Yesterday turned into a very long, but in the end pretty damn good, day. I was up earlier than I would have liked to try and miss traffic. Also because I needed to check out of the hotel. That ended up with me being at the client way earlier than my students. I stopped first at the Crapmart across the street from the client to pick up some 'fabulous prizes' as I like to call them. That equates to a couple of $5 DVDs, some random candy, a flash drive, and donuts and muffins. The usual stuff I bring on the last day of a multi-day training.
Class itself went fine. We had another day of a really great lunch. This client is a medical provider and as a result there cafeteria serves good food. All week we had some healthy lunches. Yesterday was roasted chicken with steamed vegetables, baked potatoes, and salad. Quite tasty.
We finished class up around 3:30 which made everyone, especially me happy. I was home by 4:15, unpacked, and decided to take a nap. I only slept for a little while. B and I were both craving nuggets for some reason and after I napped we went to the nasty place for nuggets. I haven't had nuggets like that in years. Was a tasty treat. There's a dollar store next door and we decided to wander it. We ended up buying a tutu for her cat (don't ask). Got back home and she wanted to finish watching Season 5 of Misfits and I wanted to finish watching House of Cards. We both achieved our goal. Around 11:30 we headed off to bed. Thankfully since I napped, I wasn't exhausted for once which led to the sex. Yay sex! Great way to be welcomed home after being on the road.
I have to say, I truly enjoyed HoC. I don't know what it says about me, but there's a man I can admire. People might write him off as evil or a jerk, but if you notice one thing, the people he TRULY cares about he protects. It's everyone else that can go to hell and will get stepped on. But Claire, Freddy, and even Edward, he watches out for no matter what. He has his priorities in the right place in my mind. Get to the goal, play the game, win.
Now it's my turn to power watch Misfits followed by Hemlock Grove next week on the road.
Today I have a call with Canadian immigration regarding a possible trip up there for a client. Let's see how that goes.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Reflections
I am breaking my rule. I haven't done a second post in one day in a long time. But I was in the lobby at the client right now and I saw someone who reminded me of the young one. Made me stop and think about things. No, I am not depressed or maudlin, just reflecting. I think about her and other people in my life in the past and present. I worry I am not good enough for any of them, including B. I worry a lot about things. Just thinking about the past...
Y6 D66
666. The post of the beast?
Uneventful. The best way to describe yesterday. My IT issues are still resolved so no problems with class. We managed to get caught back up and make up the lost time from Monday. We went until 4:45 yesterday as a result, but we got through all of the material.
After work, headed to the hotel. My buddy who lives nearby picked me up and we went out for Greek food. Nothing exciting, but I did pick up miles for it. No complaints there. He dropped me back off around 8:30 and I talked to B for a while. Went to bed around 10.
Last day here. Heading home tonight.
Uneventful. The best way to describe yesterday. My IT issues are still resolved so no problems with class. We managed to get caught back up and make up the lost time from Monday. We went until 4:45 yesterday as a result, but we got through all of the material.
After work, headed to the hotel. My buddy who lives nearby picked me up and we went out for Greek food. Nothing exciting, but I did pick up miles for it. No complaints there. He dropped me back off around 8:30 and I talked to B for a while. Went to bed around 10.
Last day here. Heading home tonight.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Y6 D65
Something is eating my damn phone battery again. Some rogue process killing off 70% of my battery in 8 hours. No, wrong. I hate that shit. It's usually something trying to send data on the network without my knowledge. I just turned off a bunch of shit. Let's see if that makes a difference.
Another night in a hotel. But the upside is these are my Gold nights. 20 more and I have another year of Diamond. Booya. Why is that so important to me? The wedding. I am trying to stockpile enough points and status for when we check in to that hotel in MI next May that I won't pay a single dime out of pocket. Right now I have enough points for us to stay two nights, the photographer one night, and almost enough for the officiant. I would like 2 nights for everyone and I am almost there. Shit I am getting married in 8 months. Wow. Six years from that fateful day. Well at least I took my time this time around.
Yesterday was a serious clusterfuck. It is a good thing I can think on my feet. I got to the client around 7, and checked into the training room. At first everything seemed fine. I hooked up my laptop, I tested the connection to the remote server, started up the powerpoint and everything looked good. Or so I thought. When the students went to try and do the first demo, their machines died. All 17 of them. Basically the external site was being blocked by the client's firewall. I thought I was on the same network with my machine, but I wasn't. I had to sing and dance until lunch when their IT department punched a hole for us. There was some serious hell raised to get that resolved too. I know there are a shit ton of IT people who don't like me right now because I made them escalate and jump through hoops. Tough. But for two hours I had to work around network issues. That was fun.
Finished up right around 5 and headed to the hotel. B texted me at one point around then to let me know she had a bad migraine and was going to lay down. She texted me again around 10 but I was half asleep already. I watched some more House of Cards. I like that show. Almost done with it. B has been watching Misfits. I have seasons 1-3 but I know she is going to want 4 and 5 too. I may take it with me to St Louis so I can be caught up. I would love to have a day where I power watch shows. I haven't done that in years since Buffy and Heroes. I totally remember watching like 8 episodes of Heroes in a row. I did it with something else on the road recently too. And by recently I mean sometime in the last year.
Went to bed around 10. Not the best bed, but it works. Two more days at this client and I get a little break.
Another night in a hotel. But the upside is these are my Gold nights. 20 more and I have another year of Diamond. Booya. Why is that so important to me? The wedding. I am trying to stockpile enough points and status for when we check in to that hotel in MI next May that I won't pay a single dime out of pocket. Right now I have enough points for us to stay two nights, the photographer one night, and almost enough for the officiant. I would like 2 nights for everyone and I am almost there. Shit I am getting married in 8 months. Wow. Six years from that fateful day. Well at least I took my time this time around.
Yesterday was a serious clusterfuck. It is a good thing I can think on my feet. I got to the client around 7, and checked into the training room. At first everything seemed fine. I hooked up my laptop, I tested the connection to the remote server, started up the powerpoint and everything looked good. Or so I thought. When the students went to try and do the first demo, their machines died. All 17 of them. Basically the external site was being blocked by the client's firewall. I thought I was on the same network with my machine, but I wasn't. I had to sing and dance until lunch when their IT department punched a hole for us. There was some serious hell raised to get that resolved too. I know there are a shit ton of IT people who don't like me right now because I made them escalate and jump through hoops. Tough. But for two hours I had to work around network issues. That was fun.
Finished up right around 5 and headed to the hotel. B texted me at one point around then to let me know she had a bad migraine and was going to lay down. She texted me again around 10 but I was half asleep already. I watched some more House of Cards. I like that show. Almost done with it. B has been watching Misfits. I have seasons 1-3 but I know she is going to want 4 and 5 too. I may take it with me to St Louis so I can be caught up. I would love to have a day where I power watch shows. I haven't done that in years since Buffy and Heroes. I totally remember watching like 8 episodes of Heroes in a row. I did it with something else on the road recently too. And by recently I mean sometime in the last year.
Went to bed around 10. Not the best bed, but it works. Two more days at this client and I get a little break.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Y6 D64
As planned we did a whole lot of nothing yesterday. Our big outing was to the local Kmart which is closing down. We went in and stocked up on some stupid stuff like vitamins, dish towels, etc. We saved about 35% so the savings wasn't huge, but it was stuff we would buy any way at some point so why not save some money on it? While we were out we stopped for lunch and went to a place that did both Chicago style pizza and Texas BBQ. With a gimmick like that we had to try both. The BBQ is better than the pizza for sure. The pizza wasn't bad nor was the BBQ but neither was knock out great. The best part of the meal were the mini corn dogs we had as an appetizer.
Got home and ironed and packed for today's trip. I will be gone until Wednesday night. Another driving client instead of flying but this time B isn't coming with me. I am not checking into the hotel until the night and checking out before class on Wednesday which means she would be sitting both days for up to 8 hours. Nope. Not going to happen. Plus I would rather she stay here and pack. Moving day is almost upon us. Three more weeks and we are out of here. Need shit packed. I need to make phone calls this week and arrange service at the new location. I was hoping we could switch to fiber at the new place but that isn't possible.
Watched some TV and then late last night made the mistake of getting B hooked on a show - Misfits. We watched one episode and I was ready for bed but she decided she wanted to watch more. Let's go check the server logs and see how many she watched... all of Season 1 and the first episode in Season 2. So 6 more after I went to bed. That means she came in to bed around 2 or 3. Yep. Just confirmed on her twitter account. She was up until at least 2:30. Idiot. Must be nice. Some of us have to be up to go to our jobs in the morning. Whatever.
Leaving here in about an hour. Will sit for a while at the client, but it's cool. At least I will miss traffic.
Got home and ironed and packed for today's trip. I will be gone until Wednesday night. Another driving client instead of flying but this time B isn't coming with me. I am not checking into the hotel until the night and checking out before class on Wednesday which means she would be sitting both days for up to 8 hours. Nope. Not going to happen. Plus I would rather she stay here and pack. Moving day is almost upon us. Three more weeks and we are out of here. Need shit packed. I need to make phone calls this week and arrange service at the new location. I was hoping we could switch to fiber at the new place but that isn't possible.
Watched some TV and then late last night made the mistake of getting B hooked on a show - Misfits. We watched one episode and I was ready for bed but she decided she wanted to watch more. Let's go check the server logs and see how many she watched... all of Season 1 and the first episode in Season 2. So 6 more after I went to bed. That means she came in to bed around 2 or 3. Yep. Just confirmed on her twitter account. She was up until at least 2:30. Idiot. Must be nice. Some of us have to be up to go to our jobs in the morning. Whatever.
Leaving here in about an hour. Will sit for a while at the client, but it's cool. At least I will miss traffic.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Y6 D63
Have a bit of a headache this morning. Part heat, part lack of sleep, part show, part booze, part pain. I hurt myself pretty bad at the show last night. One of the performers left a prop in a bad place and it ended up spearing me and slicing my leg open in back right at the knee. It is really hurting me this morning. I drank a little more than I should have to try and numb the pain last night but I am paying for that now. I also didn't go to bed until 4 so I could use more sleep. Upside, had a great show last night. Everyone was in a good mood, we got through with no screw-ups and everyone had fun. Had two new people on my team who did a super job. They are going to make good additions if they stick around.
During the day we didn't do much of anything. B watched some TV while I played Diablo. Took an afternoon nap. We went to a birthday party for one of her former co-workers before the show which was actually fun. We left straight from there to the show.
A good Saturday all in all. Nothing on the agenda today either. Semi-travel tomorrow. It's that same 'local' client and I am staying over. This will also get me my gold stays at Hilton. That means I only need 20 more nights this year to keep Diamond. Between my St Louis, 2 more Ohio trips, and Canada, I will have 16 of those done. I will have 3.5 months to make 4 nights. I can do that.
Time to shower. I do have a couple of errands to run today and one of them I may go do by myself as I want to be there right when the store opens. I have a modem that is dying and want to see about replacing it. It's a 4g modem and I would rather just use my phone as a hotspot. Make things easier. But it's under contract until January so I don't know how they want to handle that.
During the day we didn't do much of anything. B watched some TV while I played Diablo. Took an afternoon nap. We went to a birthday party for one of her former co-workers before the show which was actually fun. We left straight from there to the show.
A good Saturday all in all. Nothing on the agenda today either. Semi-travel tomorrow. It's that same 'local' client and I am staying over. This will also get me my gold stays at Hilton. That means I only need 20 more nights this year to keep Diamond. Between my St Louis, 2 more Ohio trips, and Canada, I will have 16 of those done. I will have 3.5 months to make 4 nights. I can do that.
Time to shower. I do have a couple of errands to run today and one of them I may go do by myself as I want to be there right when the store opens. I have a modem that is dying and want to see about replacing it. It's a 4g modem and I would rather just use my phone as a hotspot. Make things easier. But it's under contract until January so I don't know how they want to handle that.
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Y6 D62
I have no idea why I am up so early. But it's better than when I woke up two hours ago. At least I managed to fall back to sleep for a little while.
It got so fucking hot here yesterday it was unbearable in this apartment. It was okay in the morning, but by 2 it was awful. Luckily we managed to get most of our stuff done early in the morning. We really did accomplish a ton of things yesterday actually.
First off we got up early to drop my car off for service. We got to the dealer around 6:45 and left my car. We then went to DMV to take care of B's car. I now own a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am. It is now in my name, registered, and fully insured. We were at the DMV from 7 until about 9, but it's done and done. Got the new plates and tags right then and there. After DMV we hit the store because B needed some stuff. While were there they called letting us know my car was done. Everything went smoothly with my car. No issues and they even washed it.
On the way home we stopped at the auto parts store because we had to get B a front license plate bracket. They don't need them in MI but here it's law to have both. Stopped for mexican and then B went to lay down and I started taking care of more shit. I put her bracket and plates on, did laundry, gave myself a haircut, timesheet, expense report, sent out multiple emails to clients, organized media files, and had a call about the next couple of weeks with my boss. He messed up and forgot to have the manuals for next week sent and he needed to call FedEx for a print job. I had to go back out around 7 to pick them up. In between, B slept, I finally took a little nap around 1, and we went to the pool. Since we had to go back out to pick up the manuals we also stopped for ice cream. Like 9000 other people as it was hell outside.
Got back home and we both just kind of melted. I was exhausted around 10 and went to bed. She came in at 11 and read for a while.
Today we have nothing until 7pm when we are going to a party for one of her former co-workers and then we have a show. Lazy day, busy night.
It got so fucking hot here yesterday it was unbearable in this apartment. It was okay in the morning, but by 2 it was awful. Luckily we managed to get most of our stuff done early in the morning. We really did accomplish a ton of things yesterday actually.
First off we got up early to drop my car off for service. We got to the dealer around 6:45 and left my car. We then went to DMV to take care of B's car. I now own a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am. It is now in my name, registered, and fully insured. We were at the DMV from 7 until about 9, but it's done and done. Got the new plates and tags right then and there. After DMV we hit the store because B needed some stuff. While were there they called letting us know my car was done. Everything went smoothly with my car. No issues and they even washed it.
On the way home we stopped at the auto parts store because we had to get B a front license plate bracket. They don't need them in MI but here it's law to have both. Stopped for mexican and then B went to lay down and I started taking care of more shit. I put her bracket and plates on, did laundry, gave myself a haircut, timesheet, expense report, sent out multiple emails to clients, organized media files, and had a call about the next couple of weeks with my boss. He messed up and forgot to have the manuals for next week sent and he needed to call FedEx for a print job. I had to go back out around 7 to pick them up. In between, B slept, I finally took a little nap around 1, and we went to the pool. Since we had to go back out to pick up the manuals we also stopped for ice cream. Like 9000 other people as it was hell outside.
Got back home and we both just kind of melted. I was exhausted around 10 and went to bed. She came in at 11 and read for a while.
Today we have nothing until 7pm when we are going to a party for one of her former co-workers and then we have a show. Lazy day, busy night.
Friday, July 25, 2014
Y6 D61
Okay, back at home with a real internet connection and the time to type.
Wednesday: Day two of my class. Class went well. We finished up right on schedule. Maybe about 15 minutes early but not enough anyone had any problem with the time. During lunch I met the big boss of the group I was teaching. He had already received good feedback from day one from everyone and was excited to meet me. He started asking for my strategy advice on how they should migrate, upgrade, etc. They are looking forward to my return next month. After class I knew I was going to want to get some sleep so I grabbed a sandwich at Jimmy John's on the way back to the hotel. While I am not the biggest fan, they were right next door and that made it convenient. The 31 gifts women were still in town making a ton of noise and taking over the entire hotel and I wanted to hide away from them. I ended up laying down around 7:30 or 8 and slept until 2:30 when I got up to get ready. This means I was up at 11:30 home time.
Thursday: Up at 2:30am local time. Got ready, dealt with bad network, and headed out to the airport around 4. I checked in for my flight and was 1st on the upgrade list for my flight from Columbus to DFW but I hadn't cleared yet. I normally take a 6am flight out of wherever I am but this one was 7:05 and it was throwing me off big time. I had way more time than I was used to having. I spent most of that time, and frankly most of the day, watching House of Cards to kill time. I am almost through the first season at this point. I got my clearance for my upgrade about 45 minutes before we boarded. I was the only one to get cleared out of the 3 people on the list too. Flight was uneventful. Had a nice breakfast on board the plane. I was thinking while having breakfast that there are scores of people in all age groups who have never known what it was like to get fed in coach. The breakfast I had was good, but I remember when they fed you something like this even in the cheap seats and the 1st class food was far superior. Got to Dallas around 8:30 local time and saw there was an earlier flight home about to board. I ran to that gate but was too late. They had already filled all the standby seats. Oh well. I now had two hours to kill. I decided it was dead enough to go outside and have a smoke. As I did that I realized I left my headphones on the plane. I hurried back inside and at the new gate asked if they could call down. YAY! THEY HAD THEM! I then hauled butt 24 gates back to the original one and got my headphones. I even publicly thanked American on twitter. I was 6th on the list for upgrade for my next flight and that was a no go. But I had one of the seats where they block out the middle and that wasn't bad. I watched three more episodes of HoC on the flight home. Landed early and was home by 12. We grabbed some lunch on the way home, came home, took a nap, then headed out for errands. We needed to hit Target and some other stuff. We got back home around 8 and I played Diablo while B watched Goonies. She was in the mood to watch it and that was that. About 10:30 I gave up and went to bed. She came in around midnight.
I am taking today off to do shit. I have to drop my car off for service, go to the DMV to put B's car in my name, and pack. A busy day away awaits.
Wednesday: Day two of my class. Class went well. We finished up right on schedule. Maybe about 15 minutes early but not enough anyone had any problem with the time. During lunch I met the big boss of the group I was teaching. He had already received good feedback from day one from everyone and was excited to meet me. He started asking for my strategy advice on how they should migrate, upgrade, etc. They are looking forward to my return next month. After class I knew I was going to want to get some sleep so I grabbed a sandwich at Jimmy John's on the way back to the hotel. While I am not the biggest fan, they were right next door and that made it convenient. The 31 gifts women were still in town making a ton of noise and taking over the entire hotel and I wanted to hide away from them. I ended up laying down around 7:30 or 8 and slept until 2:30 when I got up to get ready. This means I was up at 11:30 home time.
Thursday: Up at 2:30am local time. Got ready, dealt with bad network, and headed out to the airport around 4. I checked in for my flight and was 1st on the upgrade list for my flight from Columbus to DFW but I hadn't cleared yet. I normally take a 6am flight out of wherever I am but this one was 7:05 and it was throwing me off big time. I had way more time than I was used to having. I spent most of that time, and frankly most of the day, watching House of Cards to kill time. I am almost through the first season at this point. I got my clearance for my upgrade about 45 minutes before we boarded. I was the only one to get cleared out of the 3 people on the list too. Flight was uneventful. Had a nice breakfast on board the plane. I was thinking while having breakfast that there are scores of people in all age groups who have never known what it was like to get fed in coach. The breakfast I had was good, but I remember when they fed you something like this even in the cheap seats and the 1st class food was far superior. Got to Dallas around 8:30 local time and saw there was an earlier flight home about to board. I ran to that gate but was too late. They had already filled all the standby seats. Oh well. I now had two hours to kill. I decided it was dead enough to go outside and have a smoke. As I did that I realized I left my headphones on the plane. I hurried back inside and at the new gate asked if they could call down. YAY! THEY HAD THEM! I then hauled butt 24 gates back to the original one and got my headphones. I even publicly thanked American on twitter. I was 6th on the list for upgrade for my next flight and that was a no go. But I had one of the seats where they block out the middle and that wasn't bad. I watched three more episodes of HoC on the flight home. Landed early and was home by 12. We grabbed some lunch on the way home, came home, took a nap, then headed out for errands. We needed to hit Target and some other stuff. We got back home around 8 and I played Diablo while B watched Goonies. She was in the mood to watch it and that was that. About 10:30 I gave up and went to bed. She came in around midnight.
I am taking today off to do shit. I have to drop my car off for service, go to the DMV to put B's car in my name, and pack. A busy day away awaits.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Y6 D60
The network is down in my room and I am doing this from my phone. Short update today. Taught all day. Got a sandwich for dinner. Fell asleep around 8 and woke up at 2:30. I will elaborate more tomorrow when I am home.
How fucking hard is it to keep network up in a hotel? Fuck.
How fucking hard is it to keep network up in a hotel? Fuck.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Y6 D59
While I am not sleeping even a fraction as well as I did in Reno, at least I slept last night and managed to get up at a normal time. I've already showered and I am ready to go. I need to check in for my flight in an hour but otherwise, things are good.
Yesterday went okay despite the rushed start to the morning. That really caused me some morning anxiety. The class is good. Only one person who seems lost and out of their depths. Not bad given I have 16 people in the class. 50 more to go over the next two sessions in August and September. We finished up around 4:30 yesterday and I headed back.
I decided to go to this place called Max and Erma's. Apparently out here it is a chain but it wasn't bad. I sat at the bar and that's when I met "them". The 31gifters. There is some convention in town and these pink wearing, bad haircut, fat ass housewives have taken over Columbus. The bartender said there were 17,000 of them in town for this convention. Imagine a Pampered Chef, Mary Kay, Amway sort of thing - 'empowering women to be their own bosses through the help of God'. That's a pretty direct quote from their website. What I saw was a bunch of loud mouthed pain in the asses who never travel and have no idea how to check into a hotel. Because after I left the restaurant (after having a great conversation with the guy next to me about movies, comic books, and general shit) and got back to the hotel, I was knee deep in ugly luggage, ugly pant suits, and just fugly all around.
Keeping my cool I made it back to my room where the hens were clucking in the hall. I had to ask them to please keep it down which they didn't like. Fuck them. I was trying to talk to B and all I could hear was cluck cluck cluck.
Started watching House of Cards last night. Damn good show. Made it through 2 episodes. Loving it so far. Went to bed around 10.
New day, part 2 of class, home tomorrow. Friday is an errand day.
Yesterday went okay despite the rushed start to the morning. That really caused me some morning anxiety. The class is good. Only one person who seems lost and out of their depths. Not bad given I have 16 people in the class. 50 more to go over the next two sessions in August and September. We finished up around 4:30 yesterday and I headed back.
I decided to go to this place called Max and Erma's. Apparently out here it is a chain but it wasn't bad. I sat at the bar and that's when I met "them". The 31gifters. There is some convention in town and these pink wearing, bad haircut, fat ass housewives have taken over Columbus. The bartender said there were 17,000 of them in town for this convention. Imagine a Pampered Chef, Mary Kay, Amway sort of thing - 'empowering women to be their own bosses through the help of God'. That's a pretty direct quote from their website. What I saw was a bunch of loud mouthed pain in the asses who never travel and have no idea how to check into a hotel. Because after I left the restaurant (after having a great conversation with the guy next to me about movies, comic books, and general shit) and got back to the hotel, I was knee deep in ugly luggage, ugly pant suits, and just fugly all around.
Keeping my cool I made it back to my room where the hens were clucking in the hall. I had to ask them to please keep it down which they didn't like. Fuck them. I was trying to talk to B and all I could hear was cluck cluck cluck.
Started watching House of Cards last night. Damn good show. Made it through 2 episodes. Loving it so far. Went to bed around 10.
New day, part 2 of class, home tomorrow. Friday is an errand day.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Y6 D58
I almost seriously fucked up this morning. It's 7:30 here and I have to leave in about 25 minutes. I JUST WOKE UP AT 7:06 ET. Yeah, the time change got me for once. That usually doesn't happen to me, but it's been a while since I traveled.
Speaking of travel, yesterday was a good travel day. I got up at 2:40 which was rough, but my driver was right on time, I had a decent seat to DFW, slept most of the way, then when I got there, I managed to get not only standby on an earlier flight, I even got my upgrade. Yay me. So I arrived here 2.5 hours early with a bellyful of food.
Hotel is beautiful. I have a room bigger than some people's apartments. Bed is comfy. Restaurant is meh. I ate there last night out of laziness and won't be doing it again tonight.
Okay. That's all. Gotta run!
Speaking of travel, yesterday was a good travel day. I got up at 2:40 which was rough, but my driver was right on time, I had a decent seat to DFW, slept most of the way, then when I got there, I managed to get not only standby on an earlier flight, I even got my upgrade. Yay me. So I arrived here 2.5 hours early with a bellyful of food.
Hotel is beautiful. I have a room bigger than some people's apartments. Bed is comfy. Restaurant is meh. I ate there last night out of laziness and won't be doing it again tonight.
Okay. That's all. Gotta run!
Monday, July 21, 2014
Y6 D57
Stressed out already. Mostly because I feel like I am forgetting something even though I know I am not. I have my clothes, my laptop, my tablet, all my toiletries, my boarding pass, my passport, and my phone charger. Anything else? I think I am good.
VERY relaxing day yesterday. I got up at 6 to check in for my flight. Then I took a nice long relaxing bath. I spent the day downloading, converting, and organizing media files while B power watched OITNB. She made it through the entire second season. Yes, she was up until 1:45am but she is done. Now we can talk about it.
I made pork chops for dinner. Packed some kitchen boxes. Talked to my sister finally. We didn't leave the house once. Heck, she never even put on pants. It was that kind of day.
Now I go to Ohio.
VERY relaxing day yesterday. I got up at 6 to check in for my flight. Then I took a nice long relaxing bath. I spent the day downloading, converting, and organizing media files while B power watched OITNB. She made it through the entire second season. Yes, she was up until 1:45am but she is done. Now we can talk about it.
I made pork chops for dinner. Packed some kitchen boxes. Talked to my sister finally. We didn't leave the house once. Heck, she never even put on pants. It was that kind of day.
Now I go to Ohio.
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Y6 D56
Made it home in 3:45 yesterday. Another good drive home. It was a rough drive though. I was extremely sleepy the whole way home. Didn't help that B was sleeping the whole way and I was left amusing myself. Up early today again. But that's to check in for my flight. We got home around 8:30 and B went right back to bed. I started to but then I just got overwhelmed with stuff needing to be done. I ended up unpacking, doing laundry, doing my timesheet, expense report, dishes, cleaning the house up, organizing media files, and a bunch of other little things. Next thing you know it's noon. B finally woke up and wanted lunch. Unfortunately since we haven't been home there were literally no groceries in this house. To the grocery store we went. Now she has enough food to last while I am gone next week. Not a ton, but enough. Around 4 I finally took my nap of the day. Hold on, need to check in for my flight, be right back...
Dammit too early. Couple more minutes. Ugh.
Anyway, there was this baby shower thing last night and neither of us wanted to go because we were both way too tired to be out drinking and socializing. We did instead have some friends stop by unplanned and ended up just talking and playing cards last night. We got to be social without leaving the house which was nice. They hadn't been invited to the baby shower anyway so there was no fear we were going to hurt anyone's feelings by them being over. We sat around until about 11 and then went to bed.
A busy day for sure but it was nice to be home. Even if my total time at home is less than two days. Okay, now I should be able to check in...
Dammit too early. Couple more minutes. Ugh.
Anyway, there was this baby shower thing last night and neither of us wanted to go because we were both way too tired to be out drinking and socializing. We did instead have some friends stop by unplanned and ended up just talking and playing cards last night. We got to be social without leaving the house which was nice. They hadn't been invited to the baby shower anyway so there was no fear we were going to hurt anyone's feelings by them being over. We sat around until about 11 and then went to bed.
A busy day for sure but it was nice to be home. Even if my total time at home is less than two days. Okay, now I should be able to check in...
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Y6 D55
Heading home today! Yay! I will wake B up in an hour and we will hit the road. (FINALLY THAT A/C SHUT OFF). Ugh that thing has been driving me nuts all week. Tangent. Sorry.
Anyway, guess what we did last night? Finally had the sex! You may have noticed that hasn't come up much lately. Between trips, work, illness, and plain exhaustion, it kept taking a back seat to everything else. Not last night. Which by the way dear sister is one of the reasons I didn't call you back last night. Sorry about that. Call me today after 11 and we will talk. Promise.
So, I worked from 9 until about 12 yesterday. Final meetings. Met with two VPs and the CFO. Everything went well in my opinion. The client is happy with the results which is all that matters. We will have at least two more days with them this month plus the promise of more work in August. I did my job.
After work came back, got B and we went to Jimmy John's for lunch. She loves that place. Me, meh it's okay. I wouldn't search one out, but I would eat there. It's a sandwich. I have had better, I've had worse. After lunch I took a long ass nap. Like 3 hours. B amused herself by watching OITNB. I got her hooked on it. I just finished season 2 this week. She is up to episode 9 in season 1. By the time I come home from Ohio next week I feel we will both be caught up. I am taking two other shows with me next week to test the waters. That will be the next set on her list if they're any good.
Around 4 I did my hair. I figure if I am going to make a mess, might as well do it in a hotel room, right? When that was all done, we headed downtown around 6 for the ultimate Reno experience - the buffet. We went to the El Dorado. It was packed! We had to park on the 8th floor of the parking garage. Normally I don't park higher than 4. We got right into the buffet though. That was nice. Since it was Friday, it was seafood night. All the crab legs. So many. We both ate like crazy. Got our $25 worth that's for sure.
Got back to the hotel in a food coma. We each watched an episode of TV and then, well, see above.
That's the week people. Time to go home, do laundry and head to Ohio.
Anyway, guess what we did last night? Finally had the sex! You may have noticed that hasn't come up much lately. Between trips, work, illness, and plain exhaustion, it kept taking a back seat to everything else. Not last night. Which by the way dear sister is one of the reasons I didn't call you back last night. Sorry about that. Call me today after 11 and we will talk. Promise.
So, I worked from 9 until about 12 yesterday. Final meetings. Met with two VPs and the CFO. Everything went well in my opinion. The client is happy with the results which is all that matters. We will have at least two more days with them this month plus the promise of more work in August. I did my job.
After work came back, got B and we went to Jimmy John's for lunch. She loves that place. Me, meh it's okay. I wouldn't search one out, but I would eat there. It's a sandwich. I have had better, I've had worse. After lunch I took a long ass nap. Like 3 hours. B amused herself by watching OITNB. I got her hooked on it. I just finished season 2 this week. She is up to episode 9 in season 1. By the time I come home from Ohio next week I feel we will both be caught up. I am taking two other shows with me next week to test the waters. That will be the next set on her list if they're any good.
Around 4 I did my hair. I figure if I am going to make a mess, might as well do it in a hotel room, right? When that was all done, we headed downtown around 6 for the ultimate Reno experience - the buffet. We went to the El Dorado. It was packed! We had to park on the 8th floor of the parking garage. Normally I don't park higher than 4. We got right into the buffet though. That was nice. Since it was Friday, it was seafood night. All the crab legs. So many. We both ate like crazy. Got our $25 worth that's for sure.
Got back to the hotel in a food coma. We each watched an episode of TV and then, well, see above.
That's the week people. Time to go home, do laundry and head to Ohio.
Friday, July 18, 2014
Y6 D54
Last day! It should be a short one too. Just a couple of meetings - one in the morning, one in the afternoon. A lot of sitting again, but it will be over. Then I get some alone time next week. Yes, I have to travel, but at least I will get some time to myself. It's important to have alone time. Need to recharge and recuperate.
Another long day of sitting and listening to people talk in circles. This client has some serious issues. The VP I am working with showed me a presentation from two years ago that almost is identical to the one I put together this week. Good in the sense that identified the same things wrong, bad that they haven't made any progress in two years.
Finished up around 3 and B and I went to try and take care of something. I need some screws for my laptop but the shop I found wouldn't sell them to me because according to them my battery is swollen and the screws will just pop out again. Plus they were warning me about it blowing up and catching on fire. Yada yada. When we got back I looked up laptop batteries and found one for $129. I will order it when I have a chance. I may also increase the memory in this thing so I can keep it for another year or two. New battery, more memory, new HD and this thing will keep on trucking I hope.
For dinner we didn't do anything exciting - Del Taco. Woo. Basically we stayed in the room reading and talking until about 10 when I fell asleep. I don't know what time she crashed.
I want to go home now.
Another long day of sitting and listening to people talk in circles. This client has some serious issues. The VP I am working with showed me a presentation from two years ago that almost is identical to the one I put together this week. Good in the sense that identified the same things wrong, bad that they haven't made any progress in two years.
Finished up around 3 and B and I went to try and take care of something. I need some screws for my laptop but the shop I found wouldn't sell them to me because according to them my battery is swollen and the screws will just pop out again. Plus they were warning me about it blowing up and catching on fire. Yada yada. When we got back I looked up laptop batteries and found one for $129. I will order it when I have a chance. I may also increase the memory in this thing so I can keep it for another year or two. New battery, more memory, new HD and this thing will keep on trucking I hope.
For dinner we didn't do anything exciting - Del Taco. Woo. Basically we stayed in the room reading and talking until about 10 when I fell asleep. I don't know what time she crashed.
I want to go home now.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Y6 D53
Three days down, two to go. Yesterday was mind numbing. More meetings, a lot of sitting and waiting, but we finished up early - around 3. I even was able to walk back to the hotel for lunch time with B. That was nice. It's been interesting having her on the road with me. I don't really do anything exciting but at the same time, it's been much less lonely than normal.
After work I came back and got some stuff for B from the CrapMart next door. Side note, I love how I have used that word enough times that it no longer gets flagged as a misspelling. Just saying. Anyway, picked her up some stuff as she is still not 100% healthy and then I took a short nap.
I found out yesterday during the day that one of my co-workers and his family own a Swenson's Ice Cream parlor. One of the last around. I told him I was going to go in for dinner to support them and we did. Dinner was pretty good. I had a french dip burger, B had a chef salad, and then we both had ice cream for dessert. Now, I figured he would comp the ice cream or something, but no, they picked up the entire bill. Wow. Thank you very much. I had $4 in cash on me, so I apologized that's all I had and left it as a tip.
After that B and I headed to one of the casinos. Not to gamble but to walk around and hit the gift shops. We are trying to find something for a friend but nothing jumped out at us. We got back to the hotel around 8 right as a freak hailstorm started. It was 90 degrees out and hailing. WTF weather? That was interesting. Best part was there was rain in our room. We called the guy at the desk - 'hello. it's raining in our room'. He came up with some towels and checked it out. Maintenance is coming today to handle it. We found it more funny than anything else.
I took a relaxing bath and then B and I went to bed. Slept like a log again last night which was wonderful.
Off to another day of blah blah blah blah blah...
After work I came back and got some stuff for B from the CrapMart next door. Side note, I love how I have used that word enough times that it no longer gets flagged as a misspelling. Just saying. Anyway, picked her up some stuff as she is still not 100% healthy and then I took a short nap.
I found out yesterday during the day that one of my co-workers and his family own a Swenson's Ice Cream parlor. One of the last around. I told him I was going to go in for dinner to support them and we did. Dinner was pretty good. I had a french dip burger, B had a chef salad, and then we both had ice cream for dessert. Now, I figured he would comp the ice cream or something, but no, they picked up the entire bill. Wow. Thank you very much. I had $4 in cash on me, so I apologized that's all I had and left it as a tip.
After that B and I headed to one of the casinos. Not to gamble but to walk around and hit the gift shops. We are trying to find something for a friend but nothing jumped out at us. We got back to the hotel around 8 right as a freak hailstorm started. It was 90 degrees out and hailing. WTF weather? That was interesting. Best part was there was rain in our room. We called the guy at the desk - 'hello. it's raining in our room'. He came up with some towels and checked it out. Maintenance is coming today to handle it. We found it more funny than anything else.
I took a relaxing bath and then B and I went to bed. Slept like a log again last night which was wonderful.
Off to another day of blah blah blah blah blah...
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Y6 D52
Slept well again. I like this bed. A lot. Yesterday was a bit frustrating at work. It has devolved from what the original SOW stated as to my tasks out here and at lunch I had to have an email exchange with my boss to bring him up to speed. Due to politics some of the things we were originally asked to do can't happen and I am being asked to do essentially a PMs job. Not a good fit. I sat through 8 hours of meetings and annoying people. It's days like that which remind me why I do not want to work in a single office environment. I was dead to the world when I finished yesterday around 5. It was good for B to see this because sometimes when I am on the road, I don't want to talk at the end of a day and she got to see first hand just how damn tired I am because of these people. For dinner we went to the Texas Roadhouse. Meh. She likes it. I wouldn't have personally made that choice, but whatever. After dinner we went to the bookstore as one of the authors I enjoy just released a new book. I am going to save it for next week's trip but I figured I would pick it up now before I forgot. That's about the extent of the day. Let's see how work goes today. I am not expecting much improvement over yesterday unfortunately.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Y6 D51
I slept GREAT last night. Best I have slept in weeks. Honestly, my body finally just relaxed and let me sleep deep. Odd dreams, but whatever. I needed a good night's sleep and I got one. Yesterday was pretty boring. I got to the client around 8:40, set up and then spent the day in meetings. You see, this isn't one of my normal training gigs. It's a mentoring/requirements gathering week. Which means I sit in meetings while people come and go, pretend to care about their issues, write down their insane requests, and then on Friday present a document that actually does things versus every pipe dream under the sun. For the most part, it's getting paid, points, and a roadtrip for really doing very little. I sit, they talk, I type, done. I got the majority of what I needed in the first 2 hours yesterday. I could deliver them a final product if I had access to any of the tools. Which alas, I do not. Therefore I have to sit for another four days and do much of the same. Whatever. We get paid, I get paid, everyone is happy.
After class, got back to the hotel around 4:30. It was raining when I was walking back. Big giant rain too, not the normal little rain. A huge thunder and lightening storm happened for about an hour. That was kind of cool. B had a nice relaxing day. She spent most of it by the pool reading. After getting back and relaxing for a little while we headed out for dinner. We went to Qdoba which she loves. I had never been to one as there aren't any near us. Meh. It's Chipotle with different ingredients. It wasn't bad, but I didn't get as excited over it as she did.
After dinner we decided to hit one of the old school casinos just to walk around and get a gift for the friends who are watching the cats while we are gone. We wandered the casino floor, had gelato, and hit the arcade. She was starting to feel tired at that point and needed meds. On back to the hotel we went.
We got back around 8 and she read while I caught up on some emails and stuff. Went to bed around 10 and slept sound.
Four more days of this.
After class, got back to the hotel around 4:30. It was raining when I was walking back. Big giant rain too, not the normal little rain. A huge thunder and lightening storm happened for about an hour. That was kind of cool. B had a nice relaxing day. She spent most of it by the pool reading. After getting back and relaxing for a little while we headed out for dinner. We went to Qdoba which she loves. I had never been to one as there aren't any near us. Meh. It's Chipotle with different ingredients. It wasn't bad, but I didn't get as excited over it as she did.
After dinner we decided to hit one of the old school casinos just to walk around and get a gift for the friends who are watching the cats while we are gone. We wandered the casino floor, had gelato, and hit the arcade. She was starting to feel tired at that point and needed meds. On back to the hotel we went.
We got back around 8 and she read while I caught up on some emails and stuff. Went to bed around 10 and slept sound.
Four more days of this.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Y6 D50
In Reno, woo? Made it here in 3h 45m. Not too bad given that included a rest stop as well. We got up, got everything ready, I got B some food from McDonalds, then we headed out around 10. A very uneventful drive. No traffic, no issues. Hot as fuck though. The minute we got out past Sacramento it was high 90s to low 100. It was 104 when we got here. BUT for some reason it was bearable. I think because there was a breeze going. Don't give me the 'it's a dry heat shit'. Hate that. Dry heat drys me out. Makes me not able to breathe. Then I end up doing what I did last night when I tried to sleep - wake up every 90 minutes because I can't breathe. I slept REALLY well just in 90 minute chunks. Plus B tossed and turned and coughed and snored all night. I may send her to Urgent Care around the corner today to get some real meds. Anyway, we got here around 2, unpacked, ironed, got setup, etc. Around 4 we took a ride over to Walmart for some basic stuff. She needs some lunch type stuff while I am gone every day. Luckily breakfast is free, but lunch I will be away and not able to do much for her. We didn't buy anything fancy. Just some lunchables and some fruit. I also found KING SIZE otter pops! They are like two feet long! Awesome. Simple pleasures. After the Walmart we went to Raising Cane's for dinner. Chicken finger goodness. When we got back we went swimming for a while. We both remembered to bring bathing suits for once. That was nice. Got back to the room a little before 8 and she read while I played Diablo. I went to be around 10 but she stayed up until 11 to be able to take her next dose of meds.
That's about it. A full day but nothing crazy. I keep warning her that's what a week on the road with me is like. At least these days.
That's about it. A full day but nothing crazy. I keep warning her that's what a week on the road with me is like. At least these days.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Y6 D49
And so today begins the weeks of road travel. In a few hours, stop number one - Reno. Luckily we had a fun time last night to make up for all the weeks where I will be too tired and stressed out to do anything.
B is still feeling like crap, but she managed to go out last night. We took it easy during the day on purpose to make sure she had the energy to go out at night. We went out once during the day to go to the mall. I had a coupon for 50% off at a store and it was about to expire this weekend and I knew yesterday was the only chance I would have to use it. But otherwise, we spent the day in the house. I managed to get my Witch Doctor to level 70! I now have the achievement for getting six different classes to 70. Now I need to do it all over again and get a second set to 70. Yep. We went out around six and the pub was PACKED. Like crazy packed since the weather at the beach was awful. We had no idea where all these people came from last night. We managed to find a small booth and get dinner before everyone else showed up.
Around 7:30 the majority of people had arrived and we stayed until about 11:30. It was a fun night. Everyone we like was there and we just had a nice night laughing and hanging out. I took a bunch of pictures of people too. A pretty darn good night.
Now I hear her in the other room hacking out a lung and dying. This is going to be a rough drive that's for sure.
B is still feeling like crap, but she managed to go out last night. We took it easy during the day on purpose to make sure she had the energy to go out at night. We went out once during the day to go to the mall. I had a coupon for 50% off at a store and it was about to expire this weekend and I knew yesterday was the only chance I would have to use it. But otherwise, we spent the day in the house. I managed to get my Witch Doctor to level 70! I now have the achievement for getting six different classes to 70. Now I need to do it all over again and get a second set to 70. Yep. We went out around six and the pub was PACKED. Like crazy packed since the weather at the beach was awful. We had no idea where all these people came from last night. We managed to find a small booth and get dinner before everyone else showed up.
Around 7:30 the majority of people had arrived and we stayed until about 11:30. It was a fun night. Everyone we like was there and we just had a nice night laughing and hanging out. I took a bunch of pictures of people too. A pretty darn good night.
Now I hear her in the other room hacking out a lung and dying. This is going to be a rough drive that's for sure.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Y6 D48
Yesterday was a long weird day. I am done with vacation. I need to do something again. I have had too many days off with nothing to do, especially at home. I get too bored after too many days of the same thing and man am I done. I need to do something. Luckily we leave tomorrow for Reno and I get a full week of stuff. Heck, starting tomorrow I am either traveling or teaching for the next seven weeks so I will probably be bitching about that soon enough. Today however it is sorely needed.
I did 'stuff' yesterday. It was just a random kind of day. In the morning we took B's car to be smogged so we can register it in my name. That was a lot less painful than I thought it was going to be. It almost took us longer to get to the shop and back than the actual smog test. I was pretty impressed to be honest.
Got back, did some work, took care of some outstanding emails, paperwork, etc. Took a nap for a while. B is still sick and I am making her rest and take meds even though she says she feels better. Watched some TV, went to Target, had dinner, watched some Psych together, she went and read, I watched OITNB, and went to be around midnight.
It was just an odd long day.
I did 'stuff' yesterday. It was just a random kind of day. In the morning we took B's car to be smogged so we can register it in my name. That was a lot less painful than I thought it was going to be. It almost took us longer to get to the shop and back than the actual smog test. I was pretty impressed to be honest.
Got back, did some work, took care of some outstanding emails, paperwork, etc. Took a nap for a while. B is still sick and I am making her rest and take meds even though she says she feels better. Watched some TV, went to Target, had dinner, watched some Psych together, she went and read, I watched OITNB, and went to be around midnight.
It was just an odd long day.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Y6 D47
I have almost reached the point of not knowing what day it is any more. That blissful point when you are on vacation and the day of the week no longer matters. Almost. Why because I still had to deal with a conference call and emails yesterday which gently reminded me it's a work day. Oh well. Came close to the true nirvana. Today I am 'working' but there's a beauty in taking a vacation and having it end on a Thursday. Not a whole lot people can schedule for you to do on a Friday. I have one call I am supposed to have with a client, do some paperwork, and pack for my next trip on Sunday. That's the extent of my 'working' today.
Got all the laundry done yesterday. B got all of her clothes packed which is impressive since she is still sicker than heck and spent most of the day coughing her lungs out. I had a late lunch with my boss which was whatever. We talked about my upcoming travel and his recent travel to Spain. Poor baby. I have little pity for him these days. Plus I had to leave to make my client call and since he was late (as usual) we didn't have much time to chat.
Had a steak for dinner which was decent. I am not buying groceries since we will be gone from Sunday-Saturday and most of it would go to waste.
We decided to finish watching Agents of Shield last night. We binge watched 5 episodes straight which was fun. We are done for the season finally. We had been waiting until I saw Winter Solider. I finally caught the last 10 minutes I was missing thanks to American Airlines. I think the show ended well but I can see how it hasn't done well with viewers. Unless you are keeping track of everything in the Marvel universe it's easy to get lost real quick. I had to pause through at least 3 of the 5 episodes to explain to B why something was happening. A little annoying but it didn't bother me.
We also started the process of 'selling' her car to me so we can get it registered here. She was going to keep it under MI plates, but she has to show proof of insurance to do that. For her to insure it, she was looking at $250+ a month. For me to insure it, it's $265 a year. Gee, big difference. Once we have it current, then we can sell it or use it as a trade-in for something else. Today we are getting it smog checked to make sure that won't be a problem.
That's about the extent of the day. I did a lot of media re-organizing and have all the machines up to date. Dumped my camera from the trip and posted pictures. I don't know why I bother putting shit on Facebook. People are just rude assholes about things. Whatever.
I need to poop.
Got all the laundry done yesterday. B got all of her clothes packed which is impressive since she is still sicker than heck and spent most of the day coughing her lungs out. I had a late lunch with my boss which was whatever. We talked about my upcoming travel and his recent travel to Spain. Poor baby. I have little pity for him these days. Plus I had to leave to make my client call and since he was late (as usual) we didn't have much time to chat.
Had a steak for dinner which was decent. I am not buying groceries since we will be gone from Sunday-Saturday and most of it would go to waste.
We decided to finish watching Agents of Shield last night. We binge watched 5 episodes straight which was fun. We are done for the season finally. We had been waiting until I saw Winter Solider. I finally caught the last 10 minutes I was missing thanks to American Airlines. I think the show ended well but I can see how it hasn't done well with viewers. Unless you are keeping track of everything in the Marvel universe it's easy to get lost real quick. I had to pause through at least 3 of the 5 episodes to explain to B why something was happening. A little annoying but it didn't bother me.
We also started the process of 'selling' her car to me so we can get it registered here. She was going to keep it under MI plates, but she has to show proof of insurance to do that. For her to insure it, she was looking at $250+ a month. For me to insure it, it's $265 a year. Gee, big difference. Once we have it current, then we can sell it or use it as a trade-in for something else. Today we are getting it smog checked to make sure that won't be a problem.
That's about the extent of the day. I did a lot of media re-organizing and have all the machines up to date. Dumped my camera from the trip and posted pictures. I don't know why I bother putting shit on Facebook. People are just rude assholes about things. Whatever.
I need to poop.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Y6 D46
Okay, angry has left the building. Took him a while to go away, but he is gone finally. Driving in traffic yesterday morning didn't do much to get rid of him, but being home and finally relaxing did. We left around 8:30 because B was still feeling awful. I got her some tea and a muffin from Starfuckers in the hotel, and it helped a little but not enough. She was popping DayQuil like candy yesterday. Traffic sucked for the first part of the trip, but once we got outside the city areas it lightened up. We stopped for lunch around 1, and we were home by 3:30. Not horrible for us, but definitely not our best travel time. Once we got home she took more meds and passed out. I took care of unpacking, putting up new pins, catching up on email, the cats, the cat's litter boxes, etc. Once I had everything done around 5:30 or so, I collapsed. I sat in my chair and vegged out hard. She woke up for a little while, had some food, and that was it. Around 7, the kid stopped by to bring me birthday presents and a burrito. We had a nice time catching up. I stayed up watching OITNB until about 10:30 and hit bed. Like I said, things are better now. Luckily I still have today off to catch up on laundry and some house stuff. Having lunch with my big boss today for my birthday and I have a 3pm conference call. Otherwise, I can move slow and not do much of anything. I have to do laundry since I have to re-pack for Reno next week. We are about to begin my weeks of back to back work travel. Woo.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Y6 D45
Normally the part of my brain that writes this is 'recall'. Sometimes 'melancholy' visits, or even 'grumpy'. Definitely a lot of 'sleepy'. Today you get 'anger'. I am in a shit fuck all mood right now that has been holding on tight since last night and does not appear any time in the foreseeable future to be letting go. Nope. He is here for a while.
Hotel issues. Spa issues. Sick bitchy issues. Demanding. Needy. Cranky. Spoiled. Am not in the fucking mood for any of those emotions or situations, yet they all made their appearance yesterday.
Got up, had an overpriced slow served breakfast. Went to the spa. Acceptable but not worth the money charged. Tried to go back to the park but someone was all over the map with their emotions and made it way less than enjoyable. As a result, we were back in the room by 7:30pm. That's pretty much when the day was 'over'.
I just fucking want to go home at this point. End of discussion. Luckily I have tomorrow still as official PTO and will not be doing a fucking thing.
Hotel issues. Spa issues. Sick bitchy issues. Demanding. Needy. Cranky. Spoiled. Am not in the fucking mood for any of those emotions or situations, yet they all made their appearance yesterday.
Got up, had an overpriced slow served breakfast. Went to the spa. Acceptable but not worth the money charged. Tried to go back to the park but someone was all over the map with their emotions and made it way less than enjoyable. As a result, we were back in the room by 7:30pm. That's pretty much when the day was 'over'.
I just fucking want to go home at this point. End of discussion. Luckily I have tomorrow still as official PTO and will not be doing a fucking thing.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Y6 D44
What a perfect birthday. I had a really wonderful day. I woke up around 5:30 and got our stuff together. Around 6 I woke up B and she started getting ready. We got on the road later than I wanted but it was okay in the long run. We had to sit through some traffic which didn't make me happy either but it was 7:20am on a Monday after a holiday. I shouldn't have expected anything less to be honest. We got to our friends hotel around 7:40 and drove over to the parking lot. Squared away the car situation - we each took a car but our friends don't have annual passes that include parking so we split up, B in one car with her pass, me in the other. This way no one had to pay for parking. Headed over to the park and met our other friends. It was hotter than hell yesterday and while the crowds weren't too bad, it definitely wasn't empty. We had a nice relaxing day. Went on some rides, did some shopping, had lobster nachos, afternoon cocktails at Carthay, and then called it an afternoon. The shopping was mellow. I bought one thing that was for the both of us. It's a Beauty and the Beast stained glass window statue. We are going to hang it over the bed. At 2 we headed over to our hotel as did one of the other couples. We got checked in and I will say I am not 100% happy with this room. For some reason we are missing a nightstand in our room. Odd. I tweeted about it and Hilton made a comment, but nothing has been done. We headed back to the park around 5:30 and did the same car thing. Then we went to Trader Sam's for Tiki. After we went to Steakhouse 55 for dinner. We all were dressed up and had a great 2 hour dinner. Wine, steaks, dessert. They even gave me the special dessert:
After dinner we headed to Downtown Disney for some shopping. My friends got me a bracelet for my birthday. I also picked up a shirt. B wanted a tank top she saw in the park but they didn't have it at DTD so we will go back into the park before we leave. Got back to the room around midnight and crashed out.
A wonderful day overall. Throughout the day I got texts and messages from everyone. Thank you to everyone who sent me a message. It's really appreciated.
Today is SPA DAY! Soon I will be getting rubbed down and facial and sigh. Then we are heading to the beach possibly. We may just go back to the park. TBD.
After dinner we headed to Downtown Disney for some shopping. My friends got me a bracelet for my birthday. I also picked up a shirt. B wanted a tank top she saw in the park but they didn't have it at DTD so we will go back into the park before we leave. Got back to the room around midnight and crashed out.
A wonderful day overall. Throughout the day I got texts and messages from everyone. Thank you to everyone who sent me a message. It's really appreciated.
Today is SPA DAY! Soon I will be getting rubbed down and facial and sigh. Then we are heading to the beach possibly. We may just go back to the park. TBD.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Y6 D43
Pre-birthday party success!! We had a great day yesterday. We left around 5:15 and B slept for about 3 of the six hours. We stopped for gas at one point as is normal. We got down here earlier than anticipated and needed to kill some time before going to my boss's house. I have to note, it's weird he's my boss as we have known each other for years. Neither of us really recognizes the boss/employee dynamic either because of it. Anyway, we got here early and ended up stopping for some lunch and wander around the mall. I found a princess tank top and a stitch backpack both of which will be in use today in the park. We got to their house around 1:30 and the fun began. They had his parents and some friends stop by during the day and we all swam and drank and had a fun time. Their daughter is extremely cute. Two is a good age for kids. We BBQd and had some fantastic steaks with rice and mushrooms, and salad. Since it was super hot here around 9 everyone was tired and we all crashed out.
In a little while I am waking B up and we are heading to the park!
In a little while I am waking B up and we are heading to the park!
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Y6 D42
Ultra quick post before we head out on the road.
Spent a good deal of time sleeping yesterday in preparation for being up at this time of the morning. We got up, had breakfast, came back, packed, and then slept. I slept for 4 hours. After waking up we had dinner, stopped at the mall to get some personal fans as it will be 100 degrees in the park tomorrow, then relaxed until show time.
Show was fun. Obviously I didn't get the night off as desired, but I still did little. We did the whole birthday thing which was fun. We left around 1:45, got home at 2, and slept until now. B is in the shower and we are heading out shortly.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be my fun day. 19 hours until my birthday.
Spent a good deal of time sleeping yesterday in preparation for being up at this time of the morning. We got up, had breakfast, came back, packed, and then slept. I slept for 4 hours. After waking up we had dinner, stopped at the mall to get some personal fans as it will be 100 degrees in the park tomorrow, then relaxed until show time.
Show was fun. Obviously I didn't get the night off as desired, but I still did little. We did the whole birthday thing which was fun. We left around 1:45, got home at 2, and slept until now. B is in the shower and we are heading out shortly.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be my fun day. 19 hours until my birthday.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Y6 D41
Nothing exciting to report today. We had a very low key day yesterday. I got up around this time and B got up about 3 hours later. When she got up we decided to go have some lunch and since it was July 4th, BBQ. After lunch we wandered around the mall for a little while. Got home, took a nap, read, relaxed, and that's about it. Neither of us had any energy to do much more than that. We managed to get laundry done, but that's about it. We went to bed around 10 and B read. I am not sure what time she fell asleep. All night of course we had the annoying idiots lighting off their stupid fireworks. I am really straining here to remember what else we did yesterday. I know that I was suffering from sour stomach and didn't eat dinner except for a piece of dry toast. Otherwise, not much else went on and I don't remember anything else worth discussing. No drama emails, no issues between us, etc.
Today I have to pack as we are leaving tomorrow for my birthday trip. Sunday will be a driving day, hanging out with friends, and then Monday Disneyland. Besides that we have a show tonight. We are going to try and leave early from the show so we can get some sleep before we head out. I would like us to be on the road by 6 tomorrow.
Hey, it's almost my birthday.
Today I have to pack as we are leaving tomorrow for my birthday trip. Sunday will be a driving day, hanging out with friends, and then Monday Disneyland. Besides that we have a show tonight. We are going to try and leave early from the show so we can get some sleep before we head out. I would like us to be on the road by 6 tomorrow.
Hey, it's almost my birthday.
Friday, July 4, 2014
Y6 D40
Well we got a new place yesterday. And while we will not be saving as much as I hoped, it will be $500 a month minimum saved. That's significant enough to make some serious changes for us. The upside is that we will be in a place that while we will be saving money won't be so horrible we hate living there. Here's what happened...
In the morning I called the apartment complex we had originally planned to move into. They had a 2bd coming available 8/2 for $1300. We decided okay, let's take the drive and deal with it. The whole way over there I was grumpy and apathetic because I knew in my heart I didn't really like the place. But it was $800 a month we were going to save and I just needed to suck it up and deal with it. When we got over there I was really looking at the complex through more objective eyes and I hated it. It looked dumpy, dirty, and just too big. The paint was peeling, people had junk on their patios, all these little things. Ironically B was thinking the same things I later discovered but she too was thinking about the savings. We pulled up and they were on lunch. It was 12:30 and they would be back at 1. We decided to go get lunch and while we were at lunch I said hey, let's go check out the other complex we didn't look at. There's a third complex in town that we hadn't originally looked at because everyone warned us that since it was like 5 years old it was expensive. I should have taken that with a grain of salt as expensive is part perspective. We get there and immediately I can feel a difference. Clean, up to date, well manicured. The other complex is run by a building company where as this one is run by a true property management company and it showed. We went into the office and the funniest thing was going on. This crazy eyed black lady who by the look of her couldn't afford a place like this, was asking questions and on her way out asks "can I use the pool?". The agent thinking she means as a resident was like "of course..." but then it clicked in her head and she added "as a resident or if you know someone". To this the woman goes "oh, well I don't know nobody here." and walks out. We were all kind of wtf was that?? The agent notices us, sees we are not like crazy eyes and comes over to greet us. As she does I extend my hand and go "cans I use yo' pool?". And that set the tone. We were all in good mood, she showed us the largest floorplan they have, about 1070 sq ft. We liked it as it had a full size w/d, a laundry nook, and you could tell immediately this place was new. She saw my look of disappointment though when I saw the bedrooms. She says, look, let me show you the one down from this. It's 1030 sq ft, BUT the bedrooms are bigger. I said sure thinking ok whatever. We go into the unit and boom I am sold. The 40 sq ft difference, half of it was the laundry area, and the other half was unnoticeable. The bedrooms were significantly larger, especially the master. The place has everything new and upgraded, crown molding, nice paint, ceiling fans, a/c, AND a w/d. It's a full size stackable, but it's a w/d. No more laundry room. On the property they have security at night (8pm - 5am), gym, nice pool with cabanas, propane tank grill area that they provide the propane for, club house, and a business center with fax. I was sold as was B. The catch? $1600 a month. Sigh. Okay. Fuck it. We will still save money and it was a good compromise. We filled everything out and 15 minutes later, done, we had our new apartment. We take the keys 8/9. We will be getting a second bathroom with more sq footage and a fucking washer/dryer. AND still saving $500 a month. That's enough to make a dent in my bills.
After we left, B told me how excited she is because this was the kind of complex she would have seen back in MI and known she could have never afforded. This is to her, a rich people luxury place. I do see where she is coming from because even there, it's the upper level of apartments. While it won't be the nicest apartment I have ever lived in, I do feel for the price and what we are getting it will be good. We signed a 13 month lease. Let's see how we do. We also discussed B getting a small P/T job after we move to help make up the difference in what we are saving. I asked for her to bring in at least $500 a month to make our savings match what it would have been. She 100% agreed and anything she makes will go directly to the wedding or honeymoon fund to allow me to use the monthly savings on bills. Deal and deal.
After all that we went and had a celebratory dinner at BJs. Before that though, B decided to buy my birthday present. She asked if there was a cycle gear in the area. Um yes? We went in and she bought me new saddlebags for my bike. I managed to get them to give me the previous month sale price too. Down from $180 to $120. NICE. I love them. Headed home and our friends came over. As a result of that, we now have an officiant for our wedding. He has agreed to perform the service for free in exchange for travel and lodging. Okay. We were looking at 450-500 for a professional out there and then we would have been under their rules. This way we get someone who will work with for about the same price and we have one more friend at our wedding. B ended up going to bed around midnight and we all stayed up talking until about 2.
Yesterday was a great day and a great way to start my vacation. I also learned of an upcoming project in BC Canada which makes me excited.
Lastly, a shout out to my buddy who is currently recuperating from surgery. Hope you are feeling well today and I look forward to you making a speedy recovery.
In the morning I called the apartment complex we had originally planned to move into. They had a 2bd coming available 8/2 for $1300. We decided okay, let's take the drive and deal with it. The whole way over there I was grumpy and apathetic because I knew in my heart I didn't really like the place. But it was $800 a month we were going to save and I just needed to suck it up and deal with it. When we got over there I was really looking at the complex through more objective eyes and I hated it. It looked dumpy, dirty, and just too big. The paint was peeling, people had junk on their patios, all these little things. Ironically B was thinking the same things I later discovered but she too was thinking about the savings. We pulled up and they were on lunch. It was 12:30 and they would be back at 1. We decided to go get lunch and while we were at lunch I said hey, let's go check out the other complex we didn't look at. There's a third complex in town that we hadn't originally looked at because everyone warned us that since it was like 5 years old it was expensive. I should have taken that with a grain of salt as expensive is part perspective. We get there and immediately I can feel a difference. Clean, up to date, well manicured. The other complex is run by a building company where as this one is run by a true property management company and it showed. We went into the office and the funniest thing was going on. This crazy eyed black lady who by the look of her couldn't afford a place like this, was asking questions and on her way out asks "can I use the pool?". The agent thinking she means as a resident was like "of course..." but then it clicked in her head and she added "as a resident or if you know someone". To this the woman goes "oh, well I don't know nobody here." and walks out. We were all kind of wtf was that?? The agent notices us, sees we are not like crazy eyes and comes over to greet us. As she does I extend my hand and go "cans I use yo' pool?". And that set the tone. We were all in good mood, she showed us the largest floorplan they have, about 1070 sq ft. We liked it as it had a full size w/d, a laundry nook, and you could tell immediately this place was new. She saw my look of disappointment though when I saw the bedrooms. She says, look, let me show you the one down from this. It's 1030 sq ft, BUT the bedrooms are bigger. I said sure thinking ok whatever. We go into the unit and boom I am sold. The 40 sq ft difference, half of it was the laundry area, and the other half was unnoticeable. The bedrooms were significantly larger, especially the master. The place has everything new and upgraded, crown molding, nice paint, ceiling fans, a/c, AND a w/d. It's a full size stackable, but it's a w/d. No more laundry room. On the property they have security at night (8pm - 5am), gym, nice pool with cabanas, propane tank grill area that they provide the propane for, club house, and a business center with fax. I was sold as was B. The catch? $1600 a month. Sigh. Okay. Fuck it. We will still save money and it was a good compromise. We filled everything out and 15 minutes later, done, we had our new apartment. We take the keys 8/9. We will be getting a second bathroom with more sq footage and a fucking washer/dryer. AND still saving $500 a month. That's enough to make a dent in my bills.
After we left, B told me how excited she is because this was the kind of complex she would have seen back in MI and known she could have never afforded. This is to her, a rich people luxury place. I do see where she is coming from because even there, it's the upper level of apartments. While it won't be the nicest apartment I have ever lived in, I do feel for the price and what we are getting it will be good. We signed a 13 month lease. Let's see how we do. We also discussed B getting a small P/T job after we move to help make up the difference in what we are saving. I asked for her to bring in at least $500 a month to make our savings match what it would have been. She 100% agreed and anything she makes will go directly to the wedding or honeymoon fund to allow me to use the monthly savings on bills. Deal and deal.
After all that we went and had a celebratory dinner at BJs. Before that though, B decided to buy my birthday present. She asked if there was a cycle gear in the area. Um yes? We went in and she bought me new saddlebags for my bike. I managed to get them to give me the previous month sale price too. Down from $180 to $120. NICE. I love them. Headed home and our friends came over. As a result of that, we now have an officiant for our wedding. He has agreed to perform the service for free in exchange for travel and lodging. Okay. We were looking at 450-500 for a professional out there and then we would have been under their rules. This way we get someone who will work with for about the same price and we have one more friend at our wedding. B ended up going to bed around midnight and we all stayed up talking until about 2.
Yesterday was a great day and a great way to start my vacation. I also learned of an upcoming project in BC Canada which makes me excited.
Lastly, a shout out to my buddy who is currently recuperating from surgery. Hope you are feeling well today and I look forward to you making a speedy recovery.
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Y6 D39
I slept in until 6:45 this morning. Let my vacation begin! For me that's the equivalent of sleeping until noon.
Was up at 3CDT, left for the airport around 4. Dropped off the rental car. While I was waiting for things to open, I got my second upgrade notice. Yay! That meant I had upgrades on both of my flights. Hello small victories! Got through security in about 30 seconds because it was Tulsa at 4:30 in the morning. My flight boarded right on time at 5:30 and was in Dallas by 7. Found my second flight which also boarded right on time. We didn't take off until 20 minutes late due to runway construction but otherwise, no delays, no problems, no issues.
Landed around 10:45, B picked me up, and we headed home. It was so good to see B again. I missed her so much. Between her travels and mine, it has been rough. I was in a grumpy mood most of the week and I was afraid it was going to carry through. I think having my upgrades and easy flights kept me in a decent mood.
Got home, unpacked, and then took a short nap. Afterwards, we went out to run a couple of errands, then grabbed food at the Hawaiian place I like. More miles for the mile factory. When we got back, B decided to take a little nap and I tried to do my admin stuff I needed to get done - time sheets, expense reports, book my next trip. I managed to get through most of it. But I need our admin to make some adjustments to the system so I can finish my timesheet. She does this every time. I tell her repeatedly I need a project start and end date to be plus one on either end because I travel. If she doesn't do it, the system won't let me enter in my time correctly. Like I tried to enter in my travel time for Sunday but it didn't see that as a valid project date. Whatever. I did manage to book my first of three trips to Ohio. That was expensive given the short window and that it is the middle of summer. $800 for a flight and $800 for 4 days of hotel. Sorry client but maybe you should move a little faster next time.
When B woke up, we talked. Nothing important. Just random talk and we laughed. We ended up going to bed around 10 and she read for a while and I passed right out. Still in need of sleep.
89 hours until my birthday! Yay me! Today I plan on doing as little as possible. I need to call the new complex and see if they have something coming available that we want. If so, we will take a drive out there today to get paperwork completed. I got paid already thanks to the holiday which is nice. I can pay any application fees without stress. Going to call them at 9 to see if we are going. Also going to call the hotel and make a spa appointment for us for next week. We both are in serious need of massages.
Now, now I must poop.
Was up at 3CDT, left for the airport around 4. Dropped off the rental car. While I was waiting for things to open, I got my second upgrade notice. Yay! That meant I had upgrades on both of my flights. Hello small victories! Got through security in about 30 seconds because it was Tulsa at 4:30 in the morning. My flight boarded right on time at 5:30 and was in Dallas by 7. Found my second flight which also boarded right on time. We didn't take off until 20 minutes late due to runway construction but otherwise, no delays, no problems, no issues.
Landed around 10:45, B picked me up, and we headed home. It was so good to see B again. I missed her so much. Between her travels and mine, it has been rough. I was in a grumpy mood most of the week and I was afraid it was going to carry through. I think having my upgrades and easy flights kept me in a decent mood.
Got home, unpacked, and then took a short nap. Afterwards, we went out to run a couple of errands, then grabbed food at the Hawaiian place I like. More miles for the mile factory. When we got back, B decided to take a little nap and I tried to do my admin stuff I needed to get done - time sheets, expense reports, book my next trip. I managed to get through most of it. But I need our admin to make some adjustments to the system so I can finish my timesheet. She does this every time. I tell her repeatedly I need a project start and end date to be plus one on either end because I travel. If she doesn't do it, the system won't let me enter in my time correctly. Like I tried to enter in my travel time for Sunday but it didn't see that as a valid project date. Whatever. I did manage to book my first of three trips to Ohio. That was expensive given the short window and that it is the middle of summer. $800 for a flight and $800 for 4 days of hotel. Sorry client but maybe you should move a little faster next time.
When B woke up, we talked. Nothing important. Just random talk and we laughed. We ended up going to bed around 10 and she read for a while and I passed right out. Still in need of sleep.
89 hours until my birthday! Yay me! Today I plan on doing as little as possible. I need to call the new complex and see if they have something coming available that we want. If so, we will take a drive out there today to get paperwork completed. I got paid already thanks to the holiday which is nice. I can pay any application fees without stress. Going to call them at 9 to see if we are going. Also going to call the hotel and make a spa appointment for us for next week. We both are in serious need of massages.
Now, now I must poop.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Y6 D38
Heading home today. 3:18am CDT currently. Be home in about 9.5 hours. But once I get home, I am on motherfucking vacation.
Another long day yesterday. Taught until 5:30. Amazing how a class with 2 students went late. Maybe because they kept asking so many unrealted questions. Sigh. But we got through it all. After class I found a Jamaican place for dinner. Why? Because I got miles for eating there. If I am going to be on the road, I am going to take advantage of this American Dining Rewards program. Every mile helps. I can make a flight in extra miles just by eating out? Okay.
Got back to the hotel around 7:30 and sat on the couch watching OITNB. Fell asleep around 10:30. A whopping 4.5 hours. Yay me.
I want to go home now.
Another long day yesterday. Taught until 5:30. Amazing how a class with 2 students went late. Maybe because they kept asking so many unrealted questions. Sigh. But we got through it all. After class I found a Jamaican place for dinner. Why? Because I got miles for eating there. If I am going to be on the road, I am going to take advantage of this American Dining Rewards program. Every mile helps. I can make a flight in extra miles just by eating out? Okay.
Got back to the hotel around 7:30 and sat on the couch watching OITNB. Fell asleep around 10:30. A whopping 4.5 hours. Yay me.
I want to go home now.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Y6 D37
One upgrade for tomorrow confirmed. Better than nothing. Of course it's on the one hour flight not the four hour flight. Whatever. I just need to get home tomorrow and be on vacation.
I am in a blah mood. I think it's because yesterday was just a clusterfuck. The client's IT department refused to punch any holes in their firewall for us to be able to access servers so we have to piggyback off some other company's guest wireless to get out. Because of all that we are an hour behind schedule. And we didn't finish until 5:30 on top of everything. So we finished late, couldn't get where we needed to be, and I am not sure what we're going to do today because the IT people are still being dicks. Fun shit.
Add to that bullshit emails coming from other people, my next trips to OH, 3 of them total, including one in July and two in August, it was just a frustrating day. Don't even get me started on B and her complaining about the cat and the heat. Go back to Michigan if things are so horrible here. I don't have time for this shit.
After class I attempted to find a longhorn steakhouse that I specifically wanted to eat at. I recently signed up for AA Dining which gives me 5 miles per dollar when I eat at certain restaurants. Where I live there's a few hundred listed. Here there were 17 and I only knew one of them. I ended up getting lost trying to find the place including going the wrong way for 3 miles and not being able to turn around. Finally found it and had a decent dinner. By the time I got back to the hotel it was almost 8 pm. I watched a couple episodes of OITNB before going to bed. Somewhere in there B called, she talked, I listened.
A note on OITNB - I tried watching the first episode when it premiered and I couldn't get into it. But since it made second season and everyone said it was good, I tried it again. I am glad I did. I realized after getting through a couple of episodes what I didn't like - Jason Biggs. It's his character that annoys me and bugs me. Frankly he will always be the guy who fucked a pie so it's hard to see him in anything else.
Got show info for Saturday. It would appear I don't get my birthday show off because people suck. That is all.
Happy anniversary to my sister. Good luck on your surgery to my buddy. And I hope everyone else is doing well. I think about all of you. Even if I don't show it.
I am in a blah mood. I think it's because yesterday was just a clusterfuck. The client's IT department refused to punch any holes in their firewall for us to be able to access servers so we have to piggyback off some other company's guest wireless to get out. Because of all that we are an hour behind schedule. And we didn't finish until 5:30 on top of everything. So we finished late, couldn't get where we needed to be, and I am not sure what we're going to do today because the IT people are still being dicks. Fun shit.
Add to that bullshit emails coming from other people, my next trips to OH, 3 of them total, including one in July and two in August, it was just a frustrating day. Don't even get me started on B and her complaining about the cat and the heat. Go back to Michigan if things are so horrible here. I don't have time for this shit.
After class I attempted to find a longhorn steakhouse that I specifically wanted to eat at. I recently signed up for AA Dining which gives me 5 miles per dollar when I eat at certain restaurants. Where I live there's a few hundred listed. Here there were 17 and I only knew one of them. I ended up getting lost trying to find the place including going the wrong way for 3 miles and not being able to turn around. Finally found it and had a decent dinner. By the time I got back to the hotel it was almost 8 pm. I watched a couple episodes of OITNB before going to bed. Somewhere in there B called, she talked, I listened.
A note on OITNB - I tried watching the first episode when it premiered and I couldn't get into it. But since it made second season and everyone said it was good, I tried it again. I am glad I did. I realized after getting through a couple of episodes what I didn't like - Jason Biggs. It's his character that annoys me and bugs me. Frankly he will always be the guy who fucked a pie so it's hard to see him in anything else.
Got show info for Saturday. It would appear I don't get my birthday show off because people suck. That is all.
Happy anniversary to my sister. Good luck on your surgery to my buddy. And I hope everyone else is doing well. I think about all of you. Even if I don't show it.
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