I almost lost it completely yesterday. I have never hurt as bad as I was in the afternoon. I crawled under a blanket in the front room and just didn't want to move.
My one student logged in and because there was only one student we finished the day around 1. By the time we were about done, my throat was killing me. Even my student didn't want me to continue. I decided to move the bookcases as we want to rearrange in prep for the new couch. I moved one successfully but when I went to move the second it completely collapsed on me. It's not like I expected them to last as they were $30 CrapMart bookcases, but jeez. I was so done at that point. I went and laid down and ended up falling asleep until 3. When I woke up it was horrible. I couldn't talk, I couldn't swallow, I was just dying. B suggested we go get a slurpee to see if it would help. It didn't. It caused more saliva which caused me MORE pain. While we were out we stopped a couple of places to look at replacement bookcases. That's when I started getting weak, running a fever, and feeling like I was going to collapse. We got back home and that's when I crawled under the blanket. I ended up falling back to sleep until 7. I tried to eat some cottage cheese for dinner but even that was a strain. We ended up watching a bunch of Criminal Minds episodes and then going to bed around midnight. I am doing moderate this morning. There's still a lot of pain but the rest of my symptoms are gone. Let's see how today goes to see if I end up going back to a doctor.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Monday, September 29, 2014
Y6 D127
I managed to salvage yesterday into a pretty decent day. Overall I did not get everything I wanted done this weekend completed but since I don't have to travel for a few weeks I will have my evenings to focus on those things. One thing I want to accomplish tonight is finishing hanging artwork in the house. After that there's some stuff I want to rearrange in the dining/sitting room and the office. Also I have almost 200gb of TV and Movies I need to get put together on the media server. That's going to take me a few hours, but it will be time well spent.
As for yesterday, I did in fact go to Urgent Care. I was expecting a mad house there as it was a Sunday and very little is usually open on a Sunday for medical services. Surprisingly it was dead. There were a couple of patients being seen, one in the waiting room, and me. Okay, not bad. I got there around 10 and was in with the doctor by 10:45. Downside is my co-pay for Urgent Care was $100. Even the receptionist felt bad about that. But as I told her, my voice is my job. If I am having throat problems, I can't work. That and $100 is a lot cheaper than what it would be to go to the ER. Once I got in to see the doctor he looked at my throat and said it was irritated, strained, and something had scratched it. He then asked if I have been talking a lot lately where it could have been strained. I laughed so hard I peed a little. Not really but you all know my JOB is talking. All day, every day. I told the doctor this and he asked how many weeks I had gone without a break. Once more I laughed and told him. He asked if was going to have a break soon. Man this guy is a comedian for sure. He wrote me a prescription for some 'magic mouthwash'. No for real, that's what the scrip said. The pharmacy knew what that meant - a mixture of Lidocaine, Benadryl, and anti-inflammatory. Cool. Numbness and sleepiness all at the same time. He then looked at my leg and said it was healing, looking good, but I needed to rest that too. No boot or anything, just needs a few more weeks to heal. Okay. I spent $100 to hear I was doing pretty much all I could.
Finished up at the doctor, got my prescription, headed home. At around 1:30 B and I headed out for our tattoo appointment. We were there until about 4. Check all the social medias if you want to see what we got. We did get matching tattoos which as far as we're concerned, is much meaningful than any marriage certificate.
After the ink we headed to a furniture. We finally settled on a couch. Essentially it took building a custom couch for us to find one that worked for both of us. It wasn't bad either about $1000 after shipping, delivery, tax, customization charges. If you go to cameronparkfurniture.com you'll see the options of building your own couch and the one we got. Ours is the 'Sofia' with a plain front, Noble Mocha upholstery, L shaped leg, and 'Balloons' as the pattern for the pillows. It will take 4-8 weeks to arrive. They are running right about in between on delivery so it should be here around the end of October.
Got home from everything around 6:30 and had some dinner. I still couldn't swallow much so I had cottage cheese and sweet potato casserole. We watched some TV and relaxed. Headed to bed around 10:30. So all in all, we managed to finish up the weekend on a strong positive note. Now for a week of straining my voice more.
As for yesterday, I did in fact go to Urgent Care. I was expecting a mad house there as it was a Sunday and very little is usually open on a Sunday for medical services. Surprisingly it was dead. There were a couple of patients being seen, one in the waiting room, and me. Okay, not bad. I got there around 10 and was in with the doctor by 10:45. Downside is my co-pay for Urgent Care was $100. Even the receptionist felt bad about that. But as I told her, my voice is my job. If I am having throat problems, I can't work. That and $100 is a lot cheaper than what it would be to go to the ER. Once I got in to see the doctor he looked at my throat and said it was irritated, strained, and something had scratched it. He then asked if I have been talking a lot lately where it could have been strained. I laughed so hard I peed a little. Not really but you all know my JOB is talking. All day, every day. I told the doctor this and he asked how many weeks I had gone without a break. Once more I laughed and told him. He asked if was going to have a break soon. Man this guy is a comedian for sure. He wrote me a prescription for some 'magic mouthwash'. No for real, that's what the scrip said. The pharmacy knew what that meant - a mixture of Lidocaine, Benadryl, and anti-inflammatory. Cool. Numbness and sleepiness all at the same time. He then looked at my leg and said it was healing, looking good, but I needed to rest that too. No boot or anything, just needs a few more weeks to heal. Okay. I spent $100 to hear I was doing pretty much all I could.
Finished up at the doctor, got my prescription, headed home. At around 1:30 B and I headed out for our tattoo appointment. We were there until about 4. Check all the social medias if you want to see what we got. We did get matching tattoos which as far as we're concerned, is much meaningful than any marriage certificate.
After the ink we headed to a furniture. We finally settled on a couch. Essentially it took building a custom couch for us to find one that worked for both of us. It wasn't bad either about $1000 after shipping, delivery, tax, customization charges. If you go to cameronparkfurniture.com you'll see the options of building your own couch and the one we got. Ours is the 'Sofia' with a plain front, Noble Mocha upholstery, L shaped leg, and 'Balloons' as the pattern for the pillows. It will take 4-8 weeks to arrive. They are running right about in between on delivery so it should be here around the end of October.
Got home from everything around 6:30 and had some dinner. I still couldn't swallow much so I had cottage cheese and sweet potato casserole. We watched some TV and relaxed. Headed to bed around 10:30. So all in all, we managed to finish up the weekend on a strong positive note. Now for a week of straining my voice more.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Y6 D126
Why does the fucking universe hate me? Seriously. Let's recap yesterday shall we? Which was fine until approximately 8pm and went down fucking hill from there. I got up and worked on timesheets, expense reports, etc. I waited for B to get up and ready and then we started out by going and looking at a couch. She really wants one and there's not going to be much I can say or do that's going to change her mind on this. I just have to deal with it. After we left the furniture store we did something. I don't fucking remember. Seriously. I just don't fucking remember. I know at one point I put meat in the slow cooker, I went to the store for yams, she tried to take a nap, I organized some stuff, like moved around a ton of shit in the office so it looks decent, then we ate around 6:30. I made a london broil that had cooked all day, sweet potato casserole, and for her green beans for me asparagus. So it was after dinner I started feeling a weird little tickle in the back of my throat. Like a minor sore throat coming on. But it was isolated to one area. I didn't think much of it but decided to rest my voice. B needed to go to target AGAIN to get a specific t-shirt to wear to the show. We started getting ready around 9 and left around 9:30. This was our first time driving by ourselves and it went okay. My throat however was progressively getting worse. By the time we got to the theater, swallowing was sending me into pain. Then our director did her usual "YOU HAVE TO FLYER EVERYWHERE" bullshit speech. I told her straight up - would you like me to leave them at the airport because that's the only place I ever see. That of course didn't go over well but I gave zero fucks because my leg was hurting and I couldn't swallow without screaming. Managed to get through the show without crying. B looked down my throat at one point and she believes I have a canker sore in there. I am going to the doctor shortly to find out and have my leg finally looked at. We had to stop at Walmart on the way home because it's the only thing open at 4am. I got some chloraseptic spray on the way home to try and numb it. That helped at least to allow me to finally fall asleep at 5am. Okay fuck it all. Going to the doctor now.
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Y6 D125
We are 35% through this year already. And by this year I mean year 6 of me writing. That's so much writing. Why do I keep doing it? Honestly some days I don't know. It's not like I expect something of it. The catharsis of writing is still there but my drama is much smaller and contained these days which isn't a bad thing. I don't really miss the ups and downs. Well some days I do.
Yesterday was a fun day. I taught until 3 and then B and I went out to take care of stuff. Since I was gone for so long and then she was gone with me for this last gig, there was little to no food left in the house. Since she wanted to get some other non-food things too, we decided to hit the Walmart. I can't believe I am honestly shopping in there on a quasi-regular basis. It's not "oh my goodness, look at these low prices" and more "I don't want to go to multiple stores". From a convenience perspective, I do get the allure. One stop. I can get household items and a full selection of food items AND whatever else I need under one roof. That much I can appreciate. When we were there we got the new Disney Infinity 2.0. Man that was a hard decision of which ones to get. We ended up with the Marvel Starter Kit which comes with Iron Man, Thor, and Black Widow, then we got Captain America, Hawkeye, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, and the Guardians playset which included Starlord and Gamorra. Yeah, we got pretty much all of them. Next is the Spiderman playset and the associated characters. I think I want to put a shelf up today to put ALL of our Infinity characters on display. Just need to figure out where.
We grabbed food on the way home from A&W of all places. As we were leaving the store it started raining. Not like little rain either. Giant buckets of torrential downpour. We had a fun time getting everything inside, that's for sure. We setup the new system and played for a little while until our friends came over. We helped them move a TV to their house. One of them (okay, let's be honest here, they're a lesbian couple and do I say wife? Which wife? How can I describe a married female couple accurately?) hurt her leg the same as I did. But unlike me who got right on a plane, she is using crutches and wearing a boot and essentially in agonizing pain. Me? Meh. I am still in pain and I have a limp, but I just keep going. Anyway, we helped them move a TV and then hung out for a while. We decided to play Life but I was really confused at their version. It didn't have career cards or houses. While we were playing I looked it up and theirs is the 'vintage' version. The one I am used to is from 1978 forward. It was really screwing with me. Around 10:30 about halfway through the game, she started feeling ill from the meds they gave her and I was starting to overheat and the throbbing in my leg was bugging me from sitting. We called it a night right there.
Got home around 10:45 and got into bed. A productive, fun day. This is the first weekend in a while where I haven't had to worry about checking in for flights or rush to pack or do laundry. We do have a show tonight, but call time isn't until 11pm. I have all day to relax, clean, and organize. I am actually looking forward to it. Plus I have a Sunday all day at home and I don't have to be up at 2am on Monday. I don't know what to do with myself. I am downright giddy. I am so looking forward to cleaning here in a little while.
Man I am boring.
Yesterday was a fun day. I taught until 3 and then B and I went out to take care of stuff. Since I was gone for so long and then she was gone with me for this last gig, there was little to no food left in the house. Since she wanted to get some other non-food things too, we decided to hit the Walmart. I can't believe I am honestly shopping in there on a quasi-regular basis. It's not "oh my goodness, look at these low prices" and more "I don't want to go to multiple stores". From a convenience perspective, I do get the allure. One stop. I can get household items and a full selection of food items AND whatever else I need under one roof. That much I can appreciate. When we were there we got the new Disney Infinity 2.0. Man that was a hard decision of which ones to get. We ended up with the Marvel Starter Kit which comes with Iron Man, Thor, and Black Widow, then we got Captain America, Hawkeye, Groot, Rocket Raccoon, and the Guardians playset which included Starlord and Gamorra. Yeah, we got pretty much all of them. Next is the Spiderman playset and the associated characters. I think I want to put a shelf up today to put ALL of our Infinity characters on display. Just need to figure out where.
We grabbed food on the way home from A&W of all places. As we were leaving the store it started raining. Not like little rain either. Giant buckets of torrential downpour. We had a fun time getting everything inside, that's for sure. We setup the new system and played for a little while until our friends came over. We helped them move a TV to their house. One of them (okay, let's be honest here, they're a lesbian couple and do I say wife? Which wife? How can I describe a married female couple accurately?) hurt her leg the same as I did. But unlike me who got right on a plane, she is using crutches and wearing a boot and essentially in agonizing pain. Me? Meh. I am still in pain and I have a limp, but I just keep going. Anyway, we helped them move a TV and then hung out for a while. We decided to play Life but I was really confused at their version. It didn't have career cards or houses. While we were playing I looked it up and theirs is the 'vintage' version. The one I am used to is from 1978 forward. It was really screwing with me. Around 10:30 about halfway through the game, she started feeling ill from the meds they gave her and I was starting to overheat and the throbbing in my leg was bugging me from sitting. We called it a night right there.
Got home around 10:45 and got into bed. A productive, fun day. This is the first weekend in a while where I haven't had to worry about checking in for flights or rush to pack or do laundry. We do have a show tonight, but call time isn't until 11pm. I have all day to relax, clean, and organize. I am actually looking forward to it. Plus I have a Sunday all day at home and I don't have to be up at 2am on Monday. I don't know what to do with myself. I am downright giddy. I am so looking forward to cleaning here in a little while.
Man I am boring.
Friday, September 26, 2014
Y6 D124
It's nice to be home. But I am so off as to what day it is. After doing classes on the road and then doing classes here, I am all confused. Usually road trips are an all week thing and I get home and it's the weekend. The fact that today is finally Friday is messing with me.
Taught my class, finished around 2. After class we went and picked my car up and dropped off the rental. The rental cost me $44 for the week only because I upgraded from what they had originally offered me. I had to give them a $50 deposit when I got the car so I ended up getting $6 back. After the car we went and checked out a furniture store we have been curious about. We need a couch. Yes, we gave the one we had to the kid, but not because we didn't want a couch, but because B didn't like it and it didn't match anything else we owned. We found one we liked but we need to measure to see if it is going to fit. If not, there's another which is smaller that should work. They are reasonably priced as well. I am okay if we don't have a couch so I may stall this issue a while, but I have to act like I am into it for appearances.
After the furniture store we went over to a tattoo/smoke shop we have been also interested in checking out. After talking to the artist there and looking through his books, we decided on Sunday we are both getting a new tattoo. More on that after it happens. While we there I picked up a new vaporizer. I need to go back today because the charger I have is not compatible and I need to get a charger for it.
Why a vape? Well, I have been keeping it quiet but I have been using one all week and it has really helped on the smoking front. I have had about 6 cigarettes all week thanks to the vaporizer. I bought one when I was in WA and started using it then. The only problem with the one I bought is the battery life. It's a small battery and I have to charge it twice a day. With the one I got last night, I can go a week between charges. Which is good because I need a charger. I have about 4 bottles of liquid for it right now and I have been really enjoying the taste of those over regular smokes. The goal is to buy liquid with less and less nicotine in it until I have weaned myself off. One guy who did it that way was able to do it in about six months, another 8. Either way, I don't smell, I am not stuck having to go outside all the time, and it's a hell of lot cheaper. One small bottle of juice is about $8 and lasts a month versus $6 - $8 a pack which lasts a day and a half. I managed to go all three days on the road without once having to ask the client to escort me outside. That's huge for me. I really want to do this. I may have found a solution that works and I will keep at it.
We had mexican food while we were out and then came on back home. I got a hankering for rice krispie treats and on the way home we stopped at the store for supplies. Made the treats, did a bunch of little stuff like dishes, watched some new Big Bang Theory and then I tried to play Sims. I say tried because it decided to lock up right after I finished building my house. Fucker. 2.5 hours wasted. I can't wait until there's a native mac version. I may also try updating my copy of Parallels tonight to see if it helps. While I was doing that, B was looking up new shows and when her old shows come back. Sigh. More stuff for the queue and more stuff to organize. Speaking of that, that's the big plan for the weekend, at least tomorrow - house organization.
Time to teach once more. I have class today, then classes from home next week, then as of right now nothing. Let's see how long that lasts.
Taught my class, finished around 2. After class we went and picked my car up and dropped off the rental. The rental cost me $44 for the week only because I upgraded from what they had originally offered me. I had to give them a $50 deposit when I got the car so I ended up getting $6 back. After the car we went and checked out a furniture store we have been curious about. We need a couch. Yes, we gave the one we had to the kid, but not because we didn't want a couch, but because B didn't like it and it didn't match anything else we owned. We found one we liked but we need to measure to see if it is going to fit. If not, there's another which is smaller that should work. They are reasonably priced as well. I am okay if we don't have a couch so I may stall this issue a while, but I have to act like I am into it for appearances.
After the furniture store we went over to a tattoo/smoke shop we have been also interested in checking out. After talking to the artist there and looking through his books, we decided on Sunday we are both getting a new tattoo. More on that after it happens. While we there I picked up a new vaporizer. I need to go back today because the charger I have is not compatible and I need to get a charger for it.
Why a vape? Well, I have been keeping it quiet but I have been using one all week and it has really helped on the smoking front. I have had about 6 cigarettes all week thanks to the vaporizer. I bought one when I was in WA and started using it then. The only problem with the one I bought is the battery life. It's a small battery and I have to charge it twice a day. With the one I got last night, I can go a week between charges. Which is good because I need a charger. I have about 4 bottles of liquid for it right now and I have been really enjoying the taste of those over regular smokes. The goal is to buy liquid with less and less nicotine in it until I have weaned myself off. One guy who did it that way was able to do it in about six months, another 8. Either way, I don't smell, I am not stuck having to go outside all the time, and it's a hell of lot cheaper. One small bottle of juice is about $8 and lasts a month versus $6 - $8 a pack which lasts a day and a half. I managed to go all three days on the road without once having to ask the client to escort me outside. That's huge for me. I really want to do this. I may have found a solution that works and I will keep at it.
We had mexican food while we were out and then came on back home. I got a hankering for rice krispie treats and on the way home we stopped at the store for supplies. Made the treats, did a bunch of little stuff like dishes, watched some new Big Bang Theory and then I tried to play Sims. I say tried because it decided to lock up right after I finished building my house. Fucker. 2.5 hours wasted. I can't wait until there's a native mac version. I may also try updating my copy of Parallels tonight to see if it helps. While I was doing that, B was looking up new shows and when her old shows come back. Sigh. More stuff for the queue and more stuff to organize. Speaking of that, that's the big plan for the weekend, at least tomorrow - house organization.
Time to teach once more. I have class today, then classes from home next week, then as of right now nothing. Let's see how long that lasts.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Y6 D123
My stupid cat is on her way out for sure this time. Everything is becoming a serious struggle for her. Since we got home last night she has been howling and just having a bad time of it. I need to make her an appointment today for hopefully Saturday. I really don't want to put her down, but if she is in pain then that's the best for her. I don't want to see her hurting any more.
Sigh.
Taught all day. Class went well I felt. Around lunchtime I got a call from the body shop. My car is done and ready to go. We will go pick it up today after class. Finished up around 4 and went back to the hotel to pick B up. I arranged a late checkout so she was only hanging downstairs for about 2 hours. Not too horrible since she had her laptop and Sims 4 to keep her company. We got on the road and stopped for dinner in one of those place you never expect to ever be - Lodi. We both needed to pee and there was a Denny's so there it is. We had dinner, got back on the road, and we were home by 7. Took us a while to unpack everything, get mail, feed the cats, etc. Around 9 I decided to download Sims to my computer. I have Parallels on this machine and started up a Windows 7 virtual. It took about 20 minutes to download compared to the six hours on the hotel's network. I only played for about a half hour before I realized how tired I was and there were work emails to be dealt with unfortunately. I have two more days of teaching, from home at least, but it's two more days of teaching. I went to bed around 10:30 and fell right asleep.
Goals for this week now that I am home for a couple of weeks - get rid of all the remaining boxes and reorganize this office. I need to make some more room in here before I go nuts. I have been home for less than 12 hours and it's already pissing me off. If I am going to be home for a while teaching, I need to fix things in here. There's no if ands or buts about it. I need to clean.
Getting through today, getting my car, and seeing how the rest of the week goes.
Sigh.
Taught all day. Class went well I felt. Around lunchtime I got a call from the body shop. My car is done and ready to go. We will go pick it up today after class. Finished up around 4 and went back to the hotel to pick B up. I arranged a late checkout so she was only hanging downstairs for about 2 hours. Not too horrible since she had her laptop and Sims 4 to keep her company. We got on the road and stopped for dinner in one of those place you never expect to ever be - Lodi. We both needed to pee and there was a Denny's so there it is. We had dinner, got back on the road, and we were home by 7. Took us a while to unpack everything, get mail, feed the cats, etc. Around 9 I decided to download Sims to my computer. I have Parallels on this machine and started up a Windows 7 virtual. It took about 20 minutes to download compared to the six hours on the hotel's network. I only played for about a half hour before I realized how tired I was and there were work emails to be dealt with unfortunately. I have two more days of teaching, from home at least, but it's two more days of teaching. I went to bed around 10:30 and fell right asleep.
Goals for this week now that I am home for a couple of weeks - get rid of all the remaining boxes and reorganize this office. I need to make some more room in here before I go nuts. I have been home for less than 12 hours and it's already pissing me off. If I am going to be home for a while teaching, I need to fix things in here. There's no if ands or buts about it. I need to clean.
Getting through today, getting my car, and seeing how the rest of the week goes.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Y6 D122
I am just super tired right now and don't know why. I in theory got enough sleep. Taught all day. Class went from 7:30 until 4. During that I got an email from my boss about the trips in November. Fucking client wants the days moved and oh look, it fucks with my Disney trip. Well guess what buddy? That's going to cost you an extra day. I had to call the hotel and adjust everything.
Got back to the hotel and started getting everything packed up to go home tonight. I then spent an hour taking care of those two trips in November. I have 29 emails right now and 14 of them are 'reservations' for upcoming trips. I am going to have stayed 100 nights in hotels this year. That's almost 50% of my work days.
B wanted cold stone and I wasn't really hungry for dinner, so we went out for a ride. When we got to where the cold stone place was she saw a Noodles and Co so we had to go. After we did go to cold stone then the bookstore just to walk around.
Got back to the hotel around 8 or so. Finished organizing/packing and then I crawled into bed. I don't know what she was up to or when she came to bed.
Teaching, driving home. Sleep in my own bed tonight.
Got back to the hotel and started getting everything packed up to go home tonight. I then spent an hour taking care of those two trips in November. I have 29 emails right now and 14 of them are 'reservations' for upcoming trips. I am going to have stayed 100 nights in hotels this year. That's almost 50% of my work days.
B wanted cold stone and I wasn't really hungry for dinner, so we went out for a ride. When we got to where the cold stone place was she saw a Noodles and Co so we had to go. After we did go to cold stone then the bookstore just to walk around.
Got back to the hotel around 8 or so. Finished organizing/packing and then I crawled into bed. I don't know what she was up to or when she came to bed.
Teaching, driving home. Sleep in my own bed tonight.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Y6 D121
Nothing exciting yesterday. My leg is hurting a lot but that's because I stood on it all day yesterday for the first time in a few days. It's different if I am walking on it versus just standing all day. But the class went well. 12 folks, all of whom are pretty smart and got things. We ended up finishing up about an hour early which won't be the case today so it was nice. A good intro into class.
Got back to the hotel around 4:30 and B and I ordered pizza. We basically spent the night in the room doing a whole lot of nothing. Around 8 we ran over to Target as she needed some face wash and lotion and I needed eye drops.
She played Sims 4, yes I downloaded it for her, and I watched Scrubs, then we went off to bed.
Excitement. woo.
Got back to the hotel around 4:30 and B and I ordered pizza. We basically spent the night in the room doing a whole lot of nothing. Around 8 we ran over to Target as she needed some face wash and lotion and I needed eye drops.
She played Sims 4, yes I downloaded it for her, and I watched Scrubs, then we went off to bed.
Excitement. woo.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Y6 D120
Another damn good day. We got up, had our free breakfast downstairs, then decided to go to the outlet stores near here. They were a little disappointing as most outlet stores end up being. They lure you in with the promise of ridiculously low prices but they never deliver. 70% off!! (msrp which no one is ever going to pay anyway). So while we didn't find any great deals, it wasn't horrible. B found a nice cardigan and some t-shirts. Plus it got us out of the hotel for a while. On our way back we stopped at Target for a couple of things, including my 'fabulous prizes' for my class this week. We came back and decided to download Sims 4 onto her new computer. Since it was a 9gb download, we knew it would take a while. I just checked it and it is finally done but it took all night.
We found a diner type place for dinner which was pretty good. If I were here alone, it's the kind of place I would totally eat at every night. If I come back here at any point, I will probably do just that. We didn't do a whole lot of anything else. I have needed these last few days to recuperate that's for sure.
I ended up getting into bed around 10:30 and slipping off. Don't even remember falling asleep. Just one minute I am awake and the next it's 5am. I am finally feeling rested. Thank goodness I only teach here for three days. More importantly, I don't have to be back on the road for about 3 weeks which is wonderful. Time to get ready. I need to leave here in two hours. Here we go...
We found a diner type place for dinner which was pretty good. If I were here alone, it's the kind of place I would totally eat at every night. If I come back here at any point, I will probably do just that. We didn't do a whole lot of anything else. I have needed these last few days to recuperate that's for sure.
I ended up getting into bed around 10:30 and slipping off. Don't even remember falling asleep. Just one minute I am awake and the next it's 5am. I am finally feeling rested. Thank goodness I only teach here for three days. More importantly, I don't have to be back on the road for about 3 weeks which is wonderful. Time to get ready. I need to leave here in two hours. Here we go...
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Y6 D119
What a wonderful day we had yesterday. We had the perfect date day. We got up, had breakfast here at the hotel, then headed downtown to Old Sacramento. We did some fun tourist things like go to the old museum. We then walked around the shops, had a nice lunch at a great Italian place which I would drive back out to eat again. We shared a caesar salad, an almond cannoli, then had wonderful deep dish pizzas. After lunch we wandered some more then took a carriage ride through the old streets, along the river, and through the park. When we were done with that I did something I have refused my entire life to do - we took one of those old time photos. B wanted to do it and whatever she wants, I can't say no. Not to something that didn't hurt me, ya know? I always refused because I thought they were cheesy, still do, but it made her happy so you know what, I can be cheesy. If this truly is my second chance at redemption, then I will be damn sure to do all those things I felt I was too good, too cool, too whatever to do in the past. Fuck it. Why not. After we did some more walking and shopping, then came back for a nice nap. After naptime I took her to Outback for steaks. We got back to the room around 9 and just relaxed. She wrote up a new blog post, I watched some TV and organized files. I got into bed around midnight and read and must have fallen asleep. Next thing I remember it's about 1 and she was coming to bed.
Today we are going to the outlet stores nearby. Then it's back to the grind of work.
Today we are going to the outlet stores nearby. Then it's back to the grind of work.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Y6 D118
Good morning! Here I am in wonderful Sacramento. Yesterday was a nice day. I was a little frustrated in the morning because I woke up early and had to wait for B to wake up to do laundry and I couldn't finish packing until laundry was done. I felt like I was waiting for everything in the morning. While I waited I got all my expense reports and time sheets done though which was a good thing. We took care of everything once B woke up, packed, and got ready to leave. We headed out around 1:30 and arrived around 3. Traffic was super light which was nice. We stopped for food along the way but otherwise, a simple straight forward drive. Once here we checked in, ironed, etc and went to Chili's for dinner. After dinner B got super tired and ended up falling asleep at 8. I stayed up until about 11 working on transferring all her files from her old computer to the new one. I finished all that up so she is ready to go. All in all, a good relaxing day.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Y6 D117
Yesterday was one of the best days I have had in a long time. I was confused most of the day as to what day it actually was, but man was it enjoyable. First off I got up with no alarm which in of itself was wonderful. Then I made the wonderful discovery that my money from the state FINALLY came through. Which meant we could finally replace B's dying laptop. We got ready to go out, then went over to Best Buy. The one near us didn't have the laptop she wanted in stock and we had to drive 30 minutes away but it was okay because we got to hang out, talk, and just spend some decent time together which was nice. We got her laptop, came home, charged it up, took a nap, relaxed, ran some other errands, had a nice dinner, and then got around to setting it up. She got extremely frustrated with it right away. Why? Because one it has windows 8.1 on it which she hates, and two the amount of bloatware was insane and was dragging everything down. Took us hours to get it clean enough for it really be usable. Shit like that pisses me off. All the crap they try to force on you is ridiculous. This is why I stick with Macs. They don't do any of that bullshit. We ended up going to bed after midnight because it took so long.
Now today we leave for Sacramento and we're going to have a nice weekend there before I have to teach next week. Or else.
Now today we leave for Sacramento and we're going to have a nice weekend there before I have to teach next week. Or else.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Y6 D116
I'M HOME! FOR MORE THAN ONE DAY! Well technically I am only home for a few days. But this time B gets to come with me and we are making a weekend out of it. My next client next week is 'local' as in driving distance so therefore she can come. I have to be there M-W next week and was planning on leaving Sunday, but said fuck it, and we are leaving tomorrow afternoon and enjoying ourselves. So yeah, while I am technically only home once more for less than two days, at least this time, no airport and no being away.
As for yesterday, I got into the client around 7:30 and was done at 10:30. I was at the airport by 11:30 and since this was a partner flight, I couldn't change anything out. Trust me I tried. So I sat. Until 5pm. 6 hours almost of sitting at an airport completely bored off my ass. Plus again, since it was a partner flight, I was stuck in the back of the plane. I had a window seat at least, but we landed at 7:20 and I didn't get off the plane until 7:45. By the time car service got me to my car it was 8:30. I got a text from the pharmacy saying my prescription was ready and hauled ass to them to try and make it by 9. Got there with 6 minutes to spare. Finally made it home around 10. I was exhausted and wound up all at the same time. B and I relaxed - she watched TV and I finished the book I brought with me.
Today I am catching up on EVERYTHING. The car, laundry, bills, expense reports - you name it and I am catching up. Let the fun begin!
As for yesterday, I got into the client around 7:30 and was done at 10:30. I was at the airport by 11:30 and since this was a partner flight, I couldn't change anything out. Trust me I tried. So I sat. Until 5pm. 6 hours almost of sitting at an airport completely bored off my ass. Plus again, since it was a partner flight, I was stuck in the back of the plane. I had a window seat at least, but we landed at 7:20 and I didn't get off the plane until 7:45. By the time car service got me to my car it was 8:30. I got a text from the pharmacy saying my prescription was ready and hauled ass to them to try and make it by 9. Got there with 6 minutes to spare. Finally made it home around 10. I was exhausted and wound up all at the same time. B and I relaxed - she watched TV and I finished the book I brought with me.
Today I am catching up on EVERYTHING. The car, laundry, bills, expense reports - you name it and I am catching up. Let the fun begin!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Y6 D115
I had a pretty lousy day yesterday. Class was okay, but it was just the day in general. I got onsite way too early and had to wait for my client. The facility here is locked down tighter than fort knox and I couldn't even get into the parking lot without an escort. There were 15 people in my class and 14 of them wanted to be there and enjoy themselves. One I could tell was forced to be there and she just had serious RBF going on the whole day. Whatever. Finished up class at 4 as scheduled and headed back to the hotel.
It was when I got back that things started really sucking. First off, my sister and niece both canceled on me which sucked because I was really hoping to see at least one of them. Then my boss called. He has at least two more projects that will come through before the end of the year. One of them will eat the one and only week I had in October free. The worst part is that it's back in fucking Canada. This time Toronto. Ugh. Plus it's with an airline carrier and I have to take their flight. No options. So no mileage, no perks, nothing. The second one is in November in Texas and may span the week of Thanksgiving. Aka - the worst week in the world to be at a fucking airport. This news just depressed me and I got into a funk.
I ate dinner at the restaurant here. What's with the hotel restaurants these last two trips? At least in Canada they were short staffed and I could understand. Here they were just flat out fucking slow. Annoyed.
Came back up and watched TV until the headache I was getting reached the point where the light was bugging me too much. Turned everything off and fell asleep. I also had random weird dreams which are gone into the night, but woke me up a few times.
I just want to go home.
It was when I got back that things started really sucking. First off, my sister and niece both canceled on me which sucked because I was really hoping to see at least one of them. Then my boss called. He has at least two more projects that will come through before the end of the year. One of them will eat the one and only week I had in October free. The worst part is that it's back in fucking Canada. This time Toronto. Ugh. Plus it's with an airline carrier and I have to take their flight. No options. So no mileage, no perks, nothing. The second one is in November in Texas and may span the week of Thanksgiving. Aka - the worst week in the world to be at a fucking airport. This news just depressed me and I got into a funk.
I ate dinner at the restaurant here. What's with the hotel restaurants these last two trips? At least in Canada they were short staffed and I could understand. Here they were just flat out fucking slow. Annoyed.
Came back up and watched TV until the headache I was getting reached the point where the light was bugging me too much. Turned everything off and fell asleep. I also had random weird dreams which are gone into the night, but woke me up a few times.
I just want to go home.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Y6 D114
Whoo! I am in Issaquah! Yeah, I don't know where the hell that is either. Somewhere where there are trees and mountains and shit. Although as far as travel days go, this one was pretty smooth. I was in a regular seat, but it wasn't horrible. This was a partner flight on Alaska and I was once again in the international terminal. I could get spoiled being in there. It's newer, cleaner, friendlier, and just an overall better boarding experience.
Left on time and arrived at SeaTac at 9am. But by the time I got to my rental car, it was almost 10. I need to keep that in mind when I leave tomorrow. I am going straight from the client at noon to the airport and need to factor in the rental car time and shuttle time and then tram time to the gate. I need at least an extra hour.
Got to the hotel around 10:30 and thankfully they were able to check me in early. I got all settled and walked across the street to a shopping mall for lunch. I had a nice lamb sandwich with garlic fries. Came back, and from 1-3 took a nice long nap. At 5 I got a call from my boss. I needed to go pick up the manuals for today. The client on this trip is Boeing and their security is tight. The poor FedEx guy got stopped at the gates and wasn't able to deliver the manuals. I had to go find the store and pick them up. Wouldn't have been bad except it was right at rush hour. Upside is it killed an hour for me. Got back, ate dinner at the hotel, talked with B, watched some TV and hit bed around 10:30.
Leaving here at 6:45 since I have no clue where I am going. Fun stuff.
Left on time and arrived at SeaTac at 9am. But by the time I got to my rental car, it was almost 10. I need to keep that in mind when I leave tomorrow. I am going straight from the client at noon to the airport and need to factor in the rental car time and shuttle time and then tram time to the gate. I need at least an extra hour.
Got to the hotel around 10:30 and thankfully they were able to check me in early. I got all settled and walked across the street to a shopping mall for lunch. I had a nice lamb sandwich with garlic fries. Came back, and from 1-3 took a nice long nap. At 5 I got a call from my boss. I needed to go pick up the manuals for today. The client on this trip is Boeing and their security is tight. The poor FedEx guy got stopped at the gates and wasn't able to deliver the manuals. I had to go find the store and pick them up. Wouldn't have been bad except it was right at rush hour. Upside is it killed an hour for me. Got back, ate dinner at the hotel, talked with B, watched some TV and hit bed around 10:30.
Leaving here at 6:45 since I have no clue where I am going. Fun stuff.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Y6 D113
Oh look 2:15am and I am up and about ready to go to the airport. Sigh. Again. FML. BUT on a positive note, we finally had a chance for sex in our new place. Yes, it's been a month since we moved in and last night was the first time we have had a moment. How fucked up is that? Upside number two? This is my last flight for at least 5-6 weeks. Nothing on the books except driving gigs for a while. Some are 8 hours away, but at least B can come with me and I will have a chance to spend more time with her.
Got up yesterday, checked in for my flight, did some administrative stuff, laundry, ran some errands, relaxed, had a nice dinner from a local Chinese place, had the sex, fell asleep. A very uneventful day to be honest, but I really needed that. I didn't get my expense report done, but out of everything, that's the one thing I can handle tonight mostly in the hotel. I can't do all of it, but I can at least get a large chunk done.
That's about it. I have to leave in 40 minutes. I am hoping to see my sister today though which will be nice. If you read this before I get to SeaTac, text me after 9am.
Got up yesterday, checked in for my flight, did some administrative stuff, laundry, ran some errands, relaxed, had a nice dinner from a local Chinese place, had the sex, fell asleep. A very uneventful day to be honest, but I really needed that. I didn't get my expense report done, but out of everything, that's the one thing I can handle tonight mostly in the hotel. I can't do all of it, but I can at least get a large chunk done.
That's about it. I have to leave in 40 minutes. I am hoping to see my sister today though which will be nice. If you read this before I get to SeaTac, text me after 9am.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Y6 D112
Well I am home and I don't know how I feel about it because I am not here long enough to do much besides laundry and whatever four million things B needs done.
Here's how yesterday played out...
Got up at 4, went to the one gate airport. Got to Vancouver, went through customs, spent 2 hours in the maple leaf lounge (which was incredible compared to Admiral's Clubs), got on my flight home, had an excellent meal, great service, and a wonderful flight. Landed around 4. Had car service drop me off at my car. THEN I waited two hours for our friends to show up with B. I met them at their house so I didn't have to drive back and forth since we had to go a birthday party. Went to said birthday party, got home around midnight.
Tried to fall asleep but two things kept me up. One the screaming pain in the bottom of my foot, and two B telling me that when I am finally home we have to work on our relationship. SCREECH. What? Huh? Once more work is driving a wedge between me and the person I care about. Right now I haven't been home enough for us to HAVE a relationship and that's the problem. I don't know how to fix that and I don't know what she meant as she fell right asleep basically after saying it.
Now I am all stressed out and have one day to try and figure out what that meant.
Here's how yesterday played out...
Got up at 4, went to the one gate airport. Got to Vancouver, went through customs, spent 2 hours in the maple leaf lounge (which was incredible compared to Admiral's Clubs), got on my flight home, had an excellent meal, great service, and a wonderful flight. Landed around 4. Had car service drop me off at my car. THEN I waited two hours for our friends to show up with B. I met them at their house so I didn't have to drive back and forth since we had to go a birthday party. Went to said birthday party, got home around midnight.
Tried to fall asleep but two things kept me up. One the screaming pain in the bottom of my foot, and two B telling me that when I am finally home we have to work on our relationship. SCREECH. What? Huh? Once more work is driving a wedge between me and the person I care about. Right now I haven't been home enough for us to HAVE a relationship and that's the problem. I don't know how to fix that and I don't know what she meant as she fell right asleep basically after saying it.
Now I am all stressed out and have one day to try and figure out what that meant.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Y6 D111
Showered and ready to go! I want to get back to the states so I can have time to do laundry and go off to WA! Whee! Lucky fucking me! I am finally walking without a cane but at the same time I am pretty sure I have done permanent damage or at least long term damage to my leg. I can't quite walk without a noticeable limp. Lovely.
Class went great yesterday. No issues that I am aware of at least. We finished up around 3 and I headed back to the hotel. I did one last 7-11 run for Canadian stuff. I have an entire bag full of chips, candy bars, and smokes. I look like the world's lamest smuggler. Around 5:30 I went to this one place everyone raved about. The raves were right on. I sat at the bar and did the chef's tasting menu. Four courses with wine pairing. Holy sweet mother of god was it worth it. $100 for the whole thing with tip but man so worth it. I enjoyed a nice 90 minute dinner which included an oyster amuse, beet salad, lamb ragout, beef strip, and maple bourbon three ways. All of which came with wonderful pairings. Heaven.
Got back to the room, packed, watched some tv, went to bed early so I could be sure to be up early. I have a preferred seat on flight 1 and business class on flight 2. Yes, I upgraded. Yes, I stuck the company with another $200. Do I feel bad? A little. BUT if anyone pushes back, here's my argument - I could have taken 4-6 weeks disability for my leg. Even more serious, I could be suing the company for forcing me to go 5 weeks straight on the road 4 of those injured and the reason why there may be permanent damage is all their fault. I am pretty sure I could find a lawyer to take that case. At least get a couple years salary out of a settlement. But I'm not, because I'm not that guy. Plain and simple. Instead, throw me a bone, put me on a plane, let me be happy. It works for everyone as far as I am concerned.
Time to finalize packing and get the hell out of Canada. Birthday party tonight. This will be a pain.
Class went great yesterday. No issues that I am aware of at least. We finished up around 3 and I headed back to the hotel. I did one last 7-11 run for Canadian stuff. I have an entire bag full of chips, candy bars, and smokes. I look like the world's lamest smuggler. Around 5:30 I went to this one place everyone raved about. The raves were right on. I sat at the bar and did the chef's tasting menu. Four courses with wine pairing. Holy sweet mother of god was it worth it. $100 for the whole thing with tip but man so worth it. I enjoyed a nice 90 minute dinner which included an oyster amuse, beet salad, lamb ragout, beef strip, and maple bourbon three ways. All of which came with wonderful pairings. Heaven.
Got back to the room, packed, watched some tv, went to bed early so I could be sure to be up early. I have a preferred seat on flight 1 and business class on flight 2. Yes, I upgraded. Yes, I stuck the company with another $200. Do I feel bad? A little. BUT if anyone pushes back, here's my argument - I could have taken 4-6 weeks disability for my leg. Even more serious, I could be suing the company for forcing me to go 5 weeks straight on the road 4 of those injured and the reason why there may be permanent damage is all their fault. I am pretty sure I could find a lawyer to take that case. At least get a couple years salary out of a settlement. But I'm not, because I'm not that guy. Plain and simple. Instead, throw me a bone, put me on a plane, let me be happy. It works for everyone as far as I am concerned.
Time to finalize packing and get the hell out of Canada. Birthday party tonight. This will be a pain.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Y6 D110
Well I just got a nasty wake up call. My PG&E bill. Before it was $50-$60. Now? $180. Fuck that. No more A/C for her. Turn that shit off. Fuck. I was expecting it to be higher but not like that. That's fucking insane. Great way to start my day. Pissed off and frustrated. Ugh. On top of that today is bill paying day. So now at 6am I am in a shit mood.
Yesterday went okay. Taught my class, finished around 4:15, headed back to the hotel. Went out for a walk last night and got some 'fabulous prizes' to give to my class today at the dollar store. On the way back stopped at A&W and grabbed a root beer float and poutine for dinner.
Ate dinner, watched TV, fell asleep. Whee.
Home tomorrow.
Yesterday went okay. Taught my class, finished around 4:15, headed back to the hotel. Went out for a walk last night and got some 'fabulous prizes' to give to my class today at the dollar store. On the way back stopped at A&W and grabbed a root beer float and poutine for dinner.
Ate dinner, watched TV, fell asleep. Whee.
Home tomorrow.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Y6 D109
For the first time since my injury, my leg isn't killing me. It's not 100% yet, but I don't feel the same tightness and pain I have been feeling. This is a good thing. Yesterday was a pretty good day but not so much the night.
I got to the client way too early. The start time was 9 and I thought it was 8 so I ended up sitting in their lobby for almost 45 minutes. Not a big deal, but not a lot of fun either. Once class started things went well. We got through the remainder of the material for one class and decided to start the second after lunch. The second class is technically a 3 day class but we are jamming it into 2 days. At least this way we have 2.5 days and should be able to get through quite a bit. Let's see how today goes.
After class I headed back to the hotel and my A/C wasn't working. I told the front desk then went for a walk while they fixed it. There's a thrift store right near my hotel - a really nice one at that - and I found a messenger bag for $4 that I am bringing back with me. Why? Because everyone wants the Canadian shit man. I have it stuffed full of chips and candy bars that are uniquely Canadian. After I dropped the bag off, I went to a restaurant that was supposed to be really good. Well. The food was great. The ambience and the service? Not so much. I had foie gras poutine which was killer. I was about to order my entree when B texted me to tell me the internet was down. This was around 6:15. I went back to the hotel and spent the next 2 hours on a remote chat with "Ralph" trying to troubleshoot from Canada. Oh boy that was fun. In the end we got it working. But my night was shot. I ended up taking a walk to 7-11 to get all the candy bars everyone wants but I was in a pissy mood. Came back to the room and read until about 10:30.
That was my day. Obviously I slept in as I don't want to be there too early this time. I have almost two hours before class starts and it only takes me 10 minutes to walk. I won't leave here for another 90 minutes or so.
Two more days and I get to go home.
On a semi-related note - apparently our friends are having some marital difficulty as the birthday party I am supposed to go Saturday night was canceled followed by a rash of vague random facebook posts by the wife. Whatever. I would rather relax at home Saturday night anyway.
I got to the client way too early. The start time was 9 and I thought it was 8 so I ended up sitting in their lobby for almost 45 minutes. Not a big deal, but not a lot of fun either. Once class started things went well. We got through the remainder of the material for one class and decided to start the second after lunch. The second class is technically a 3 day class but we are jamming it into 2 days. At least this way we have 2.5 days and should be able to get through quite a bit. Let's see how today goes.
After class I headed back to the hotel and my A/C wasn't working. I told the front desk then went for a walk while they fixed it. There's a thrift store right near my hotel - a really nice one at that - and I found a messenger bag for $4 that I am bringing back with me. Why? Because everyone wants the Canadian shit man. I have it stuffed full of chips and candy bars that are uniquely Canadian. After I dropped the bag off, I went to a restaurant that was supposed to be really good. Well. The food was great. The ambience and the service? Not so much. I had foie gras poutine which was killer. I was about to order my entree when B texted me to tell me the internet was down. This was around 6:15. I went back to the hotel and spent the next 2 hours on a remote chat with "Ralph" trying to troubleshoot from Canada. Oh boy that was fun. In the end we got it working. But my night was shot. I ended up taking a walk to 7-11 to get all the candy bars everyone wants but I was in a pissy mood. Came back to the room and read until about 10:30.
That was my day. Obviously I slept in as I don't want to be there too early this time. I have almost two hours before class starts and it only takes me 10 minutes to walk. I won't leave here for another 90 minutes or so.
Two more days and I get to go home.
On a semi-related note - apparently our friends are having some marital difficulty as the birthday party I am supposed to go Saturday night was canceled followed by a rash of vague random facebook posts by the wife. Whatever. I would rather relax at home Saturday night anyway.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Y6 D108
Yesterday was a pretty good day for the most part. Although I woke up in screaming pain because I had a cramp in my bad leg and couldn't stretch it out without it hurting more. As I mentioned, I did wake up to find a note under my door with a free dinner coupon. That was a nice thing to wake up to for sure. I sent the person who left it a nice email thanking them for the attention to detail.
Went down for breakfast expecting it to be packed full of the old people but I guess they were already on their way to see whatever it is they are seeing during the day. I had the entire dining room to myself. That was kind of nice.
Walked over to the client around 7:30 and spent the day teaching. It's a small group of five guys and the class was a hybrid of book teaching and real time system mentoring. We used both one of our demo systems and their development systems. I had a fun day. We finished up a little after 4 and I headed back.
During the day a couple of things happened. First off around 2, B texted me. Her car was dead in the Target parking lot. THIS is why I am frustrated with being on the road. Nothing I could do to help her. Luckily our friends stepped up and went to her rescue. Her car eventually started, but it was a pain for sure. They are letting her borrow one of their cars until I get back on Saturday. Problem is, I am not home long enough to do anything about either her car or mine. I turn right around on Monday and leave again. The second thing that happened was an email from the GM of this hotel. She too apologized for my bad experience and comp'd my dinner from the previous night. Which means with the coupon I had two nights of free food. Score.
When I got back the old people were getting back too. Meh, I was in a decent mood so they didn't bother me. I took a walk down to 7-11 to get some Canada only stuff - Cinnamon Bun chips, Poutine chips, a Wunderbar, and a sugar free Fresca in the bottle. Oh Canada. At this point I am contemplating bringing a small bag home with nothing but Canadian food in it.
Got back and had firecracker shrimp and pork tenderloin for dinner. Went back to the room, watched TV and passed out around 9:30. My body wants me to rest it. I can feel it. I gave in and slept until 5:30. A full night.
Only 4 more days and I will be home. Hoping it goes quick.
Went down for breakfast expecting it to be packed full of the old people but I guess they were already on their way to see whatever it is they are seeing during the day. I had the entire dining room to myself. That was kind of nice.
Walked over to the client around 7:30 and spent the day teaching. It's a small group of five guys and the class was a hybrid of book teaching and real time system mentoring. We used both one of our demo systems and their development systems. I had a fun day. We finished up a little after 4 and I headed back.
During the day a couple of things happened. First off around 2, B texted me. Her car was dead in the Target parking lot. THIS is why I am frustrated with being on the road. Nothing I could do to help her. Luckily our friends stepped up and went to her rescue. Her car eventually started, but it was a pain for sure. They are letting her borrow one of their cars until I get back on Saturday. Problem is, I am not home long enough to do anything about either her car or mine. I turn right around on Monday and leave again. The second thing that happened was an email from the GM of this hotel. She too apologized for my bad experience and comp'd my dinner from the previous night. Which means with the coupon I had two nights of free food. Score.
When I got back the old people were getting back too. Meh, I was in a decent mood so they didn't bother me. I took a walk down to 7-11 to get some Canada only stuff - Cinnamon Bun chips, Poutine chips, a Wunderbar, and a sugar free Fresca in the bottle. Oh Canada. At this point I am contemplating bringing a small bag home with nothing but Canadian food in it.
Got back and had firecracker shrimp and pork tenderloin for dinner. Went back to the room, watched TV and passed out around 9:30. My body wants me to rest it. I can feel it. I gave in and slept until 5:30. A full night.
Only 4 more days and I will be home. Hoping it goes quick.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Y6 D107
Well here I am in ol' Canada. It's cold and beautiful. Kind of like my ex-wife. Seriously, it really is gorgeous where I am right now, I just wasn't expecting it to be so chilly already.
Yesterday was one of the easiest travel days I have had in a long, long time. I was prepared for hours of waiting and sitting and instead I got this:
Drove from our place to the old place to get picked up by car service. Arrived around 3:40 and the driver was there at 3:45. Already off to a good start. Since this trip was international, I was at a different terminal, the international one (duh). Unlike my normal terminal, it was a ghost town at 4:00 in the morning. Even most of the lights were off still. I found a kiosk and got my boarding pass. As I was tired and cranky, I said fuck it, and upgraded to a business class seat. It was $200 but I didn't care. The thought of jamming my leg into an economy seat was killing me. After getting my boarding pass, I went off to find my gate. Turns out, security in international doesn't open until 5 and I ended up with time to kill. Got through security by 5:15 and went off in search of my gate. OMG the terminal was beautiful and efficient and everything my normal one isn't. I found my gate and noticed how much quieter and less crowded it was. I was first to board and normally I have to rush the gate and push all the hoverers out of my way. Nope. Not this time. No one. I got on and ended up having an entire row to myself. There were 4 of us in business class AND maybe 25 people on the whole flight. I don't expect the same on the way home, but man it was wonderful there. Complimentary iPads for business class to watch movies, a real meal, attentive attendants, seats that didn't hurt my back. Sigh. I could get spoiled by this.
Got to Vancouver 20 minutes early and prepped myself mentally for the long haul into customs and immigration. I had brought the 94 page document with me ready to defend me being there. There were exactly zero people in line in front of me at customs. I was through that in 2 minutes. Immigration next. Again, no one in front of me and I went straight to a window. The guy asked me a couple of questions and said "yeah, for what you are doing you shouldn't need any papers but let me skim this real quick.". He then proceeded to glance at page 1 of 94 and his response was "nope. you don't need anything. have a great week". Stamped my passport, stamped my form, and boom I was done. 5, maybe 8 minutes tops and I was through everything. It took me longer to walk all the way to security and my connecting gate than it did in customs/immigration. Fucking lawyers making everything more complicated than it needs to be.
Got to my gate with 40 minutes to spare and hopped on a wonderful prop plane. Whee! Arrived in Kamloops around 11:30 and hit the hotel at noon. They were able to check me in early since I am special. Yeah I am! My room is okay. Nothing exciting, but definitely nice. They even had a welcome bag with snacks and water waiting for me. Oh Canada! I took a walk to the 'super market' next door (it is a convenience store, don't let the name fool you) and grabbed some ketchup chips (yay!) and rockstars for the week. Came back to 9 work emails. Seems Boeing finally came through. The minute I get home, I have to turn right around and go to Bellevue WA. Fuck sticks. I had to take care of booking everything right then. Got that all situated, told B the horrible news. I was going to text her but then realized I have no international plan. Oops. I went online to Verizon and for $30 fixed that shit. I now have a limited voice and data plan for the week. Nothing great, but it will keep me for 5 days. When I get home I will switch it back to a 'pay as you go' model which means the next time I am international, it's a quick flip to add it back.
B was not happy about this extra trip and I can't blame her. The WA means I will spend 4 weeks straight on the road. Sigh. Went down to the restaurant for lunch, had carrot soup and a panini, then came back up for a nap. Slept for 3 hours. I needed it. When I woke up around 5, I went for a walk around town. It is so damn cute here. I found some restaurants, shops, etc. I will check them out this week. Got back to the hotel and went to dinner. Dinner was a fiasco. I sat down at 7:30 and it was moderately busy. ONE SERVER. I waited 43 minutes for a beet salad. I was pissed. Not at the server mind you, but at Hilton for putting her in that position. I tweeted them right there complaining about it. Got back to the room at 9, watched some TV and went off to bed around 10. When I woke up this morning, there was a note under the door with an apology and a coupon for a free dinner tonight. Go Canada.
Off soon to meet the client.
Yesterday was one of the easiest travel days I have had in a long, long time. I was prepared for hours of waiting and sitting and instead I got this:
Drove from our place to the old place to get picked up by car service. Arrived around 3:40 and the driver was there at 3:45. Already off to a good start. Since this trip was international, I was at a different terminal, the international one (duh). Unlike my normal terminal, it was a ghost town at 4:00 in the morning. Even most of the lights were off still. I found a kiosk and got my boarding pass. As I was tired and cranky, I said fuck it, and upgraded to a business class seat. It was $200 but I didn't care. The thought of jamming my leg into an economy seat was killing me. After getting my boarding pass, I went off to find my gate. Turns out, security in international doesn't open until 5 and I ended up with time to kill. Got through security by 5:15 and went off in search of my gate. OMG the terminal was beautiful and efficient and everything my normal one isn't. I found my gate and noticed how much quieter and less crowded it was. I was first to board and normally I have to rush the gate and push all the hoverers out of my way. Nope. Not this time. No one. I got on and ended up having an entire row to myself. There were 4 of us in business class AND maybe 25 people on the whole flight. I don't expect the same on the way home, but man it was wonderful there. Complimentary iPads for business class to watch movies, a real meal, attentive attendants, seats that didn't hurt my back. Sigh. I could get spoiled by this.
Got to Vancouver 20 minutes early and prepped myself mentally for the long haul into customs and immigration. I had brought the 94 page document with me ready to defend me being there. There were exactly zero people in line in front of me at customs. I was through that in 2 minutes. Immigration next. Again, no one in front of me and I went straight to a window. The guy asked me a couple of questions and said "yeah, for what you are doing you shouldn't need any papers but let me skim this real quick.". He then proceeded to glance at page 1 of 94 and his response was "nope. you don't need anything. have a great week". Stamped my passport, stamped my form, and boom I was done. 5, maybe 8 minutes tops and I was through everything. It took me longer to walk all the way to security and my connecting gate than it did in customs/immigration. Fucking lawyers making everything more complicated than it needs to be.
Got to my gate with 40 minutes to spare and hopped on a wonderful prop plane. Whee! Arrived in Kamloops around 11:30 and hit the hotel at noon. They were able to check me in early since I am special. Yeah I am! My room is okay. Nothing exciting, but definitely nice. They even had a welcome bag with snacks and water waiting for me. Oh Canada! I took a walk to the 'super market' next door (it is a convenience store, don't let the name fool you) and grabbed some ketchup chips (yay!) and rockstars for the week. Came back to 9 work emails. Seems Boeing finally came through. The minute I get home, I have to turn right around and go to Bellevue WA. Fuck sticks. I had to take care of booking everything right then. Got that all situated, told B the horrible news. I was going to text her but then realized I have no international plan. Oops. I went online to Verizon and for $30 fixed that shit. I now have a limited voice and data plan for the week. Nothing great, but it will keep me for 5 days. When I get home I will switch it back to a 'pay as you go' model which means the next time I am international, it's a quick flip to add it back.
B was not happy about this extra trip and I can't blame her. The WA means I will spend 4 weeks straight on the road. Sigh. Went down to the restaurant for lunch, had carrot soup and a panini, then came back up for a nap. Slept for 3 hours. I needed it. When I woke up around 5, I went for a walk around town. It is so damn cute here. I found some restaurants, shops, etc. I will check them out this week. Got back to the hotel and went to dinner. Dinner was a fiasco. I sat down at 7:30 and it was moderately busy. ONE SERVER. I waited 43 minutes for a beet salad. I was pissed. Not at the server mind you, but at Hilton for putting her in that position. I tweeted them right there complaining about it. Got back to the room at 9, watched some TV and went off to bed around 10. When I woke up this morning, there was a note under the door with an apology and a coupon for a free dinner tonight. Go Canada.
Off soon to meet the client.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Y6 D106
I am up way too early. I have to leave in 19 minutes to go to the old address for car service, then go to the airport for Canada. Sigh. Even though I will be in this time zone all day, I know I am in for a long day as I have to deal with immigrations and customs in order to get into the country.
Yesterday was GREAT especially the car accident! Yeah. I got up at 6 to deal with shit, realized I couldn't check into my flight until 6:30 and started doing things. Timesheets, expense reports, packing, etc. At around 10 I checked on B and she was still asleep so I decided to go to the pet store. On the way back I was rear ended at a stop sign. Luckily the kid who hit me has decent insurance and I had everything approved for repair by 2pm. I just have to find time to get the car into a shop. Ain't going to be this week, now is it? My car is moderately damaged but it won't be cheap since he took out one of my backup cameras.
Got back home and B was awake. I am glad she wasn't in the car with me. She would have been tweaked. We ended up going to the grocery store, watching TV, having dinner, and then I went to bed at 9 to be back up at 1:45. She is still awake.
Okay, off to fucking Canada.
Yesterday was GREAT
Got back home and B was awake. I am glad she wasn't in the car with me. She would have been tweaked. We ended up going to the grocery store, watching TV, having dinner, and then I went to bed at 9 to be back up at 1:45. She is still awake.
Okay, off to fucking Canada.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Y6 D105
I went to bed about 2.5 hours ago after being up for over 24 hours. To say it was a long day is an understatement. And I am up to check in for flights. whee.
My first flight was no problem. Normally there is a 7am flight I can take but some reason I was on a 9am. So I went to the airport early in the hopes of getting on the earlier flight. Turns out that flight only runs M-F. Fuck. Okay. I had a first class upgrade on my confirmed flight so no stress, just time waiting. I did my time, got my flight and got to DFW. I arrived with about 45 minutes to wait which wasn't bad either. But my flight home? Sucked balls. No upgrade so I was stuck in back and there were three elderly chinese ladies behind who talked in chinese, loudly, the entire 4 hours. Every time I tried to fall asleep all I heard was NOISE. Which meant I was up the whole time. I landed at 1:45 and my friends picked me up and drove me home. We all hung out for a while then B and I went over to Target to get some stuff. I got the most comfortable pair of lounge pants ever. Wearing them right now. It's like tiny babies caressing my butt. Yeah that good.
We left for the show around 9pm and things went okay. There were some issues we got blamed for that weren't our fault. Whatever. I made it through doing only minor damage to my leg. But I got through it.
Got home around 4, and here we are. I am now checked in for my flight, but I am also wide fucking awake. I need to leave at 2:45am this morning to drive to the airport for my trip to Canada. So I don't really want to go back to sleep. I will feel like I am wasting what little time I have at home. Sigh.
My first flight was no problem. Normally there is a 7am flight I can take but some reason I was on a 9am. So I went to the airport early in the hopes of getting on the earlier flight. Turns out that flight only runs M-F. Fuck. Okay. I had a first class upgrade on my confirmed flight so no stress, just time waiting. I did my time, got my flight and got to DFW. I arrived with about 45 minutes to wait which wasn't bad either. But my flight home? Sucked balls. No upgrade so I was stuck in back and there were three elderly chinese ladies behind who talked in chinese, loudly, the entire 4 hours. Every time I tried to fall asleep all I heard was NOISE. Which meant I was up the whole time. I landed at 1:45 and my friends picked me up and drove me home. We all hung out for a while then B and I went over to Target to get some stuff. I got the most comfortable pair of lounge pants ever. Wearing them right now. It's like tiny babies caressing my butt. Yeah that good.
We left for the show around 9pm and things went okay. There were some issues we got blamed for that weren't our fault. Whatever. I made it through doing only minor damage to my leg. But I got through it.
Got home around 4, and here we are. I am now checked in for my flight, but I am also wide fucking awake. I need to leave at 2:45am this morning to drive to the airport for my trip to Canada. So I don't really want to go back to sleep. I will feel like I am wasting what little time I have at home. Sigh.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Y6 D104
Better day. Yesterday was my 'expert' class which means a room full of people who should know what the fuck they are doing. In this case they did thankfully. Class finished up around 3:30 and I was free. I could have probably hit the airport and got on an early flight home but meh, whatever. I used the time to self medicate in the bar. There is some big football game here today and they started taking over the hotel last night. Frat boy city. Ugh. Surprisingly the bar was mellow. I think it was because these are the kind of people who bring their own beer to the hotel. Whatever.
I ate dinner, then watched the finale of Hemlock Grove. What the fuck? That made no sense whatsoever. The writers should be flayed open for that ending. It was ridiculous.
I got notification of one upgrade today and hopefully will get my second. That's about it. Get home around 2pm, then have a show tonight, then laundry and packing to leave again on Monday for Canada. Yes, my travels are officially international this year. Whee. I did figure out that as of what is booked right now, not only will I hit Diamond again at Hilton, I will do it with 16 nights to the good. That's got to be worth something. I will have MORE than enough points to take care of everyone for the wedding at least. Us, the officiant, and the photographer should all be staying for free.
Okay, airport time.
I ate dinner, then watched the finale of Hemlock Grove. What the fuck? That made no sense whatsoever. The writers should be flayed open for that ending. It was ridiculous.
I got notification of one upgrade today and hopefully will get my second. That's about it. Get home around 2pm, then have a show tonight, then laundry and packing to leave again on Monday for Canada. Yes, my travels are officially international this year. Whee. I did figure out that as of what is booked right now, not only will I hit Diamond again at Hilton, I will do it with 16 nights to the good. That's got to be worth something. I will have MORE than enough points to take care of everyone for the wedding at least. Us, the officiant, and the photographer should all be staying for free.
Okay, airport time.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Y6 D103
Slept through all of my alarms this morning. Oops. Luckily I still have an hour before I have to be anywhere. My body needs rest, I know this. I just don't have the time to give it what it needs.
Had a mediocre day yesterday. Made it through class with only one incident. Apparently I said something that offended one of my students. Whatever. I can't please everyone. I have taught almost 70 people at this client. If one is upset then that's their issue not mine.
My leg was killing me last night. I came back to the room, soaked, ate a sandwich, watched some tv and collapsed. That's it. I just want to go home now please. Although I will only be home for 38 hours before I have to go to fucking Canada. Sigh.
I need a real break and I need one bad.
Had a mediocre day yesterday. Made it through class with only one incident. Apparently I said something that offended one of my students. Whatever. I can't please everyone. I have taught almost 70 people at this client. If one is upset then that's their issue not mine.
My leg was killing me last night. I came back to the room, soaked, ate a sandwich, watched some tv and collapsed. That's it. I just want to go home now please. Although I will only be home for 38 hours before I have to go to fucking Canada. Sigh.
I need a real break and I need one bad.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Y6 D102
I had a really bad night. I was up in the middle of the night with stomach cramps and spent a half hour in the bathroom. On top of that my leg was killing me due to standing on it all day. I did have a cool dream though about Chris Pratt and Neil Patrick Harris. We were hanging with them in an ice hockey rink.
Class was uneventful. I have a large group, 20 students, but they all did really well. There's a couple who are a pain in the ass, but whatever. I was able to get a ride to the building in the morning, but walked back in the afternoon. That took fucking forever. I was dying by the time I got back to the hotel. I wanted to collapse. Instead I walked over to CVS. Smartest thing I ever did. I bought some Dr Scholl's planar facitis foot inserts for my shoes. My god did they help. It was an immediate difference. These are the greatest inserts ever. I also bought a compression sock and some bath salts. Finally got back to the hotel and ordered room service. I was too tired and worn out to do anything else at that point.
After dinner I watched a couple episodes of Hemlock Grove and then soaked in the tub. That helped. Around 10, I went to bed. Was up at 12am, 2am, and 4am. Whee. Iz can go home now?
Class was uneventful. I have a large group, 20 students, but they all did really well. There's a couple who are a pain in the ass, but whatever. I was able to get a ride to the building in the morning, but walked back in the afternoon. That took fucking forever. I was dying by the time I got back to the hotel. I wanted to collapse. Instead I walked over to CVS. Smartest thing I ever did. I bought some Dr Scholl's planar facitis foot inserts for my shoes. My god did they help. It was an immediate difference. These are the greatest inserts ever. I also bought a compression sock and some bath salts. Finally got back to the hotel and ordered room service. I was too tired and worn out to do anything else at that point.
After dinner I watched a couple episodes of Hemlock Grove and then soaked in the tub. That helped. Around 10, I went to bed. Was up at 12am, 2am, and 4am. Whee. Iz can go home now?
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Y6 D101
I am almost back to being able to walk normally. Almost. Yesterday was hard though. It was a long ass day and mostly painful day. I got up way too fucking early - 1:45am. Car service arrived at 3am. Took us about an hour to get to the airport which wasn't bad. I was talking to my driver and he recommended for the next trip to leave at about 3:30. That would be right at the cusp of there starting to be traffic. Anything past 4 or 4:30 would add too much time. Makes sense. Got none of my upgrades yesterday but was able to pre-board on both of my flights. In the morning it was no big deal as people are less pushy but it was certainly satisfying at DFW. I was able to use the electric cart between terminals when I got there which was fun in of itself. When it was time to board I got to essentially push all the hoverers out of my way. Ah the dirty looks. Kiss my ass. When I landed in OH it was a long ass walk from the gate to the curb for a cab that's for sure. I was tired and grumpy by the time I got to the hotel at 5:30. Got a sandwich for dinner, hit CVS for some rockstars for the week, and then went back to the hotel. Caught up on email, talked to B, watched the doctor, Hemlock Grove (started season 2 finally), and went to bed. I also talked with my client yesterday and explained to him what was going on. He agreed to pick me up in the morning so I don't have to walk in. I am hoping this won't be an issue next week when I am in Canada.
Time to get ready.
Time to get ready.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Y6 D100
Leg doing better. In a hurry this morning. The car will be here in 40 minutes or so and I have to get things finalized. Still can't walk without the cane, but I am not in pain right now which is a good thing.
Daytime was boring. I was up at 6, B at 10. During those 4 hours I finally caught up on all the media sitting out there that needed organizing. I had about 200 files that needed to be added to the library and updated. Done.
We left around 12:30 and it took us 2 hours to get to the BBQ. We had fun. Left around 8 and took us two hours to get home. We will be missing more events than before that's for sure. I am not doing this shit again.
Sorry not much else to offer right now.
Daytime was boring. I was up at 6, B at 10. During those 4 hours I finally caught up on all the media sitting out there that needed organizing. I had about 200 files that needed to be added to the library and updated. Done.
We left around 12:30 and it took us 2 hours to get to the BBQ. We had fun. Left around 8 and took us two hours to get home. We will be missing more events than before that's for sure. I am not doing this shit again.
Sorry not much else to offer right now.
Monday, September 1, 2014
Y6 D99
My leg is doing better because I babied it like a motherfucker yesterday. I have a torn calf muscle. The "pop" sound I heard was the muscle separating from the achilles. Lovely. Course of action? RICE. For those of you who have never suffered from fun injuries like this that stands for Rest Ice Compression Elevation. That's about all one can do in a situation like this. Fun.
So yesterday was a stay at home day. We were both pretty tired and used the day to try and catch up on both sleep and energy. Some light cleaning. Dinner of taco bell. Today we are going to a BBQ so we went to the store to get stuff - fruit, beans. Honestly we didn't do much of anything. I played Diablo while B played Sims. Soaked my leg. I went to bed around midnight, she came in around 3. Her sleep schedule gets messed up so much more easily than mine does. I can be up at 6 to check in for a flight for example without issue. You just do. You don't think about it. Speaking of which, I changed my car service for tomorrow. I originally was going to park near the old place and have them pick me up there, but with the BBQ today it made it too challenging. Plus with my injury anybody says a word they can go to hell. I shouldn't be leaving the house for the next week let alone putting the strain of airports and teaching on me. I am using a cane as it is. This is going to be annoying tomorrow.
That's about it. Broken, bruised, forgotten, sore. Too fucked up to care any more. Yep. That's me.
So yesterday was a stay at home day. We were both pretty tired and used the day to try and catch up on both sleep and energy. Some light cleaning. Dinner of taco bell. Today we are going to a BBQ so we went to the store to get stuff - fruit, beans. Honestly we didn't do much of anything. I played Diablo while B played Sims. Soaked my leg. I went to bed around midnight, she came in around 3. Her sleep schedule gets messed up so much more easily than mine does. I can be up at 6 to check in for a flight for example without issue. You just do. You don't think about it. Speaking of which, I changed my car service for tomorrow. I originally was going to park near the old place and have them pick me up there, but with the BBQ today it made it too challenging. Plus with my injury anybody says a word they can go to hell. I shouldn't be leaving the house for the next week let alone putting the strain of airports and teaching on me. I am using a cane as it is. This is going to be annoying tomorrow.
That's about it. Broken, bruised, forgotten, sore. Too fucked up to care any more. Yep. That's me.
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