Sunday

Hi and welcome in.  Woke up this morning a couple times and went back to sleep.  Rudy wanted to get up at 7 but I wanted to wait until 730a before I decided to get out of bed.  I won and he was so happy when I finally told him that it was time to get up.  I got my usual biscuits and smile.  After I put breakfast out for the cats I got dressed and ready to get going. 

Had Strawberry French Toast and Scrambled Eggs this morning.  The college student that I had seen over the winter started showing up again last week.  I got to see him this morning, we exchanged a hello.  I was watching him bus tables and looking at his nice caboose.  I kind of wanted to make a move but that little voice in my head said not to.  I listened to the voice. 

Hit up the grocery store and of course hours after I got home I realized oh yeah I forgot something.  It’s not a big deal but I did wiz through there pretty fast.  Felt like 5 minutes tops but I am sure it was a bit longer.  I wanted Cheesecake and got it.  That’s going to be different and also really good. 

Kept thinking about where to go for supper and opted to take a trip to the pizza place where there is a hot straight waiter that I made a pass at.  He didn’t get it but I think after the fact things came together.  Well anyway I went there and he was working.  I got to look at his caboose as well.  He’s always great to look at.  We exchanged pleasantries but that was after I had been there for a while.  Normally he wouldn’t talk to me unless he was waiting on me.  That’s why I think he figured out that I made a pass.  Pizza was just okay.  I enjoyed the drive up and back it was nice.  AC is working great and felt so good.  It was 80 out or so the car said. 

Made it home and the cats are with me in the basement.  Kind of a hum drum day and I really wasn’t in the mood to do a whole lot.  Kind of loafed for most of the day and that is how I plan to spend the evening. 

It was nice seeing those hot guys today.  I am not eager to start this upcoming week only because I am on-call.  Hopefully it’s not too eventful and the week goes by quickly.  It’s the last full week I work before vacation.  Only 3 days next week and then I am done for the month.  Coming back I will be back on-call again which sucks plus I will be playing catchup but I plan to enjoy my time off.  Lord knows I do need the break. 

My morning started off with a funny wrong number text message.  Apparently someone got left at a biker bar early this morning.  I kind of felt like texting back, you deserved it and you texted the wrong number.  However, I know all too well that things that seem innocent enough like this often lead to scams/schemes so instead I just deleted the message. 

Still loving my new iPhone and still playing with it exploring.  Haven’t watched any tutorials but it does what I want it to.  I checked on the value of my old phone and right now it’s worth about $80.   Hope it’s a great week ahead for all of us and that life slows down just a little bit.

Thanks for stopping by.  Take care.

Hungry Gator

I’ve been summoned upstairs twice by Gator for food.  Apparently she is extra hungry today.  From what little I have seen of her, she appears to be doing better than she was this morning.  She looked like it was Monday and she had been on a bender for the weekend and had to go back to work.  She gets these crazy faces when she sleeps and then she wakes up and looks at you.  Sometimes I laugh but most times I just greet her.  She’s napping in my room now after wolfing down a snack we had about an hour ago.  I had Lemon Yogurt which was pretty good.

As you can see I posted some man candy.  I am a little extra horny today.  I had a porn scene all picked out last night but when I went to watch it, the program I used hadn’t sync’d up yet so the scene wasn’t available to me.  I could have walked my lazy self down to the computer and done a manual sync but I just didn’t feel like it.  Then Gator started with her nightly cry for food and it’s always ill timed.  I am either comfortable, getting into a porn scene or about to blow and then I hear meow.  I hate when she does that to me but I’ve learned to expect it.  In any case if I am not terribly tired and the Gator leaves me alone I should be able to have some fun tonight.  

Had to cut lunch a little short there was a mini crisis at work but my boss intervened just as I was about to and well turns out I could have stayed upstairs and enjoyed my lunch break.  It’s okay Gator had her food and water and was laying down to nap.  I had finished my sandwich and was just sitting on the couch watching Gator drift off.  That can be relaxing and usually winds up causing me to take a nap but not today.  My plan is to stay awake all day so that I sleep all night, then tomorrow will be a better day.  

I heard back from the place I sent my old iPhone to and they indicated they are sending me a check.  I hope it’s really in the mail and they aren’t just blowing smoke.  I was getting worried because they never did respond to any of my inquiries and I found several bad experiences on the BBB’s website.  I just want my money and don’t plan on using them again.  Funny thing the new phone I just paid $400 for is only worth $172 now that it’s used.  Still in perfect shape but it’s depreciated quicker than a new car driving off the lot.  Funny how that happens.  There should be a new iPhone next month and now is NOT the time to buy any Apple products unless it’s an absolute necessity.  I always used to time my purchases to the launch of a new model because the old model was discounted.  What I have is the iPhone SE Third Edition and it’s probably the last small size phone I will ever own, unless Apple happens to issue a Fourth Edition.  It will probably also be the last phone with a finger print reader and I will have to convert to Face ID, which I am not a fan of.  I’d rather have the home button, it’s how I was introduced to Apple products and switching away from that seems really foreign but I suppose when the time comes I will adapt.  Sort of like adapting to new technology in an automobile or a computer.  That’s the thing about technology it’s always changing like it or not. 

Looking forward to breaking free from the computer, watching some TV and figuring out what I am having for dinner.  Last night was Pepperoni Pizza Flavored Pasta Bowl.  It had the sauce and little bits of Pepperoni but it was no pizza but very close to it.  I was looking for Chili’s frozen dinners they had a few out before the pandemic, not sure if they are still making them but the new store I went to was the only place that carried them.  I didn’t see them on Sunday when I was there.  That would have added some flavor and spice to what is otherwise a usually boring meal.  I’ve thought of trying a meal service, where you order and pay on-line, they ship the stuff to you and you pop it in your microwave within the week.  If anyone has experience with them, I’d be interesting in hearing about it.  It looks to be healthier than what I get in the store and I am sure it probably tastes better as well.  I do miss a nightly home cooked meal and have for years.  Cracker Barrel for supper is pretty close and it’s comforting but I only do that on occasion.  I am more of a Cracker Barrel breakfast person.  I need to stop talking about food, my mouth is watering like a good looking guy just walked by. 

Just a little bit longer and the day will be done.  The question is will I be left alone from the office?  There is a 50 percent chance that I will be.  I’m not on-call but I also keep watching my phone and if I can help I always jump in.  It just feels like the right thing to do even though I would rather sit in silence.  I know that if I drop dead yesterday, they would keep going without me.  I’m told my efforts are appreciated and I do think they are but honestly I don’t think anyone puts in nearly as much effort as I do but I’m seeing that from my view point.  I could be wrong, but (not to be arrogant) I am usually right more than I am wrong. 

Have a nice evening!

Lay Around Saturday

I was up a little bit later than normal on Friday night and that didn’t sit well with Gator but she permitted it for a while.  Eventually she raised enough commotion that I climbed in bed and that made her happy.  She went off to sleep and was no longer concerned about me. 

However she grew hungry in the middle of the night and woke me up for food.  She also woke me up at what would be our normal time to get up and get moving.  I fed her again just to keep with the routine.  She has taken in a lot of food but has yet to put anything out.  I am concerned but keeping a watchful eye on her.  As much as I don’t want to admit it I believe that we have a problem.  My hope is that this is something short term that won’t require a visit to the vet but if were into next week and this continues then it’s time to go in, despite the fact that I might not get the greatest of news.  She is drinking water and that has picked up a bit and I’d say that her appetite has picked up as well. 

I laid around this morning but eventually got in the shower and then got dressed.  I went back to laying around for a couple more hours but then got up and got moving.  I hit up the post office for one lousy piece of junk mail that I threw away at the post office.  Then I hit up the BBQ place I was at a few weeks back.  It wasn’t what I really wanted but I was struggling on making a decision.  The food was good and I made sure to order the larger portion because chances are pretty good that will be the only real meal that I have today.  I had a couple of Oatmeal Breakfast Squares and a soda earlier this morning to kick off the day.  I am not really hungry at all. 

I hit up the pet food store and my those shelves are bare.  The cashier told me that the food is on back order.  It’s kind of been that way since the pandemic started and the supply chain issue surfaced.  I thought we were out of the woods but apparently that is not the case.  I have purchased enough food for her to make it through the week.  I will peek at the grocery store to see if any of her regular favorites are available there.  Looking for Chicken and Mixed Grill which have been very common and not an issue to purchase but for the last couple weeks.  I don’t have high hopes of finding it but it doesn’t mean I won’t look.  I like to keep her appetite going because if that stops were into deeper trouble waters.  Feeding her a random variety so she doesn’t constantly get the same thing seems to have worked well for 17 years and I don’t see any reason to change things up now, despite the fact that I can’t get all of the flavors that she is used to we still have some variety. 

I’ve nodded off a few times with Gator in my lap, I just settle into a program and before I know what hit me I am waking up.  It’s like who turned out the lights!  I guess my body is more tired than I realize and I am under a different kind of stress now between work and Gator so I am probably going to be sleepier.  As long as I am ready to go on Monday morning that is what matters most. 

I had thought about getting the newest iPhone SE that was just released but am glad that I held off.  I didn’t know it wouldn’t support mag safe charging.  I’ve been using that forever and don’t want to give it up.  The last version (which is the present phone I own) of the iPhone SE that was released a couple years ago supported it, I figured it would be carried over.  Apparently if you want all of the features Apple wants you to pay full price for one of their other models.  I am comfortable with what I have, just wish that battery life was better but that seems to be a constant thing on most every phone these days.  The one feature I really don’t want to lose is the home button and you can only find that on the iPhone SE now unless you have an older model iPhone.  I don’t like face id but I know that at some point I will have to probably cross over and make the change.  It won’t be easy when it happens and I will probably be looking for a home button for a long time.  Sort of like when car manufacturers took away the shifter from automobiles and replaced them with rotary dials or in the case of my present vehicle a push button gear shift.  I loved the gear shift but with advances in technology things change because it’s either more secure or cheaper for the manufacturer. 

I’ve got my laundry drying and am waiting for the buzzer, then it’s back upstairs to be with Gator.  I did dishes last night so I am in pretty good shape.  Tomorrow will be the usual breakfast out and trip to the grocery store.  Debating if I want to get gas or wait another week.  I’ve got plenty to get me by for the one day I go in but I’ve got this thing about keeping a full tank, regardless of what time of year it is.  I just pay closer attention in the Winter months. 

Hopefully, you are enjoying the weekend and getting things crossed off of your do to list while having time for yourself to unwind from the past 5 days.  One more day to go and then it’s back to the grind.  Take care and we will talk again soon!

Weekend Update

I completed watching the series Friday Night Lights on Saturday morning.  I do think the series ended on a great note for everyone.  Sure I would like to see a revival of the show but I don’t know how you’d pickup because the fact is everyone moves on after high school is done.  The people at those institutions of learning change and faces/names are forgotten [unless you did something extraordinary and even then with some time all memories fade].

I was successful at being lazy on Saturday and stuck close to home.  I did pick up the mail, grabbed some cat food and hit up Denny’s for a burger [always full of grease] served pipping hot with pockets of grease to burn your mouth, but it sure was good.  My stomach wasn’t terribly happy with me after I finished that burger and I didn’t feel the best. 

Took care of my silly report at work and a few other things that needed to be done.  Watched my first college football game, I was interested in a specific player who was unfortunately on the sideline for the entire game.  However, I got a few peeks.  Plus saw other hot guys and learned some interesting names I never thought I would ever see.  I was late to the party but it was already on DVR and when the game went long I just skipped to live TV.  It was a bit painful to sit through commercials but I knew the outcome of the game wasn’t going to be in favor of the player’s team I was tuned into watch.  I don’t fully understand football and don’t know that I ever will.  I do understand what a field goal & touch down are, so at least it’s not a total loss. 

Scheduled the last of my vacation and I’m taking the full week of Christmas plus the Friday before.  I also have a half day to burn as well and not sure when I will take that but I won’t leave anything on the table, trust me.  My colleagues made it difficult to schedule anything before that but it sounds like a great time to take a week off.  Not sure what exactly I will do outside of be lazy but I could get a full time job being lazy, I am really good at it. 

Grabbed breakfast out early this chilly Sunday morning.  I was surprised but my mower guy was here before I woke up at 7a and his racket didn’t wake me at all.  He moved a fallen small tree branch and that is what caused me to notice.  The grass really isn’t growing much and I suspect that could easily be the last cut of the season but we will see.  On my way to the grocery store I saw a long time crush of mine driving.  Of course he is straight, married and has a family plus he’s at least 15 years younger than me.  He always seems so fully of life & happy.  Jealous?  Yeah I am.  I’d like to be that happy and I think I was at one time but took it for granted. 

Anyway, grabbed some food for the week for me & Gator.  Then off to hit up the gas pump and finally back home.  All by 9:30a.  I was happy to get ahead of the crazy people.  The only motivation I had was to get Water for Gator.  They have been sold out when I go later in the morning and she only drinks purified bottled water.  I made that conversion years ago and saw a drastic improvement in all of my cats, so I figure might as well keep it up. 

Night 1 of Halloween is done here.  My house is dark and I honestly didn’t see any kids out for the brief time I was by the window.  I’ve got one neighbor who went all out to decorate their house and I’ve been waiting to see what it looked like at night.  They finally turned it on last night.  I suspect it will be on again tonight and then taken down this week.  

The Gator is crowing because I have been down here for a couple hours.  I was catching up on a few things.  I still need to clean upstairs, give Gator her fluids, put away the laundry and then I am all set to go back to being lazy.  I’ve got plenty of TV to consume. 

On a final note.  I was all set to dump my current cell carrier for Mint because they are way cheaper and I get the same service for less.  However, my current carrier has built in call control to their network and if you block someone the phone never rings and the person isn’t sent to voicemail the call on their end just hangs up.  They try again and again but the result is the same and eventually they realize you’ve blocked them.  I couldn’t get the same thing with Mint.  All of the 3rd party apps I tried send calls to voice mail.  If I block someone I don’t want to hear from them and certainly don’t want to give them the ability to leave a voice mail.  At least I know Mint can always be an option as long as I am willing to give up the call control but for now I think I will stay put.  It was an interesting experiment.  Ever since I did this my social media is littered with ads from other carriers that say they are the cheapest and I should switch to them.  Funny how that just happened out of no where.  Sort of like when I joined a class action lawsuit against Apple that my last device suddenly developed a bad battery out of no where.  Never did get any money out of that, in fact that is the whole reason I had to upgrade last year. 

Hope you have enjoyed your weekend, the fall weather, perhaps something pumpkin and certainly time off to rest & recharge for what I am sure will be another interesting week ahead.  Stay warm and safe.  Talk again soon!

No change

Yesterday I heard back from my doctor and as I suspected his medical opinion will not change because my employer changed my job description.  Since the only reason HR said that I needed to return to the office was to manage hardware that was formerly in my job description, it doesn’t sound like there is truly a need for me to go back to the office, other than the fact that by in large everyone else has.  My request now moves to management and it will be up to them if I have a mandate to return.  I am optimistic because I have the support of my manager but it’s his boss that will actually have the final say in the matter.  I am back to waiting for a final determination.

What is really frustrating here is that on one hand my employer says we want to help you but then their last interaction with my doctor said we want him back in the office, please make it so.  If you truly wanted to help me you wouldn’t have forced the issue with my doctor but rather just took his original medical opinion, and granted the accommodation.  I do realize that there was no end date on the accommodation and that is what they were looking for but I really think they could have handled it differently.  The battle has not been lost yet but the odds I would say are less in my favor given that my doctor has said it was okay for me to return 2 days a week.  This is just a bit out of control and a mess, but I’ve been through a lot worse. 

In other news I am on a 7 day trial at no cost with Mint Mobile.  I went the eSim route which is an electronic SIM that is sent to your device.  My phone now sees 2 phone lines and I can toggle between them at will or I can turn one of them off.  When calls come in there is either a P meaning the call came from the primary line of a S which means the call is coming from the secondary line.  Tempting as it is to keep both phone lines I only really need 1.  My present carrier angered me and was inflexible on rates.  Mint mobile piggy backs off of TMOBILE and I happen to have decent coverage in my area from them.  Verizon has the best coverage in my area but major carriers all have one thing in common they charge way too much and give as little as they can to the consumer.  Mint discounts the rates and you can buy in for up to 12 months at the introductory rate.  The thing I don’t know is what the price will be after the introductory rate is over.  This could turn out to be a big smoke and mirror show.  The main two reasons why I have kept my present carrier is that my home phone and mobile phone are tied to one voice mail box and they also have great incoming call protection that permits me to block people at will, but I pay extra for that.  If I do wind up switching to Mint or another carrier I would have to find an app to manage call control and as for voice mail I’d have to live with having 2 separate mailboxes, not that I get many calls in the first place.  The end game here is to reduce my monthly cost without having to sacrifice on quality of service.  I’m sure Mint will be heavily campaigning to get me to switch.  The real challenge will be how coverage is when I leave home. 

I am into Season 4 of Friday Night Lights.  One more season after this and I am done.  Heard the announcement yesterday that in a couple week Tiger King 2 will be out and I am looking forward to watching that.  Not much else going on right now.  Hoping for a peaceful weekend. 

Thanks for stopping by, hope all is well in your world.  Talk with you again soon. 

A beautiful day in the Gayborhood

Hey how are you doing? I hope that all is well in your world and that your managing to keep your sanity in this difficult and trying time.

As for me I am doing the best I can. I am gaining weight as evidence when I tried to put on my jeans and realized that it was difficult to fasten them. I heard the other day they call it the quarantine 15. I turn to food in time of stress and let’s face it this is certainly a stressful time. There isn’t a whole lot that you can do right now. Getting out on the weekend is nice but it’s way too limited for me. Perhaps I need to go for a drive. I mean that is legal, it just seems like a waste of time to me because it’s not like I can say go for pizza. I also think the car could use some exercise, but then again so can I, even though my body is allergic.

It rained all day yesterday which was kind of depressing but also made for some good sleeping weather. I have been watching a fair amount of television. I am watching The Innocence Files on Netflix. It’s interesting to see how many people that were wrongfully convicted of crimes they didn’t commit. It’s also very scary that if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, that you too could be in their shoes. There are certain people in this world that are just corrupt and they are hell bent on solving cases, regardless if they have the true and correct person who did the crime or not. They railroad people through the system just to get a conviction. Justice truly is blind and that’s not necessarily a good thing.

I also saw the 1^st episode of Accused, Guilty or Innocent on A&E. This case was about a man who shot his abusive wife. She was addicted to pain killers and got to the point where she had to shoot up in order to get her fix. The couple had a security camera system installed a couple years back and that turned out to be invaluable. However, like many camera systems it didn’t record audio. You got to see video evidence of her abusing him and even picking up a metal baseball bat and attempting to strike him. You could see that she clearly had the upper hand and he was spineless and truly in fear of his life. He said that she told him that he was going to die but she just hadn’t decided on how. They had a young child. After she killed her husband, she said that she would kill the child and herself. She goes and gets the kid and puts his coat on. They appear to be leaving the house, when she has the child in one hand and turns around and starts getting physical with her husband again. By this point he had secured a weapon that was within reach for his safety. He wound up shooting her 3 times and she died. Yes you get to see that as well. He immediately called for help and you get to hear the 911 call. Plain and simple he had an open and shut case where he in my opinion was justified. His attorneys pretty well told him the same thing. However, I am about to spoil it for you just because it infuriated me. The prosecution offered him a deal of 15 years for what I believe would be aggravated homicide which is a felony. The original charge was 1^st degree murder. If he took the plea, he would only have to serve 50% of his sentence, which means that in all likelihood he could easily be out in 5 years. Rather than gamble the idiot took the deal. I am not a gambling man but given the circumstances I would have rolled the dice because I think he would have been acquitted. I just couldn’t believe him and I was so invested after hearing the story to hear it end this way made me damn mad. However, it’s his life and he is the one who has to serve the time. He did it mainly to cater to her family so that his mom wouldn’t lose visitation of their child, which turns out he wasn’t the biological father of and he didn’t find that out until after he shot his wife. Yeah this has all sorts of twist and turns. I think it’s going to be a good series to watch.

I watched a special on Netflix today about the Coronavirus, which was informative but also frightening at the same time. I think that there will be certain parts of the country that rush to re-open too quickly and if not all of us, some of us will be right back in this lock up phase again soon. That fact is mentioned in the Netflix film. It happened before with a prior plague/pandemic. I am concerned about how this will affect me, my employer and lots of other people as well as the economy as a whole. In just a few short days we will be in a new month again. For me that means a new restriction will take effect. If you leave your house and are in a public place you will have to wear a face mask by law, unless you have a respiratory condition that makes it difficult for you to breath. Masks as you know are in high demand (just like toilet paper) and I have a couple of disposable masks. Anything that is N95 is sold out on Amazon. You can get simple paper or masks with carbon filters. I am not rushing to purchase anything at the moment. I mean I am only out for 3 things in a weekend. The post office, which is usually empty when I go. The cat food store and the grocery store. Both of which are populated but not like before the virus hit. I also know that I won’t be breaking out the sewing machine to make my own. While I understand the reasoning behind the regulation, I don’t necessarily agree with it. If you have the wrong kind of mask on or you don’t wear it properly your chances will increase dramatically for contracting this virus.

As for work, we are all still doing the work from home thing for now. For me it’s until the 15^th of May or unless there is some decision made prior to then. We are going to have a companywide staff meeting tomorrow. The implication has been that we would be opening back up soon. We have an office in MN and our executives are looking to see what happens there. Of course, each area where we have an office, you will have to follow local law/restrictions. That said, I have some concern on how we are doing financially since last I heard people weren’t paying their bills like they were the month prior so revenue is down. Industry wide our competition is instituting pay cuts, deferring pay raises and doing layoffs, so I am on edge a bit. Granted I would be one of the people turning off accounts, thus far no one has told me anything. That is normal, I am usually the last person to find out. However, my employer does have a reputation for taking care of its people (it may not be as fair as people want or expect but if there is a layoff there is usually severance offered. We have only been through this once since I have been there and I hope we don’t have to go through another round ever.) and given my position I don’t think I am in any jeopardy at the moment but I still remain slightly paranoid or concerned (take your pick on which word works best for you).

On a different note, I have also become aware of a You Tuber who is new to me but has been in the game for a while. It’s Andrew Neighbors or Andrew Goes Places. I saw him on social media but didn’t realize he was a You Tuber. He’s a young gay optometrist who travels. Kind of a cool job and getting to travel is an added perk. He’s young presently at 29 years old. He’s ripped and got a rocking body. He’s also a gamer and is on Twich. Plus, he enjoys photography. I find him quite enjoyable to listen to and look at. He’s had some interesting adventures in life. Mainly a long-term monogamous guy but he’s also had his share of hookups or one-night stands. Variety is the spice of life and he exudes that. Watching his videos is a great way for me to pass the time as well as learn more about him. I also watched him play a game last night. He’s is shirtless a fair amount of the time and hey I am not going to complain about that. That is kind of one of the things that makes me want to watch him. Putting it a different way, I wouldn’t kick him out of bed for eating crackers! He did some underwear modeling in the past and posted a photo of his behind online but it’s since been taken down. If you search you can still find it, plus it’s briefly in one of his You Tube videos. That’s the one thing about the digital world today that is scary, if you post a nude photo regardless if it’s full frontal or not – you don’t want your face to be showing. That photo once posted will live forever, even if you take it down. Someone somewhere has a copy and is holding on to it. You have to be careful.

I still need to call the vet for Marv I am low (but not out) of one of his meds. I am thinking of asking for more Vitamin B injections as well. Not that he is doing bad now but he seemed to be better overall when he was on them. He walked a bit better or so I thought and his appetite was certainly better. I counted out the remaining pills I have and were down to a month’s supply. I will be calling later in the week. Speaking of things, I need to do, I should call the car dealer again. Their website says they are open for pickups and deliveries as it applies to service. I know I was told a different story earlier this month when I called but perhaps things have changed, at least it looks like it on their website. I just don’t like the idea of a confrontation but hey I suppose the worst they can tell me is nope that’s a typo.

I am noticing that my iPhone’s battery is not lasting as long and I think my Mophie battery is wearing out as well. I do use my phone a fair amount of time. During working hours it’s either for calls or Two Factor authentication. In off hours it’s mostly to catch up on social media. Since my discovery, I have switched to dark mode and turned off some background apps, which seems to have given me a little bit of extra life. The one thing that I found on line is that you shouldn’t have the Facebook app on your phone. It’s a battery hog. You can still do most things via the web but it’s just not as same as their app. The “experts” suggest using the web and refrain from installing the app. When I look at performance of my battery, I always see FB in the top 2 positions and it’s always got a high number by it. I know that battery life has improved on newer models of the iPhone and I am certainly due for an upgrade. It’s quite affordable now. I keep hearing my little voice tell me not to do it now, which is why I keep putting it off. The iPhone SE was just released and it’s got the guts of the iPhone 11 but in an iPhone 8 body. Yep they even kept the home screen button and touch id. I personally want to upgrade to an 11 but that means no home button and face id. I am not in a rush but I certainly want to do it before my battery fails entirely. I have insurance that would cover a battery replacement but I would just as soon upgrade vs. replacing the battery, it just seems to make more sense. I may get the SE model simply from a cost perspective. The problem with upgrading is that means new accessories. Specifically, for me a new tempered glass overlay and a new Mophie. I also carry my phone in a wearable holster but finding one that is rugged enough might prove to be challenging. I use a Mophie holster now, but they got out of the case/holster business. Otherwise I would just default to them. Most people carry in their pockets but that doesn’t work for me. I mean it can on a weekend but daily for normal work use (when I go to the office) it wouldn’t. I suppose I could adapt and change but really don’t want to. I am old and stuck in my ways.

I did get the credit for the pen I returned and it posted well in time of my statement cycling. Now I am working to get the replacement that I ordered to ship. I am not patient and have put some pressure on the place I ordered from. I won’t hear any updates until tomorrow.

I have also been continuing to fight my newly acquired sound issue as a result of installing the new keyboard. It’s taken up way more of my time that I wanted it to. I am trying to make this work but I think in the end the only cure will be to remove the keyboard and the software that comes with it. If you search the web you too will discover what I did, that sound problems are inherent in Windows 10. There are plenty of suggestions and I have tried them all but thus far nothing and I mean nothing outside of a reboot seems to clear the issue up. My latest effort was to remove the keyboard software, restore the audio back to normal settings, reboot. Then reinstall the keyboard software fresh w/o having the keyboard connected first. If that fails then the only other option, I can think of is to remove the sleep function on the keyboard. Since it’s backlit I have it turn off if there is 15 minutes of inactivity. If that fails then reaching out to the manufacturer for suggestions and/or simply giving up and sending it back to get a refund. Thankfully since I purchased it via Amazon I have until the end of May to return it, after that it’s mine regardless if I use it or not. I want to make it work but what I want isn’t always what I get, that’s a tough life lesson but as soon as you learn it, you don’t tend to forget it. Going back to what I had wouldn’t be a horrible thing and hey I would have even more money in my pocket. Since purchasing this expensive fancy keyboard, I have of course found others that are less expensive and they offer the same experience but don’t necessarily have a wrist wrest. I know this too shall pass, but I would just as soon it happen sooner rather than later.

Today’s weather was awesome. It was in the upper 60’s, sunshine and that brought out the BBQ grillers. I opened a couple windows and turned on the ceiling fans to circulate some air through the place. The cats seemed to enjoy it. Marv and Gator fought for the sunshine spot by the window. They each had their turns. Gator gets hot and has to move but Marv could easily stay there all day long, once he gets comfortable. Something about sunshine and cats, they love it. I enjoy it as well I just can’t stay in it too long or I will look like Larry the Lobster. I have lazily managed to get through the weekend. Laundry is still in the dryer but I will be taking it up when I go up.

On-call hasn’t been terribly bad but there have been some busy moments. I am always glad to be done with that task and that is the only good thing about tomorrow.

Have you done anything interesting while you were on lockdown? Have you done anything special to keep from being bored or going insane from the walls seeming to close in on you? Have you gained any weight and/or ate anything good? These are some things I’d like to know, so feel free to leave a comment or two.

Take care and I will talk with you all again soon. Cheers for now!

Time 4 a change

Good Day and welcome back!

I hope you like what I did with the page.  It took a little bit of effort but most of this stuff is canned by Google in their themes, I just did some customization work.  Something that I have been away from for a long time and it took a little bit longer than I wanted but I got through it. 

Ah Saturday the last day to “sleep in” and sit around doing nothing.  I started watching the newest and last season of Orange is the New Black.  Wow, it just sucks you right in.  I was up until almost 2a when I decided it was time to get some sleep.  Up at 8:30a, fed the kids and back to the TV.  Napped a little bit around 10a.  Woke up in time to pass out lunch.  Watched more TV.  Then tried to take a nap but wound up cuddling with Gator.

It was around 1:30p and I got a shower and got moving.  Headed out to grab the mail.  Got a bite to eat and picked up cat food.  Wow the joys of Saturday.  I could have easily gone for pie but money is a little short since were at the end of the month.  Pay day is next week but still I need groceries.  I’ve managed to do a good job of running up the bills and I’ll feel better when I get them paid.  It’s like a license to spend again.  However, I am at a danger point and that limits what I do.  Meaning unless it’s necessary it doesn’t happen – bar none. 

Gasoline is super expensive all of a sudden and every time I turn around it’s $30 and above to fill up.  That’s just with going to and from work.  I feel like my employer should pay that, at least it would be nice.  Working from home has it’s perks not to mention a full tank of gas you can keep!  That was my Yoda impression, pretty good huh?

I had my iPad out last night and was looking through it.  Came across 2 gay brothers who formed a group called Nemesis Rising back in 2007.  Looks like they only had one album from what I can tell.  Wow it took me back and I’ve been listening to their work this evening.  Amazing. 

I went on a shredding project and cleaned out my file cabinet, at least part of it.  Finished that up and then moved on to cleaning the office and rearranging a couple things.  Same old office and pretty much same look.  Just less dust and clutter. 

I do believe my mind is made up as far as phone upgrades go.  The iPhone XR appears to be what I can afford and seems most practical.  I don’t think I will make it to September to see what new phones are released.  I’ll probably bite the bullet next month.  I really wanted to do it today but I kept telling myself it’s bad timing.  I’ve spent my bonus several times over and it’s time to stop.  Anyway, I am thinking of a red phone and then I’ll get the red Mophie case.  Red supports AIDS Charities and Mophie has had this campaign in place for a while.  Apple jumped on the band wagon last year.  Why not make a double donation.  If they had a killer electric blue I’d be all over that but Red is the most appealing of all of the colors they have.  I really want the XS but it’s just out of what I am willing to pay.  I think $41 per month is xsessive, see what I did there?  Yeah that on top of my regular phone bill, wowzah the bill would really shoot up there.  Not that I am not worth it but honestly at the end of the day it’s only a smart phone. 

I will need to schedule time for the SUV to get it’s annual paint & fabric protection coating in September.  I am thinking of just bundling an oil change with it, let them have the car for the day and take a loaner.  I’ll take the day off work and lounge here at home.  Yeah I really want to buy something new but I keep hearing a little voice say hang on to what you got.  There is a special connection with this vehicle and while I want to, I can’t seem to come to terms with parting ways.  I know it’s silly but when the time is right I’ll move on.  That’s not saying in 2 months I won’t change my mind, it’s just for now I have no real plans to part ways.  Plus temptation being what it is, that’s 1/2 of the reason why my credit reports are frozen.  I can’t make an impulse purchase without waiting 48 hours, it take that amount of time for them to thaw once I issue the command. 

Each day I go to my Amazon photo app and look back at past photos from a year or more ago.  Today came up with kitten photos.  I really miss Ruth.  I want to hold her (even though I know she wouldn’t let me) and scratch her, hear her meow.  I miss Big Boy as well but there is something about Ruth that I just can’t quite get over the way things went down.  It hurts very bad.  She will always be alive in my heart.

Well enough depression and feelings.  I am miles ahead on laundry and I am going to continue my progress so that maybe tomorrow I can lounge if only for a little bit. 

Tomorrow will be breakfast out, groceries, gasoline and I am debating about another hair cut.  I know I just had it done a couple weeks ago but I am ready to go back and have it shortened again.  I’ve also thought about color but I am a bit of a chicken.  It’s like I have always wanted to pierce my ears but never have.  One day maybe I will just throw caution to the wind. 

Hope you had an awesome Saturday.  Stay cool, hydrated and do something nice for yourself, you deserve it!  Talk with you again soon. 

Feeling Good

Much to my surprise I woke up feeling the best I have felt in weeks this morning.  I am very happy about it.  My blood sugar was at an all time low of 88.  Not sure how that happened because I had pudding for supper.  It’s like I won the lottery of life or something. 

I knocked out the testing I had to do at work and then went about my normal morning.  Came home from the store and laid down with the kids.  It was about a 1/2 hour and when I was at a good resting point that the phone chirped.  I ignored it and it chirped again.  My doctor finally approved the 2nd antibiotic.  I threw on some clothes and raced to the pharmacy to pick it up.  Then grabbed cat food and came home to pass out lunch.  Started my first dose.  I really think what ever awful big was in me is on it’s way out for sure now. 

Right now I am going to plan for a normal Monday and going back to work.  If I don’t feel it in the morning then I will work from home for another day.  I could get used to working from home – no commute, sleeping in and seeing my furry friends.  However, I know that all good things must come to an end and I need to get back.  Not to mention that my workstation at work is more ergonomic than my home setup so it will help my neck and shoulder, or so I hope. 

I’ve used 5% of my gas since last Sunday when I filled up last.  That’s just around town driving.  I do look forward to resuming a normal routine and hope that all things align to allow that to happen.  My life is a huge routine and without it there is no structure and I fall apart. 

Just finished watching Night School a movie with Kevin Hart in it.  He’s not really that funny in the movie but it was interesting entertainment and it’s on HBO this month.  I pay a small fortune to watch streaming services and for premium channels like HBO & Showtime but I don’t feel that I get the maximum value because you can only watch one thing at a time. 

I am doing some minor cleaning, not going full Sunday special and continuing to take it easy because I know that tomorrow there probably won’t be an option to take it easy.  Might as well enjoy it while it’s available to me. 

Looking forward to a nice shave & shower, then slipping into some sweatpants and lounging for the evening.  I should be hearing next month about my pay raise and based upon that I will make my decision about a new phone.  I also know that I want to throw more at my retirement. 

Ms. Momma has been crowing a little bit.  I see that she naps and then nibbles and then naps again.  She doesn’t appear to need any fluids right now but I have my eye on her.  She is also due for blood work next Saturday but based on how things are going I am probably going to delay it a bit due to financial concerns.  I feel like I am running out of money especially with being sick, that just isn’t in the budget. 

So here’s to what I hope is a much better week and the week where I know for sure that I am truly over whatever it is that invaded my body.  Talk with you all again soon.  Hope that life is treating you well and that you too have a great day and week ahead!

Naked

Welcome to Sunday!  Have you ever fallen asleep and woke up, not knowing where you are or how you got there?  That happened to me last night.  I woke up and the surroundings looked unfamiliar at first, I was a little panicked but then my brain kicked in and told me I was in my late partners bedroom.  I often go there on weekends for solace from the cats and to experience a different mattress.  I didn’t remember how I got there until I started typing this post, which is several hours later.  You can safely presume I slept rather well. 

I had a very odd dream that I got a job in records for my hometown police department.  It was a 2nd job.  I remember being interviewed and called a few days later.  I showed up but was a little panicked because this was part time and I didn’t know if they would work around my primary jobs schedule.  Turns out they would.  There was a bunch of people huddled around a card table and we were looking through files, why I don’t remember.  Lunch time came and people were eating at the table, when someone showed me the lunch room.  Wow they had everything in there it was a 1st class setup.  All I needed was a fork.  I wonder if this is the world’s way of telling me it’s time to get a second job?  All I know is once I got my bearings I felt amazing when I woke up.  Oh I wish I could sleep like that every night. 

This morning I continued my tradition of having breakfast at Steak N Shake.  There is a regular guy who comes in, an older gentlemen.  He is always passing out coupons and talking with people.  He brings the paper in and will leave it behind for others to read.  Just a nice guy.  This lady and her gaggle of kids came in.  One of which was really cute, still very young but you could tell he was going to be a heart breaker someday.  This guy walks up to the table and starts talking with them.  He looked like he gave them a coupon, the next thing I know the cute kid had a silver dollar.  He was mesmerized by it.  The look on that kids face was worth way more than a dollar.  That got to me a little bit.  I wound up paying for the guys breakfast.  I walked back to his table and told him he could keep his coupon.  I threw away his check and this gasp came over his face.  I told him I paid for his breakfast and he was really shocked.  I told him your always doing nice things for people and I saw what you did for the kid, it’s time someone did something nice for you.  He was very thankful.

Honestly I probably shouldn’t have bought his breakfast but hey he didn’t order anything super expensive and I still have a little bit of money left.  I have food on my table and enough money to fill the tank later in the week, so it’s all good.  Plus it made me feel good.  I just genuinely love to help people when I can.  I am much more wise to the fact that people will play on your sympathy and it makes you an easy mark, so I am very selective as to who I help and when.  I’m not out to save the world and I look out for myself first.  It might sound like I am bragging but honestly it’s not my intention. 

It’s been a productive day.  I purchased some Goo Gone and took the sticker residue that was left from the dealer sticker which I took off of my new vehicle.  They don’t pay me to advertise for them and until they do, there sticker won’t be on any car I drive.  Besides that I think it looks much more classy w/o a dealer sticker.  Then I took off the Sirius sticker from my window.  There is one sticker left and that shows the plant that built the vehicle.  I am leaving that, it’s a tribute and a reminder of the benefits I get from my late partner.  They could have placed it in a different location but hey it is what it is. 

I am not one to load up my car with stickers and certainly not anything gay.  I looked for a gay license plate frame today for fun on Amazon.  They are out there, some more interesting than others.  I like the one that says I am not gay but my boyfriend is.  I don’t want to have my car screaming there is a gay man driving me.  I like to be subtle and well frankly my vehicle looks too fine to put a sticker on it of any kind.  I am still going back and forth in my mind, it’s torture but eventually I will make a final decision. 

Speaking of which I went to the bargain car wash, they got my car just as clean as the expensive place.  There was no hot wax and no tire shine but I saved $7.  Not terrible.  I filled up the tank for the second time this weekend.  So my pie trip was around $63.00 that’s everything totaled up.  Pretty expensive for a weekend trip but hey it was semi-fun.  This morning the vehicle had extra pep and was hard to control at first.  Not sure where that came from but once I got control it was pretty nice. 

I looked on the dating apps and decided today was the day to call it quits.  I pulled the plug and said it’s official now, time for a break.  There were so many guys that I would have liked to connect with but the problem is I have the balls to reach out, they don’t have the balls to reciprocate.  I feel much better talking to the cats.  At least they can look at me as if they understand what I am saying. 

Speaking of cats.  It was really funny when I came home from the grocery store.  I walked in and woke Big Boy up.  He didn’t know who I was and was preparing to jolt when I started talking to him and he just relaxed.  I apologized for waking him, sometimes they go into a deep sleep but it’s not often that I am a witness.  They think nothing of waking me but when the shoe is on the other foot they aren’t terribly happy about it. 

I let them skip there pills for the weekend, which usually is Friday night and all day Saturday.  We go back to the schedule on Sunday night.  Marv wasn’t feeling well at all this morning.  He ate just a tiny bit.  When I came back from the store there was a mess waiting for me, but at least it was on a pad.  He looked disheveled.  He wasn’t dehydrated but he was well on his way.  I got some medicine on board and while he wasn’t terribly happy, within a couple hours he was much better.  He got his lunch down and attacked his brothers dinner, so I think he is fine.  We have even played a little ball today.  I’ll take another look at him in a few hours and may give him a little bit of fluids for peace of mind.  I am way past the deadline for the blood work recheck on Big Boy and Marv’s blood work is coming due soon.  I hate to put it off but Big Boy is doing fine.  Marv is the one I worry about, so he is likely to go first.

In my productivity quest today I opted to replace the faceplate cover for my iPhone.  Some air got in and it’s just not the same.  I’ve been living with it for a while.  I had a second screen to replace it with and I got everything ready and applied it.  Then I realized my aim was off just a hair.  I went to remove it and move it which you can do, but I used a little too much force and it snapped.  So now I am carrying around my phone with a naked screen.  Much like in real life naked is better but it puts you at risk for injury or damage.  I will be extra careful but I am by nature careful when it comes to my phone.  That is a lot of $ tied up and I don’t want to damage it, even if I do have insurance.  The plain screen is a finger print and dust magnet.  Thankfully, a replacement screen will be here on Tuesday.  I could have gone out to buy one but why spend $40 to have it today when you can spend $8 and get it on Tuesday, plus have 2 backups.  Let’s hope my decision was prudent to wait and be frugal. 

Looking forward to spending the remaining hours with the kids.  Having a slice of pie.  As if I really need it.  I’ve wiped out the 2 cinnamon rolls.  Watching some good TV, more specifically Vice Principals and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.  If I can pair that with some good porn and a decent nights sleep, I think Monday might not be so bad.  One thing is for sure it will be an interesting day!

Here’s to a great week ahead, I’m going to do some music scouring and then make my bed and get on with spending time with the kids.  Charlie Puth has a new song out called How Long, it’s pretty good.  Waiting for his sophomore album to be out in 2018.  He is teasing it really well.  Cheers!

Glasses

Ah the week is over and it’s once again the weekend!  That short lived two day break between 5 days of work.  There should be more weekends and holidays, but I think that is every working persons dream.

Today I visited my local Steak N Shake where I am a regular for breakfast on the weekends.  I figured I would get a couple Chicago Hot Dogs, my taste buds were all excited and then I learned they no longer have them.  Nuts.  So I ordered a burger and some chili instead.  I asked one of the waitresses where all of the cute cooks have gone.  The main guy I like is on nights.  There is a new blond twink that I have seen once, turns out he was just off today.  So now I know next Saturday that is where I should go if I am craving seeing a cute guy and when am I not? 

I hit up the eye glass place and they dropped the ball on my nose pads.  I did look at a couple of pairs of glasses.  I did some further inquiring and was given a couple websites to check out.  Since my craving is Blue, they said that Nike & Ray Ban are the best two brands where I would find the best selection.  Yeah okay.  Nike is my favorite and I’ve been with them ever since I was told I had to have glasses.  They are supposed to call me about the nose pads.  I really think that if you could get the damn things to stop slipping that I would be happier.  I do have some alternatives in mind that I would like to see in person before I decide to go with a remake.  It’s a one shot deal so I want to be sure I get it right.  Damn Kennedy (the porn model).  I am thirsty for his glasses and I have driven myself nuts and brought a lot of others along for the journey.  I watched some of his scenes today just to see if I could make out the brand name of his glasses.  The camera is close enough but they are just enough out of focus that you can’t tell.  My guess is by now they are no longer made but it would be nice to have a brand name so that I could look at what they have out today.  I can tell that it’s two words and the second word appears to start with a C or an E.  I looked at brand names on-line and can’t find anything.  I don’t give up and in this case that is working against me.  I will either figure it out or die trying. 

Got my check in the mail for my late partners unclaimed property.  That was a whopping $9 but I spent $2 on postage so was it really worth it?  Hey it’s money that was mine so yeah in my opinion it was worth it.  Might as well lay claim and get what your due.  It won’t buy a meal but it can certainly help in the grand scheme of things. 

I watched You Tube videos of Lilly Tomlin today, kind of fun.  Spent time with Big Boy and his siblings.  Then I got in one of my famous naps.  I read this article yesterday on social media that said it’s better for guys to sleep naked.  All sorts of health benefits.  Yeah, I don’t know about that.  They mostly talked about getting laid as a benefit and how being naked helps you be more comfortable and stay cool at night.  I’ve slept naked ever since I met my late partner.  Once and a while I will wear some underwear to bed but naked is actually very comfortable.  The part that sucks is if in the middle of the night there is some calamity and you have to exit your house or motel room, you will give the world a show.  Thus far I have been blessed and really don’t view it as a problem. 

I met up with my friend that lost his wife for dinner.  We went to our usual place, Maggiano’s Little Italy.  He was ogling all over our waitress and telling me all of the things he wanted to do to her.  I told him you can have her, she does nothing for me.  He smiled.  Then part way in to our meal this large family comes in and they have two twinks, oh my what do we have here?  I was staring at them often and so much I am surprised that I didn’t burn a hole in their clothes.  Very cute but I never said a word.  He has always been pretty verbal when it comes to women and sex.  I think a lot of things but don’t say them out loud, at least usually.  If I am all alone I’ll talk to myself but that about it.  Man or woman for that matter wasn’t meant to be alone, simple as that. 

He was quite the talker tonight and we overstayed our welcome.  Reservations were at 5 and we left at 9.  Yeah that is way longer than I wanted to commit to a meal.  I went into it knowing that he likes to talk and knew what to expect.  Once again he has stopped taking his anti-depressants.  He signed up for therapy.  So maybe that will help him.  I hope he gets a decent therapist.  I’ve suggested one thing that helped me, which was to write a final letter to your mate.  Then wait a couple days and read it out loud, as if your reading it to them.  It will evoke a lot of tears but it is healthy and will help in the healing process. He hasn’t taken my advice but I think this might be something that his therapist has him do.  I got the idea when I was in therapy and it was a tough task but I just remember how it helped bring some closure.  I wouldn’t say I am over his death but I have adjusted to living on my own and the huge amount of responsibilities that I have adapted to. 

When we were chatting my vibrator started going nuts.  Yes, I mean my phone.  Turns out there was an issue at work.  I am not on call so no worries.  However, I am on call starting on Monday so it is of concern to me.  I know there will be the aftermath that we will all have to deal with.  Ah well just another day at the office. 

I started my laundry and Momma is throwing a fit because I am not upstairs where I should be.  It’s way past bed time (on a normal night) and I guess I should go up and comply before she meows me to death.  Big Boy is once again on on the couch.  Everyone else is just waiting for me to climb the stairs. 

I have noticed that I am having issues with the car again.  It’s the clock and/or the infotainment system.  I can’t help but think that this all correlates back to the battery.  I’ve been living with it and just cussing about it.  I can go back to get it fixed but will they actually fix it?  I suspect the answer to that is no.  Otherwise, the car is doing really good.  Gas mileage is up around 39 and I even ventured into the 40 range for a couple days.  Some foolish acceleration took me back to 39 quickly.  I am getting used to the car and it’s quirks.  I just wish there wasn’t the hassle with the infotainment system and/or the clock.  One odd thing is that part of the infotainment system knows my phone is an iPhone and the other part doesn’t know at all.  I tried to invoke Siri and they said my phone wasn’t supported for that.  Really, I use that feature all of the time when I am not in the car.  I can convert to Car Play by Apple but my phone would have to physically be connected each and every time when I get in the car.  No thanks, I like the fact that it picks up Bluetooth on it’s own.  I don’t want to be bothered with having to hook up the phone each time, that is much more hassle than I think anyone should have to go through.  That is the one reason why I am eager to get rid of it.  But I think were staying together for a long time.  I am up to 13 thousand miles and I have kept up with all of the maintenance.  I think the regular car manufacturers should do what the luxury car manufacturers do and that is throw in basic maintenance, so you don’t pay for simple things like oil changes and tire rotations.  I mean ideally that is all you should have to do on a new car for a very long time.

Ah well, tomorrow is another day and then it’s back to the fun but only for 3 days.  My doctor agreed to send me an order for blood work, but it’s not here yet.  I am also waiting on my replacement Drivers License.  I really hate the fact that I am so prompt and conscientious of tasks that I have to do but other people aren’t.  I am very much apart of todays society in that I want things to happen instantly with no waiting or delay.  That is not how all of life is, which is kind of sad.

The week ahead

One thing I know for sure, the week ahead is going to be a difficult one.  My co-worker’s last day is on Thursday.  Friday will be easy but the days ahead after that will be quite the challenge.  I am going to try to get every nugget of knowledge out of her before she walks out the door.  Once she walks out the door I have no plans for keeping in touch, she of course doesn’t know that.  I never promised her anything but she is encouraging me to stay in touch. 

Friday was a bit of a mess.  I called a meeting between my co-worker and my boss, just trying to get some clarity about the new hire and departure process.  A lot more of the work that she did is coming my way.  These are things that she just managed to work in over the years.  It took her a few years to ramp up, but I get no time at all.  She had serious concerns about that and vocalized them that caused an argument between her and my boss to erupt.  So the call ended pretty quickly.  He doesn’t get that I am going to be overwhelmed and likely burnt out quick.  I have voiced my concerns but the only thing I hear back is to be confident.  Yeah I am confident in that this is way too much to put on one person.  All I can do is try and if I make it great and if I fail well I tried to tell them. 

Next week I will be on-call.  I hope that it’s quiet after hours.  Saturday I am going to a new car dealer for an oil change.  I booked the appointment last night on-line.  Kind of neat, no talking with a human, being put on hold or transferred.  I like it!  I’ll be taking my laptop with me just in case something comes up but my hope is that it’s all quiet.  It will be a holiday weekend and that means that no one will want to work on Friday, that includes me.  My boss is smart and taking the day off, kind of wish I would have thought of that. 

I am all too eager to get my settlement money.  I have been making a mental list of things I would like.  Of course I have gone overboard but once I started putting things down on paper I woke up really quick.  I can get a bunch of things that will make me happy in the short term or I can save my money and build a nest egg.  I’m doing both.  There are of course more pens that I want, I need none of them but hey it’s my money.  I want to get a new water fountain for the kids and a couple of scratching posts, they are long over due for these.  I love wedding cake cookies so I will be buying some of them.  There are a couple of bottles of cologne that I want as well.  I’ve thought about upgrading my radar detector by getting a new model.  The actual upgrade is $100 less but it would mean I would be without a detector.  The way I drive I can’t afford that.  I like to know when the law is lurking around the corner.  That little machine has saved me more than once.  Of course there is new technology out and my unit doesn’t pick up all of the new stuff.  Plus they like to use Laser.  There is no defense against that, once that beam hits your car you are done.  There is no advanced warning for that.  So I want to start buying but better to wait until I have the money in hand.  I know for a fact it’s coming but it’s just a smarter move.

Today I reached out to an old boss of mine that I have a huge crush on.  Just asked for some dating advice.  What I got back what pretty much you have to take a chance, it’s a risk and it may result in a reward or it may result in getting hurt.  You don’t know until you try.  Great, so nothing I didn’t know already.  He got a divorce and is already seeing someone.  Why is it that my straight friends have no problems finding someone, but me it’s the most difficult task on planet earth? 

My Big Boy is back to normal for the most part.  I still worry about him and I call him Oscar that lives under the couch.  He isn’t too hip to that.  But he loves to hide and sleep.  I will be going up in a bit and I will have him sitting next to me while we enjoy some TV, not sure what I will watch because there isn’t a damn thing good on.  I owe him some of my time, he’s been neglected and I don’t want him to think that I stopped loving him because that is not the case.  There is only one of me but there are 5 cats and I have to spread myself amongst them, having a job and taking care of the house, plus finding time for me – yeah it’s a really challenge but somehow I manage.  Marv has diarrhea and he keeps crapping in my room, I am ready to hurt him.  I started him on medicine for it and hopefully things will calm down.  He isn’t too him to the medicine.  Gator and Momma are fine.  Ruth well something is still chewing on her.  I’ll be trimming her claws soon and it will be time for more flea medicine.  I’ve tried all I know but something really has a hold on her.  I don’t like it at all. 

Went for pizza yesterday.  Saw the cute guy, had some flourless chocolate cake.  It was really rich and something that I didn’t need.  I enjoyed the drive to get away, it’s shorter than going for pie.  Just a half hour away and it’s all interstate, so worth it.  Plus my car likes it too.  I am rocking 39 miles to the gallon – seems like the more I drive the better the MPG.  It’s peppier and were getting along just fine.  I washed it today and it really sparkles.  Then I came home and heard that it’s supposed to rain tomorrow.  Of course it is, that’s my luck. 

Need to backup the iPhone and sync it up with iTunes.  I am upgrading my laptop to the Creators Edition of Windows 10.  I need it next week so better that it’s patched and up to date.  There are some other tweaks I want to make to it, but not sure that time will permit that tonight.  I have to have my Bear time, that is an absolute because I promised it to him.

I hope that all is well in your world.  Leave me a comment and tell me how it’s going.  I’ll be back with another update as soon as time permits.  Work is really keeping me busy.  Oh almost forgot I passed my dental check up with flying colors.  Going back in 6 months when it’s closer to Turkey Time.  Which means I need to make reservations for Thanksgiving because it will be here before you know it. 

Take care and be well.  Talk with you all again soon.

Sunday Fun day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Executive Order

In checking out my social media I see that there is a Trump Executive Order generator.  It was created because of all of the wacky orders that our President is issuing.  The creator wants people to generate wacky stuff as well and then take a photo and then spread it via social media.  I had some fun with my co-workers and my boss today.  Perfect timing on a Friday and people are typically in a good mood.

I was set to make my post at lunch time but I no sooner got finished with my lunch and a crisis erupted.  Nothing like a crisis to make your afternoon fly by.  Here we are some three hours later and now I can finish up lunch.

Last night I had a dream and Taz was in it.  Sure do miss him and I still feel guilty that he died at home while I was sleeping.  What a good boy he was. 

The massage therapist really beat me up yesterday.  Last week I got the same treatment but I was on steroids so the swelling and soreness wasn’t bad at all.  This morning no steroids and I felt pain.  I am also sore.  At least I can take a shower without pain, I’ve had massages in the past where it hurt for the water to hit my back.  Really don’t want to experience that type of pain again because showering is necessary. 

Last night I spent time with the kids.  We watched Big Bang Theory and Superstore.  Both are good for a laugh or two.  As I was watching I happened to glance out the window and I noticed that my neighbors still have their Christmas decorations up – lights and all.  But they just put out their Valentines Day decorations.  If this continues it should be interesting come the 4th of July (Independence Day).  I suspect they will clean things up soon.  I just couldn’t believe the lights were still on, I mean lots of people leave their lights up until the weather is nice but they don’t turn them on after the holidays are done, usually by the 2nd week in January.  These are the neighbors I don’t like – they are odd and this just adds more fuel to solidify that my opinion is valid. 

Bear made his way to my room last night so Marv was with me for a couple hours.  Then he took off.  Bear kept clawing at the box springs when he sensed I was awake, he wanted food and/or attention or both.  Such a ham.  He’s been in my room most of the day and I suspect that is where I will find him when I get home.  I haven’t seen him on camera and it’s not like I could miss a large black cat.  I have seen most everyone else.  Momma is doing well and still eating like a horse.  She came in for her belly rub this morning and when she rolled over she was face to face with Bear and she hissed at him.  She just hates her children, one day the switch went on and it’s never gone off.  She wasn’t like that when they were younger but now she is mean to them most of the time.  She still does her motherly manners and lets all of the kids eat first before she digs in, most of the time.  Really wish that I could bring the sweetness out in her where her kids are concerned but hey she still likes me so I guess it’s not that bad. 

Paid my post office box rent last night.  It wasn’t due until the end of the month but I wanted to get it out of the way.  Turns out that when postage rates go up in the US, a lot of things are impacted and PO Boxes usually follow that.  I was surprised as this time rent actually went down from 6 months ago.  So I am good for a while.  Next major planned expense is car insurance. 

There are a few movies available to watch, so I will be relaxing at home with the kids renting movies for part of the weekend.  I want to upgrade my iPhone to get a 7.  Mophie has batteries and carrying cases out.  I wanted to pay cash for the phone but I can’t do that.  I will have to chose to pay the monthly amount, which is not something I am a fan of but it appears to be the way that American Cell Phone Providers have gone.  Funny thing is if you switch to a different carrier, the carrier will give you the phone for free but they require that you stick with them for 2 years.  I am going to try to talk AT&T into giving me the phone but I don’t think that I will fair so well in that endeavor.  It’s in my plans to visit a store and talk about upgrading, pulling the trigger is another story.  So far as I know as long as your credit checks out it’s a 0 percent loan and there is no deposit required.  However, if you purchase any accessories you have to pay for those in full like you always have had to.  A Mophie battery goes for $100 and a case I figure no more than $40.  I do get a 25% discount on accessories but still I always walk out feeling like I was just robbed, sort of like a vet visit.  I am on call next week so if I don’t upgrade this weekend I will have to wait until I am not on-call.  I am trying to talk myself out of it saying things like well what you have works, think of all of the work in customizing the settings and syncing you will have to do.  It will take hours.  Is that really the way you want to spend your time?  The answer is no.  However, it’s not like I have a better plan than watching movies, shopping, eating out and napping.  So it’s like might as well.  Right now we’ll see how I feel tomorrow when I am up.  I know that it’s better to get to the store early because the later you go the longer the damn line and I hate those. 

I did check and found Bleed for this on Vudu but it’s only available for purchase.  $15 which isn’t bad but I don’t want to own a movie I just want to see it once and then I can move on.  Buying it would be a waste of money for me, regardless of how fine Miles Teller is.  I am hoping that when I look again there will be a rental option.  If not then I guess I will have to hold out longer before seeing it.  So far as I know nothing good in theaters that interest me now.  I will have to take a look at Fandango. 

Plan on eating canned chili tonight and loafing.  Catching up on The First 48 and finishing watching Night Watch.  I do need to have my haircut this weekend but outside of that nothing else going, just trying to get to the grocery store before the super bowl fans rob it of everything that I need in a normal week to get by.  You know things like lunch meat, bread, soda – I gave up on chips and bought them last week so I am good in at least one area.  We always used to wait until late in the afternoon on Super bowl Sunday to grocery shop but now I am all about early morning for grocery shopping – get in, get what I want/need and get out.  Hooray!

Here’s hoping you have an awesome weekend.  Stay warm and be well.  I’ll catch up with you again soon.   

Weekend Rambles

Friday started out slow, ramped up a little bit and then drug on forever.  I finally made it to quitting time!  Don’t know why but issues seem to hit towards quitting time, thought I might get some OT but that didn’t happen and I am okay with it.  Boss made it back from vacation, he had a great time and now is settling back into work life.  He really didn’t want to come back and I totally understand.  It’s a great place to work but they call it work for a reason.  I came home and had Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes the Stouffers version.  It was okay but just not filling for me.  Caught up on TV learned some things about 9/11.  Like for instants there was a Marriott Hotel wedged between the two towers, I never knew that before.  Not terribly sore from my massage but there is some noticeable swelling in my back.  It’s uncomfortable but not immobilizing. Talked with my friend who’s wife had surgery.  They still don’t know what type of cancer she has, they are waiting for more information from the pathology report.  I think they have everything it’s just a matter of the doctors making up their minds.  It’s been 2 weeks.  His wife’s legs were swelling so they spent a day at the ER getting tests done and getting the swelling down.  Sent her home with Lasix.  She had 2 gallons of extra fluid in her body.  She has lost 1 gallon.  Now she is to the point where she doesn’t want to eat.  What a mess.  As if that is not bad enough my friend discovered one of their cats couldn’t move her hind legs.  She tried to walk, fell down the stairs.  Couldn’t stand up in the litter box.  It was a mess.  The cat is 16 years old.  It sounds like she had a stroke, there was something neurological going on, just don’t know what.  He gave her a day in the hopes she would bounce back but that didn’t happen so he put her down.  They got 2 kittens both sisters.  I knew they were approaching end of life, 16 is a good average but for an indoor cat 19 or 20 is much better.  I am worried now that her sister will pass out of depression.  They say she is doing fine.  They also just got a dog about 2 months ago.  The dog is devastated, which you wouldn’t think would happen but animals are strange.  Hearing that story made me want to come home and hug all of my children.  I spent time with Bear on the couch, he lapped that up like a sponge.  I called it a night early.

Saturday, I wanted it to be a lazy day.  The vet reached out to me on Friday to find out where I got the supplement I was giving Bear, she had a client that was trying to order some but was told it was on back order.  I gave her the information and did one better, I donated my unused bottle.  I took that over to the vet early this morning.  There was 1,000 pills when I bought it and easily there was upwards of 900 plus pills still left.  It was only $30 and I am glad it’s not rotting away in my cabinet.  Bear won’t need it since the Rx food is working.  If he does I know where to get it.  Not a big deal and I felt like the donation was just the right thing to do, I mean I got my cat back (cost me a fucking fortune) so I was rather pleased with myself.  I hit up Steak N Shake for breakfast, chatted it up with my favorite waitress then went on to get my hairs cut and grab the mail.  Got a rebate in the mail, was very pleased to see that.  Came home, got undressed and plopped on the couch.  Back to sleep I went, took a little bit of time but I got a couple hours of zzz time for me.  The Choir Cat woke me up both times, I love her but really wish she came with a mute button.  First it was feed us breakfast then it was feed us lunch.  I started on laundry, dishes and then retreated to the computer.  I was trying to be productive but got caught up in a bunch of business websites and got a free incoming fax number.  No one ever sends me faxes but if the need arises I have a personal number that I can give instead of using my work number.  I am limited to 10 pages per month.  Free is good but I really wanted more, that costs money which I really don’t want to spend.  Once again it was Choir cat to the rescue.  I was playing with my iPhone trying to fix a problem with my contacts, she just kept it up and eventually I gave in and went upstairs.  However, no food for them.  I got dressed and hit the road.  Drove to Red Lobster had a giant Pina Colada, a Diet Coke, Flounder, Mashed Potatoes, Biscuits and a Cesar Salad.  The drink was long overdue and very nice.  I could have one of those every day for a week before I would be sick of them.  They make them with chopped ice and ice cream, no one does it like Red Lobster and they are the best in my opinion.  You don’t need the rum but it’s a nice touch!  Went to grab cat litter, picked up a new Harry’s Razor at Target and then stopped in the cat food store.  Walked down to the office supply store.  Looked at keyboards and mice, I am obsessed with them.  I needed a new mouse because when I cleaned my old one the scroll wheel got messed up.  I could have still used it but it was an annoyance.  I like to stay brand loyal to Microsoft but had to go with Logitech. They had a nice blueish purple mouse (M510) and it was on sale.  So after talking myself into it and browsing the pen section, I grabbed it.  Then I saw a backlit keyboard by Logitech and it felt really nice, only draw back was it was corded.  So I passed because I knew if I stayed I would talk myself into buying way more than I needed.  Then I came home and fed the children supper.  It was way later than I planned on getting home but I made it and they were fed.  Changed out my shower curtain and bathmat, neither were what I wanted but they will suffice for the time being.  I did finally solve my iPhone contact problem, it was driving me nuts but I had to resort to Google for help.  Laundry is done, need to grab it and go upstairs.  Really want to shave & shower tonight but don’t think I have the energy in me.  I may still try.  Got a call from my mom.  Part of me really wants to call her, I can hear my late partners voice saying it’s your mother call her.  The other part of me says every time you open the door you get shit on, why do you want to open the door?  So I can’t quite bring myself to return her call.  There is a bit more to the story than I am willing to put in print for public consumption.  However, this is something I will have to come to terms with and figure out what the best thing is for me to do. 

Sunday the only thing I have left to do is hit up the grocery store, gas up the car, vacuum the house which torments the children.  Then I am done and can call it a day.  Found out that the pie place (yes I said pie) has a pet food store that sells the Rx food Bear is on, so I need to venture up there to see if I can save myself some money.  Not sure that I will go on a Sunday but I wouldn’t totally rule it out, if I get a wild hair I will be in the car on the way to sugar heaven or as I should refer to it as diabetics delight.  We mark yet another year of remembrance of the tragedy that is 9/11.  Such a sad day but it’s a day that everyone who was a live remembers like it was yesterday.  I had a 2 way pager back then, now only doctors have them.  Everyone else upgraded to cell phones and text messaging.  The world has certainly come a long way since this event but it’s a day that will always be remembered long after you and I no longer walk the earth.  RIP victims, heroes, first responders.  Hard to believe it’s been 15 years, still feels like yesterday to me and I am sure to many. 

That’s all I have for now.  Headed upstairs and probably to bed, really tired.  Looking forward to one more day of rest before heading back for 5 days of work. 

The Weekend

Friday evening, I started the repairs on my car.

Saturday the big day was finally here.  I went to what was my last therapy session, or so I think.  My therapist is no longer able to meet with me on Saturday and given that my life is no longer in a shambles and all I have to work with is everyday problems, it’s probably better that we part ways.  I still can’t believe how well things have turned out. 

I worked on the car after therapy and sad to say but it turned out like shit.  I am not pleased with the results and it’s totally my fault.  The more I touch it the worse it gets so I am leaving it be.  I know that if I take it to a body shop they could fix it with very little effort but it would cost me a minor fortune.  Still thinking about trading but I am tending to hold off on that because of the commitment to car payments.  Ugh!

I met my friend that I haven’t seen in 15 years.  Holy cow he changed.  Got fat, hair color changed and facial features changed.  He walked right past me and I didn’t even know it was him.  We took time to catch up but I knew as soon as I saw him that things weren’t going to work out in the romance department, so I didn’t bother to even go down that road.  We talked about our mutual friend that neither of us has heard from in years.  Apparently he had an affair and that is why his marriage ended.  Doesn’t sound like him at all.  My friend wasn’t focused much on lunch, it was awkward so he played with his phone most of the time.  He was making plans for after lunch with other friends and as soon as he finished his food, presto he was out the door.  Fine I get it, it was awkward for me as well. 

Met my other friends for dinner and they picked up the bill.  That was kind of expected but I still kept my order with in reason and didn’t take full advantage of the situation like they did when I was paying the bill.  Now that my friend is back to work he is back eating high off the hog.  Hell if I was making $80 plus dollars an hour I would eat out every night and high off the hog as well. 

Sunday the usual laundry, grocery shopping and filling of the gas tank.  I am winding down slowly and preparing for yet another Monday that I won’t like.  My boss is on vacation and there was no weekend work, so I am anticipating a quiet Monday, we shall see if that comes true.

I read an article about iCloud not protecting all of your photos and that it was best to back them up with Google Drive or Microsoft's One Drive.  So I have uploaded all of my photos in the cloud as an extra layer of protection.  I think iCloud will get your photos back but I would rather have a duplicate set just in case.  There are photos that can’t be replaced and I need to know they are safe.  It has taken two days but they are all up their floating around. 

I also enabled multifactor authentication via Google’s Authenticator for my cloud account and did the same for my Last Pass account.  I was using Toopher but I liked the Google idea it seems more on track with an RSA PIN Token.  Authenticator generates a pin # and it expires like once every minute.  When you need the # to authenticate, just launch the app and presto there you go.  I am working on encrypting my cloud storage but I think that may take some time.  I also took some time out of my day to clean up my documents folder, which had gotten way out of control.  I was keeping a lot of things that I really didn’t need anymore. 

Nothing terribly exciting, just an average weekend that was a little busier than normal.  I have no idea what I will be doing next weekend but it will be my last weekend before I go on call for a week.  Not looking forward to that but it’s a job requirement.  At least it’s only a week and I will be done until November. 

I have come to the conclusion that I am long overdue for a vacation.  I need to book something that is low cost and that will get me out of here for a few days.  Will I do that?  Probably not.  My vacation bank is building at work and I am happy about that.  However, a lot of the days or time that I want is already spoken for.  I will save it for a rainy day or when I need to take the car in or if I ever give up and make that podiatrist appointment. 

Looking forward to watching Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, he always puts an interesting take on the past weeks events.  Funny guy!

I leave you with the song Overloaded by Life of Dillon.  Every time I hear this song I can’t help but thinking about a loaded baked potato.  That is not what the song is about though.  Hope you had fun this weekend.