Yesterday ended up being a very pivotal and milestone day for a Monday. Some major life changes happened on a random Monday in March.
We got up and headed out around 9am. We went to go look at a potential new place to live about 90 minutes from here. While were driving the TV lady called us back to confirm yes we are sending you a raw check you can cash. Sweet. Once that check arrives I will put it straight onto the Best Buy card to pay off the TV we purchased on Sunday. Arrived at the potential new place about 1 hour and 45 minutes later. We fell in love. Not only with the place we looked at, but with the area, the people, the location near to an airport, the shopping near by, and its proximity to other stuff. It looks like in August we will be moving for sure to a new place and it will save us about $500 a month. (Sorry to my friend who was trying to help us out with something. I will still call you tonight to discuss.) We are very excited about this. It not only helps meet our goal of saving money, but it keeps us where we want to be while still being new for both of us. We are officially on the list for August. Sigh of course this means we need to start packing. It also means something else in our life is about to change drastically.
When we were done looking at the place we spent some time checking out the area and stopped at the mall. B found a pair of shoes she liked - Andy Warhol Tomato Soup can hi-top converse. She rarely asks for shoes so we got them for her. We left there around noon and got back around 1:30. We went straight to the car dealer. That took way longer than I wanted it to as expected. In the end I didn't like their number or their math. I sent the salesperson an email later asking her to explain her math and she couldn't. No one can. It's a bunch of bullshit and no one will admit it. Basically it comes down to the car manufacturer trying to stick it to me twice and making up rules to suit their needs instead of mine. I refuse to accept that and go along with it. When we went in there I made it perfectly clear that I gave zero fucks if this deal happened or not. It would be nice if it did, but it wasn't going to be the end of the world. And it wasn't. After the deal we were both starving and had Boondat for lunch. Filipino fast food at its finest.
Got home and I needed to catch up on emails and some other organizational type stuff. Told my boss we found a new place and too book of certain days for no travel. That went well. He also confirmed my new bonus and allowance plans are in effect. Nice.
Then came the big one. We officially sent the email retiring us from cast. Yep. We are done as of July. Five years of my life coming to a close. We have to retire because it will be 2 hours plus for us to do a show and that's not happening. I am not finishing at 2:30 in the morning and getting home at 5. No way. But we made it clear we are retiring not quitting. So far the response has been positive but not super positive. When we see our directors this weekend, we will see how that goes.
Watched some TV while having dinner. Still love the new TV. Very glad we made this decision. We are both super happy with it. Played a little video game and went to bed.
Now, why am I writing all this at 3:20am? Because I have a doctor's appointment in a little while and in order to miss traffic, I am leaving here by 5. Sad but true. THIS is why we can't live here any more. Amongst other reasons.
Time to start the day.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
Y6 D308
DID I MISS A DAY?? HOLY SHIT. How?? Fuck me. For the first time in six years, I missed a day. I just realized, I never read my comics yesterday, didn't post. Wow. I blew it. Well then you get a two-fer.
Saturday:
We had a wonderful day. We headed to the park around 9 and it took us about an hour to get there. Much better than the 2 hours on Thursday. We met a friend and she hung out with us all day. We wandered, shopped, and did the 2015 Easter Egg hunt. Around 3 we headed over to the hotel.
Worst hotel stay ever btw. There was 11 million pom girls at the hotel plus a wedding. The room was awful, there was trash everywhere, and I feel like I wasted points. I knew when I got home Sunday I would be complaining.
Went back to the park around 6:30 and hung out with our friend some more. Randomly we ran into another friend and his family. It was their last weekend to use their annual passes so they were getting in as much as they could.
Headed back to the hotel finally around 10.
Sunday:
Got up at 4 and headed home. Took us about 4:45 to get home. Once home we unpacked, checked mail, did laundry, ran errands, and bought a new TV. What? What was that last part? I believe I mentioned we had the TV repair guy come out last week. He acknowledged the problem with our TV and sent in an approval for a replacement. Last Friday I got a call from the place asking where to send the check. Huh? They don't do replacements on TVs over 55". They just send you a check for the original purchase price plus tax so you can replace it with the most current TV you want. Okay. I am down with that. We were going to wait until the check arrived before replacing the TV but we went into Best Buy yesterday and they had a blow out sale on the Samsung I originally wanted. It's normally 999 but usually on sale for 899. That's what I expected to pay when the check came. They had it down to 699 for some special march madness thing. Okay. I asked it they would price match themselves in a week or two and they said no. So fuck it. I bought it now and when the check comes I put that right on the credit card I used. We got home and set it up. WOW. The picture is so much better. We both love it. We watched blacklist while eating dinner and we both were floored. We are really happy with this one. The car dealer called but I didn't feel like dealing with them. I am going back today.
As for today, we are driving out to check on a new place to live. It's about 90 minutes from here, but we think this may be the one. It's $500 less a month which will allow us to pay some shit off. I have ONE payment left on the motorcycle, and then with $500 more a month, we might actually be able to come up with a damn down payment for a house.
Sorry about the skipped day.
Saturday:
We had a wonderful day. We headed to the park around 9 and it took us about an hour to get there. Much better than the 2 hours on Thursday. We met a friend and she hung out with us all day. We wandered, shopped, and did the 2015 Easter Egg hunt. Around 3 we headed over to the hotel.
Worst hotel stay ever btw. There was 11 million pom girls at the hotel plus a wedding. The room was awful, there was trash everywhere, and I feel like I wasted points. I knew when I got home Sunday I would be complaining.
Went back to the park around 6:30 and hung out with our friend some more. Randomly we ran into another friend and his family. It was their last weekend to use their annual passes so they were getting in as much as they could.
Headed back to the hotel finally around 10.
Sunday:
Got up at 4 and headed home. Took us about 4:45 to get home. Once home we unpacked, checked mail, did laundry, ran errands, and bought a new TV. What? What was that last part? I believe I mentioned we had the TV repair guy come out last week. He acknowledged the problem with our TV and sent in an approval for a replacement. Last Friday I got a call from the place asking where to send the check. Huh? They don't do replacements on TVs over 55". They just send you a check for the original purchase price plus tax so you can replace it with the most current TV you want. Okay. I am down with that. We were going to wait until the check arrived before replacing the TV but we went into Best Buy yesterday and they had a blow out sale on the Samsung I originally wanted. It's normally 999 but usually on sale for 899. That's what I expected to pay when the check came. They had it down to 699 for some special march madness thing. Okay. I asked it they would price match themselves in a week or two and they said no. So fuck it. I bought it now and when the check comes I put that right on the credit card I used. We got home and set it up. WOW. The picture is so much better. We both love it. We watched blacklist while eating dinner and we both were floored. We are really happy with this one. The car dealer called but I didn't feel like dealing with them. I am going back today.
As for today, we are driving out to check on a new place to live. It's about 90 minutes from here, but we think this may be the one. It's $500 less a month which will allow us to pay some shit off. I have ONE payment left on the motorcycle, and then with $500 more a month, we might actually be able to come up with a damn down payment for a house.
Sorry about the skipped day.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Y6 D306
S-A-T-U-R! S-A-T-U-R! It's Saturday!! Whoo!! Man, I have been looking forward to today all week. This has been a really long week down here. But I got through it and now it's time to enjoy myself. Once B is up, we are going to go have some breakfast, then head to Disneyland for the day. We were originally going to go home some time today, but we decided to get a room instead and just leave super early tomorrow morning.
Finished up teaching my client. We got through everything by around 4 and I headed out. B and I were both hungry so we went to a near by coffee house. It was pretty good. Got back and just relaxed. B laid down on the bed and read while I played Evoland. If you've never seen it, check it out. Great little game. It's on sale on Steam for $2 right now and it's worth it. I then watched a couple of Breaking Bad episodes. B fell asleep reading around 8 and I just let her sleep. I went to bed around 10:30 and I know she woke back up around midnight.
Time to pack and head out.
Finished up teaching my client. We got through everything by around 4 and I headed out. B and I were both hungry so we went to a near by coffee house. It was pretty good. Got back and just relaxed. B laid down on the bed and read while I played Evoland. If you've never seen it, check it out. Great little game. It's on sale on Steam for $2 right now and it's worth it. I then watched a couple of Breaking Bad episodes. B fell asleep reading around 8 and I just let her sleep. I went to bed around 10:30 and I know she woke back up around midnight.
Time to pack and head out.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Y6 D305
I am moving slower than slow this morning. Here's something I haven't had to say in a long while - thank god for Advil. I am hurting this morning that's for sure. BUT we had one hell of a night. I am working off of 3 hours sleep, have to train clients in a little while, but so worth it. Here's how things went:
Got to the client in the morning and had a good day teaching. Yesterday was one of my two formal training days. No mentoring, no dealing with other people's data, just straight by the book material. After three days of dealing with their data, it was a relief to go by the book. We are still working at an extremely accelerated pace and squeezed two days into one, but we did and finished up right around 4. I left the client to get B and head to the park for dinner with my boss. B knew it was going to be serious traffic and was kind enough to not only be ready, but down in the lobby waiting for me. I love my wife. She so helps me get through things that would normally make me anxious.
Grabbed her and started to make the 37 mile drive. The 37 mile drive that proceeded to take us TWO HOURS. Yes. 2 hours door to door from Glendale to Anaheim. F.M.L. Luckily I figured it would take this long and we had an 8pm reservation. That gave us PLENTY of time to oh, go pin hunting for new pins released yesterday. This was one of the only times I have ever pin at the park when a major pin released has happened. The pins are these gold fortune cookies with a swing out part for the fortune. There are 10 total and they are sold in mystery bags. Six of them are limited edition of 600, 4 are LE of 300. I wasn't the only one trying to get these pins. I dislike the mystery bag ones because you end up spending way more money than you want to spend. In the end I bought 12 of the damn things and only got 5 out of the 10 available. Luckily I have a buyer lined up for four of the dupes and can easily sell the other 3. Last night while we were doing al the trading we learned the LE600 ones were selling for $30-$40 and the LE300 ones for as much as $75. And this was real time while they were still be sold in the park. I will post the remaining three pins up on eBay for $60 for all three and basically make 1/2 my money back. Between that and the 4 I already have sold, I am only out about $25 in the end.
We got to dinner after the crazy pin trading and met up with my boss and his wife. We had dinner at Steakhouse 55 in the hotel. Man, I love that place. 2 bottles of wine, multiple cocktails, $500, and 2.5 hours later, we all stumbled out of there. The good news is I negotiated a new bonus plan and 'raise'. I use raise in quotes because what I negotiated was a monthly expense account amount. I don't like bonuses because they are too random. I need a base salary increase. Since he didn't have the authority to give me that, we met halfway. Every month I get an agreed upon amount to spend on the corporate card and just put it on my expense report. No questions asked. Whatever I want to use it for is up to me. On top of that, I get a quarterly bonus based on billable revenue generated. As of right now, he owes me for Jan-Mar. Shopping on Saturday back in the park will be happening. Win win.
We got back to the car around 11:30 and finally got back to the hotel around 12 something. By the time I got into bed it was 1:30. And now I need to shower, and finish up the second day of formal training. I just need my head to stop pounding.
Got to the client in the morning and had a good day teaching. Yesterday was one of my two formal training days. No mentoring, no dealing with other people's data, just straight by the book material. After three days of dealing with their data, it was a relief to go by the book. We are still working at an extremely accelerated pace and squeezed two days into one, but we did and finished up right around 4. I left the client to get B and head to the park for dinner with my boss. B knew it was going to be serious traffic and was kind enough to not only be ready, but down in the lobby waiting for me. I love my wife. She so helps me get through things that would normally make me anxious.
Grabbed her and started to make the 37 mile drive. The 37 mile drive that proceeded to take us TWO HOURS. Yes. 2 hours door to door from Glendale to Anaheim. F.M.L. Luckily I figured it would take this long and we had an 8pm reservation. That gave us PLENTY of time to oh, go pin hunting for new pins released yesterday. This was one of the only times I have ever pin at the park when a major pin released has happened. The pins are these gold fortune cookies with a swing out part for the fortune. There are 10 total and they are sold in mystery bags. Six of them are limited edition of 600, 4 are LE of 300. I wasn't the only one trying to get these pins. I dislike the mystery bag ones because you end up spending way more money than you want to spend. In the end I bought 12 of the damn things and only got 5 out of the 10 available. Luckily I have a buyer lined up for four of the dupes and can easily sell the other 3. Last night while we were doing al the trading we learned the LE600 ones were selling for $30-$40 and the LE300 ones for as much as $75. And this was real time while they were still be sold in the park. I will post the remaining three pins up on eBay for $60 for all three and basically make 1/2 my money back. Between that and the 4 I already have sold, I am only out about $25 in the end.
We got to dinner after the crazy pin trading and met up with my boss and his wife. We had dinner at Steakhouse 55 in the hotel. Man, I love that place. 2 bottles of wine, multiple cocktails, $500, and 2.5 hours later, we all stumbled out of there. The good news is I negotiated a new bonus plan and 'raise'. I use raise in quotes because what I negotiated was a monthly expense account amount. I don't like bonuses because they are too random. I need a base salary increase. Since he didn't have the authority to give me that, we met halfway. Every month I get an agreed upon amount to spend on the corporate card and just put it on my expense report. No questions asked. Whatever I want to use it for is up to me. On top of that, I get a quarterly bonus based on billable revenue generated. As of right now, he owes me for Jan-Mar. Shopping on Saturday back in the park will be happening. Win win.
We got back to the car around 11:30 and finally got back to the hotel around 12 something. By the time I got into bed it was 1:30. And now I need to shower, and finish up the second day of formal training. I just need my head to stop pounding.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Y6 D304
Finally had a good night's sleep last night. Still a little tired this morning but slept well overall. Had a much better day at the client also.
Got in early, around 7, and worked on the technical issue I was having at the end of Tuesday. I needed to work alone without any of them staring over my shoulder for a while. That helped. It gave me the time I needed to figure out what was going wrong. With that done, I was able to get through the day on a much more positive note. We covered a LOT of material yesterday. Basically 2 days worth of formal training in about 7 hours. It was pretty intense but we got through it, everyone understood what was going on, and I think they are all happy. Finished up around 4 and headed back to the hotel.
Found another great place for dinner. Damon's Steakhouse. In business since 1937. Tiki steakhouse. I was in heaven. Dinner was awesome and I got a t-shirt.
We made the walking mistake after dinner. We ended up walking too far for too long. By the time we got back around 9, we were both beat. I got cranky this time on the walk back. Went to bed around 11. Both of us. Is this the trip that fixes B's sleep schedule? Time shall tell!
Got in early, around 7, and worked on the technical issue I was having at the end of Tuesday. I needed to work alone without any of them staring over my shoulder for a while. That helped. It gave me the time I needed to figure out what was going wrong. With that done, I was able to get through the day on a much more positive note. We covered a LOT of material yesterday. Basically 2 days worth of formal training in about 7 hours. It was pretty intense but we got through it, everyone understood what was going on, and I think they are all happy. Finished up around 4 and headed back to the hotel.
Found another great place for dinner. Damon's Steakhouse. In business since 1937. Tiki steakhouse. I was in heaven. Dinner was awesome and I got a t-shirt.
We made the walking mistake after dinner. We ended up walking too far for too long. By the time we got back around 9, we were both beat. I got cranky this time on the walk back. Went to bed around 11. Both of us. Is this the trip that fixes B's sleep schedule? Time shall tell!
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Y6 D303
I am out of it again this morning. I slept like shit. It's the air. If ever there was a time when I needed a humidifier, it's here. I woke up at 2am feeling like a just drank a cup of sand. The amazing part last night, is B fell asleep BEFORE me. How odd is that?
The day was rough. Real rough. I have a technical issue happening that is causing things to blow up and not behave well at all. It's really starting to piss me off. We did quite a bit of work yesterday but this one stupid thing is just giving us troubles. I am going in early today to work on the problem without four people staring at me the whole time. I have a some feelings on what the problem is, but I am not 100% sure. We shall find out.
When I got back to the hotel around 5 I was just beat. It was a long damn day. B still wanted her shawarma though and off we went to dinner around 5:30. O. M.G. Carrousel in Glendale is one of the most authentic middle eastern restaurants I have ever had the pleasure of dining at in my life. It is incredible. The food was just so damn perfect. We had so many different things like pickles and olives and cheese and pomegranate spread with walnuts and baba ganoush and hummus and oh my. I had chicken kabobs soaked in yogurt and dessert was to die for. Seriously, this was one of the best dinners at a reasonable price I have had in a while. We were there until about 7 and headed back to the hotel.
I got B her PLL which she watched while I watched Justified. I can't believe that show is almost done. So damn good. After that she read while I checked on emails and the like.
B went to bed around 10 and I followed shortly thereafter.
Today is probably going to be a challenge just like yesterday. Only three more days and we can go home.
The day was rough. Real rough. I have a technical issue happening that is causing things to blow up and not behave well at all. It's really starting to piss me off. We did quite a bit of work yesterday but this one stupid thing is just giving us troubles. I am going in early today to work on the problem without four people staring at me the whole time. I have a some feelings on what the problem is, but I am not 100% sure. We shall find out.
When I got back to the hotel around 5 I was just beat. It was a long damn day. B still wanted her shawarma though and off we went to dinner around 5:30. O. M.G. Carrousel in Glendale is one of the most authentic middle eastern restaurants I have ever had the pleasure of dining at in my life. It is incredible. The food was just so damn perfect. We had so many different things like pickles and olives and cheese and pomegranate spread with walnuts and baba ganoush and hummus and oh my. I had chicken kabobs soaked in yogurt and dessert was to die for. Seriously, this was one of the best dinners at a reasonable price I have had in a while. We were there until about 7 and headed back to the hotel.
I got B her PLL which she watched while I watched Justified. I can't believe that show is almost done. So damn good. After that she read while I checked on emails and the like.
B went to bed around 10 and I followed shortly thereafter.
Today is probably going to be a challenge just like yesterday. Only three more days and we can go home.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Y6 D302
Guttentag. It's morning once again. I am mostly awake. Struggling to wake up. Tossed and turned last night mostly because it was too hot and dry. Fucking hotel room air systems. I tend to always have a struggle finding the optimal setting of not freezing and dying from sauna sweat and dry mouth.
My client is okay. There are four of them and for the most part they are eager to learn. It's way too much material to be going over in such a short amount of time and they know it but I am doing my best. I did get there too early yesterday but it's okay. I love where their office is. It's right smack in the center of Old Pasadena and I went walking at lunch. My kind of neighborhoods. Perfect shops and places to eat. Found a cute candy store where I got some mini-gummi bears and a magnet for B that says "I love cats, it's people I hate".
Finished up at around 4:15 and headed back. Like the morning, it took me 20 minutes roughly door to door. After changing B and I went for a walk. I found a shawarma place within walking distance which made B happy. Unfortunately they are closed on Mondays. We did keep walking and found quite a bit but for some reason ended up at Outback. Sigh. It wasn't bad, but it wouldn't have been my first choice, that's for sure. I also enjoyed walking around which by the time we started heading back was not something B wanted to do. I forget how cranky she gets if you make her walk any significant distance. We did do about 3 miles last night total. I enjoyed it.
When we got back she was too cranky to speak with so I sat down and scrolled and caught up on emails. After showering she was in a tolerable mood. She read while I watched John Oliver. I enjoy that show immensely. I got distracted while typing, sorry. I started thinking about 70s tv shows and how they all spun off each other. Love American Style caused Happy Days which caused Laverne and Shirley and Mork and Mindy and Joanie Love Chachi. All in the Family caused Maude and Gloria and Jeffersons and 704 Hauser and Checking In and Different Strokes (Maude's related somehow to Philip Drummond) and Facts of Life - everything was all connected in some giant AU. No wonder people like me want everything to be tied together and Pixar does that so well. Side track.
After watching some TV, B reading, I went to bed around 11. Today I am leaving a bit later to see the difference in traffic. Wish me luck.
My client is okay. There are four of them and for the most part they are eager to learn. It's way too much material to be going over in such a short amount of time and they know it but I am doing my best. I did get there too early yesterday but it's okay. I love where their office is. It's right smack in the center of Old Pasadena and I went walking at lunch. My kind of neighborhoods. Perfect shops and places to eat. Found a cute candy store where I got some mini-gummi bears and a magnet for B that says "I love cats, it's people I hate".
Finished up at around 4:15 and headed back. Like the morning, it took me 20 minutes roughly door to door. After changing B and I went for a walk. I found a shawarma place within walking distance which made B happy. Unfortunately they are closed on Mondays. We did keep walking and found quite a bit but for some reason ended up at Outback. Sigh. It wasn't bad, but it wouldn't have been my first choice, that's for sure. I also enjoyed walking around which by the time we started heading back was not something B wanted to do. I forget how cranky she gets if you make her walk any significant distance. We did do about 3 miles last night total. I enjoyed it.
When we got back she was too cranky to speak with so I sat down and scrolled and caught up on emails. After showering she was in a tolerable mood. She read while I watched John Oliver. I enjoy that show immensely. I got distracted while typing, sorry. I started thinking about 70s tv shows and how they all spun off each other. Love American Style caused Happy Days which caused Laverne and Shirley and Mork and Mindy and Joanie Love Chachi. All in the Family caused Maude and Gloria and Jeffersons and 704 Hauser and Checking In and Different Strokes (Maude's related somehow to Philip Drummond) and Facts of Life - everything was all connected in some giant AU. No wonder people like me want everything to be tied together and Pixar does that so well. Side track.
After watching some TV, B reading, I went to bed around 11. Today I am leaving a bit later to see the difference in traffic. Wish me luck.
Monday, March 23, 2015
Y6 D301
Had a pretty good, albeit long, day. Got out of the house at about 1:20am and hit town at just before 6:30. A hair over 5 hours. B slept for most of it. I was having a rough time near the end but otherwise I was okay. I wasn't as excited as I normally am on these drives because this is work, not play primarily. Like right now, I am up because I have to go get ready and head out to the client and spend my day with a bunch of people 'mentoring'. It's not a play day. And that thought was stuck in my mind the whole drive which kind of put me in a sour mood.
We went to IHOP and had breakfast and I just kind of picked at mine. I was still grumpy and just did want anything. We parked the car and took the shuttle over. Luckily the park was dead thanks to it being Sunday and overcast. We walked right on in, did some shopping, and then grabbed FastPasses for Elsa and Anna. I expected it to be HOURS before return time but nope, it was 30 minutes. I can handle that. We wandered around, did some pin trades (I actually got about 15 pins which is the best I have done in a while!), and headed back to Frozen Fun. We got to see them and Anna is the better sister. I am not going to be all "oh keep the magic" in this case - Elsa's wig sucks. Seriously. They need to improve her as a face character. Anna was spot on but Elsa, no way. With that done, we headed over to the main park. Since it was still dead we walked onto Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, and Small World. Bam bam bam. We had dole whip and bagel sticks, fed ducks, and headed out around noon. We got to Pasadena around 1:30. It took us almost an hour to go 37 miles. Yay SoCal traffic.
I had to pick up manuals first (another thing that was stressing me out during the day) and we drove a little looking for the FedEx office. Manuals found, we headed to the hotel. Luckily it was .5 from the FedEx. Parked and checked in. DIAMOND UPGRADE POWER ACTIVATED! SO, I had a corner room on the 7th floor all setup. But the nice counter guy looked up upgrades for me and BAM we are in the ONLY two room full suite on the 12th floor. Suck it bitches. This room could easily be a one bedroom apartment for someone. Unpacked, ironed, went to the store, had a fridge brought up, caught up on emails. Oh and did I mention while we were driving to the hotel AND moments after getting to the hotel, B spent the whole time sleeping. If you notice some animosity there, you'd be right on the money. She slept until 6 when we went down for dinner. I had the most incredible lamb chop for dinner. We brought dessert back up to the room and I hooked my laptop up to the TV. We watched Jane the Virgin finally. It's okay. I will give it at least one more episode.
Around 9:30 I had had enough and collapsed. I slept pretty good. I woke up to an email from my boss about my bonus plan response I sent to him. We will be discussing that on Thursday at dinner. At Steakhouse 55. In Disneyland hotel. Booyah. Now it's time to see how bad this client is. Wish me luck.
We went to IHOP and had breakfast and I just kind of picked at mine. I was still grumpy and just did want anything. We parked the car and took the shuttle over. Luckily the park was dead thanks to it being Sunday and overcast. We walked right on in, did some shopping, and then grabbed FastPasses for Elsa and Anna. I expected it to be HOURS before return time but nope, it was 30 minutes. I can handle that. We wandered around, did some pin trades (I actually got about 15 pins which is the best I have done in a while!), and headed back to Frozen Fun. We got to see them and Anna is the better sister. I am not going to be all "oh keep the magic" in this case - Elsa's wig sucks. Seriously. They need to improve her as a face character. Anna was spot on but Elsa, no way. With that done, we headed over to the main park. Since it was still dead we walked onto Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, and Small World. Bam bam bam. We had dole whip and bagel sticks, fed ducks, and headed out around noon. We got to Pasadena around 1:30. It took us almost an hour to go 37 miles. Yay SoCal traffic.
I had to pick up manuals first (another thing that was stressing me out during the day) and we drove a little looking for the FedEx office. Manuals found, we headed to the hotel. Luckily it was .5 from the FedEx. Parked and checked in. DIAMOND UPGRADE POWER ACTIVATED! SO, I had a corner room on the 7th floor all setup. But the nice counter guy looked up upgrades for me and BAM we are in the ONLY two room full suite on the 12th floor. Suck it bitches. This room could easily be a one bedroom apartment for someone. Unpacked, ironed, went to the store, had a fridge brought up, caught up on emails. Oh and did I mention while we were driving to the hotel AND moments after getting to the hotel, B spent the whole time sleeping. If you notice some animosity there, you'd be right on the money. She slept until 6 when we went down for dinner. I had the most incredible lamb chop for dinner. We brought dessert back up to the room and I hooked my laptop up to the TV. We watched Jane the Virgin finally. It's okay. I will give it at least one more episode.
Around 9:30 I had had enough and collapsed. I slept pretty good. I woke up to an email from my boss about my bonus plan response I sent to him. We will be discussing that on Thursday at dinner. At Steakhouse 55. In Disneyland hotel. Booyah. Now it's time to see how bad this client is. Wish me luck.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Y6 D300
Woo! Day 300. Only 65 left to go in this year. And I big year it was, eh? I promised today's post would be early because we are about to get on the road and go to Disneyland.
Yesterday was a do nothing day. Did we even leave the house? I did in the morning to get gas and rockstars but I think that was it? We ordered a pizza for dinner so we didn't have to worry about cooking or having food in the fridge while we're gone. Um... gas. Played some video games. Um... Packed. Slept from 8 - midnight. Pizza. Yeah. That's about it. Talked to the car dealership. She is going to see if she can work a deal while we are gone. I am not optimistic. Read a little. Nope, that's it. Trying hard to think of other things.
Now I drive for 6 hours. Then Disneyland. Then I check into a hotel in Pasadena and teach all next week. We are going back to the park Thursday for dinner with my boss. I did send him a long email about why his proposed 2015 bonus plan is crap. Let's see how that discussion goes. In essence he is trying to give me shit money and wants more work. Nope. Not how it goes. My co-worker who is being offered the same deal agrees.
Ok, I am done. Time to go.
Yesterday was a do nothing day. Did we even leave the house? I did in the morning to get gas and rockstars but I think that was it? We ordered a pizza for dinner so we didn't have to worry about cooking or having food in the fridge while we're gone. Um... gas. Played some video games. Um... Packed. Slept from 8 - midnight. Pizza. Yeah. That's about it. Talked to the car dealership. She is going to see if she can work a deal while we are gone. I am not optimistic. Read a little. Nope, that's it. Trying hard to think of other things.
Now I drive for 6 hours. Then Disneyland. Then I check into a hotel in Pasadena and teach all next week. We are going back to the park Thursday for dinner with my boss. I did send him a long email about why his proposed 2015 bonus plan is crap. Let's see how that discussion goes. In essence he is trying to give me shit money and wants more work. Nope. Not how it goes. My co-worker who is being offered the same deal agrees.
Ok, I am done. Time to go.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Y6 D299
Slept in until 7:30am this morning. Yay me! Taught until 1:30 yesterday and with perfect timing, the TV guy showed up. He was there until about 2:30 and in that hour he got to witness the white line of doom on our TV multiple times. After calling it in, it looks like they will be shipping us a new TV because that's cheaper than trying to repair it. Wow. It will probably be a couple of weeks (10 business days sort of thing) but that's fine because we are gone all next week anyway. After TV guy left, I took a nap until 4. Very enjoyable. We then headed out around 5:30 for dinner. We were struggling to come up with a place we were both in the mood for but settled on Perko's. We like it there. Good food, good price. It's a coffee shop at the end of the day like an Apricot Tree or other roadside kind of place, but the food is good.
After dinner we went to the mall. B still needed to find shoes for the wedding. Which she did. For $15. Score! Well done!
Got back home, did my hair, watched Friends while it processed, and then I started playing Deus Ex while she watched Harry Pooper. She has been on her twice annual Harry Pooper binge this week. Thank god it's done. Did laundry while doing all that because we need to pack today. That's about it. Headed off to bed around 11.
Today's post will be right around midnight as this is a midnight drive kind of night. Disneyland tomorrow, week at client, Disneyland next Saturday, back home. Let the week begin.
After dinner we went to the mall. B still needed to find shoes for the wedding. Which she did. For $15. Score! Well done!
Got back home, did my hair, watched Friends while it processed, and then I started playing Deus Ex while she watched Harry Pooper. She has been on her twice annual Harry Pooper binge this week. Thank god it's done. Did laundry while doing all that because we need to pack today. That's about it. Headed off to bed around 11.
Today's post will be right around midnight as this is a midnight drive kind of night. Disneyland tomorrow, week at client, Disneyland next Saturday, back home. Let the week begin.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Y6 D298
I am having one of those not quite awake moments this morning. I am here, I am functional but, huh what? Yesterday went okay. I have 7 students in my class and we got through the material even though I swear I haven't taught this in 2 or 3 years. It's still using our old template which I re-did at the start of 2014. That tells me it's at LEAST been 1 1/2 years since I have even opened these files. But it went well. I knew 4 of the 7 from recent mentoring which helped. It let things be a little more casual. We have the second part today. Neither part is a full day's worth of training though. At least yesterday I managed to get it to go 1:30. Today I am afraid we will make it through to lunch and that's about it. My boss knows it's a short class and he told me last night to add filler but what? Sigh.
After class we went on a bit of an adventure. There's something our local crapmart doesn't have that B and I decided to go one town over and see if they have it. I know that doesn't sound like a big deal, but we're talking 15-20 miles. Woo! We did find what we wanted as well as I got some watch batteries I have been meaning to buy. I now have 9 working watches instead of 2. I have been wearing the same 2 watches for too long. We also stopped at a Burlington Coat where B was able to find 2 dresses, including one for an upcoming wedding, for super cheap. That was worth the drive actually.
We got home around 4 and made a hodge podge dinner. We're trying to eat off all the leftovers in the fridge before we leave this weekend so there's not a ton of stuff sitting in there going bad. We watched some TV and relaxed. B was super tired but I am proud of her. She is finally trying to get her sleep schedule back to normal and avoided napping. It didn't help that the gardeners spent three hours blowing fucking leaves. Idjits.
Speaking of idjits, I chatted with the kid last night. We talked about the new Marilyn Manson album which is really good. Better than Born Villain on first listen. I listened to it while doing nothing of any real significance on the computer. Went to bed around 10:30.
Decent day. Today while I am teaching I have a TV guy coming to repair an issue with our TV. It has a line running down one side. Luckily it's under warranty. Otherwise, nothing planned for after class.
After class we went on a bit of an adventure. There's something our local crapmart doesn't have that B and I decided to go one town over and see if they have it. I know that doesn't sound like a big deal, but we're talking 15-20 miles. Woo! We did find what we wanted as well as I got some watch batteries I have been meaning to buy. I now have 9 working watches instead of 2. I have been wearing the same 2 watches for too long. We also stopped at a Burlington Coat where B was able to find 2 dresses, including one for an upcoming wedding, for super cheap. That was worth the drive actually.
We got home around 4 and made a hodge podge dinner. We're trying to eat off all the leftovers in the fridge before we leave this weekend so there's not a ton of stuff sitting in there going bad. We watched some TV and relaxed. B was super tired but I am proud of her. She is finally trying to get her sleep schedule back to normal and avoided napping. It didn't help that the gardeners spent three hours blowing fucking leaves. Idjits.
Speaking of idjits, I chatted with the kid last night. We talked about the new Marilyn Manson album which is really good. Better than Born Villain on first listen. I listened to it while doing nothing of any real significance on the computer. Went to bed around 10:30.
Decent day. Today while I am teaching I have a TV guy coming to repair an issue with our TV. It has a line running down one side. Luckily it's under warranty. Otherwise, nothing planned for after class.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Y6 D297
Mellow day yesterday. Not a lot going on. Did some paperwork, had a conference call for the stuff I am doing next week, prepped for today, and had a couple of calls with co-workers. That was about it on the work front. Cleaned the house a little. Went to the store for some groceries. Shit man, I am so tired right now I can't even remember what else I did yesterday. My life is so dull right now. Get up, work, do stupid shit, sleep. Rinse and repeat. At least next week will be a little more exciting. Not by much, but a little more exciting. At least I will get to go to Disneyland. Have to deal with an annoying client, but Disneyland at the same time.
Today and tomorrow I teach a new group of people. It's a class I haven't done in a while. This could be spectacularly horrible. We shall see.
Today and tomorrow I teach a new group of people. It's a class I haven't done in a while. This could be spectacularly horrible. We shall see.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Y6 D296
I hate doctors, I hate insurance, I hate pharmacies, I hate everything about that stupid fucking industry. They make it so difficult to get things accomplished easily. Not to mention as racist as it fucking sounds, I am sick and tired of people whom I cannot understand when they speak on the phone. I applaud all of you who have come to this country and made a good life and done what the majority of americans can't do and that's learn a second language. One hell of language at that, but it doesn't stop me from being frustrated when I cannot understand the voice mail message you've left on my machine because you are speaking way too close to the speaker way too fast and with way too much of an accent. Please speak slower and annunciate your words. Please.
Yesterday was a bit of a pain in the ass. I taught all day, had a server problem as always. B was on day six of a migraine and pretty much useless. I put a corned beef on at 9 while teaching which was the best part of the day.
I needed prescription filled but it's expired and the doctor wants me to come back in for a check before he will refill it. Problem is he is 70 miles away. So do I find a day where I can take a day off work and drive out to him and waste the gas? Or instead do I find a new doctor in this area except when I look up doctors around here, everyone of them is either vietnamese or indian. I have enough trouble understanding people as it is, I don't want to try to make my doctor repeat things 100 times because I can't hear them clearly. Sigh. Struggle.
Watched Justified. I can't believe that show is almost over forever. I have loved that show since the very first episode. Only four more to go. I am also 100% caught up on Archer. All six seasons to date watched. Yesterday I decided to add Bob's Burgers to the collection. It's still converting 24 hours later. But it's almost done. Then I have to rename and add all the files. It will give me something to do today. I have a bit of a break in between classes. I do have a long ass conference call in a little while, but otherwise it's a documentation kind of day.
Went to bed around 11 after playing, wait for it... Half Life. Yes, the original. Steam had a damn sale and I got Deus Ex - Human Revolution, System Shock 2, and the original Half Life for $15. Not bad eh? Plus it gives me games to play on the road. It's always fun to go back and play some of the originals.
You notice there's not much mention of B in this post. Probably because I saw her for about 2 hours total today. With her migraine issue, she got up at noon, we saw each other from like 3:30 - 6 but then her head got too bad and she slept from 6-10, then I went to bed. God only knows what time she came in. Somewhere around 3 I am estimating from her last postings. Whatever.
Okay. I am done. 6:35am and I am already done.
Yesterday was a bit of a pain in the ass. I taught all day, had a server problem as always. B was on day six of a migraine and pretty much useless. I put a corned beef on at 9 while teaching which was the best part of the day.
I needed prescription filled but it's expired and the doctor wants me to come back in for a check before he will refill it. Problem is he is 70 miles away. So do I find a day where I can take a day off work and drive out to him and waste the gas? Or instead do I find a new doctor in this area except when I look up doctors around here, everyone of them is either vietnamese or indian. I have enough trouble understanding people as it is, I don't want to try to make my doctor repeat things 100 times because I can't hear them clearly. Sigh. Struggle.
Watched Justified. I can't believe that show is almost over forever. I have loved that show since the very first episode. Only four more to go. I am also 100% caught up on Archer. All six seasons to date watched. Yesterday I decided to add Bob's Burgers to the collection. It's still converting 24 hours later. But it's almost done. Then I have to rename and add all the files. It will give me something to do today. I have a bit of a break in between classes. I do have a long ass conference call in a little while, but otherwise it's a documentation kind of day.
Went to bed around 11 after playing, wait for it... Half Life. Yes, the original. Steam had a damn sale and I got Deus Ex - Human Revolution, System Shock 2, and the original Half Life for $15. Not bad eh? Plus it gives me games to play on the road. It's always fun to go back and play some of the originals.
You notice there's not much mention of B in this post. Probably because I saw her for about 2 hours total today. With her migraine issue, she got up at noon, we saw each other from like 3:30 - 6 but then her head got too bad and she slept from 6-10, then I went to bed. God only knows what time she came in. Somewhere around 3 I am estimating from her last postings. Whatever.
Okay. I am done. 6:35am and I am already done.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Y6 D295
As predicted yesterday was a whole lot of nothing. I got up, prepped a tri-tip to go into the slow cooker, started class, taught, put said roast in said slow cooker, taught, finished class around 2, napped for 45 minutes, ate dinner, went to the grocery store because B wanted to make banana nut bread, had B test drive a car, came home, helped B make banana nut bread, played Diablo for like an hour, went to bed around 11. Tada. The whole day. Right there.
Her bread came out extremely nice. She also liked the car and I emailed the dealer with my requirements. If she can pull it off, by this weekend I may be driving around in a 2016 Mazda CX-5. Yes, 2016. Suck it bitches. Saw my sister online last night in Diablo. We said hey.
I also have a friend in London helping me complete my Terry Pratchett collection. Some of his books are easier to find over there than here, especially the earlier ones. She has already found 2 of the six I need and that was just by walking into the local little bookstore at her uni. I found one of more I need from a used bookstore in London. It's on its way and will be here in April. As for the others, I have to wait until August when this person will be here for D23.
More teaching then a slow day tomorrow. We have a conf call with the people I am mentoring next week and dear god are they already pissing me off. They are extremely anal and wanting to review review review and I am more casual about mentoring. I hope we don't clash next week.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day btw. Yes, there's a corned beef waiting to go into the slow cooker this morning.
Her bread came out extremely nice. She also liked the car and I emailed the dealer with my requirements. If she can pull it off, by this weekend I may be driving around in a 2016 Mazda CX-5. Yes, 2016. Suck it bitches. Saw my sister online last night in Diablo. We said hey.
I also have a friend in London helping me complete my Terry Pratchett collection. Some of his books are easier to find over there than here, especially the earlier ones. She has already found 2 of the six I need and that was just by walking into the local little bookstore at her uni. I found one of more I need from a used bookstore in London. It's on its way and will be here in April. As for the others, I have to wait until August when this person will be here for D23.
More teaching then a slow day tomorrow. We have a conf call with the people I am mentoring next week and dear god are they already pissing me off. They are extremely anal and wanting to review review review and I am more casual about mentoring. I hope we don't clash next week.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day btw. Yes, there's a corned beef waiting to go into the slow cooker this morning.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Y6 D294
We did absolutely nothing yesterday. It was glorious. B didn't get up until 11 because once again she didn't go to bed until 4. I know I have no logical reason to be angry at her sleep schedule, but I am none the less. It looks like the same last night too. Her last tweet was less than 2 hours ago at 3:26am. Me, I was asleep for a good oh 5 hours by then, but you know, I have a job and all.
Back to the point at hand. We did nothing yesterday. Read. Watched some TV, cleaned a little, organized a couple of things we had been putting off, and overall relaxed. I needed it for sure. I wish I could say something exciting happened, but nope. That was it. That was our day.
I made pork chops for dinner. Marinated a tri-tip for tonight. Whee. Prepped for today's class. I have a two day, then a day break, then another 2 day. Next week I am in Pasadena. Now there will be some excitement.
Ok, time to get ready for class.
Back to the point at hand. We did nothing yesterday. Read. Watched some TV, cleaned a little, organized a couple of things we had been putting off, and overall relaxed. I needed it for sure. I wish I could say something exciting happened, but nope. That was it. That was our day.
I made pork chops for dinner. Marinated a tri-tip for tonight. Whee. Prepped for today's class. I have a two day, then a day break, then another 2 day. Next week I am in Pasadena. Now there will be some excitement.
Ok, time to get ready for class.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Y6 D293
Got a lot done yesterday and had a really good day. While B slept, I went out and ran some errands. When I got back the two of us tackled cleaning the house from top to bottom including doing all the laundry. That pretty much ate up the majority of the day right there. But neither of us minded. We needed to get it done and done it was. We also needed to do it because we had friends coming over later. They were supposed to be at our place between 5:30 and 6, but thanks to traffic it was 6:30. Oh well. The four of us went out for italian then came back to the house and played some games and talked. They left around 10:30 I would say. It was a very nice time. I stayed up for a while playing Sims and then headed to bed around 12:30. B followed soon after.
Nothing very exciting but it was good. Today we don't have anything planned and it should be another quiet day.
Nothing very exciting but it was good. Today we don't have anything planned and it should be another quiet day.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Y6 D292
Oh look, I am writing at a normal time today. I can't believe I almost forgot to post yesterday. And not through the fault of alcohol or plane travel. Just plain and simple forgetfulness. I am getting old my gentle readers, I am getting old.
Yesterday was a real enjoyable day. I took the day as actual PTO. Not an 'admin' day or anything like that. Just a straight up vacation, leave me the hell alone, day. I started off by paying bills, always a pleasure, no? Then I did some research on possible new apartments to move to in August. I found a couple of really nice ones that are $400-$500 less a month than here. Definitely want to check them out next weekend. That's our plan; drive back where we just were next Saturday and do some looking.
B woke up around 11 and after she got ready we headed out to the movie theater. This is also why I took yesterday off. We went and saw Cinderella. Sigh. It was so incredible. They did an outstanding job with it. Visually appealing, dialog well written, acting top notch. All around a fantastic movie. And since we went to a 1pm show, there were only a couple of kids and a moderately empty theater overall. We very much enjoyed that.
After the movie we ran errands. Groceries and the like. We grabbed some food on the way home since we both were feeling lazy and didn't want to cook. We are still doing okay in our eating, much better than a couple of months ago, but we have had some cheat days lately and that's bugging both of us. We watched some TV, relaxed, and then I went and played some video games while B read. After my 11:23 blog post, I was ready for bed.
Today I have a couple more errands to run and then we are scheduled to have dinner with a friend and his NEW girlfriend. They have been dating for about a month and it's 'time to meet the friends'. This should be interesting.
Yesterday was a real enjoyable day. I took the day as actual PTO. Not an 'admin' day or anything like that. Just a straight up vacation, leave me the hell alone, day. I started off by paying bills, always a pleasure, no? Then I did some research on possible new apartments to move to in August. I found a couple of really nice ones that are $400-$500 less a month than here. Definitely want to check them out next weekend. That's our plan; drive back where we just were next Saturday and do some looking.
B woke up around 11 and after she got ready we headed out to the movie theater. This is also why I took yesterday off. We went and saw Cinderella. Sigh. It was so incredible. They did an outstanding job with it. Visually appealing, dialog well written, acting top notch. All around a fantastic movie. And since we went to a 1pm show, there were only a couple of kids and a moderately empty theater overall. We very much enjoyed that.
After the movie we ran errands. Groceries and the like. We grabbed some food on the way home since we both were feeling lazy and didn't want to cook. We are still doing okay in our eating, much better than a couple of months ago, but we have had some cheat days lately and that's bugging both of us. We watched some TV, relaxed, and then I went and played some video games while B read. After my 11:23 blog post, I was ready for bed.
Today I have a couple more errands to run and then we are scheduled to have dinner with a friend and his NEW girlfriend. They have been dating for about a month and it's 'time to meet the friends'. This should be interesting.
Y6 D291
WOW! I almost forgot to post today. 37 minutes to go. Whew.
Thursday was pretty straight forward. Finished teaching the group and headed home around 4. It took us about 2 hours to get home. We then had to unpack, eat, relax, etc.
Luckily not much to mention about Thursday. Today however was fun filled.
Thursday was pretty straight forward. Finished teaching the group and headed home around 4. It took us about 2 hours to get home. We then had to unpack, eat, relax, etc.
Luckily not much to mention about Thursday. Today however was fun filled.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Y6 D290
Dammit, I overslept. I have to go shower and go if I want to stay on track. Quick recap:
- taught, finished around 3:30
- B wanted to go to DSW as she saw a pair of Converse she wanted
- had Noodles and Co for dinner
- came back and packed
Tada.
There's more to it than that, but I haz no time.
- taught, finished around 3:30
- B wanted to go to DSW as she saw a pair of Converse she wanted
- had Noodles and Co for dinner
- came back and packed
Tada.
There's more to it than that, but I haz no time.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Y6 D289
Pretty straight forward day yesterday. Up around 5, breakfast downstairs, headed to client at 7, taught until 4, came back to hotel. Had dinner at BJs, walked around a really nice outdoor mall, got back to hotel around 8, relaxed, went to bed at 11. No drama, no incidents, no problem.
Things are okay.
Sorry, no earth shattering update today. It was a boring old Tuesday.
Things are okay.
Sorry, no earth shattering update today. It was a boring old Tuesday.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Y6 D288
Here I am at the client but I am not alone. Nope. B last minute had a nervous fucking irrational breakdown about being home alone and after a semi-heated argument is here with me. She KNOWS it was irrational and stupid and selfish and childish and that I have every fucking reason to be pissed at her. Which I was for the entire 2 hour drive. I said nothing to her the whole way.
Look, it's not that I don't want her here, it's that it is really inconvenient for me. I am only here until Thursday, and now I have to worry about her. Does she have lunch? What about dinner? Is she bored? If it was just me, then none of it matters. I told her all this and she understands but she also knows she was being 100% fucking ridiculous and stupid and that's that.
Upside? We did look at two different places and one of them was acceptable. We still have 13 more to look at in this area, but we at least got two out of the way. I also refused to let her interfere with 'plans' I already had. I planned on making a couple of stops while I was here including a smoke shop that sells one particular brand of e-juice I like, the bookstore, and the store for supplies. In addition I had to pick up the manuals (which like last time were not ready when promised).
Did everything (sans the manuals), checked into the hotel, and then we went to dinner. We went to McCormick and Schmicks. NICE dinner. Plus it let us check out some different areas which was my original plan.
Got back to the area around 8, FINALLY picked up the manuals, hit the hotel around 8:30, and relaxed until a little after 10 when I went to bed. Slept mostly okay.
Heading out soon for the client. Meeting at 7:30, teaching until 4. 22 students total this week.
Look, it's not that I don't want her here, it's that it is really inconvenient for me. I am only here until Thursday, and now I have to worry about her. Does she have lunch? What about dinner? Is she bored? If it was just me, then none of it matters. I told her all this and she understands but she also knows she was being 100% fucking ridiculous and stupid and that's that.
Upside? We did look at two different places and one of them was acceptable. We still have 13 more to look at in this area, but we at least got two out of the way. I also refused to let her interfere with 'plans' I already had. I planned on making a couple of stops while I was here including a smoke shop that sells one particular brand of e-juice I like, the bookstore, and the store for supplies. In addition I had to pick up the manuals (which like last time were not ready when promised).
Did everything (sans the manuals), checked into the hotel, and then we went to dinner. We went to McCormick and Schmicks. NICE dinner. Plus it let us check out some different areas which was my original plan.
Got back to the area around 8, FINALLY picked up the manuals, hit the hotel around 8:30, and relaxed until a little after 10 when I went to bed. Slept mostly okay.
Heading out soon for the client. Meeting at 7:30, teaching until 4. 22 students total this week.
Monday, March 9, 2015
Y6 D287
Yep, my leg was in pain all day. Technically it's my hip that hurts. I smacked it nice and solid at the show and it was throbbing. So far this morning it's not doing as bad, but I also haven't really moved much yet.
As expected not a whole lot was accomplished yesterday. We did manage to fully flea treat the house again. All the furniture moved, cat bathed, things washed, furniture moved back, etc. That was a large chunk of the day. I ran out to the store at one point for cat food and then again later for some staples for B while I am gone this week.
I did print out a bunch of places as desired. I came up with a list of 16 which when B woke up we whittled down to about 12. I am going to look at two of them today because they are right near where I am going to be this week for my client. All of them are 20 minutes or less from the airport and I checked the airport for pricing and flights to make sure I can get places. I compared my next flight in April to Tulsa and it was $60 to fly out of this other airport. Now, that small of a price difference could easily be due to it being closer in time to the actual flight, but all in all, it's an acceptable price difference. The flight itself was about the same. Same basic connector, same length.
I also talked to my sister yesterday. Honestly, I didn't have anything in particular to discuss, I just wanted to hear her voice.
Played some Sims, made dinner, watched some TV and went to bed around 11. This DST is killing me. I fucking hate it. Always have, always will.
Today I am leaving around 11, driving to the client area, looking at the two complexes, and checking in. I have to pick up manuals for this week by 9pm but otherwise this is a clean day.
As expected not a whole lot was accomplished yesterday. We did manage to fully flea treat the house again. All the furniture moved, cat bathed, things washed, furniture moved back, etc. That was a large chunk of the day. I ran out to the store at one point for cat food and then again later for some staples for B while I am gone this week.
I did print out a bunch of places as desired. I came up with a list of 16 which when B woke up we whittled down to about 12. I am going to look at two of them today because they are right near where I am going to be this week for my client. All of them are 20 minutes or less from the airport and I checked the airport for pricing and flights to make sure I can get places. I compared my next flight in April to Tulsa and it was $60 to fly out of this other airport. Now, that small of a price difference could easily be due to it being closer in time to the actual flight, but all in all, it's an acceptable price difference. The flight itself was about the same. Same basic connector, same length.
I also talked to my sister yesterday. Honestly, I didn't have anything in particular to discuss, I just wanted to hear her voice.
Played some Sims, made dinner, watched some TV and went to bed around 11. This DST is killing me. I fucking hate it. Always have, always will.
Today I am leaving around 11, driving to the client area, looking at the two complexes, and checking in. I have to pick up manuals for this week by 9pm but otherwise this is a clean day.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Y6 D286
Here it is almost 8am. It SHOULD be only 7am but no, we still have to deal with the shit that is DST. The most useless bullshit. I didn't even know it was happening either. That's the fucked up part. We finished up the show and I looked at my phone and went WTF WHY IS IT 3:20??
Sigh. There's an hour of my life I will never get back. Literally.
While B slept, I took a ride over to the vet. They had made us a paw print of dumbass. When I saw it I almost lost it right there in the vet. It's the coolest fucking thing ever. Got back home and waited for B to get up for us to go on a dashing bold adventure.
We spent the day apartment hunting. Yes, we just moved six months ago. But we are not saving the amount of money we need to, nor are we 100% happy here. I have NEVER been happy here if you go back and read. We had to go to this one area about 25 minutes from us to pick something up for B from Sephora. There, that gives you an idea of why I am not happy here - the area that is supposed to be MORE run down than where we live has a Sephora, Apple store, and just overall better stuff and is better developed then we are here. AND it's cheaper to live there. We found an almost identical place size wise but with more closets and storage for FIVE HUNDRED less a month. Yeah. This doesn't mean it's a done deal though. The problem with moving there is it's only 25 minutes further so there would still be an expectation we could do shows. We have one more area we are interested in and that's near where I will be next week. I already have one place in particular I am going to go look at tomorrow, and there's about 5 more I can look at. Same type of cost savings. PLUS it's almost 2 hours away meaning, bye bye cast.
We did all that, came home, B slept, and then we headed out to our friend's house pre-show. He is doing a project for one of his classes where they take a concept from cradle to grave and the topic is board games. He invited a few of us over to help play test the game and do some video footage for a promo video. The game ended up being a TON of fun. I can't say anything about because of NDA but it really is a fun game. I told him I would easily pay $19.99 for it if I saw it at the store. We finished up and all headed to the show around 11.
The show was a wreck. I got yelled at for my music not being "danceable enough" which caused a huge argument. Which is also lead to "expect a phone call tomorrow to discuss your attitude". Yeah okay, whatever. Add to that the lost hour.
Today is nothing thank god. I could still be sleeping but we all know that's not happening. I am going to be printing a bunch of places to check out tomorrow, make sure everything is packed and ready to go, and nursing this bruise I feel starting to form on my fucking leg from last night.
Whee.
Sigh. There's an hour of my life I will never get back. Literally.
While B slept, I took a ride over to the vet. They had made us a paw print of dumbass. When I saw it I almost lost it right there in the vet. It's the coolest fucking thing ever. Got back home and waited for B to get up for us to go on a dashing bold adventure.
We spent the day apartment hunting. Yes, we just moved six months ago. But we are not saving the amount of money we need to, nor are we 100% happy here. I have NEVER been happy here if you go back and read. We had to go to this one area about 25 minutes from us to pick something up for B from Sephora. There, that gives you an idea of why I am not happy here - the area that is supposed to be MORE run down than where we live has a Sephora, Apple store, and just overall better stuff and is better developed then we are here. AND it's cheaper to live there. We found an almost identical place size wise but with more closets and storage for FIVE HUNDRED less a month. Yeah. This doesn't mean it's a done deal though. The problem with moving there is it's only 25 minutes further so there would still be an expectation we could do shows. We have one more area we are interested in and that's near where I will be next week. I already have one place in particular I am going to go look at tomorrow, and there's about 5 more I can look at. Same type of cost savings. PLUS it's almost 2 hours away meaning, bye bye cast.
We did all that, came home, B slept, and then we headed out to our friend's house pre-show. He is doing a project for one of his classes where they take a concept from cradle to grave and the topic is board games. He invited a few of us over to help play test the game and do some video footage for a promo video. The game ended up being a TON of fun. I can't say anything about because of NDA but it really is a fun game. I told him I would easily pay $19.99 for it if I saw it at the store. We finished up and all headed to the show around 11.
The show was a wreck. I got yelled at for my music not being "danceable enough" which caused a huge argument. Which is also lead to "expect a phone call tomorrow to discuss your attitude". Yeah okay, whatever. Add to that the lost hour.
Today is nothing thank god. I could still be sleeping but we all know that's not happening. I am going to be printing a bunch of places to check out tomorrow, make sure everything is packed and ready to go, and nursing this bruise I feel starting to form on my fucking leg from last night.
Whee.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Y6 D285
I swear, facebook is becoming even more annoying. I didn't think that was humanly possible, but it is. I would leave it but there's this one stupid game I have been playing since 2007 on there and yeah yeah, I know.
Taught until 2 yesterday then went to pick up B's ring from the jeweler. We had sent it in to get it soldered and it's been one fuck up after another. We still don't have it back. It is still going to be one more week. Yesterday's fuck up caused an argument between us. Here's what happened: we go to the store to get it and she's looking at it funny. I ask her multiple times if it is okay and should I sign the receipt. She says yes. Fine. We get home and she's crying. WTF? She doesn't want to tell me because she doesn't want me to get mad. WTF??? She shows me something on her ring. They fucking nicked it and cut out a small piece. She was worried because I was going to get mad at having to go back to the mall. Sigh. It's a poor reflection on me if she is worried about telling me something like that. I need to work on that. It's nothing to do with her.
We went back to the mall and I raised hell. Hence why her ring is back at the jewelers one more time. The first time we had it sent, they soldered the band backwards leaving a gap between the two rings. Morons.
After the whole mall fiasco we decided to have dinner at our favorite italian place. That turned out to be a smart move. We had good food, good conversation, and relaxed. We both needed it. We have a slowly becoming friend who works there and while I am on the road next week her and B are going to a yoga class together. Yay she has made a friend! About fucking time.
Got back home, relaxed, talked, did laundry. I went to bed around 10:30 just because I was tired. I think she came in around 1 or so.
Today I am going to the vet to thank them for the sympathy card they sent AND to see if the paw print is ready. We have a show tonight but we also want to stop at IKEA near the theater and our friends want us to come over before the show and help beta test a new board game one of them has designed.
Full, long day ahead.
Taught until 2 yesterday then went to pick up B's ring from the jeweler. We had sent it in to get it soldered and it's been one fuck up after another. We still don't have it back. It is still going to be one more week. Yesterday's fuck up caused an argument between us. Here's what happened: we go to the store to get it and she's looking at it funny. I ask her multiple times if it is okay and should I sign the receipt. She says yes. Fine. We get home and she's crying. WTF? She doesn't want to tell me because she doesn't want me to get mad. WTF??? She shows me something on her ring. They fucking nicked it and cut out a small piece. She was worried because I was going to get mad at having to go back to the mall. Sigh. It's a poor reflection on me if she is worried about telling me something like that. I need to work on that. It's nothing to do with her.
We went back to the mall and I raised hell. Hence why her ring is back at the jewelers one more time. The first time we had it sent, they soldered the band backwards leaving a gap between the two rings. Morons.
After the whole mall fiasco we decided to have dinner at our favorite italian place. That turned out to be a smart move. We had good food, good conversation, and relaxed. We both needed it. We have a slowly becoming friend who works there and while I am on the road next week her and B are going to a yoga class together. Yay she has made a friend! About fucking time.
Got back home, relaxed, talked, did laundry. I went to bed around 10:30 just because I was tired. I think she came in around 1 or so.
Today I am going to the vet to thank them for the sympathy card they sent AND to see if the paw print is ready. We have a show tonight but we also want to stop at IKEA near the theater and our friends want us to come over before the show and help beta test a new board game one of them has designed.
Full, long day ahead.
Friday, March 6, 2015
Y6 D284
Had a scare for a minute there. The site was giving me a service unavailable. Unacceptable says I! But it is back and I am typing away.
Things of note from yesterday:
- got a call from the guy who took the Mercedes back from me. Turns out he got hit for $600 in registration fees. He was calling to see if I could help out in any way. I told him I would talk to the kid and let him know. We agreed on $300. I called him back and the dick tried to push for $500. Um, 30 seconds ago you were okay with anything, now you want $500? No, take $300 or nothing. I hate when people get fucking greedy.
- taught all day. Nothing exciting there, just pointing it out.
- made a roast for dinner. That actually came out perfect. I was very happy with that.
- booked my trip for next week. Off to Sacramento Mon-Thurs. I don't think B is going to go with me this time because I am really only gone two days and it would just be sitting around in a hotel room for her. With this trip, the one to Pasadena in two weeks, and then Tulsa in April, I will already be at gold (or very very close) for the year with Hilton. I will have 8 months to stay 20 more nights. Yeah, pretty sure I can do that.
Watched some TV with B before bed. Fell asleep around 11. Nice thing is that it's Friday and I don't have to get up for shit the next three days. I won't leave for Sac until about 11 or 11:30 so no getting up at 4:30am for me. Plus next week the client is so close to the hotel I won't have to get up until 6 each day. Yay me.
Okay, day three of my class. Let's do this!
Things of note from yesterday:
- got a call from the guy who took the Mercedes back from me. Turns out he got hit for $600 in registration fees. He was calling to see if I could help out in any way. I told him I would talk to the kid and let him know. We agreed on $300. I called him back and the dick tried to push for $500. Um, 30 seconds ago you were okay with anything, now you want $500? No, take $300 or nothing. I hate when people get fucking greedy.
- taught all day. Nothing exciting there, just pointing it out.
- made a roast for dinner. That actually came out perfect. I was very happy with that.
- booked my trip for next week. Off to Sacramento Mon-Thurs. I don't think B is going to go with me this time because I am really only gone two days and it would just be sitting around in a hotel room for her. With this trip, the one to Pasadena in two weeks, and then Tulsa in April, I will already be at gold (or very very close) for the year with Hilton. I will have 8 months to stay 20 more nights. Yeah, pretty sure I can do that.
Watched some TV with B before bed. Fell asleep around 11. Nice thing is that it's Friday and I don't have to get up for shit the next three days. I won't leave for Sac until about 11 or 11:30 so no getting up at 4:30am for me. Plus next week the client is so close to the hotel I won't have to get up until 6 each day. Yay me.
Okay, day three of my class. Let's do this!
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Y6 D283
Yay morning. No, not really.
Class yesterday had a nice surprise in that everyone showed up on time. I was actually able to start a few minutes early. Since it was a small class I knew we were going to finish early anyway and when combined with the early start, we were done by 2. Apparently I was super tired because I fell asleep after class for almost 2 hours.
Made dinner when I got up - pork roast. Was pretty good actually. B and I hung out, talked, watched some TV. Then I played a little Sims 4 - and if you didn't hear the news, EA is shutting down Maxis. EA has lost all respect in my eyes for this move. They shut down Bullfrog, Westwood, and now Maxis? Dicks.
That was about it for me. Headed off to bed around 11.
Once more, the same should happen today. I like the lack of excitement. I need to find a balance though. Last week it was too many days on the road and before that too many at home. I am supposed to be in Sacramento next week and if that happens, it will be a nice balance. About a week and a half at home, followed by about 4 days gone. Nice mix. Let's see if it happens.
Class yesterday had a nice surprise in that everyone showed up on time. I was actually able to start a few minutes early. Since it was a small class I knew we were going to finish early anyway and when combined with the early start, we were done by 2. Apparently I was super tired because I fell asleep after class for almost 2 hours.
Made dinner when I got up - pork roast. Was pretty good actually. B and I hung out, talked, watched some TV. Then I played a little Sims 4 - and if you didn't hear the news, EA is shutting down Maxis. EA has lost all respect in my eyes for this move. They shut down Bullfrog, Westwood, and now Maxis? Dicks.
That was about it for me. Headed off to bed around 11.
Once more, the same should happen today. I like the lack of excitement. I need to find a balance though. Last week it was too many days on the road and before that too many at home. I am supposed to be in Sacramento next week and if that happens, it will be a nice balance. About a week and a half at home, followed by about 4 days gone. Nice mix. Let's see if it happens.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Y6 D282
Back awake at my normal time. Three day class starts today and I have no servers. Luckily I only have three students so if I have to stall it won't be horrible.
Yesterday's class went well. No major issues. Went up to about 3:45. I knew it would finish early because there's a lot of overlap between Monday and Tuesday's material. It was all good.
After class I went to talk to B but she was laying down. She had a breakdown earlier right after lunch where she thought her brain was leaking out of her nose. Seriously. Apparently that's a real thing where sinus fluid leaks from cracks in the nasal cavity. Who knew. But she was literally breaking down in tears because the internet had her convinced she was about to go into a coma. Sigh.
And of course I thought she was nuts but couldn't say that. There, there.
When she woke up we went to Black Bear Diner for dinner. It was okay. We then stopped at the pet store for some spray she wanted. Got home, watched Justified. Man, I am going to miss that show when it's gone. Went to bed around 11.
Still no servers. Sigh.
Yesterday's class went well. No major issues. Went up to about 3:45. I knew it would finish early because there's a lot of overlap between Monday and Tuesday's material. It was all good.
After class I went to talk to B but she was laying down. She had a breakdown earlier right after lunch where she thought her brain was leaking out of her nose. Seriously. Apparently that's a real thing where sinus fluid leaks from cracks in the nasal cavity. Who knew. But she was literally breaking down in tears because the internet had her convinced she was about to go into a coma. Sigh.
And of course I thought she was nuts but couldn't say that. There, there.
When she woke up we went to Black Bear Diner for dinner. It was okay. We then stopped at the pet store for some spray she wanted. Got home, watched Justified. Man, I am going to miss that show when it's gone. Went to bed around 11.
Still no servers. Sigh.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Y6 D281
Slept really well last night. Like straight through solid. A full six hours. Part of the reason was there was no yowling coming from the other room. Although I almost lost my shit yesterday during my class. I reached my hand down as I normally did to scratch her head when someone in class is pissing me off and realized there was no head to scratch. That was rough. No lie. Sunday was easier to get through but sitting in here all day yesterday for 10+ hours without her was hard.
The class yesterday (and today) is at a non-normal time, 8:30-4:30. Even though I did sleep in a little later, I was still up early for it (like now) and starting later drives me nuts. I also had a huge audio problem prior to lunch. Turns out I had a bad GTM connection and needed to restart the meeting at lunch.
After that class was a lot smoother and we finished up a little after 4. Since it was so late I was thrown off as to what to do. I ended up working on a little project. There's a book called 501 Must See Movies. I have a spreadsheet of all of them and at last count, I had about 85 of them. That's horrible percentages. That number is now 122. Still not great, but better. I am doing them by genre and that was "Action & Adventure". I think I will do "Westerns" or "Musicals" today. Also watched a little TV with B, had dinner, and went off to bed around 11.
More of the same today I figure. Nothing else dramatic going on.
The class yesterday (and today) is at a non-normal time, 8:30-4:30. Even though I did sleep in a little later, I was still up early for it (like now) and starting later drives me nuts. I also had a huge audio problem prior to lunch. Turns out I had a bad GTM connection and needed to restart the meeting at lunch.
After that class was a lot smoother and we finished up a little after 4. Since it was so late I was thrown off as to what to do. I ended up working on a little project. There's a book called 501 Must See Movies. I have a spreadsheet of all of them and at last count, I had about 85 of them. That's horrible percentages. That number is now 122. Still not great, but better. I am doing them by genre and that was "Action & Adventure". I think I will do "Westerns" or "Musicals" today. Also watched a little TV with B, had dinner, and went off to bed around 11.
More of the same today I figure. Nothing else dramatic going on.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Y6 D280
I know it's only been two days, but it's still weird not hearing her. I am so used to hear 'greeting' me. Feed me. Feed me now. Pay attention to me now.
Lots of little things accomplished yesterday. I was up around 7:15 after a whopping 2.5 hours of sleep. I started a beef stew in the slow cooker which I had going by 8:30. I also rearranged some stuff to make room for a plant B wanted. We headed out to OSH when she finally woke up at 11ish. At OSH we got a baby tangerine tree and all the things to go with it. We moved some furniture and as a result we had this 'hole' we wanted to fill. We originally set out to buy a ficus but ended up with a tangerine tree. We then headed to Ulta, Petsmart, and Staples. All the errands. Got back around 2 and she slept for a couple more hours. I did not.
Had dinner, watched some shows, and I went to bed around 10. Today and tomorrow I am doing some private training for the Canadian Government but they are scheduled for 8:30 - 4:30. It's going to be a long couple of days.
Lots of little things accomplished yesterday. I was up around 7:15 after a whopping 2.5 hours of sleep. I started a beef stew in the slow cooker which I had going by 8:30. I also rearranged some stuff to make room for a plant B wanted. We headed out to OSH when she finally woke up at 11ish. At OSH we got a baby tangerine tree and all the things to go with it. We moved some furniture and as a result we had this 'hole' we wanted to fill. We originally set out to buy a ficus but ended up with a tangerine tree. We then headed to Ulta, Petsmart, and Staples. All the errands. Got back around 2 and she slept for a couple more hours. I did not.
Had dinner, watched some shows, and I went to bed around 10. Today and tomorrow I am doing some private training for the Canadian Government but they are scheduled for 8:30 - 4:30. It's going to be a long couple of days.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Y6 D279
For the first time in almost 18 years, there's no one yelling at me to fill their bowl for breakfast. The inevitable has happened. Beep the cat is no longer with us. Her pain is over. She was a dedicated and loyal companion to me outlasting relationships, dwellings, and everything else life threw at me. I miss her dearly.
We got up yesterday and I started a pork roast for dinner. Got that going around 8:30. At 9:30, we packed the cat up and headed to the vet. At first it looked like there was going to be an issue because they couldn't track down the appointment and I was starting to get really upset. The cat was yelling, I knew what we were about to do, and the woman behind the counter was thinking we were there for just a regular appointment. I finally said "Are you the location who offers a paw print when you help an animal, because THAT is what we are here for today". She immediately connected the dots and brought us back into a room and her whole demeanor changed. She was very empathetic, helpful, reassuring, and kind. We talked a little about why and then she went off to get the doctor. The doctor came in, verified that she wasn't some tiny kitten or that we were just crazy people. Matter of fact, in addition to the deafness, arthritis, and Alzheimer's, we also learned she had an infection in her gums due to an abscess, and a fucking heart murmur. Yeah, we were making the right decision. B stayed in the room while I went out to fill paperwork and wait. No, I couldn't be in the room. Sorry, I just couldn't. About 10 minutes later she came on out. Everything went as planned.
I let a few folks know, mostly people who knew her for a long time. It included our director. She may be a lot of things, but when it comes to shit like this, she understands. She has lost a couple of cats in the last year and she knows the pain this brings.
We got back and B rested for a while. I slept for an hour, but that was about it. I mostly just kind of did 'stuff'. Timesheet, expense reports, file moving, all the normal stuff I do on a weekend. I swear, the whole time I kept hearing the cat snoring under my feet under the desk. But no. Just in my stupid head.
Around 4:30 B and I worked together in the kitchen to make some cauliflower rice to go with our pork butt. We finished up everything and ate around 6. After dinner, I worked on scanning in books into our digital library I am completing. It's an inventory library, not an e-book library. I have Delicious 3 which lets us scan anything with a bar code. As of last night, I have 400+ books cataloged. I should finish up the rest today. At 9 we headed out for the show.
It was a good show overall. Some audience issues with drunks, but we all did a good job. No real crisis or problems on our side. Finished up about 2:30 and headed home. We rolled in a little before 4.
Today is a whole lot of nothing. Thank goodness.
And because it's the right thing to do:
We got up yesterday and I started a pork roast for dinner. Got that going around 8:30. At 9:30, we packed the cat up and headed to the vet. At first it looked like there was going to be an issue because they couldn't track down the appointment and I was starting to get really upset. The cat was yelling, I knew what we were about to do, and the woman behind the counter was thinking we were there for just a regular appointment. I finally said "Are you the location who offers a paw print when you help an animal, because THAT is what we are here for today". She immediately connected the dots and brought us back into a room and her whole demeanor changed. She was very empathetic, helpful, reassuring, and kind. We talked a little about why and then she went off to get the doctor. The doctor came in, verified that she wasn't some tiny kitten or that we were just crazy people. Matter of fact, in addition to the deafness, arthritis, and Alzheimer's, we also learned she had an infection in her gums due to an abscess, and a fucking heart murmur. Yeah, we were making the right decision. B stayed in the room while I went out to fill paperwork and wait. No, I couldn't be in the room. Sorry, I just couldn't. About 10 minutes later she came on out. Everything went as planned.
I let a few folks know, mostly people who knew her for a long time. It included our director. She may be a lot of things, but when it comes to shit like this, she understands. She has lost a couple of cats in the last year and she knows the pain this brings.
We got back and B rested for a while. I slept for an hour, but that was about it. I mostly just kind of did 'stuff'. Timesheet, expense reports, file moving, all the normal stuff I do on a weekend. I swear, the whole time I kept hearing the cat snoring under my feet under the desk. But no. Just in my stupid head.
Around 4:30 B and I worked together in the kitchen to make some cauliflower rice to go with our pork butt. We finished up everything and ate around 6. After dinner, I worked on scanning in books into our digital library I am completing. It's an inventory library, not an e-book library. I have Delicious 3 which lets us scan anything with a bar code. As of last night, I have 400+ books cataloged. I should finish up the rest today. At 9 we headed out for the show.
It was a good show overall. Some audience issues with drunks, but we all did a good job. No real crisis or problems on our side. Finished up about 2:30 and headed home. We rolled in a little before 4.
Today is a whole lot of nothing. Thank goodness.
And because it's the right thing to do:
I'm gonna miss you dumbass.
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