Thanksgiving & Black Friday

Welcome to another post!  I’m glad that you stopped by. 

Thanksgiving almost didn’t happen.  I waited and waited for a text or call telling me what time to show up.  Finally I called Thanksgiving morning and found out that it was an afternoon dinner.  We had the usual spread.  A couple of the people were different but it was a nice small adult crowd.  We kept conversation moving, had some laughs and shared some knowledge and stories.  The food was delicious.  I came home with a little bit of ham and turkey.  A bunch of stuffing.  A whole serving of Spaghetti & Meatball that was family sized.  Of course I got the Chocolate Cake for desert.  I’m gonna be eating good. 

My shirt went over well.  It’s yellow with a turkey holding a sign that says HELP!  I buy a new shirt each year.  Next year I might opt to get something more spicy that has sexual overtones, just because I can. 

It’s damn cold here in the 30’s so it feels much more like November but this was an abrupt change where we had cold mornings and it was warm by noon.  Once the sunset it was back to the freezer.  Now it’s just cold no matter what time of day it is. 

Found out that Christmas this year is going to be different.  My friends clergy’s entire family is coming.  There will be so many people there they will need to put in an extra leaf in the table.  It sounds like I might get an invite but it also sounds like they were planning on skipping me.  I’m not a fan of a bunch of people and their house isn’t that big.  Since it’s all religious people we all have to censor what we say and I can only go so long before I need to start swearing.  Don’t get me wrong I can communicate quite well without using swear words, I have to do that at work.  However, when I am on my own time I want the freedom to talk how I want to.  At any rate it sounds like I might be having Christmas dinner here with the cats instead of going to my friends. 

They will have their usual open house on New Years and I got an invite to that.  There is always plenty of food but not enough of what I like to drink around.  Not sure if I will go to that or not. 

Had one email that I had to respond to from work, which I did once I got home last night around 10p. 

Stayed up and watched TV with the cats.  They really like being lazy with me but they remind me when they need/want food or want to change rooms.  They soak up the sun as it’s setting in the afternoon and that is there time. 

Black Friday … I was jolted awake because I know I heard the door bell, then Rudy made biscuits, doing his happy dance on top of me.  I didn’t rush to get out of bed because I figured it was just a dream.  If there was someone there they would surely ring the bell again or bang on the door.  I heard nothing and I took my sweet time but got up and fed the cats.  Then came back to bed for a while.  Eventually getting up around 9a and having my breakfast.  Don’t you know that something from work trickled it and I had to take care of it.

Looked at some Black Friday deal videos and there are a lot of good bargains to be had.  I was really interested in the Peacock deal for $10 for a year.  However, that includes commercials and if you don’t want commercials the price goes up, you still get a deal but it’s 10 months for the price of 12.  I didn’t bite. 

Eventually I made my way back to bed and napped.  Rudy opted to join me and laid on top of me.  That just feels so good.  I hate to move because I don’t want to disturb him but when I need to move I do it slowly and he adapts and stays on top of me.  He just waits for me to wake up and then once I do I get the happy dance all over again. 

Had some Spaghetti for supper and a little bit of chocolate cake.  Got the trash out.  Lounged around a bit more and then I told the cats I had to come downstairs.  Got some laundry going.  Filled the water softener with salt and then settled in front of the computer. 

I did some Black Friday shopping for me.  Renewed my VPN subscription for another year.  Found a reseller that was selling a discounted Microsoft Office 2021 download.  It took a while but I got the install going.  It’s moving rather slow.  We were at 2% for the longest time and about an hour ago it changed to 3%.  I think this is one of those things I will have to let run through the night.  I am not even sure if it will actually finish.  I know I’ve got a genuine MS Install file because I downloaded it myself from them.  I would have gone for Office 2024 but I’ve got a backup program that doesn’t support that version quite yet.  Besides it’s not a bad idea to run a version or two behind for a while.  That’s what we do at work. 

Thought about picking up a countertop ice maker and/or an air fryer but I managed to talk myself out of that.  I will probably eventually get an air fryer.  The ice maker in the fridge broke years ago and I wouldn’t use enough ice to make it worth repairing.  I have maybe one or two times per year that I wish I had a few cubes but that’s it. 

Were in for up to 2 inches of snow and under a winter weather advisory that starts early in the morning.  Not what I want to get out in on a Saturday but we shall see how bad it actually is.  What is forecast isn’t always what materializes.  Then again we could get 2 feet instead of 2 inches.  I just want my trash picked up and to be able to get the cats their food for the next 2 weeks along with a bag of dry food as well as my mail and I will be quite happy. 

Were not normally down here at 9p on a Friday night and both cats are telling me that I need to go upstairs but I am not quite done playing on the computer. 

Hope that you enjoyed the Man Candy I posted on Wednesday and that if your in the US you had a great Thanksgiving.  Stay warm and be well.  Talk with you all again soon!

Sore on Sunday

All that work I did on the dryer vent caught up with me on Sunday.  I was really sore.  My legs and back.  The only comfortable position was either sitting or laying down.  Needless to say I made it to breakfast and the grocery store.  Those were my only stops and I stayed upstairs all day long.  Spent the day in my room with a heating pad.  I also took a nap after my usual morning TV.  The cats stuck by me all day. 

They got lunch and I ate some junk food before I put out my pills for the week.  Then it was back to my room to the heating pad.  I did a little bit of scrambling to find something to watch but kept myself entertained.  I also enjoyed not being chained to my phone.  It spent the bulk of the day in the living room which is where I placed it after I returned home from the grocery store. 

I’ve been craving donuts and made sure to grab 6 of them, mostly jelly because they are my favorites.  Something about the Raspberry jelly just hits the spot regardless if it’s warm or cold.  Also saw that the frozen grilled cheese that the other store I visit on occasion is getting rid of is now stocked at my regular store.  That was a nice find.  My freezer is quite full so I didn’t buy any but I am having one for lunch.  I was planning on eating them slowly but now that they are a regular thing I will be enjoying them more on the regular. 

I really hated coming back to work this morning.  There was plenty to catchup on but thankfully that is all done or so I think.  I’m on-call but this is traditionally a slow and calm week also a lot of people take this entire week off.  My boss just called to tell me that I will be getting a bonus on my next check.  He submitted for a large amount but only got approved for half of it.  Hey, something is better than nothing.  I was starting to think he forgot about me.  Kind of wish that I was off this week as well.  I’ve certainly got the time but being on-call is what kind of throws a wrench in the mix.  I’ll push through this. 

I got in a small amount of play time last night with the cats only because they begged.  They weren’t happy that it didn’t last terribly long but I told them I hurt and needed to get off my feet.  I put out some cat nip to help make up for it.  That seemed to cheer them up. 

My porn backup finished on Saturday it was in the verifying state.  It gave me a ridiculous estimate as to when it would be finished with the verify process, 29 days.  Yeah it only took two to backup.  Well, this morning I checked and it’s done.  Got that all tucked safely away. 

Worked until I got to a good stopping point.  Both of my machines needed to be rebooted, so I did that and then stepped away for a bathroom break.  Also said hi to both cats who were eagerly waiting for me at the top of the stairs.  I brought them back their fish toys, which I had to bend over to pickup.  Yeah that hurt but I told them they would get them back today.  I keep my word as much as possible regardless if it’s to a cat or a person. 

I’m still battling a sore left side.  The doc said that it was chest wall pain.  Whatever that means.  I just want it to go away.  I had chalked it up to Rudy walking on me and making biscuits.  Both of my sides have been slightly sore for months but this one is way worse.  The right side doesn’t hurt at all.  Planning on using my heating pad on that to see if I can get it to ease up or just go away. 

I am super horny but don’t know if I have it in me to work on that.  I just keep telling myself it’s going to feel extra special good when it finally happens.  Here’s hoping that is sooner rather than later. 

Started watching Cruel Intentions a new series on Prime.  It’s based off of the movie but in a series format.  There is both straight and gay sex in it which is part of why I am watching.  There are a lot of cute guys.  It’s about 8 hours (give or take) with there being 8 episodes in the series and they average between 45 and 50 minutes.  I am sure that I will be done with it soon given that it’s going to be a long weekend. 

Sadly, Saturday I will have to go cat food shopping again.  I won’t be looking forward to it given that all of the holiday shoppers will be out.  No word yet on when Dinner is on Thursday.  I am sure that my friends aren’t terribly eager to celebrate the holiday after losing so many cats but life as they say goes on.  As far as I know dinner is still on so I am just waiting to hear a time.  It’s supposed to turn really cold this week.  So much for a short sleeve funny thanksgiving t-shirt.  I will wear it anyway and bring a coat along.  I didn’t buy it to have it sit in my closet. 

Enough rambling from me.  Hope that all is well on your end.  It’s about time to wrap for lunch and go microwave that frozen grilled cheese.  I hope it’s a great day for you!

Last Lazy Day

Well my time off runs out today and it’s back to work tomorrow.  Thankfully only for 1 day because we get Election Day off.  Then I finish up the week.  Work all next week and then I am back on vacation for a week.  This was well planned and I kind of like it, I could get used to working a little then taking a break.  Sadly, that’s not how the real world works. 

I did get my extra hour of sleep in.  Had breakfast out, hit up the grocery store and gassed up the vehicle.  I had every intention of going out for pizza but there was rain in the forecast and I had this feeling in my stomach telling me that it was probably better to stay home. 

I had 1/2 of my take out order of Spaghetti and Meatball.  Finish up my chocolate cake.  That’s it since breakfast and I am done with food unless some kind craving or hunger hits me, which I don’t expect. 

I was mostly lazy today.  It took me until 5p to make it downstairs.  That’s only because I have to get my laundry and take it up.  It’s been done for a couple days but I was in no hurry to get it back upstairs. 

I’ve managed to set all of the clocks back an hour.  It’s fun watching the cats operate as if we are still an hour ahead.  Rudy started dancing for food at 4 thinking it was 5.  Mora was bugging me at 5 for treats thinking it was 6.  Just wait until the morning, I hope they adjust quickly so that I don’t get any early morning wake up calls. 

It’s colder here and we have had some rain.  There is more on the way.  I’m tucked away until the weekend, unless something comes up.  I am going to be on-call starting tomorrow and that coupled with catching up will be no fun.  However, I’ve done it before and I will be doing it again in a couple weeks. 

Anxious for election day to get here so we can end all of the campaigning and know who our elected officials will be.  I’m nervous about the Presidential race but at the end of the day when it’s all over I will have to go to work and pay my bills just like I did before it all started.  That was pointed out to me earlier this week, rather sobering but true. 

Looking forward to Thanksgiving as always.  I’ve managed to shrink my stomach a little bit with this eating two meals a day plan that I have been on all week long.  I was at one of my favorite Mexican places and couldn’t finish all of my normal meal.  I left feeling quite stuffed.  The key on Thanksgiving will be to have a light breakfast that way there will be plenty of room.  Can’t believe that the year is all most over.  I hope that it ends on a positive note and that Next Year will be better.  All though all in all it hasn’t been a horrible year for me, just lonely and a little depressing. 

Doing a little bit of surfing and then I will grab my laundry and head back upstairs to relax and enjoy the evening, it will all be over with way too soon.  Then Monday morning will be calling and I will be wading through my emails and doing a bunch of work stuff.  Glad and very thankful that it will be all from the comfort of my home. 

Hope your Sunday was good and that you/your body adjust easily to gaining an hour of sleep.  Here’s to what I hope is a great week ahead for all of us.  Take care!

It is done

Morning … Hope that you had a great holiday and a nice weekend!  I opted to go with my friends.  I got to sit in front with them and didn’t smell any exhaust.  The front windshield was covered with a film that made it difficult for me to see out of the dash, the window could use a cleaning.  We got there and back with only one minor traffic issue.  I thought I was going to get hit on my side due to a driver error but that didn’t happen. 

On the way down I was pelted with text messages as reminders like I am 5 years old and would forget.  That pissed me off but I didn’t bother to respond because of the way the messages were worded a response wasn’t required. 

We all arrived at the preachers house and carried in the food which had just come from the restaurant and was cooked and heated.  However, setup took it’s sweet time and by the time everything was laid out buffet style everything was cold.  It was the worst Thanksgiving I can remember having.  If we do this same thing next year I will pass.  I got to spend time in an old and cold house that was falling apart but fixed up to be semi-presentable.  They lit candles everywhere and my allergies were on fire.  Of course, I forgot to bring my medicine and we didn’t stay terribly long which was a good thing.  They kept us trapped at the table and I knew that my friends back would act up and that turned out to be our saving grace. 

It was nice to be around people but I could have and wish I would have skipped it.  They tried to stick me with Turkey & Ham to take home but I declined.  I got a small piece of pumpkin cheesecake to take home but that’s only because that is what I asked for desert and they butchered that piece to get me a small slice.  No one else wanted any so I had the left overs of that large slice to take home.  It was good and gone the next day. 

I sat at my friends house for a little bit and finally was able to make it home by 10p.  Thank God I didn’t have to go to work the next day because I would have been in bad shape.  I enjoyed turning my phone off and watching TV.  I was a hermit all weekend long and only got out yesterday afternoon for a quick bite to eat and to hit up the grocery store.  I kind of hated that I pissed away my time but on the other hand I enjoyed being with the cats, napping and watching TV.  It was very much decompression time and time away from my electronic leash and the computer. 

Today is back to the grindstone.  I’ve got my bills paid and caught up on work thus far.  I need to see what I missed from porn and catch up on that, so I will have something to do for a while.  Looking forward to working another 3 day week.  This Thursday is visit the doctor.  Friday I have a haircut scheduled and Saturday I am for sure going to see my friends.  I missed eating breakfast out all weekend long but I saved some money and I didn’t go hungry.  Need to hit up the Wholesale Club on my days off and the cat food store for the children. 

Took a double dose of sleeping meds last night since my sleep schedule was messed up.  That always causes me to have nightmares.  I never know what they will be about.  This one was about an old co-worker who stole a cop car and was chased and wrecked out killing him and his passenger.  The next thing I knew I was going through all of the rubble with the police trying to sort out belongings.  It was a true nightmare.  Thankfully the cats woke me up, I guess it was obvious something was wrong.  Of course it was 5am and cold as fuck here.  The temperature might have had more to do with it than anything. 

Temps took a huge dip here and it very much feels like winter right now and will for a few days.  I raised the heat by another degree to keep us comfy warm.  I was telling the cats before I went to bed that it’s time to haul out the electric blanket.  Once that sucker is on the bed neither one of them will want to leave, even though I keep it on low they sense the heat and enjoy it. 

Well thank God Thanksgiving is done with now I don’t have to stress over making a decision.  Next up is Christmas.  That should be at my friends house but will depend on what they have.  It’s will either be a Honey Baked Ham or Prime Rib.  If it’s Ham I will go and if it’s Prime Rib I will stay home.  I won’t know for several weeks and of course it will be last minute notification.  I’ve already told them I hate steak twice this year.  Prime Rib is steak and we usually have it every damn year and it’s rare as rare can be, it’s horrible but everyone raves about it but me.  I am for sure the odd man out.  I will also be on-call for Christmas and it’s on a Monday.  I really wish they would gather on Christmas Eve so we can all have the next day to recover but that’s not how things are done.  There won’t be any gifts it’s just a get together for food and it’s a free meal.  I could always go and just eat sides and whatever is for desert. 

Mora & Rudy are both doing fine and reluctant as I to slip back into the daily grind.  Rudy is at the top of the stairs on what I call Rudy Duty.  It’s his job to watch and greet me, while alerting his sister.  Mora is all passed out on the middle of my bed but watching her brother.  More predicable than the weather but I like a good routine. 

Again I hope you had a great holiday and weekend.  Now time for me to venture back to the work computer to catch up on my inbox as things are starting to pile up while I am slacking off.  Take care!

The meat I really want on Thanksgiving

Thankful

Dear Reader,

This time of year is one that some look forward to, some dread and others have no feelings at all.  It’s the start of “The Holidays” and what will feel like watching an egg timer tick by until the end of the year, at least to me. 

I am one of those people that is lonely and feels pain when “The Holidays” roll around.  I do love to eat and Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday, just for the food alone.  Many years ago me and my late spouse were riding around on one of his “adventure trips” where we just drive around to get away.  We passed a place that I had seen many times before.  I looked it up on the internet (I think we were on dial up or just got high speed internet, that’s how long ago it was) and found that it was an Italian Place.  My late spouse wasn’t much for Italian and/or Mexican but those are my primary go to favorites.  He indulged me and we made a trip, that’s when we found that this place was an upscale restaurant.  Prices weren’t exactly cheap but portions were large and the food was phenomenal.  We kept going back to learn that they did Thanksgiving Family Style.  We made reservations for the two of us and walked out that Thanksgiving very full and had a ton of left overs, which are the best part of Thanksgiving.  The following year we invited some friends and they loved it as well.  It soon became a tradition.  Then they invited a friend or two.  Eventually with time my spouse passed.  It was just the 3 of us for that Thanksgiving but we agreed then and there to keep our tradition. 

Fast forward to when COVID hit and restaurants closed.  I had reservations but got a call and that’s when they introduced me to their carryout program.  They changed my reservation to an order and I had Thanksgiving at my friends house.  They invited their neighbors and since then we have done carry out.  Their house offered a much larger table, there wasn’t a crowd of people, you didn’t have to get super dressed up and drive a long distance and we could all take our time.  That’s been our new tradition.  My friends have changed who they invited each year and now the regulars are their neighbor and their clergy and his family.  You can’t swear which I fucking hate and just try to think of myself of at the office to censor my speech.  Once and a while someone will let a God Damnit slip out and I just think it’s funny, but that’s the little kid in me.  This year were set to go to their clergy’s house and as you have read I am not super excited about it at all.  I feel that our tradition has been fucked.  I say nothing because ever since my spouse passed, they pick up the tab and it’s not small by any stretch of the imagination.  The saying beggars can’t be choosers applies. 

If your reading this and wondering what decision I’ve made well I am writing this in the future and posting it the day of Thanksgiving.  So, you will have to come back to find out what I did.  However, since we are so close to the holiday and I did commit, I kind of don’t want to back out plus I don’t want to pass up a free meal and/or be totally alone.  I am leaning heavily on going unless something manages to change my mind.  If I go let’s hope that it all goes smoother than I think it will in my mind.

In years past a tradition that started with a job I had was to make a list of things you are thankful for.  Everyone would post them on a bulletin board and it made a great inspirational piece to pass by and look at.  I brought that home and it’s something that me and my spouse would do.

When you get into the thick of things it’s easy to loose sight of all of the blessings that one has, even someone all alone like me.  I might not have family/friends or a boyfriend/partner but I’ve still got plenty of blessings.  I’ve got a home, two newish cats that adore me, a paid off automobile, a decent job, the ability to work from home, technology (aka creature comforts like high speed internet, cell phone, subscription movie services, cable tv), health (nothing major wrong with me yet, but I am sure my time on that is running out), my memory (even though things can get fuzzy from time to time), an open mind and the list goes on.  If you take time and think about it I’ll bet you that you too could start a list of things that your thankful for.  One of the biggest blessings other than my health is the ability to be able to publish this blog and your readership.  I look at the stats and see that most of my readers are in the US but there are folks in other countries that visit. 

I’ve said all of that to simply say, I am thankful for you and your readership.  Check back a little later this afternoon and you’ll find some Thanksgiving Man Candy.  I hope that it’s a great holiday for you!

Imagination

Morning and Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

I had one hell of a bad dream, woke up and thought I went to the bathroom in my bed, but thankfully that was only in the dream.  I got sick and was hospitalized and my mom was there.  I needed emergency surgery.  Not exactly sure why that all happened but I woke up 2 hours before my normal wake up time and I had to sit up for and hour before I was able to go back to sleep.  My allergies were bothering me when I woke up so that just added to the fun!

I finally laid back down and Mora was on my left at my feet.  Rudy climbed up on top of me, waited to see if he could make me get up even though I just laid down, then he got comfy and I was only able to close my eyes.  Never really went to sleep and that hour flew by.  I got up and worked on breakfast.  Not exactly the way I wanted to start the day. 

Thankful that I have the next 2 days off for the holiday and then the weekend.  That’s 4 days and I will be doing it all again next week in the same order but there’s no holiday just time off so I can see the doctor. 

I planned a bunch of things to plow through this morning at work and I pressed on.  I figured it would be a quiet day but I’ve had 2 phone calls and an email that interrupted me.  I hate losing focus when I am making progress and have a rhythm down.  I got what I wanted to accomplished and believe it or not I am going back for more when I am done here.  I’ve got a morning meeting and I am done until later this afternoon, unless someone hollers.  Normally my phone doesn’t ring, I am eager to remove call forwarding this afternoon so that I am fairly certain I will have a quiet weekend.  I also plan to power off my phone tonight.  Not entirely certain if I will wake up early and try to eat breakfast out tomorrow or if I will just eat at home.  I’m going out for a big meal just not 100% if that will be alone or with friends.  I am leaning on the friends part especially since it’s free and won’t cost me anything other than time and gasoline. 

Watching YouTube videos and randomly in my feed I started seeing High School Wrestling matches.  Those wrestling singlets show everything.  You can tell who has a nice ass, who’s excited and who’s not.  I never really understood the rules of HS Wrestling but damn the guys look amazing in their singlets.  Needless to say I’ve watched more than a couple matches.  It’s just something to let my imagination run wild.  I remember when some friends back when I was that age were into it and decided to show me what spread eagle meant.  It was hot but damn it hurt being thrown to the ground, even if we were on a lawn, it’s not padded like a mat.  I can’t believe they don’t mandate that the wrestlers wear a jock not only to protect their family jewels but so that you can’t see them on full display.  It also makes me wonder if the guys are just excited or if they are actually gay.  They do spend a fair time with the other guys ass in their face.  It’s hot to me but I bet it doesn’t smell good in person. 

I’m fighting an itch from a scratch Mora gave me the other morning when we were playing.  She always goes for the jugular, she gets so excited and involved.  She doesn’t mean to do any damage but those damn claws will be the death of me.  I understand they need them but there are times that I wish they didn’t have them.  I’m not a fan of removing them in case either of them manage to escape this homosexual prison (that’s humor … insert laugh) they are held captive in, they will need them to fend off any would be predators.  I’ve got no doubt that both cats can and probably would climb a tree.  If they just had opposable thumbs like a racoon they could open their own can of food.  Speaking of which last night I put a plastic container with a couple stale cookies that I am working on finishing on the table.  Rudy saw that and for some reason it draws him.  He jumped up on the table and knocked it to the floor.  I didn’t catch him on the table but I did find the container (closed and intact) on the floor by the fountain.  Damn cats can be worse than children at times.  Mora hasn’t been on the table or the counter yet, but she lets her brother do all of that and he’s been caught a couple times and yelled at.  He fluffs that tail pretty good when he gets upset.  Speaking of which last night I played a video short of a Bobcat growling.  That woke Rudy up from his nap, as soon as he saw there was no threat and it was the TV he went right back to sleep. 

Well time for that damn meeting and then a little more work.  Looking forward to lunch today.  Rotisserie Chicken on Cranberry Walnut Bread.  It’s a premade sandwich from the store and I had it the last time I went into the office.  Damn it was so good and I am looking forward to having it again.  Hope that you have lots of good food coming your way and that your around someone or something you care about as we celebrate Thanksgiving in the US.  It’s a difficult time for a lot of people and some have no family, there is plenty of despair and depression.  Hopefully, we all make it through even if it’s not a huge time of fun as it might have once been. 

Take care and thanks for stopping by!

Done

Welcome back, hope all is well.  The Amazon person stopped by my place yesterday to drop off my naked men calendars and I’m pleased with two of them.  The third is from Carnal Media and it’s all in black and white, the size is decent but the B&W is part of the issue and the other is that Legrand Wolf the owner/founder is in many of the photos.  This is why I wish they would provide a preview of the months, you can censor the photo so there is no nudity but it’s nice to know the photos that I will be staring at in the months ahead.  In addition to my calendars I got Mexican Wedding Cookies which were slightly lack luster and didn’t have the rich butter flavor I was hoping for.  I’ve got 3 small bags of them and I will be munching on them for a while.  I also got my bottle of Benadryl and Air Filters. 

Loaded up the air machines yesterday with fresh filters and turned them both on.

Last night I finished Six Feet Under (the photo of the hearse above is from the show).  It was very well done and I enjoyed all of the show, shame I didn’t get into it while it was airing live years ago.  Here’s hoping that I find another series that I can dive into soon.  Now I am in limbo looking for something.  Still have 2 episodes of Upload from last week to watch so there is that.  I hate it when a series is released piece meal but that seems to be the new trend, at least on Amazon.  I hope none of the other platforms follow suit with this method as I like to binge watch, regardless if it’s healthy or not it keeps me occupied and that is what I am looking for. 

Work was a little more taxing this morning but I have managed to get things done and under control.  Our morning meeting got moved out a bit so I have a little bit of extra time on my hands, which I am going to spend upstairs as soon as I am done with this post.  Love seeing the cats.  They both were laying on my bed this morning before I came down to start my day and they both rolled over so I was giving belly rubs to both of them.  Rudy has softer fur that his sister.  Both loved it, but Rudy rarely gets them but Mora is used to them she asks for them all the time.  I don’t mind I can do belly rubs for a while.  I am sure they feel good and both of them seemed to enjoy them.  However, no one ever likes it when the rub is over.  I had to start work and neither cat was pleased about that. 

Spent sometime on money this morning.  That holiday bonus came in but its never deposited into the accounts that I want, so I had to move things around.  I’ve got my primary savings account up to an amount that I have wanted to reach for a while.  Now the hard part will be keeping that balance.  Hanging on to money seems to be a problem in that unplanned expenses have a way of showing up when I least expect it and stealing away the gains I have made.  I like knowing that I have a cushion to fall back on if I need it but for the most part I forget about it so it’s not top of mind. 

Speaking of money I managed to get my car wash fiasco worked out.  Not sure if I said anything earlier but I was charged for 2 washes by a robot car wash.  There is no one to complain to so I called the bank yesterday and they cheerfully refunded the extra charge with no questions.  No need to file a dispute looks like the bank just ate it.  I’m fine with that so long as I am not paying for something I didn’t get. 

As the days move forward I am still thinking of next week and Thanksgiving.  I really don’t want to be alone but at the same time I really don’t want to go with my friends.  I haven’t cancelled yet and won’t make that final call until the morning of.  I do plan on having that Turkey dinner I got from the grocery store tonight.  I already know I won’t care for the stuffing.  The thought of just dropping into a restaurant doesn’t appeal to me as most work on reservations and showing up without one can mean you are either turned away or having a long wait, neither of which I am a fan of.  I will be happier once Thanksgiving is over regardless of what choice I make.  Then there is Christmas which will be another issue, that for sure is a day I don’t want to be alone but I don’t always enjoy what is served. 

The dating app I am on has started showing me guys that I have already rejected and the only way to get rid of them is to report them for “no reason” and then they don’t show up again.  I still see straight guys and the occasional woman, which is baffling to me.  I don’t like any guys unless their profile for sure says they are gay, even if they look like it’s questionable I still only go for the ones who have it displayed on their profile.  No sense in barking up the wrong tree as that won’t work out well. 

One of my friends that has a local business has a birthday Saturday.  I’ve sent a card but want to go visit.  The last couple weekends have had some crazy things pop off at work and I was glad that I stayed home.  This weekend I am going to throw caution to the wind and venture out there.  I am only about a half hour away from home and hopefully things return to their normal state of quiet as I am used to on weekends. 

Hoping for an uneventful rest of the week and that it is swift moving so that we can fast forward to the weekend.  Now if I could just fast forward to the “better part of life” when I have a man that would be nice.  If that’s not going to happen I am on the fence if I want to fast forward, unless I actually get to go on a real vacation and have the time of my life.  I know we wish our lives away.  The future always has a way of sneaking up on us. 

Take care and have a great day!

Paid to watch tv

Morning … Yesterday there wasn’t anything going on so I retreated upstairs to continue to watch Six Feet Under.  I had a couple of interruptions from work and I jumped on those quickly.  However, by in large for the bulk of the day I was paid to watch TV and didn’t do anything work related, other than occasionally checking my phone to make sure I didn’t miss something.  I am going to try to repeat that today since there isn’t much going on.  I will have something to take care of at some point today but probably not until the late afternoon.  No meetings or scheduled plans/events on my calendar for today other than lunch. 

The Thanksgiving Drama continues in that I got a text message yesterday and was told that the food order was being placed.  I was asked if I wanted extra stuff to take home and I quickly replied with a no.  Unless for some reason my mind changes I plan to inform my friends on the day of in the morning that I won’t be coming.  It’s a shame because I know the food will be superb since it is coming from a restaurant.  I’ve got my Catholic guilt nagging at me so there is a small chance I might give in and go.  Honestly I don’t want to be alone on a holiday but at the same time I don’t want to be trapped at a strangers house.  This is all church politics for my friends and I really hate that I am caught up in it.  Their new Pastor came to town a couple years ago and he was put in charge of showing him around and ever since then my friend has taken it upon himself to become friends.  I dunno maybe it’s genuine but it all seems fake to me. 

I logged on to check the balance on my car loan to see about it showing all zeros and damn if there isn’t a 25 cent balance.  I called this morning and they are going to back date the payment to wipe out the balance and the title should be here in about 10 days.  I’ll be double checking the website but it only updates once per day so sometime between tomorrow and Monday.  The outcome is what I hoped for, I just hope the person I spoke with follows through.  I’ve been a good customer.  Never skipped a payment, never late on a payment.  They made plenty of money off of me.  I look forward to tucking payments that I would normally make towards the loan into my savings and watching it grow.  That is something to be thankful for. 

Rudy scared me last night he woke up from a sound sleep and started this coughing fit.  Then he acted like he was trying to hock up a hair ball but nothing would come out.  I am sure it was quite uncomfortable for him but after a few minutes he got it all worked out.  I just kept thinking please don’t die on me.  For some unknown reason he has been giving me really good photo poses/moments to capture and I kept thinking I wonder if he’s going to croak soon.  Gator gave me a lot of good photo moments and I didn’t waste a single opportunity to take as many pictures of her as I could because I knew from experience that I would be left with photos and videos someday.  I think about last year at this time and everything was fine and I had no clue we were nearing the end.  My feelings now are based off of last year and I am on guard despite both Rudy & Mora being absolutely young and healthy. 

I woke up from a nightmare disaster where I was doing a bunch of walking.  I hade to use the restroom and my back was absolutely killing me.  I think I was actually walking in my sleep even though I was in bed.  When I climbed back in bed Mora snuggled up with me and helped me get back to sleep.  She loves a good snuggle and belly rub.  We are truly as close as I think we could be, which is hundreds of miles from where we were when she arrived here.  Rudy warmed up to me right away but Mora took her sweet time.  Now that everything is just perfect for them but I do wonder if they are thinking about when the good time ends, expecting me to part ways with them since that is what ever other owner they have had in the past did.  I think if I did that it would for sure that would crush them.  I’ve got no plans to part ways with them but they do get on my nerves from time to time. 

We made it to another Friday.  I had a great plan for the weekend earlier in the week but now I don’t know if I will follow through with it or if I will just sleep in.  It kind of depends on how I feel and how much sleep I get.  I can tell you that eating out is for sure on the list.  I have to go back to the damn cat food store because some lady was in my way last week, checking ingredients on each damn can and then looking them all up on her phone and talking to herself.  Is this a carb, oh what’s that are a couple of things she muttered.  I wanted to look at her and say get out of the way but I just took what little I had and left.  The toy penguin with the treats was a hit but Mora will tap that thing until it doesn’t spill anymore treats.  It doesn’t hold much and I have to keep filling it or it just sits on the floor.  I’ve neglected it and just kept up with regular treat time.  I do get a sense that both cats are bored and I am looking for some puzzle toys and other toys to help keep them occupied if they want to be. 

Hope that you have a great Friday and a super weekend.  I am headed backup to watch TV and hope that my phone stays quiet.  I would like peace and quiet especially since I will be on-call next week.  Take care and be well. 

Another HOT evening

Hi there!  Another hot day yesterday meant another hot night here.  The house was 81.  I opened the windows in the kitchen and living room, brought out an exhaust fan to help really circulate the air, thinking that would provide massive cooling.  Silly me, it helped to make it comfortable but it was mostly annoying noise.  It was nice when the sun went down and just as I was going to bed is when I started to feel the really cool breezes blowing in.  It felt so good I threw caution to the wind and opened my bedroom window.  I kept it like that for about 45 minutes and then I felt my sleeping medicine kick in so I opted to start closing up shop. 

The cats go wild when the windows are open.  Rudy climbed up on the kitchen sink to look out the window in the kitchen and his sister told on him, if it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t have known.  He also managed to jump up on the window sill in my room.  He’s just the right size and skinny enough that it works for him.  Mora wanted to join him but she is way too thick, I am glad that she realized her limitations and didn’t try it but she acted like she wanted to. 

I found a new TV obsession, the old HBO Series Six Feet Under.  I remember I watched the first episode when it premiered and I’d tune in now and then for bits and pieces but it’s quite interesting.  Netflix has the series up and I am watching it.  Didn’t know there was a gay character.  If you can stomach a little gore it’s not a bad show.  It’s a family who runs a funeral home out of their house.  Business is on the main level and the prep room is in the basement.  The second story is where they live.  Looks like this was on for quite sometime so I should be set for something to watch for a while. 

Had a little bit of drama in the neighborhood last night.  I heard this noise and then saw this car round the corner.  It was dragging something and sparks were flying.  It was going full normal speed.  About 15 minutes later here comes an ambulance and a couple police officers.  I had to investigate and found out that it was a drunk guy who fell and had a bloody nose.  I’m betting it was the same guy because the police were checking for property damage complaints from other local agencies involving the car but they found nothing.  I figured the guy was going to jail but nope.  It was all quiet for the remainder of the evening.  There for sure has been an uptick in the last couple months with ambulances and police activity but it’s still a reasonably quiet and safe neighborhood. 

Got a co-worker out this morning but he will be back this afternoon.  I am covering for him in case anything comes in.  Not sure if the dummy is back or not.  The boss is only working a 1/2 day today and will be out for the rest of the week.  I was horrified to find that I am on-call next week but I remember doing that because of Thanksgiving in order to distribute the holiday. 

Speaking of Turkey Day, I did some digging about where my friends Pastor lives.  It’s an average neighborhood but it’s in a older part of the town and they only offer street parking.  I can’t parallel park to save my life, I can take a stab at it but it’s never going to be perfect.  That’s yet another strike in the no column.  I am still mulling it over but I do not think I am going this year.  I hate that because I look forward all year to the Sausage Stuffing.  I could make a reservation for myself at the restaurant but they serve everything family style and it’s enough for 4 to 6 people.  I’d be lugging home a hell of a lot of food and I don’t want to do that.  I wouldn’t mind a plate and then a little bit of left overs.  I’ll be keeping an eye out at the grocery store and provided I do opt out I might consider hitting up Cracker Barrel.  I’ve not had their Turkey Dinner in a very long time.  I know the hot cute waiter works there that it’s been about a year since we interacted and he hasn’t called me yet, he’s not going to and as much as it hurts I have to write him off.  I want to chase him but honestly I think he let his mouth overload his ass and he expressed interest but didn’t really mean to.  One thing I want is some Pumpkin Pie, I haven’t had any for a long time so I might either hit up Cracker Barrel because they are selling whole pies this time of year and they also have another fav which is Chocolate Pecan.  That is murder on my teeth but tastes so good in my mouth.  I am thinking of visiting one morning this weekend for breakfast. 

Speaking of the cute waiter.  I am back on a dating app.  I saw something about Tinder launching a new pricing program and jumped on their platform but didn’t see any new pricing and of course someone liked me before I had a chance to cancel.  You can’t see who it is unless you pay and I hate that.  I am back to a free app that shows you who likes you and permits you to interact if you want.  I’ve seen the same two guys pop up multiple times after I rejected them.  I took it as a glitch in the app but maybe it was the universe sending me a sign.  I’ve blocked both of them so I don’t have to worry now about either popping up again.  I don’t have any hopes that this is going to yield me any positive results but I am trying.  It beats standing still.  I am sure that eventually I will give it up but for the moment I am out there.  I really don’t like this time of year because people travel for the holidays and I don’t want to find someone now only to learn they are going back home.  Long distance isn’t what I am looking for.  I want someone close by that I can hang out with, go places and do things.  Still think that I am destine to be alone, except for the two cats.  I hope that I am wrong and manage to land a hottie long before my expiration date. 

Hope it’s a great Thursday for you.  One more day left and the weekend is here.  Talk with you all again soon.  Thanks for dropping by.

Sunday… The day that lasted forever

My insomnia kicked up again overnight from Saturday into Sunday.  That made me just want to stay in bed on Sunday, which I largely did for the most part.  I got up to feed the cats because Rudy wouldn’t leave me alone.  He had me up at what he thought was the normal time.  That didn’t help things.  I watched some TV and then went back to sleep. 

I got in plenty of cuddle time with Mora and Rudy both.  It was really enjoyable.  I kept thinking about the damn grocery store and getting moving.  I got up to eat breakfast and then returned to my chair to watch more TV.  I didn’t get to the store until around noon.  The place was packed but I expected that.  I’m thankful that I remembered to buy a sandwich for Tuesday otherwise I would have taken in a bunch of Smucker’s Uncrustables PB&J, those damn things are really good.  I never had them before but a guy I watch on YouTube mentioned them two weeks ago and I’ve been buying them ever since.  Grape is good but I also like the Strawberry.  Both offer 2 layers of Peanut Butter.  I just have to remember to get them out to defrost by placing them on the top of the counter.  In about an hour and a half they are ready.  If I am lucky and rush it I can get it slightly cold which is my preference.  I had two of them last week with a bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup, took me back to days of being a kid and being home sick or a cold winters day. 

When I got back from the store I grabbed the bedding and we all headed downstairs to do laundry.  I was catching up on porn, paying bills and entering money I spent as well as checking personal email.  Rudy and Mora just lapped up being down here.  They eventually settled down into a couple old office chairs I have.  They would each get bored and go exploring.  Mora eventually went back upstairs and that was timed just right because I led Rudy to the door and Mora met us there.  That’s when I returned to upstairs.  Tackled trash and cleaning.  Then putting out my medicine.  A little bit of rest and then got dressed and headed out to get Mexican Food. 

I probably should have picked some place else for food but I thought of the salsa and chips, with the hint of salt and that just lured me in.  I walked in and they were short on help, as per usual but this time there were 2 people ahead of me.  They had been standing there a while and asked two people for help.  That just about caused me to leave but I stuck around.  Someone came up and said party of 3.  The lady said just the 2 of us, unless he’s paying.  I waffled about it while I ate and I wound up buying their dinner.  The waitress spoiled the surprise so I didn’t get to do my usual line of unveiling what I did.  Damn that was some expensive meal.  Thankfully, they didn’t have any alcohol just food but I dropped $60.  It’s not going to break me.  I got a rise out of them and they thanked me profusely.  Even told me that I should have joined them.  That would have been nice but it would have also been a little awkward.  They each had to be 60 or older and I don’t know how well we would have all gotten along.  I’m glad that I made their evening and was able to sort of surprise them.  My drink went dry and I wasn’t checked on regularly.  The ladies got much better service than I did but they also had a different person waiting on them.  Not sure if I will be going back to that place at least not on a weekend, even if the salsa and chips are the draw. 

Came home, thought about hitting up a car wash but there were plenty of crazy people out.  It was just a bit after dusk and lights while driving were clearly needed.  I couldn’t believe the number of cars that I saw with people driving pitch black.  For that reason I just wanted to get home and off the road.  I had a close call when I made the trip from home.  A truck didn’t want to let me merge on to the freeway but I forced myself and that caused them to change lanes, if they didn’t we would have for sure hit and I am sure it would have been all my fault.  Just glad there was no accident that would have ruined more than the trip. 

I am sort of looking forward to heading in to the office tomorrow.  Considering I haven’t been there since last month.  Just got the word about our holiday bonus that will be on our next check, as per usual.  It’s only a couple hundred dollars that they take taxes out of and write it as a separate check so that it’s taxed at a higher rate.  I hate that but just glad they are giving it to us instead of some cheesy physical gift. 

Still no word from my Thanksgiving friends and I haven’t made any reservations or lifted one finger towards Thanksgiving.  The last time we were together their pastor was scheduled to have some testing and surgery done.  His wife wanted us to meet up for the next holiday at their house, which is a bit more of a drive for me but I’d make it if I was truly interested in going.  I look forward to Sausage Stuffing from the place we go to each year but right now I am not sure that I will be getting that this year much less going out on Thanksgiving.  As long as I have my Rudy and Mora to snuggle up with I might be a little depressed but I believe they will be enough.  Still miss my Gator girl, more now that each day is growing closer to the one year mark next month. 

My day ended with getting ready for Monday, shaving and showering.  Then took a Benadryl and 1 sleeping pill, that was enough to knock me out all night long, despite having slept in.  I felt pretty good this morning despite having woken up a couple times.  It felt like morning would never come.  I also managed to get all but 1 clock updated and it still felt like things were off so I constantly asked my smart speaker what time it was.  I think after today I will be like that old boy band N Sync.  Yeah it was bad but hey I just had to use it. 

Hope your Monday moves along well.  My disk is still analyzing and were up to 74% done and 213 Damaged sectors.  I hope that this thing finishes today but I don’t think it will be done until tomorrow.  Then I get to find out if it will try to repair what’s damaged for free or if I have to pay.  Just as long as I don’t have to sit through another few days of waiting.  I am anxious to reboot and get back to a normal state.  Already looking at a new drive.  It’s going to be summer like here for the next few days and then by the end of the week we will be back in Fall.  Today and tomorrow will be hot enough for me to turn the AC on, but I will probably sweat through it like I have the few days we had last month. 

Ciao for now. 

Waiting on Friday

Last week at this time I was relaxing and getting ready to go have a large meal with friends.  Last night I finished Thanksgiving finally and am so glad I don’t have to eat more Turkey or Ham.  I’ve never had so many left overs that I was able to last almost a week.  Now it’s back to frozen food and I’m not happy about that but at least there will be some variety there.  I could also make a pizza.  Not sure what will strike my fancy I just know it won’t be Turkey or Ham. 

I had a strange on-call request that came in late.  I was able to remedy that but it caused us to get to bed late.  I wasn’t asleep until 11p.  Gator had me up a few times during the night so I didn’t exactly get a restful amount of sleep and that kind of explains why I am sleepy now since it’s just after lunch.  A nap sounds so good to me. 

I inquired with my backup provider and they are just now preparing the drive.  It may ship out this week but could be as late as early next week.  I miss my data (porn) and really can’t wait to get it back.  I’m a little miffed that paying the cost for the drive doesn’t give priority to my request.  I get that I am not their only customer but if a customer is paying for a drive to be send overnight then that alone should speak that the request is urgent.  I do hope that it ships today it would be nice to have it in hand this week. 

Caught up on some TV and then scoured YouTube as well for my entertainment last night.  I hate watching a laptop screen and trying to relax as well, the two don’t exactly go together. 

Need to get the trash out today while the sun is up and it’s warmer out.  It’s still cold but I really don’t want to walk outside after dark when it will be much colder.

I happened to see a piece of paper in my front lawn yesterday.  I figured it was something from the HOA and wow I was right.  It’s a vote about putting liens on people’s houses as well as tacking on a fee each year that dues go unpaid.  Also some amendment they want to make outlawing chain link fence if it’s visible from the street.  Apparently the whole idea of increasing our dues fell flat on it’s face so that is something to be happy about.  We have roughly 15 to 20 houses that don’t pay each year and considering that I used to be one of them and could easily go back to being one of them I am not in favor of a lien on a property or tacking on fees.  I also voted against the fence BS.  I don’t have a fence but I think you should be allowed to put up what you want and fences regardless of what they are made from aren’t cheap especially if your hiring someone to install it, labor and then the permit you need it’s all way too much.  I really wish our HOA would disband but I don’t feel that will ever happen. 

Looking forward to the weekend just to be able to relax and hopefully get some sleep.  I think I will be in bed early tonight but I suppose you never know until that time gets here.  At some point this afternoon I expect to get my 2nd wind but if that doesn’t happen then I may very well pass out long before it’s time for bed. 

Stay warm, be well and hope your having a great day.  Talk with you all again soon!

Last Day of Rest

Sadly today is the last day of the Thanksgiving Break.  Not a lot has happened over the past couple days but there have been a few things. 

Saturday I didn’t want to get out but because the trash barrel needed to be brought in I opted to get out.  Good thing I did because FedEx brought my new vacuum and it was sitting on my front porch.  I had no idea.  I grabbed that after bringing in the trash barrel.  Then it was off to the cat food store for Gator.  Then to the post office where I picked up the check that was supposed to be delivered to me earlier in the week.  It had someone’s boot print on it which didn’t make me happy but the check it’s self was fine and I got it deposited.  Then home.  I finished the Cesar Salad prior to going out but by the time I got back my sugar was dropping.  I finished off the 4 Cheese Ravioli and had an Ice Cream Bar.  Got Gator fed and sat with her for a bit before I headed down to work on the computer.  Got my holiday letter out to a former co-worker.  I really hadn’t been wanting to compose that but it’s done.  Laundry is done as well.  I also had to complete a rebate form and get it mailed off.  Ah such fun.  It was a little after 8p when I got upstairs and Gator wasn’t happy but I got her some more food, put away the laundry, finally got settled in the chair and once she was in my lap all was well.  We sat for a few hours before I got up to prep for bed.  It was late before I got to sleep and I didn’t sleep all that well. 

Sunday no surprise I didn’t want to get out of bed.  My internal alarm clock got me up at normal time as if I was going to work.  Gator saw me and that was the end of that.  I got her fed.  I wanted to go back to bed but that didn’t work out that well for me.  I wound up cuddling with Gator and watching some TV while passing the time away.  I put her in my bed and she liked the new topper but I don’t think she liked being up so high from the ground.  After about 30 minutes she wanted down and I finally got up and got breakfast, got the dishes going and then dressed and off to the store.  I didn’t need all that much but still managed to spend a fair amount of money.  I had plans to hit up a second grocery store but that didn’t materialize today.  Next weekend however it shall.  I am on the hunt for a specific Christmas Cookie and I want it.  Tired of waiting and hoping on my regular store to put them out.  They could be out but I have no idea where they are I’ve scoured the store and they don’t have what I am looking for thus far. 

Once I was home I got the groceries put away.  Then exhausted I returned to my room and the chair.  Where Gator sat in my lap and we watched more TV.  I eventually got up and ate some left over ham, which was surprisingly good.  I don’t like hot ham but this cold left over stuff was damn good.  I looked for a side of Sweet Potatoes at the store but all of those sides were long gone, only Mac & Cheese was left and I didn’t want that.  I could have a well rounded left over meal if I had some sweet potatoes.  Ah well it’s left over Turkey and Dressing tonight with some gravy.  I’ve got frozen TV Dinners to fall back on for the week and also picked up a couple of Frozen Pizzas.  Pizza actually sounds good but I don’t want to make the effort to go out for it. 

I stayed true to my word and didn’t go out for breakfast.  No word from the waiter and honestly I will be shocked if I ever do hear from him.  The new vacuum is put together and it works really well.  Not a huge surprise on what it picked up as my former vacuum was doing a good job.  This new thing is much quieter and versatile.  It kind of reminds me a little bit of my old Dyson which compares in price to what I paid for the new vacuum which is a Shark Stratos.  It was much easier to clean my recliner from pet hair than it normally is and I’m impressed thus far.

Working on my porn file transfer and the new drive is being very strange.  It has the data but then it just vanishes into thin air.  Which makes me very happy that I am using copy instead of move.  I am having some trust issues and if I can’t cure them this new drive will be kicked back to Amazon and I will get something different.  I need space and want to keep the files I have.  Hopefully this all works out. 

Not looking forward to Monday and getting back into the groove but Tuesday is the day I am really going to hate, mostly because I am on-call this week and that always sucks.  The best part is that I work all week long then next week only work 3 days and am off on Thursday & Friday.  It will be time to see the doctor again and I will enjoy another long weekend.  Then it’s work for the rest of the year.  We get Monday the 26th off for Christmas Day so there is that to look forward to. 

Need to head up and put out my meds for next week and then work on heating up dinner.  I bought 1/2 of a Chocolate Cake and I plan to have some of that for dessert.  I had got my friends neighbor a piece of Chocolate Cake with Thanksgiving Dinner and I thought for sure he would share it but damn if he didn’t take the whole thing home.  I left hungry for Chocolate Cake so I cured my craving or I will tonight!  Hoping for a no drama week that moves by fast.  Already looking forward to next weekend.  I will go back to my normal routine and eat breakfast out.  Something just feels off if I don’t follow my routines.  Although I must say it was nice to be lazy this morning if only for a few hours. 

Hope all is well in your world.  Take care!

Debrief Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is over and today is the best part, a day of recovery or doing whatever you want. Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday not only because of the food but because you get the day after off and don’t have to worry about going back to work like you do with every other holiday, they are all 1-day events and if you want additional time you have to use vacation.

I got many calls from my Thanksgiving friends on the day of because I never responded to the text message. I got an email as well as 2 voice mails. They figured Gator was dead and I was sitting in a corner not knowing what to do with myself. I ignored them on purpose since the notice I got about the time to eat was last minute. I’m tired of being last. When something happens to Gator, I have no idea how I will be, but rest assured right now she is fine.

I was the first one there just sat outside in the rain in my vehicle waiting for the food wagon to pull up and then I carried in the bulk of the food. It was super heavy and there was plenty. Everyone got something to take home. My bad had Ham/Turkey, left over Spaghetti, 4 Cheese Ravioli, A whole order of stuffing (never that that), Gravy, Cesar Salad and Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake. I’ve got enough to make it through the weekend and don’t need to go out to eat at all. The spaghetti is done, had that for lunch. Had part of the Cesar salad as well. I plan to fix myself a plate when I go up in a bit.

It was a nice time, some lively conversation, some of the old stories about pets came up. They have cat that they keep saying had a stroke because he mimics the symptoms of a person who has had a stroke. He walks in circles. The other cats hiss at him and he’s generally not himself. He had a cold but some antibiotics cleared that up. It sounds like he had an infection that went to his brain and it’s really fucked him up. I think they will wind up losing him just because he poses a safety hazard, if you don’t watch out it’s easy to trip over him. My friends are both up there in age and a fall could easily cause a bone to break or some other serious type injury. I hate that they let their cat get so sick that it scrambled his brain but they have quite the herd of cats. I kind of expected better from them but there isn’t much I can do about it.

This was oddly the first year that there was no talk about Christmas Dinner so perhaps I got myself on the naughty list or maybe they aren’t thinking that far ahead right now. I’m sure time will tell.

I sent a text to the waiter wishing him a Happy Thanksgiving but he of course being a millennial didn’t bother to respond. I’m done with texting him; the next move has to come from him. I’m sure our paths will cross when I eat out but this weekend I plan to purposely stay away if I can manage. It’s tough to resist going out for breakfast.

Today has pretty well been spent sleeping and being with Gator. I came down to check and work on the computer around 2p and went back up once to feed her. I need to gather the trash, put on some pants and push the trash barrel out to the curb or I am going to have a mess on my hands. Lazy is the name of the game here right now. Not much on TV but I am sure I will manage to land on something this evening that will occupy me until it’s time to turn in.

My first porn data copy job finally finished. I have been able to reboot and I have another job started. It should finish up tomorrow. I don’t expect to be finished with this project anytime soon but I will be a bit happier or so I hope when I am done.

Time to tend to the trash and get moving. It’s only 6:30p and it feels so much later to me. It’s not like I need to be up early for anything tomorrow but Gator is doing her best to keep me on my regular schedule. It will really suck come Sunday night but for right now I am going to ride the ride for all it’s worth and enjoy. I never touched a computer yesterday and it was around 8p when I got to review social media. Gator was sleeping in my lap at the time and had been given food. As long as she is taken care of and happy then I’m happy. It would be nice if things materialized with this waiter dude but I honestly think that is going no where fast which is why I won’t be investing more of my time until he invests some of his. Fingers crossed that it will happen.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are enjoying Friday and soon the weekend. Take care and be well.

Happy Thanksgiving

Good Morning and Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is my favorite holiday primarily because it centers around food, which is something that I love.  It’s also the one time of year that I get Italian Sausage Dressing and it’s so good and it’s gone way too fast.  I have a Friendsgiving rather than a traditional Thanksgiving which is usually spent with family.  My family, other than my brother has all passed.  Me and my brother are polar opposites and don’t get along that well.  I’d like to talk with him more often but he’s got his wife and her family that smother him and have converted him into their cult behavior so he doesn’t think of me, which is fine. 

This is a holiday that centers around being thankful.  I am most thankful for my old little girl Gator and that she has made it 18 long years.  I pray that she keeps going for many more.  I’m also thankful that I have a decent job, a great ride and a house.  That I am financially making it.  I’m not rich but I’m not starving either.  There are many other things to be thankful for, one of which my grandfather used to remind me of which is my health.  He said if you have your health then you have plenty to be thankful for.  That is very true. 

I miss my family both my late spouse and my furry family that have all passed.  I wish they were healthy and here with me.  I know that I would be much happier.  However, I am thankful that I got to know them and care for them. 

If you stop and really think about it, no matter what your life is like you can find plenty of things and people to be thankful for.  I hope that you are able to enjoy this day with family and/or friends and have a meal and make some memories. 

Thanks for stopping by and for your readership.  May this be a great day for all of us to take time to reflect for all of the things we are thankful for. 

It’s about time

Nothing like waiting until the last day to communicate the plan for Thanksgiving.  I woke up to a text message telling me what time to be there.  It was a bit patronizing and I really wanted to reply with “Thanks for finally telling me what time were eating”.  But instead I responded with silence thus far.  I’m sure I will probably get a phone call but I am not holding my breath.  I got the message and will show up for the food.  I know it will be the same where we have to eat dinner, then desert will come later because my friend thinks there should be a pause between the two.  I however would rather consume all of the food at once, it’s all one meal and I don’t normally pause to eat desert.  I mean it happens sometimes but not that often. 

Today will be a long boring day where there probably will be highs but mostly lows.  Not that many people show up today the bulk of the organization is off and thus why it’s typically quiet.  I plan to leave early despite the fact I am at home.  Just take the forward off of my desk phone and then watch my email from upstairs.  If something pops I can react but once it gets late enough I will turn work email off until late in the day on Sunday.  It’s so refreshing to not hear the work email alert tone on my phone. 

I was thinking this morning before I headed downstairs, this time tomorrow morning I can do whatever it is that I want.  Nothing like relaxing and knowing that you don’t have any commitments, other than going to dinner.  Friday or Black Friday as it’s better known in the US I plan to stay home and not go any place.  The crazy people are out in traffic.  I like to listen to the police scanner but I will probably sleep the bulk of the day away. 

My first wave of file transfers to the new hard drive are still going.  I need to reboot my system when this wave if finally done.  Right now the estimate says more than a day remaining.  I think if I had two high speed USB ports available that would help this transfer move much faster.  I hate watching this chug along but I’m sure it’s faster than it would have been a few years back but it’s still moving slow by my standard. 

No word on shipping of my glasses or the vacuum that I ordered.  I am anxious to try out the new vacuum to see if it lives up to all of the hype that was touted on TV.  I think the glasses will show up in the next week and the vacuum will lag behind.  Warby is usually pretty fast about shipping.  I am kind of surprised that they haven’t already dropped them in the mail.  I think everything will probably be a little bit delayed due to the holiday and then the influx of mail for the holiday season. 

Hope that you all have a nice relaxing and enjoyable day before the holiday.  I’m looking forward to some good food.  The one thing that I haven’t had in years is Green Bean Casserole.  I’d sure love some of that.  Take care, stay well and warm.   

Data Transfer Time

Morning … I did some testing last week and I am now in the process of moving files to my new hard drive.  It’s going to be a very long process and will likely be a week if not longer before I am done.  Yeah I know I’ve got lots of porn.  Sometimes I wonder why I save it all but there are very few scenes that I acquire that I just watch and delete.  I’ll think about a particular performer or a specific scene and want to watch it again.  I collect a few things and gay porn is just one of those things.  It’s not something that I share with everyone.  Finding enough drive space has always been a challenge for me.  I get a few TB on a new hard drive and I think it will be forever before I fill this up, then within a year or two it’s full.  32TB will take more than a year or two to fill at the rate I obtain new scenes. 

I am watching the White Lotus on HBO and the whole things is kind of strange but I find it interesting to see where the plot will go.  In the first season there was a gay sex scene.  I think but don’t know for sure that something like that will happen in season two.  There has been some hetero sex scenes.  Two hookers who have made their way into interacting (not necessarily having sex) with a Grandfather, Father and Son.  The Father knows they are hookers because he has a sexual addiction and hired them but decided to hit it and quit it.  The son and the Grandfather have no idea they are hookers. 

The Circus on Showtime and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver on HBO are both done for this year.  LWT will be back in February.  I’m not sure when The Circus will return.  I like both shows very much. 

Had some Chicken Enchiladas, a Magnum Double Raspberry Ice Cream Bar and a couple Lemon Oreos for supper.  Lunch was a Ham Sandwich.  The main meals will likely be the same today as I have left overs. 

Had a nice evening with Gator, she went to bed early.  Not sure if she wasn’t feeling well or just tired of me.  However, when I finally settled down she asked for food and wolfed down 1/2 a can and then asked to be in my lap where she promptly fell asleep after a little bit of attention.  After an hour I was out and by the time I woke her up, she got down and I got in bed.  I was awake again and watched some TV but I had to listen to her cry because the TV was on.  I finally gave in and turned the TV off.  She kept crying I told her to get some water, that’s something she does just before she finally gets up and makes her way to the fountain.  I heard her stomp her way out of the room and then I was in slumber land. 

There was plenty of work this morning, yesterday afternoon after I stopped for the day things started building for me this morning.  I am through the bulk of it and have 2 meetings today.  1 this morning and 1 this afternoon.  I am hopeful that I will be able to get away a bit early tomorrow.  I try for that every day but the day before a holiday yeah I try extra hard.  Nothing like kicking back and relaxing. 

Hope you all have a great Tuesday.  Stay warm and be well.  Thanks for your visit today.  

Short Week

Morning!

Despite it being a short week, I still have a case of the Monday’s and since it’s shorter week that makes it a bit worse for me. I really do not want to work at all this week. I would just as soon that we were closed but you know big business and that almighty dollar, were lucky that we get two days off. I guess that’s something to be thankful for.

Had a relaxing evening I am watching Down To Earth season 2 on Netflix. It never gets old looking at Zac Efron. He is so hot and ripped. Man, I wish he was my boyfriend and I know that I am not the only Gay Guy that has that thought. It’s a great series and outside of looking at Zac when he’s shirtless you can actually learn a lot. This is a very interesting show. I could have finished it all this weekend but I am taking the slow and savory approach. I’ve got 3 more episodes left and they will be watched over the course of this week if not all of them tonight.

Gator was a sleepy head yesterday. She slept away the bulk of the day. She decided to get a bit more active in the evening. When I was cleaning the house and had to vacuum in my room that is when she finally woke up. I got her to leave her nice warm bed for something to eat. Then she wanted to sit in my lap for a bit. Then she wanted down and more food. Then it was water and finally a different plate of food. I gave her Fish & Shrimp much to my dismay. That seems to cause her system to have some issues and I’ve got a few cans of it but I only gave her 1 can and don’t plan to give any of the others of this variety anytime soon. She really enjoyed it and ate almost the whole thing but took the slow and savory approach.

I had a Lemon Biscotti and a Magnum Double Caramel Ice Cream Bar for super with 2 Diet Cokes. I was never really hungry especially after having my McDonald’s food craving. It all was so good and I can easily do it all over again.

Watched some YouTube stuff and then reverted back to Mike & Molly as my sleeping pills kicked in. I jumped in bed and of course then I was wide awake. Gator kept crying because I made her go to bed and she wanted the TV off. I finally gave in to her and that’s the last I remember I managed to roll over and it was light out not only in the room but for me as well.

Gator woke me around 1a for some food. I think there was another wake-up call. I remember kind of wanting food at 1a but I talked myself out of it and climbed back in bed. Slept pretty well. I know that Wednesday night I should sleep pretty good as well knowing that I don’t have to get up early for anything on Thursday morning. I’ve already got the DVR set for the Thanksgiving Parade. I am still waiting on my notification for as to what time were eating. While I doubt, I will be forgotten if I am I at least know of one place open where I can get a meal.

Looks like I’ve got a meeting to head to in a short while. Outside of that the next meeting is after lunch and then I am done for the day. I plan on trying to leave early and so long as nothing comes up and no one bothers me I will be successful. I am laying low and that is by design.

Happy Monday!

The Hangover Effect

I took the OTC Sleep aid with my Prescription Sleep Aid and I really had a deep sleep. I also had some crazy dreams. I was at work at an old job, we rearranged an entire floor it was a massive floor the size of two or three buildings. There were multiple elevators and I kept trying to get to the lobby. I rode I can’t tell you how many elevators and I finally made it to the lobby which is when I woke up. Gator was crying for food. I fed her and then remember getting back in bed and feeling really good, I fell back asleep. I was going into work and in the building, there was a machine that resembled a slot machine it was built into the wall. I remember there was a large bin where money came out. I remember sticking my hand in and looking for coins. I found a ton and also some paper that was folded into neat little tiny squares. I remember opening the pieces of paper and they turned out to be counterfeit currency the front and back of US Currency but you had to glue them together and it was obvious they were fake. I remember going to the bathroom and throwing them away. Then I had problems when I went to wash my hands. The sinks just didn’t put out enough water to fully rinse the soap from my hands. Very strange and then I woke up, time to tackle the day.

Wow that was a crazy sleep cycle. I didn’t feel rested at all and have what I am told is the hangover effect. It’s difficult to keep moving all I really want to do is lay back down and go back to sleep. I am doing my best to stay awake but I don’t know how long I will be able to fight it.

I got a shave and shower before I went to bed. Had Chicken Pot Pie and a Mint Ice Cream Sandwich for supper. My brain was very much focused on the waiter and I was watching a DVR TV show, we got to a commercial break. I had to pause to take care of Gator and my phone needed my attention. When I went back to watch TV, I wound up deleting the show. My DVR doesn’t have any kind of forgiveness when you commit to delete it’s gone forever. Then I had to scramble to find the show on HULU and sit through the commercials but at least I got to watch the show. I couldn’t believe that I actually deleted the show instead of resuming it. I am clearly not thinking straight (kind of humorous wording) but seriously if I would have been focused on what I was doing instead of thinking about the waiter I am sure that would have never happened.

Were at the half way point in the week so I need to make it through today and then two more days. Saturday morning can’t get here fast enough. That is when I will begin my quest for answers and I may have to wait until Sunday but I really want to get this cleared up regardless if it’s a good or bad outcome. It will either be the end which will mean bad news or clarification which would mean good news. I am fairly optimistic that this was some kind of a mix up or misunderstanding but knowing for sure will help me. I’m prepared for most any outcome that’s not to say that if it turns out to go bad that I won’t be hurt or disappointed.

Work today is pretty calm. There is a project that will ramp up a bit later this morning that will take some of my time and efforts. Then a pause for lunch. A meeting this afternoon and then more work after hours for a project. It’s going to be a long day but hopefully the evening will be fully done by 7p or so I hope. Silly project work since were off next week they are trying to cram two weeks’ worth of effort into one week. I hate that but there isn’t much I can do about it. At least next week at this time I will be anxiously awaiting Thursday and focused more on food. I expect the mood to be slow to the point where there is barely a pulse palpable at work, that is typical of a holiday week but I don’t expect things will really slow down until Tuesday. I think Monday will be busy. You never know for sure but past holiday weeks are usually a good gage for how things will go in future weeks. If this was way back to when I started, they would let us go early the day before the holiday but that stopped years ago. Now working from home, I can get that benefit back if I am not needed and no one bothers me.

My Girl Gator seems to be doing okay. Today is the big delivery day for both of us. She gets food and I get my Amazon stuff. Cinnamon Cream of Wheat will be for breakfast tomorrow morning. I love that stuff and wish that I could buy it from a local store instead of having to order it. The price jumped a few dollars just before I placed my order. I had been watching it for weeks. I’ve got my eye on a pen that I have been watching for a little over a year, it varies in price by $200 - $300 but I am thinking that when it next drops if life is good and things are right for me financially, I am going to pounce. Life is short, sometimes too short and I might as well make it happen because it’s not going to come to the door knocking for me. No one in their right mind would buy it for me due to the cost nor do I expect it as a gift. However, if I was famous, I could just start an Amazon Wish List like porn stars and influencers do and people just buy stuff for them just because. That irks me but it’s all about who you are and who you know. At the end of the day if you know how to work the system and it works in your favor and it isn’t illegal or immoral might as well tap it for all it’s worth.

I hope you have a good day, stay warm and be well. Happy Hump Day!!

Home this week

I just watched a news conference and public officials are already asking people to stay home tomorrow.  They say if you don’t have to go out, don’t.  If you can work from home, plan for that now.  Looks like I won’t be going in this week at all.  There is some after hours work a couple nights this week that is scheduled and I have a role in that so I don’t really feel any guilt for all of the time I put in and all of the help I give going above & beyond.  I have no plans to go in next week since it’s only a 3 day week.  The week after Thanksgiving I am on-call and I don’t go in on those weeks either, so looks like I won’t be back in the office until December as it stands at the moment.  The whole staying home thing does get to me and I look forward to getting out on the weekends, kind of why I eat out and try to treat myself a little bit.

I was able to talk with a friend about what happened with the waiter.  The advice I was given was wait the week out and go back on the weekend and talk with him then, see what happened.  Unless I get an indication that he’s not interested I plan to ask him to send me a text message so we don’t have to rely on handwriting.  I think that this is probably the best approach and I think I will get some clarity or so I hope.  I pray that my heart can take whatever the end result is.  Even if we wind up meeting up there is no guarantee that we will match but hey I could make a younger friend.  I honestly don’t have a lot of hope for this but I do plan to see how this plays out. 

It’s been an expensive afternoon for me.  I got my holiday bonus and went shopping.  The best purchase I made was a 32TB External Solid State Hard Drive for $199.99.  I’m running out of room for my porn storage and storage in general is always a problem.  This little gem should clear that right up.  I can’t imagine that I will ever fill this up but then again I’ve surprised myself before.  It’s a no name brand drive so I have some doubt but if it passes my initial testing then I’m good.  If not I’ve got a brand name drive on my list that I can always buy.  I’d like to get everything before Thanksgiving so that I can spend that weekend doing all of the moving and organizing of the data.  As it stands at the moment my order is set to arrive on Wednesday.  I could have had this early AM tomorrow but since I had some stuff coming on Wednesday I just configured it so everything arrives on the same day.  I got my Thanksgiving Shirt.  I went with a picture of a black and white cat on a blue shirt.  I think it will be a hit but it’s short sleeves so not exactly sure how well that will work out for me. 

I need to get a Chewy Order together for Gator and I plan to do that just after I post this.  Then I should be done spending money for the time being.  That little holiday bonus has been spent and then some.  As long as me and my girl are well taken care of that is all that really matters to me.  I am kind of scared about her with the events of last night happening and I need to make sure she gets some fluids at least one time a week regardless of how either of us feel.  The rule of thumb is that if an older cat gets dehydrated once it’s going to happen over and over, hence why I have the fluids.  She is eating like she has been on a hunger strike and we had a lunch nap together.  I am looking forward to spending more time with her this evening, which is around the corner. 

Hope you all have a nice evening and that you all stay warm and well.