LOST DOG – Tacoma WA Area

I am heart broken by this story that keeps lingering and thought that I would make a quick post to try to help the situation. 

On Saturday afternoon around 3p in the Tacoma Washington Area, Andrew Nieghbors (@andrewgoesplaces) dog Arbor was missing.  She was in a locked gate and it’s not quite clear how she got out.  At any rate, if you spot the dog and are in the area, please message Andrew via his Instagram Account @andrewgoesplaces .  I’d like for this story to have a happy ending and I’m actively praying for it.  Below are some photos for reference. 

 

I am a fan of Andrew’s and figured this is the least I could do.  If you have a blog or other social media, please share this story to help get the word out and thus increasing the chances for a happy ending. 

Thanks for your time and help!

Happy Munday

Not much sleep last night thanks to Trumpet Lungs (aka Gator), I did give in and feed her but that didn’t quiet her down for long.  I wound up kicking her out so that I could get in about an hour of sleep along with whatever else I picked up along the way.  I feel pretty good for a Monday and much better than I have the last few days so that is a good thing. 

I got some heart breaking news last night, one of the streamers on Twich that I like lost his dog.  She ran away and he has gone all out to look for her.  I know what he feels like because when I was a kid we had a Collie and he ran away in the middle of a massive snow storm.  Thank goodness for talk radio, my aunt was listening and a lady called in.  The poor thing ran a hell of a distance and was curled up to this woman’s outside ac trying to get warm.  Thankfully he was friendly enough and has a distinctive mark that it was easy for everyone to tell this was our dog.  This guys dog ran away on Saturday and today is Monday.  That just doesn’t sound good.  I figured that within a day she would surface but not the case.  I hope that this story has a happy ending to it but right now it just doesn’t look good.  I am still saying prayers and hoping for the best. 

Last night I thought I would try something different and had some Skyline Chili, it was frozen and I got it from the grocery store.  Apparently this stuff is famous in Cincinnati.  I am not sure why, it was horrible and even though I put tons of cheese on it and threw in some crackers after a couple spoonful's I just couldn’t take it anymore and threw it out.  I looked up the webpage for this place today and what I see in pictures looks really good, just a shame what I had last night wasn’t good.  I wound up having some of that Strawberry Crème Cake as my supper.  It was pretty good. 

This morning I expressed my displeasure with my insurance provider about the eye doctor visit.  I got a letter back via email that they are researching the matter.  All I want to know is if they will cover the cost of a second eye exam.  If yes, great and if no, fine too.  I just need to know what my options are.  I think that this will probably take a couple days before I get an answer.  I made sure to download my medical records and take screen shots so that I have the necessary proof in case I need to produce it.  I want to go into a new doctors office fresh with them having no idea of what took place so they aren’t prejudiced by what happened and can give me honest feedback.  If I hear the same thing twice then I am more likely to believe it but if I get an entirely different opinion as I am expecting then I will know my gut was right and I did the right thing.  I’m not looking to lodge a formal complaint, get the guy put out of business or anything like that.  It’s just that regardless of how this turns out I don’t plan on going back to him. 

My boss inflated my blood pressure today.  He agreed with a decision I made but then in the same sentence turned around and said that I need to double check by scanning the persons computer.  That’s only because his boss was copied in on the email, otherwise it wouldn’t matter to him.  He’s very much under his bosses thumb and what his boss asks for he gets, it’s not just him that is like that, it’s pretty much anyone that his boss manages.  I wish someone would see the light and send that guy packing I think it would change our whole organization for the better but it’s something that a lot of people have been wanting for a long time and yet he still manages to stay.  I didn’t do what my boss asked me to do, I send him something that would make him think that I did what he wanted.  I know when I am right and once I make up my mind there is no changing it.  We also got invited to a bunch of diversity webinars that the big boss wants us all to attend but I won’t be there either.  That shit is a waste of time.  Being a gay man I am pretty well versed in diversity or so I think.  Not saying that there isn’t something new to learn but I know how people have good intentions and then how these meetings linger on and on and you just want to leave.  I figure why torture myself, just don’t go and do my regular job. 

The boss man is on call this week and given that we have already butted heads I don’t plan on going any extra miles this week for him.  If he wants me to do something he is going to have to ask.  I guess I need an attitude adjustment as well as a vacation.  I am plotting the vacation part, not going any place but really taking a full week off, no checking email or answering the phone.  I am burnt out and very tired.  I can’t say that a week away will cure my feelings but it sure won’t hurt anything, other than the catchup I will have to pay when I get back.  I haven’t asked for time yet but it’s coming.  I’d like to have the request in by the end of the week.  I just have to talk with my co-worker who is out right now to see if we can change up our on call weeks and then I will be set.  I thought about just swapping them without asking but I wouldn’t want someone to do that to me so it’s best to ask, I don’t expect any problem. 

It’s been a nice sunshine filled day here.  They keep talking about rain and warning us but it never surfaces.  I think our luck is going to run out sooner or later.  I just want to see my rear gutters in action, that will be a reward in it’s self. 

Hope that your day was good, despite it being Monday.  Take care and we will walk again soon. 

Eye See You

Hey I hope that you’re doing okay. It’s been some week for me – haven’t been feeling the best and then some stress came my way. Hey I’m still kicking though, so that’s positive!

Saturday now and I got up early, had breakfast at home, took a shower and went to the eye doctor. I felt really good after the shower. My appointment was at 8:55a which is kind of odd but okay. I got there with plenty of time to spare. In fact, the doctor wasn’t even in the building. That fucker made me wait 20 minutes before he showed up. 10 more minutes and I was walking out come hell or high water. This was the worst eye appointment that I have had and I don’t believe I will be going back to him. He tried to tell me that there were mites in my eyes, he said that he feels I have dry eye and wants to do a bunch of tests that will take about an hour and a half. They should be covered by insurance but no one can tell me that for sure. I got the cash prices for them and when it’s all said and done it’s a minimum of $800. Sure, I can spare it and if I thought there was a serious issue with my eyes, I would be all over it. My prescription changed a bit. They tried to sell me new glasses, some tea tree solution to help with the alleged mites and a few other things. From the first time I saw him he was trying to upsell me. He claims to be concerned about his patient’s eye health. I think he needs money to help pay for the new office he opened and the extra staff he had to hire. I looked up the mite he talked about and sure it is possible that I have it, they are common in people in general particularly in older folks. However, the way he tested and the way the test is supposed to be done were drastically different. He offered me no proof that there were bugs in my eye, I just had to take his word for it. If you show the patient the problem there is typically no issues with compliance for the treatment, which his treatment is spot on. Plus, the symptom is that you have dandruff coming from your eye(s), which I do not. Just like if I told you that you can mix gasoline, BBQ sauce and pasta and have a cure all for anything that ails you. It’s pure bullshit, not to mention if you did mix those things and consume them you would have some serious issues on your hands, so don’t try it. The worst part of this is that my eyes were dilated and he doesn’t believe in reversing drops (they do exist) so I had to drive home in the bright sunshine with my eyes watering and having difficulty seeing/focusing. There were a couple of questionable moves but hey I made it.

Back when I was in high school for Freshman initiation, I had a bunch of girls put make up on my face. They used mascara and eye liner, it got in my eye and I got an infection. Ever since then I have had chronic conjunctivitis, it’s gotten worse with age. My last eye doc gave me a drop that had a steroid in it and that cleared things right up but when you think of steroids, they aren’t something you want to use long term. I switched doctors because of a billing error and this new quack wants me to buy his lotions and potions instead of writing a prescription. I am sure there is something out there that will help me that doesn’t contain a steroid, but then again maybe I am wrong.

I am fortunate in that I have double coverage when it comes to my eyes. One policy through work and the other comes via my regular benefits which I get because of my late spouse. The work coverage that I pay for is better to help defray the costs of glasses. I am going to call the insurance provider that was used to see if they will allow me to seek a second opinion because I am not happy. If not that’s okay because I have the other policy and have already identified the doctor I want to use. One way or another I will be getting a second opinion. Personally, I feel that my eye prescription probably changed but that nothing else of concern is going on and I don’t have dry eye or mites. However, thus the need to confirm with a second opinion.

Later in the afternoon I ventured out to Olive Garden and ate some good food. It is hot outside and I have a severe intolerance to heat to the point where it makes me sick and sucks the life out of me. When I came home, I had plans for getting in front of the computer but that didn’t happen, I instead just curled up in my chair and started to watch TV. Gator was resting in my lap and eventually we fell asleep. I’ve got this Strawberry Crème Cake that I was planning on having for desert but right now I have no appetite. I am just exhausted from everything that happened this week plus I think still some of the cleaning tasks I put myself through in the last couple weeks. I haven’t worked that hard in quite some time.

In addition to the fun that you have read so far, I had my annual review at work. I was highly pissed off and confused by the feedback that I got. Last year I was at the top of the chart (as in perfect review, scored the highest possible) and this year I got knocked down a bit. It’s still a good review overall. My boss is pushing me to get into debt with education and letting the organization reimburse me. However, you have to stay a minimum of 3 years after they pay for your education or you get to foot the entire bill yourself. I looked at a course he suggested and they want $8,000. Not no but hell no. I am no fool and you’re not trapping me with debt. If I want to leave, I am going to leave and I’ll do it not owing anyone anything. I am honestly on the fence about changing jobs and the thought of starting over isn’t appealing to me, especially now that I am older. I also think about the level of access I have and it’s God Rights – I can go anywhere and do anything I want no other place will pass out access like that, especially right off the bat. No one knows what our pay raises will be like but if I get anything less than 3% (which is our norm) that will help make my final decision. I don’t want to chop off my nose despite my face. One thing I have learned with age is to not act in haste, take your time and odds are you will make the best decision in the end. I did want to ask about why I was not as good as I was last year but I know the song and dance I would get. Which is no one is perfect and everyone has room for improvement. Well apparently, last year I was perfect so that isn’t a true statement. We would get into a battle and that is a road that I would just as soon not travel down. I know myself and know that eventually I would lose my restraint and the words fuck you I quit would be uttered. Once you say that your done and there is no coming back. I have a decent amount of restraint but considering that this isn’t the first thing that makes me feel like I have been fucked over. Sometimes it’s better to just keep your mouth closed rather than say anything. My stress level is up and I am doing the work of 2 people right now so it’s just not the best time to go flying off the handle. Like I said earlier be patient and take your time, eventually you will make the right decision. There is a lot to weight when you think about changing jobs.

Part of me want to just start life all over, fresh. New place to live, new job, new car and some new friends. Making my life better. However, no matter who you are, where you live or what you drive you will always have problems. They might be small or large but everyone is struggling with something. My something just happens to be stress, isolation, loneliness and depression. Also, weight gain from the whole shelter in place. I am trying my best to come to terms with the fact that I will likely be trapped at home until sometime next year, based on what my doc said last. I know the world is opening up and there is some anxiety about going back to work but once you start doing it, you will see that it is like riding a bike. It will also open a lot of people’s eyes and make them want to work remote and for others it will be just the right move to put life back on the normal track. I don’t mind going back but I am not in favor of the commute/traffic. Working from home has it’s up and down sides. It’s very rare for me to be busy all day long unless something goes awry. It was like this before we all started working from home and I would just sit at my desk and be bored all day, until I had something to do business or personal. I could speak up and ask for more work but that’s not a move I am going to make ever. It’s an easy way to get overloaded so you have no life at all and that is not something I am in favor of. I am not married to my job. I put in my time and do let it help occupy my mind but if I didn’t have to work I certainly would not. Right now, I am living for my cat, after she goes well I will either start living for myself or I too will drop off the face of the earth. Who knows what life will deal me between now and the time that unfathomable dark hour arrives? I’m rooting for myself and hope that things improve. I don’t have good luck but I also know that nothing will be handed to me or just show up at my feet, unless that something is a lost dog or cat. If you want something you have to either go after it or earn it.

Today (Sunday) is the first day that I feel human again. I went out for breakfast and hit up the grocery store. Came home and watched TV and laid in bed with Gator. Just as I was about to doze off one of my bosses infamous automated reports came screaming in an email that jolted me out of my state of slumber and there was no going back. Seems like every time I lay down my phone knows it and it wakes me up or prevents me from getting comfortable.

I’ve paid some bills, balance the books and need to go through my cleaning tasks. I also have to gather the report data at work and then I’m free for the rest of the day. I’d like to go back out to grab a bite to eat but then the decision of where to go comes into play and it’s like deciding which frozen dinner I want to eat – meal choices are not my favorite thing.

Back to the fun of the 5-day work week tomorrow. It was nice last week having a holiday. Thankfully we get another one next month with Independence Day. Well off to run my report and do my cleaning. Take care and I will talk with you all again soon! Stay cool in this hot weather.

House Fires–By Connor Franta

 

This says a lot of how I feel at times and I thought it was useful to share.  Enjoy!

Monday on a Tuesday

Sure does feel like a Monday even though today is Tuesday.  It was nice to have a 3 day break, I just wish that it was a full 3 day break and that I didn’t have to login to run reports.  I am stressed out still from the events of last week and from some of the work that I did over the weekend. 

What I enjoyed most was the toughest job and that was cleaning the deck.  It was nice to leave my phone in the house and unplug from the world at large.  The only thing that mattered to me was what was in front of me.  I caught myself in the moment realizing that I had no phone and no idea what was going on or if anyone was trying to reach me and I honestly didn’t care.  I need more of that. 

I went to my friends place yesterday and the food wasn’t the greatest.  They tried to get me to take some home and I refused.  I’ve already got a ton of food here and since I didn’t care for it, why let it go to waste.  They are giving it to another neighbor and I am sure that she will enjoy it more than I did.  I did appreciate the gesture and it was nice to get away from it all.  I wanted to leave after a couple hours but somehow I always get sucked in and don’t want to go back home.  It was 8:30p when I left and by the time I got home it was 9p.  Gator was pissed at me so I had that to deal with, plus work that needed to be done and then finally going to bed. 

I did sleep most of the day,I was up for short periods but opted to go back to bed partially out of boredom and partially because my back was sore.  I do feel better now and am ready to go at it again but I will be resting up. 

I’ve got my eye doctor appointment this weekend and I think I will make a trip to the buffet.  That’s about an hour and a half to 2 hours drive one way.  You get to see so much and since I haven’t been in over a year I know that plenty has probably changed.  I think of the times past when me and my late spouse used to make the trip.  I’ve always wanted to hit the place up for breakfast but that has yet to happen.  Perhaps later this year if I am lucky. It would be nice to drive down in the evening, check in to a hotel and then go for breakfast the next morning and drive home.  It’s a little on the expensive side.  Gator wouldn’t be happy with me but as soon as I put food in front of her she would forget that she was mad at me in the first place. 

Back work for me.  Hope your having a great day.  Talk with you all again soon.

Sunday– Heart Failure when I saw a black screen

When I woke up, I knew I was going to experience pain as I tried to get out of bed. I was no wear near prepared for the amount of pain but I made it. I fed her majesty (Gator) and promptly got back in bed. She had me up at 7a. I needed a few more hours of sleep as most of the places I needed to hit up didn’t open until 10a. It was a busy & expensive day!

Got up around 9:30a and got on the waiting list for Cracker Barrel. I love their mobile app, it lets you check in and get on the list, then you tell the hostess when your there. It really does shorten the wait time. I don’t know what I was thinking but I got the Country Fried Breakfast, which is Chicken Fried Steak and 2 Eggs. I added 2 extra eggs and by the time I was done with the Eggs I was ready to ask for a doggy bag. However, I pushed through it. I got everything down but the biscuits & gravy. I did have a biscuit by itself. There was a line to pay and the last thing I wanted was to stand in a line with my aching back. I had put on some Ben Gay but it didn’t really do anything to help me, other than create a warm feeling for about 5 minutes.

I hit up Walgreens for my sleeping medicine, then on to the pet food store. Then finally on to the grocery store. I had the doc call in a script for my Sudafed as they had it in stock. Because I had never been to that pharmacy before it sat all week long. The pharmacist on duty had to scramble to find it and then had a bunch of questions for me. It’s an over-the-counter product but he found my insurance and billed them, they picked up 50% which I wasn’t complaining. I had to pick up the rest. Funny thing at Walgreens it’s not covered at all. However, it costs less at Walgreens because I have a savings coupon, which you can’t use with insurance. I’d just as soon go there but this sudden shortage made me change places. I had to stand around and wait for this and I wasn’t angry with the guy but damn my back hurt and if he could have moved faster that would have been nice. Finally got it after about 45 minutes and then had to check out with a basket full of groceries. It also looks like the store is eliminating bagger boys and making the checkers do double duty because they did a remodel. I didn’t ask I am reading into it based upon what I saw today. Perhaps it will be different in the weeks ahead. I like some of the bagger boys and it’s nice eye candy, a plus for doing a task (grocery shopping) that I despise.

I stopped at Sam’s for gas on the way home, only to find out that my membership had expired and they wouldn’t allow me to get gas. I was pissed because normally they send a mailer as a reminder but not this year. I also thought I put it on auto renew but that wasn’t the case. At least I had a ½ tank and just wanted to top off, if I would have really needed gas, I would have been vocal about it. Instead, I just climbed back in the car and motored home.

Put away all of the food and then came to the basement where I renewed my Sam’s Club Membership and did a couple of other minor things. Then I sat with Gator in my room and we fell asleep in the chair. When I woke up, I had to move to the bed and she joined me a few minutes later. I wanted to go back to sleep but wound-up cuddling with her for a bit and then climbed out of bed and moved on with the day.

On to Target for some cat litter and a large USB Drive as well as a few other household items. Home, unload and put things away. Then grabbed the USB Drive and downloaded a 3^rd party app to update the infotainment system in the car. Jesus mother of God what was I thinking. A 3^rd party app that wasn’t endorsed by the manufacturer and had no warranty support. What could possibly go wrong? I saw a video a couple weeks ago and they made it look super easy. I watched a couple of them, same procedure just different people. I followed the instructions and tried it. It all started out okay but then it just got stuck in a reboot loop. When it told me to remove the drive I didn’t because the video said not to. Well once I removed the drive the reboot problem stopped. I had an idea I have multiple USB slots in the car so perhaps I needed to try a different slot. Yeah, that’s the trick I let it go and started driving. It rebooted and then the screen was solid black. I figured I had bricked it. I was working up a story for the dealer in my mind but knew that this was probably going to cost me a small fortune to fix. I said if this thing comes alive, I won’t touch it again except with manufacturer updates, forget trying to get something for nothing. When you try that with software it usually goes awry and I knew that but still managed to get sucked into this. I was so upset with myself. It was supposed to take about a ½ hour to upgrade and I was driving for a ½ hour before I reached the restaurant I was headed to. When I got there, I turned the car off, opened and closed the door and waited for a moment. Then started the engine and still saw a black screen, then finally the logo popped up and like magic my system was back to its original state. Holy shit, I was never so happy. I tested it for a moment and then went inside.

From that point forward it felt like I was in a blender. I ordered food and everything came at once. There was no pace or rhythm to the meal. It was here’s your salad and I took two bites and then here’s the entrée. I wasn’t pleased about that. I looked out the window and for a fleeting moment I had no idea where in the world I was. I was about to start freaking out and looked back at the table and realized where I was. I only at ½ of the meal and then ordered dessert. I couldn’t finish that either and wound up with a nice doggy bag to make another meal out of. Dropped much more than I wanted. Enjoyed the ride home listening to a podcast and was so thankful that the infotainment system was back.

Arrived home, fed her majesty again. Sat on the couch listening to more of the podcast. Grew anxious over tasks that needed to be done and started moving again. Got my bills paid, got my work reports done and threw in a load of laundry. I still have other things to do but I am starting to run out of steam and am ready to go back to my room and rest. Tomorrow is another day and there will be more time to get the rest of it done.

Dinner at my friends isn’t until later in the afternoon so if I get moving in the morning, I should be all set when it’s time to leave. I am thinking of going out for breakfast again but not entirely sure about that. The AC repair really threw a wrench in my spending this month. Sure, I have savings but the idea is to try to not dip into it and thus far I have been successful. However, the other part of me says live a little. It’s only money and you can’t take it with you when you leave earth. So maybe there will be Blueberry Pancakes in my future after all. Kind of also depends on how I feel when I get up. I may spend the morning in bed.

Friday night I did talk with my co-worker who is out on leave. Man, he is having a rough time with his kid. The poor things only will eat from a breast only and won’t allow him to bottle feed. That is frustrating. I think they make a strap on for guys to mimic breast feeding but it’s probably costly and the kid would detect it as an imposter so it might not work that well. The good news is when he comes back the kid will go to day care and be out of the house. One more month to hold it together before were back to full staff and then me and the other guy are taking time off and it will be someone else’s turn to hold it together.

Can’t believe the weekend is over. Thank Goodness for Monday being a holiday. I need more time off. It will be a short week but that doesn’t mean it won’t be packed full of work, problems and stress. Not to mention Tuesday I will be on-call again, that’s always not fun.

Hope your weekend went well and that you enjoy the holiday. Take care and I will talk with you all again soon.

SATURDAY–almost died or at least it felt like it

It was unseasonably cold and I waited for things to warm up and by afternoon I pushed myself to get going. I had planned to paint but based on a recent storm I saw that my back gutters needed cleaning out and I also had power washing the deck on my to do list. I knocked out both of those tasks and it about killed me.

I took a page from my bosses play book and used dishwashing gloves. They work well and you don’t get your hands all dirty. If you have ever cleaned out gutters there is all sorts of stuff in there and you really don’t want your hands touching it. I also purchased a gutter scoop but that proved useless. It looks like a cool tool to have but just didn’t work for me. Once I was done with getting the gutters cleaned out I got out the leaf blower to get the leaves that had been on the deck for a while off. Then broke out the power washer. It didn’t want to go together and it took me about 20 minutes to fight with the hose that attaches to the wand. Your supposed to take the hose and put the end of it in the gun, it snaps together and locks in place. It worked very easily in the past but today it was a fight. Then I started washing, put down some soap/cleaner and broke out a new brush that I purchased. I used the brush to scrub away the loose dirt and grime. I used the powerful stream of the washer to break up and rinse away the green mold that just loves to grow on everything outside. I moved things around and did ½ of the deck at a time. I also managed to get lord knows what off of the glass table. I figured the power washer would break the glass but nope, it held up under the toughest fire. There was dirt and some black film it was a mess and now it’s all clean. I used the brush on it as well. This would have been a very easy task if I was in shape and probably a few years younger or at the very least had some help. It took me 4 hours to complete from starting with the gutters to finishing the cleaning, as well as prep and clean up. What angered me the most was when I was done the cottonwood decided to start flying and of course it landed on my nice wet and clean deck. Well, it was clean for a few minutes. I rearranged things and I think it looks really nice. The neighbors will hate me because the leaves are in the yard and they will eventually wind up in their yards. There are leaves all around the house and the new lawn guy doesn’t seem to want to move them with his blower, I am not totally happy about that.

I only had a bowl of oatmeal and a muffin for breakfast. To say I was low on fuel is an understatement. I also had a horrible case of cotton mouth and my back it was killing me from all of the standing, stooping and brushing. I got undressed in the garage and left my clothes there. I threw away the dishwashing gloves ( I purchased them on Amazon and got 4 pairs, they were a bit small but I made them work). When I went to come inside, I found the damn door was locked. I had to open the garage part way for light and then used my eyesight to dial in the combo on the lock box I mounted just for this purpose because I knew someday it would happen. Retrieved the key and unlocked the door. Grabbed a soda and sat on the couch to gather some strength. I wanted to go on a road trip to the buffet but I had no energy. I thought about pizza but considering that is what I ate most of last week that didn’t thrill me. I wound up at a BBQ place a couple hours later after a shower. Not exactly sure how I made it there but I was on the precipice of sugar shock. Once I ate, I felt better. I grabbed the mail and came home. Everything else could wait a day.

I spent the evening with Gator in my room watching TV. Watched a couple of movies on Amazon, nothing terribly thrilling. I had a muscle relaxer on board as soon as I got home. I figured that would knock me out but nope. I had to take some sleeping medicine and then in about 20 minutes I was ready for bed. That’s how I spent my Saturday – productive but also very draining. Got an invite to my friends house for Memorial Day Dinner. I wanted to decline but accepted. Chicken & Ribs are on the menu. I’d rather have a burger but hopefully it will all be good. It’s at least a trip out of the house and some free food, so you really can’t beat it.

Hope you had a great Saturday. Stick around Sunday’s update is coming up in a bit.

Argh, Friday

Something (not sure what) bit me on the palm of my hand close to my wrist.  It itches like mad and there is a tiny small bump.  Not exactly the way I wanted to start the day off.  Gator also had me up early 4a for food.  She is acting a bit strange this morning.  Not sure if it’s the weather or if there is something wrong with her or if she just needs some daddy time. 

Called the eye doctor they don’t have an appointment for me and worse yet they can’t find that I have insurance.  Their computer system according to the lady I spoke with has been doing some strange things lately.  I’m positive that I have coverage so I am going to let them sort that out and then call me back for an appointment.  They have a new office closer to my home and that is where I will want to go. 

Now my Saturday morning just got freed up and based on how I feel today I don’t much feel like doing anything.  It’s over cast here and that doesn’t exactly help things.  Not sure if my energy level will pick up but at least I know one thing is for sure I can do whatever I want tomorrow.  I will probably be lazy but hey only time will tell. 

Happy Friday and I hope you enjoy your weekend!

1 more day until Friday

We have had some severe weather and there is more forecast for later tonight and into the early hours of tomorrow.  Gator and I were on the couch, I was working and she was resting.  There was a loud clap of thunder and we both looked at the other one as if to say what in the world was that.  Afterwards there was this odd odor like something was burning.  I looked outside didn’t see any smoke and went around the house, everything was okay.  A few hours later it smelled musty in my living room.  Compared to the smell of last week this is tame.  Not desirable or enjoyable but better than what I was dealing with.  Were in for a cool wave and temperatures are going to cool off for a bit. 

After seeing the storm kind of makes me want to reassess my priorities and get the deck cleaned off as well as the gutters in the back.  The one in the front of the house needs to be cleaned again because all my leaf blower did was blow stuff around and mostly on to the roof.  It’s all coming back down.  I could see the gutters were flooded today and while that site never used to bother me, ever since my brush with mold it makes me paranoid and feel uneasy. I am very eager to get the painting project started and finished before the dog days of summer are here.  This weekend will be perfect painting weather.  

I also found out yesterday that my GFCI outlet in the garage needs to be replaced.  The AC Repair guy needed power to use a saw and my garage had nothing.  The GFCI won’t reset.  I don’t have any tripped breakers and I did verify with an AC detection tool that there is voltage in the outlet.  Turned on YouTube and it looks like it’s just as easy to replace the outlet and my problem there should be solved.  My late spouse was an electrician and I’ve got tons of tools, meters and gadgets.  Some I know how to use and others I have no clue.  He was brave and would work on a live circuit that’s something I won’t do. 

This week I have also caught myself making stupid errors, a few I didn’t catch and they were brought to my attention.  I hate that.  I’m wondering if I am just over stressed or perhaps the fumes or odor of whatever it is that I have inhaled is affecting my brain. 

Finished up the pizza from last week today.  I made my dollar stretch into several meals and like when I can do things like that.  I am uncommonly tired tonight.  I had a nap early this afternoon and was fine up until a couple hours ago.  It’s also a little humid in here and that doesn’t help things. 

I am cutting my hair tonight, going to get my prescription tomorrow after work.  I’d like to grab a bite to eat while I am out but not sure if I will give in to that considering the unexpected bill from yesterday.  Bills are ready to be paid.  I need to call the cable company and try to haggle on the price of my internet connection and don’t ever look forward to a negotiation phone call because I am the one who is held hostage.  I also have an eye doctor appointment on Saturday but I need to call and confirm because they called earlier via a robo call and said that I need to make an appointment.  I looked on-line and it doesn’t show anything scheduled so maybe my appointment fell off the books.  I do have 1/2 a mind to just not do anything and either show up or skip it.  However, I will call because if I drive there and they turn me away I will be livid.  The appointment is first thing in the morning on Saturday and that would get in the way of whatever task I feel most motivated to preform. 

There isn’t much on streaming media that is of interest to me.  I did see Crown Vic a movie on Hulu it was about the police and was made several years back.  Typical drama/action movie, nothing terribly special.  I also saw a movie that was super crazy called Pawn Shop it had Paul Walker in it and it started off normal enough and then got strange, I finished it this afternoon.  It’s about time to switch over to my DVR and see what is waiting for me. 

I am just tired and bored tonight.  Would be nice to have someone to talk to.  I hope that my weekend is productive, restful and enjoyable.  I suppose only time will tell.  Talk with you all again soon.  

AC–update

So as luck would have it the guy shows up and everything works fine.  However after a few minutes of running it was easy to figure out that the fan motor needed to be replaced.  It didn’t sound good and was overheating.  The guy was here at around 2:30p and just left about 20 minutes ago it’s close to 6p now.  The motor was all rusted on and it was very difficult to remove and replace.  He did give me new capacitors for both the fan motor and the compressor so there is a little peace of mind.  If the compressor goes out then it’s a new unit for sure. 

You can do an A coil and new outside unit for $3 thousand or a complete new system for $6 thousand.  I took the less expensive route and think that will last for a while or so I hope. 

The Freon level was spot on and the system is performing well given it’s age.  I spent the time outside with the tech while he was making the repairs.  My feet and back are hurting.  Gator was resting comfortably on the couch.

This was for sure an unplanned expense but that’s why I have savings.  It’s not like I want to spend the money but given the options I would rather pay the money and be comfortable. 

I spoke with the tech about the mystery odor and he couldn’t attribute anything HVAC related that would have caused this. 

Back to normal life for now and going to grab some supper. Here’s hoping everything stays together and nothing else falls apart. 

New problem

I did a load of dishes and finally decided to clean out the spice rack.  My late spouse had tons of seasoning and I never bothered to deal with it.  In keeping with my odor eliminating tasks, I threw out all of the old spices but a couple things of celery salt as well as salt & pepper.  I found a bottle of salad dressing that was never opened, you could tell it went bad despite never being opened because it was discolored. I will bet that had to smell if it was opened but I decided not to find out. 

Things were going along fine and the AC kicked on I kicked back and was resting during my so called lunch hour.  Then I heard this odd noise and went outside to look.  Sure enough the compressor for the AC unit was running but the fan wasn’t turning.  I have a call in to a repair person and since it’s warm weather season they are all busy.  They said they should be able to get to me today but have no idea on what time.  It’s 75 in here now so hopefully they will arrive before I start to melt. 

I think that it’s the capacitors that power the fan.  Those bastards used to go out once per season and then some how I got lucky and managed to get 5 years out of them, that is presuming that is the problem.  It’s got the symptoms but only a repair person can tell me for sure.  It’s been an hour since this horrid event started and I am sweating already.  I can tell you for sure that I am due for a new furnace and ac but just don’t have the money for it.  I’ve limped along on this system for years and don’t see why I can’t get a few more out of it.  Especially since I there is a small possibility that I might move. 

Cats love heat but they need AC as well or they can run into breathing problems.  If things get too hot I will take Gator and we will go sit in the car with the AC on full blast.  If things get real bad I can either get a hotel and try to take her with me or drop her at the vets for boarding.  Right now I am hopeful that this will only set me back a few hundred dollars.  I called the same company that fixed the furnace back when I came home and it was 55 degrees in here and Momma was huddled behind the TV in my room for warmth looking at me from inside my stereo cabinet.  Everyone was pissed off and cold that night.  It was a few hundred dollars and we were all warm again within hours.  The ignitor on the furnace was bad.  I’m hoping for similar luck with the AC.

I will post an update when I know more.  Wish me luck or something like that. 

Exhausted

I have really been wracking my brain and driving my body crazy over this odor.  Sunday night when I should have been going to bed an idea hit me and I just had to try it.  The drain hose from the AC could be clogged and maybe there is a backup of water (humidity) and that would breed bacteria and cause an odor.  I removed the hose and hooked up a shop vac to the AC and it pulled out small amount of water but a lot of built up junk.  Meanwhile I took the hose and came up to my bathroom, sure enough it was part way clogged.  I got it cleaned out and hoped that when I put everything back together in a few minutes that would be the end of the odor. 

The worst part of that wonderful idea was cleaning up the shop vac it was a mess but I took care of it.  The odor now that were on day #2 seems to have subsided for the most part.  I still get a whiff of it once and a while. While I think the battle is over with I am not quite ready to call it a resolved issue just yet but I think were way closer than we were a week ago.  Lord knows what Gator & I have inhaled over the course of the past week. 

My angry orange cleaner came and it didn’t have nearly the strong citrus odor that I thought it would.  Lucky for me I found Citrus Magic at the grocery store and they make a small spray can that works wonders. 

I got through Monday it was a bit of a difficult/busy day but finally the end arrived.  I went to bed only to get woken up by Gator.  I settled back down and then my body woke me up.  I was up part of the night and while I could have easily pushed myself I felt exhausted so I said fuck it and took the day off.  All I really wanted to do is sleep and I have done that off and on all day long.  Let’s hope that I sleep tonight because I need to get back to work tomorrow.  Shit builds up and it takes forever to clean out the pile of work. 

I talked myself into getting on the floor in front of the fridge since I did smell an odor by the fridge.  Man alive I saw 16 plus years of cat fur and it was not a pretty site.  Hooked up the vacuum cleaner and got it all cleaned out.  I think I probably saved myself the cost of a refrigerator.  Not sure how the poor thing hasn’t quit before now.  Cleaning the cover at the bottom was the extent of the cleaning that we did and now I know there’s more to do.  I should be good for a while now since the number of cats has decreased but I know there eventually will be some build up of fur and dust. 

I think with all of the sucking the poor vacuum cleaner has done it might just be time to get a new one.  I’ve got the dust collection bin airing out in the garage after I soaked it with Lysol.  I will need to get in an really clean it and change the filter.  This cheap thing has done a mountain of work but I still to this day miss my Dyson.  It did a good job but the reach on the wand was the best and it was so quick and easy to deploy compared to this cheap thing where I have to fight to dislodge the hose from the base and then get out plastic tubes to form a wand.  It’s a lot more effort. 

As you can imagine this odor fight has not done any favors for my mental state and depression has been working overtime on me.  I am in so much mental pain and feel so alone it’s horrible.  Thankfully my furry friend is still here and she is what keeps me from doing anything drastic.  I know this isn’t something that people want to read about but mental health is no joke.  Add in the isolation from COVID and it really makes things much worse, at least for me. 

This weekend I am supposed to be going to the eye doctor but I have to call to confirm I think my appointment might have fallen off the books.  I would like to get the painting on the garage trim done and if I feel up to the task the deck power washed.  Knowing my body & energy level I think that each of these tasks are meant for separate days.  I know we have a 3 day weekend upon us and I might be able to take 2 days to get these tasks done based on how I feel right now I would just as soon spread them out. 

I am off to grab some left over pizza and find something of interest to watch to occupy my time before I call it a day.  I need to cut my hair and am still taking that task upon myself for a bit longer.  I don’t feel ready enough to go back to the salon but I am sure that it will happen.  It’s nice to see things opening up and being able to go into certain stores without a mask on.  I still hear rumblings of a fall surge in cases and don’t understand why that is a possibility now.  I’m fine with spending the rest of the year working from home but don’t think that I will stay here when I have time off so long as I feel up to it.  Eating out has been super enjoyable I just wish more places would open up and I know that too will happen with time. 

Even though I didn’t see any comments or feedback I hope that my odor search will be of help to someone in the future.  As long as you have money you can own a home but that doesn’t mean that you have the knowledge to fix things when they break and that’s kind of where I am at.  I have some knowledge and can do basic stuff but anything complex needs to be farmed out.  I really hope that I am at the end of my home problems for a very long time.  Cheers!

Saturday

I am tired, sore & exhausted.  Last night I thought I found the source of the lingering odor in a bookcase.  I took everything off the shelves and cleaned it.  I put some baking soda in a dish and let it sit overnight as well as vinegar in a different dish and placed them in different locations on the bookcase.  The bookcase no longer has the odor but the odor is still present in the air. 

This morning thinking about wood and how it can absorb odors I cleaned my cd case (yep full of music CD’s) and also a bookcase in my room.  I was surprised to find some D cell batteries and when I lifted them up I saw that they had began to leak.  I had to scrape away the solidified acid and that ruined a shelf but it’s my fault. 

I did manage to get rid of a lot of junk that had accumulated but unfortunately the odor is still present.  Talking with my boss on Thursday afternoon he thought this would be a simple fix.  He said it’s probably sewer gas go run the water in all of the drains that you haven’t used and if you have a toilet in the mix flush it a couple times.  Your P traps ran dry and that lets sewer gas into your house.  I followed his advice and for a short time everything was hunky dory and then just like that the odor was back.  In fairness the windows were open.

I’ve also run the hell out of my ozone machine and the basement actually doesn’t appear to have the odor any longer it’s just an upstairs thing.  I have also pulled out the refrigerator and cleaned behind it.  I am literally going out of my mind trying to track this down and get it resolved.

This afternoon I sat in my room watching Looney Toons on YouTube relaxing with a gator in my lap.  She buried her head and fell fast asleep.  She was not pleased with me when I woke her up.  I said bed and she moved over to the bed.  I got up and joined her.  She let me hold her paw and rested her head on top of mine.  I think she understands that I am worried and upset about this odor business. 

I’m sniffing everything from the wall to the floor with no luck.  After my brief period of rest where I thought for sure I would fall asleep I got up and decided to wash the outside of the house.  As I was spraying I thought I smelled what is inside of my house on the outside.  I got all of the green off the side of the house (there wasn’t that much) and managed to shine up the dormer it went from dirt black back to original white.  I screwed up when I was using the solution and had the bottle on Spray when it should have been on rinse.  I used Mold Armor house wash.  It was in a bottle you hook up to your hose.  There was bleach in the solution.  Bleach actually doesn’t kill mold it feeds it (look on line I’m not kidding.  I had a guy tell me that in person and found a couple sources on line as well.).  I expected that when I went inside my house that I would find wet walls or wet floorboard but nope, bone dry. 

It’s either my neighbor is running a meth lab or something has had to get into my attic be it debris or an animal.  I have run out of options at the moment but I will still be thinking about this.  I don’t like to let my problems win and I also don’t give up.  This may turn out to be something horrific or it may be an easy solution.  My nasal passages are irritated and I kind of wish I would go nose blind if only for a day.  I think about whatever it is that we are breathing in and just hope it’s not something that will cause harm to either of us. 

Tomorrow is going to suck because I will be much more sore than I am today.  I need to hit up a pharmacy since the Sudafed shortage in my area continues and the grocery store.  I am going to try to take it easy for the rest of the night and hope that I can get a good nights rest.  I sure am tired on multiple levels. 

I saw an ad on social media for some new apartments in the area and wow they get more than my mortgage payment each month in rent for something that is super small.  It’s marketed as ‘luxury living’ but unless that luxury includes free blow jobs or a chef it sounds like a rip off to me.  I am very much on the fence when it comes to moving but if this odor business keeps on going it may well be the final nail in the coffin.  While I don’t like to give up and walk away, we all have our breaking points granted mine is probably longer than most, only because I’ve learned that if your patient enough eventually there will be a solution.  Here’s hoping that the solution presents it’s self quickly and that it doesn’t cost an arm & leg or require me to move sooner than I really want to. 

Still open to any ideas or suggestions that any of you might have.  I have yet to find any dead bodies, evidence of any kind of infestation by rodents or mold.  If I open the windows and get air circulating the odor can be knocked down within an hour or two, depending on how much the wind is blowing.  Close the windows and within 30 minutes the odor is back.  It’s baffling.  My next idea is to run my ozone machine in the attic.  It’s vented (there are 3 dormers) so I don’t think it will cause any problems. 

For now onward to rest and cuddling with the Gator.  She will enjoy it!  I did leave for a bit and grab a pizza.  Never in my life I have ever spent $40 when dining out for pizza but today it happened.  I got a side salad and that helped shoot the price up but I haven’t really had anything to eat all day and felt like total crap so it helped to give me some energy even though I really wasn’t hungry.  Got a nice view of a hot waiter while I was there.  Cheers!