Quick Update

Bear had some respiratory issues this morning, they were giving him too much fluid too fast.  The backed off the fluid and the issues resolved.  His urine is a normal color.  They believe they have him flushed out.  The last I heard they were looking to remove the catheter from him this afternoon. 

That is all I know.  I plan on stopping by for a visit tonight and seeing if maybe he can come home.  Of course I will have to go home first so that I can get the truck.  If past behavior is any indication I can tell you he is going to pee all over everything, I don’t care about the truck – my car is a different story. 

Next update when I know more.  

Vet Time Again

Had to take today off and take Mr. Bear in because he was blocked again.  Like clock work he peed in the truck on the way, so he unblocked himself.  Given that I decided against putting him in the hospital.  I inquired about them hooking up a catheter and flushing him out but the doc didn’t want to do that.  They wanted me to pay them to babysit him for 12 hours and then see where we go from there.  I took the day off, I can take him home and baby sit him for free, plus he will be more comfortable at home.  So home we went.

He was scared and didn’t feel good, which I totally understand.  The vet started him on an antibiotic as a preventative measure.  I watched him and he was eating and drinking, he asked for food and water.  However, he couldn’t keep anything down within a short time it all came back up that was after he tried to urinate.  I knew we had to go back.

So I rang the vet and asked, they agreed with me and I made an appointment.  He is now in the hospital, they have placed a catheter and he is officially unblocked.  They are flushing him out and will monitor him.  Ideally they would like to keep him for 2 days.  The estimate I got goes from a low of $700 to a high of $900 and that doesn’t take in to account the money I have already spent on him this morning.  2 days seemed to do the trick last time so I am thinking we will do that but if there is anyway I can get him back tomorrow I would rather do that.  They really want to do surgery to change him physically from a boy to a girl.  I won’t put him through that, while he would never block again it would be quite painful, plus I can already tell you I simply can’t afford it. 

Bear & I had a serious heart to heart, I told him what I always say and that is if you want to give up, it is okay. I understand, I’ll miss you but will know that your not suffering anymore.  I’ve never had an animal that I have been able to read and have such a strong bond with.  We get each other.  I told him that I could probably save him this time, but not so sure if there is a next time that I will be able to afford it, as my money is going. 

I am really in debt and at the end of the day I have to eat and have other bills to pay, plus buying food for the others.  I don’t want to have to make a choice, I don’t want my back to be against the wall – I hate when that happens and I am doing all I can to prevent it, but I think that I am fighting a battle that in the end I won’t win.  Doesn’t mean that I am not going to try or that I am giving up now. 

So back to work tomorrow.  Then I am out on Thursday & Friday with the car issue.  I can spring Bear from the vet tomorrow night or Thursday.  Then hopefully all stays well for a while and I can get back to some form of normal. 

Everyone here knows that Bear is missing.  Momma and Marvin seem to miss him the most.  I know that we all will sleep easier once we have him back home and know that he is okay.  Poor Bear and my poor wallet.  I am glad that I can get him the help he needs, but I can’t afford to extend myself too much further or else I will need help. 

Would have rather posted a normal blathering, but life happens and we all have problems.  Hope things are sunnier in your part of the world. 

Growling Cats

Friday was the last day that I will be boss free for a while.  He comes back on Monday.  It was an okay day and I got a lot accomplished.  I pushed my way through a course about our firewall, I was eager to print the certificate of completion.  However, I looked everywhere for it and it was no where to be found.  I saw it at the beginning and they allowed me to print it then, it displayed in PDF format.  I didn’t save it or print it because I felt it was cheating because I hadn’t taken the course.  I really wanted it so that I could show it to my boss, plus it would give me another piece of paper to hang in my cube.  Something to be proud of and motivate me further.  I will go looking to see if I can print it tomorrow but I don’t have my hopes up.

Saturday I woke up not feeling the best.  I had a massage on Thursday and was left with another lump in my traps, this one hurt like hell.  I worked it over pretty good on Friday night and suspect that is the reason why I woke up feeling like crap.  I went about my normal routine and came home and collapsed – nap time.  Woke up and felt a little bit better but not by much.  I wanted to go see a movie but kept putting it off, finally talked myself out of it.  I did grab a bite to eat at Cracker Barrel.  Ran into the realtor that sold us the house and we chatted for a bit.  He gave me a new card, because he changed companies.  It was nice to give him the update that everything is settled and the mortgage is now in my name.  It was a proud moment for me and I love being able to tell people that I was successful.  Given the complications at the time I am sure that a lot of people had serious doubts if I would win, hell I even had doubts but I knew I was going to give it a fighting chance because I don’t quit.

I wound up the evening by watching a new video on Netflix called Tony Robbins, I am not your guru.  I haven’t finished the whole thing but it’s really good.  If your looking for something to watch, I highly suggest it. 

As I started I heard this growling sound.  I figured that Bear & Ruth or Momma were about to throw down.  Everyone’s ears perked up, I wasn’t sure what that was about.  I paused the TV and listened.  I could clearly hear two cats going at it.  Thankfully it was outside.  However, Bear was growling and that is the second time in his life that I have heard that.  It’s so out of character for him.  I was semi worried that he would turn on me but I still approached him and tried to comfort him, he knew who I was and treated me as he normally does.  I looked outside but I didn’t see anything.  Everyone was on edge and growling.  I even came downstairs to find Ruth on top of the couch and she was all pissed off, but I was able to pet her.  I looked around because sometimes animals slip into the window wells but I couldn’t see a damn thing.  I headed back upstairs only to hear Bear growling still.  He moved towards the stairs.  I sat with him for a few minutes and that purr motor turned on but as soon as I left it stopped.  He was really upset.  I didn’t know what else to do but I told everyone they were safe and went back to watching TV.  Eventually everyone calmed down.

Sunday – Went about my usual morning routine.  I feel much better today.  I really pounded the water yesterday, I was peeing all the time.  I figured that maybe I just needed a good flush, apparently it worked.  My sinuses are still a little wonky but nothing that is unmanageable at this point.  Came home from the store, put everything away and decided that I am going to the movies today.  Never done that on a Sunday.  It’s always been my day of rest and to hang out at the house.  However, the laundry is pretty well done.  I still have to vacuum and take out the trash but there isn’t any reason why I shouldn’t go enjoy myself and have a good time.

What am I going to see?  Mike & Dave need wedding dates.  Love me some Zach Effron.  I hear that the movie is super funny and he makes several shirtless appearances so what is not to be entertained by.  This is a gay mans film or so it sounds. 

Disturbed to get an alert to hear there was yet another shooting and there are a couple of police officers injured.  I have a serious admiration for Law Enforcement.  I wanted to be a cop but my allergy to bullets kept me away, plus there is a lot of physical activity.  Could you imagine an out of shape donut eater chasing after a suspect.  I’d be winded before I ever got started.  The bad guy would get away, unless I could do a go go gadget helicopter and suddenly sprout wings and an engine to fly and catch the SOB.  Sort of like in the movie Inspector Gadget. 

Well I am doing a great job of passing time here and need to go check on laundry and go sit with the muffins for a bit because soon it will be time to leave.  The theater is just across the street.  It would do my body wonders to walk there and back but I am lazy and will drive it.  AC is mandatory for me in this weather.  I’d be a dripping hot mess by the time I got there.  Then again no one would want to sit next to me, that might be a good thing. 

A couple more things then I am going to scoot.  First, seeing the realtor made me wonder about my moms house and so I checked, sure enough it’s in foreclosure.  We live in a state that you have to file a law suit in order to foreclose.  I saw the amount was $20 thousand dollars and thought wow what a shame.  Second, I went to Sam’s yesterday and found the bakery.  Big mistake.  I got some Otis Spunkmeyer Muffins.  Love, Love the Chocolate, Chocolate Chip.  It’s like the best chocolate cake ever – warm it up in the microwave and have it with ice cream.  Only one thing would make it better and that is if there were cherries in it.  Had to pick up a gallon of milk today because I can’t eat a muffin like that without milk.  The other two flavors Blueberry and Banana Nut I will be able to take to work and have in my lunch.  Now I might just be making Sam’s runs for muffins alone.  Funny thing is I went in for paper towels and came out $76 dollars poorer when it should have only been $20.  Cats got some food, picked up a couple things for the house as well.

Hope all is well in your neighborhood and that your doing well.  Take care.

Storms

We had some wicked storms yesterday.  Lots of people are without power, none of them are in my neighborhood.  However, there are a couple people at work that were affected.  I have some down limbs and a tree branch.  Not the best but certainly not the worst.  I backed out the driveway this morning and looked over at the hillbilly’s house and they lost a whole tree.  That sucks but it’s times like these that make me thankful that I got the roof taken care of. 

I knew this would be a large payday for me but didn’t know how large.  Man I am going to enjoy paying bills tonight.  I should have plenty left over.  No worries because there will be rent to pay to the post office for the box and car insurance so it will be money saved now that will be gobbled up in the next month.  Very thankful for each and every penny, as well as each and every paycheck.  I am still in awe of myself that I have made it and I am doing reasonably well. 

Took an hour out to get a massage, I told her to be gentle and she was as gentle as she could be while trying to be aggressive at the same time. I can feel that my shoulders are tight, just wonder what I will feel like tomorrow.  Going to take some ibuprofen and keep the fluid going.

Got the call I have been waiting for, the part is in for my car.  They want to do the repair next week everyday but Monday is open.  I won’t know until Monday when my boss gets back as to what will work best or if I can strike a deal where I can ‘work from home’.  That is just like taking time off but you actually do some work.  The beauty of my job is that I can work from anywhere there is an internet connection and a computer.  Not a lot of people can say that.  I would save a ton of money if I could telecommute but there is just something about getting up and coming to work, it the norm and I don’t do well with change.

Been busy secretly helping out others on my team as much as I can.  Their plates are full and well mine is kind of empty at the moment.  I do have things to do and videos to watch, courses to complete but doing the actual work keeps me awake.  Getting ready to go into an hour long boring meeting, can you tell how excited I am? 

TV last night was amazing.  I didn’t get to watch all of Suits on screen because Bear kept me hoping plus I was trying to get ready for the this morning.  He really hates it when I mess with his legs (aka back paws) but he had stepped in it and I wasn’t going to let him track it all over the house, the humane thing to do is clean it up so that is what I did.  He just sees it as aggravation.  He has recently figured out that he can take care of his legs so he takes pride in that.  I get it but there was stuff on there that while nature would deem okay for him to injest I would rather he not.

Can’t finish up this entry without talking about Momma.  She was flying through the house last night.  Her Thyroid is acting up, she gets these wild burst of energy and she has to be moving, can’t sit still.  She came over to wipe herself on my arm, which she does infrequently.  I hate it and usually make a fuss over it but this time I didn’t say anything.  Her rear didn’t look pleasant at all.  I skipped the Thyroid and gave her the yucky liquid antibiotic to help her stomach out, hopefully it helps out her rear.  As for my arm nothing a little soap and water couldn’t cure.

As if I didn’t have enough fun with the cats I decided to mutilate myself.  My feet were killing me, the little pinky toe on both feet.  Calos or a Corn some build up of skin.  I trim it away and it usually feels better.  Well last night I managed to cut both toes and they started bleeding.  Worse yet I was in my room and it’s all carpet.  I made it to the bathroom and got band-aids on.  Taking them off this morning wasn’t any fun.  Now I have to walk and it still hurts, looks like I didn’t solve my problem.

Here’s hoping for a more pleasant evening tonight.   

The Other Shoe

Last night Momma sat with me as we watched TV.  She had just finished her snack and was licking her chops.  I don’t care if it’s a dog or a cat I just love to see them lick their chops, it’s like they are satisfied and the closest thing you can see to a smile.  Anyway, it looked like she had a piece of food stuck, so I thought I’d give her a hand.  Nope wasn’t food.  She has some growth on her face, it’s small at the moment.  She had an ulcer on her foot and it’s healed.  Perhaps the same thing will happen to her face.  Still it’s been on my mind so I turned to Google this morning.  It can be a few things but most common is a tumor.  I am going to keep an eye on it.  I am pretty sure if I took her to the vet they would probably tell me it was cancer.  She needs to go back for blood work and I am thinking this is a side effect of increasing her thyroid medicine.  The vet can shed some light on the matter but not without sucking money from my wallet.  So for now we wait, we watch and pray for a good outcome.  If this thing gets bigger or if more of them start cropping up then we go to the vet, no questions.  She doesn’t appear to be in any pain or discomfort and she is still a happy cat so I think being cautious and taking a wait & see approach is best at the moment.  Maybe I am crazy but me and my critters have been through enough.

It’s odd that problems start just when people start to inquire how the animals are.  I always think of Bear but it could be any of them.  I’d rather talk about the weather than for someone to ask me how the cats are, it’s like a sign that something bad is about to happen. 

Saw Lance Bass on Family Feud last night.  It was a good show.  Same for Tosh.O.  I got a call from a co-worker who was looking for advice so that took up most of my evening.  There are so many things in this world that are not in our control.  I provided a suggestion or two but I really felt like I was under the spotlight to come up with magical answers to get rid of the problems.  Hey if I could do that, don’t you think I would do it for myself first?  If you don’t your kidding yourself. 

Tonight Suits is back on and I am looking forward to seeing Patrick J. Adams (Mike Ross) again.  I love the show but he is the main reason why I watch.  He’s so hot he is on fire.  That’s just my opinion.  This will be interesting to see how things play out because Mike is in prison. 

I heard a blurb on the news this morning about Pandora.  Apparently a long time ago they suffered a breach.  Hackers just now have posted some username and passwords on the web.  If your affected Pandora sends you an email encouraging you to change your password.  I’m a subscriber and didn’t get an email from them but changed my password anyway.  I am starting to think that I should adopt a policy from work, where every so many days you have to change your passwords.  It’s better for your protection, that is a proven fact.  However, it is a pain to deal with regardless if you use a password manager or not. 

Driving into work this morning I felt depressed and panicked, like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.  I kept telling myself nothing is wrong and there isn’t another shoe.  However, I wasn’t convincing enough.  I’ve since calmed down but it just feels like something is about to go wrong and I don’t know what it is.  Probably nothing more than a result of a dream I had last night.  On the bright side I got in some quality snuggle time with Marvin.  He was mad when I rolled over, but I had to my back was bothering me.  I’m concerned about him as well because he seems like he has dropped some weight.  He hasn’t been to the vet in at least 3 if not 4 years.  Having multiple cats is nice but when it comes to the cost part be it food, litter or medical care it sucks.  I wouldn’t trade them for the world because they are my life right now. 

Okay enough of as my world turns.  I need to get back to the daily grind.  No meetings at all today, very nice.  Hoping that I can take in some on line training to learn more about my job.  I learned yesterday, don’t do that after lunch because you will fall asleep.  It’s like food coma kicks in.  I never recovered until it was time to leave, then I had to be awake for the drive home or I would have never made it.  The older I get the more exhausted I feel and in the grand scheme of things I am still very young, just feel old. 

Have a nice day!

TV Tonight!

Looking forward to tonight and spending time with the kids and the TV.  Lance Bass will be on Celebrity Family Feud so that should be fun.  Tosh.O will also be on tonight and I always look forward to that.  No notification about mail, so looks like I get to skip the post office which will be nice.  Should be a great evening that will end way too quickly. 

Gator slept with me last night.  She was pretty respectful and stayed in her corner of the bed.  Her spot is the left side at the foot of the bed.  So if you want to get in you have to slide your feet in to get past her or get in on the right side.  She won’t move until she is ready or unless you press her.  Otherwise she is fine with my feet being there, doesn’t bother her at all.  With one hour before it was time to wake up, she started crowing.  I let her out and then Marv came in.  We cuddled for an hour while I was in and out of sleep.  Finally I gave up and just got up.  Might as well get started. 

Bear was the most upset by me going back to work.  I told him if it was up to me I would stay with him all day long but I can’t because I have bills to pay and that means that I have to work.  He cried a little bit trying to guilt me into staying but it didn’t work.  I told him that he would be fine and I am sure he is.  I have spied on them with the camera but they are all in hiding, which is normal.

Checked out my time off and looks like I can spare 2 days. However, a co-worker said to ask the boss about working from home.  Not sure how productive I would be and I can tell you that I would get sleepy and need a nap.  Probably better to take the time off.  If I forge forward then that would leave me with 7 days from now until the end of the year.  My two days for the concert are already deducted so I think I will fair just fine.  Still not happy about the dash coming out but it’s better to have that happen then be in the dog days of summer with no ac on the way home.  That would really suck. 

There has been way too much violence in the news lately.  If common folk such as myself would just obey the law then there wouldn’t be any problems.  However, you can’t play good guys vs bad guys if there aren’t any bad guys.  In real life there are plenty of bad people.  The world appears to be headed to hell in a hand basket, but I know that long term this will pass.  Life will go back to a state of normal and then out of the blue it will happen all over again.  Sad to say but it is the truth. 

I’ve got a webinar to attend all about security threats, beats my usual weekly Tuesday call about mobile device management.  I am sure there is something else on the calendar for later but not certain what that is.  My mind is focused on quitting time, can’t wait to leave.

Oh best part about my commute home my ear won’t be fried anymore.  I got some spray on sunscreen so that helps.  Used some last week and had no issues.  My ear was warm but wasn’t on fire, which is a very good thing. 

Off to the races.  Hope all is well in your world.

Extended Warranty

Today I was very happy that I purchased an extended warranty.  I mentioned my AC problem and how I added Freon.  The dealer did a leak test and sure enough there was one.  The AC Evaporator Coil is leaking.  The cost of the repair is $2,000.00 because they have to pull the dashboard out.  It will take 9 hours to do the repair.  Cost to me is $100.  This repair alone covers the cost I paid for the contract and then some.  I’ve only had to use this warranty twice but it sure was a damn good thing to have.  There is no way in hell I can come up with $2,000.00 for a car repair. 

The bad news is like I said they have to pull the dash out.  I am not crazy about that at all.  Often when they put it back together things don’t always jive correctly.  Not to mention I installed my radar detector hiding the wires behind the dash, so you can’t tell I have one.  I have to rip that all out and usually there is only one reason why I rip it out, it’s because I am trading cars.  I also have to take more time off work and I am not at all happy about that.  They will give me a loaner for the day but all I will do is drive it home.  Not sure if I can get by with taking 1 day or if I will have to take 2 days.  Maybe 1 day and a late start on the 2nd day.  But you figure that I will need to reinstall my radar detector and that will take time so might as well take 2 days.

I had the same exact thing happen to me on my last car, only the experience was different.  I was backing out of the driveway and heard this loud pop noise.  The evaporator bit the dust.  That repair was also covered under a warranty.  I am bummed out about the car but once it’s all said and done I will be okay. Reason being is they can’t replace just the evaporator they have to replace the entire AC unit.  Not a bad deal. 

When I dropped the car off they told me that I needed to do a coolant flush.  Holy shit that is more money.  I dropped $200 for an oil change, coolant flush and to have the tires balanced.  The cost to rotate the tires was built into the price of the oil change.  I get a $10 rebate, wow.  Maybe it will come in time that I can put it towards the $100 I have to pay for the AC Repair. 

I did have a moment where I briefly thought about just getting a new vehicle but put that out of my mind because of the warranty.  The best part is I am still covered until I reach 100 thousand miles or until late September 2017.  Might as well drive it until the warranty comes close to running out, then it would make sense to get something new. 

Thought about going to my late co-workers funeral but by the time I got out of the dealer there is no way I could have made it and that is probably for the best.  I felt bad but it’s not like she will know I wasn’t there.  I did send my condolences to her family so that should suffice. 

Grabbed the mail on the way home and I have been here since close to noon.  Had my left over Fried Chicken for lunch.  Eric didn’t put in his phone number.  Fed the kids lunch.  Stocked the fridges with soda.  Started watching TV.  Cleaned up the DVR.  Worked in a nap.  Had a personal pizza for supper while watching a 99 cent movie called Get A Job on Amazon.  It’s got Miles Teller in it.  He’s HOT and it was funny.  Not a bad way to spend a dollar.  Fed the kids their dinner and here I am pecking away at the keyboard.

Still have to go and pack my lunch, get ready for tomorrow and pair & put away my socks.  I hate that because they are all varying shades of black and I rarely get a true match but it’s darn close.  No one has yet to call me on it and I don’t think they ever will. 

I got a lot accomplished this weekend but some how forgot to clean the microwave.  I blame that on the ants.  Yeah had an ant problem again yesterday.  Had to throw out all of Marv’s dry food.  That shit is expensive.  Wash the feeder and then kill all of the ants.  Never knew it but Wasp spray seems to instantly do the trick.  They are gone.  Usually I get them once per year but this year it’s been a couple times.  I am really clean and don’t leave food laying around, so it doesn’t make sense to me – but it’s been that way for several years now.  That and in the summer I have gnats in the house.  I have no idea where they come from, how they get in but they seem to appear out of nowhere.  It’s a dame shame they aren’t money. 

Speaking of money my bonus will be on my check Friday and I feel like it’s already spent.  Between the car & existing bills I wonder if I will ever be able to stock pile a decent sum of money away.  I am still going to try but it will just be harder.  The first person you have to pay is yourself – then pay your bills.  I normally pay the bills first and then pay myself.  I have to adopt a new mindset. 

Yesterday afternoon when I went out for cat food, I decided to reward myself and stopped at Denny’s for some nachos.  They were pretty good.  The place only had 1 other customer besides me.  The two waitresses were talking oddly about cars and money.  The one waitress said I told my boyfriend about how you got your guy a truck and it sounds shady.  So then I got the story.  Turns out her man had no credit and he needed a co-signer.  She had a credit score of 4 hundred something which is horrible.  It’s because she was late in paying her last car off.  She signed for him and he walked out with a $22 thousand dollar truck that he has to pay $26 thousand dollars for.  Then they started talking about credit scores and how to get credit and build a good score.  They had some of the basic concepts right but they still needed to be educated.  I wasn’t sticking my nose in, but the other guy in the place added his two cents in. 

Rule number 1 no matter who it is, no matter how much you love them or they give you pleasure – do not under any circumstances co-sign for anyone.  There are no exceptions to that rule.  I don’t think that the lady that did the cosigning realizes that regardless if they work out or not, she is financially obligated to pay for his truck, even if he decides to stop paying.  Plus even if she makes the payments should he stop paying, it will tank her credit and her credit score.  Shaking My Head. 

Back to the old bump and grind tomorrow.  4 days and then I will get a weekend again.  My boss is on vacation until next Monday so unless I call in sick, I can’t schedule anytime off until he returns.  I have to run a report to figure out how much time I have left and remember to deduct two days for the concert I am going to later in the year.  My big fear is that I will run out of time and have to take time without pay, which I can’t afford to do.  I will probably and hopefully breathe easier once I run the report.  Better to be aware than have your head in the clouds and get caught by surprise. 

So there you have it that’s a wrap on this guys 3 day weekend.  Talk with you all again soon.

Everything Happens for a Reason

I got to sleep in, had strawberry cheesecake for breakfast and then watched TV and went back to sleep once the sugar kicked in.  The kids were successful in waking me up in time to feed them lunch around noon.  I got dressed and came downstairs.  Played on the computer for an hour and then set out on my quest for lunch. 

On the way out, I stopped by the post office to pick up a note from my insurance company among other things.  The note was letting me know about changes in auto coverage.  Somethings aren’t offered any more and if you use the payment plan they are raising the rate by one dollar.  Oh goodie!  Just can’t wait to see the price on my renewal, especially since it will be the annual renewal and that is where they get you for your mileage. 

I headed to try a new place that just opened, today was their 3rd day.  As luck would have it I got a hot waiter.  His name was Eric.  He took my drink order and while he was away a female came up and told me that she would be taking care of me.  I told her that someone already took my drink order.  I looked over the menu and decided on Fried Chicken.  It had some spice to it but they said it would be juicy.  So Eric came back with my drink.  I told him what I wanted. I got Mashed Potatoes and Mac & Cheese.  They make the gravy with beer.  You can taste it a little bit, but it’s not over powering.  The meal came and it was damn good.  I opted to leave 1 breast and what was left of the mashed potatoes to take home.  At one point the female came over again and told me that Eric had to leave but that she would be taking care of me.  Funny, he was still walking around the place.  Eric took really good care of me, even wrapped up my left overs.  He put a smiley face on the outside with the date. The container was wrapped in plastic wrap.  I am secretly hoping that he put his phone number on the inside of the container.  I am sure that won’t be the case when I decide to open it.  Anyway, Ms. Cock block got my check for me and took the payment.  Her name was on the ticket as the waitress but Eric did all the work.  I didn’t leave her a damn dime, I was pretty pissed at her.  I didn’t get why she was trying to take credit for something she didn’t do.  The most she did was bring me a soda refill.  I knew I had cash in my wallet so I sat in anticipation of seeing Eric and eventually he appeared.  He had food that he was serving to  table, so I waited then went after him.  He was a fast mover and since I am so old it was a little bit of a challenge to catch up to him, especially since my belly was full of that fried chicken goodness.  So I used the best thing I could and that was my loud booming voice.  I shouted Eric.  Man the whole place stopped.  He thought something was seriously wrong.  I told him that I wanted him to have this, and gave him the largest bill I had in my wallet.  I told him he did a great job and even thought the check had a different servers name I wanted to make sure he got the tip.  Oh boy I’d love to give him more than the tip, but that is a story for another time.  Needless to say he was cute, hot and everything that my desperate ass is looking for. 

As I left the restaurant I noticed that I brought my prox card to get into the office.  I was thinking about the lady we just lost and the man she worked for.  I am really worried about him, so I opted to drive into the office.  He is a workaholic and he readily admits it.  He is in the office 7 days a week, starts between 5 and 6 in the morning and goes home around 5 or 6 at night.  He only lives a couple blocks from the office so he ahs the easiest commute of all of us, he walks to work.  He is married and how his wife puts up with this is beyond me but it works for them and that is all that matters.  Anyway, I got in the office and much to my dismay he was gone.  I just wanted to stop by to chat a little bit.  I drove an awful long way and didn’t want it to go un-noticed.  So I wrote him a short note and gave him my cell phone number, basically said that I was concerned about him and that I am keeping him in my thoughts & prayers.  Told him to call me if he needs anything or there is anything that I can do.  I know lots of people make those offers but when you call on them they can’t back it up.

After placing the note on his desk, I left the building and drove home.  I was rewarded for my kind gesture with lower gas prices, so I stopped and filled up.  I didn’t mind the fact that I drove in and he wasn’t there.  It was odd that I took my card with me and thought that everything happens for a reason and why not stop by, I know it will mean the world to him.  They worked together for 25 years and she was his right hand.  When she went out on medical leave he was lost, but he kept hope alive that she would return.  Sad to say that won’t be the case.  I know that this is going to be a tough thing for him to accept but he is capable of doing it and he will keep the ball moving.  I think the only break he will take is to attend her funeral on Monday.  Outside of that you will see him in the office.  He only goes on vacation 1 time per year and that is in March/April.  He’s loaded and lives a really good life.  I just hope that he takes time to process what happened and grieve the loss or it will eat him alive.  I know that from personal experience. 

I am a little miffed at the car dealer.  They have been calling me, emailing me to tell me I have an appointment on Monday.  Jeez I am an adult and I’ve never missed an appointment yet.  It’s the whole reason why I took the day off work.  They want to buy my car from me or get me to trade it.  They lead me down this rosy path that they will make me an offer for my car, I need to meet with a salesman and of course he is going to occupy my time with test driving new vehicles in the hopes that I will buy one.  I have a little surprise for them.  I am going to be sitting in the lounge with the rest of the customers waiting on their cars.  I am not looking at a new vehicle and not talking to a salesman.  I have prepared a nice cease and desist letter to their general manager that I will be hand delivering.  I explain the situation, how the extra contact is unwelcome and that they went over board.  I go on to say that if you comply with my terms and limit contact when the time is right I will be back and you can sell me a car.  Violate the terms and you will lose my business forever, plus I will file a formal complaint with the brand they represent.  I put in that I was a Surviving Spouse of an auto worker but decided to take that out.  It really has no bearing on the situation and I would be telling him I am gay when he really doesn’t need to know that.  Now who’s zooming who? 

I really want a new car, it feels semi right that I can make the move now and be okay.  However, I think that is more emotions talking than the more practical financial side.  I need to let a couple months play out, see what I can put away in savings and then just maybe I will make the move.  Meanwhile I have 22 thousand miles to go or until next September before I no longer have a warranty.  I paid for the warranty, why not enjoy being car payment free and get my monies worth now.  I can get a refund for the unused portion of the warranty but I really don’t think now is the right time.  The downside is that I will have inflated insurance rates because I will be paying for 2 vehicles when I primarily only use 1 of them.  I think that is a small price to pay instead of getting lower rates and obligating myself to car payments for several years.  I still need to get the wheel bearing fixed on the truck, but am trying to hold out as long as I can or even just not do it at all. 

Tomorrow will be cat food, grocery store and starting the day off with having breakfast out.  Then home to put it all away and to finish up laundry, clean the house, relax and enjoy what is left of the day.  Perhaps take in a movie or two.  Not sure if I want to go out for that or just stay home and stream something.  Really want to spend a good amount of time with the kids.  Monday get the car serviced.  I really want to go to the funeral but don’t think that emotionally it will be good for me.  Not sure what I will do with the rest of the day but I am sure some how, some way the time will pass and Tuesday will be here before you know it.  Then it’s back to the 4 day grind of work. 

I hope that your staying cool, happy, healthy and living a great life.  Check back again for another update in my world.  Take care.

TGIF

Log on to any form of social media now and all you will see is that black lives matter.  I’m as sick of seeing that as I am innocent people being shot/killed.  I saw a tweet that said words to the effect of why is there so much violence?  Are you kidding me?  Where have you been violence is become normal in our society when it’s abnormal.  It is in most everything we are surrounded with like TV, Movies, Print Ads, Music and the list goes on and on.  It’s like sex, it’s everywhere.  So first you go have some sex, then you go out with a gun and commit crime.  We are victims of our environment.  Granted some of us are smarter and know that you shouldn’t commit a crime or use violence to try to solve a problem but it is okay to have sex, provided both parties are consenting.  Will this change?  Probably not anytime soon which is very sad. 

I found out today that I am getting my bonus.  I pushed the issue and it came through.  The odd thing is my boss is on vacation so he has to tell me the amount.  However, he won’t get back until the 18th and payday is on the 15th.  It should be on that check and then I will know but they may opt to hold it until the following pay period.  I just want my money and hopefully it’s equal to or greater than what I got last year.  I am a worker and I earn every penny I get, I pour my heart & soul into my job which can get you in trouble.  However, if everything works out it should get you rewarded in the end, for a job well done.  Now that is satisfaction at it’s finest and something to be proud of. 

Yesterday I learned that a coworker had passed.  She was fighting cancer and had been through a lot.  She made some progress but it was pretty aggressive and what progress she made she lost when her body stopped responding to treatment.  She went into a trial program, where everyone gets the real thing and there are no placebos but that apparently didn’t bring the progress that she needed.  She eventually got tired in the last couple weeks and decided to call it quits.  A truly miserable way to go.  The office is pretty somber right now.  Funeral is on Monday and as luck would have it I have the day off so I can go.  Problem is that my car needs service and I can’t put that off.  So if time permits I will go.  I suspect that all I will do is cry the entire time.  It will bring back memories of my loss.  So maybe I won’t go.  I bought a card and wrote a letter to her family last night.  It’s on it’s way to HR so they can address and mail it.  Words are something that you have to select very carefully in times like these.  I can blabber on about anything but trying to bring comfort to a family or loved one who just lost someone, that is where I tend to not know what to say.  I did the best I could and it took me all of an hour to write, clean up and rewrite then finally print it. 

So I look forward to the weekend, being able to be carefree and take my time, mostly for doing what I want and that is mostly sleep.  This week I haven’t slept the best.  I blame it on the weather and the humidity.  I don’t want to freeze out the cats but having my door closed in the summer time really sucks for me.  I look forward to tonight because the door will stay open but that also means my room will fill up with children and a good majority will try to sleep with me in my twin bed. 

I got my last low power bill for a while.  I got an email that the rate is going up because I am consuming more energy.  No kidding AC really chews up the electric.  It’s not a horrible bill in total but the increases never seem to come at a good time.  Give it 4 months and it will likely fall. 

Well now it’s time to go back to work.  If there isn’t anything going on I have a bunch of training to catch up on.  I hope that you have an enjoyable and relaxing weekend with some good food, good times and good sleep.  I hope the same for myself.  Take care and stay cool.

Computer Woe

I thought I would give Webroot Security a try on my home machine.  It installs without bothering your current virus protection.  I got it installed and set it to scan.  Then went to bed, this happened over the weekend.  I came back it found nothing.  The more I thought about it I elected to pass and uninstalled it from my machine, because I wasn’t able to surf the web without Internet Exploder blowing up.  I am one of the uncool kids and use IE instead of Chrome or any other browser alternatives.  I like what it does and despite me making fun of it’s name, it is reasonably stable.  So I uninstalled Webroot, rebooted and figured that would be the end of my woes.  Not so.  Webroot got it’s hooks into my browser so much that it uninstalled last pass from my machine without asking me.  That was not cool. 

I had to fight a very long battle, several reboots, registry cleanings and trying to figure out where Webroot shoved it’s code.  Finally as of this morning I am Webroot free and back to using IE without any problems.  I tried a windows restore point but that failed, windows said it was because I had antivirus installed.  Well duh, if your using windows and aren’t using some form of AV then your just asking for it.  So I turned off the AV and tried it again, still no luck.  Tried the webroot uninstaller, it helped by finding somethings that I didn’t think to look for but it was an outdated piece of software written for older versions of their program, so it wasn’t 100% helpful. 

While I am thankful that this worked out, I really thought that I was going to have to spend my weekend rebuilding my machine which would have really ticked me off.  Phew.

Since I was a little more engaged with technology last night than I had planned, tonight it going to be a TV night and I will spend it with the needy children.  They will lap it up like gravy.  Gator has been letting me brush her, which is not normal.  She has quite the coat and while she is always cold when the AC is on, I don’t understand how that is possible.  It’s like she is wearing a fur coat on top of a fur coat.  So I continue to brush as long as she lets me.  Perhaps this will cut down on her self grooming and getting sick.  I wash a cover and within an hour she has it dirty again.  It’s discouraging, but it’s not the end of the world.

That’s it from here.  Now it’s back to work.  Were 1/2 to the weekend.  Hang in there!

Tuesday that is a Monday

Today has something in common with next Tuesday, they both are going to be my 1st work day of the week.  I took Monday off.  Time for car service and since I use the dealer they are only open during my normal working hours.  It will be tough not to buy into temptation and trade vehicles but I have resisted that urge before.  I am thinking more towards the latter part of the year if I am going to in fact make a move this year.  I still have a warranty and that is my saving grace.  I added more refrigerant to the AC over the weekend and it’s back to being chilly again.  It’s super hot outside today so the ride home tonight will be a nice test.  If I have problems I will mention it on Monday.  I suspect that there is probably a leak somewhere or I wouldn’t have had to add anything.

Had a great time yesterday at my friends place.  I was late on purpose because they never start on time.  I got a text on the way there asking me if I was still coming.  I sent a reply back with yes I am at your front door. I don’t text and drive, it’s super dangerous and not worth it.  So they actually had everything ready to go but elected to sit and chat for a bit.  Oh joy, I am starving.  Finally the moment we had been waiting for.  It was Brats & Onion Burgers with baked beans and potato salad.  I ate pretty good.  Then we sat around for a little bit and then came desert.  Freshly made whip cream on top of strawberry shortcake.  It was good and something that I really didn’t need but I enjoyed it down to the very last bite.  This time they had plenty of left overs but didn’t offer me any, which is fine.  I left at a reasonable hour, it was just an hour later than I wanted to leave.

Still I was able to get home and take care of the children, have some time for myself and then I made time to sit with the kids.  I broke out the brush my oh my the fur was flying.  I will be repeating that again really soon, like tonight if they let me.  I need to trim some claws as well.  Ruth isn’t due for a couple weeks. 

So the time comes I head off to bed after going through my usual evening routine.  The fireworks in the neighborhood started up about 9p and they were still going strong at 11p.  I thought to myself please let it stop I have to go to work in the morning.  Eventually it subsided.  I suspect we will have a couple more nights of popping fun.  The funny part in all of this is it didn’t bother the kids at all.  Normally that is not the case.  I miss the old neighbor that used to live in back, he went out and actually spent money on professional fireworks.  Hell of a show that I got to see for free from my kitchen.  That scared the crap out of every cat.

Reality has settled in and I am back at work.  Thankfully I did the math on my oil change and I’ve got about 500 miles to go.  I like to get them done early and figured with the boss man being out for a couple weeks that I better put my request in today.  It’s started out really slow and quiet.  Didn’t take but a couple hours for that to break and then it was like everything was a mess.  The storm passed and now it’s quiet.  After lunch it’s an afternoon of meetings and I will be ready for a nap. That is the one thing I miss is nap time after having it for 3 days in a row.  Working for a living is no fun, even though I enjoy what I do there are times when I wish that I could just walk away and I can for 5 or 10 minutes but then I have to come right back.  Being an adult and responsible is no fun, I would much rather be a kid again.  Shame I can’t call do over on that. 

So there you have it another wild and crazy blog entry of me blathering on.  Hope that you found it enjoyable and entertaining.  Before I sat down to write this I watched some bloopers of Family Feud on You Tube, they are seriously funny.  Laughing a little or a lot each day is something that I want to be able to do each and everyday that I walk the earth, it feels so good.  Not as good as a Banana Split or an Orgasm but it feels good.  Now back to me getting ready for a meeting. 

Hope your having a great day and that life is treating you well.  3 more days until the weekend!  Take care.

Holiday Weekend Update

I had ‘the talk’ with my boss on Friday.  He supports me and will be addressing the privacy issue with the vendor.  For now I have nothing to worry about.  I did mention to him that I had thoughts of getting a second phone but he discouraged me.  So we shall see what happens with the vendor and where we go from there.

The review that he did with me was just a waste of both of our times.  He got questions from HR to ask me.  Basically wanted to know if I was satisfied with my job, if I was looking for a job or planning on leaving, what I like about my job and what I dislike.  See what I mean a total waste of time. 

We got to the compensation review and no change.  I asked about a bonus but he deflected and said that he couldn’t help me out.  That I was eligible from this point forward, meaning next year.  That was a load of shit.  I busted my ass in my former job and should be rewarded some how.  What do to?  I reached out to my old boss and she is looking into it.  I should know more next week.  She agrees with me that I deserve something for my efforts.  I also chose to come out to her.  Turns out she has a gay son and gave me his telephone number.  She said we are a lot a like.  I told her be sure to give him my number.  Were a million miles apart so this is just a friendship and who can’t use a friend. 

So I wondered when should I call, what if she had not had time to reach him yet and I called.  Aw, hell with it I just picked up the phone on Friday night and reached out.  Turns out he was expecting my call.  We had a two hour conversation.  I felt like I monopolized the conversation but I did give him an opportunity to let some of his feelings out.  We did some note comparison and found out that we are truly just alike.  I told him how old I am but he never told me how old he was.  I had no idea that my old boss had a gay son, what a pleasant surprise.  Friday was a pretty good day, even if I did have to work. 

Saturday I had to wake up early to get to the post office.  Priorities first, I had to get some breakfast.  Pee pads were waiting for me.  I was also pleasantly surprised and got a check from a settlement of a class action suit with AT&T.  It was a small chunk of change that I wasn’t expecting but sure can use.  I stopped by Target and scored savings on Cat Food & Litter.  Plus they had Fancy Feast on sale so I stocked up on that.  It’s treat or special food here and everyone seems to love it.  What I would pay $20 at the Pet Food store, I got at Target for $12. 

After all of that it was time to come home, lay down and watch Family Feud until I got sleepy and passed out.  The kids had me up by noon because they wanted their lunch.  Fed them and then came to play on the computer.  I took time to organize My Documents, which has gotten to be quite a mess.  I had stuff scattered all over my machine and decided I needed a central place where everything document related should be.  It took a lot of time but I got it done.  That is something that has been on my list for a couple weeks.  Felt good to put it behind me. 

Then I went out to Beauty Brands and picked up some Paul Mitchell stuff.  They were having their annual Liter Sale so I got in on that plus I had a coupon for 10% off.  Then stopped by the Pet Food Store.  It was like Saturday was Savings Day for me.  I came home and had Mexican Lasagna for supper. 

Sunday allowed me to sleep in a little bit.  Got up and went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast.  It was very good.  Then off to the grocery store where I didn’t spend a whole lot but having Monday for a holiday meant that I had less food to buy.  Came home and once again was able to plop on the couch and enjoy some Family Feud.  Fell back asleep and this time I was out until 1p.  Gator tried to wake me at noon but that failed, so she just curled up between my legs.  Woke up and fed the kids their lunch. 

Working on laundry and playing on the computer.  Momma eventually convinced me to take a break from the computer.  So I did.  Went upstairs to spend time with the family.  They enjoyed it.  Then I decided to go back out for a bite to eat for supper.  Hit up Steak N Shake and had a Taco Salad.  I was craving that for a while and it was every bit as delicious as I thought it would be. 

Came back home and updated my laptop and fought with ants.  Not sure why but they seem to be in the kitchen, on the carpet and they are driving me nuts.  They even decided to crawl on me.  That was like the last straw.  I believe I have solved this for now.  I have to be extra careful with the kids so they aren’t affected.  They just love to watch them crawl around, it’s like they have a new toy.  Same thing if there is a spider.  Sorry I had to take away their fun. 

After that little ordeal it was time for a shower.  It has been hours ago but it still feels like they are crawling on me.  It’s late and Momma wants me to go upstairs because it’s time for bed.  However, she doesn’t know that I have tomorrow off.

Thus far it’s been a productive weekend and I have enjoyed myself.  Got my pride shirt ready to wear tomorrow.  Looking forward to see what the chef has cooked up.  My guess is that it will be burgers.  Hope that tomorrow is enjoyable as well.

Neighbors are setting off fireworks and have been since Thursday of last week.  Doesn’t seem to bother the kids at all, which is a good thing.  If Taz and his buddy were alive they would be going nuts.  Funny thing when I was at the grocery store I saw a license plate that said Taz and it made me think of him.  Sure do miss him and his buddy. 

In case your drooling over the photo on the header, it’s model Paul Vandervort and the photo was taken by Adam Bouska.  I am jealous of Adam and people like him that have awesome jobs of taking pictures of cute and sexy guys.  Nothing like a good looking guy!

Hope that everyone is having a great weekend, lots of good food, music, family, TV and if your celebrating American’s Birthday lots of fireworks.  Now I guess I am going to give in to momma and head upstairs.  I am sure I can find something on TV to watch.  I look forward to sleeping in one more day – it will be so nice!  Then before you know it, back to reality! :-)

Taxes,Hacking & Work, the fun never stops!

Well I did a check this morning and despite no one calling me back from the Mortgage company I see that the taxes were paid yesterday.  What a coincidence the same day I call the payment gets there.  What are the chances of that happening?  So were all good now until September when the next installment is due. 

Yesterday I just had this random thought.  What if you woke up one day and forgot all of your passwords and pins?  Just think about that for a second, it would be scary as hell.  No access to cash, ability to make debit purchases, couldn’t logon to your computer, voicemail or even use your cell phone.  What a predicament.

I picked up my pride shirt yesterday.  Checked on my phone and there was 0 waiting time at the salon but it said that everyone was busy until 7p.  I went ahead and reserved a spot and went straight there.  They took me early, which is normal at times.  I was at the shampoo bowl when the lady washing my hair stopped and said she would be right back.  Uh okay.  Turns out the other girl got a call and was giving out the fax number then followed by the last 5 guests, their names and phone numbers.  The caller said he was from the corporate office and that their transactions weren’t going through.  The security guy in me was concerned because corporate wouldn’t ask for your fax number, they would know it already.  I knew in my heart something wasn’t right but it was brushed off.  Haircut is done and I went about my evening. 

Fast forward to about 8:15 when my phone rings and I see that it’s the salon calling.  Odd because they close at 8p.  Wonder what’s wrong.  It was the manager she called and apologized, apparently the caller wasn’t from corporate at all.  He was from some goofy radio show I have never heard of.  They called back and told the lady that gave them the information that she was fired and to leave the store immediately. She was in hysterics.  Then they called several of the customers and said rude things to them.  Not sure what exactly was said but it wasn’t nice.  I told her that I figured something was amiss because corporate wouldn’t ask for your fax number.  This whole thing is a lawsuit waiting to happen.  You can’t just randomly handout peoples PII (Personally Identifiable Information) without facing severe consequences.  I don’t know that anyone will bring any action because of it but I am not pleased that my non published phone number was handed out.  I gave that information in confidence for them to have a data breach through a simple social engineering trick is scary.  What if they would have given my address or any other information about me.  Besides that my name and phone number are a good start to tracking me, any information that a hacker can get just brings them closer to you.  I am going to voice my displeasure about the situation.  I went a step further in my thoughts.  The caller said he was from corporate and the tickets weren’t going through, how odd that they had computer problems the very same time.  I think this was more than a phone prank, what are the odds that your computer system would be down at the same time this prank took place?  I say slim to none.  I think someone is in their system and that could pose a larger problem for the company.  I hope I am wrong and this was something that was just ill timed. 

Ah so the big day is here, I am about 3 hours away from having the talk with my boss.  I have oddly been paying a little extra attention to those prepaid cell commercials, looks like an attractive way to have a cell phone.  I’m not partial to one carrier but I am not a fan of Sprint.  Verizon offers prepaid service and if you give them a credit card to auto bill you get extra data.  Depending upon how our talk goes I may or may not be getting a second phone.  I remember the days of having to carry two devices, it’s kind of cumbersome and it’s just another headache that I really don’t want.  However, if that is the only way to keep prying eyes out of my business then I will do it in a heartbeat.  Privacy is something that we have less and less of, I want to maintain what little bit I have left.  I am not ashamed of who I am, what my sexual orientation is or anything else but I don’t go around advertising it and see no reason why anyone that I work with has a right to that information with a couple keystrokes, should they decide to get nosy. 

Long weekend ahead.  I need to hit up Target in addition to the normal shopping I do, not looking forward to it.  I am getting together with my friends on the 4th for food and hopefully a good time.  If all goes well I will be home by 6pm at the earliest.  I don’t want to make a late night, better to stop in, eat, sit for a bit and then it’s time to run.  Tuesday will be back to work and I am sure things will be mounting up.  The boss man is getting ready to go on vacation and he expects us to keep busy while he is gone, even though some of our meetings have been cancelled.  Trust me when I say we will be busy.  I am not so sure that anything productive is going to happen here today.  It’s tough to keep focused knowing that your hours away from starting a long weekend.

Hope your weekend is safe and productive.  Stay cool!