Another day. Nothing exciting these days. You notice I don't talk about going out to bars anymore? I don't spend my nights sitting in a dark hole trying to forget. I have nothing to forget. Mostly because I have nothing going on in my life really. I mean that I guess in a good way? My life is pretty boring these days. I get up, I do work, I go to bed. No wild nights full of excess and morning regret. Is that bad? Who the fuck knows.
I trained yesterday. I watched some TV. I ate peruvian food. I played Sims. I did do one thing 'fun' - I went to the pet store. Bought the cat a new litter box and a pad to go underneath it. Look out - wild man in town.
Some days I miss things. I miss a lot of things. But that was then, this is now. I have after 4 full years made it to acceptance. I accept the life I have. Good and bad. I accept the life to come. I accept and acceptance equals peace, doesn't it? Maybe.
Rambling a bit this morning. I have a rehearsal tonight I don't want to go to but I will go anyway. Might help if I actually watch the movie we are going to be putting on. I guess that's what I am doing today at some point.
Might rearrange furniture today. Need to do laundry. Need to pay rent. I shall do all these things.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Y5 D5
I am almost had a serious fuck up this morning. I am scheduled to teach an online class in 30 minutes and I woke up at 6. I slept through 4 alarms somehow. I fucking hate that. I didn't go to bed that late either. I was in bed by 10. I guess my body needed the sleep. Tells you how long of a week it's been already.
Yesterday was good but long. I went into the client at 7, taught until a little after 1, then headed home. 2 hour drive but doable. Got home around 3 to find the kid on the couch. Things were half done but I guess that's an improvement over not done at all, yes? The kitty litter was empty but the floor around and under weren't clean. The dishwasher had been run, but not put away. Things like that. She did manage to do her own laundry so point for that.
I ordered a pizza since I didn't feel like cooking. We watched the remaining episodes of Arrested Development. Okay, where's season 5 Ron Howard? That was 15 episodes of catch up for the last 7 years. Next?
Talked with B and went to bed. Today I am teaching and doing my laundry.
Yesterday was good but long. I went into the client at 7, taught until a little after 1, then headed home. 2 hour drive but doable. Got home around 3 to find the kid on the couch. Things were half done but I guess that's an improvement over not done at all, yes? The kitty litter was empty but the floor around and under weren't clean. The dishwasher had been run, but not put away. Things like that. She did manage to do her own laundry so point for that.
I ordered a pizza since I didn't feel like cooking. We watched the remaining episodes of Arrested Development. Okay, where's season 5 Ron Howard? That was 15 episodes of catch up for the last 7 years. Next?
Talked with B and went to bed. Today I am teaching and doing my laundry.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Y5 D4
Today has started off with me losing a button on the sleeve of my shirt. Whee. Luckily it's just one guy I am working with today and I can roll my sleeve up without him freaking out. Had a good session with him yesterday. The morning was looking like it was going to be challenging but by the end of the day we had developed 8 additional reports to what we did last week. Today we are doing mentoring which I hope will take me about 6 hours and I can get on the road a little early. Let's see how that goes. B is sick. Summer cold. We skyped last night and it was cute hearing her all stuffed up. I know she feels like shit, but it was still cute. She is also a cranky sick person just like me. I learned last night when she is sick to basically leave her the fuck alone. Put her in bed, give her tea, and go away. Easy enough. That was about the extent of yesterday. Ate in the hotel restaurant. Played some Sims because I didn't feel like watching anything. Heading home this afternoon. My life in a nutshell right now. Not complaining.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Y5 D3
Yesterday morning was pretty good, but the afternoon got a little chaotic. I sat around in the morning and then packed for my trip. I was planning on taking the bike and leaving around 1 when at about noon I noticed it was raining out. I checked the weather at my destination and yep, rain there too. Crap. The kid doesn't have school this week, but she did have work yesterday as well as today. Sorry kid. I ended up driving her to work and she had to walk home. The shit part is she couldn't find her keys. We were afraid she dropped them in the parking lot of wingstop the night before. I made her promise me she would call all the businesses to see if anyone turned them in. That started producing anxiety in her and made her feel bad about losing her keys. After dropping her off, I headed out. Took a little under two hours to get here. Not horrible. Traffic was pretty good in the direction I was headed. The other way was a mess from people coming home from the long weekend. When I got here I decided screw it and I started calling for her. Nope on keys found. I texted her and let her know. She texted me later and told me she found them in the hidden section of her purse. Sigh. Fine. Goof. I went to a local place for dinner and had fresh crawdads. A huge pail of them. Came back to the room, skyped with B, played some sims, and went to bed. I expect pretty much a repeat of that tonight. Whee.
Monday, May 27, 2013
Y5 D2
I just finished reading an article about someone who passed away at 2:05 yesterday morning. They were part of the burlesque community here in the area and an indirect friend of our cast. We shared a number of mutual friends and many of our performers have performed with her over the years. That is a group of people who are very sad this morning. It was a tragic car accident that truly was an accident. Sad news for the community. She also lived here in the same city as me. Such a shame.
I did a whole lot of nothing yesterday. Watched 7 of the new Arrested Development episodes. Had a massive attack of wingstop with kid last night while doing so. Played Sims for like 4 hours. Talked to B a few times and chatted all day. She worked but not so much that it was draining for her. She was very frustrated when she got off work but I can understand why - Her mother is a shit at keeping groceries in the house. B doesn't get off work until midnight. She has few choices in food at midnight. She can either go to the store but then have to go home and cook but that's a challenge because everyone else is asleep and any noise in the kitchen will be a problem. Or she can go have fast food. She was on the verge of tears last night because she is tired of having to go get fast food when it shouldn't be hard for her mother to make sure when she cooks dinner there is a plate set aside. Of course this would assume her mother actually cooks dinner. This is the bullshit her dad tried to put on to me - that without B in the house her sister's and mother will fall apart. Excuse me? She shouldn't have to be worrying about taking care of them. They are YOUR responsibility asshole, not B's. Do not understand people.
As for me, that was my day. Nothing exciting. While today is a holiday, I do have to drive later this afternoon. It's all good. A couple hour drive, two days in Sacramento for the client, then back home Wednesday night, teach from home Thursday and Friday. There's my week. I can handle it.
I am doing pretty good still. Mentally and physically. Let's see how long this lasts.
I did a whole lot of nothing yesterday. Watched 7 of the new Arrested Development episodes. Had a massive attack of wingstop with kid last night while doing so. Played Sims for like 4 hours. Talked to B a few times and chatted all day. She worked but not so much that it was draining for her. She was very frustrated when she got off work but I can understand why - Her mother is a shit at keeping groceries in the house. B doesn't get off work until midnight. She has few choices in food at midnight. She can either go to the store but then have to go home and cook but that's a challenge because everyone else is asleep and any noise in the kitchen will be a problem. Or she can go have fast food. She was on the verge of tears last night because she is tired of having to go get fast food when it shouldn't be hard for her mother to make sure when she cooks dinner there is a plate set aside. Of course this would assume her mother actually cooks dinner. This is the bullshit her dad tried to put on to me - that without B in the house her sister's and mother will fall apart. Excuse me? She shouldn't have to be worrying about taking care of them. They are YOUR responsibility asshole, not B's. Do not understand people.
As for me, that was my day. Nothing exciting. While today is a holiday, I do have to drive later this afternoon. It's all good. A couple hour drive, two days in Sacramento for the client, then back home Wednesday night, teach from home Thursday and Friday. There's my week. I can handle it.
I am doing pretty good still. Mentally and physically. Let's see how long this lasts.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Y5 D1
Look at that title - Y5 bitches. Woo hoo. And year five is off to a mostly good start. I did NOTHING yesterday which was fantastic. I took care of paperwork and timesheets and hung around the house until it was time to do the show. Our director wasn't there last night which is a big deal. In seven years this is only the second show she hasn't been at. She is having some health issues that are starting to get really bad. Dammit, she is not allowed to die. No. I won't accept that. I will kidnap a doctor on one of my road trips and tie him up until he fixes her if need be. Sigh. The show went well. It did feel sloppy I won't deny, but I think it had to do with having back to back shows like we did. Plus I know I was just tired and my timing was off. But we are harder on ourselves than the audience would ever be. Got home around 4 again. Slept until 10 something. Since tomorrow is a holiday and I just have to drive, I am going to enjoy another relaxing day. New arrested development today. Going to have a marathon when the kid gets home from work. Order pizza.
I feel good today. I do. I feel good about a lot of things. I like that. Only 364 more days of that please?
I feel good today. I do. I feel good about a lot of things. I like that. Only 364 more days of that please?
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Y4 D366
AND I DID IT! I made it through 4 years. Four years of non-stop writing. Four years of ups, downs, and everything in between. This has been a hell of a year hasn't it kids? Not as insane as year two, not as depressing as year one, a little more exciting than year three, but we did it. Everyone is still alive and has all their pieces. I have a woman who cares for me. The kid has made it a good way through college, I have a lot of Disney pins, and basically, I am healing. I am not as bad as I was 4 years ago on this day. I don't have any desire to plunge a knife through my chest. I see a future. And it's not one that involves being alone in a trailer in the middle of a desert. Yay me.
Yesterday was the most crazy day. I left the house at 530 because I wanted to get donuts for my class. Because I left so early the traffic was insanely light and there was nobody on the road. I got to the client at 645. I sat there until 7 because the building was locked. Started at 9 and the class loved the donuts. I had kept them hidden from them until class actually started which was fun. All in all, while I bitched about the commute and traffic the last three days, the class itself was good. A good group of people who were genuinely interested in being there and who took away a good amount of information. From that perspective everything was a success.
I left there at 4:30 and got home a little after six. I was in a shitty mood because of traffic and because once more the idiots were sitting around while the kitchen was a mess, there were clothes everywhere, etc. I cringe at the thought of what their place would look like if they lived together. But I was already wound up from diving and to see the house like that just tweaked me. I didn't say a fucking word to them. I hid in the other room until it was time to go to the show. We had a special show last night at Baycon. Aka nerdfest 2013. Fucking nerds. Fat nerds, skinny nerds, ugly nerds, nerds that go boom. Sigh nerds. I did run into someone I haven't seen in like 10 years. That was fun. He looked exactly the same. He is working at some new company with some other folks we worked with together in the past.
The show started really late and I had three tech guys. We made due and pulled the show off without too much incident. One of our performers did fall preshow and ended up with a concussion. She is doing okay as far as I have heard this morning, but it resulted in some last minute changes which, while rough, we handled. I have another show tonight and that is going to be fun. I didn't get home until 4 and will do the same tonight.
I am feeling pretty good right now. I need to pay some bills, do some chores, and prep for the show, but otherwise, I am doing okay.
Big love to everyone who has been there for me during these last four years. You rock.
Yesterday was the most crazy day. I left the house at 530 because I wanted to get donuts for my class. Because I left so early the traffic was insanely light and there was nobody on the road. I got to the client at 645. I sat there until 7 because the building was locked. Started at 9 and the class loved the donuts. I had kept them hidden from them until class actually started which was fun. All in all, while I bitched about the commute and traffic the last three days, the class itself was good. A good group of people who were genuinely interested in being there and who took away a good amount of information. From that perspective everything was a success.
I left there at 4:30 and got home a little after six. I was in a shitty mood because of traffic and because once more the idiots were sitting around while the kitchen was a mess, there were clothes everywhere, etc. I cringe at the thought of what their place would look like if they lived together. But I was already wound up from diving and to see the house like that just tweaked me. I didn't say a fucking word to them. I hid in the other room until it was time to go to the show. We had a special show last night at Baycon. Aka nerdfest 2013. Fucking nerds. Fat nerds, skinny nerds, ugly nerds, nerds that go boom. Sigh nerds. I did run into someone I haven't seen in like 10 years. That was fun. He looked exactly the same. He is working at some new company with some other folks we worked with together in the past.
The show started really late and I had three tech guys. We made due and pulled the show off without too much incident. One of our performers did fall preshow and ended up with a concussion. She is doing okay as far as I have heard this morning, but it resulted in some last minute changes which, while rough, we handled. I have another show tonight and that is going to be fun. I didn't get home until 4 and will do the same tonight.
I am feeling pretty good right now. I need to pay some bills, do some chores, and prep for the show, but otherwise, I am doing okay.
Big love to everyone who has been there for me during these last four years. You rock.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Y4 D365
Not even close to being awake or functional this morning. So fucking tired. Got home after 8 last night from the client. Was there until a little after six and by the time I got home it was 8pm. Granted I stopped on the way home and got my contacts and food, but that added maybe 20 minutes to my day. Otherwise, I left here at six, got onsite at 7, taught all day, and had a 14 hour day. I was exhausted by the time I got home. Fun part? ONE MORE FUCKING DAY. Whee. And tonight I have to come home, change, and drive another 40 miles to a special show we are doing and we have a regular show tomorrow night. Do I even get the holiday weekend? Nope. I get to drive to another client in Sacramento on Monday. Oh boy! Lucky me. I will get a reprieve soon somewhat. Things will slow down hopefully in August. Yeah, August. June is already looking fucking insane with two road trips. Oh well.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Y4 D364
The wind outside is howling. Howling. It is making a god awful sound and I have to drive in it. Sorry kid, but I can't ride the bike in this. I would die. I would end up plummeting to my death on the bridge. I am only exaggerating slightly too. Got up way early yesterday, left the house at 6, arrived at about 7:15, started class at 9 after spending 45 minutes getting the room setup. Left the client at 4:30 and didn't get home until 6:15. Basically a 12 hour day. Almost 2 hours home. And when I tried to vent about it, no one cared. Fine. Fuck you. Fuck all of you. B was having a shit day yesterday due to a migraine. Then her phone died. Yesterday was the least amount we have communicated in almost six months. And today is more of the same.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Y4 D363
I am so freaking tired this morning. I almost died multiple times coming home and now I have to drive again. The next three days I have to do onsite at a 'local' client. Local my ass. 40 miles and 4 freeways through some of the worst traffic around here. Suck my balls. And these fuckers want 9-5. Fuck you and fuck everything.
Shit mood this morning? Why yes, thank you. This should do wonders for me training.
I went in yesterday around 6:40. I liked that. Worked until 2 something. It took me 2.5 hours to get home because the wind and traffic were so bad. So bad that my sunglasses flew off my face at one point. A pair I have had for god knows how many years. Not happy about that. I am thinking about finding some goggles this weekend. Make it easier for me than sunglasses. People trying to squish me, wind trying to knock me over. At the same time dealing with B who wants me to write an email back to her dad. Which we ended up crafting together. He sent me a response this morning. Idiot and an asshole. If I ever meet this guy face to face I will not be as polite as I was in the email I sent. I really don't want to respond again. I feel like my director that time he had to deal with emails from an idiot cast member. I feel like I am communicating with a three year old.
Tried to relax last night but was just way too wound up. Ended up watching some tv and catching up on emails. I am still behind and need to do some forms for one guy but he can wait. Went to bed around 9:30.
Fuck. Almost time to leave so I don't sit in 3 hour traffic.
Shit mood this morning? Why yes, thank you. This should do wonders for me training.
I went in yesterday around 6:40. I liked that. Worked until 2 something. It took me 2.5 hours to get home because the wind and traffic were so bad. So bad that my sunglasses flew off my face at one point. A pair I have had for god knows how many years. Not happy about that. I am thinking about finding some goggles this weekend. Make it easier for me than sunglasses. People trying to squish me, wind trying to knock me over. At the same time dealing with B who wants me to write an email back to her dad. Which we ended up crafting together. He sent me a response this morning. Idiot and an asshole. If I ever meet this guy face to face I will not be as polite as I was in the email I sent. I really don't want to respond again. I feel like my director that time he had to deal with emails from an idiot cast member. I feel like I am communicating with a three year old.
Tried to relax last night but was just way too wound up. Ended up watching some tv and catching up on emails. I am still behind and need to do some forms for one guy but he can wait. Went to bed around 9:30.
Fuck. Almost time to leave so I don't sit in 3 hour traffic.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Y4 D362
Yesterday went a lot better than I was expecting it to. This was an upgrade gig - we are taking the client from a MUCH older version and bringing them up to date with the software. Usually work like this is a hair pulling, teeth grinding, pain in the patootie experience. Well thank the FSM because this went well, so far. There were a couple of hours in the morning where I thought we were going to have problems. We spent about two hours trying to get the migration tools to work when I suggested that we look at the complexity of their existing stuff and just start from scratch. That turned out to be the better decision. We ended up with something that is far cleaner and working better than the upgrade tools would have created. Not to mention, the client was able to make changes to the structure that he has been wanting to make for a while. End result, I am going back in today to move the remaining items (technically rebuild them), and then I am coming back next week for two days to more mentoring because he was so happy with how yesterday went.
Not only does this completely book out the rest of this week and next, it gives me an additional two more nights. As of right now, I need 11 to hold gold, 31 for diamond. This week's gives me two, next week gives me 2, and I have 2 booked for 6/11 and 6/12. That takes me down to 5 and 25 respectively. I will be going down to Socal 6/18-6/22 so that will give me 3 more nights. 2 and 22. I can do this. I will easily hit gold on my birthday and drop that diamond down to about 18. I can do this.
After work, around 3, we called it a day. I also like this guy because he gets in around 6:30 and is gone by 3:30. My kind of guy. I went and got a sandwich for later even though I am still feeling gigantic and fat. June 1st. No food for a month. Anyway, got food, brought it back to the hotel, and made the mistake of falling asleep. I didn't mean to. I ended up sleeping for two hours. I woke up to B calling me.
While we were talking I realized her dad had finally sent me an email. Let's just say it stunk of drunken ramblings. He threatened me very blatantly for 'manipulating his baby' and if it continues 'you won't like my decisions'. I shared all this with B and she was ready to file a restraining order against him. I felt that was a bit premature and that there probably wasn't enough in there to warrant it. But I also don't like being threatened. This guy comes anywhere near me or the kid? Dead man walking. Plain and simple.
We talked for a couple of hours and then I tried sleeping. Tossed and turned for over an hour but finally fell asleep. Off to the client. Tomorrow through friday are going to suck because of the commute I am about to have but I will deal. I just finished looking it up - 40 miles, but 1 hour at this time of the morning because of traffic. And these asses want to start at 9. That means I would have to leave the house at 7 and sit in traffic. I will probably leave around now and sit there instead. Makes more sense. But either way I am about to do 200 miles in three days. Fucking hate going to that area. Sigh. Oh well. Time to head out.
Not only does this completely book out the rest of this week and next, it gives me an additional two more nights. As of right now, I need 11 to hold gold, 31 for diamond. This week's gives me two, next week gives me 2, and I have 2 booked for 6/11 and 6/12. That takes me down to 5 and 25 respectively. I will be going down to Socal 6/18-6/22 so that will give me 3 more nights. 2 and 22. I can do this. I will easily hit gold on my birthday and drop that diamond down to about 18. I can do this.
After work, around 3, we called it a day. I also like this guy because he gets in around 6:30 and is gone by 3:30. My kind of guy. I went and got a sandwich for later even though I am still feeling gigantic and fat. June 1st. No food for a month. Anyway, got food, brought it back to the hotel, and made the mistake of falling asleep. I didn't mean to. I ended up sleeping for two hours. I woke up to B calling me.
While we were talking I realized her dad had finally sent me an email. Let's just say it stunk of drunken ramblings. He threatened me very blatantly for 'manipulating his baby' and if it continues 'you won't like my decisions'. I shared all this with B and she was ready to file a restraining order against him. I felt that was a bit premature and that there probably wasn't enough in there to warrant it. But I also don't like being threatened. This guy comes anywhere near me or the kid? Dead man walking. Plain and simple.
We talked for a couple of hours and then I tried sleeping. Tossed and turned for over an hour but finally fell asleep. Off to the client. Tomorrow through friday are going to suck because of the commute I am about to have but I will deal. I just finished looking it up - 40 miles, but 1 hour at this time of the morning because of traffic. And these asses want to start at 9. That means I would have to leave the house at 7 and sit in traffic. I will probably leave around now and sit there instead. Makes more sense. But either way I am about to do 200 miles in three days. Fucking hate going to that area. Sigh. Oh well. Time to head out.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Y4 D361
My ass was killing me yesterday. I rode 110 miles on the bike to this client. Why didn't I take the car? Because I am a nice guy and wanted the kid to have a car. Getting really fucking tired of this. Really tired. That was pretty much how I spent my day. A 2 hour bike ride through some fucked up traffic. Left the house around 1, got here about 3, read, played sims, ate.
Speaking of eating I made the mistake of weighing myself yesterday morning. I am a disgusting fat pig again. How the fuck did I put so much weight back on? I am not liking myself very much right now. I am giant. I refuse to eat in June. I need to literally starve for one month to get some of this fat off me.
Not doing well this morning. Tired. Cranky. Unhappy.
Speaking of eating I made the mistake of weighing myself yesterday morning. I am a disgusting fat pig again. How the fuck did I put so much weight back on? I am not liking myself very much right now. I am giant. I refuse to eat in June. I need to literally starve for one month to get some of this fat off me.
Not doing well this morning. Tired. Cranky. Unhappy.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Y4 D360
Slept horribly last night. I wasn't tired and ended up going to bed around 1:30. I then woke up in a sweat at 3:30. Just really weird bad dreams. I can't remember them all now, but they were about money and life and just weird things. Multi-dimensional travel, losing love, losing myself. So much swimming up there in my head I can't focus this morning.
I did pretty much nothing yesterday. The kid and I took a drive to the craft store. That was about it. Otherwise I stayed in the house. I made ribs for dinner. Watched tv. Scraped mirrored tiles. Played Sims.
I need to put my head together. I am driving today to a client. It's about 120 miles away so I am taking the bike and staying over night. There is no way I am driving 240 miles a day for two days especially since they want me onsite 10-12 hours a day. Plus this way I get two more nights at a hotel. 31 until I max out top tier at Hilton this year. I can count at least 7 in the next month. Get me down to 24. Another 4 in July and I will be down to 20 nights in 5 months. I think I can do it. I came within 15 nights last year. Let's see if I can beat that.
I am struggling to remember what I did yesterday. Oh, we went to the Japanese grocery store for lunch while we were out. Found a Disney movie in the bargain bin for $5. Holes. So I added one more Disney movie to the collection. 122 now.
There's a character in John Green's books known as "The Collector". I swear I can relate and will end up like him one day. Warehouses of stuff he doesn't even want, but has to collect. Sigh.
I want to go back to bed.
I did pretty much nothing yesterday. The kid and I took a drive to the craft store. That was about it. Otherwise I stayed in the house. I made ribs for dinner. Watched tv. Scraped mirrored tiles. Played Sims.
I need to put my head together. I am driving today to a client. It's about 120 miles away so I am taking the bike and staying over night. There is no way I am driving 240 miles a day for two days especially since they want me onsite 10-12 hours a day. Plus this way I get two more nights at a hotel. 31 until I max out top tier at Hilton this year. I can count at least 7 in the next month. Get me down to 24. Another 4 in July and I will be down to 20 nights in 5 months. I think I can do it. I came within 15 nights last year. Let's see if I can beat that.
I am struggling to remember what I did yesterday. Oh, we went to the Japanese grocery store for lunch while we were out. Found a Disney movie in the bargain bin for $5. Holes. So I added one more Disney movie to the collection. 122 now.
There's a character in John Green's books known as "The Collector". I swear I can relate and will end up like him one day. Warehouses of stuff he doesn't even want, but has to collect. Sigh.
I want to go back to bed.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Y4 D359
Hey it's Saturday! Whee!!
I have so many plans and so many social things - oh wait. No I don't. I have absolutely nothing going on today except packing for tomorrow. I don't even have a show tonight. Which pretty much sums up yesterday too.
Sometimes I get sad on a Friday when no one calls or says 'hey what are you doing tonight?'. I was up at 3:30 yesterday again for training. Good class as far as I am concerned. It went all the way until 1pm. I slept for about 2 hours afterwards because I was just exhausted. It took a lot of energy out of me yesterday. When I got up, I watched some Justice League then around 4:30 went out and ran some errands. I needed to get some for next week's special show and I know I won't have time this week to do it since I am booked solid all week with training classes. Got a little frustrated while I was out. Tried to find some place to get something to eat and every place had a line out the door. I hate waiting for food if I don't have to wait. I ended up going to Best Buy as I had a $5 gift coupon. I bought an old video game which was already on sale for $14.99. I bought Batman Arkham City for $10 basically. Something I never played, but is supposed to be really good.
Got home, played for about an hour. I did find food btw - a Mexican place with no line. Nothing exciting. I was in bed by 10pm. That's my day, that's my life.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Y4 D358
Trained all day yesterday. A little rough. Was up at 3:30 as I was today. Started class at 5am. 12 people. Hard to wrangle 12 people's attention at that time of the morning. They may be awake but I certainly am not.
Class went well regardless. Over at 1, took a nap until 2:30. Caught up on some emails. At 4:30 went grocery shopping with the kid and KBF. Got more than enough food to last while I am gone next week. Did deal with one issue - B's mom sent me an email saying that B's dad wanted a 'man to man' with me and could she share my email. After talking it over with B, we gave him one of my dummy accounts that can't be linked back to my real name, nor if you search it on google does it return anything. Still nothing, but I expect that to change. My opinion is I will get some drunken rambling violent email this weekend.
Cest la vie.
She connected with my sister on Facebook last night. That makes me happy. She also sent my niece a friend request, but she hasn't responded yet.
This is happening whether you all think I am nuts or not. Ah who am I kidding, you all think I am nuts anyway...
Class went well regardless. Over at 1, took a nap until 2:30. Caught up on some emails. At 4:30 went grocery shopping with the kid and KBF. Got more than enough food to last while I am gone next week. Did deal with one issue - B's mom sent me an email saying that B's dad wanted a 'man to man' with me and could she share my email. After talking it over with B, we gave him one of my dummy accounts that can't be linked back to my real name, nor if you search it on google does it return anything. Still nothing, but I expect that to change. My opinion is I will get some drunken rambling violent email this weekend.
Cest la vie.
She connected with my sister on Facebook last night. That makes me happy. She also sent my niece a friend request, but she hasn't responded yet.
This is happening whether you all think I am nuts or not. Ah who am I kidding, you all think I am nuts anyway...
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Y4 D357
Good news from the IRS yesterday. Yes, I know that's a weird sentence, but it's true. I got a letter stating that they applied my 'refund' to my back taxes and my new balance is $957. Why is that good news? Because the state owes me $3200. I am now waiting to see if they send me the entire $3200 or if they apply the $957 directly and send me $2200. Either way, my debt will be clear and I will be 2k to the good. I will use a large portion of that to pay off two credit cards in full. In FULL. After that I will still be able to put some money into my savings account, use some money for my birthday, and feel good about the entire situation. THAT is the good news. The downside is waiting for the state to get its shit together. Who knows how long that will take. The longer running implications of this are that next year this time, I will be able to keep ALL of my money. That means I can actually start saving again. I can pay off one more credit card IN FULL and be able to put a little extra towards the others. I am on track to my 2015 goal. In 2015 my debt will be manageable, my car paid off, my bike paid off, and things should be good. Only 6 years later, but hey, it's all good baby.
Had a frustrating day with work yesterday. Dealt with schedules and being pulled in six different directions. I spent way more time than I would have liked talking to this person and that person about everything. In the end we got things on the calendar all the way through August. Of course it's all subject to change without notice, but at least everyone knows what I am doing now. No mystery anywhere. That's the definite upside.
Worked on another client in the afternoon until about 6. Took a ride on the bike to Taco Bell for dinner since I was feeling pretty damn lazy. I will go to the grocery store this weekend and make sure the kid has food while I am gone. I am out of town Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday next week and need to make sure she is good. Get a roast or some chicken. Easy to cook stuff. Soup, etc.
Watched a little TV. Waiting for the new episode of Supernatural to come down. It was the season finale last night!! Can't wait to see it. The next week or two sees the end of most of my shows until fall which is nice because I can stop worrying about downloading stuff for a little while. Leave my friend alone about that kind of stuff.
B has now officially told all her family and posted on Facebook she is moving. Some people think I am nuts but I trust my gut. Last time I did that, I got a good decade out of it. Seriously. X2 and I hardly new each other when I said move in. We lasted 11 years from that. If a couple of things had been different we would still be together. I have to trust my instincts and gut sometimes. Frankly I am taking the least risk in all this. She is the one moving, not me. I need to remember that and be thankful and appreciative to her.
Time to teach. My day will be done at 1. I hate the morning, but love being done so damn early.
Had a frustrating day with work yesterday. Dealt with schedules and being pulled in six different directions. I spent way more time than I would have liked talking to this person and that person about everything. In the end we got things on the calendar all the way through August. Of course it's all subject to change without notice, but at least everyone knows what I am doing now. No mystery anywhere. That's the definite upside.
Worked on another client in the afternoon until about 6. Took a ride on the bike to Taco Bell for dinner since I was feeling pretty damn lazy. I will go to the grocery store this weekend and make sure the kid has food while I am gone. I am out of town Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday next week and need to make sure she is good. Get a roast or some chicken. Easy to cook stuff. Soup, etc.
Watched a little TV. Waiting for the new episode of Supernatural to come down. It was the season finale last night!! Can't wait to see it. The next week or two sees the end of most of my shows until fall which is nice because I can stop worrying about downloading stuff for a little while. Leave my friend alone about that kind of stuff.
B has now officially told all her family and posted on Facebook she is moving. Some people think I am nuts but I trust my gut. Last time I did that, I got a good decade out of it. Seriously. X2 and I hardly new each other when I said move in. We lasted 11 years from that. If a couple of things had been different we would still be together. I have to trust my instincts and gut sometimes. Frankly I am taking the least risk in all this. She is the one moving, not me. I need to remember that and be thankful and appreciative to her.
Time to teach. My day will be done at 1. I hate the morning, but love being done so damn early.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Y4 D356
Dealt with annoying client again yesterday. I am going to be so thankful when this week is over and I will be done with him. Tomorrow and Friday I will be teaching his group (from 5am - 1pm) and then we will be 'done' for now. Any further communication I can pass off to sales people or otherwise. What else did I do yesterday? Well..
Darkness started creeping back in. I was sad for a good portion of yesterday without any real reason. It turned into one of those long days. The kind of day where you feel like it should be over already and it's 11am. The day dragged like hell causing me to think about every dark shadow in my mind. Not a good day. Felt like I was slowly going back into the hole. Not fun. I tried to keep it at bay by working on a project. I ended up covering a mouse in glitter. Then I dissected a disco ball.
I went out around 4 and saw some friends for a little while. We just caught up on some stuff. Nothing exciting. Came back and the kid had brought me food. Her and KBF went to an afghan place and brought me something back. That was nice. We all watched Avengers together and then I went to bed.
Still not feeling it this morning.
Darkness started creeping back in. I was sad for a good portion of yesterday without any real reason. It turned into one of those long days. The kind of day where you feel like it should be over already and it's 11am. The day dragged like hell causing me to think about every dark shadow in my mind. Not a good day. Felt like I was slowly going back into the hole. Not fun. I tried to keep it at bay by working on a project. I ended up covering a mouse in glitter. Then I dissected a disco ball.
I went out around 4 and saw some friends for a little while. We just caught up on some stuff. Nothing exciting. Came back and the kid had brought me food. Her and KBF went to an afghan place and brought me something back. That was nice. We all watched Avengers together and then I went to bed.
Still not feeling it this morning.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Y4 D355
Quiet day. Some people hate Mondays because they have to get up and go to an office. I hate Mondays because the gardeners come and make a mess and a whole lot of noise. Totally screws with my morning nap. Yeah, first world white whine problems.
Had an interesting dream last night. The first time I have had a dream with B in it. We were moving into a new house. It was a nice house too. I realized during the dream that I had yet to really see the inside and was just happy with the outside. Discuss...
Worked on paperwork and administrative shit all day yesterday. Made a steak for dinner. Watched Grimm and Justice League. A note on Justice League - that show is pretty fucking deep for a 'kids show'. A lot going on there.
Last night I decided to see if I could make something work and it did. I was able to play Sims 3 which I haven't played in forever because I can't find the original DVD. I figured fuck it and tried applying a no cd hack. Worked like a champ.
Was in bed by 11. Woke up at 3 to the fucking sprinkler still being broken outside my window. Fun stuff. I am cranky and tired this morning and an east coast client is already bugging the shit out of me. This guy is going to be a major pain in my ass I can tell, but the client could be worth millions to the company which means I have to suck it up and play nice.
Ugh.
Had an interesting dream last night. The first time I have had a dream with B in it. We were moving into a new house. It was a nice house too. I realized during the dream that I had yet to really see the inside and was just happy with the outside. Discuss...
Worked on paperwork and administrative shit all day yesterday. Made a steak for dinner. Watched Grimm and Justice League. A note on Justice League - that show is pretty fucking deep for a 'kids show'. A lot going on there.
Last night I decided to see if I could make something work and it did. I was able to play Sims 3 which I haven't played in forever because I can't find the original DVD. I figured fuck it and tried applying a no cd hack. Worked like a champ.
Was in bed by 11. Woke up at 3 to the fucking sprinkler still being broken outside my window. Fun stuff. I am cranky and tired this morning and an east coast client is already bugging the shit out of me. This guy is going to be a major pain in my ass I can tell, but the client could be worth millions to the company which means I have to suck it up and play nice.
Ugh.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Y4 D354
I got a whole lot of nothing done yesterday and that ain't no bad thing. I did pick up my new corporate card which is awesome. Because now I have ZERO stress when I am on the road. Need dinner? Not a problem. Hotel charges? Got it covered. Not a penny out of my own pocket. Perfect. Took the bike over to my boss's house to pick up the card so I even got a decent ride in yesterday. That was fun. I will say, it is totally true that the only difference between men and boys is the price of our toys. There were at least three times yesterday when someone wanted to try and race me. It was one of those days. Lots of vroom vroom going on at stop lights. Not a bad thing. Just funny. We are all over grown children when we get in our shiny toys.
Hung my bulletin boards finally. Managed to accomplish that as well. Talked to B. She is sad. Because we have seen each other every month so far and this month it isn't going to happen. BUT we are int he last few weeks before she is here. I told her to just hang tight because soon she will be sick of seeing me. Everyone gets sick of me eventually.
Watched Paranorman with the kid while we ate dinner. Made pasta, caesar salad, and corn. Simple easy food. Talked to B and went to bed.
Home this week which means a week of nothing exciting. Good.
Hung my bulletin boards finally. Managed to accomplish that as well. Talked to B. She is sad. Because we have seen each other every month so far and this month it isn't going to happen. BUT we are int he last few weeks before she is here. I told her to just hang tight because soon she will be sick of seeing me. Everyone gets sick of me eventually.
Watched Paranorman with the kid while we ate dinner. Made pasta, caesar salad, and corn. Simple easy food. Talked to B and went to bed.
Home this week which means a week of nothing exciting. Good.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Y4 D353
It's only Sunday? Seriously? It feels like I have been going non-stop for a week not just two days. Last night as we were driving home the sun was still high and I swear I thought it was like 3pm but it was already six. Lost weekend. Thank goodness we decided to come home on Saturday instead of today. I still have today to decompress.
We had a full day yesterday that's for sure. Got up around 8, left the hotel, and headed back into the park. We rode some rides, found some more pins, got gifts for a couple of people, watched the Rapunzel show, and headed out around 4. There was traffic and it took us a good six and a half hours to get home but it was worth it. We sang along to songs, talked about nothing, and made it home in one piece.
This was my kind of weekend. I had fun. Today we do nothing.
We had a full day yesterday that's for sure. Got up around 8, left the hotel, and headed back into the park. We rode some rides, found some more pins, got gifts for a couple of people, watched the Rapunzel show, and headed out around 4. There was traffic and it took us a good six and a half hours to get home but it was worth it. We sang along to songs, talked about nothing, and made it home in one piece.
This was my kind of weekend. I had fun. Today we do nothing.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Y4 D352
Wild day yesterday was. Talk like Yoda apparently do I.
Left the house around midnight and drove all night on about 2 hours sleep. The kid and I had a great drive down. We talked about a lot of things. Society, the future, the world, etc. It was a great time. I don't think we turned on the radio once during the trip. We rolled into town around 5:30 as expected. Parked the car and since we are staying at the nice Hilton, I took a chance and went into the lobby. It was dead which gave me hope for something. I went to the desk and asked the guy there if it would be possible to check in 8 hours early. He looked everything up and told me he could either check me in early and put me on the executive floor with no park view or wait and I could have a park view. Check. Me. In. Top floor room done. Plus he gave us extra coupons for free starbucks/breakfast just because he liked us. We walked over to Ihop for some breakfast, came back to the room and crashed for a little while. Both of us were feeling like 'this has been a long ass day' and it was 8:30. Finally walk over to the park around 9. It was more crowded than either of us expected. We learned later in the night why. We walked and saw princesses, and rode Alice, and had a fun day. Around 3 after having a late lunch on the pier, we headed back to the hotel. The plan was to sleep for a while. That worked for her, but not me. I started getting phone calls right and left. The short of it is one friend got a job as a result of a reference, another got a job with MY company thanks to my recommendation, and everybody is happy. I am happy for my friend because we have worked together in the past and he is a great guy and will truly be an asset to the company. The kid slept through all this but not me. Oh well. I got an email from someone who follows me on Tumblr asking if I would be at the park later to pin trade and if I wanted to meet up. Sure! We exchanged numbers and planned to connect later. Around 6 we headed back to the park. She wanted to do some shopping so we popped to Downtown Disney. Neither of us found anything. We went to go in to DCA for Mad T and the lines were insane. We still couldn't figure out why. As we hit Mad T I noticed the crowd was less animated than usual and nobody had drinks. Something was wrong. As I walked to the drink booth a cast member stopped me and said 'just so you know sir, we aren't serving alcohol tonight just the mocktails'. W! T! F??? Grad night. Fucking high school kids. Son of a bitch. That explained the crowds. That explained the lack of excitement at Mad T. I texted the person I was going to meet and let them know that there was no mad tea at Mad T. Sad. The kid and I headed over to Carthay Circle and decided to have drinks and appetizers there. Turns out our server was our very first server when it was her first week AND she was my server three weeks ago while B was with me. Nice. We ended up having all the desserts and a lobster roll. Because she knew me and things were busy, our server comped the lobster roll. Woo! Afterwards, the kid and I went back and decided to do the animation studio where we learned how to draw Oswald. After I met up with the tumblr person. She was there with another friend. We wandered around a bit and said goodbye as I was out of pins. Not a bad thing mind you. I did about 25 trades yesterday. Just under 1200 now. We went shopping and headed out of the park. Back at the hotel around 11 and we both CRASHED HARD. Didn't wake up until 8 this morning. Today we are going back, doing a little shopping and then heading home.
Side note to yesterday - B's dad decided to freak out. After the initial shock wore off apparently he decided I was a sicko who deserved to die and his daughter isn't going anywhere. Yeah, good luck with that asshole. He tried to hack B's facebook account, he made threats against me and the kid, and was basically acting like a lunatic. Go back on heroin you ass. B was not happy as expected. I was trying to balance talking to her while being in the park. Got tricky but I managed.
You know what is the big deal about age difference anyway? I am not stealing his daughter to sell into slavery. I am not like taking a small child and violating them. She is a grown adult capable of making her own decisions. What difference does it make how old I am? If I want to be with her and take care of her what does it matter? Man people piss me off. Sigh. Whatever.
Left the house around midnight and drove all night on about 2 hours sleep. The kid and I had a great drive down. We talked about a lot of things. Society, the future, the world, etc. It was a great time. I don't think we turned on the radio once during the trip. We rolled into town around 5:30 as expected. Parked the car and since we are staying at the nice Hilton, I took a chance and went into the lobby. It was dead which gave me hope for something. I went to the desk and asked the guy there if it would be possible to check in 8 hours early. He looked everything up and told me he could either check me in early and put me on the executive floor with no park view or wait and I could have a park view. Check. Me. In. Top floor room done. Plus he gave us extra coupons for free starbucks/breakfast just because he liked us. We walked over to Ihop for some breakfast, came back to the room and crashed for a little while. Both of us were feeling like 'this has been a long ass day' and it was 8:30. Finally walk over to the park around 9. It was more crowded than either of us expected. We learned later in the night why. We walked and saw princesses, and rode Alice, and had a fun day. Around 3 after having a late lunch on the pier, we headed back to the hotel. The plan was to sleep for a while. That worked for her, but not me. I started getting phone calls right and left. The short of it is one friend got a job as a result of a reference, another got a job with MY company thanks to my recommendation, and everybody is happy. I am happy for my friend because we have worked together in the past and he is a great guy and will truly be an asset to the company. The kid slept through all this but not me. Oh well. I got an email from someone who follows me on Tumblr asking if I would be at the park later to pin trade and if I wanted to meet up. Sure! We exchanged numbers and planned to connect later. Around 6 we headed back to the park. She wanted to do some shopping so we popped to Downtown Disney. Neither of us found anything. We went to go in to DCA for Mad T and the lines were insane. We still couldn't figure out why. As we hit Mad T I noticed the crowd was less animated than usual and nobody had drinks. Something was wrong. As I walked to the drink booth a cast member stopped me and said 'just so you know sir, we aren't serving alcohol tonight just the mocktails'. W! T! F??? Grad night. Fucking high school kids. Son of a bitch. That explained the crowds. That explained the lack of excitement at Mad T. I texted the person I was going to meet and let them know that there was no mad tea at Mad T. Sad. The kid and I headed over to Carthay Circle and decided to have drinks and appetizers there. Turns out our server was our very first server when it was her first week AND she was my server three weeks ago while B was with me. Nice. We ended up having all the desserts and a lobster roll. Because she knew me and things were busy, our server comped the lobster roll. Woo! Afterwards, the kid and I went back and decided to do the animation studio where we learned how to draw Oswald. After I met up with the tumblr person. She was there with another friend. We wandered around a bit and said goodbye as I was out of pins. Not a bad thing mind you. I did about 25 trades yesterday. Just under 1200 now. We went shopping and headed out of the park. Back at the hotel around 11 and we both CRASHED HARD. Didn't wake up until 8 this morning. Today we are going back, doing a little shopping and then heading home.
Side note to yesterday - B's dad decided to freak out. After the initial shock wore off apparently he decided I was a sicko who deserved to die and his daughter isn't going anywhere. Yeah, good luck with that asshole. He tried to hack B's facebook account, he made threats against me and the kid, and was basically acting like a lunatic. Go back on heroin you ass. B was not happy as expected. I was trying to balance talking to her while being in the park. Got tricky but I managed.
You know what is the big deal about age difference anyway? I am not stealing his daughter to sell into slavery. I am not like taking a small child and violating them. She is a grown adult capable of making her own decisions. What difference does it make how old I am? If I want to be with her and take care of her what does it matter? Man people piss me off. Sigh. Whatever.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Y4 D351
Left the hotel around 1:30. Got to Phoenix at 3:40. Dropped off the car and was at my gate at 4:30am. Sigh. Sat until 5:30. Arrived in LAX at 7:30. SAT THERE until noon. Damn delays. Finally got home around 1pm.
While I was doing all that, B was having lunch with her dad telling him she was moving. It went better than either of us could have expected. We are all happy. Messed around at home, slept a little. Last night, B and I went through the calendar. We think she can leave MI as early as 6/21. This means she will be here BEFORE my birthday!!
Left at midnight and drove to Disneyland. Here now.
While I was doing all that, B was having lunch with her dad telling him she was moving. It went better than either of us could have expected. We are all happy. Messed around at home, slept a little. Last night, B and I went through the calendar. We think she can leave MI as early as 6/21. This means she will be here BEFORE my birthday!!
Left at midnight and drove to Disneyland. Here now.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Y4 D350
Little over two weeks and we are in year five. Damn.
Trained ALL day yesterday. From 7am to 5:20pm. Long ass day. Came back to the hotel and crashed. Slept until 10. Talked to B for about 30 minutes and crashed again until 12:30. I am leaving shortly for the airport. Get home in about 11 hours.
That's it. Nothing of any other significance to report right now.
Trained ALL day yesterday. From 7am to 5:20pm. Long ass day. Came back to the hotel and crashed. Slept until 10. Talked to B for about 30 minutes and crashed again until 12:30. I am leaving shortly for the airport. Get home in about 11 hours.
That's it. Nothing of any other significance to report right now.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Y4 D349
I am in Arizona. Process that for a minute. Ar-i-zona. I spent most of March in what? Snow. Cold. So they thought they were being nice - send him to Arizona before it gets too hot. What does it do last night? It fucking snows. I am not kidding you. In Arizona. It. Fucking. Snowed. Seriously world? Sigh.
Yesterday was a little insane. At the last minute the client changed the location of where we were scheduled to train. Originally they had us at their offices here in town. But they didn't like the setup of the room because we had 8 people and it would have been cramped. Instead we are at a formal conference center place. It's a very nice space. However their firewall also doesn't allow us to hit our servers. We spent 90 minutes yesterday morning scrambling to get everyone connected. We got there early just in case this might happen but we ended up losing about 30 minutes. It's okay because I usually finish this class 30-45 minutes early on day two, but now I have no buffer. That I don't like.
Was there from about 7 until 5. One nice thing about this center is the food. They fed us like madmen yesterday. Snacks, a sit down lunch, and a full breakfast spread. I did not go hungry yesterday. Afterwards, the main guy on this called me and asked if I wanted to get a drink. Sure. Turns out half the class is staying in town from other locations and they were all supposed to get dinner but because it was a tiring day everyone begged off. He was looking forward to going out and called me. I'm cool with that. We had a couple of drinks, shot the shit, and then I had cold stone for dinner. Yeah. Ice cream for dinner. Go me.
Talked to B when she got home from work. We talked for about an hour and then I went to bed. Slept pretty well. Maybe it's the COLD SNOWY AIR...
Yesterday was a little insane. At the last minute the client changed the location of where we were scheduled to train. Originally they had us at their offices here in town. But they didn't like the setup of the room because we had 8 people and it would have been cramped. Instead we are at a formal conference center place. It's a very nice space. However their firewall also doesn't allow us to hit our servers. We spent 90 minutes yesterday morning scrambling to get everyone connected. We got there early just in case this might happen but we ended up losing about 30 minutes. It's okay because I usually finish this class 30-45 minutes early on day two, but now I have no buffer. That I don't like.
Was there from about 7 until 5. One nice thing about this center is the food. They fed us like madmen yesterday. Snacks, a sit down lunch, and a full breakfast spread. I did not go hungry yesterday. Afterwards, the main guy on this called me and asked if I wanted to get a drink. Sure. Turns out half the class is staying in town from other locations and they were all supposed to get dinner but because it was a tiring day everyone begged off. He was looking forward to going out and called me. I'm cool with that. We had a couple of drinks, shot the shit, and then I had cold stone for dinner. Yeah. Ice cream for dinner. Go me.
Talked to B when she got home from work. We talked for about an hour and then I went to bed. Slept pretty well. Maybe it's the COLD SNOWY AIR...
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Y4 D348
Yesterday was a travel day which means not a whole lot to report on. Didn't even really think much yesterday. Just kind of went on auto-pilot the whole day. Left the house around 6:30, hit LAX at 10:30, left for Phoenix around 1, arrived in Phoenix about 2:30, drove from Phoenix to Flagstaff, hit there at about 5 and that's my day. Had a decent dinner at a place across the street from the hotel. I will admit, this is not the Arizona I am used to from past travels. It's actually really nice here. Reminds me more of Oregon than Arizona. Cooler temperatures, higher altitude, trees... Almost livable.
Hotel is normal. Nothing exciting to report there. B worked all day while I traveled. She was working from roughly noon until 8 my time which kept her busy and not worried about me. We skyped until about 9 and then we both went off to bed. I watched a couple more episodes of Grimm yesterday. May watch one more this morning while I wait to go meet the client.
Training all day today and tomorrow.
Hotel is normal. Nothing exciting to report there. B worked all day while I traveled. She was working from roughly noon until 8 my time which kept her busy and not worried about me. We skyped until about 9 and then we both went off to bed. I watched a couple more episodes of Grimm yesterday. May watch one more this morning while I wait to go meet the client.
Training all day today and tomorrow.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Y4 D347
Up early but not too early. Off to the airport in a little while. I have a 9am flight which is late for me, but I am okay with it. I am so used to the earlier flights that this feels weird.
Left the house but once yesterday to go to the grocery store. I got peach cobbler ice cream, potatoes, and salad. All used last night. I made ice cream bread from the ice cream. For dinner I made corned beef and had the potatoes and salad. This resulted in the kid having more than enough food for while I am gone. She didn't get home until 9:30 last night, 90 minutes later than expected but she came home to food. That's all that matters.
Talked to B during the day and a skype session last night. I started thinking about something. For once I wish I had parents I could turn to in order to help me out on something. I realized that if B wants to move in at the end of July, early August that means there is probably no way we can afford a plane ticket for her at the beginning of the month for my birthday. This fucking sucks. I had hoped she would be able to fly in the friday before my birthday, then spend a couple of days in Disneyland with me, and fly back on like Wednesday. But there's no fucking way I can afford that. Oh look, another birthday that will spent alone and this time I even have a girlfriend. What a shock. Kind of like when I had a wife and spent it alone.
How is it possible that I am with someone and yet still end up spending my birthday alone? Most people could turn to their family for help in a case like this. Not me. And it's not their fault. Well not my sister's fault. She has her own stuff going on. This is where I miss having normal parents. Fuck it.
Watched a bunch of Grimm last night. Am getting hooked on that show. Bringing the rest of the first season with me to watch this week.
Time to fly.
Left the house but once yesterday to go to the grocery store. I got peach cobbler ice cream, potatoes, and salad. All used last night. I made ice cream bread from the ice cream. For dinner I made corned beef and had the potatoes and salad. This resulted in the kid having more than enough food for while I am gone. She didn't get home until 9:30 last night, 90 minutes later than expected but she came home to food. That's all that matters.
Talked to B during the day and a skype session last night. I started thinking about something. For once I wish I had parents I could turn to in order to help me out on something. I realized that if B wants to move in at the end of July, early August that means there is probably no way we can afford a plane ticket for her at the beginning of the month for my birthday. This fucking sucks. I had hoped she would be able to fly in the friday before my birthday, then spend a couple of days in Disneyland with me, and fly back on like Wednesday. But there's no fucking way I can afford that. Oh look, another birthday that will spent alone and this time I even have a girlfriend. What a shock. Kind of like when I had a wife and spent it alone.
How is it possible that I am with someone and yet still end up spending my birthday alone? Most people could turn to their family for help in a case like this. Not me. And it's not their fault. Well not my sister's fault. She has her own stuff going on. This is where I miss having normal parents. Fuck it.
Watched a bunch of Grimm last night. Am getting hooked on that show. Bringing the rest of the first season with me to watch this week.
Time to fly.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Y4 D346
I am VERY sore this morning. It was a rough show last night as we were short handed for props and then we needed to load everything into the truck. I will say that everyone came together at the end of the show to help load the truck and it was fantastic. I have never seen the truck get loaded as quickly as it did last night. Made me feel good. But I am bleeding in a couple of places and am tired and sore. I could have slept a couple more hours, but I have to check in for my flight soon.
Did some grocery shopping with the kid yesterday. Got stuff for dinner while I am home and then enough for her to function while I am gone. Not a lot, but enough to make sure she doesn't starve. Speaking of that, yesterday B had a conversation with her grandmother which was interesting. Her grandmother was saying that B should live on her own for a while before being with anyone. Not just meaning me, but completely alone - no roommate, no man, etc. And B tried in vain to explain to her grandmother that in today's society for the average person that is just not possible. She asked me if could find some numbers to back her up. I did.
Where B lives, the minimum wage is $7.40 an hour. At full time with no overtime that equals $15,392 a year. Average rent in her county for a 1 bed 1 bath is $600 - $650 a month. Average annual taxes on her salary would net her roughly $12,000 a year. After paying $600 a month for rent, she would be left with $600 a month for groceries, utilities, gas, insurance, etc. It is physically impossible for one person to live any kind of non-stressful, non-insane life at that level. You just can't do it. You would have to make $15 - $20 an hour, which is a challenge for most folks let alone ones without years of experience or blue collar status in her area.
I shared all this with the kid and KBF and they agreed 100%. It's one of the reasons why they stress out. Things are proportionally more expensive here and that $15-$20 is barely enough to even live. It goes up to $25-$30 an hour to be able to even THINK about living alone. There was major empathy going on around here.
Let's see... I played some diablo. Watched some justice league. Started getting ready for my trip next week. I need to pack today. That's about it during the day. Caught up on four weeks of timesheets.
Made sloppy joe's and mac and cheese for dinner. Was awesome comfort food.
Got ready for the show around 9. Left around 10. Like I said before, the show was good. No drama, no issues. Hopefully today will be relaxing too.
Did some grocery shopping with the kid yesterday. Got stuff for dinner while I am home and then enough for her to function while I am gone. Not a lot, but enough to make sure she doesn't starve. Speaking of that, yesterday B had a conversation with her grandmother which was interesting. Her grandmother was saying that B should live on her own for a while before being with anyone. Not just meaning me, but completely alone - no roommate, no man, etc. And B tried in vain to explain to her grandmother that in today's society for the average person that is just not possible. She asked me if could find some numbers to back her up. I did.
Where B lives, the minimum wage is $7.40 an hour. At full time with no overtime that equals $15,392 a year. Average rent in her county for a 1 bed 1 bath is $600 - $650 a month. Average annual taxes on her salary would net her roughly $12,000 a year. After paying $600 a month for rent, she would be left with $600 a month for groceries, utilities, gas, insurance, etc. It is physically impossible for one person to live any kind of non-stressful, non-insane life at that level. You just can't do it. You would have to make $15 - $20 an hour, which is a challenge for most folks let alone ones without years of experience or blue collar status in her area.
I shared all this with the kid and KBF and they agreed 100%. It's one of the reasons why they stress out. Things are proportionally more expensive here and that $15-$20 is barely enough to even live. It goes up to $25-$30 an hour to be able to even THINK about living alone. There was major empathy going on around here.
Let's see... I played some diablo. Watched some justice league. Started getting ready for my trip next week. I need to pack today. That's about it during the day. Caught up on four weeks of timesheets.
Made sloppy joe's and mac and cheese for dinner. Was awesome comfort food.
Got ready for the show around 9. Left around 10. Like I said before, the show was good. No drama, no issues. Hopefully today will be relaxing too.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Y4 D345
Three more weeks and this year is over. Wow. Have I done anything in a year? Not really. I don't want to start dwelling on that. Just depress me. Too early on a saturday morning to be depressed.
Taught yesterday. Good class. I am noticing some repeat customers. People who specifically are taking classes because I am teaching them. This is good. This means I am building up a regular customer base which gives me good leverage within the company. I even had one student tell me directly they were glad it was me teaching the class. That always feels good.
After class tried playing Bioshock. This last battle is kicking my ass. I will beat it today. I don't care how many times I have to redo things. Such lofty goals for a weekend.
Went to my friend's happy hour. Since I worked with her company before, I know a lot of the people at her company so she invited me to join them. It was fun. I realized it was the first time I have had a drink since Disneyland. Two weeks ago. Not bad. If I can go 2-3 weeks between drinking then at least I have made some self improvement in the last year. That's a good thing, right?
Got home around 8 or 9 to the kid and KBF doing his hair for the show tonight. I ignored them and talked with B. She had another productive day of house cleaning and getting things put together to move. She donated bags of books and clothes to the goodwill. Made her feel good.
That's about it. Went to bed around 10 and slept fairly well. Let's see how today goes. Show tonight.
Taught yesterday. Good class. I am noticing some repeat customers. People who specifically are taking classes because I am teaching them. This is good. This means I am building up a regular customer base which gives me good leverage within the company. I even had one student tell me directly they were glad it was me teaching the class. That always feels good.
After class tried playing Bioshock. This last battle is kicking my ass. I will beat it today. I don't care how many times I have to redo things. Such lofty goals for a weekend.
Went to my friend's happy hour. Since I worked with her company before, I know a lot of the people at her company so she invited me to join them. It was fun. I realized it was the first time I have had a drink since Disneyland. Two weeks ago. Not bad. If I can go 2-3 weeks between drinking then at least I have made some self improvement in the last year. That's a good thing, right?
Got home around 8 or 9 to the kid and KBF doing his hair for the show tonight. I ignored them and talked with B. She had another productive day of house cleaning and getting things put together to move. She donated bags of books and clothes to the goodwill. Made her feel good.
That's about it. Went to bed around 10 and slept fairly well. Let's see how today goes. Show tonight.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Y4 D344
I got absolutely nothing accomplished yesterday. Seriously. Nothing. I worked on some docs, I did paperwork, I answered a bunch of emails, but was any of it any substance? No. It was all mindless work. Today I am teaching. Today I will feel productive. I hope.
Almost finished Bioshock yesterday. I am on the final battle. I can't get through it though. Yes, that's my big goal for the weekend. Finish a video game. Then pack. Do a show. I am not in a good place this morning. I can tell. I can feel it.
I slept like shit. Well correction, once I finally slept it was okay, but I tossed and turned for an hour. No more napping. Naps are fucking me up.
Don't want to be awake today.
Almost finished Bioshock yesterday. I am on the final battle. I can't get through it though. Yes, that's my big goal for the weekend. Finish a video game. Then pack. Do a show. I am not in a good place this morning. I can tell. I can feel it.
I slept like shit. Well correction, once I finally slept it was okay, but I tossed and turned for an hour. No more napping. Naps are fucking me up.
Don't want to be awake today.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Y4 D343
I am not despite what I wanted in Disneyland right now. I am at home typing away as usual. In the end I decided that having fun did not give me a license to act irresponsibly. It didn't give me the luxury of putting myself or anyone else in potential harm's way. Having fun doesn't give me the right to stretch myself to thin financially, mentally, or physically. In the end, it was a grandiose idea that would have resulted in disaster. Part of that decision came because of work. While I thought I was going to have some quiet time the next few weeks, at 11am yesterday that all shifted. I am now going to be in Arizona on Monday. I was already teaching a class tomorrow which would have been hell, but now I am not only teaching from home, I am getting on a plane and teaching out there. The minute I get home from that I have a solid week locally followed by a week of running around to places semi-local. In short the next three weeks are going to be hectic and crazy. To stretch myself by going to Disneyland today for a few pins and being so wrought over things to come would have been ridiculous and stupid. Hence, I am home.
Yesterday ended up being a serious whirlwind of activity and today is feeling the same already. Messages have been flying around for the last 20 hours about who is going to staff what, who is available when, etc. This trip to Arizona is crazy because it is last minute. I have to fly to Phoenix and then drive to Flagstaff. Not a problem on the way in, but on the way home I have to leave Flagstaff at roughly 2am in order to make my flight. FUN.
Also yesterday as needed by one other client, I had to do an updated 'resume'. They wanted to see if my credentials are solid. They being the client. On one hand I get it - if you're used to hiring contractors you want to see a resume. But we aren't contractors. We're consultants of a firm that specializes in what we do. Do they think we hire just nobodies off the street? It's a lot of effort for a bunch of bullshit in my opinion. The upside? My resume is updated. A few little tweaks and I could easily send it out to other companies. And right now I am in that kind of mood. Because as part of having to do this, I saw the sheer number of clients I have worked on in the last year and the size of the projects. D.A.M.N. I am severely underpaid it would appear. At the same time I have a lot of freedom and freedom comes at a price, doesn't it?
B was busy yesterday too. She started tearing her room apart to get ready to move. Throwing stuff away, making lists of books to donate or leave, figuring out what she is attached to, etc. She busted her butt for 12 hours and worked for 7 on top of it. I was really proud of her. She was also proud of me for not going today. She was never happy with the idea of me going but knew it wasn't her place (yet) to tell me not to go. I could almost hear the sigh of relief through text.
I did play a shit ton of Bioshock last night. I think I am just about done with the game. At least one time through. I am trying not to miss anything but we all know how that goes. I have unlocked 25 achievements so far which is great. Another 5 or 6 can easily be unlocked if I restart in easy mode and jump to a certain chapter.
Emails are flying already. Need to deal with them.
Yesterday ended up being a serious whirlwind of activity and today is feeling the same already. Messages have been flying around for the last 20 hours about who is going to staff what, who is available when, etc. This trip to Arizona is crazy because it is last minute. I have to fly to Phoenix and then drive to Flagstaff. Not a problem on the way in, but on the way home I have to leave Flagstaff at roughly 2am in order to make my flight. FUN.
Also yesterday as needed by one other client, I had to do an updated 'resume'. They wanted to see if my credentials are solid. They being the client. On one hand I get it - if you're used to hiring contractors you want to see a resume. But we aren't contractors. We're consultants of a firm that specializes in what we do. Do they think we hire just nobodies off the street? It's a lot of effort for a bunch of bullshit in my opinion. The upside? My resume is updated. A few little tweaks and I could easily send it out to other companies. And right now I am in that kind of mood. Because as part of having to do this, I saw the sheer number of clients I have worked on in the last year and the size of the projects. D.A.M.N. I am severely underpaid it would appear. At the same time I have a lot of freedom and freedom comes at a price, doesn't it?
B was busy yesterday too. She started tearing her room apart to get ready to move. Throwing stuff away, making lists of books to donate or leave, figuring out what she is attached to, etc. She busted her butt for 12 hours and worked for 7 on top of it. I was really proud of her. She was also proud of me for not going today. She was never happy with the idea of me going but knew it wasn't her place (yet) to tell me not to go. I could almost hear the sigh of relief through text.
I did play a shit ton of Bioshock last night. I think I am just about done with the game. At least one time through. I am trying not to miss anything but we all know how that goes. I have unlocked 25 achievements so far which is great. Another 5 or 6 can easily be unlocked if I restart in easy mode and jump to a certain chapter.
Emails are flying already. Need to deal with them.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Y4 D342
Nothing of any significance to report today. Yesterday was a boring day of document writing, email answering, and Bioshock. That's it. That was my whole day. I talked to B during the day. I glittered a light switch. I had taco bell. That was it. I wish there was something more interesting to write about but there isn't. Work annoyed me. At least once more the sales guy annoyed me. I may have to spend a month at a client down South but otherwise, nothing.
Here's hoping for more of the same.
Here's hoping for more of the same.
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