Y7 D158

We were out for 11 hours yesterday. The perfect end to our three day anniversary celebration. We left the house at 9am and didn't get back home until a little before 8pm. Where were we all day? Well most of it was spent at the greatest nail salon in the northwest. We got up, got ready, and headed out around 9 to Vancouver. We had 11am appointments but traffic can sometimes suck through a couple of spots especially on a weekday which is why we left so early. Of course though traffic was mild and we made it there in 40 minutes. Sigh. B needed some lip stuff so we killed time by reading and going to Walgreens. Our nail tech took us in at 11 on the dot and then we both had a great time getting manicures and pedicures. B really liked the place which made me happy. This is the same place I went to back in July that I swore we would go back to once we moved. 5 hours and a wonderful time later we both looked great and felt great. I LOVE this salon. Some of the friendliest nicest people around.

On the way home we decided to stop at IKEA to pick up two small bookcases we have needed since our last place. While we were there we meandered as to let traffic going home die down. We also bought some little things like a new cutting board, a strip light for under my desk, and some pillows for the couch. Since it was still early we then wandered around DSW and HomeGoods. After we went to Famous Dave's for dinner.

Shopping done and food done, we headed home. Traffic had mostly died down and we got home a little before 8. Once we got home we put things away but we were too tired to deal with the bookcases. We left those for today. Watched Project Runway (GOOD JOB TIM!) and then chilled until 11 when I went to bed.

Why was yesterday so awesome? Because we got to spend a full day together just being together. No obligations from work (although I had 14 emails to deal with when we got home), no rushing, no arguments, just us having some personal time before I leave for three weeks. It was really nice and we needed it.

Now today is bookcase assembly and Happy Halloween. We will be doing nothing today which will be quite pleasant.

Y7 D157

I finally got my Q3 bonus numbers yesterday. Even though I was busy the entire quarter turns out I only made 75% of my goal. This is why I was so against my bonus being tied to sales numbers. I had no control over that. I had no say in how much we charged or didn't charge a client. I had no say in how many people signed up for a given class. I am at the whim and mercy of other people. Whether I have five people in a class or 15 people I still have the same amount of effort and work ethic. So yet, I don't get to take in as much because other people didn't do their jobs as well as I did mine? Wrong. Even so, I still did the math and I made more than enough in third quarter to cover my salary and still have funds rolling in for the company. Whatever. I am still getting a bonus it's just not as much as I had been led to believe based on how well everyone said we were doing. It seems some folks may have exaggerated things. Let's see how Q4 shapes up. I am going to spend 5 weeks on the road between now and year's end and if I fall short of bonus numbers again, we're going to be revisiting this whole thing in 2016 you can be sure.

I know I should be grateful to have a job and all that. Some friends of ours posted yesterday some stuff that has been happening to them lately including an engine failure, a reduction in pay, and having to take a second job as an Uber driver to make ends meet. So yeah, I am grateful that I not only am getting a bonus but am so unique in what I do that I don't worry about my position on a constant basis. Doesn't mean I can slack, but it does mean I am slightly more irreplaceable than other people in their jobs.

We didn't do much of anything yesterday. Cleaned the house a bit, ran a couple of errands, but mostly stayed in. B is still working on the Christmas presents she is making for some folks and we needed to go to Goodwill to see if she could find some plaques. She is making her dad and grandfather crocheted fish and she wanted to 'mount' them. We found a couple of old wall signs and with some paint and hooks she made them into mounting plates. They actually look really cool and it is a cute idea. She worked on that most of the day. At 4 we went over for her to get a consultation on a hair cut. She has an appointment for Tuesday.

Made pork roast for dinner, watched Thursday night TV, went to bed.

Today is spa day. We are both scheduled for manicures and pedicures in Vancouver. This should be a fun day. Some traffic to deal with on the way there, but it should be worth it.

Y7 D156

We had a great anniversary. One of the best anniversaries I have ever celebrated with any partner ever. Some days I worry about our age difference and worry about our being together and then we have days like yesterday where all that doubt floats to the side and I just enjoy the person who I have married.

Our day started off way too early for a day off thanks to a mishap in the closet. Recently I bought B a thing to hold all her yarn and crafting supplies. It's designed to hang from a closet bar. Well we have a shower bar we are using in the closet to give us some extra room to hang things and she put the yarn thing on that. The weight was a little too much for it and bang boom it came down yesterday morning. After the fiasco we suffered through at our last place with closets not holding up we both freaked and jumped out of bed expecting to see the entire closet in disarray. Luckily it was just a bunch of hangers and the hanging thing.

But the damage was done and we were both awake. We're up. That's that. We both did our morning internet stuff then decided to open presents. I can't remember if I elaborated on what I bought her, but here it is anyway - I found her a 1966 Smith-Corona manual typewriter. Fully restored, new ribbon, with original case and manuals. Plus I got her a signed copy of this graphic novel she had saw on line over a year ago. If you want to read it, search google for "Hearts for Sale". I communicated with the artist who created it. The comic is out of print but I got her to find one, sign it, and ship it all the way from Germany. When B opened it, the waterworks came a flowing. She had totally forgotten about this comic and was so impressed that not only did I remember, but managed to find a copy AND get it signed by the artist directly. Between the comic and the typewriter, I knocked it out of the park. At the same time, she left me speechless with the present she got me. Hers made it all the way from MA and is something no other person on the earth has. A Ravensburger puzzle of us. I love their puzzles regardless, but she got a hold of a photographer friend who took one of the best pictures of us last NYE, got the original file, sent it off to Ravensburger and had a 1500 piece puzzle made out of it. That's some awesome shit right there.

I can't believe her and I have been married for a year. I have never been so happy with another person in my entire life. Yes, she drives me nuts some days, but that's called a relationship. At the end of the day I know she has my back, cares deeply for me, and is in it for the long haul. Can't ask for more than that, now can I?

After presents we went and ran some errands. I had a library book to drop off, we hit Target for a couple of things, and then we hit the grocery store. When we got back, she needed a morning nap. I went and returned some oven rings we bought that didn't fit, got her Zoup, hit the Japanese store for Yakult, and hit the pet store. Got back around 1, and she woke up around 1:30. We watched a little TV while eating our Zoup, then we went back out because ever since I found that typewriter I have been wanting to take her to the store I found it at. We walked around there for a while, came back and I took a nap from 3:30 until 5. Then we got ready and went out for anniversary dinner.

She wanted Italian for our dinner and I did research and found the best rated Italian place in town. It's a family owned place that's been around since 1975. It didn't disappoint. We got there around 7, waited about 20 minutes for a table, and had one of the best home cooked meals in a while. She had the gnocchi, I had cannelloni and we both really enjoyed our food. Got home around 9, watched a little TV, and I went to bed around 11.

All in all, a great day. Today we have nothing on the agenda and that is just fine with me.

Y7 D155

It was good to be back home yesterday. I didn't get enough sleep but that's okay. Class went fairly smooth. One of my servers was causing issues but not so bad that I couldn't get through class. We finished around 2:45. I then dealt with a couple of emails. It seems that my one day of peace next week (11/6) is now being taken up by a conference call for 4 hours. Joy. Also my SoCal client has decided they want to prepay for another week of training in January now. Double joy. Upside is I have managed to keep that client happy enough that they are pre-paying three months in advance now. Not too shabby.

After class we went and ran a few errands. We hit Target, WinCo, and then discovered Fred Meyer. We have not been in one yet since moving here and that was a mistake. Fred Meyer has EVERYTHING. Imagine a calm Costco or a nice CrapMart. I know where we will be shopping from now on. Decent prices, well laid out, and had everything we needed. We have to go back today to get a couple of things we forgot.

Speaking of today, it's our anniversary!! One year! Wow. She has put up with my shit for one year. That in of itself is amazing. Our big plans for today include nothing. We had an issue in the closet this morning (more on that tomorrow) that we have to address, but otherwise, nada.

Got back from the store, made chicken and salad for dinner. Watched a whole bunch of TV and went to bed around 11. A good day at home.

Y7 D154

Back home and running off less sleep than yesterday. It's partially my fault and partially just life. I woke up yesterday, took the quietest shower I could, then headed out with the kid around 5:45. She dropped me off at our remote office where I had the place to myself until probably around 8. It was around then that I realized I hadn't eaten in quite a long while. I started class and waited patiently for lunch. There's a small cafe in the building where our conference center is located and I figured I could make it until then. Yeah, that was a mistake. That small cafe doesn't open back up from the breakfast time until 11:15. I went down at 11:05 to see if I could get in early and there was a line of 10 people already down there. Shit sticks. Went back upstairs and finished class without eating.

At 3 my coworker picked me up and drove me to the airport. I then had oh, 4.5 hours to kill. First thing on the agenda was food. I was in the international terminal and had a decent Japanese lunch/dinner. That helped to knock off about 45 minutes of my time. Still way too much time to go. I finished the book I had with me. I went through security around 6 then sat until it was time to board at 7:45. I was trying not to sleep as to not mess my schedule up but I ended up dozing off for about 30 minutes on the flight.

Landed around 10, car picked me up, and I was home by 11. I should have gone straight to bed but I needed to unpack, set things up in here for today, download shows for B, etc. I knew it would happen but I had way too much energy. Didn't get into bed until almost 12:30.

But all I have to do is make it through today. Then I am off for 5 days! Our anniversary is tomorrow and then I start three weeks straight of crazy road tripping. Fun stuff, fun stuff.

Y7 D153

Yesterday was insane gentle readers. I am functioning on about 3 hours of sleep. The whole day was exhausting, annoying, incredible, crazy, and many more adjectives. Let's start at the top. We woke up, went down to the lobby and had breakfast. We had coupons for the breakfast buffet so that was fine. We headed out around 9:45 and got to the park where this festival was being held at a little after 10. The parking lot was mildly empty at this point and I thought things would be cool. I forgot about the entire camping section which was packed. The doors were supposed to be open at 10, but as we walked up this dirt trail to the entrance, it was obvious they hadn't opened yet. We were behind about 500 people. They opened the doors at 10:30 and we filed our way in. We had VIP badges which got us through the entrance much faster which was nice. The place and layout were HUGE. Five stages in total, multiple food and beverage areas, merch everywhere, and the VIP lounge. We scouted out who was on what stage at what time, put a plan together and went exploring.

First up was merchandise. We both got a t-shirt and then we found the lounge. That was nice. Separate bathrooms, food trucks, and bar. Best part of the whole day was that lounge. Around 11:15 we went to see the first band. Deth Rogen, a local skater thrash band. They were cute. It was a huge deal for them to be the opening band and you could tell. Their music leaves a bit to be desired, but they had fun, we had fun, it was fun. We were right at the rail for them. From there we went and had some food and checked out all the booths. The next band we wanted to see was on the same stage at 3:20. We went back around 1 and suffered through a band on the next stage over while jockeying for position for the later band. As a result, we made it to the rail and saw Highly Suspect and Failure from the rail. Finally it was 3:20 and Eagles of Death Metal came on. THEY WERE AWESOME. Such a great performance.

Here's where it goes downhill. Our next stop was STP at a different stage. We had some time so we made it about 10-15 people back from the rail. STP comes out and both the kid and I were confused. Um, who is this singer? WTF is going on? Turns out the lead singer was kicked out last year and neither of us knew it. We had been so looking forward to them but were so disappointed. The worst part was we were close enough we ended up on the edge of the mosh pit and got the shit beat out of both of us. I almost got into multiple fights protecting her. It's also not like we could move. We had thousands of people around and behind us. It was scary and painful. When they were done we managed to get back up to the rail for Jane's Addiction. We then secured our spot for TWO HOURS. Two hours of not moving or giving any ground.

JA put on a GREAT show. Their performance was wonderful. The crowd? Fuck them. Once more I spent more time defending the kid and trying not to get the shit kicked out of me than enjoying the show. Also we kept hearing how it took 2-3 HOURS to get out of the parking lot Saturday night. Um, fuck that. We decided we would leave right after JA and skip Deftones and Faith No More. A little sad, but I couldn't take that crowd any more. I was done. All day in the sun with violent angry assholes was enough for me. We managed to get on the road at about 8:15, stop for gas, check in for my flight, and then drive for 2 hours. We arrived at our friends house around 10:40, talked for a while (too long) and I fell asleep on their couch around midnight. They have a leather couch. Remind me never to buy a leather couch. Every time I moved I stuck to it. Horrible. I tossed and turned and woke up constantly.

Today I am off to our conference center, then I fly home around 8pm. Land at 10:15, and will be home by 11pm. Another night of little sleep.

I am too old for this shit. Takeaways from the weekend? No more going to shows without seating areas and assigned seats. No more turnaround trips. Too old and too tired.

Now to see if I can hear anything.

Y7 D152

I have to keep reminding myself this trip is for pleasure not for work. I had to remind myself that A LOT yesterday. The day started off okay but with some hiccups. I had a new driver who didn't know where to turn in and he was a little lost. That's okay, it's a bog complex and I have the other driver trained. No biggie especially since he was early. Got to the airport around 6:15. I had three hours to kill but I knew that wouldn't be a problem as I would be able to sit in the lounge.

Around 9 I went to my gate. We were supposed to board at 9:20. That came and went. 9:30, 9:40, 9:45 - "We are delayed due to maintenance". Motherfucker. In the end we didn't leave until almost 1:30. 3 1/2 hours delayed. This is where I had to tell myself this is a pleasure trip. Go home if you want. You don't have to deal with this. I stayed and finally arrived around 3. We met up with my coworker who got me the key to the office for tomorrow. All set and good. We're off!

80 miles, 3.5 hours. Fuck me. So much traffic. In B's old car. No AC. No comfy seats. No GPS. It was hell. Get to the hotel and it is HUGE like massive. Fine. We can figure this out. Then we realize IT'S SOCCER WEEKEND. Thousands of soccer kids. Ugh. Get to the room (5 minute walk) and neither key works. "This is pleasure. This is pleasure. I should be enjoying myself." became my mantra. I called the front desk on my phone and they sent someone up.

7:30 and we were finally off to get some dinner. The first place we tried to go? 2 hour wait. Um no. We ended up in the bar at El Torito. Finally we had a good time. Food was good, drinks were good. We got back to the hotel around 9 and both of us collapsed. The kid fell right asleep and I followed shortly after at 10.

Today is going to be packed, crazy, and it better be fun. Faith No More, Stone Temple Pilots, Jane's Addiction, Deftones, and Eagles of Death Metal are on today's agenda. We are going to head over around 10 and be there until 10. Let the fun begin!

Y7 D151

A little stressed this morning. I have about 90 minutes until car service gets here. Need to pack everything. Trying to take just one small bag for this trip as it doesn't require seeing clients nor does it require a whole lot of stuff. But I am right at the cusp where my bag is starting to get too heavy for a shoulder bag. Ugh. I could bring the big bag, but why?

Taught day three yesterday and finished up around 2:30. B wanted to go the library as they were having a book sale. We got about 10 books for $20. Most of what I got were cookbooks. I don't know why I bother though. It's not like she will eat most of what is in them.

Got back, made grilled chicken salad for dinner. Watched TV, went to bed. Sigh. I need an adventure. Oh wait, I am about to go on one this weekend.

Y7 D150

I can't believe October is almost over. One more week and this month is done. A little more than two months and the whole year is over. A busy year it has been too. Heck, in less than a week it will be our one year anniversary. How crazy is that? Time flies like an arrow, fruit like a banana.

Taught my class. Day two is always the trickiest. It's easy to do but hard to understand. So many concepts at once. I am disappointed in my coworkers about something though. Yesterday morning I sent an email to the group asking if anyone could drive me to the airport on Monday and I got back one response telling me to take an Uber. Fuck you and fuck Uber. I really don't understand everyone's fascination with them. I know of no person who has had a pleasant experience with them. The people I know of who have used that service all have the same complaints - poor driving, dirty vehicles, sometimes dirty drivers, etc. I would rather walk the four miles than get in an Uber just to save a few dollars. Luckily one of my friends is going to be available and can drive me. But you'd think someone from my own company could take ten minutes out of there day to drive me. Whatever.

I also found out my bonus is not in my check today. That just sucks. It will be on the 11/6 check because finance moved too slowly. Getting me and my other coworker our money we earned is apparently not a high priority. Fine. It's not like it's the end of the world, but it certainly is annoying. Next pay period also marks the end of social security payments for me for the year. For the next four pay cycles I should get an extra $300 per check. Always nice to have come the holiday season. After work I went and had my facial. Nice place. The place is acceptable but the esthetician really made it. The woman I had was really nice, knew her shit, and I got her to throw in a lash tint for free. That was pretty cool. I don't know if I would do that particular facial more than once or twice a year, but it was some nice me time.

When I got back, B needed to go to Joann's again. She is cranking away at these Christmas gifts. Two more finished yesterday. But way too much time spent at Joann's. She like most crafty people thinks "I don't need to buy that, I can make it!" and then spends three times as much on the supplies than if they had just bought the gift in the first place. It's not like they are costing us all that much, but to me it's funny. A zipper here, some filling there. I am going to be interested in breaking down the individual cost of each item she has made and see if we could have just bought gifts outright for less. I won't say anything, but I will know.

After Joann's we went to Shari's for dinner. I had steak and shrimp, she had what was one of the best omelettes ever. It looked really good to me too. My dinner was pretty good too. We got home, relaxed and watched the evening's TV shows.

Bedtime normal time at 10:30. I have been sleeping well these last few days. The weather is getting a little colder and it's been nice to curl up under the blankets with the window just a little open. No matter what I might say about living here, the weather has made me the happiest. No AC running constantly, no stale stuffiness in the house. I am still very happy about that.

Last day of class. Then I leave tomorrow morning for the whirlwind weekend. Posts will be sporadic possibly the next couple of days. Saturday and Sunday are going to be crazy and hopefully a great time.

Y7 D149

Doing okay this morning. Not great, not bad. Just okay. Not a lot to discuss right now. Got up, arranged a car for Saturday morning, started class. Class has some hiccups but all on the users end. One student was late, one abruptly left to do the class from home without telling me that's where they were going. We still managed to finish around 2:40 so not bad even with the little issues. B was waiting all day for UPS to show up to drop off my anniversary present. UPS here is not too swift. They leave packages at the door with barely a knock. When we got B's tablet recently they just left it. That to us is not cool. Hence if we have something coming UPS any more we don't leave the house if we can help it. While she was waiting I went over to a spa that sent a flyer in the mail.  I have an appointment for today to have a pumpkin facial. Yeah, I know, but tis the time of year. My skin has been horribly dry lately from all the travel and they are offering a good special price so why not. I deserve a little me time.

When I got back, UPS has finally come so we went back out. B is still working on all her christmas crochet gifts and needed some stuff to finish two of them. She made a cupcake and a piggy for her family. She also updated the Christmas family powerpoint as she learned there will be other relatives who want to meet me. Lucky me.

When we got back I made pork chops for dinner. After I cleaned out my sock drawer. It's been bugging me since we moved in and I took the opportunity to clean it out. Much needed. Watched some TV then went to bed around 10:30. Same shit different day.

Two more days of class then a rock and roll weekend. No sleep until Brooklyn?

Y7 D148

Happy Back to the Future day! Where's my hoverboard and self tying shoes dammit? Although we could be living in the future of Blade Runner. That would really suck.

Finished up day two of my class. It was rough. Things were not working the way they were supposed to, kept getting errors where no errors were expected, two of my students were in way over their heads, and it was just a frustrating day all in all. The next three are a much easier class and even if the students are a little off, it will be a better time. I am sure of it.

Finished around 2:40 and needed to deal with some other work stuff. My trip to Coopersburg PA was confirmed around 1pm yesterday and I had to spend the hour after class booking flight, hotel, and car. The airport nearest the client would require almost 15 hours in travel to fly into directly. Instead I am going to Philly airport, then driving for 65 miles. Not a big deal except I don't get in until almost 6pm. It's going to be a rough travel day for that one. I calculated out that I am on the road 78% of the working days in November, 53% of the total days. December is not much better. Sigh.

When that was all done, I sat down to play some video games. I then helped B make dinner. She wanted to make stuffed bell peppers. They came out really good. She did an awesome job. Plus we got to use the new food processor. Man is that thing powerful. Two quick pulses and it made mincemeat out of the onion, peppers, and mushrooms we put in there. It was fun making dinner together. One thing we both like about this new place is the size of the kitchen. It's big enough for us to work in it without being on top of each other.

Finished dinner, watched some TV, and then had a crash course in B's family. Since we are going back there for Christmas, she put together a really cool powerpoint for me that breaks out each side of the family with a picture and personal info. I have two months to memorize everyone's name and relationship. Not a problem. I can do this.

Went to bed around 10:30. Same time, different day, eh? Three more days this week, concert this weekend, two days next week, then I get 5 days off for our anniversary. I can't wait for her to open these presents. I also can't wait until Friday to see what my bonus check looks like. I have been busting ass and it better be reflected in my check.

Time to prep for class.

Y7 D147

I kind of figured out what is bringing me down right now. Social media. All weekend my friends were posting pictures of a con they were at where cast had a booth. Barry Bostwick, Patricia Quinn, and Little Nell were all there. They had things signed by them. They had pictures with them. They had pictures together with each other. They hung out in a bar doing karaoke together. Unlike B who as an introvert doesn't require physical contact with other human beings, I crave it. I was envious, homesick, and feeling like I gave things up all weekend as I looked at these pictures. It depressed me. We have lived here almost 2 months and we have hung out with people twice. Twice. I feel guilty we haven't had people over. I feel lonely we don't have a group of friends we can hang out with any time. I may have been paying way too much for that apartment we lived in before, but I was only 20 minutes away from everyone. I could see people at the drop of a hat. Now it takes 10 hours to do anything. Just missing things. Not specifically those people or what they did, just the camaraderie of having my people to hang out with and do stuff. I need to do something. Not just travel for work. Somehow we need to fix this situation. Unfortunately, I don't know how right at this moment. I have too much going on to fix it. New years resolution number one. Get involved in something or make some new friends or promise to spend more time with people. Something.

Taught yesterday. Group of 5. One is an idiot, the other four I can handle. The one was late, couldn't figure out how to connect to the class, kept coming off mute, etc. Only one more day with this group and I get a whole new set of people to deal with the remainder of the week. Joy.

After class I went to the grocery store. We needed a few things for dinner (which was ham steaks, veggies, and salad) and I just needed out of the house.

Came back, played some Tony Hawk, made dinner, watched some TV, and went off to bed around 10:30. Today looks like more of the same.

Y7 D146

I am in a shit mood right now. I do not want to teach this week. The next two days are one of my least favorite classes to teach. Followed by an okay topic but two students. This is just going to be a lousy week, I can already feel it. Yes, I know - self -fulfilling prophecies and all that crap.

Got up in the morning and proceeded to do laundry, clean the office, and rearrange things to make being in here 10-12 hours a day more palatable for me. This office is smaller than the old place and I have been feeling cramped. I also wrapped B's presents for our anniversary next week. We also tried figuring out where we could put bookcases if we got some. The answer is nowhere unless we get really skinny ones. Almost not worth it.

I upgraded our kitchen yesterday. I am tired of all the shit I lost when I got divorced. I had nice things dammit. Yet, I let them go. Fuck that. I decided to do something about it. We went out in the morning to Target to get who knows what, and while we were out B said something about wanting a food processor. Technically we had a chopper but it was a piece of shit. That should have been one of the things we got from oh I don't know, a wedding reception maybe, but we didn't have one. We looked at the ones at Target and I wasn't happy with any of them. If we were going to spend money than dammit we were going to get one that would last. We also looked at Tuesday Morning. Same thing. They had ones, but I felt they were pieces of shit.

When we got back, I dropped B off and went to the kitchen store. There I found one that I liked. I had to debate between a few different models but ended up with a 12 cup Cuisinart. A real fucking food processor. 10 year warranty on the motor. 1000 watts of power. Multiple chopping discs. Something that will last us. I also picked up a new cheese slicer and some stuff for dinner. For dinner I made salmon with grilled asparagus. B hated all of it but whatever. I enjoyed it.

After dinner, watched some TV, got all of last night's new shows. Went to bed. Okay, let's get this damn week over with already. 6 days until Aftershock and a weekend of no sleep.

Y7 D145

I was up for 22 hours yesterday. I got up at 12:20 to go to the airport which ended up being a mistake on one hand and a blessing on the other. I left the hotel at 2am, stopped for gas, and dropped off the car at about 3. Pleasantly enough there was a real person at the car drop off. In most places I am forced to leave the keys in a slot and hope that when someone comes in they mark the car as received. Usually when that happens I get dinged for it being 'late' even though I dropped it off hours before it was due. Having a person there was nice because it meant I got credited for when I actually dropped it off, not when someone finally arrived at work and checked it in. Kudos to Avis and SFO for having 24 hour service. Got on the tram and hit the terminal around 3:15. At SFO, Alaska, Hawaiian and Jet Blue all fly out of the international terminal. Even for domestic flights. Which in of itself is odd, but I guess they just have more room. It's nicer actually because that terminal is dead in the morning. Way more than the domestic terminal. The downside is security doesn't open until 5. At the domestic terminals it opens at 4 which is why I was there so early. I sat around until security opened and made my way to my gate. I had an hour to kill so watched some TV. I had a first class seat and got to board first. Although when I was on I noticed the plane was half empty and really didn't need the upgrade. But I did get fed and had a cushy seat so no complaints.

We landed at 8:15 and I found my way to the train. Train ride was pretty boring. We got stuck for a little while when a ship came and they had to lift the bridge, but it was only about a 10 minute delay. Got to my station a little after 10.

Unpacked and went through mail. We got some cool stuff while I was gone; a sweater I ordered arrived. (Side note - I will be living in this sweater for the next couple of months. It's an awesome open cardigan and super cozy.) Speaking of weather, it was a nice overcast 65 when I landed and stayed that way all day. Once I was unpacked, we started our errand running. We had to drop off books at the library, I picked up a video game at Best Buy, we went grocery shopping, and stopped at Target. We got all the stuff done. By the time we got back it was around 2. I then sat down and took care of a dozen emails. We also talked to my sister while we were out. She is doing okay. They put an offer on a place and patiently waiting to hear if they got accepted. Fingers crossed. We also arranged with her and my niece to have my niece house sit for us in December. One less thing we have to worry about now. Good. Done. Off the list.

I also went through all the physical mail. In addition to my sweater we also got our new 2016 D23 membership package including a really nice thank you gift. It's a portfolio replica of the drawings Walt used when he was seeking investors for Disneyland. We also got a package from some friends. They saw some earrings and decided B needed them. The letter even said they know she has some allergies and might not be able to wear them but they were too perfect for her for them to pass up not getting them. That was super nice of them.

B ended up taking a nap and I went to the kitchen store. We bought some stir fry ingredients at the grocery store and I wanted a wok to cook it up in. I got a really good deal on a nice pan. I miss having a wok. Easy cooking, easy clean up. For dinner, I made shrimp stir fry.

After dinner, we watched Runway, cleaned up, and just finally relaxed. Next thing I know it's 10:30 and I am done. Off to bed for me.

Today is laundry and that's about it.

Y7 D144

I get to go home today.  Hence the early post. It's only 12:40 and I don't need to leave for a couple more hours, but I was awake and it's safer to get up early than to accidentally fall back to sleep and be late. I have a seat in first class for this flight so I don't have to stress about that at least. I am more stressing about the time needed to take the car back as this is one of those airports where the car rental place is offsite and you have to spend 20 minutes taking a shuttle. That always drives me nuts.

Finished my class yesterday at 4:45 and headed back to the hotel. Grabbed chicken on the way back, ate dinner, packed, then went to bed around 7:30. Slept until now. I am going to need a nap when I get home.

Nothing exciting happened during the day. I taught, they learned, we went our separate ways. Only positive is it looks like they want me back to do an advanced class some time in January. Look at me, booking Q1 2016 gigs already. Get the calendar booked. They asked when my next free week would be and oh, that would be January 11th next year. Joy.

I am so going to sleep in tomorrow come hell or high water.

Y7 D143

So sleepy. Want to sleep for at least another hour or two but alas I cannot. I was supposed to go out tonight but I think I am going to beg off so I can come back to the room and sleep. Yeah, I am old and tired.

Yesterday was okay. We are way behind where I wanted us to be and it's partly because it's a big group and partly because they aren't the sharpest crayons in the box. I need to make some time up this morning. No chit chat, no stories, just straight up material. If we can make the time up by lunch we should be okay.

Finished around 4:45 yesterday and headed back to the hotel. Around 7 walked to where I was meeting friends for dinner. That was nice. At least I got to see someone while I was on this trip. We went to a brewery where I had a caramelized peach salad with steak. It was okay. Got back to the hotel around 8:30 and watched some TV.

Talked to my sister yesterday. She's going through some shit and hopefully things will be okay for her. I think she has a good plan in place to deal with the issues. I keep telling her we are only 2 hours away. All she has to do is steal a car and drive down.

Get to go home tomorrow. Yay.

Y7 D142

I am not doing too well this morning. I slept weird on my right arm and it is numb from the elbow up to the shoulder making it hard to use for anything. This pain better go away before my class starts in 3 hours. What day is it anyway? I think it's Thursday but I am not sure.

I did NOTHING yesterday. Literally. I didn't have to go into the office and with the exception of three small trips outside, I didn't leave my hotel. First trip was to FedEx to pick up my manuals for this class. 15 minutes tops. Second trip was walking next door to Jack in the Box for a salad for dinner, and lastly I got bored around 8pm and walked to 7-11 for a bag of veggie chips. Much excitement. Whee.

Otherwise, I stayed in my room. I tried working on docs but realized I didn't have all of my materials with me and really couldn't do much without them. I have to wait until I am back home to take care of that. I did watch like five episodes of Heroes. That was my big day. I took a nap on the couch in my room.

Got to remember to check in for my flight tomorrow morning. I have a super early flight home thank goodness. Get to spend some time at home before I leave again.

Man I need to go run this arm under hot water and get feeling back.

Y7 D141

Yesterday reminded me why I can't/don't work in a typical office environment any more. Between bullshit security issues, loud talkers, non-stop talkers, people walking around, lack of space, network issues, and just plain annoyance, I can't be in that setting.

I got there at 7:30 and tried getting in the door. Nope. Waited until 8 until the security/receptionist arrived. She kept trying to tell me my key was fine and it was a problem with their doors. It wasn't. After much back and forth she realized they punched the badge holder hole in the wrong side. Thanks for listening to me the 12 times I told you there was something wrong with the badge. At least now I could get in all of three doors. Yes. Their security is door by fucking door. Unfortunately tomorrow and Friday I need to behind other doors my stupid badge doesn't open. What a joke. It was 8:30 by the time I got settled in and started working. That's when other people started showing up and yap yap yap. I wish I could somehow chart out how much time is wasted in a day by people not actually working and just running their mouths. I finally gave up and put on a 4 hours techno playlist with my headphones turned up loud enough to drown out the loud talker and the yappers. The upside is all the noise and all the annoyance was a strong motivator for me. I finish all the customization I needed to do to the class by 4. Which means I don't have to go into the office today. I am free. We estimated it would take me three days to make all the changes to this class that they wanted. In reality it took me about 19 hours so the estimate wasn't that far off. I just managed to squish those into 2 days instead of three. Mostly because I didn't want to be back there today.

Got back to the hotel around 5 and immediately had to focus on booking trips. We finally got confirmation on St Louis for both November and December. I needed to book all of those right away. The November trip is easy. Fly out on a Monday. Home on Thursday. I do then leave for Pasadena on Saturday, but it was a straight forward trip to book. The real bitch was December. This trip overlaps with our trip to MI. I had to make 3 one way flights. Portland to St Louis, St Louis to MI, MI to Portland. And of course none of them are direct so it's really PDX - DFW - STL, STL - ORD - DTW, DTW - DFW - PDX. The tricky part is I also had to set up B's trip at the same time. I did it fast enough that we are on the same flights home, right next to each other. I got all that done plus all the hotel stays for these trips. Whee.

When that was all done I went back to El Pollo Loco for dinner. 16 minutes this time. I realize what is going on at this location - there are a number of latino families who eat here and when they do, they get the 25 piece combo which takes forever for them to put together. It's not that they are slow workers, it's that the orders are so big. I am going to try something else tonight if I can. Came back, ate my dinner while making proofing changes to the document for the client. It should be going to the printer this morning. That's my big task of the day. Heading to Fedex to pick up the docs. Speaking of deliveries, my package from Germany arrived yesterday. For our anniversary I got B something from an artist she likes. It's a panel comic with a great story. I had the artist sign it and everything. Only trick was getting it here from Germany in one piece. Well it made it!

Watched a bunch of TV last night and then went to bed around 10. Right now, I am going to relax, take my time, go for a walk, and enjoy the day of peace.

Y7 D140

At what point does sadness become depression? When do you realize that you're not just feeling blue but in an actual funk? Is it when you lose interest in doing things? When you find yourself bored even though there's stuff to do? When you lack the motivation to do any of those things? When you don't want to talk to anyone or see anyone or be around anyone? When?

I have a headache this morning. I don't know if it is from lack of sugar and processed carbs or from the air conditioner being on all night or from the stale musty smell of this room. But one or more of those is causing me to be in pain this morning. I slept like poop as well. Tossed and turned.

Sat around a lot yesterday morning waiting until it was time to go to the client. I left here at 9:05 and arrived at 9:20. My contact showed up at 10. I told him that it might as well be the middle of the night for me. It was literally just the two of us in the office as everyone else took the holiday. I worked in the office until about 4:15 then headed back to the hotel. I left when I did because I needed to be back on a real network. They are so paranoid about security that I had zero connection to the outside world except the few approved places on their machines. My phone couldn't catch better than a 3g connection, mostly staying at 1x. Their machines aren't even real machines. They use citrix vdi terminals where you log in then have to remote to a real machine. That machine is so locked down it's not even funny. I was doing ppt work on my box and demo creation on theirs and had to have a way to get screenshots off of the vdi and onto mine. That was an adventure. I finally managed to get them compressed and emailed to myself. Which meant I had another 90 minutes of work back in the hotel room last night.

Finished everything up around six and went back for chicken. Better service this time around. Food was good. I will probably have the same thing tonight. Thursday I am doing dinner with friends. Got back ate my chicken, watched tv, went to bed at 9:30. The headache started around 8 and hasn't dissipated yet. Hopefully it will go away soon.

Got through about 1/2 of what I need to do these three days, I am hoping to finish everything today which will actually give me Wednesday free. I am not sure how that's going to work, but we shall see how I am doing around 4 today. I am planning to go in around 8 instead of 10 today. That was just way too late yesterday.

Y7 D139

Car picked me up at 4:15, got to the airport around 4:50, got to my gate at 5:30. Realized I had 90 minutes and found a club to relax in. There's no Admiral's club at PDX but there is an Alaska club which has a partnership with AA. That works. Plus they have a pancake machine. I was first on the upgrade list and managed to get it at the very last second. It was only a 2 hour flight, but 2 hours in front is better than 20 minutes in coach any day.

Got to the airport at 9:20 and then had a 30 minute adventure trying to find where rental cars are located. I need to remember this for Saturday when I bring the car back - the tram takes forever. Allow enough time. Drove down to meet the kid for lunch. She is doing well. She is frustrated with her living situation and I wish I could help her.

I wish a lot of things. I wish I hadn't fucked up so many times in the past and I wasn't in the position I am in today. Every time I look at her I see all the things I could have done better to make her life better. I raised her well luckily but I fucked up as a human being so often in the past I can't give her the things she needs now.

We had a nice lunch and I got to the hotel around 1:30. My room was ready so I unpacked and took a nap. Woke up, ironed, watched some Netflix then went next door to El Pollo Loco for dinner. The place was fucking crowded. I have never seen a fast food place that busy. Insanity.

Ate, watched more Netflix, went to bed.

Today I don't have to be onsite until 10am which might as well be forever for me. What the hell am I going to do for the next 4.5 hours??

Y7 D138

Travel day! Hence a 3am post. I have 60 minutes before I leave. Must type fast.

Ran errands yesterday including buying B groceries for the week while I am gone. The big fun of the day was discovering a new area and a new library. A bigger one! With ducks and walking trails! If we were to buy a house tomorrow, the area we found would be perfect for us. Slightly urban with suburb feel. It was a nice mix. Felt like I was in Boston with walkup brownstones.

We also found a new kitchen store and got a couple of things there. Cleaned, packed, and read. B worked on her crocheting and managed to get one Christmas present knocked out.

I found the source of the beeping yesterday. It was some alarm from either a transformer or someone's house. I didn't want to traipse onto people's property but I at least identified the area and the probable cause which made it easier to tolerate.

Had pizza for dinner. We are going no-carb for a month again (at B's request) and so last night was our big final carb meal until the end of the year. I am okay with this. We agreed to start Monday so anything I eat on the road today is good too. Which is good as I plan to meet the kid later today for waffles.

That's about it. Went to bed at 7:30, up at 2:30. Almost a full 8 hours of sleep. Amazing. And I'm off!

Y7 D137

I didn't plan to be up at this time but someone else's alarm woke me up. Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep. It's all I could hear. Permeated into my dreams. Thanks whoever you are for waking us both up. Lucky me.

Yesterday was a weird day. B has started these craft projects to make handmade gifts for people this year and basically she spent all day not moving from one spot. Annoyed me to no end since I ended up running all the errands and sitting in traffic and basically being annoyed. I am still annoyed thanks to that alarm.

I worked on my doc. I firmed up plans for next week. I also learned that I may have MORE travel between now and years end. So next week I go to Hayward. That's followed by Sacramento. Then it's St Louis. Then Pasadena. Now add in there Pennsylvania. Then it's back to St Louis. Then Michigan. 7 trips before the end of the year. 7 trips in less than 12 weeks. The shitty part is it will get my so close to platinum but not enough to go over. If I get within 1000 miles I am going to call American and gripe. All that travel and nothing comes of it? Screw that.

I also paid bills yesterday which annoyed me even further. Sigh. Life. It sucks.

Y7 D136

Another boring day. Good. Worked on docs. Bought B 11 skeins of yarn. She has decided that everyone on her list is getting handmade Christmas gifts this year. She actually did pretty good at making sure she had all the coupons in the world and got all the yarn and everything else she needed for less than $40. Not bad if it produces five or six gifts for people. I am not arguing.

Did laundry. So much laundry. Arranged a car for Sunday. Went over bills. Today I have to make a decision - to renew my Disney annual pass or not. They upped the price by $150 this year. It's their way of keeping crowds down by making the annual pass people less frequent. But man it prices people like me out too. I spent a lot of money at the parks over the last five years and this hurts. BUT I am going in 4 weeks and the savings on gifts and park fees. I will need to go at least three more times for it to justify itself. See my problem? Do I do it for one more year or let it lapse? I haven't decided yet. Other bills get paid today first.

Watched a bunch of TV as Thursday is the big day. Made chicken for dinner. Went to bed around 11.

Last weekday at home. Nothing planned for today.

Y7 D135

Nothing exciting yesterday. Didn't even leave the house. Worked on my doc, had a couple of conference calls about the content of the new docs, and really that's about it. I did do an upgrade on one of my machines to Office 365/Office 2016 for Mac. That took a while to do. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. I got the 5 license version which means I could install it on all my machines, but I want to test it for a week on my main one to see how it goes. If everything looks good I might do it on this machine too. It also looks like it leaves Office 2011 behind which is weird. But if that's the case then I can free up a couple of gig next week if it all looks good.

Made pork chops for dinner. B worked on a project for her sisters for Christmas. She made a story book with a poem about sisters. I guess sometimes I don't understand what it's like to have siblings you grew up with and have this bond kind of thing. No offense to my sister, but I didn't grow up with any of my siblings so I just don't get it sometimes. Her sisters are 5 and 10 and I just don't see how they will appreciate this kind of a gift. Maybe I am just cynical. To be honest though, I think it means more to B right now and will mean more to the girls in five years when they are older.

Either way, it's one Christmas gift out of the way. We watched some TV after dinner and relaxed. Not much else going on here.

Today is about the same. We do need to do laundry so I can pack and get ready to leave on Sunday. I haven't decided if I will get car service yet or not. Going to make that decision this morning. I might just because if I don't I will have to take public trans at 5 in the morning. Not too excited about that. I also don't want to ask any of my friends to drive me at that time of the morning. I need to look it up today.

Y7 D134

IT'S FINALLY RAINING AGAIN! YAY! I swear everyone who warned us about moving up here kept telling us how bad the rain was going to be but for the last few weeks every single day has been in the high 70s to low 80s. Not as bad as the hell of 100+ we were living in but not the cold damp arctic weather everyone kept telling us we would deal with constantly. So bring it. Rain away.

The majority of my day yesterday was spent doing one major task - insurance for 2016. It all has to be done and in by next Friday but I will be on the road which means I needed to make all my decisions this week. I have been stressing about when I would get all the info I needed and luckily it all came yesterday morning. I bugged everyone all day asking a million questions, but I had to get it done as quickly as possible. For three hours B and I went over every option - me on this insurance, here on this one, with dental, without dental, private insurance options, private dental only, etc. In the end, I am going with a plan from UHC from my work and we are enrolling her 11/1 with Kaiser. Unfortunately my company can't offer me a plan with Kaiser because they are licensed in CA only and since I am the only OR employee they don't have that as an option. If two more employees happen to move to OR though next year, then I might be able to have them in 2017. Whee. Insurance to me is one of the biggest scams and problems in this country.

If I could go back in time it isn't Hitler or Oswald or any of these other infamous people I would stop. No, it's the people who allowed things like corporations, and pharma companies, and health care to spiral into the mess they are today. That's the larger threat to society. Stop the CEOs and the boards of directors from being able to wield as much power as they do. Fix those problems and you'd fix society. I am going to pay almost $700 a month for us to both be fully insured. That's crazy. That's nearly $8500 a year. Before deductibles and max out of pocket too. If I completely maxed out my payments, I would be looking at almost $25,000 for the two of is in case of a real issue. Ridiculous. While it took me all day, I am at least almost done. I have to sign a few forms and send them back to people today but the number crunching part is done.

We did go out for a brief period. B wants a new tablet for Christmas and has been looking at options. We found online a Samsung Tab S 8.4 at a reasonable price that she liked. She wanted to see how the size felt in person before we bought it so we went off to Best Buy. Turns out that model was actually a limited release and they switched over to the Tab S2 8.0. It's a slightly different form factor and the .4 makes a difference. They just happened to have an open stock of the S which they heavily discounted to get rid of it. The original price of the tablet is $349 - $399 depending on color. The open stock? $250. SNAG. BUT unfortunately when we got it home and charged, we discovered the screen had really bad burn in and was unusable. We ended up having to go back and returning it. They did find one more at another store for the same price. It is on its way to us and should be here Friday. At that price I told her she could have an early Christmas present. Hopefully the new one that arrives won't have any problems.

I also took care of my end of month concert trip with the kid. $200 out of pocket for flight and hotel. But I am cool with it. It's going to be a stressful weekend to some degree, but the concert should make it worth my time.

Lastly I arranged a spa day for us for the end of the month for our anniversary. I did so much admin type stuff yesterday. Now to relax, work on docs, and enjoy this rain.

Y7 D133

Another successful day of sleeping. I did wake up at 4:06 but managed to fall back to sleep until 5:40. Good job body.

Every day I feel more and more like moving up here was one of the best decisions I ever made. Part of me wishes I did it five or six years ago but if I had, then I wouldn't be sharing it with B. We should have done it prior to this last move but as she pointed out last night when I brought this up, we wouldn't appreciate it as much which is true. Having spent those 13 months in a place which was really depressing, it makes being up here even better.

I just feel like my like is on track. Not a perfect track; there's still bumps and grooves, but just that things are okay. And that's a big change for me. Why the feelings? Yesterday was just a good darn day. It started with me working on docs. From about 6 until 11 I worked on the outline for a new class. I submitted it to my boss for initial review around 11:30 and the feedback was positive and immediate. He shared it with some other folks to get their input and with just a few small additions everyone was on board and shared praise for the work. That felt good. It gave me some good confidence I was headed in the right direction.

Around that time B and I went out to the game store I found on Sunday. I wanted her to see it and to get a new game we could both play. We ended up getting a new card game called "This hasn't been play tested" which is okay. It says it works for two players, but it really needs at least four. We also got some new dice and a stack of Yahtzee pads. Now that turned out to be great. We got some lunch while out. When we got back we looked up hotels and stuff for an end of year trip to MI. After looking over prices she called her family. While she was on the phone I went back out. I have been looking for something specific for her for our anniversary in a few weeks. The first anniversary is paper. I found an artist who did this one comic she fell in love with a while back and managed to contact them in Germany where they did a new copy and signed it for her. It's currently on the way from Germany. As a secondary gift, I found an antique Smith-Corona manual typewriter. Something she has wanted for a while. I found it in a shop here in town at the exact price I expected to pay, in perfect working condition, with the hard shell with keys, and a new ribbon. I think she is really going to like these things.I got back and she was still on the phone. She ended up talking to both her mom and dad, her sister, and two sets of grandparents. It's the most she has talked on the phone in a month. She was on the phone for almost 2 hours. The upside is her grandparents had planned on us staying with them and lending us their truck. That's a couple thousand dollars saved now. We will be there for the last two weeks of the year. I am waiting to book flights as it is going to be a crazy trip for me. I have to go to St Louis first, then to MI. But it will be worth it if it makes her happy.

After she got off the phone we played the new games. That was fun. Sitting at the table playing yahtzee was a good time. We made a little Mexican for dinner including taquitos and quesadillas. Partially to get rid of some food in the fridge. Cleaned the kitchen up and watched some TV. She is working on some things to give as gifts this year and has already made a small baby blanket, pot holders, and now ear warmers. It makes her happy so it is what it is.  Went to bed around 11 feeling pretty good about the day.

Today I have a phone call with the insurance guy finally and one with the insurance people who run the theater where I hurt my leg. I don't know what to expect from that call. We shall see what happens. Otherwise, I am going to start fleshing out the new class and upgrade one of my machines to Office 2016. Busy day planned.

Y7 D132

I finally have my sleep schedule synched back to west coast. Took forever. I normally wake up between 5 and 6am left to my own devices. Lately I have been waking up between 4 and 5 for both classes and because I have been out of whack from travel. I just woke up at 6:15. Took a while but I am back in the groove. Plus this is the perfect week for this as I have nothing but documentation writing this week. A full week of creating a new class and not having to talk or worry about anything. Much needed downtime.

Yesterday was not as exciting as Saturday that's for sure. We did go out at 9:30 and not get home until 2. We ran every errand in the book including taking B to lunch at one of her faves. We went to Benihana for lunch. We sat in the sushi lounge instead of the teppan room which made a difference. I dislike the whole 'show' of that place but sitting in the other area wasn't as bad and the food was acceptable.

We also went to the goodwill where she found a shirt for $7, the mall where I got some new Lush products, and Jo-anns where she got some new yarn and house decorations. When we got back she needed a nap and I went to search for a car wash. Found a really good one by the house for only $10 including free vacs. While I was out I stopped at a game store I have been wanting to see. I picked up two dot to dot books. Yes, dot to dot. I did a few last night. What a relaxing thing. The game store was awesome and I could have easily spent hundreds of dollars there. We miss having our game nights with friends. One of these nights we need to see if the people we know up here enjoy playing board and/or card games and have them over. We owe them dinner as it is and it would be fun to turn it into a game night.

We made homemade pork meatballs and pasta for dinner. Watched some Sunday night TV and then B worked on her projects while I played a little video games. Speaking of video games, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 5 came out last week. I wanted to buy it but before I did I checked the reviews. Apparently there are some bad glitches that force you to do a 7gb download before you can even play. That's on top of the 4gb game. I watched a 2 hour live play session on IGN and saw what they meant. If the game were cheaper (like $30) then the glitches would be forgivable but they want a full $60 for it. No thanks. I will wait until they have either fixed the glitches or reduced the price. I want to play it for sure. I have been waiting for a good old fashioned THPS forever. 3 and 4 were the best. I almost bought an original Xbox at a thrift store just to be able to track down and play THPS 3. Loved that game.

That's about it for Sunday. Now to enjoy my week.

Y7 D131

Yesterday was a ridiculously good day.  According to B it was one of the best days ever. I don't know if I would go that far, but it was pretty darn good.

Woke up too early as usual (but not today! I managed to sleep until almost 6 today!) and went to the bank and the gas station before 6am. Got back and let B sleep as long as I could. I woke her up around 8 and we got ready to go. We left around 8:45 and drove the two hours to an honest to goodness cider mill and farm. Now last year we tried to do the whole fall pumpkin patch hay ride thing and while it was fun we were both a little disappointed at how much was there. Not this year. This was the shit. This was what B wanted. She even went as far as to say it was better than any of the fall festivals she had been to in MI. The drive was really enjoyable and we sang and had a good goofy time. We arrived around 11 and my sister and her husband arrived shortly thereafter. The four of us spent the day wandering around feeding animals, picking out pumpkins, having horrible food (which was great), buying apple cider and apple fritters and apples themselves, and just having a really good time being outside. The weather was perfect, a little chilly but not so bad you needed a jacket. My sister left a little earlier than we did but it was fun spending time with them. I guess on some level I miss having a 'family' and got a lot out of being around her yesterday. Made me feel more like a normal person.

We head home around 2 and the ride back was just as fun. Took a little under two hours to get home. When we got home I called the guy about my motorcycle and he arrived about an hour later. My baby is home and in the garage. It was a challenge getting it off his truck but we did it. She started right up and I parked her away safe and sound.

While waiting for the bike I had a great conversation with an old friend. We discussed a post she made and how she has to live in area where the people are very myopic and closed minded. She doesn't belong there. I could easily see her family living up here around more liberal folks.

After the bike, we took another trip to the Walmart to return something we bought. It ended up being a pleasant trip and on the way back we stopped for dinner. We went to Shari's and while the food was good, the service could have used a little help. Shari's is a good place but I have never had top notch service there. It's always a little lacking. But not enough to ruin our day.

Got back home around 7 and we settled in to watch a movie. We tried watching Limitless, the movie of which the TV show is based. Turns out I like the show better than the movie. Part of it is I already knew how things would turn out thanks to the show and part of it was the pace. The show moves faster due to less time and with the movie I found myself drifting.

Went to bed around 11 and B followed shortly after at 11:30. We both were startled awake by some idiots on the street around 12:30. Apparently there was some testosterone flaring up from the bar nearby and it almost turned into a street brawl. In the end it was a bunch of drunk yelling and everyone went on their merry way.

I also think I figured out the logistics for the concert at the end of the month. I am going to stay at one particular friend's house and try to get a flight back in the early evening on Monday. This means only one hotel night, one night in their guest bedroom, and I am gone. It's going to be a lot of action in a short time, but I get to spend the weekend with the kid and that will be fun.

Nothing on the agenda for today. Let's see what happens!

Y7 D130

It's Applefest day! Time to go to the cider mill! Is that enough excitement? Am I showing enough enthusiasm? Did you buy it? Good. Now to keep that up for the next 8-10 hours.

Yesterday was a day. I taught my one student and finished up close to 2. She was so pleased with how class went she sent my boss an email saying I was the best instructor she ever had in any training class. That bought me some good will for a while. After class I napped until about 4 and then we went out to run errands. Our list was varied enough that we bit the bullet and went to the closest CrapMart. It was one of those times where that one store would have everything we need in one shot. Surprisingly the store was pretty empty for the time of day and that it was a Friday. We stopped at Red Robin after for dinner which was a bit of a let down. My burger was burnt but luckily I got them to comp it for me. Got back home watched Project Runway, read a little, and basically did nothing. Went to bed around 11.

I did get a phone call on my motorcycle. It will be in town today. If we get back early enough he is going to drop off tonight, otherwise we will wait until tomorrow. Finally have my bike back and didn't have to ride it all the way up here. That's a positive.

Found out I will have two more trips added to my schedule before the end of the year unfortunately. I will have to make two trips to St Louis because SLU loves me so much I am the only person they will accept to teach two groups. Sigh. Thank you? It's a positive on one hand because it definitely books my time through the end of the year, but man, two more flights on top of everything else is going to be stressful. I am going to come so close to platinum too that it's frustrating. I will be right there and maybe get it. Maybe.

Also heard back about the email I sent. I got a very direct reply from my boss that he feels the same way I do. In the last management meeting he called the other two bosses out on their bullshit. I learned that the increase in company contribution isn't because they are being nice it's because the law says they have to. They are paying the bare minimum they legally have to pay. His wife went back to work so they could afford for her to have insurance and they will probably both switch to hers because ours is so shitty. That says a lot to me. I am going to look into private insurance over the next couple of weeks and see if I can get something better on my own. I doubt it, but it's worth looking into.

Okay, off to shower, go to the bank for cash for today, and then wake up B. Woo! Apples! Ugh...

Y7 D129

Yesterday was not as exciting as Wednesday. Sorry to disappoint. The only excitement was getting an email from our 'HR' person about new benefits packages. Mostly that we will have a whopping two choices - Shitty or Even Shittier - and that we will have about 10 days to make a life altering decision. Oh and that I will once again be on the road when it happens. I may have sent a scathing email to all of the bosses of the company about that too. Oops. Let's see the repercussions of that action today. I am sure I will get a phone call telling me to be grateful I have health insurance at all, blah blah blah.

Insurance is one of the biggest scams. Forget about going back in time and killing Hitler. There are so many other people who need to be stopped. Find the persons who first privatized healthcare and made it into the mess it is today. Those are the people we need to stop. Stop the corporations. Let the Hitlers of the world live and stop the greedy selfish bastards who created the shitstorm we live in now. Why am I so cranky about it? Because based on the email last night, I will get to choose from one of two options neither of which I like and I will have to probably come up with $500+ a month for us to both have insurance. It's a fucked up situation that I don't like.

I know the company does the best it can and this is one of the drawbacks to working for a small company but this is something so important it's not even funny. The problems I have had this last year because I didn't have decent insurance are ridiculous. Between my leg and B not being able to see a doctor when she needed to are just two examples of the horrid state of healthcare. If I left the company it wouldn't be for salary, it would be for better benefits.

It's all about money ain't a damn thing funny got to have a con in this land of milk and honey.

Taught my wonderful one person class. She enjoyed the one on one attention. I was bored out of my skull. Another day of the same on the horizon. Lucky me.

In the evening we ate dinner and watched TV. It's funny how some things never change. I remember being younger and Thursday being 'must see TV night'. Here we are 20 years later and Thursday is still the night to watch shows. Scandal, Murder, Runway, Player, Grey's, Blacklist, and Bones, all air on Thursday night. Amazing.

I made chicken masala for dinner and it turned out wonderful. We didn't feel like cooking rice and instead I went to the greek place next door and bought theirs. Best decision ever. Saved me so much effort, totally worth it.

Went to bed around 10:30. One more day under my belt. One more day closer to death.

Y7 D128

Happy Halloween 1st! I finally had an exciting enough day to write more than two sentences. Lucky you!

Let's start with two things that may seem unrelated at first. At midnight last night OR became the 3rd state in the country to allow recreational sales of pot. Persons 21 and over can now purchase flowers for personal private consumption. No edibles or other forms yet, but it's legal to be high in OR.

Second piece of information: I slept through all my alarms this morning except the very last one. Luckily.

Now on the surface those seem unrelated. But they're not. Because I would have had a better nights sleep had people not been out buying and consuming state allowed pot. At 1:30 this morning a group of dumbasses higher than kites decided right outside my bedroom window was a great place to talk and hang out. Given their volume level and inane conversation, I am going to go out on a limb and say they were celebrating our new law. Woke me right up. I had gone to bed at 10:30 and was sleeping wonderfully until that moment too. I yelled out the window once at them to lower their voices. Ten minutes later when they forgot they needed to be quiet, I yelled at them to move or I would call the police. Then the beauty of irony kicked in - they started to disperse right as a sheriff pulled up. Boom. I didn't even have to call them. They magically appeared and had a little talk with my gang of hooligans. This would have been a wonderful thing had the cops not decided to have a damn conversation with them AND three other sheriffs showing up. So here's the original bunch of buttheads, three sheriffs and their cars, all talking outside my bedroom window. Motherfucker. I didn't fall back to sleep until after 2 thanks to all this.

The day was much more pleasurable. I taught until about 2:30 and class was fine. No issues or troubles there. After class we decided to go to the library! Yes, the library. I figured out the last time I was in a library for my own purposes George Bush Sr was president. Okay, so it's been a while. We both got library cards and found books to check out. There's a stats book I have been wanting to buy but I just couldn't justify spending the $40 on something I am going to read once and never look at again. They magically had one there. Two copies even. B found three paperbacks she wanted to read. We have the books for 21 days and can renew online if needed. There were a ton of people at the library. Most were using the public computers or watching movies which to me is just weird, but if that's where they need to go, so be it.

After the library we hit a goodwill near us. B loves the place. We have been to one in town but wanted to check out this other one. She found a flannel hoodie for $7. I found six Franciscan plates for $6. They also had an original Xbox which I may go back and get. It was $10 plus about $7 more for a controller and cable. Why? Because I really want to play THPS 4. That was my favorite game on the Xbox and I would love to play it again. Stupid I know, but what the heck. It would be fun to have a collection of all the game consoles that have come out over the years. I have the PS4, a PS2, Sega Dreamcast, N64, Wii, and a Sega Genesis. If I could add a PS3, Xbox, SNES, Atari 2600, Gamecube, etc. It would be awesome. Put them in a display cabinet of some kind.

We also got six donuts at a shop next to the goodwill. Brought everything home and then went for a walk to the Greek place near us. Had wonderful greek food for dinner. Reasonably priced and very tasty. Got back and started getting the night's shows. We watched Criminal Minds together. It took me a while to get everything because right before we left for dinner, I did a massive three machine upgrade. Upgraded all of my machines to the latest Mac OS, El Capitan. I prefer cat names better myself, but whatever. The upgrades all went fine, just a bit slow on the media server.

The last piece of news from yesterday is thumpy and company are 100% gone. They have been coming back and forth the last couple of nights getting small miscellaneous stuff, but they are done and done. No more interruptions from his horrible music. Just crazy pot heads at 1:30am.

What a day! Let's see if today is anywhere near as exciting.