Sprung Spring

So Spring has Sprung.  You couldn’t tell that by the weather here.  Snow & Rain yesterday, very cold this morning feels like Winter.  However, we are going to warm up into the 50’s today so maybe by this afternoon Spring will be in the air.  It’s nice to see the seasons change.  However, with it comes a host of headaches for me.  I’ve got allergies so they will no doubt rear their ugly head.  Then there is Lawn Boy who no doubt will be knocking on the door or stopping by and just cutting the grass.  Once that starts it’s like a merry go round that doesn’t end until much later in the year. 

The weekend was just okay for me.  I managed to get in some sleep, gave Big Boy his bath which oddly enough he loved this time.  I hit the spot where it itched most and that just made him want more and more.  I got him all clean, lasted about an hour or two and he’s back to being dirty again.  I said I was going to break out the diaper but just don’t have the heart to do that to him.  I think it would create more of a problem.  Although at some point we are going to try them.

Fixed my squeaky shower head, soaked the whole thing in CLR for a couple hours.  Back to spraying normal and no more squeak.  I thought I had the refrigerator/freezer fixed but that turned out to be false hope.  I pulled it out of the wall, removed the cardboard cover and vacuumed up as much fur and dirt as I could see.  That stuff really collects in there, probably a good idea every few months to pull this thing out and repeat that process.  I pushed it back into place and it kicked on, sounded perfectly normal.  Then in about 30 minutes the growling started.  When I first heard it I thought something was seriously wrong with Ruth.  Nope just another appliance warning me that sooner or later it is going to vacuum out my wallet. 

All of the usual weekend chores got done.  I am behind on TV.  Didn’t get to see Quantico last night but hopefully I will tonight.  I went to fill the water fountain for the kids before I left and noticed that the ants are back.  I set out a fresh bowl of water away from the fountain and unplugged  it.  I will be dealing with that creepy crawly mess tonight.  I hate dealing with ants because it feels like they are crawling on my skin.  I am going to put the whole thing in the dish washer to make sure they are totally dead and the fountain is clean again.  Then I’ll break out the ant spray and hopefully this will be the last time I have to deal with them for a while. 

Ruth is becoming more trusting of me, I think she realizes that I won’t hurt her.  She seeks me out for attention and of course her sister gets jealous.  Last night Ruth even stole my spot on the couch.  I sat on the love seat and we watched TV together for a while.  Then she left.  I enjoyed spending time with her and her not freaking out just because I was nearby.  She won’t put herself in a position to be picked up, I mean she is trusting but only to a point.  Try anything and she will rip you to shreds.  I don’t do anything other than petting or scratching and she is okay with that.  We talk a little bit sometimes.  Would be nice if I could make a lap cat out of her but I don’t think that will ever happen.  Then again I never thought I would really start to bond with her. 

Now it’s time to start work.  I really don’t want to be here.  Everything started out fine and then I got here and now I am ready to leave.  I hope to have an answer today to find out if I can apply for the opening.  Kind of apprehensive about it, but applying doesn’t mean it’s mine just that my name is in the hat.  If it’s offered to me I have to agree to it. 

As always looking forward to Friday.  I think part of the reason why I don’t want to be here is because of the events of last week and losing what I thought what was a friend.  I really miss him, but I made it before without him and I know that I can do it again.  Okay here goes nothing.  Hope you have a great Monday!

Emotional Week

Remember the guy at work that I talked about?  He was the one that I was so mad a couple weeks ago.  Well this week something came over me and I told him that I had feelings for him.  Why did I do that?  I think it was emotions plus taking a chance.  He’s perfectly fine with it because he is secure in his sexuality.  Well long story short were done.  He’s what happened… a situation came up and it came out that I was just a coworker.  That really hurt me, more than he knows.  Partially because I have feelings for him and also because I thought of him as a friend.  He said that a friend has a different meaning to him.  He said that his work life and his personal life do not overlap and he will not allow them to.  So what is this business about him fixing me up with a friend and me being at his house all the time?  I mean clearly he wouldn’t invite a coworker to his house.  He started backpedaling once he knew that he hurt me and said your my friend.  Yeah, you can’t just make it so.  First you said I wasn’t now that I am on the verge of tears your changing your mind.  Either the lights are on or they are off, there is no middle ground, no maybe so.  It’s an absolute.  So he was just saying that as lip service. 

Taking a step back I probably overreacted a little bit but I made a sufficient investment in him as a friend.  I shared parts of my life that I only share with a select few and I think I am a pretty good judge of people, but now and then my skills seem to be off.  I didn’t realize I was talking to a first class whack job, because he never made it clear.  Had I known all of this up front he wouldn’t know a damn thing about me other than I work here and I have cats.  Like most people that are my coworkers.  My thought process is that he probably has some repressed homosexual feelings deep, deep down and he doesn’t want to act on them.  Not that he has a crush on me but considering my position I would be easy to take advantage of.  Truth be told there is a lot of truth in that statement, he could easily have his way with me, despite my morals.  When emotions figure in your saying never with a married man, never with a coworker, well they all can easily be tossed aside. 

So now what?  Well he told me that he would keep my secrets a secret.  I trust him enough to do that.  However, he changed our relationship from a friendship to coworkers so I am going to respect that boundary.  He said he still wants me to stop by and chat with him and to feel free to confide or talk with him.  Yeah I told him that won’t happen.  I don’t get that close to coworkers and stopping by to chat well that is inappropriate.  It’s something that I probably shouldn’t have started.  He is very disappointed that I will be treating him differently now, but he made that happen I didn’t just up and chose this.  I do talk with coworkers but they are friends as well, people that I talk with outside of work.  I don’t have anything to do with coworkers outside of work, unless they are friends.

He knows that I don’t have many friends and he really felt bad about the whole situation knowing that.  I told him that he was being an ass but that this was his decision, so I will respect it.  Professionally nothing will change, I will still provide him the same service as before. 

Our alleged friendship started over a remark I made one day about jumping off a bridge.  He had a relative commit suicide and he was the last person to speak with that person.  He had no idea that things were that bad.  Now he is hypersensitive and very much guilt ridden.  He opened up and said that I could talk with him.  Bottom line is he didn’t want me to jump off a bridge.  Just think if I did it now, that would t-totally fuck up his world. Tempting as it is I’ve actually got something to live for and he’s so not worth it. 

There is very much a hole in my heart and it’s difficult for me when I think of him or pass by where he sits.  I never let myself cry but I should have, then maybe all of the feelings I have would be gone.  Instead I am letting time form a callous around my heart and eventually I will be numb to the whole situation.  I already feel the anger and resentment brewing.  I can still admire his rocking body and be angry with him.

Work in an of it’s self has been quite the challenge the last few weeks.  This week is not without that exception.  Things are picking up and that makes me busy and creates stress.  I would rather the days fly by than sit here and twiddle my thumbs but at the same time I would like to be able to keep what little sanity I have left and be able to breathe.  If I change positions this will no doubt get worse.  However, so long as I don’t have to move and can stay put I would be a fool for passing up the opportunity to move up.  Chances like this don’t come up terribly often.  I feel reasonably well about it and will of course know more next week.  I haven’t said anything to my boss because my name is not officially in the candidate pool yet.  I know she won’t have a problem with it and will probably push to make it happen for me.  However, I know that at the same time she will hate to lose me as I am a great asset to her team as well as my local office.  Provided I get the new position it will sadden a lot of people, but I have to take care of myself no one is going to do it for me.

Ah, time to start the day.  I got here super early and thought I would take time to update you.  I am very thankful that today is Friday, it’s been a long week.  I am ready to decompress and actually look forward to it.  Talk with you all again soon.  Hope that all is well in your world.

Locked up

I got the replacement lock last night and got it installed.  It took a little bit of effort because I was conservative with my estimates in shaving off a part of the spindle but after 4 tries I got it just perfect and it works like it’s supposed to.  Thank God that is over with!

Horrible accident last night took me an hour and a half to get home.  So I was behind the 8 ball but I still got a lot accomplished.  Wanted to pay bills but had to put something off and it is okay because today is actually pay day.  So taking care of them tonight.  That is provided my commute is better.  There is supposed to be some construction work that starts tonight and goes for several months, so lets just cross our fingers that I get home at a much more reasonable hour. Otherwise someone is going to have to provide me with a jetpack for travel to and from work.

The guy that I have the crush on here at work got his hair cut.  It’s called a bare skin fade looks more like a high and tight.  Anyway he looks even more delicious today.  I am always innocently flirting with him.  Today was the best I asked a co-worker if they wanted to have a good laugh.  I told them to bring the can on their desk and come with me.  Walked up to the cute guy and said hey there is something I have always wanted to ask you.  Would you like to eat my nuts?  I had the can in my hand and the laughter just erupted everywhere.  It was awesome.  Earlier in the day I took a lancet (the needle that is used to get blood from my finger for my diabetes) and I pulled him aside.  I told him that I brought this to him since I hear his wife likes small pricks.  He laughed.  Then he said you’ve got a weapon.  I said yeah good thing my pants are on so you can’t see it.  This is totally abnormal behavior for me, work is a place to have fun but not to flirt.  I just can’t help myself around him.  I guess I am just hella horny. 

Another one bites the dust here at work.  One of my teammates is leaving and the fucker timed it just right before his on call shift was set.  So now someone will have to pick that up.  It’s extra money but it’s also aggravation.  So long as there is no direct impact to me I am fine.  Kind of happy he is leaving because he does sloppy work in my opinion.  He applied for an afternoon shift job and they gave it to him.  Now that he has it and has had it for a while he wants to move to days.  So they struck a deal with him.  Let us hire someone to replace you and then you can move to days.  Well they didn’t move fast enough so he’s moving out.  Buh Bye is all I have to say. 

Today is the least amount of stress that I have had in two weeks.  I have had a great time today and hope that this theme continues.  Even though I suspect this is going to be short lived. 

On tap for tonight’s TV is The Real O’Neals which is a super funny comedy, you have to see it to understand.  Then a bit later Tosh.O.  Then hopefully to bed and I fall asleep quickly.  Mornings really suck.  Getting the proper amount of rest will be most helpful, but it’s any ones guess if that will happen.

Everything else is status quo.  Kids are normal and I am thankful for that.  I hope that stays the case for a damn long time.  Take care and I will talk with you again soon.

Busy, tired and stressed

-Work-

The days have been long and the night short.  It seems like I no more than get home and have supper and it’s time to go back to work.  This week we had guests from out of town coming so I had to scramble to do a last minute setup for them.  We had Video Conferencing issues with one of our rooms.  A guy dropped his laptop 3 weeks ago.  The asset manager found that the serial number was wrong on the replacement laptop I gave him.  It was something in BIOS so Dell had to come out to fix it.  I got a message yesterday that his replacement machine crashed.  I got his original laptop back from Dell, it was damaged so much I needed to send it in.  They went over it with a fine tooth comb and now aside from some blemishes it looks like a new machine.  I will be configuring that for him tomorrow.  The guy that sits next to me made a huge mistake and deleted the wrong thing for a user, thankfully it was something that was fixable.  However, he said it was because of the crappy monitors he had.  We have the same thing.  I am not a huge fan of them either.  So because of him he got new monitors and so did I.  It looks like I have 2 televisions sitting on my desk.  Very nice!

The lady that left without me the one night, turns out she had to take care of something personal.  I talked with her about it and were good again.

The guy that is playing games with trying to set me up with his pal.  Well I confronted him as well.  Turns out he was allegedly going to talk with his pal over the weekend so I may have an update tomorrow.  I did something that I never thought I would do.  I told him that I had a crush on him.  He was a little surprised but told me that he was secure in his sexuality and that nothing would happen between us.  I want it to but at the same time I don’t.  I can’t believe I actually told him that I like him, that was clearly someone else in my body acting as me.  It won’t change anything between us.  Were back on speaking terms and I do stop by to see him but it’s been nuts this week so my time has been very limited. 

Friday was a day I looked forward to.  I thought it would be the easy day of the week.  Turns out it was a Fuck You Friday and it was anything but relaxing.  I had an issue on Thursday where as the result of testing I managed to brick someone's brand new mobile phone.  They weren’t happy and got management involved.  I didn’t do anything wrong but the user was really trying hard to throw me under the bus.  He got a new phone but won’t let us touch it and he some how thinks that company email will magically appear on it.  That isn’t going to happen and management told him so.  I am interested to see what he does from here.

Since I spend most of my day at work on the phone my boss got approval to give us all Bluetooth Headsets.  Wow they went first class on this.  It’s a Plantronics and it talks to you and you talk to it.  You push a button and say pair mode and presto it pairs right up.  Then when you get a call it says incoming call answer or ignore.  I think if it was paired with my cell phone it would announce the caller.  Works pretty well.  I’ve been so busy that I barley had time to set it up and have had zero time to read the manual.  Who knows what I am missing out on.  They even sent along a charger you just drop it.  Talk time is a max of 7 hours.  That is a long damn time to talk, I would need a couple gallons of water to ramble for that long. 

Decided to phone a friend (co-worker).  I asked about a position that was advertised, turns out my friend just got a promotion.  The position I was calling about and what was advertised were two different positions.  She got promoted so they just posted her old job.  She thought I was calling about that and well now that I know that I was.  Anyway it is advertised as only available from 2 offices.  She said that her manager would not make me move if I was selected.  I want to hear that from him, no sense in wasting my time and his if that isn’t the case.  I will be phoning him tomorrow to find out.  If that is so then I will apply.  I have to get my boss to sign off on the application, otherwise it goes nowhere.  I kind of hate to tell her that I am interested.  She has been really good to me.  At the same time it’s about growth and new opportunity.  I am staying loyal by not applying for a position that is outside the company.  If I get it I would be on-call more but in this role you aren’t bothered too much with after hours stuff.  So it’s not a big deal.  I spent most of last night fighting with my resume to get it updated.  There are things in that document that I don’t remember how I did them.  Back in the day when I was unemployed for 2 years I had all the time in the world to play with word and make it do tricks.  Now I’ve slept since then and can’t remember so that put me in a pickle.  I made it happen with persistence, just as I battle every problem I encounter.

-Home-

I got the replacement lock that I ordered for the front door.  That was job one on Saturday.  Wow I could have used some help.  It was so simple but I still managed to screw it up.  There is a spindle that is a small piece of metal that is what does all the work to lock and unlock the door.  You cut it to length and then your in business.  Turns out I cut it too short despite my best estimate.  I spent a couple hours playing with this.  Finally once the damage was done I needed a new spindle but you can only get one if you get a new lock.  Not something that is sold by it’s self.  Well no store around here has a new lock.  So back to Amazon and the new lock will show up tomorrow.  Since I was ordering again I took the time to find one that was brass so it matches the door handle.  I could have replaced the handle and got some fancy lock but that looked like way more work than I wanted to sign up for.  This should be simple to install or so I think.  All I wanted to do was cry.  Not from frustration but my late partner was the tool guy.  I needed something to cut this metal with, he has a Dremel Tool it was one of many things that he put in it’s own toolbox and labeled it.  He was just starting the process of getting organized about a month before he passed.  Seeing all of the work he put in made me sad, it was as if he was nesting knowing that he was leaving.  I just miss him and not sure those feelings will ever end.

Quick cat update…the flood gates have opened and Bear is back to normal.  I got washable diapers for him but have yet to put one on him.  I think that is going to be more of a mess than it’s worth.  I will give it a go eventually.  I am very happy he is back to normal and will not give him any dry food except a limited amount of treats.  Phew, he is still going!

-Personal-

I haven’t heard back from my doctor about the diabetes drug he prescribed, so I started taking it in addition to my regular medicine.  At first there was little effect.  Now it’s kicking my ass.  My blood sugar is very much in control I would argue to a degree that is excessive.  I woke up and my sugar was 89 which is good.  Had breakfast went to the store came home did laundry and finished up the resume.  Skipped lunch (bad idea) took a 1/2 hour nap, woke up and started cleaning the house.  Sat down in front of the computer when I was done and I felt ill – it’s an indescribable feeling but I was shaking and knew that my sugar was way too low.  Sure enough I took it and it was 73, normal is around 100.  I started eating sweets and thankfully things normalized.  Then I was able to come back to the computer.  I think I am going to take less of the old medicine to see if I can’t reach a happy medium.  I checked on line and there is no interaction between the two medicines.  I want my sugar under control to minimize other complications from happening but I have to be able to function.

Now my CRS kicks in (that’s can’t remember shit).  I had a meter to check my sugar at my desk, I have searched high and low but can’t find it  My main meter is upstairs.  I really want to find the second meter so that I can take it to work.  I am not a fan of little pricks but knowing what my sugar level is at is kind of important right now.  My fingers hurt a little from being stabbed but once things normalize I won’t be constantly checking it.  I know I should but again it hurts.  I have heard the ear lobe is the best place to test but that really hurts. 

I think I am on overload because I am wound up with work and other things that are going on in my life.  I haven’t had the ability to practice normal sexual habits and when I tried the other night and failed, I was simply too tired.

Now we had time change this weekend and I feel robbed of more than an hour of time.  Evening comes way too soon when that happens.  Not to mention all of the clocks I had to update.  It’s such a pain in the ass.  Good news is that I will be driving home in daylight bad news is I could be traveling to work for a while in the dark.  It will eventually even out and then I can give my headlights a much needed break. 

Speaking of my car I figured out that I have 30 thousand miles more to go or until 20 Sept 2017 before I have no more warranty.  I purchased an extended bumper to bumper warranty.  Only used it once for a $100 repair.  I hope that the next 30 thousand miles are as uneventful as the 70 thousand I have traveled thus far.  I finally have justification for buying a new car.  Yay me.  Get this other job and make a bunch more money then I will indulge this year for sure.  Otherwise I will be riding it out until the bitter end.

-Humor-

What better way to end a post than with some humor.  Yesterday I had a bunch of stops to make.  The last one was at Sam’s Club.  I needed paper products (towels and Kleenex) as well as Water Softener Salt.  I had to look for the salt but found it.  $5 a bag which is very well priced.  I took two bags.  I started heading back towards the paper products and this lady who was working passing out samples said to me, wow that is a lot of salt.  I said yeah it’s about a years worth. She had this funny look on her face.  I said it’s only $5 a bag so it’s to my benefit to buy in bulk.  Then she inquired you eat that much salt in a year?  I laughed and said oh no, I don’t like salt at all this is for my water softener.  Wow she felt stupid.  I think she saw the Morton logo and just assumed it was salt to be consumed. 

A couple years ago in the middle of winter my brother headed to the store to get salt for the driveway.  Turns out they were all sold out.  The person working there conned him in to buying a bag of water softener salt telling him that it would do the same thing as the regular salt he was looking for but that the pellets were larger.  He fell for it.  It didn’t melt a damn thing, in fact the snow and ice cleared and he had a driveway full of water softener pellets to clean up. 

Okay so those are my 2 salt stories.  Now it’s time to get ready for Sunday Television.  Shameless is up first.  Then Quantico followed by Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.  Then it’s time for bed and I get to return to work tomorrow.  Hopefully less stress and more free time, but I kind of doubt it. 

Here’s hope that this week will bring you me and everyone lots of laughs and good news and good things.  Take care and I will talk with you again soon.  I am so excited that spring is almost here I wet my plants!

Tuesday

Made it through a nice night of not being woken up by a phone call.  Wish I would have slept straight through the night but my bladder woke me up.  The house was a little chilly, I went back to bed and turned on the electric blanket and was all toasty warm within minutes.  I have an intolerance to heat but there are times when it just feels good.

Mr. Bear seems to be doing a little bit better at least from a social perspective.  I know the problem is still there.  The antibiotic has caused diarrhea and of course it didn’t hit until I was ready to go to bed.  So I had to deal with that first.  Wow cleaning up after him sure is a taxing task that has gotten way old way fast.  I love him but at the same time he runs me ragged.  This morning I had to open a second can of food because he didn’t like the first can.  He knows how to work me.  Then I had to move his food like 3 or 4 times because he had to get comfortable.  He whirs at me and will eventually lead to meowing if I don’t comply.  I know most people would give up at this point, he’s been through hell and back.  We have made it through far worse stuff so I am confident that he will make it through this.  I remember the vet said that it’s common that this can reoccur and I think but for the fact that I gave him dry food last week this wouldn’t be an issue.  He is eating and drinking so it will just be a timing factor on carefully flushing this stuff out of his bladder.  It is almost worth putting him in the hospital and letting them flush it out with a catheter and saline, but it would be very costly.  Given my financial situation the less money I have to spend the better off I am.  I don’t want to put him or any of the other animals in jeopardy because I am being thrifty and if push comes to shove I am not afraid of going to the vet, but my wallet is.

I got my signs last night and put one up as soon as I got home.  It looks great and I think it screams go away and don’t bother me.  I got the deadbolt lock for the screen door as well.  I remembered it is white on the inside so I thought the same for the outside but nope it’s gold or brass outside.  So I will have a white lock it’s not the end of the world.  So long as it fits and works I will be a happy guy.  There are two keys so I am set there, just need to swap out the present lock for the new one and as long as it fits then I should be fine.  That is a weekend job, I could probably knock it out in an evening given a couple of hours but I’d rather relax and save it for the weekend. 

Work is busy and stressful.  Thankfully I got my full lunch hour today.  I started early so I still feel like they owe me time.  Anyway, I usually walk out at night with a coworker.  I went to her cube last night as I normally do and she wasn’t there.  She left without even saying a word.  Rude.  Call it holding a grudge but I am just going to start walking out alone at night, if you can’t bother to tell me your leaving early or even saying something the next day then why should I waste my time with being concerned with walking out together.  I keep getting put in situations like this one where it seems the message is you can’t depend upon others, you have to do it yourself if you want it done right.  Maybe I am over reacting but this situation made me mad. 

It’s like this guy at work that keeps telling me he is going to fix me up with a friend of his that just came out.  Well he used that story of his friends coming out to bait me in to telling him that I was gay because he is a nosy sob.  I fell for it even though my gut told me don’t do it.  We have spoken about this many times and he keeps telling me to remind him.  Yeah I think I have done more than my part.  I have even confronted him and told him that I thought he tool advantage of me and that he has no intention of following through.  He has tried to reassure me that is not the case but his actions say otherwise.  I used to stop in and talk with him a couple times during the day.  I also have a wicked crush on him and I think he knows that as well.  He’s straight and married.  Anyway, I decided last week that it was time to put some distance between us.  I have legit been busy but there were times I could have stopped in.  He actually came to my desk this morning and reminded me that I should visit him.  I didn’t turn it into a confrontation but I easily could have.  My goal is not to make an enemy but to just not go out of my way to stop by.  I am pissed at him and at myself because I fell for this.  He does seem interested in me as a person in that he doesn’t want me to off myself and that if I know any inside dirt that he wants to know.  Will he reciprocate?  nope.  It doesn’t have to be like that but his actions are dictating my reaction.  I am just tired of it.

Just heard that I have to setup a bunch of guest offices and they all have to be done by tonight, so guess it’s time to get back to it.  Fun stuff.  Talk with you peeps again soon. 

Back to urine issue

So Bear has had a couple incidents where he was straining but nothing happened.  I didn’t think much of it but then he started going all over himself again and I knew the crystal problem is back.  I pushed on him last night and he yelped.  I eased up and then did it again and nothing.  Turns out I pushed out some urine.  Off to the medicine cabinet I went.

I got out those $42 pills I bought that help with the straining and started him on them, also found left over antibiotics so he’s back on those.  I am not giving him pain medicine because it makes him loopy and I honestly don’t think he is in pain.  He is eating and drinking.  He only wants certain food.  I guess the Beef & Gravy had nothing to do with his puking and it was probably related to the crystal issue. 

I gave him a bath to clean him up last night.  Should have trimmed his claws because he got my arm pretty good.  He really started thrashing around and dug in deep.  I wouldn’t let go and just kept yelling at him to relax.  He hates baths and I get that but I can’t have him smelling like pee.  The bath was over with and I dried him off as best as I could.  He asked to sleep with me so I carried him in my room.  He used the many pee pads I put out overnight but there was a spot where he missed the pad.  He made all kinds of noise to let me know that he needed to be cleaned up but I just wanted my rest.  I took care of him this morning. 

I told him in order to beat this he needs to eat a bunch of wet food and drink as much as he can.  That will flush out the bladder and then we will be past this.  Looks like it’s going to be a rocky week.

I left dry food out for him last week and apparently that along with the treats he eats did him in.  So no more dry food for him.  I will limit treats until he is over this but after that it’s back to treats only.  Shame he is so sensitive.  I just don’t want him to form a blockage because that will probably be the end.

With any luck and my quick action perhaps we can avoid a trip to the vet.  If things don’t clear up by the weekend then he will be going and it won’t matter if he or my wallet likes it, it will be necessary.  I am keeping a close eye on him and of course I am very concerned.  I feel bad because I caused this.  I gave him dry food formulated for urinary tract health, guess that didn’t work out so well. 

Everyone else is doing fine but they are all trying to steal his wet food, they get jealous and he is so nice he will let them eat his food.  I at least make sure he gets something and try to fight everyone off but that only lasts for so long. 

Poor Bears.  I hope he is back to normal very soon.  I’ve shopped and found some diapers for him, they are washable but I think that would just chain me to the washer.  They come 3 in a pack and I am sure he would go through them like crazy.  Plus the mess would probably mean he would get more baths.  I am weighing my options.  The carpet is shot, it needs to be cleaned but there is no replacing it until they are all gone and with any luck that will be years away from now. 

Monday is moving along had some crazy moments but right now it’s calm.  Looking forward to 11:30 when I get away from the phones.  Oh got a 4am wake up call but they didn’t say it was urgent so I got to roll over and go back to sleep.  4 more days.  Happy on call is done!

Finally a post

This has been a very busy week.  Started out kind of slow but ramped up and stayed that way for most of the week.  By the time the work day was done with I was in no mood to deal with technology.  Unless of course I got a call and had to.  I have had two 4am wake up calls one on Thursday and the other on Friday.  Thursday was a false alarm and the guy fixed his problem by the time I got connected.  Both days I could barley see, I woke up poor Ruth who was sound asleep in the basement.  She wasn’t too happy about it. 

Spent the day at home yesterday and got to Binge watch House of Cards.  Season 4 is interesting and I wish they were ready with Season 5 already. 

One day this week I opened a can of Beef & Gravy for Bear, which exploded.  It was spoiled and looked like someone crapped in a can.  It smelled horrible.  It was all over me, the floor and the cabinets and countertop.  Of course it happened in the morning when time is precious and I have little to spare.  I threw it away and cleaned up the mess.  I got out something different and passed that out.  Yesterday I mustered up the courage to try another can of the same thing.  I opened it and everything looked fine.  He ate it and I thought all was well.  Until about a half hour later he started puking.  He very rarely vomits.  Poor thing was still doing it last night.  He is back to hiding under the couch.  I have to pull him out in order to get him to eat and then he won’t eat what I give him, he wants special food.  Just another scare with Bear.  My heart is on edge and will probably stay that way until he passes which I hope is years from now. 

I think I mentioned that I ordered Oatmeal from Amazon.  Well it came in.  I tried the Pumpkin & Spice and it’s horrible.  I am going to give the rest of the box to a co-worker who loves the stuff.  As for me I will stick with Apples & Cinnamon or Cinnamon & Spice.  I’ve got enough to last for a while, which is a good thing.

Yesterday while watching House of Cards some lady knocked on my door with a clipboard.  Looked like she was wanting signatures for a petition or maybe she was campaigning.  I was in my underwear and comfy on the couch.  I know she heard the TV but I never got up and she went away.  People seem to think that the No Soliciting Sign doesn’t seem to apply to them.  Some people have even said they didn’t see it.  Well I am taking the guess work out of it.  I bought a 4 pack of stickers and will place one on the front door, if this doesn’t do the trick then they have to be illiterate.

I mean this spells it out very clearly short of saying the words go away, fuck off, I don’t want any I think this is the best way to let people know not to bother me.  I will put it eye level with the door bell.  The screen door has a deadbolt on it but the key from the outside stopped working.  So you can latch it inside but you can’t get in from the outside.  I have had to leave it unlocked for years because if the power goes out that is my only way in.  I bought a replacement lock with these signs and I hope it works.  Then I can lock the screen door and have a key on my ring as well as one in the lock box that is outside. 

On a different note my doctor never did call me to say what to do about the new medicine he prescribed, if I am supposed to stop taking it and take the new stuff or take them both.  I called his office on Friday but no response yet.  I decided to start taking the new stuff and not stop the old stuff.  I figured if I fell ill with low blood sugar I could easily fix the situation and would know 1 drug and not both.  Turns out they are a good combination.  I have kept an eye on my sugar and it’s doing pretty good.  I am pretty sure I will hear something tomorrow but in any case I plan on taking both and then hopefully when he checks my sugar again in a few months he will be impressed and I can tell him I am taking both drugs.  Hopefully this is the magic pill I have been looking for.  I know that diet plays a major part in this and well I am just not ready to give up sweets.  I try to eat in moderation but that doesn’t always fair well for me. 

The ants showed up early this year.  I noticed this week when I was eating breakfast that I would see an ant here or there.  Friday night I wiped down the table and figured that would take care of them.  I never found a cluster of them which is typical.  Then I saw one in the water fountain.  I went to clean it out and boom there was the cluster.  I drowned as many of those bastards as I could.  Still a few got away and I have had to kill them one by one.  I put the fountain in this dish washer and got it all clean for the kids.  I put down bug spray carefully and that should take care of them, at least for now.  Once the weather stays warm I might be in trouble again.  I don’t want my kids drinking ant water.  I have found them on my skin and one I kill one of them it feels like there are a hundred of them on me.  I try not to freak out about it but that isn’t easy. 

I feel like I am in machine gun mode and just jumping all over the place.  I get so much on my mind to want to put in to words and if I don’t type it quickly I will forget it.  I have been much more forgetful lately and I am attributing it to stress.  If it continues then I will bring it to my doctors attention.  It’s bothersome but then again if I forget about it there is no trouble at all.

Oh I am feeling better.  Still have the cough but generally feel okay.  I use the inhaler occasionally and it does nothing but make me cough.  So that is why I use it on occasion.  Just stopped taking the cough medicine today, all is quiet.  I hope that I am not that sick in a very long time.  It sucked and robbed me of a week of time. 

Hope that all is well in your world and that life is treating you and yours well.  Looking forward to 7a tomorrow morning because that is when my on call shift ends.  Then I can go back to normal and not have to worry about being interrupted.  My evenings will once again be my own and I can sleep peacefully through the night with no fear of being suddenly woken up.  Although my body is hyper sensitive right now it takes a few days for that to flush out but once it does life is normal again.  I am good until mid May before this hits again.  I think I will get lucky and probably make it until June but time and the schedule will tell. 

Talk with you peeps again soon.  Be well!

Leisurely Last Day

I was able to knock out all of my trips by leaving the house just once.  It paid to sleep in this morning.  Breakfast, Grocery Store, Cat Food Store, Gas Station, Car Wash and finally home! Put everything away, got undressed and collapsed on the couch.  Now I am in the basement after passing out lunch to the children. 

Tackled and solved the mystery of why my check was short.  Apparently payroll decided that I needed to pay taxes to another place.  Not sure what that is all about.  I already wrote and explained it to them in simple terms.  I asked point blank how do I get my money back and prevent this from happening again?  My guess is they will reimburse me but it won’t be until my next check, never mind that I could use that money now.  I alerted friends to watch their checks as well, just in case they did this to our whole office and not just me.  I knew something wasn’t right and I am glad that it stood out to me. 

Now to finish laundry and unfortunately tackle Ruth to trim those claws.  She is sticking and I am not looking forward to this.  Sausage Pizza thin crust for supper tonight!  Looking forward to it.  Now off to get a drink, very thirsty today.  Guess my sugar is way off from the Blueberry Pancakes I had for breakfast.  I know they aren’t good for my sugar but they tasted damn good going down.  They are also the reason why I needed a nap. 

Hope your enjoying the weekend.  Take care!

Sleepy

I went to bed on time last night, slept pretty well.  Woke up to feed the kids breakfast and went back to bed.  Rolled out of bed and had breakfast around 8.  Then it was time to get dressed and venture out into the big bad scary world.  Got my hair cut.  The lady that was doing the job didn’t really say anything until she was done, then she said how does it look.  Without missing a beat I looked at her and said it’s horrible, pause.  The look of oh shit washed over her face and then I said please glue it all back on.  Then she knew I was only kidding.  From that point on she was a chatty Kathy.  She reminded me of a co-worker that I interact with.  Then it was time to stop at the expensive grocery store only to find out they no longer carry my oatmeal, now I am ordering it from Amazon.  Sounds silly to me but hey I want it and Amazon has it so why not.  Also stopped at Target and not sure how it happened but the checker scanned both of my cat litters, rang up the rest of my order and then I gave her a coupon to take $2 off of the cat litter.  The litter never registered on the receipt so I just got a random $2 off my order.  Free litter sign me up.  Last stop post office.  Next stop home and time to lay down for a nap.

I went to see the doc in the box at work.  They really have it going on over there.  The ditz that checked me in also asked me medical questions when we were in the room.  She was happy as most healthcare professionals are when I pulled out my big long list (you thought I was going to say something else, I’ll bet) that told my medical life story.  She saw medication for diabetes and then she asked me are you a diabetic?  No I just take the medicine for giggles, what a fucking stupid question.  I said yes and then she told me they check blood sugar and A1C on every visit.  Oh crap just signed myself up for a prick with a small needle.  She was really great with the needle hardly felt it all all while she was taking the blood from my finger, but afterwards it hurt.  Turned black for the rest of the night and then this morning it’s back to normal.  Anyway, sugar was high as was the A1C.  I saw a Nurse Practioniner but he was actually a doctor.  He told me that he used to be a PCP (Primary Care Physician) but opted out of it because the insurance companies give you 7 minutes to spend with a patient.  If your a NP you get a whopping 10 minutes.  Which explains why the Cunt at my doctors office is quick in and quick out.  It doesn’t explain why my doctor takes his sweet time.  So the verdict is that one ear has too much pressure, but it will resolve on it’s own.  As for my infection he said it was gone.  My lungs still need time to recover there is some tightness in my lungs.  To fix it he gave me an inhaler.  Never had one before and not sure that I want one in the future.  It does help but it also makes me cough more, he said it would decrease the cough but I am here to say otherwise.  They are going to call me on Monday to see how I am doing and we will form a plan from there.  I can either go back to be rechecked or go back and he can listen to my lungs or not go back. 

I am quick to fatigue and I suppose that is the after effect of being sick for the majority of the month.  It will take my body time to recover.  Just from the errands I ran this morning I was wiped out.  I said I would go back out later for cat food but I am not.  I will get it on Sunday. 

Woke up from my nap, fed the children lunch and watched TV and lounged.  Got up and forced myself to carry Bear to the basement and start cleaning the house.  I broke out the steam cleaner but only used it in the area where he has peed the most, which oddly enough is in the living/dining area.  It’s all wet and that is usually where the girls eat all of their meals.  Bear gets his catered to him wherever he happens to be, I don’t make him come and get it.  Marv just follows me to his brother because he knows brother equals food, but only when I have a plate in my hand.  After I was done I carried him back upstairs and put him in a dry area.  I had to lay down because I was wiped out.  Tried to take a nap again but my body wasn’t having it.  I eventually got up and we had supper.  Then I came to the basement and started on laundry as well as paying bills.  I was surprised that my check is short about $70.  Not sure why unless there is a penalty to pay for using time that you don’t have.  I will know more tomorrow when I can access my paycheck stub and that should contain all of the answers I am seeking.  Anyway, I am not happy about it. 

I paid all of my bills and for the first time in my life I am paying my auto insurance on a monthly basis instead of fronting them all of the money at once.  It actually costs me $20 more but I would rather do it this way than throw it on a card and wonder how I will pay it off.  Under normal circumstances I have the money but given my legal issue it’s really fucked up my finances.  It is going to take me a while to recover.  That tax money I used to pay for the legal bill well it could have gone to auto insurance as well as credit cards and then I would be much happier.  Ah well.  Were about to enter the 3rd month of 2016 and I hope there are no challenges waiting for me – I only want calm and stress free.  I’ve been through enough drama to last one person a lifetime, I need no more.

On to the world of dating.  I decided to change my filters for the age range of guys I am looking for.  Dialed it all the way down to 21.  Wow there are some nice guys out there.  I know 21 is a bit young but no harm in looking.  I believe I matched with a 24 year old.  It was exciting but I wasn’t going to make the first move that was up to him.  Turns out he blocked me, okay fine by me.  Age is merely a number and people can exist as a couple and be years apart.  I will say that is not for everyone and most people only want to venture a year or two from their own age.  If the guy is adult enough then I can get along with him but if he is going to be like the jerk that I went on a date with last year that ditched me in the end then no way.  I got a message from a guy in OR who is interested in me.  While I would like a boyfriend we are no where close to each other so that won’t work.  I am not looking for long distance I want a guy that is within an hour driving distance or closer if possible.  Not someone who is a million miles away.  How do you hug some one that is across the country?  I just couldn’t see myself doing that, it would be like a telephone boyfriend.  If I am going that route I may as well up the ante and higher an escort, which I have thought about doing.  Not necessarily for sex but more for companionship of course if I am shelling out an outrageous amount of money then my pants will be coming off at some point.  I haven’t got that desperate yet but I have looked and escorts are super expensive.  They think they can bill by the hour like they are attorneys but they aren’t.  What your getting is just some flesh to grab.  It would be easier to find a new therapist and let the insurance company pay for it. 

Oh my toe nail clippers turned up last night.  The cats had them held hostage and I saw them on the floor last night next to the couch where Bear likes to hide.  Wow I should have thought to look under the couch but my brain didn’t go there.  This sickness has had an impact on my mental capacity as has everything else that is going on in my life.  I am very eager to return to normal old me.  Not exactly sure when or if that is going t happen. 

Going to head upstairs to put out my medicine, medicate Bear and Momma, then shave and shower.  Watch a little TV and then hopefully by that point I will pass out.  Looking forward to going to breakfast tomorrow and enjoying the last day of peace and quiet before I go on-call Monday night.  It’s only for a week but it feels like that week is a month long.  Unless something happens I will be good until May, then it will be time to pay the piper again.  I was notified that one of my users dropped their laptop and it’s destroyed, so I have to break out a loaner and then figure out if it’s fixable or if I have to build a replacement machine.  Good thing I have a Dell Tech coming out on Monday, they should be able to help me sort it out.  Sounds like next week is going to be just as challenging if not more than this past week. 

I am actually physically, mentally and spiritually ready to go on vacation for a week.  Going some place to just get away from all of life’s little troubles.  To be pampered and relax like I never have before.  Problem is I don’t have the time or money and I would really like to go away with someone rather than on a trip by myself.  I mean I can have fun alone but it’s more enjoyable when your with someone.

There you have it my world on Saturday.  I hope all is well in your world. 

Finally time for blogging

It has been a very busy week.  Most of the week I have been chasing my tail to just be able to keep up.  Yesterday things were calm but still steady.  Wednesday I saw some improvement on how I feel and yesterday was even better.  Today isn’t so bad but I woke up with an ear ache and I am still coughing as well as blowing my nose.  My antibiotic runs out on Saturday.  I am going to drop by the doc in the box here at work to see what they think and maybe I will get a couple more days on the antibiotic, it is working which I am thankful for.  I’ve been sick the majority of this month and I want to enter next month feel well and staying well.  This has been no picnic even if it did get me some time off, it’s not the way I wanted to spend it.

So I checked on my insurance and with the claims that were submitted for my illness thus far it will cost me $25.  There were a couple more things that trickled in that are still pending.  The emergency room has to give me back my $50 so take $25 of that and pay the doctor bill then put the other $25 in my pocket.  Since I reviewed my policy and better know the coverage I have I paid $115 last year for going to the doc in the box and it shouldn’t have cost me a dime.  I did some checking and I have the right to appeal, I think once I explain myself that I should be getting back $115, if not it was at least worth a try.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  I mean I won’t lose anything other than time, ink, paper and postage.

It’s been almost but not quite three years since my partner passed.  I am still getting mail for him to this day.  I wonder if and when it will stop.  I return what I am able to letting the sender know that he passed away in the hopes they will update their mailing list.  What I can’t send back I just pitch, thinks like bulk mail.  If it’s 1st class I send it back.  The only thing that I get that is in his name that is legit is the power bill.  He was on budget billing and I figure if I tell them he passed away they will make me bring the account even (it’s current) paying the arrears of the budget billing and then they will change it in to my name.  I don’t know that for certain but it’s my fear and I don’t want to shell out anymore money than I have to.  So it’s easier to just keep paying the bill and not change the name.  They will keep everything on so long as they get their money.  All the power company cares about is money.  They will tell you they are focused on the customer and the relationship they have but in the end it all comes down to money, just like in any other business. 

On to the children.  Bear is using the pads about 50% of the time.  I really want to clean the carpet but if he is just going to mess it up again it’s kind of pointless.  I still may clean it this weekend in the hopes that it will help him have better aim.  Momma used my room for a litter box again this week.  I have adjusted her medicine and the probiotic, just waiting to see how it plays out.  I hope to reach a compromise with her stomach that keeps her happy as well as my room from not being a litter box. 

This is the weekend before I go on call.  Hoping for a quiet and calm time, which should be true for the bulk of the week.  The weekend however is usually the busy time and where I earn the most money.  The upside is being paid extra the downside if the inconvenience.  So I will be stocking up on cat food so if need be I can stay home all day on Saturday.  I believe I am working in a haircut and that’s probably it for me.  Unless something hits me to be spontaneously do something I will probably be a home body and loafing most of the time. 

Nothing else going on, just life pretty much status quo.  Just really want to be done with being sick because it’s exhausting!  I am sure we will talk over the weekend.  Hope you have a great one.  Ciao for now. 

Better Maybe

When I take antibiotics it stops up my body’s plumbing.  It’s like the first pill does the trick.  I don’t quite know why.  It used to be that it caused the opposite reaction.  In any case I don’t feel better until my plumbing issues are worked out.  I purposely eat as much as I can to force the issue so that I don’t have to get out any tools (if you know what I mean).  Finally after 3 long days we have lift off.  I felt horrible this morning, now that everything is cleaned out I actually feel better.  It might also have something to do with the fact that today is Sunday and I don’t have to worry about work.  I still sound nasally and I hate that. 

I am operating on little sleep.  I went to bed last night, well actually this morning at 1am.  The children saw the first glimpse of day light and seized the moment and woke me up to feed them at 6am.  I fed them and my head felt like a bowling ball.  Then I climbed back into my freshly laundered bed (someone threw up on the comforter last night, always seems to happen after laundry), kicked on the electric blanket and tried to go back to sleep.  Unfortunately, when they woke me up my brain switched on and that was the end of it.  I laid there and kept trying but it was no use so I climbed out of bed and started to go through my iPhone.  Nice to see what is going on in the world, plus I need to get my daily dose of men via Instagram.  It’s nothing but shirtless muscle guys but still it’s nice to look at.  Maybe someday I will get a guy that is built and be able to touch a nice body. 

I eventually got dressed and motored out to breakfast.  Had a bowl of chili and a burger with fries.  No cute cook working today but I did get my favorite waitress so that made it worth while.  Then on to the store.  I have a specific checker that I go to.  A couple weeks back she made a remark that she was able to wait on her two favorite guys.  There was this kid in front of me, who is in college.  She introduced us.  He’s apparently really smart and is eager to go live in China.  He is very cute, but I didn’t make any moves.  Well we ran into each other this morning and as fate would have it we both wound up in line with the same checker just like a couple weeks ago.  Kind of nice.  Only I purchased cough medicine so my bill was jacked up because it’s in a pill and is a name brand product they can charge out the ass.  Still saved $20 but the total would have been much lower if it wasn’t for my sickness.

Oh yeah, hope your sitting down for this one.  I logged on to my health insurance providers website.  They always seem to think I have other coverage because I am employed.  So I get questionnaires every few months, where I have to tell them I don’t have any other coverage.  I saw claims pending for the week that I was off work.  Man that was an expensive week, I racked up a bill that was 4 thousand dollars.  That’s my ER visit, the doctors fee, the x-ray, the trip to my doctor.  Wow very happy that I have health insurance.  Now lets hope they pay like there supposed to so that my cost is minimized. 

I have most everything done.  I got a bright idea to wash the kitchen trash can lid in the dishwasher.  I put it on air dry because plastic melts.  Anyway, it did a superb job and that saved me time and aggravation.  Wish I would have thought of that years ago.  It gets dirty fast and now I know how to keep it clean.  I was on a quest to try to rid myself of everything in my environment that could possibly be making me sick.  I have cleaned a lot of things, even rolled down the windows in my car and sprayed Lysol in the car.  Washed all of the whites in bleach and hot water, so all of my handkerchiefs are super clean. 

Overnight Mr. Bear had an accident over night thankfully it was in his bed.  So I trimmed his claws and then gave him a bath.  He complained the whole time and I got pawed in the face by his back paws and it was light.  I had to raise my voice a bit and remind him that I had him, he wasn’t going anywhere.  All I had to do was say the word Bath and it set panic in him, he started crying and breathing heavy.  Yeah, well when I hit the sweet spot where all of the dried on junk was it itched and he was a happy camper then.  I had to soap him twice to get him clean.  He went all day and then at supper time he peed on the carpet.  He thought he was on the pad but he misjudged.  I am wondering if something is off with his eye sight or if he is just lazy.  Either way he knows I love him and that I am NOT giving up on him.  Even though there are times I want to.  Cleaning up after him has become a chore and a burden, it gets very old very fast.  However, it’s part of ownership and I can’t just part ways with him because I am frustrated.  I mean I couldn’t live with myself.  Lots of other people have told me it’s the right thing to do because his quality of life is gone.  Yeah, well when you start shitting your britches we will be sure to line you up in front of the firing squad because it’s the right thing to do.  Yeah then they see things differently, amazing!!

Found a coupon for $10 off my next $30 purchase at Maggiano’s.  It expires at the end of this month.  Depending upon how I feel I am going to reach out to some friends and see if we can’t get together next weekend.  If not then I may be stopping one night after work.  The amazing thing is that it’s like 5 minutes from work and I have only stopped in 1 time after work in the year that I have had this job.  Traffic is a nightmare so that is my deterrent to come home, plus I look forward to seeing my furry children.

That’s all I got, pretty dull and boring I know.  Welcome to my life.  Actually not having any drama, anything hanging over my head and not being on call – just being allowed to live stress free with some dull and boring would be kind of nice.  Plus getting rid of this bug that has taken up residence in my body.  Too bad I can’t charge rent for as long as it’s stayed.  Here’s hoping that I am on the road to recovery and that by the end of this week I am done with it.  Kind of tired of doctors and medicine, as well as cold weather.  More snow is in the forecast 2 days this week – sounds like it’s going to be another sloppy mess.  Oh joy lets go play crash up derby and fuck up everyone's commute. 

Have a great week and you know we will be talking again soon.  Take care!

Saturday

I obtained my A1C results and they are high.  Primarily because I don’t watch my diet and I make the medication do all of the work.  I will be able to get away with that for a short time and then it will become more mandatory to regulate my diet.  I can’t say that I will or I won’t.  Right now I just love food and it’s one of a few things that I take solace in, no one is taking that way from me.

When I logged on to get the results I saw that I had an email from the CUNT.  She said that my diabetes was out of control and that I would most likely wind up being referred to an endocrinologist, but that it would be dependent upon the results from the A1C.  My doc is off on Fridays which is why I haven’t heard from him.  However, I suspect that he will be reaching out to me to either make a medication change or to refer me or who knows both.  Right now I say lets adjust the medicine, if things continue to get worse (as I suspect they will) then we can talk about adding a specialist in.  Right now dealing with what I deem as bad news is not something that I am able to tolerate.  There is too much weighing on me.

Judge me not but I went out to breakfast today.  Had Blueberry Pancakes, Eggs, Sausage and Hash brown Casserole.  Extra Blueberry Syrup, Extra Butter, Extra Egg and threw in some cheese for good measure.  Why the hell not?  I work for a living and earn my money, might as well spend it the way that I want to.

I came home after that and watched a documentary on the Electric Chair.  Interesting conversation but there were some graphic photos that I could have done without seeing.  Then I started to watch another movie, knew that the sugar coma was coming so I paused it and fell asleep. 

Woke up in time to feed the children lunch.  Bear scared me because he kept trying to go to the bathroom but nothing was coming out.  I thought here we go again.  I checked him and he wasn’t in pain.  I took a look at the back door and there was something white that was crusted over, I gave him a good wipe down and made sure to clean that crusted junk out.  Then the water works started.  I was happy.  I know he is scared because he knows his days are numbered but then again all of us are living numbered days.  It’s just that our counter we think has more time on it than Bear’s.  He is such a good boy.  I sat down with him and gave him some attention, held his paw as he flexed his claws.  They need to be trimmed. 

Then I started cleaning up this place.  It’s a mess and laying around isn’t going to get it clean.  I thought this was the weekend I was supposed to clean the water fountain, turns out the calendar set me straight and it’s actually claw trimming weekend.  I already had the fountain in the dish washer, it isn’t going to hurt anything to clean it a week early.  As for the claws well I might give Ruth a week reprieve because I really don’t want to mess with it anymore than I want to break out the carpet cleaner.  I am still very much sick and not a whole lot matters to me right now. 

It was a struggle to get out of bed but I did it.  It’s easier knowing that you don’t have to go to work.  When work is involved it seems much more of a challenge.  Another nice day here in the 70’s with lots of sunshine.  Tomorrow that will all change as rain moves in and we go back into the deep freeze.  Short lived spring, but a sign that it’s on the way. 

To make sure that I wasn’t getting ripped off by my auto insurance company I checked three companies for quotes.  State Farm was actually the closest to what I am being charged, they were however over by 59 cents.  The other companies want twice as much as what I was quoted for 6 months.  They try to hide that by breaking things down in to what looks like affordable monthly payments.  I have a calculator and did the math, I can be fooled but not today.  As usual I am staying put, I don’t like the price but I can’t beat it so might as well just shut up and pay the damn bill.  Who knows what will happen in the next 6 months. 

I thought about doing some cat food shopping but decided that if I was going it will be tomorrow.  I am comfy here at home.  Lonely but comfortable.   I saw a Jim Carey movie I Love You Phillip Morris.  It was good but I am no Jim Carey fan. 

Not sure what’s for supper but I need to go upstairs and figure that out, plus it’s cat feeding time again.  Surprised that Insty hasn’t been down to remind me.  They normally don’t eat until after 6p but when I am home all of those rules go out the window.  They know I am a push over and they boss me around like I am their staff.  I let them because I love them.  They don’t always get what they want but most of the time they do. 

Happy Saturday.  One more day, thank goodness.  Unfortunately, I will have to go to the grocery store and I will have breakfast out again.  Well that’s all I got for now.  Talk with you all again soon.  Hope your having a great weekend and that your not sick like me.  I am starting to wonder if the infection is ever going away.  I mean really?  It’s been with me for three weeks.  No fun but hopefully it will get better soon.  

Two Factor Authentication

I mentioned in an earlier post this week that at work we had a demo of a 2 Factor Authentication system that we are implementing at work.  I have use 2 Factor with many accounts, it’s just a way that I can feel safer and know that no one is logging in as me. 

Primarily most people use Google Authenticator.  It’s a free app and it generates random codes that are short lived, you in turn enter this code along with your username and password and then are authenticated to the site you are trying to access. 

Two Factor is your username, password plus a 2nd factor like a code on a phone, a phone call that gives you a code or some second factor that will authenticate you are who you say you are.  This all started many years ago with RSA and their infamous key fobs, they would generate random codes again short lived and you would enter this along with your credentials in order to login be it to remote access for work, to a bank or similar site where security was critical.

In today’s world we have all heard of many data breaches, been told to change our passwords and to make them complex.  We need more or better security to prove we all are who we say we are in order to protect our personal accounts as well as work accounts.  I don’t know that there will ever be a totally secure system that can’t be hacked, but I think with time we are headed in that direction.  For now the closest thing we have is 2 Factor and if you want to get even more secure combine it with biometrics like an iris scan, fingerprint reader, facial recognition, etc. 

I will admit that having to have your phone by you in order to obtain a code or to get a call to obtain a code is a pain in the ass.  It’s hard enough to remember your password let alone to remember to take your phone with you to the computer.  However, it’s coming to be a standard practice for me.

Just today I enabled 2 Factor on my Facebook account.  I heard that Twitter is rolling out a 2FA program and I am sure that other sites will follow.  It would be nice if we could just link all of our accounts together and one short lived changing code would let us in to all of our accounts.  I see positives and negatives to that idea. 

In any case I just wanted to talk about 2FA as I think it’s presence is growing.  There are many companies that deal with 2FA, just do a quick google search and you will see what I mean.  The one company that claims it’s the easiest is DUO.  That is the vendor we chose at work.  You enroll your phone and then you get a pop up to approve or deny an access request.  It’s very simple, straight forward and if you lose your phone or say it’s being charged, they have other methods that you can use. 

The one thing is that if you start enabling two factor make sure there is a recovery method or an alternate method to get an authentication code should you lose your mobile device.  Otherwise, you could easily be locked out of your account forever.

Hope you enjoyed this.  Now back to regular programming.