much more of a time suck. 

Insomnia greeted me again last night, watched TV for an hour and then went back to bed.  Rudy jumped on top of me at 5a as if to say wake up sleepy head.  That didn’t get the response he was hoping for.  I just ignored him.  He curled up and waited on me.  Normally he’s stealthy with his moves but not this morning when I could have used the extra sleep. 

The cooler weather has arrived and I can feel the difference inside.  The AC I think will get a break today and it sure needs it.  Poor thing has been running like crazy.  I am sure this is only a lull as were not out of summer yet. 

Well about time to migrate upstairs to be with the cats and relax until something breaks or meeting time rolls around, which ever comes first.  Hope that its a great day for all of us!

 

Activity

Morning

Not sure what the clerk at the Post Office was talking about.  I have tracked the package and there is scanning activity on it.  Looks like it’s scheduled for delivery on Wednesday not Thursday.  Fingers crossed, I will continue to monitor this closely. 

Bossman called yesterday afternoon.  Said that he is still in talks about my promotion which he is now calling Supervisor’s Assistant but the company calls it Team Leader.  Now he’s telling me that it will be a 1st of the year promotion.  I have committed to it yet, I still want to see what exactly I would be taking on.  They don’t just give you a raise and no additional work or responsibilities for nothing.  It’s a quid pro quo situation aka you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.  I am not dumb as to accept a promotion blindly without knowing exactly what I am getting myself into, only a fool would do that.  He gave me a task to do in my spare time.  Which I knocked out early this morning to get it off my plate.  I hate having things on my plate, a clean plate is my idea of normal.  That leaves me wide open for the next big thing to land, especially when I am on call. 

Got a thank you text from my Thanksgiving friends for the flowers.  They loved them and it caught them by surprise.  They are down to 1 cat now and he is older like the last one was.  Once he is gone they don’t want anymore since they are both up there in age.  They have raised so many cats like 19 or 20 plus fed a couple of strays.  They have been good to the animals.  They also had a couple dogs as well. 

Saw something last night I have seen in quite some time.  It was raining sideways.  The wind was blowing the rain so forcefully it was coming down sideways and I’m talking a Monsoon downpour.  We had the whole Thunder & Lighting thing as well.  I am just thankful that I didn’t hear or see a tree fall, that is always my worry since my house is surrounded by them.  I like them only when the leaves are green and they stay in place. For the rest of the year they cause me issues with falling leaves and limbs.  The place would look naked without them not to mention it would cost a small fortune to chop them all down. 

Looks like I have a new baby groundhog and it’s dug up two holes that I had previously plugged.  Not happy about it.  Getting rid of them is costly.  I wish the city offered the service for free like they did in years past I would surely take them up on it.  On the plus side I haven’t seen any Racoons for a few days now and am wondering if the family moved out.  I’d like to clean the deck when the weather breaks and I have some time to do the labor and recover from it.  Not a high priority but it’s on my list of things to do. 

Had Tuna Noodle Casserole last night and took the first few bites out of the hunk of Chocolate Cake I brought home on Saturday afternoon.  It wasn’t the best meal ever but it was highly enjoyable. 

More heat and storms are on tap for today.  Then come tomorrow we are supposed to cool down.  AC is running like crazy and it feels good in here.  Were all comfy and that’s what matters most to me. 

Hope you have a good day!

Expensive Day

I made it to the post office to mail the letter.  I was shocked when I was told that it could take up to 4 weeks for it to arrive.  Apparently Certified Mail is running behind.  The letter is going a couple towns away it’s not like it’s going across the country.  My receipt shows that expected delivery is Thursday.  I certainly hope that the clerk is wrong and the receipt is correct.  Otherwise, the kid will leave for college and never be able to sign for this.  Mailing this the way I did set me back $20.  Quite expensive for a letter but there is valuable information and what I did will tell me if he gets it or not.  He is the only one who can sign for it. 

My Thanksgiving friends messages me last night that on Saturday night they lost one of their cats.  Sounds like it was unexpected and the cat died at home.  I looked at Amazon for something to send and decided to scrap the idea and just sent flowers.  They will be delivered today, despite the fact that I waited until the afternoon to make the purchase.  Thankfully I had reward points to cash in at the florist but still I dropped $77. 

I was thinking about going out for supper but considering the amount of money I dropped today I am staying home and eating out of the freezer.  It’s not going to kill me but it certainly won’t be nearly as good as a freshly prepared meal in a restaurant.

Thus far work has been okay.  The mistake maker is out due to a sick kid.  Monday’s are typically slow paced and that seems to be the case as everyone is getting their footing and then things will take off from there.  I hate being on-call and will be happier when the week is done!

Sadly I have a meeting with the boss later this afternoon.  It’s just a touch point like we spontaneously had last week.  I think this will be a waste of time but I’m playing along. 

My cats are doing well.  Both got brushed good yesterday and had their nails trimmed.  Mora hated it.  Rudy didn’t like it but he played along and tolerated me.  We had a decent lunch and since I am dressed in street clothes I feel oddly more productive.  AC is humming right along as expected. 

That’s about it for now.  Just holding my breath to see what happens with my letter.  I hope it lands well and doesn’t cause me problems.  It’s all about anticipation.  I’m prepared for both a good and bad outcome, just hoping for the good one!

Stay cool and hydrated, talk with you all again soon!

AC all day

Morning!

The AC ran all of yesterday afternoon and didn’t stop until around 8p.  The power company is going to love me!  Today is setting up to be a repeat performance but instead of running for the afternoon I think it’s going to run all damn day.  It was hot when I woke up at 5a to use the restroom and the AC hadn’t kicked on yet.  It started up a little bit ago and just finished but I think it won’t be long before it’s back on. 

My neighbor showed up to clear out the hunk of dead tree that fell on his property as well as hauling away the bush trimmings that he did.  He mowed the grass again.  Then set a huge pile of crap out in the front yard which I guess is either a give way to first person who stops or he has arranged for a large item pickup to get rid of it.  His wifi is still in place but I think were closer now to than what we were before to finding out what he’s going to do with the place. 

I went out for BBQ last night.  It was okay, didn’t taste quite right.  Both the meat and sauce were off but the sides were on point.  I should have gone with my gut and stuck to Mexican food.  However, I didn’t want to travel very far since it was super hot outside. 

Well today is the day.  I’m mailing my letter to what would be my Step Grandson to tell him who is actual Grandfather is.  I’m nervous but also excited at the same time.  I hope this goes like I want it to but only time will tell. 

The new guy has made a couple mistakes and is causing me issues just like the mistake maker.  I am going to have a talk with him.  He’s made the mistake before and I have had to fix it.  Now I have had to do the same thing twice this morning because he forgot to.  Holy cow, not the way I wanted to start the week off. 

Hope that all is well in your world and that you stay cool!  Take care.

1 Day to go

Happy Thursday (aka Friday Eve).

I hope that your day is off to a great start!  Mine is going okay thus far despite an early morning start at 1a when my insomnia kicked in again.  I sat with Rudy and we watched TV.  Mora came in to join us for a while.  Around 3am I went back to bed and Mora cuddled with me and left, Rudy jumped in her place.  After that he never left my room.  He started with an early morning wake up call at 5a but I told him a couple more hours, he let me go one hour and tried at 6a.  I staved him off for 35 minutes and then wound up getting up. 

Mora looked like she was on bug patrol this morning.  She was on the couch arm looking up at the ceiling.  She cried out to me and I looked but no bug that I could see.  She came to eat breakfast and then went right back to bug duty.  I looked and looked but there is no bug, not sure what she saw or if it perhaps migrated and was hiding in another part of the house. 

I moved right along with my morning routine and Mora was waiting for me in my bed.  She has to have her morning attention, just can’t start the day with out it.  Kind of sets the tone for the day or something like that.  Rudy was busy bathing but managed to give me a couple dirty looks while he was cleaning.  He wanted some attention too and I didn’t let him wait for long.  I got dressed and peeked at my phone.  I expected there to be a bunch of junk from work.  There was email but nothing to get up in arms about. 

There was a situation last night later in the evening.  Despite not being on-call I inserted myself because it pissed me off and raised my blood pressure.  The long and short of it was someone accused us of not doing our job and that will get me fired up every time.  I fired off a professional but diplomatic retort and proved that we did our job.  I made sure to copy in every possible person that I could to show off and that seems to have calmed things down.  At least I hope so since there hasn’t been any further email about it, at least to me.  I probably should have let the mistake maker who was on-call take care of it but I just couldn’t resist jumping in.  I’ve got a pretty good barometer and know when to speak and when not to but sometimes I get into some sticky situations trying to be helpful.  I am scaling that back. 

Speaking of work I’ve been delegating a lot lately and damn that is fun and can be addicting.  I see something come in that I don’t want to deal with so I push it off on someone else and they take care of it.  Man if that’s what it’s like to be a boss that for sure has to be one of the perks.  I’m sure there are downsides and they probably far outweigh the upsides. 

Got some bad news yesterday.  A journalist and podcaster passed away.  I found out in the middle of watching another podcast it was an abrupt thing and there was an odd pause.  I’m speaking of John C. Dvorak.  He was known for being cranky but I found him quite entertaining.  He lived to be 80 years old.  That’s a long time but I’m sure it passed in the blink of an eye.  He was an entertainer to me.  RIP

While it was cooler here the AC still seemed to run about the same amount of time.  We have one more cool day before things heat back up and storms move in.  Not looking forward to rain or more brutal heat but come December I will be wishing for it.  That’s the thing about the weather were never 100% happy with it all of the time.  It’s either too cold or too hot.  Such is life!

I’ve prepared for the mass exodus tomorrow when our interns leave.  I’ve done as much pre-work as I can to get ahead.  I never look forward to their arrival or leaving as it causes more work for me.  I’m sure everything will go fine but tomorrow afternoon will for sure be a very busy time, perhaps that will make time fly so we can start the weekend.  I am not looking forward to next week since I will be on-call but I am certainly enjoying resting up this week.

Take care and thanks for stopping by. 

Back to Bed

Morning!

Yesterday I managed to do something that I was surprised at.  I stayed awake all day long, no nap or resting.  I figured it would help me sleep better.  Bed time came and I did get to sleep around my normal time (somewhere between 10 & 10:30p).  I woke up at 5a and couldn’t go back to sleep.  Of course Rudy was happy about that he thought he could do his morning dance and get some breakfast.  However, that didn’t work for him.  He soon gave up and left me.  I managed to get Mora to jump in bed with me and we cuddled for a while.  I watched TV and watched the time tick away.  I didn’t want to get out of bed but I did. 

Breakfast is done and here I am in front of the computer.  Nothing going on at work.  I really just want to go back to bed.  I had great aspirations this morning of getting a new system at work configured to do something my boss wants.  I figured out how to yesterday when he was droning on in our meeting about the system.  He was stumbling around and basically like I said wasted a half hour.  The meeting should have never happened.  Not sure what it is about managers and meetings they seem to love them.  Anyway, now that I have the time I don’t have the will.  Thankfully I sat by and kept my mouth shut so no one is expecting anything from me.  Silence can work to your advantage when you use it properly. 

Watched my neighbor cut his grass last night at his vacant house.  He tried to run over the crap he trimmed from his hedge that is sitting in his yard.  He’s got two piles going.  One from years ago and this new one that he started a couple weeks ago.  That failed and was mildly entertaining.  Kind of surprised he came back so soon to cut the grass.

Got two meetings on the agenda today, one just before lunch and one right after.  They are usual Tuesday meetings.  Since I am not on call this week, I could go lay down and relax until someone needs me and honestly it sounds quite appealing.  I know it will please both of the cats.  My back is sure missing getting massages regularly.  I’ve got some serious knots going on. 

Another day of heat & humidity on the way.  Glad that I am tucked away inside a climate controlled house.  I’ll be drinking my water and looking out the windows while working (if anything comes up).  Just waiting anxiously for quitting time to roll around.  Hope you have a great day!

Free at last, if only for 4 days

Good evening!

The work day is done but I still have to get through the evening of being on-call.  Largely that means nothing.  Most things happen during working hours and with picking up California Offices about the time I logoff is when I get a curve ball from out West. 

The boss called me today to tell me that I am getting a 3.5% raise.  It’s average.  I honestly expected 4% but still it is not bad.  Waiting to see how exactly that works out on my paycheck.  Then I will make my decision on if I am going to take it and stuff it into savings after taxes are taken out or if I am going to send it to retirement and not have taxes taken out. 

We continued our conversation about my potential promotion.  He called it a Supervisor position but quickly corrected himself to say Team Leader.  He wanted to know how I felt about it.  I told him I was fine but again I need to know what is expected of me before I commit to taking the position.  He said to give him a month or two and he should have something for me.  The position doesn’t exist, so he has to have it created, money allocated from the budget to fund it and then they start writing a job description.  Wow sounds like the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.  If you think I am going to commit to a position before I know exactly what your going to try to sneak past me, you are crazy.  I know the job comes with a pay raise but you don’t get extra money and not have to do extra work.  However, to listen to him he framed it to say I am already doing the job just not being paid for it.  Wow, that’s the story of my life.  I carry a lot of weight and contribute heavily to our teams success.  I am not about the team mind set.  I am more about the individual mindset and making sure I get my fair shake even if you frame it as a team effort.  I’d like to ask if the new position could be full time remote but I don’t think that would go over and it might cause unwanted attention either now or in the future.

Thinking about what is probably going to come to fruition made me start looking at vehicles again.  Both new and used.  I know what I want but haven’t gone for a test drive yet.  I am either going towards sport or luxury both are at about the same price point.  I really want to buy now figuring that will give me motivation to go back to the office, like I should already be doing.  However, part of me says keep what you have and don’t change a thing.  Promotion or not eventually I will be getting a different vehicle most likely new rather than used. 

Dinner tonight was a new Chicken with cheese and ranch served over pasta dish from Stouffer’s.  It’s pretty good but could use more ranch. 

Last night I heard the sound that winter is coming.  The cicada’s as the sunset.  They just sounded off again.  I told the cats that is the sound that summer will be over soon and we will move into Fall and eventually Winter.  It’s kind of an annoying sound but eventually you get used to it. 

Speaking of cats, trimmed one claw on Mora’s front paw.  I used the same fingernail trimmer that I would use on my own nails.  She had no idea what it was so she was all relaxed for a brief second.  She was sitting on my chest and kept poking me as she kneaded my chest making her biscuits.  Rudy came around eventually and I got him he had claws on both front paws that needed to be trimmed.  I don’t like braking out or getting stuck. 

Finally, I went in search of porn.  I fell for some click bait from Andrew Goes Places (aka Andrew Neighbors) and joined his OF.  Thinking that he had some spicier content, but it’s kind of the same old thing.  Looks like he might be making a change but only time will tell and I’m only subscribed for a month, then I am done and will walk away.  I know eventually my curiosity will get the best of me and I will probably go back again.  I looked through other guys I subscribed to in the past and almost subscribed to a couple of them but managed to talk myself out of that.  Hey I’m boy crazy and bored, not a great combo.  I guess it’s better than bored and retail therapy I could have done some serious damage there. 

Speaking of money I saw how much this past month cost.  I really see the impact of a vet visit and a new alarm.  That hurt but thankfully I was able to pay cash for all of it and keep on moving.  It made a slight dent in my savings but I am still committed to tucking as much money away as I can.  There is always a rainy day around the corner and it usually happens when you least expect it.  The only blessing for me is that things fells apart (with the alarm and cat) while I was scheduled to be off. 

Well time to wrap thing up, publish this and get ready for bed.  Rudy will be asking for breakfast at the same time even though I am off.  I figure I will get up and eat with them.  Grab a shower and head out to grab the mail.  Taking my time.  Doctor is in the afternoon, looking forward to that but not looking forward to getting stuck with a needle.  Here’s hoping that I can enjoy my time, be productive and have fun before the time slips away. 

Talk with you all again soon.  Hope that you have a great Thursday!

My Friday

Morning … hope all is well in your world & the sun is shining bright!

My neighbor who moved out was back last night to cut the grass.  He had a zero radius turn mower.  He has a pile of old brush that has been in his back yard for years.  High weeds are growing around it but it’s on a hill so you can’t see it from the street.  If you could he would have already been turned into the city.  Anyway, he tried to climb it last night as if his mower was something bigger.  He failed and I got it on camera.  It was funny to watch.  He’s going to have to haul that mound away otherwise it’s not going anywhere and it’s only going to look worse as time goes on.  It’s been 3 or 4 years now as it is.  Still no for sale sign in the front yard and it’s a complete mystery as to what they are going to do with the place.  That was my entertainment for the day. 

Waited all morning long for lunch to finally roll around.  Had the Sargento Salami lunch thing.  Those chocolate pretzels I spoke of were good but they were mini sized and only 4 of them.  I wanted more.  Still it’s a great way to change things up for lunch to make it a little bit more exciting.  I will be buying this again!

Finished the left over Spaghetti for supper of which there wasn’t a lot left.  I did have the smarts to save myself a meatball, which was more like a small softball. 

Sadly someone got fired last night while I was eating dinner.  I didn’t see the email until I was done.  Fortunately I eat quick and stick around on line way past quitting time when I am on call.  That works to my advantage for any last minute things that come in, like this.  Got that taken care of and then it was a quiet night. 

Hung out with the cats, Mora came to beg for attention but really she wanted treats.  She got both.  Then bedded down for an evening nap until it was time to go to bed.  Rudy followed suit.  They honestly spend more time sleeping than me and I don’t know how their bodies manage that.  I’d like to see them both exercise more which is why last year I got that cat treadmill aka hamster wheel that they don’t use.  Looking at photos I can see them aging before my eyes.  As time goes on their love and affection continues to grow as they weave their magic strings around my heart.  I’ve been their hostage as much as they are my hostages.  They do keep life interesting. 

Looking forward to a long weekend, even if tomorrow I am at the doctor.  I will wish my time was longer as I am so tired of working and dealing with all of the daily BS.  It is awful tempting to just throw in the towel and walk way.  Only problem is that I need money to survive.  If it wasn’t for that I would have left a long time ago.  Knowing that my next round of vacation is in September will keep me going for a little longer. 

I’ve got plans for my two weekdays of freedom and not sure how the weekend will play out but I know that there will be plenty of time to unwind.  I also know that like all time off this will go by super fast, especially considering that it’s only 4 days total – 2 week days plus the weekend.  At least when I go back on Monday I won’t be on-call so that’s nice but playing catchup won’t be fun.

Speaking of work the boss announced yesterday that he got approval to tell us about our pay raises.  Unless he tells me today his next chance will be Monday and if he fails then well I will know because I should have my next paycheck late Monday or for sure by Tuesday afternoon.  Money comes early with direct deposit and that’s a nice advantage. 

That’s it for now.  Waiting for meeting time to roll around and thankfully as it stands now I only have one, which is one too many but it’s better than multiple.  I just want a nice day and to be able to fade away into my time when I am no longer a slave to my phone and can turn work email off, that’s the best part of being off. 

Take care and here’s hoping we all have a great day ahead!

 

Early Night

Morning … Were back on the Monday Morning Train and it sucks like normal!

I watched some Firework & Drone shows on YouTube last night.  What they can do with Drone’s is pretty amazing to me.  While it looks complicated to me I’m sure there is some automation behind it that takes all of the complexity out of it. 

Eventually I got tired of sitting on the couch and elected to head to my room.  Watched the latest episode of The First 48.  Sad story about a young kid who lost his life over an alleged drug deal gone wrong.  The pain from his father was palpable and quite raw. 

When that was done it was time to get ready for bed.  The fireworks in the neighborhood started.  I could hear them.  They don’t bother cats unless they are extremely loud.  I’m thankful for that as I know some folks have pets that go absolutely nuts. 

Once I was ready for bed, I had a white firework of my own to blast off.  There wasn’t a big show but it sure felt good.  That lead to me getting in bed early and by 10p I was turning the TV off and the white noise machine on.  Mora was all cuddled up with me and off to dream land I went. 

I’m amazed at the little work I did with fixing the frame on my bed and flipping the mattress has made quite the difference in sleep for me.  It’s a water bed frame so just some wood.  I’ve had one piece configured wrong for 28 years and no issues.  Last month I heard a creek and though the frame was falling apart, that’s was lead me to investigate and fix the frame over the weekend.  I’m quite happy.  Although, I could use a new bed.  Right now I’m am pretty happy. 

Mexican food was good yesterday as well.  Had a little bit of rain to travel through and it poured while I was eating but was dry when I came out.  I enjoy staying dry and if it’s going to rain this is the best way for it to happen when I am out and about. 

Today is no meeting Monday, I think lots of people will be out this week as well.  Mondays usually start off quiet but it doesn’t take terribly long for things to get rolling.  Back on the meeting band wagon Tuesday & Wednesday – ick.  Really looking forward to having Thursday & Friday off.  Right now I’m just going to enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts. 

Heat wave is pretty well done but it’s still warm outside.  It’s not like Summer up and left us but the oppressive heat & humidity have at least for a little while.  Hope it’s cooler in your neck of the woods. 

Take care!

Holiday Lupper

Happy Sunday!

I really didn’t do a whole lot yesterday.  I did get up early and had breakfast out.  It was so good!  I also filled up the gas tank. 

Got in a nap and relaxation time until it was time to leave for Lupper (that’s lunch & supper combined, in case your new here).  I was the first one at Olive Garden.  Got us a table and a short time later everyone arrived. 

We had the cutest waiter, he had red hair and was covered in freckles.  I wanted to hit on him but didn’t.  I told everyone at the table that I thought he was hot.  Anyway, looks aren’t everything.  You need some brains to go with them.  He was nervous and likely just took the job while college was out.  There were a couple issues with placing orders and then when the food arrived, one person got something they didn’t want.  Soup was lightly warm but more on the cold side.  Food overall was just average.  I’ve had better Olive Garden at the one by me.  At least everyone else shared my opinion that this OG has gone down in quality.  We started a little after 2 and it was 4p when we all left.  A nice time to catch up.  Next time we will be together is likely for my birthday / Labor Day. 

I got home and got supper passed out for the cats.  Then headed downstairs to work on more laundry and surf on the computer.  Not much in the way of good porn, but I looked.  Eventually I wasted a couple hours down here and decided that I would be more comfortable upstairs so I called it and headed up. 

Mora was on the couch in her favorite spot.  I told her I was headed up but that didn’t phase her, which is totally normal. 

I went through a couple YouTube videos.  Scroll around on social media on my phone.  Mora eventually came up.  I closed up the basement and then got naked.  Shaved & Showered.  Then got comfy in my room.  Really wanted to get off.  My intention was there but there was little motivation.  I was quite tired and after 15 minutes I knew there would be no white fireworks shooting out of me, so I threw in the towel.  Started back watching Hot In Cleveland.  Mora was in my lap, sleeping.  The fireworks started.  The police scanner was busy.  Eventually it was all too much for me.  I was tired and knew if I stayed in the chair I would fall asleep. Mora’s birthday present was that I skipped her evening pill.  She didn’t complain at all about that.  

I evicted Mora from my lap.  Then went to bed.  Watched a little more TV and it wasn’t long I was out a little after 10p.  Slept amazingly good.  Had a sexy but bad dream.  Woke up a couple times, once was to use the restroom.  Eventually my body woke me up for good.  Rudy gave me my morning greeting and wanted to snuggle for a moment.  I can’t pick him up and snuggle, he hates that.  It has to be on his terms.  While his sister will gobble up forced snuggles. 

Anyway, passed out breakfast for the cats.  Then got dressed and headed out for my breakfast.  Damn it was good.  There is this old lady that comes in to meet a friend of hers and they have breakfast.  Neither one eats much and I’ve bought their breakfast a couple times.  It’s an easy $5 to $7 not including tip.  She’s been absent for a while but came back last weekend.  Today she showed up and I watched her pull in.  She waited a minute, backed up and pulled back into her parking spot.  That happened a few times.  By the time I paid my bill and was in my vehicle ready to leave I watched her do it again.  She parked like she was drunk.  She’s not drunk just old and dementia is setting in.  She is 90 and still has a drivers license, that’s scary to me.  I went back in and told my waitress, she said she would check on her.  I figured that if I didn’t say anything she would have kept up the same routine until her friend showed up. 

I hate seeing people grow old and dementia creep in.  It’s not fun at all.  I hope that she is okay.  She needs some help but I don’t know that she has any family that can intervene.  She lives alone, which is also amazing but scary at the same time. 

Made it to the grocery store and was happy that I just had to pick up a few things, which was $50 later.  I had two bags of grocery's, one jug of milk and one jug of water (for the cats).  Gas prices are falling a little bit but grocery prices are still horrible. 

Came home, put the groceries away, got naked and then realized that it was time to pill Mora.  Took care of that, she wasn’t happy.  We have one more pill tonight and two more tomorrow then she will be done.  I am pleased with her progress but it looks to me like there is an abscess trying to form.  I tried to do some expression yesterday but she wasn’t having it.  Rudy tried to clean her and made the mistake of licking her butt, he didn’t like what he tasted and stopped quickly.  Mora wasn’t upset about it.  Perhaps things are back to normal – I suppose only time will tell.  Give it a few days for the antibiotic levels to fall in her system and that will be the true test.  I hope we are in the clear.  I do not relish another vet visit anytime soon whatsoever. 

Finishing up laundry and I will be heading out for some Mexican food.  Looking forward to that.  Then it’s back home for the next 3 days and back to work, I am also on call for 3 days. Thursday is doctor day and I will get a little prick, not the good kind either, the kind with a needle.  I plan to hit up the great seafood place I found either on Thursday or Friday.  I’ve got Friday off too, which means I can hit up Sam’s Club for more brownies if I want.  There is the weekend.  Then it will be back to normal for the rest of the month, until the end of next month when my next round of vacation is planned. 

Hope you had a great holiday and weekend!  Thanks for stopping by, talk with you again soon!

 

More fresh hell

What an exhausting and costly day this has been. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alarm Results

Greetings,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Take care!

Friday

Hi

It was so nice to be able to sleep in this morning.  Sadly I woke up at 6a and passed out breakfast for the cats.  My body has an auto alarm clock.  I sat around watched TV and tried to fall back to sleep.  Eventually I wound up getting up and eating some breakfast.  Then watching TV and I finally was able to fall back to sleep.

We had a medical call and a fire call several houses down the street, they were back to back calls.  The medical call was a person having a seizure and their neighbor smelled natural gas.  What are the odds of two back to back calls like that?  Fire Department was down that way earlier this week because of a Carbon Monoxide Detector going off.

Being on call I got a couple emails that had me reaching for my phone, nothing for me to be concerned with.  Just file them away and call it a day.  I like the fact that it’s a longer weekend but being on-call kind of sucks!  Perhaps I will remember that later this year when I make out the schedule. 

The cats are having a ball hanging around me.  I get followed around the house.  Someone always wants to snuggle or curl up next to me.  It’s kind of nice.  Not the same as a person but still nice to know that something loves me. 

Feeling a bit blue I decided to phone a friend to see if we could get together for supper but I got voice mail.  Didn’t bother to leave a message.  Just took it as a sign it wasn’t meant to be. 

Went outside this afternoon to fetch the trash bin.  I got the weed whacker out and took care of some crab grass growing by the garage.  Then headed to the deck where I had several things growing.  I whacked them all.  Noticed that the tree that I share on the property line with my neighbor (who has moved out) had a large section fall on the neighbors side.  I never heard a thing.  That tree has Gall and while there are still leaves on it, you can clearly see it’s dying.  It’s going to either fall or be taken down.  That just reminded me while I am a little overwhelmed about my current problems, it can always be much worse.  It kind of did get a little worse for me.  More on that in a moment. 

I had the great idea of going out for supper.  However after using the weed whacker even though it was just for a few brief moments it was enough to stress my back muscles and I had the shakes.  It took two hands to get a drink.  That’s when I knew there was no way I was going out to eat.  I got a shower and felt better but still had slight shakes.  I certainly could have gone out but I think that I would have had people staring at me and would have been a spectacle and don’t like being the center of attention like that.  Stayed home and had frozen lasagna.  It was just okay, not as good as it usually is.  I also wanted some cheese garlic bread to go with it and didn’t have that.      

Speaking of worse.  Last night I got out a screw driver and took the keypad for the alarm apart, I broke two plastic teeth that anchored it in place at the bottom.  Now it won’t go flush.  However, I saw a yellow blinking light and a switch that apparently resets the keypad.  I pressed it and sadly it does nothing.  However, based on the testing I did every component of the alarm system has power so I don’t believe the system it’s self is bad, I think the keypad went out.  Now hopefully the tech that comes tomorrow can replace the keypad perhaps not tomorrow but next week presuming they can still get the parts.  The system is quite old.  I just want my alarm back.  It’s my security blanket.  It also helps when I am away to know that if something went wrong that police or fire would come.  Right now I hate to leave for any reason, I just worry that something will go wrong.  It’s been a few days with no alarm and nothing bad has happened and probably won’t but it would be better to have the peace of mind.

My plan now is to wake up early tomorrow and grab breakfast, get the mail and if it’s early enough stop by the bank to get some cash.  I’ve got a couple places that I’d like to eat at this week and it helps to take cash when you don’t know for sure if they accept plastic aka credit/debit cards. 

Then I will sit here and wait for the technician. Hope and pray that they can fix this alarm system in one visit and within an hour and then I am back in business.  Regardless, when they are done (system fixed or not) I plan on leaving to grab some supper.  Then just have to make it thru Sunday before my next big hold my breath moment of seeing how the vehicle is doing.  I have been looking and it’s kind of tempting to ditch service and just go for something new.  However, I know that I am doing better service to myself and my bank account by waiting.  I don’t expect a bad report but it’s the not knowing that causes the anxiety. 

Once I get past Monday, Tuesday thru Thursday are totally wide open and free.  I’d like to get the deck cleaned off and take a couple of local trips to eat.  I need to make a Sam’s Club run as well as a trip to the Home Improvement Store.  That’s it.  Friday I’ve got my facial at a new place that I am looking forward to.  Here’s hoping that this time off isn’t terribly expensive and that I can actually enjoy myself and have some fun before I have to go back to work.

Hope you had a great day and have a nice weekend.  If it’s applicable to you, Happy early Father’s Day!  Take care. 

Survived the night

Made the night with out the alarm system, everything is in tact this morning.  It’s just odd not to have to turn the system off or hearing the chime when I open a door.  I do not have high hopes that the replacement backup battery will remedy the situation but when it arrives I will install it and power the system backup.  If it works great I can cancel the service call.  If it doesn’t work then I will leave it hooked up and see if it magically comes to life.  I’ve pretty well decided that I am willing to throw some money at it to bring it back to life but I don’t want to spend a small fortune. 

The alarm industry preys on your fear and insecurity.  Having the alarm won’t stop a burglary or determined thief, you’ll just get notified that it’s happening and help will be on the way.  Knowing all this I still like the comfort feeling it gives me.  Might be a false sense of security but it’s something I’ve grown used to. 

Slept actually pretty good.  I don’t feel super refreshed but it was nice to not have an insomnia attack.  Just need to make it through today and then work is pretty much done.  I’m still on-call but the likely hood that something will come up will be slim.  I will have some testing to do come Sunday morning.  Vacation officially starts for me on Monday. 

Then when I come back I will only have to work 4 days because we will be celebrating Independence Day so that will be a short week.  Then the following week I only have to work 3 days because I scheduled time off to see the doctor.  It will be nice break but sadly it will all play out way too fast.  Here’s hoping that I am happier as this time goes by. 

It’s kind of like I told a colleague if my personal life was more like my professional life I would have way less stress and troubles.  Once again I hope for a great day for all of us.  Take care!

Long Hot Day

Howdy!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

330a Alarm

Morning …

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yawning

Morning … I’m yawning but got a slightly better nights sleep.  I still feel tired this morning and really want a nap.  Yesterday I was able to hold out until 2:30p before I had to lay down.  Just as I was about to close my eyes my phone went off and I had to get up.  So with no real nap to speak of I thought for sure I’d not have any problems.  I woke up at 5a to use the bathroom and headed back to bed.  I was able to get back to sleep and woke up an hour later but rolled over and went back to sleep until just before 7a when I woke up and Rudy started doing his dance. 

Time to start the day.  Nothing remarkable has occurred yet thus far.  However, the day is still very young so there is plenty of time for that to change. 

Last night was just an average evening.  My neighbor that moved out came over to cut his tall grass as I was jumping into the shower. 

I have someone scheduled to come out tomorrow to give me a price on the column on my porch.  Another guy I am working with by text is trying to provide a quote by having me take photos and not doing any measuring.  I really don’t want him doing the job since he seems too lazy to come out and meet and grab his own photos and measurements, it sounds like a recipe for disaster.  Plus I’m sure the price he quoted me would change once he found out that column was taller than the one he wants to replace it with.  I have 2 additional people to call but am holding them in reserve.  If I can get this little hassle out of the way while I am on vacation that would be nice but I am not holding my breath.  It does seem like a pretty simple job that shouldn’t take more than a few hours but that’s just how it appears to me. 

Got all sorts of home improvement ads popping up on social media.  From pop on roofing and siding to metal roofs as well as roof trade in programs.  The pop on concept is appealing but does it hold up and/or cause any damage.  I have no plans for a roof or siding right now but a new roof is in my future.  Home Improvement marketing makes the jobs seem simple like they can be in and out in just a matter of hours and the cost well that’s no problem they have low cost financing.  Yeah your jumping into debt but the improvements are cheaper than starting over on a mortgage.  Kind of like buying a used car is cheaper than a new one. 

3 meetings on tap today, one of which is with the new guy.  I’m the teacher.  Even though we only have 2 days left in this week, I’m mentally checked out and as we approach Wednesday and Thursday I will be even more mentally checked out.  I’m over working and honestly want to quit but I’m addicted to the money if I didn’t need that for my survival I’d love to just walk away.  It’s the meetings and politics that are killers for me.  It’s true the older you get the less you are able to tolerate bullshit.  I am sure that I am well on my way to being a cranky old man assuming that I am fortunate enough to live that long. 

Well off to head up and go on standby until I am needed.  Of course you and I both know that will be the very moment I am comfortable and away from the computer.  Hope it’s a great day for all of us and a fast moving one at that. 

Awesome Pizza–No Guys

Morning … I had an awesome pizza.  Full of flavor and baked to perfection.  Only one problem no cute guys to look at.  Perhaps they hang out there on Saturdays so when I go back I will try to remember to go on a Saturday just to see if that changes anything. 

Ride was nice both ways.  Went through the city and took the long way because of construction.  Took a detour and got on the freeway past the construction for my ride home.  Sun was out and it was a beautiful day. 

Gathered my list of contractors to call about the column on my front porch.  Plan to start calling later on today to see if I can’t get folks out here for estimates and start that wonderful process over again.  I’d really like to put this behind me. 

Got my bug spraying done yesterday.  Then came in to pass some time before I went for pizza.  Rudy was a cuddle bug. 

Insomnia flared up again this time at 3a.  I took some Melatonin in addition to my sleeping pill.  It really got me knocked out but sadly didn’t do anything to help keep me asleep.  Sat up for 45 minutes watching TV before I climbed back into bed.  Mora cuddle up with me and I was out for a bit.  Woke up a bit later confused on what day it was but managed to go back to sleep.  Had some strange dreams and then just before 7a my body woke me up.  Rudy was all cuddled up next to me sleeping and I woke him up for a change.  He was quick to rise and start his biscuit dance. 

I’m on-call this week and not looking forward to that but it comes with the job.  Glad that it’s only a 4 day work week but there will be windows patching over the weekend which means I will need to get up early on Sunday.  Then perhaps I will be able to start my vacation and break free from work.  However, I don’t plan on turning work email off until very late in the evening on Sunday if not first thing on Monday morning. 

Speaking of work one meeting on the books that I honestly don’t think I need to be at but my presence was requested.  Outside of that just watching for things to squash for the rest of the day.  More meetings on Tuesday & Wednesday.  No word yet on a pay raise but I’m hoping that comes this week. 

Next Monday is the big car checkup, that is if I can resist my new car fever a bit longer.  Been busy on YouTube watching videos of vehicles and really wanting to take something out for a test drive.  I will always drive something before I buy it but the drive is usually what causes me to either fall in love with the vehicle but it has kept me from buying some models before.  Usually I think of the test drive as what seals the deal.  I am eager to go for a test drive but not until I am ready to fully commit to the purchase.  I’m also afraid that after I make a large purchase something else will go wrong either at home or more likely that my job will go sideways.  Always had that fear as well when making a large purchase.  It’s never come to fruition but call me gun shy. 

Time to go climb the stairs and head up for the day to be with the cats.  It’s a nice sunshine day here and cool out.  That helps with my mood but still I’d like to work in a short nap to make the day even brighter.  That’s what happens when my insomnia flares.  My hope is that I will be able to ditch it when I am on vacation and go back to a normal sleep schedule. 

Hope we all have a good day.  Take care!