26 May 2015
All clear
Feeling thankful!
On guard
Now reflection kicks in and maybe he knows he is sick so he wants his dad and to make the most of the time he has left. I don’t know anything for certain other than he need to go to the bathroom or there will be problems. I don’t have any issue with taking him to the vet but if he doesn’t go then there has to be a much bigger issue and it’s probably not something that I will be able to correct. So my hope is that he goes and then I can relax a little bit. I know that at some point I will have to let go. With just loosing LB I am not ready for BB (Big Bear) to go. I was thinking about that last night and Marvin would be the only male cat left in the house. He loves his brother and they spent time together. I really am not prepared to deal with any more death right now.
Everyone seems to be watching for the Raccoons' but they have been absent for days now. No sight or sound of them. I think they may have all relocated, which is perfectly okay with me. However, like the cats I would like to know that they are okay. I realize that I might not get to know that.
So the humidity is up and rain is in the forecast. I got some on the way to work and my car got cleaned off, which was nice. However, it took a little longer to get to work and the garage was packed, so I had to walk a little bit to get to the building. I am just looking forward to leaving tonight. Anxious to see what is in the mail, to eat good BBQ and of course to see Bear and his family.
I saw a really great movie last night. It cost $6 to rent on Uverse but was worth it. It was called Before I Go and starred Seann William Scott. He was a lonely guy who got dumped and his life amounted to pretty well nothing. So he wanted to go back to all of the people who tormented him when he was younger and get even, then his plan was to commit suicide. It was mildly serious but mostly funny. He went to live with his Brother. His Nephew came out to him but was still in the closet to the rest of the family. The message that I got from the movie is don’t give up, we all need love and companionship. Plus you mean more to someone than they outwardly show. I don’t want to give away the outcome but it something that is well worth your time. Running time is 1 hour and 30 minutes.
What is a movie without interruption? My mom called to let me know that my brother is backing out of buying the house. So I guess her fears are quelled for now. However, that wasn’t the only house for sale in the world, so chances are pretty good that he will be looking for another place again soon. There is one constraint that it has to be in the same school district that her (my brothers girlfriend) kids are enrolled in. So that kind of limits the search. The whole thing is a giant mess and I am trying to stay out of it, things go much better that way.
Well time to wind down the afternoon. Looking forward to getting out of here, shame that I have to come back tomorrow. Maybe I should eat a double slice of pie tonight. Talk again soon.
25 May 2015
Reflection
This was by far the quietest on-call that I have had. I did get a few calls yesterday, one of which was a lady in a panic. You would have thought I was a 911 operator by the tone in her voice. She was freaked out that she worked all day and couldn’t save her work. The old saying where there is a will there is a way came to mind. I got her taken care of.
Thankfully nothing overnight and then one came rolling in this morning to wake me up. I didn’t have to worry about it because I wasn’t on-call anymore. I got up around 8:30 and fed the children. I came downstairs and remoted in to work to take my phone out of the on-call mode. Then put back all of my normal settings on my phone. Ah, it felt slightly good. I wasn’t near as happy as I was the first time I was done but I am happy it’s over with for a while. Then we do battle again, oh joy.
I sent a text to my friend that invited me over for BBQ and said that I wasn’t coming over. It took a while but I got a response back about how he was thinking of my late partner. Yeah, that was a really smart thing to send me, on a day when I am reminded once again that I am all alone. Shit for brains!
After I ate breakfast I laid down and went back to sleep because I could. Then I got up around 11 thanks to Gator and got a shower. She managed to con me out of lunch so they got more food. Then I went out to get them cat food and to go to the grocery store. I picked up some Jack Daniels BBQ so that I could have a delicious meal tomorrow night. I got a freshly prepared Mexican meal as well and couldn’t resist some cookies that I thought were lemon but turned out to be gooey butter cookies. Also picked up some Hagen Daaz ice cream. Ah sugar I love you, even if you are slowly killing me I still love you.
Came home put away everything and went out for gas. Then I bit the bullet and headed for pie. It was a nice trip. I enjoyed going up more than coming home. No police anywhere. I got my car up to 110 and wanted to push it to see exactly how fast it would go but resisted. I’ve never pegged it and doubt that I ever will. Had a wonderful patty melt and then got some Hawaiian Strawberry Pie. Click on the photo to get a larger view and see what all is in this wonderful concoction.
If you were not hungry when you came here, you probably are now. Sorry about that. It was every bit as good as it looks. So much so that I brought a whole pie home with me. A slice goes for $3.99 and the whole thing goes for $13.99 - - expensive indeed but it’s yummy. I also got 2 cinnamon caramel rolls just because I could. They have been calling my name for a long time.
Total travel time is 1 hour and 45 minutes each way, if you do the speed limit the whole way it’s more like 2 hours. The limit is 70 mph and my average speed was around 75mph. Except for the time I got up to 110.
Came home and started to get the trash tamed and put the pie in the fridge. Threw my covers in the dryer and it’s sinking in slowly that tomorrow will be back to grind.
Last night I played around on my computer with a few different on-line dating sites, I left pretty much as soon as I got there. I did a little looking but found that most of the same people are still looking. Like it’s a terminal disease and once your single you will never find anyone. I am starting to believe that. While I wish Mr. Right would come along, I am thinking that maybe what I need more than anything is a larger and solid group of friends. The question is how to make friends w/o someone thinking that you just want to hook up.
Holidays drum home the fact that I am alone, as do weekends. However, I try to get the most I can from my alone time depending upon what kind of mood I am in.
Oh I did finally see Such Good People and it was awesome. Will & RJ made there appearance in the group of extras at a party. Scott Wolf was also in the movie and he’s cute as a button. Only cost $4.99 to rent on Amazon but I had to dig for it. Turns out if I would have just done a search it would have come right to me. I’ve kept Amazon & NetFlix very busy this weekend and have seen a lot of great things. Hopefully there will be more content to consume that I will enjoy.
Well it’s almost time to go feed the muffins and shave, then it will be only a matter of time before I prep and will be fully ready for tomorrow. I know it will probably be a busy day, but that will only make it pass by that much faster. Having 4 days to work is kind of nice. Then I have the count down to the 2 days I have scheduled for later in June - - they are still on the books. I talked with my friend about going and meeting them at a restaurant but she told me that her son doesn’t want to make any plans right now. So I am taking that as a no go. I tried but didn’t succeed. I am thinking of scheduling the garage door people to come out and replace the 2 bottom rollers just to get that out of the way, but honestly would rather use the time to try to get away and go have some fun, just not certain what exactly I am going to do yet.
So there you have it holiday weekend complete and no more on-call for a while for this guy. Now off to deal with the muffins and their meows. Bear doesn’t know it yet but I got him some Tuna and that should put a smile on his face. Hope you all had a great weekend and got lots accomplished. I would say that I am well rested. Of course tomorrow will probably change all that! Take care and I will talk with you all again soon.
24 May 2015
How Does On Call Work?
Every position and every company that requires on-call handles it differently. In my case you have to use your own phone. We have a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy in place. So I get reimbursed a stipend for the inconvenience of using my phone, every month regardless if I am on-call or not. That stipend pays for my phone bill each month, so it’s like a free cell phone.
When your week of hell on-call comes around you get $100 for being inconvenienced during the week. You get that regardless if you get calls or not. Then each call you get, you can bill in 15 minute increments. So if John calls and says I need my password reset and you fix it in 5 minutes, then you get another call from Sally who says I can’t get e-mail and you fix her issue in 5 minutes – you can only bill for 15 minutes. If however you get a call at 2pm and fix them in 5 minutes – you bill for 15. Then at 3pm you get another call, you start billing all over again.
It’s kind of madding to keep track of your time but after a while you get used to it. I got a call last night and it didn’t require me to do anything but respond to an e-mail. I am actually doing the work now. While I was working on that issue I got another request and things got a bit hellish here. It was from upper management and I had to get my boss involved. So I was juggling and I am not very good at that. However, I have call waiting turned off on both my home and cell phone so first caller wins. Everyone else gets shuttled off to voice mail jail.
Things have since calmed down. Which is good for me.
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Sunday
Last night Big Boy gave me a horrible scare. I thought for sure it was going to be time to part ways. He had to poop and that is not an easy thing for him. Usually he just gets winded and out it comes. Last night it wouldn’t come out so easily. We started around 9p and weren’t done until 3a. He was very winded and constantly straining. Around 11p most of it came out and I figured we were done. He was calm and breathing went back to normal after a bit. Then he started in again and it was just bits here and there. Mostly blood and mucus. I started to think maybe he had a blockage but if he did then nothing would be coming out. Since I skipped his pill he should have diarrhea but at first he didn’t then he did and well there was quite a mess to clean up. Thankfully he is resting comfortably now. That is the most he has been stressed since his bath a few weeks back. No matter what I did or what I said I couldn’t get him to calm down.
Now they say that cats have 9 lives. While he hasn’t gone quite through all of them, the tally is starting to mount. I pray that he keeps on going but I don’t want him to suffer. If I see there is no quality of life then it will be easier to make a choice. Right now his main issues are mobility, breathing and being kept calm so his condition isn’t aggravated. I wait on him hand and foot – rotating his plate, making sure he is on a pee pad when he has to use the bathroom and bringing him water.
This past week I switched treats to Cat Nip flavored. I think that is what did him in. So no more of that. Last night wasn’t a night where I got a good nights sleep but I figured I have today to nap, provided all continues to be quiet.
I woke up around 6 and sprang to life. Fed the children, got dressed and went out for Breakfast and Groceries. Didn’t get much but managed to spend $70. I need to go get cat food and fuel for the car. I am debating if I want to do that today or if I should push it to tomorrow. Kind of depends upon how the day goes.
I started in with the computer when I came home, straight to work to get it out of the way. I need to go back upstairs and get laundry and get it started.
The movie I couldn’t recall yesterday had Steve Martin in it, he played a preacher and I believe it was called Walk of Faith. It made me believe in God just a little less. Movies like that stir up too many questions for me and I have a hard time deciding if I believe or if I don’t. I just pray that I can make up my mind before it’s too late.
Between Amazon and NetFlix my weekend has been fully entertainment. I am giving thought to cancelling Hulu Plus – I just don’t use it that much but then I think well it’s only $7.99. Eh whatevs.
No real plans for today just relaxing. Tomorrow I will have to get with the program, like it or not. However having an extra day to relax and be lazy well that is quite nice.
I hope that your having a great weekend. I shall talk with you all again soon. Until then don’t do anything you can’t talk your way out of.
23 May 2015
Moving along
I have had 1 thing to respond to all day long. It came in around 9 or 10 – it was a decent time of day. Something simple but I didn’t have to get involved just pass it along to another person to take care of, because I don’t have the rights. It’s been dare I say it quiet all day long. Now that the day is winding down I am wondering if I will get any calls tonight. I’m thinking not - that my wish about everyone being with friends & family well it’s come true. It won’t look particularly good on my pay check but I am perfectly okay with that.
I’ve stayed home all day long. The children got me up at 6 to feed them and then I went back to bed around 7. Watched Netflix and Amazon TV most of the day. Learned all about Siracha, saw a documentary about 2 corrupt judges sending juveniles away and I watched another movie that I don’t remember anything about other than it was good. I napped this afternoon out of boredom. The house started to heat up so I flipped on the AC. Had frozen lasagna for supper and well that brings me to now.
This whole idea of staying home for 2 days and then getting out on Monday, I have no idea what I was thinking. I am going out of my mind. There is literally nothing here that I want to do. So tomorrow morning I will be getting up early and heading to breakfast. Then on to the grocery store and will proceed like a normal Sunday.
As for Monday well I am giving some thought of going to the BBQ or maybe just going for a drive to get away from the area. Not exactly sure yet. It’s still claw trimming day for Ruth. I am no more excited about that than she is.
My mom called and told me the latest in the quest about moving. Her house has an offer – bond for deed, but the catch is no one can inhabit the house so they would have to move. My brothers future home had a house inspection and they found termite damage. He is trying to see if the government aka Fanny May will pay for the damage. I did some research on line and it sounds like he will be SOL but I am letting the cards fall where they may and keeping my nose out of it. My mother turned on the tears and told me that she doesn’t know what she is going to do. That was the part where I was supposed to say, well you can come live with me and bring your two dogs. But I didn’t. I have no desire to live with my mother or my brother. In fact the idea of sharing a living space with anyone right now I think would be a bit much. I told mom to inquire about a reverse mortgage – she could get paid to live in her house then she could afford to stay there. The only catch is when she died that the property would belong to the bank, meaning we (me and my brother) wouldn’t inherit it. I think that is much smarter because that house is far too old and would be more of a liability than an asset. I already know I am not getting anything when she dies, nor do I expect to. However, if by some chance money comes my way great. It’s nothing that I am banking on.
When I go back to TV watching I’ve got a documentary about some older gay men who are in retirement ages and they talk about their past and there present. It’s kind of a sad story so far. They all are alone in that they don’t have partners. They all sing the same song that you should live while you are young. Makes me want to get dressed and head out to a gay bar to see about living. This being alone has pros and cons like anything else. However, I think I’d like some adventure instead of sitting and stewing in my own juices – left to entertain myself instead of making memories with someone else. It’s not about sex it’s about companionship.
Well that’s all I’ve got for now. 2 more days then it’s back to the grind. Next Saturday I will have an eye doctor appointment. Time to get the peepers checked and see if it’s time for change the prescription on my coke bottles. I’ve been asked by more than one person why I don’t wear contacts. Simple I can’t stand the idea of sticking my finger or anything else in my eye. There are also high rates of eye infections and you have to do maintenance with contacts, play with chemicals – glasses are much simpler. Clean and put on, easy breezy. Plus if I am tired of wearing them I can take them off and not have to worry about putting them in a case and I don’t have to go to the bathroom to take them off. Contacts are great for some people but they are just not for me. As of my last eye exam I am not required to wear glasses when driving and I hope that I never get to that point.
Now it’s time to feed the children their evening treats they have grown accustom to and see about entertaining myself. Talk with you all again soon. Hope that your weekend is going well.
22 May 2015
Weekend starts early
I got the official word that our office is closing 2 hour early so I get to leave at 3:30p, which will be wonderful. I can go home and take a nap. I thought that we were going to close early but wasn’t for sure. I had some business to tend to but since I wasn’t for sure, I took care of it via mail. So this morning I got woke up a little after 5:30a someone was having all kinds of issues but it didn’t look urgent to me so I elected to ignore it. Then the pages just kept coming after that. Nothing that I had to respond to. I was in the shower and the phone was still going nuts.
The commute was fairly easy. You had to keep an eye out for the police. They are out and in force, which is typical the Friday before a holiday weekend. It’s like the best time to use a radar detector. Although there was one sneaky guy this morning that my detector didn’t spot until I was on top of him and by then it was too late. I was speeding but so were the other cars passing him. I hate having to speed up only to slow down.
I got a call from my friend who is looking for a job. He had a phone interview yesterday and they asked him to come for an in person in the afternoon. Same day 2 interviews – it’s a good sign. However, some of the things he tells me makes me think that he isn’t coming off well received in the interviews. He is kind of jaded and has a little bit of a chip on his shoulder. He has years of experience but what he has failed to realize is that he isn’t in the drivers seat. He wants a job so bad he can taste it. The interviewer made a remark about how they think he will be bored. He didn’t know what to say to that. I told him that it was a shock value question and he should have come back with something like oh I am sure there is plenty to do here, I would find something or ask others if I can help them with anything. Those are the types of answers hiring managers are looking to hear, it’s like the best thing ever. He just sat there like a lump and was at a loss for words. He doesn’t understand why they play mind games. I told him they want to catch you off guard and see how well you react to pressure or stress. That type of questioning is designed to rattle you but you can’t let it or at least you can’t let it show. He made the remark to me that if he doesn’t get this job then he is going to contact a professional resume writer. Yeah well I helped him with his resume and while he tried to copy my format it didn’t quite come off so good. I polished it up and made it more presentable. Then I find out that he is using a slightly different version. Well I wasn’t terribly happy about that, but honestly I have done all I can do. The job of finding a job is totally up to him. So I don’t mind listening but he is so negative that it gets depressing. Plus he is one of those people who once you connect with him, you might as well pack a lunch because you will be on the phone for hours, no matter how many times you try to hang up, he always has to end the conversation The word control freak applies. Still he is a good friend, despite his flaws We all have them.
I also got an invite to a BBQ from another friend for Monday. I told him that I wasn’t sure that I could make it. I didn’t feel welcome last time and everyone raves about his cooking but I think it sucks. For the last 2 years I have eaten a partially cooked hamburger. I am just not up for that again. Unless I really have a bad case of cabin fever or he calls me and tells me that he will have male strippers, I think I will just opt to spend the day at home. I am saving Monday for running to the grocery store. I plan on doing cat food shopping this afternoon. Lets hope that is quick and painless.
No call back yet from the attorney and still nothing has been filed with the court. The longer this goes on the madder I get. Filing complaints will get me no where fast, so I just have to wait on this bastard to decide today is the day that he is going to talk with me. I hate waiting and the longer the pause the more I think I will get bad news. I want to walk away and wash my hands of it. That would be a gamble and risky at that, which is why I elected to pay to get to the point where the dumb ass files the motion with the court and we take our chances. Unless he fell down a flight of stairs and is in the hospital there is no acceptable reason why this should take this long and require that much follow up effort on my part. However, I find that with persistence comes answers. You might not get them when you want them, but you will get them eventually. With all of the shit I have been through trying to close out my late partners life, it’s a wonder that my head hasn’t exploded.
On that note, I hope that everyone has a great weekend. We shall talk again soon.
21 May 2015
1 more day
Since yesterday, I have made the call to the attorney. No response as of yet and I had to leave a voice mail. I suspect it will take some nagging before I get a response. At the very least the message should have jogged his memory, so maybe something will show up on line now. I can only hope.
I had my Mexican food last night and it wasn’t as good as I anticipated but it was okay. I spent the evening talking with my friend who has the health issues. I found out that I won’t be going to her sons graduation because the State limits it to immediate family only. He is going to be a State Trooper. I’ve never met him but I have seen pictures and well it’s just a damn shame he is straight. In any case we have a common interest in Law Enforcement. You’d probably never guess that by reading my blog. However, I would love to be in his shoes. Albeit a scary time right now for police everywhere. Guns, Protestors and people that want to challenge and/or fuck with the police are seemingly everywhere. This too shall pass but I think it will be a long time before it does. If you have an encounter with a Law Enforcement Officer so long as you do exactly what your told and the cop is above board, you both should be able to walk away from the situation unharmed. That doesn’t mean you won’t get arrested if you commit a crime. Race, color, sexuality those are all factors that shouldn’t come into play and I know for a fact they do. Certain police departments are guilty of profiling, but as long as you aren’t doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about. The bottom line is that if a cop wants to arrest you he/she will. If they want to write you a ticket they will. Chances are really high that if you are polite and cooperative you will more than likely walk away.
The weather yesterday took a turn and it felt like February when I was walking to my car. It’s cooled off here quite a bit and I had to turn on the heat last night. Probably the same for tonight and then things should hopefully slowly warm up. We are in for rain for a bit as well – typically it will happen over the weekend as it has for the past 2 or 3 weekends. Enough water has fallen here that it’s a wonder we are not all floating.
Today has been a little bit easier and relaxed. We are short staffed and I am actually supposed to be on the phone right now but I need down time. Last night I had a scary dream that I was institutionalized and was in the process of getting out. IT was very vivid and very scary. Not sure why I had that but my sleeping pattern is off because my defenses are on high alert at night since I am on-call. Can’t wait until Monday. Yes I know I am whining about it but I have to tell someone.
Last week and again this week when I leave I see two guys get on the elevator and they are so close to each other they could kiss. One of them looks like he wants to hold hands and kiss. I am not sure if they are together or if I am reading a bit much into the situation. However, it’s nice to see. I am still very jealous of any couple straight or gay – because well I have no one. That is scary. Despite what I thought I am doing rather well with fighting off the need to get back to on-line dating. However, I realize that unless I put myself out there no one is just going to come walking up to my door. It’s sort of like looking for a job, unless you submit a resume no one knows your interested and/or looking. I just think there has to be a better way to meet and the whole in person thing is appealing to me, because the photo things goes out the window. You can see and observe and if your both interested in each other great. I just think the odds sound much better and there isn’t as much competition. No matter how you go about it dating is a total crap shoot because you never know who your going to end up with. I just don’t want some psyco or a murderer. I feel like it should be instant and move quickly but that doesn’t make it so. Reality is the world is a large, cold place and there are difficult times. However, there are lots of nice people amongst the no so nice, just finding them and then figuring out if they are single, gay and interested are the next 3 challenges. Ah some day I suppose I will be gushing about a guy and how he completes me but right now I just look forward to going home to my little Wild Kingdom. It’s really tough.
Tonight is left over BBQ and I am so anxious for that. One more night of semi-sleep and then the fun begins. I actually think that Friday night will be quiet as well but Saturday morning will be interesting. I hope for all easy and quick wins, that is if I am bothered at all. Cheers and I will talk with you all on Friday! Hope all is well.
20 May 2015
Made it to the middle
So I have been monitoring my late partners Bankruptcy case for quite sometime. Still to this day there has been no filing of a motion for Hardship Discharge. The last I heard more than 30 days ago was that his attorney would approach the Trustees office and if they had an objection he would let me know. Otherwise, the motion would be filed and in 30 days a decision should be reached. I feel like I have given him ample time and while he does have other clients, you’d think he would be on top of his game. So I will be making a dreaded phone call to inquire about a status update. I haven’t been making payments and as I suspect unless I call he won’t reach out to me. He will wait for it to become a surprise when I get a 30 day letter telling me that the case is going to be dismissed for non payment. Unless your new here most everyone knows this attorney and I have done battle in the past. Neither of us are the others favorite person, but we are tolerating each other. I want away from him and this Bankruptcy BS as fast as possible. It is the last step and I thought closing out the mortgage was difficult, that is starting to look like child’s play compared to this. I hate interacting with him but kind of feel that right now I don’t have a choice. Perhaps I am not patient enough but this isn’t something that I can afford to screw around with. It has dire consequences and could easily turn into a hellish nightmare that would drive me to the edge, which is what I am trying to avoid here. Nerves are just a little bit on edge.
In animals news when I got home last night I saw the Adult Raccoons and her off spring playing in the concrete troff of water. They looked so cute. I fed the cats and they all looked at me like well aren’t you going to feed the outside animals. I said nope but of course that bothered me. So later in the evening I put out one can. The adult came to eat. None of the children were eating. The adult looked at me and the nose was twitching – no sure if it was going to sneeze or just sampling the air. Just by the vibes I got last night I am wondering if something isn’t wrong with them. I am keeping an eye out and if anything looks strange I will make yet another call that I don’t want to make. Perhaps it the adult has allergies. I mean the cat food was Fish flavored – they don’t normally eat fish. By the time I was done with supper and checked on them they were all laying on top of each other trying to nap. I thought it was odd they were laying out in the open. Then again I haven’t seen baby raccoons before only adults. Marvin still is fascinated by them but now at least he comes to bed when it’s time. Not sure what got into him last night he wanted to play, which is odd and he started biting me similar to what his brother has done in the past but he quickly moved beyond that and turned from gentle to rough. I had to yell at him and thankfully he didn’t do any damage. Everyone is still doing okay. Water is flowing, the food is never ending and there are plenty of spots to lay and windows to look out of, so no wonder they are all good.
Sleep last night was like it never happened. I woke up exhausted. I was up a couple times during the night and it didn’t help that I was a little late to bed. I kind of felt like I was getting my 2nd wind just as I climbed in bed. The afternoon yesterday went from 0 to 60 and stayed that way. I was late leaving, too many fires and not enough water. There were a couple of late night emails but nothing woke me up. The way it’s supposed to work is you send in an e-mail and a trouble ticket is created and it emails the appropriate team. When my phone sees the ticket email it is set to make a special sound that will wake me. Problem is no ticket was created for either email. The first one had a FW or RE in it and those get caught in a filter and don’t auto create tickets. The second one well I have no idea why it wasn’t working. I drove in thinking that I would be yelled at and wasn’t so eager to get here. However, thus far I have heard nothing. One of the two was urgent, so I did feel bad but I didn’t do anything with either of them. See why I am paranoid when I am on call. My body is all keyed up when I leave because it’s like I am supposed to be on it 24 x 7 but hey everyone needs sleep. I am not expected to be a baby sitter but in fact when you think about it is what I am. We got an e-mail about the holiday weekend and it’s a reminder to everyone that we are closed. Of course they put the on-call number in so it was like we are closed but be sure you call and bother these people if your stuck working. Maybe I will luck out and everyone will call on Monday. I can deal with that because as of 7a on Monday I am done. I am so anxious for that time to get here so that life will return to normal.
Today has been one of those zero to 60 mornings. It was dead and then before I knew it I was rushing here and running there, doing this and answering an e-mail, then the phone would ring. It was bedlam. I managed and got everything taken care of. Now I am in cruise mode for the afternoon. My phone shift will be starting shortly and who knows how that will go. Short of being quitting time it’s my favorite time because it’s just a count down until quitting time. Hate the drive home but love to see the children when I walk in the door.
Now on to food. I had the BBQ last night. The directions said to heat it on Medium power, well I hit the reheat button because it’s automatic and well I was reheating something that was already cooked. I warped the lid so it can’t be re-used but the food was okay. Oh my the Colby-Jack cheese went perfectly with the BBQ. Wish I had some pickles and that would have made it better. There are left overs. I had 2 sandwiches and then ate a little straight with no bread. I wrapped it up and will have it again on Thursday night. At work this morning we had breakfast catered in, there was lots of fruit but also lots of unhealthy options like donuts, bagels, scones and pastry. I had a little bit of the fruit and a whole lot of the unhealthy options. It was really good. Now I look forward to getting home and having my Beef Burrito Platter. Then the day will be done! Eating very well this week and very happy about it. I hope that continues for a long time.
My friend texted me and her procedure yesterday went okay. They took a tissue sample and now she waits for results. I haven’t talked with her but she said everything looked normal. I’m a bit confused as to why you would take a tissue sample if everything looked normal. That just doesn’t make any sense to me. I guess that is why I am not a medical doctor. Hopefully she gets good news back and they can get her some relief, poor thing has suffered for a while from this, that and the other.
Remember Sunday I went looking at new vehicles? Well last night I got a junk mailer, I knew it was for a car and was going to throw it away. I opened it and found that it was from the dealership I do business with. They are making it very attractive to trade up, but of course it’s for a limited time only and ends at the end of the month. I am thinking about it but something is telling me to wait. I am really on the fence. However, this is one of those things that if you move forward there is no turning back. You can’t undo it, well technically you have 3 days and you can by US Federal Law. Funny thing is each time they make me an offer on my car it keeps getting less and less. We started at 15 thousand dollars 2 years ago and now we are down to 7 thousand dollars. It’s still a cream puff of a car. Any dealer would love to have it because it’s in top shape, low miles and they just apply a little polish here and there – maybe put on a new set of tires and presto you just turned it in to something that can be sold for much, much more. That is how the used car market works. As for the truck well it’s an eye sore and it would probably head off to the crusher. I kind of hate to see that happen but at the same time I would really like to get rid of it. Between the insurance and gas it’s just a pain. I know a new vehicle is in my future I just can’t say when right now. I bought my last car 5 years ago and it was in September so I got 1 model year newer. That seems like the right time to buy, plus your in shape for the winter.
Okay so I need to accomplish a few things and make that dreaded call. Then it’s on to the phones I go. Talk with you peeps later. Hope that your Wednesday is going well.
19 May 2015
Blathering for Tuesday
Last night’s mail brought me a 2nd letter from a group associated with my health insurance company. They seem to think that I qualify for Social Security Disability. They say it’s based on medical claims submitted. I can’t imagine what triggered this. I mean a couple doctors visits, some blood work and of course my psychotherapy. While I have a few things wrong with me, I am far from even close to qualifying and applying for SSD or SSI. They say that I ignored their first request so they have sent a second one. I kind of know how the game is played. I did respond to the first request and have proof of it. The mistake I made was I replied via Secure email, I have a receipt that the document was sent but nothing saying that it was actually read. This time I will respond via US Mail and hopefully they will get the picture loud and clear. I am guessing that if I would ignore all of this they would report back to the insurance company that they can’t reach me and viola my coverage would be suspended or cancelled. I can’t afford to have that happen. The whole thing is way beyond my understanding. I mean I know I am getting old but damn.
I also received the latest edition of Out Magazine which has Mr. Darren Criss in it. Unfortunately he has his beard on and is fully clothed. There is also a write up about Grace & Frankie the Netflix show I spoke of. BTW, I finished watching it on my lunch hour yesterday. Hilarious. I love the Peyote Tea moment in the show – all though there are several good moments.
Finally I got a box from Amazon which had some Flea Medicine for the cats, Momma is needing a dose. I got ink for my printer and Mucinex. Not exactly a lottery winning package but I was surprised it got here so quick. I ordered it on Saturday. Amazon Prime 2 Days means 2 Days.
Sunday I placed another order and that stuff should be arriving today. Toiletries and Allegra. Again nothing exciting. Pee Pads were in the order as well but they are shipping later, not sure why. In any event I timed it right because I will be switching to my last package soon.
Last night I heard this strange noise from Bear. He was getting ready to go to the bathroom but he wasn’t on a pad. I went over and put one under him and presto the water works began flowing. Such a good boy he waited for me. I was quite happy about that. He has made a minor mess again and could use a light bath but considering that my arm is still healing, I am not repeating that again anytime soon. I made do with baby wipes and got him as clean as possible. I will be able to do a better job tonight or so I think.
Being on call I didn’t sleep well. I was out until 2am as in deaf to the world. Then I woke up in a panic thinking that I missed something. Looked at my phone and nothing there. I couldn’t find Marvin either. We went to bed together but I don’t remember letting him out of my room. Kind of scary when you think about it. Who knows what else I did. I used the bathroom and Marvin came back with me. I laid with him and eventually faded off back to sleep but it felt like a momentary thing. Then I woke up had to check the phone again. No one usually calls that late at night, but I have gotten 1 late night wake up call before. Paranoia is like my middle name when I am on-call I constantly check the phone. I so dread the weekend, but hopefully it will be over before I know it. It’s been a long time since I was anxious for a Monday to roll around.
Traffic on the way to work today was hellish. It was like everyone lost their mind. I was starting to worry that I might not make it to work accident free. However, I arrived safe. It was a great feeling to finally get out of my car. A former co-worker of mine was walking to lunch yesterday when some idiot in a police chase thought it was a good idea to start randomly firing a gun. To my knowledge no one was hurt but that could have been different. I often say you can get shot crossing the street, it’s so very true. One moment your fine and all is right with the world and the next your laying in a hospital bed wondering what happened or worse yet your dead. Sad to say that real life isn’t like the movies where you can come back to life or get a do over. If only it was.
My friend who has a lot of medical problems called me to tell me that she is going in for a test today. They are putting a scope in to check out why she keeps having acid reflux. It’s been on going for 2 years. She takes medicine for it but it doesn’t do any good Two weeks ago she had a tumor cut out of her stomach. It’s like it’s always something with her. Things have gotten so bad that her doctors have told her that she can’t travel away from the area. She is the one who has the son who is becoming a State Police Officer. I am supposed to go to graduation with her but if the travel restriction isn’t lifted for her then I may not be going anywhere.
I just saw the trailer for We Are Your Friends a new movie with Zac Efron that is coming out this summer. I look forward to seeing it. Yeah I’ve got a crush on him and I know he’s straight. Never hurt to look though. Which reminds me that last night as I was entering the subdivision two guys were running and one of them had his shirt off. I could have easily had a wreck in trying to get a peek at his chest. I took my time putting the car away but they weren’t running that fast. I eventually gave up and just went inside, I knew the beggars would be waiting for me. Indeed they were.
Speaking of the cats, Marvin is really fascinated by the baby Raccoons. I know he would like to get up close to them but as I told him last night the adult that is with them would spring to life and injure or kill him and probably do damage to me as well. So it’s far better that glass separates them both. Those little babies were making a lot of racket this morning. Everyone was watching for them but they didn’t come out. They have finished off the cat food and left the paper plate behind. In times past I have known the adults to be so hungry they will eat the plate as well. Now they will all have to learn to hunt. I am not adverse to feeding them but just not on a regular basis a once and a while type of thing. They are in fact wildlife and do not belong to me, despite taking up residence underneath my deck.
Ah, so that is the very latest in my life. Now on to venture through the work day and get home for some BBQ. I am not sure how good BBQ Pork on a bun with a slice of Colby Jack Cheese is going to be but I am going to find out. Food it’s so good and there are so many good things to eat, I wish I had culinary skills imagine what I could do then. Have a great day and I will talk with you all again soon.
18 May 2015
Back at it
So I discovered more Baby Raccoons last night. There appears to be a total of 5 but who knows if that is the entire family. Momma keeps them pretty well hidden. Last night she allowed them to frolic on the deck and they found the left over food, which they have made a mess of. Marvin was the first to discover them and he sat at the window most of the evening. When it came time for bed, I couldn’t pry him away from the window. The adult raccoon was out and he wanted to watch that instead of coming to bed with me. I got Gator to come in. I don’t like sleeping at night with her because she makes noise when she thinks your awake. However, I let her stay. She comes in and starts out in the chair and then will move to the bed after I am asleep. She stays at the foot. She isn’t a snuggler like her brother is. Bear came to bed early so he was all set.
I couldn’t believe that Marvin wouldn’t come to bed. However, when I saw more of them I was thrilled. They look so cute. I hope they all make it. The adult is going to have to teach them how to hunt, I can’t support them with cat food. That was just a kind gesture. Now I need to either clean up the mess with the hose or wait for rain. Leave it too long and well it won’t be pleasant. Perhaps they will eat more of it while I am gone today.
I am almost done with Grace & Frankie. I still have the last episode to watch. I just couldn’t keep my eyes open. I also have John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight to watch. So plenty to view on TV. Hopefully that will help perk up what is an otherwise boring evening. My only task for tonight is setting out the trash. I have checked and Saturday & Sunday this past week were fairly easy days, hopefully I will get lucky and can say the same.
Thus far for a Monday things are fairly calm and call volume wasn’t horrible like I expected. I’ve got a new person who’s laptop has broken already. I need to wipe it and start fresh but they don’t want to part with it until their work is done. First I was told it wouldn’t be long now I am told it won’t be until way after lunch. Okay, when I get it I will be sure I take my sweet time and not rush through it as I had planned. I had a replacement machine hooked up and had to go undo that and get their laptop hooked up again. I am not happy about it but it’s part of the job. I do feel kind of bad that no one is able to fix what is wrong with the machine. Not my co-workers, engineers or even me. We have all given it a shot and no luck. So wiping and starting over is the best. Otherwise it could be days before it’s figured out and why waste time when you can cut your losses and reimage and be done in a couple hours. That makes far better sense to me.
Shorter hair means it itches a bit more. I put in some Tea Tree Oil to help with that. Hopefully it lasts all day long. Looking forward as always to getting home and seeing the children. I got everyone’s claws trimmed except for Ruth who gets a reprieve until Monday when I am off call and can devote time to her. I am sure she won’t be thrilled about it but it’s necessary.
Left over pizza tonight. I had to get a replacement pizza cutter because the last one broke. This new one doesn’t look like it will do much but it cut the aluminum foil. It did an okay job of cutting. It was a Tombstone Sausage & Pepperoni, I of course added extra cheese and it was really good. I’ve got BBQ for one night and I picked up a Beef Burrito platter for another night. Looking forward to some good food. Sort of the reward of working for a living.
That’s all I’ve got right now. I hope that your Monday is off to a great start. Talk with you peep later.
17 May 2015
Weekend Review
Friday…I decided to come home instead of grabbing a bite to eat first. Traffic was a little heavy but overall okay. I know that I ate something but can’t remember what it was. I had to update my health information for my dentist visit, so I had to use the computer. Plus earlier in the day I had to use a restore point because I couldn’t get Windows Update to work. The Diabetes Software broke it. I got that worked out on Sunday. That was pretty much the evening.
Saturday… Woke up early spent a little time with the children, had breakfast at home. Then time to go off and venture to the dentist. It was raining, gloomy and very humid. I got in and out in less than an hour. No X-rays this time and no problems. So a typical visit. Afterwards I struggled with where to go to eat. I found myself at Bob Evans. I hadn’t been there in a while. They boast about a new Grilled Cheese Sandwich with 5 types of cheese and it’s on Brioche Bread. Well I’m here to tell you it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I did have a nice bowl of Broccoli & Cheese Soup. The restaurant was crowded and it was very humid. I couldn’t wait to get back to my air conditioned vehicle. From there I went on to the Cat Food store. I saw Mr. Lead Me On and I wouldn’t make eye contact with him. I think he realizes that I am not exactly happy with him and for good reason. Left there and got gas for the car. Called and made a Haircut Appointment. I did something drastic. I pretty well have a shaved head. I got as close to a High & Tight as I possibly could. It’s a #2 on top and a #1 on the sides and back. I shaved off my side burns and I look like a walking, talking, breathing egg. I am quite happy with it. This is something that I wanted to do for a long time and now there is no one to give me grief over it. I can’t say that I will keep it, I guess it depends if I get a sunburn or not. The new place I am going to has finally started to know me by name. I can’t remember who I have interacted with but out of the blue the lady cutting my hair said, so how are your cats. Wow never saw that coming. I came back home after that and took a nice long nap with Gator on my chest. She just loves to be the center of my universe. Attention starved little girl. For Supper I went out to Cracker Barrel. Had some Grilled Catfish it was a great meal and I treated myself with Chocolate Coca Cola Cake. Very rich, but good. Then back home. Where I worked on hammering out my anger to the vet in a letter. I finally got it to the point of where I wanted it and then decided, let it go. It’s going to do me no good and they probably won’t change anything. So I saved it and moved on. It did feel good to put everything down in a letter. Therapeutic.
Sunday… Woke up did the usual feed the cats, grab breakfast out and then I hit up 2 grocery stores. Got some good food for the week ahead. I purposely avoided all of the bakery and sweets that I usually get. It was hard and I know I am going to be wishing I didn’t but I need to continue my quest to lower my sugar. Prepping myself by enjoying my last day of freedom for a week. Going on call tomorrow and like usual I am NOT looking forward to it. I put all of the grocery's away and then headed out to look at new vehicles. My taste seems to be $23,000 to $35,000. I crunched the numbers and unless I get a serious raise there is no way in hell I can afford something like that. Then again I was looking at the retail price and have no idea how much Wholesale is and what I’d get for both of the vehicles I would trade in. I mean it could work out in my favor. Right now I am just looking and thinking. I want to jump but it’s not a smart move right now. I need to make sure the Bankruptcy is settled and take some time to continue to save money. I’ve got a decent vehicle with low miles and it’s paid for. Jumping back into car payments will suck, worse than going on call for a week. Yeah I know I would have a newer vehicle but it would actually be less fuel efficient than what I have now. I am averaging around 37mpg but most of my driving is highway. Ah well a boy can dream.
I worked in a nap today, even though I said I wouldn’t, I did. Gator did her job and got me up in the right amount of time but I still laid there for a bit. I have fallen for a new Netflix Series called Frankie & Grace. It’s got Lilly Tomlin & Jane Fonda in it. It’s fucking funny! Check it out. I am almost done with it but now I am hooked on another series, yet another reason to keep Netflix around.
Last night I heard some Raccoon rumbling it was the first time in a long while that I have heard any noise. I actually saw little baby Raccoons. They are adorable. I felt sorry for then so I put out two cans of cat food for them last night. They didn’t get to it until this afternoon. Momma is close by and there are 3 little ones. Last time I saw Papa but this time he isn’t around. This bitch keeps getting knocked up and raising little ones. I should probably call Animal Control but I adore them and they aren’t hurting anyone. They have done a little damage outside but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed. My deck is the perfect haven for them – away from predators. I snapped a photo and thought I’d share it with you.
This was taken from my kitchen and I am looking through the back door at them. I didn’t get all 3 of them but you do get to see 2 of them. I wanted to pick them up but realized that would be a deadly mistake. The children inside were going nuts. Now I think maybe that is why they have been siting at the backdoor because they hear them. Not that they are looking for LB. Who knows for sure?
Other news … I managed to replace the light switch in my bathroom Saturday afternoon. I flipped it on last week and it made this strange frying sound and the lights have been flickering. I figured that maybe it was a bulb about to die but that wouldn’t explain the sound at the switch. I dug up a spare and swapped it out. It’s easy as pie and anyone can do it. My late partner was an Electrician by trade and he would do stuff like that all the time but with live power. I am a total chicken and turn the power off to be safe. That is not my forte so makes sense to be safe.
I found a new on-line dating site. It’s called Hinge. You have to use your Facebook account to login and you have to give them complete control, if you don’t then you don’t get to play. It looks at your social network of friends and their friends. Then it looks at who else is using the app and presto changeo it connects you with friends of your friends that are looking for a date. I found a local news station reporter that I never ever thought was gay. He doesn’t strike my fancy, in fact only one guy did. I saw profiles where people had edited their names so their last name wasn’t showing. I wanted to do that but couldn’t figure out how. So I wound up deleting the app. Then I moved on and found a couple of others, they all turned out to be duds. I then deleted all of the dating apps from my phone. I know that tomorrow I will be going through withdrawals between sugar and looking for a man guess it’s a good thing my head is shaved so that I can’t pull out my hair. I really want a guy but it seems like the more I look the more difficult the quest becomes. Taking a breather is a smart thing to do. I know I will go back and try it again. Hopefully next time will yield better results.
I have managed to make my way through trimming claws. Gator is the last one for this week. Then on Monday next week I will tackle Ruth. Both of the girls are challenging and it doesn’t help that their mother screams at the top of her lungs with each and every claw I trim. She scares the children and they are all shaking. Yeah I know I have made mistakes in the past but I learned and I don’t take off that much. It doesn’t hurt, unless of course your moving and trashing around when I am trying to cut and then an accident happens. I have prevented anything from going awry thus far. Hopefully Gator & Ruth both turn out okay with no problems.
My arm is healing quite well. I picked up another scratch yesterday on the same arm when I was rubbing Marvin’s ear. He started scratching and made contact with my arm. It hurt but once I start on his ears it’s a while before I can stop rubbing them. He shakes his head and comes back for more. I know as a child I had a serious wax problem. I remember getting my ears flushed out at the doctors office. It was one of the single greatest feelings I have ever experienced. I was dizzy afterwards but the crap that came out of my ears. I could hear better and felt much better. Then afterwards I remember getting home and hooking up with my classmate. So all in all that was a great day. Point is that I understand it feels good. I love all of my children (cats) and they know they have me by the short hairs. Just ask and you’ve got me. I may say no but if you continue to ask I will give in.
Well that’s it. Time to do some surfing and then back to the TV watching. Nurse Jackie and Last Week Tonight w/John Oliver are both on tonight. That mixed in with a double dose of sleeping medicine and the last night the phone will be in do not disturb mode should hopefully yield for a good Monday. It’s going to be hella busy this week. At least that is my prediction based off of some of the things I have seen come across my phone yesterday and again today. Lord help me and make the weekend low call volume and cause Next Monday to get here in light speed. Then I can return to normal and not have to worry about this until at least mid August. Then I can have what I hope is an enjoyable summer.
Hope it’s a great week for all of you. Talk with you peeps later.
15 May 2015
It’s almost the weekend
So my last week of freedom is coming to a close. I still have today plus the weekend and then on Monday morning on call I go. Not looking forward to that but I will survive. I was thinking on the way in that it’s not so bad since we do go on at night until 11p which takes care of most of the calls. The weekend is the hellish time but this will be a holiday weekend so I have no idea what to expect. I just hope that it’s smooth and uneventful.
Last nights mail brought me the last bill that needed to be paid. I was able to pay all of my current bills last night. I was a little concerned about it because on line banking has been broken for a couple days. I had a work around just in case but glad I didn’t have to use it.
I had a Chicken Pot Pie last night which was pretty good. Not sure what I would like to have tonight. I’ve thought about going out and I’ve also thought about staying in. I am low on cat food so I need to either go tonight or tomorrow for sure. The cabinet hasn’t been this empty in a very long time. I also have to change the filter on the water and this is the first time that the reserve tank is full so I have a feeling it’s going to be a messy change but thankfully it’s only water.
All week long I have found myself sitting in front of the TV and before I know it I am passed out. I wake up only to go to bed Last night I fought back and stayed up longer. I still woke up in the middle of the night. Marvin wanted out of my room. Outside of that it was nice. I am hoping for some quality sleeping and napping over the weekend. I have to get up early tomorrow morning to go see the dentist. That is always fun. I get to feel boobs on my head, which is a very nice feeling.
Speaking of the dentist. A lot of people brush before they go in. Not me I figure that is doing the dentist job for them. They are there to clean my teeth and well brushing is cleaning, but on a different level. It won’t make any difference if there is food in my teeth – it still has to come out. Lots of people think that is gross but I feel as if you brush you are trying to hide something. They see lots of mouths on a daily basis, what is one more. Outside of the boob treatment I also really like the flossing and often ask for a 2nd floss.
The bigger question is what am I going to do after the dentist. That really depends upon which way the wind is blowing tomorrow and how I feel. Nothing special planned, outside of the usual weekend activities.
All of the children are doing well. They still take turns at the back door. When I left this morning I saw a squirrel, so I wonder if maybe if they have seen him as well. I still really feel that they are looking for LB. I miss him too and wish he would come back but that is not an option. So we shuffle on and remember the good times we had together. It’s kind of the same thing with a human but you have to get rid of belongings and go through legal procedures to close out their life. An animal is really simple in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps that is why the hurt lasts a little less.
So I hear about the Amtrack train crash that the conductor/engineer is gay. So some people are saying that is why the train crashed. I am not sure why people have such narrow minded thoughts. The train crashed for a reason and it has nothing to do with if it was a man or a woman if they were black, white, purple - gay or straight. From what I have heard speed appears to be the biggest factor. Anyone who drives or pilots any form of transportation can speed that isn’t limited by age, gender or religious beliefs. It is a sad event that took place and sounds like it was totally avoidable, but that is based on speculation and not fact. The only thing that I can say with absolute certainty is that the driver being gay didn’t cause the crash.
That’s all I know for the moment. I hope that you have a great weekend and enjoy the time away from work. Go do something fun like napping, traveling, eat some food or go for a walk. I will be busy at it but based on how I feel right now I don’t have a lot of energy. Let’s hope that changes. Take care and I will talk with you peeps later.
14 May 2015
Anger
Last night I got a letter from the vet about LB saying that his remains were ready for pick up. They composed the letter on the 7th, I was there on the 8th but they waited until the 11th to mail the letter. While I have him because of my diligent effort I am very pissed about the delay. But for my actions his remains would still be sitting there. I don’t understand why they can’t pick up the phone and press 7 digits it’s not that hard, plus chances are really great that when they called I wouldn’t have been home, so they would have just needed to leave a message. I have written a letter but it needs to be toned down before I send it. I am on the fence about if I should or shouldn’t. I have a great amount of anger at that place, mostly because of what we went through with Bear and I think they are negligent and caused his injury. How do you prove vet malpractice? It’s got to be harder than Medical Malpractice for humans. I am not interested in suing them and even if I was I am fairly certain the statue of limitations has expired. Not trusting all of their staff is probably not a good thing for my kids, but they are the only 24/7 vet in town – they charge like it and they stand on a pedestal and preach it. Yeah I should probably find another vet but because of my late partner I am sticking with them, unless they just piss me off beyond belief. When you walk in you hear a sucking sound, that is the money being sucked out of your wallet. I’ve never let go of the anger and unless I send this letter I never will. There are risks involved if I send the letter so right now I am stewing about it.
I got the cable for my diabetes meter and it took me 45 minutes to get that setup. Having some technical problems and the letter I got well it put me in Lewis Black mode. I was just pissed at everything and everyone. I did get it working and it’s kind of interesting, you can see a much bigger picture and even print out reports for your doctor. Yeah I don’t know that I am printing anything out, that could cause commotion with my doctor and I don’t want that.
Everything else is status quo at the moment. Dealing with a slightly busy day here, but that is good. Have a huge presentation to setup for this afternoon. There is a little pressure there but I can’t do anything until I get the presentation, which I am sure will be in the 11th hour. I have my massage this afternoon and hope that it goes well. I had some sudden on set arm pain this morning on the way in, but it’s since resolved. I felt odd but not in any pain. Yeah I know it’s the sign of a heart attack but some would say I have no heart. I’m dismissing it for now but if it comes back I will address it. My arm is still a little red and there is one scratch that has caused some concern for me. Until my skin calms down a bit I won’t know if it’s an issue. My arms frequently turn red, especially when I am under pressure. So once things calm down I will take a look and see if I need to worry or just keep an eye on it. Nothing if overly inflamed and I am not in pain, but the itch phase should be kicking in shortly – that is part of the healing and not the fun part either.
It’s been a busy afternoon. I put the above part of the post together this morning. Now we are about an hour and a half away from quitting time. I am looking forward to getting home. I need some relaxation. Massage felt good but as usual she found the knots and worked them like a fiddle so I am sore. She got me to the point of snoring, I heard myself but I wasn’t asleep – very close though. I think if I book for 90 minutes she would have to wake me up.
Well back to the grind. Talk with you peeps later.