Y7 D340

Happy to be home. Plus I am happy I am not just home for one day. I get to be home for a couple of weeks. Such a nice needed break. I know, I bitch about being home, I bitch about being gone. But it's the time in between that pisses me off. It's one thing to travel and then be home, it's another to be home for 3 days in one month. There's a difference.

I tried to not rush yesterday I really did. I was going to have breakfast and leisurely get to the airport, but that planned failed. My paranoia and stress won out and I left well earlier than I wanted to leave. I left the hotel around 5:15. Sigh. I know. I got to the airport a little before 6, was through security and in the lounge by 6:15. I then sat there until 8:50. Over 2 hours. Stupid of me.

Regardless, I boarded on time and was at PDX around noon. Got on the train, B picked me up at the station, and I was home around 2. It was raining which was a welcome sight after my week in the heat. Unpacked, did some stuff at home, then we went out to the store. She was out of food after a week of me being gone.

Came back, relaxed, and then had Mexican for dinner. We both were exhausted when we got back from dinner. We watched a little TV and we BOTH went to bed around 9:30.

Today is house stuff. I need to get some more groceries and things, laundry, etc. I also have to do expense reports and timesheets this morning. Fun stuff. But I have the next three days all to myself which I am going to enjoy.

We did talk about something yesterday. The whole lack of friends thing is starting to wear on both of us. We need to focus on how to get some friends. It's just such a challenge. We might even go to a Rocky show here to see what kind of people it attracts. I know. But we know that it's more likely to be our kind of people. We shall see.

Y7 D339

It's going home day! But for once I am not rushing and getting to the damn airport six hours early. It will take me about 30 minutes to get there, 10 minutes for gas, 10 minutes to drop off the car. Which means I don't need to leave here until 6. That gives me three hours. More than enough time. Right? I am trying something and it's making me anxious but whatever.

Yesterday was okay. I finished my class with no real issues. I even managed to show them some advanced stuff which they enjoyed a lot. We finished up around 3:30 and I headed back to the hotel. I walked over to the park where I found a new t-shirt since the one I brought I have been wearing for five days straight. I figured it was time to change ya know? Had dinner at Carthay circle, walked around a bit, and came back to the room around 7. Packed everything up, printed out my boarding pass, and watched some TV. Went to bed around 10.

That's about it. Go home today, do timesheet, expense reports, etc. Then I get three full days to myself. Let my voice rest for a few. Some point this week I have to book my London trip. That is definitely happening now. So many miles and hotel points for that. Plus being in a foreign country will be fun as heck.

Okay. Shower and no stress time darnit.

Y7 D338

Had a fun day for the most part yesterday. I was up and out of the hotel way too early but I did it to avoid traffic. I was up at around 2:30 and left at 4:10. I made it to the client site at around 5. 2.5 hours before I needed to be there. I watched like one show but was so sleepy I ended up laying the seat down and taking a 45 minute nap in the parking lot. This location is in a clinic which means it's open to the public and doesn't open its doors until 7:30. But I wasn't the only one in the parking lot at 6am. Nobody looked twice at someone sleeping in their car waiting for the doors to open. I went in around 7:25 with my contact and we set up the room. It's a bit of a bitch room in the basement, but I only have four students which works out even with a messed up room layout. This is a Tableau class which means lots of material to cover and we didn't finish until 4:15. Even then, I didn't get us as far as I would like so today I have to crack down and move us at a quick pace.

Headed out about 4:30 and it took me about 20 minutes to get to the hotel. They didn't have the room I requested and in exchange they moved me to a lower floor but into a suite. The downside is that it has two queen beds. Whatever. I am here for two nights. Changed my clothes and walked over to Bubba Gump's to meet a friend for dinner. Had a really good time catching up with him. He has recently lost a lot of weight and I am proud of him. I have known him for 20+ years and he looks good. It's been a lot of work and its paid off. After dinner we walked over to the park where I did a little shopping. I got a round sign of Oswald for the office, some earrings, and a Stitch hoodie. Walked on back and was in the room around 8.

Ironed, grabbed last night's shows, and went to bed. Today I do part 2 of the class, check in for my flight, and will probably go back to the park for dinner tonight. I may actually go into the park too. We shall see how crowded it is.

B is doing better. She's got her emotions back under check a little but she is still sad at how long I have been gone. We did learn one nice piece of news - it sounds like it is confirmed our downstairs neighbor is leaving us. BOOYAH. Bye bye miss annoying. Of course this means new people to deal with, but hopefully they will be better than her.

One more day to go and I will be home. Let's get through it, shall we?

Y7 D337

I just discovered I didn't give yesterday's post a title. Sorry about that. I know my titles are so informative that you didn't know what was going on. Yeah right.

I am up ridiculously early this morning as I have to drive at least 51 minutes this morning to get to my other client. That's the time without traffic. The later I leave the more that number increases. My plan is to be on the road by 4:30 which should keep traffic to a minimum. I have to get on 4 freeways to get my destination this morning - 134, 2, 5, and 91. Crazy.

Finished my second day of mentoring yesterday with no major issues. We finished up around 4:30 and I headed back to the hotel. I didn't want to leave and decided to have dinner in the hotel last night. That was interesting. Their main restaurant is currently closed for renovations so all they have open is the bar with a few scattered tables. They have a dining area but it's open for breakfast only. I asked the server if there was anything quieter and she got permission to open the breakfast area up just for me. I was able to have a quiet dinner all by myself without the noise of the bar buffoons ruining it.

Went back to my room and watched some TV. Went to bed at 9. Almost time to go home. Just a couple more days. I can do it. I do get a break next week. All of our public classes are canceled due to low attendance. No more one person classes which makes me happy. I am taking Monday completely off and will do doc work the rest of the week. I can handle. Just need to get there. So close.

Y7 D336

If a hotel is going to advertise itself to business travelers, then you'd think they would put some emphasis on having solid wireless. The wireless here is so spotty that I can sit in two places to get a decent connection. If I move a foot over I lose a bar. Ridiculous. I mean seriously, a couple hundred dollars per floor would allow them to put in multiple repeaters and reduce the pain. Base don my experience at Hilton properties, I would never use AT&T for my internet provider. Ever. I just finished last night's downloads from roughly 6pm start time. Ugh.

Spent the day at my client. First order of business was removing the dates we had in June scheduled to August. We pushed this trip out by two months, only makes sense to do the same for that trip. Plus now I don't have to worry about any conflict with B's trip in June. Two solid weeks at home for sure. We spent the day going over a bunch of different topics and finished up around 3:30. It only took 10 minutes to get back to the hotel at that time of day which is also why I wanted out of there before 5. I didn't feel like sitting on the freeway for an hour.

Got back, relaxed for a while, dealt with an issue I had when we were in the Bay Area with B's help. I didn't have my fastrak on me and I had to blow through two toll booths while we were there. I knew they would send letters and I could just tell them my number but she was having a bad day and wanted me to take care of it NOW. Her anxiety was at an all time high yesterday. Me being on the road this long is taking its toll on her. Gee, what a shock. I am ready myself to go home (4 weeks straight is enough thank you) but at least I don't get so anxious about it. Nah, I just get depressed. See? So much better.

Went to Conrad's family diner for dinner and had a Monte Cristo sandwich. It was okay. The place I really wanted to go to is closed on Mondays. I am hoping I am up to going tonight. I didn't feel good last night after eating that food and went to bed at 9 as to not throw up. I'm still not 100% but I did get a good night's sleep for once.

Today is more of the same as yesterday but tonight I go to bed early as tomorrow morning I check out and drive to the other client. That will be more normal training and should be a break from what I have been doing today and yesterday.

Only a few more days and I get to go home. I can make it. Still no update on my London trip which has me worried. I want to book that as soon as possible. I swear, who makes international travel plans three weeks out? Oh wait. Me.

Y7 D335

Happy perfect date. April 25th. Not too hot, not too cold. It's that day. If you don't know what I mean, look it up.

Odd day yesterday. Nothing crazy just a odd day. Another day where I am up too long, in too many places at once, etc. Left for the airport around 4, got my boarding pass, and thanks to tsa pre, got through security in literally one minute. That part was pretty damn cool. Took me longer to walk from the door to the line than it did in line. Had a first class seat and was literally the first to board the plane. That was good because I was worried given the sheer volume of small children on my flight. It was a "Disney" flight since it went right into Anaheim. I was stressing about how long it would take for them to get down the walkway.

Two hours and 15 minutes later I landed and got my car. I managed to get the same car I drive at home which is nice. Everything is familiar and right where it should be. Left the airport and drove to Disneyland. The more I go on weekend days, the more I realize how much I hate people. I couldn't take it. Too many annoying people. Trashy people at that. I managed to get something B wanted and have it shipped and then I pretty much bailed. I left the park around 11:30 after barely two hours. Just I had enough. I am going to try and go back on Wednesday night as there's a couple of things I want and just didn't feel like dealing with the people to get. We will try again later this week.

The hotel was about 35 miles away. Thanks to fucked up LA traffic going to the zoo, it took me 92 minutes to get to the hotel. Fuck that. Every time I come back I realize why I left. I truly dislike it here. The room I selected wasn't ready and they upgraded me to the top floor corner suite. Okay. I am good with this thank you. Unpacked, ironed, and relaxed. I tried to nap but it wasn't coming. I was too stressed from the drive and the morning in the park.

Around 4, B and I worked out her summer trip. She is going to gone for 2 weeks in June. 50,000 miles and $11 later it was all set. She leaves 6/15 and comes home 6/29. In time for my birthday. Nothing against her, but it will be nice to have some time at home alone. It's different than alone on the road. Have my own stuff and be in my own bed kind of thing.

Walked to Damon's Tiki Steakhouse for dinner and had a great elk burger. Dinner was nice. Came back, watched some tv, and went to bed around 10. Now today, I drive to Pasadena, mentor, then come back, and do it all again tomorrow. Here until Wednesday morning, then drive back to Anaheim, check into a different hotel that night, and do two more nights.

In one month I will have stayed at 5 different Hiltons in 5 different locations. Not bad for one month. I may be using the air miles up, but I am racking up the hotel points for sure.

Y7 D334

A little over one month away and we start a new year of writing. Does it serve the same purpose as it did 7 years ago? Maybe. At the very least I will leave behind a chronicle of life at the times. Like the volumes written by our forefathers, someone might be able to decipher life from all this some day.

Errands errands and more errands yesterday. The grocery store. The asian grocery store. The mall. Was a busy day. We did all sorts of stuff. Laundry. Repacking. Flight check-in (got my upgrade thank you very much). Maps.

Had a nice lunch out at a seafood place we like. Came back, B napped. I worked on setting up the new mac.

Watched some tv went to bed around 10. I've had about 4 hours sleep. Whee. Slept well though. Today I fly, go to Disneyland (oh darn), and check in. 4 days in SoCal then home for 3 weeks. Yay. I will be messaging my SoCal friends tonight to see if they want to meet this week.

That's my life. Maybe future historians won't be interested. Oh well.

Y7 D333

Yesterday was one of those days where time just seems to make no sense. What time zone am I in? What day is it? Where the fuck am I?

I left the hotel at 2:30am, got to the airport around 3. Dropped off the car and headed to the terminal. Security in Tulsa doesn't open until 4:10 and I was first in line. There was both a pre line and a regular line. Now, some places don't open the pre-line until after the regular line and I had to debate which to stand in. There was another woman around 3:40 who was trying to make the same decision. I told her, you stand there, I will stand here and whichever opens first we will go together. Deal. At 3:55, a TSA comes out bellowing ALL PRE MOVE TO THAT LINE. Well she held her end of it and let me right in behind her. There was another woman there too and I let her in front of me to be nice. We get to the podium and the TSA agent asks if she is normally pre. She says um yeah? Not this time sister. She mistook the American logo for a pre-check logo. Sent her back to the regular line. Man that sucks. While I feel bad for her, you should ALWAYS double check that shit. Boarded my first flight at 4:30, first class thankfully. It was another small plane and I didn't want more lightning strikes thank you very much.

Got to Dallas at 6 and made my way to the Admiral's Club. I was second on the upgrade list for my next flight. Headed to the gate at 8 and waited. They cleared the one guy ahead of me. Damn. I will say I could tell the difference my status made. There were 12 people on the list and normally I would have been like 8 or 9. Being 2 was a big improvement. Had to sit next to an egg mcmuffin eating fat fuck for four hours, but I got home. Landed around 11 PDT. Only 12 hours after leaving the hotel thereabout. Whee.

Got on the train, and headed home. The whole time I was in the club until I got home, I got stuck on a stupid thread of emails. I fucking hate when that happens. Apparently there are multiple people working on the gig for the folks in UK. But they are doing VERY different things than I am. Since the client sees us all as 'consultants' I am getting included on all these emails. I must have had 20 when I got to PDX. When I finally got home around 1, I sent my boss a message asking if we even had a contract yet. He said, ignore everything. Done and done.

Unpacked, hugged the kitties and the woman. Not in that order. I then ordered the new mac mini for the media server. B needed to go to the mall and I figured we would kill two birds with one stone. Even if I don't have enough time this weekend to fully set it up, at least it's here and ready. I was able to get it because I got $750 as a bonus this quarter. Not my full bonus (82%) but enough it didn't hurt anything. We went to the mall, got what she needed, picked up the mini, and headed home. She wanted Mediterranean for dinner last night and I agreed. I tried to do my timesheet and expense report but unfortunately the project hasn't been entered into the system yet. I had to send an email and I made sure I told them I am home for one day. If it doesn't get done, it's your fault people, not mine.

We watched a little TV, then I collapsed around 9:45. I made it longer than I thought I would to be honest. Now today is laundry, boarding passes, house stuff. So I can leave again in 22 hours. Whee.

Y7 D332

Prince is dead. No. No. No. Celebrity deaths shouldn't hit me as hard as this but this was a man whose music has been part of my life since I was a teenager. I remember when I was younger and I would listen to Prince. All of my 'friends' were into heavy metal. We were the head banging stoners. We didn't listen to 'that' kind of music. But I would steadfastly argue with them and implore them to actually LISTEN to him. Listen to how he played a guitar. He was better and faster and meaner on that guitar than any of the three chord crap we listened to any day. When I got to see him November 10th 1988 it was more than a concert. It was an experience. 2.5 hours of some of the best music I ever heard in my life. A stage show beyond compare. At one point he raised a white baby grand piano up from below and played for what felt like forever. House lights on. Just him, that piano, and everyone silent as we listened to the voice and sounds from a god. That night has stayed with me for 30 years. That man threw away more music than I could ever hope to create in a lifetime. He was always true to himself too. I bought my first pair of suede boots because of him. If Prince can do it, so can I. He did what he wanted. When people turned their backs on him for turning to religion, he didn't care. He kept playing. When WB tried to fuck him over, he didn't care, he kept playing. The world is a sadder fucked up place with him gone. Keep playing always. Be forever Purple my friends.

Back in the boring world, taught my stupid class, finished at 3. Came back to the hotel, listened to Prince while packing, cried, ate dinner, went to sleep at 8pm. Now I go home for a whole day then off to SoCal on Sunday.

What fun.

Y7 D331

We'd all like to think we're special but we're not. I could go into a Fight Club spiral and tell you how we're the all singing all dancing crap of the world, but you get my point. Speaking of FC, I have seen a post going around the last couple of days telling women that if a guy says that's his favorite movie to run. At first I was incensed by that comment but then I thought about it. It's aimed at younger people and yeah, if you're in your 20s and that's your favorite movie, fuck off. If you were born after 1972 you don't understand that movie the same. You have to be Jack to get Jack. You have to know the depression and rage that filled the narrator. You can't just watch it today and think how cool it is. You have to have fucking lived it. Every day of your pathetic wasting away life. You have to know what it means to have no great war. You have to know what it felt like to be in a world of billions of people and not have an instant connection. The isolation. The hate that it brings. You have to know what it's like to sit up at night and think that the best possible thing for the world is if your line dies out because there's no point in having more of you on the planet. You have to be able to reconcile making soap from the fat of the rich. And knowing when to destroy something beautiful. Self destruction is the only path.

Taught my class. New group. Went okay.

Man I am old and decrepit and ready for the Lazarus pit. Resurrect me. Rebirth. New brain please.

Got back to the hotel and ate leftover food. Watched TV. Went to bed.

I am Jack's wasted life.

Y7 D330

I am not doing good this morning. I managed to sleep through four alarms and only woke up on a fluke. I rolled over to check the time and realized it was way later than it should have been. Part of why I slept so bad and why my head is pounding right now is that another storm came in. Around midnight. So bad that it was lighting up the whole room, pounding the glass, and shaking my whole room. The pressure in here is crazy right now. I can't breathe at all. This day is not starting off well.

Yesterday was okay. It was a scripted day of teaching but it was for one of those things we very rarely teach and the material is okay at best. The demos worked fine three versions ago. I had a few issues with the demos lining up properly to the system and we had performance issues as well. The other horrible part was I got all the way back to the hotel and realized I left my power adaptor behind. I had to drive all the way back and retrieve it. Pain in the ass.

I watched tv, had grocery store soup for dinner, and tried to go to bed around 10:30. Just a rough fucking night. No me gusta.

Y7 D329

Now that I am on the ground, back to boring posts. No lightning hit me yesterday which is a good thing. Up at around 4:30, had breakfast down in the lobby, and went off to my client. We spent the day doing random demos to try and touch on a whole list of questions they had. Nothing was scripted which was a bit challenging but not horrible. I managed to get through the whole day and we finished around 4. After class I stopped at the grocery store and got a salad for lunch today and a pre-packaged dinner for me. Dinner wasn't bad for $6. It was a piece of salmon, some rice, and some corn. Luckily I have a microwave in the room. Watched a bunch of tv, relaxed, and went to bed around 10.

Today will be much of the same.

I am not complaining at all though. I have been off the road for so long that I did miss this. I like being in different places even if I am only seeing the hotel. I enjoy being out and about. Another week and a half of it and I will be ready to be home, but for now, I am enjoying the ride.

Y7 D328

Yesterday was rough. Real rough. Life flashing before my eyes kind of rough. I was up way too early because I couldn't fall asleep and I had a super early pickup. My driver arrived at 2:30 and I was at the airport by 3. Through security and at my gate at 3:30. I boarded at 4:30. No issues in the morning. But as we were flying to Dallas, the weather started getting a little rough. Not too bad but you could tell things were not pretty in Texas. As we got closer the flight turned into a bad roller coaster. I could hear gasps and sighs all over the plane as we tried to land. Heavy landing. There was even lightning outside the window. Scary but we got on the ground. I thought the worse was over. Little did I know...

As I got off the plane I knew something was amiss. Too many long lines at the counters. I had only an hour to kill between flights and I went to the Admiral's club. When I got in and saw the line at the counter I knew what was going on. I looked at the big board and saw flight after flight canceled or delayed. Outside the windows was a major storm. Luckily mine was still on the board and on time. I was getting nervous and headed to my gate. The previous flight to Tulsa had been canceled and there were almost 70 people on the standby list to try and get on my flight.

We boarded and once we were settled the pilot announced that it was going to be a fucked up flight and that there would be no service and the seatbelt sign was not coming off. Lovely. The next hour and fifteen minutes of my life were scary as fuck. Not only was there major turbulence that made me feel like I was on Tower of Terror, we got hit by lightning. Directly. I kid you not. We hear BOOM ZAP and the whole plane shakes and lights up like a christmas tree. We take a bit of a drop in altitude. Everyone is freaking. We then try to land and we can't get around the storm and literally have to go straight in. I have never been so afraid on a plane in my life. When we landed there were applause and for once I didn't mock. Hell yeah applaud these people. Hello earth I have missed you.

The rain was coming down like crazy and I had to drive 10 mph to find the hotel pissing off everyone around me because I didn't know where I was going. Get to the hotel at 3, wet, freaked out, and exhausted. Of course their key machine was broken and I had to wait in the lobby for them to reboot. Just one thing after another. Finally get in my room, iron, and breathe.

Had dinner around 6, watched some tv, and collapsed around 9:30.  Now I get to spend the week here hoping the rain lets up and I can get back home. Hopefully without the drama of yesterday. Meanwhile back at home, a nearby apartment complex was on fire and B caught some of the action in pics for me. Massive police and fire less than a mile away. What a day it was for sure.

Y7 D327

It's finally after midnight. I should still be sleeping but that didn't work out so well. While most of you are going to bed, I am up and off to the airport in two hours. Lucky me. We had a decent day. Ran some errands, relaxed, tried to have Chik-Fil-A and ended up having taco bell. Big fucking mistake. I am paying for that right now. One of the reasons I am awake. I tried laying down at 8pm but it's so hot I tossed and turned. I finally fell asleep around 9:30 only to be up  at 11:30 with the worst acid indigestion known to man. So fucking bad. I just walked to the store and got one of their machine smoothies to try and settle my stomach since rantadine and tums are failing. Jesus how many words do you fucking think I misspelled machine? So many red squigglies in that last paragraph.

I am hoping my stomach calms down in the next two hours. I fly out at 5, get to Tulsa around 2 local time. Long day. Maybe I can get some sleep on the plane. Yeah right.

Y7 D326

Couple things happened yesterday, one that made me really happy, the other pissed me off big time. First off I got up in the morning and checked the bank. The IRS got their money. All $2500 gone from my account. Whee. BUT here's the upside - we still have plenty of money after the rest of bills are paid to make it through the week and we still have some savings left. I know to most people that wouldn't seem like a victory, but think back to just 5 years ago where I was. I wouldn't have been able to pay this at all let alone still have money left over and still have a savings. I am so proud of everything I have accomplished these last couple of years in respect to money. I am still not where I want to be but damn if this doesn't make me feel good. I didn't have to leverage any credit to take care of this debt. One shot, done.

I went out in the morning which is when the thing that upset me happened. I went over to Walgreens to pick up a prescription and noticed a fucking rock chip dead center of my windshield. I have been babying this car since I got it 6 months ago. I knew taking a road trip was going to be dangerous. Bam right there. It's all I see when I drive now. So fucking annoying.

Got my upgrade notice for both of my flights. Printing out boarding passes right now. Finally seeing the benefits of being platinum. Speaking of flights, had some discussion on my trip to London in a few weeks. There is some concern I won't be able to book this travel myself which worries me. This is too many miles to not get the perks. Plus the hotel stay. I found a Doubletree .4 miles from their offices and they better let me stay there.

Also talked to my client in Anaheim for the week after. She was under the impression I would be doing a custom class and I had to tell her no way. You don't surprise this on me last minute. We will be using sample data thank you very much. No custom shit at the 11th hour.

Did my timesheet and expense reports. Fun stuff. I managed to do a week in Reno for $700. Not bad at all.

Did laundry, repacked clothes, and got ready to leave. Went to Costco and the grocery store to make sure B has what she needs while I am gone. She is still having a bad time of it. Her cyst on her back is killing her. We finally got it to break skin last night but it was rough. She was on the couch with compresses all night.

Tried to catch up on a little TV, managed to watch through some stuff. Still behind on others. Not sure how much we can get through today but we will try. Not much going on today. Just getting ready to go.

Y7 D325

I am home. And the world is covered in this quiet layer of fog. Thick fog at that. I am sure glad I didn't have to drive home in weather like this. Oh wait...

The morning started off with me doing a 2.5 hour session with the client going over the things we spent three days discussing. We also got their IT group on the phone to make sure they knew what the hell they were doing. It was actually a very productive use of time. In the end I also secured future training and mentoring from them. A win in the work column.

Got back to the hotel, loaded up the car, and prepared to head out at 10:30. Expected time home was around 8pm.

What should have taken 8-9 hours to do yesterday, took 11. Eleven hours to drive 500 miles. Per both google maps and the GPS we went the 'fastest' way. Unfortunately that took us through three national forests and a whole shit ton of two lane roads. Even that wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't been for the snowstorm I ended up driving through. Snowstorm. In April. At one point we were down to 30mph staying in the tread marks of the semi in front of us. Even THAT wouldn't have been so bad except for the 5 car accident that shut down the two lane road for almost an hour. So much fun. I was shitting myself during the snowstorm part. No visibility. Sliding a bit on the road. It was rough as hell.

We finally got out of all that and made it to 5 where things opened up. We did stop for dinner because at that point we were both exhausted and hangry. Got home and the house SMELLS. Like rotting meat. We tried figuring out where it came from to no end. I took out garbage, kitty litter, and emptied the fridge but no luck. B immediately hit the bathtub. She has a cyst on her back that has been killing her for days. So bad we may go to the doctor today. I on the other hand am developing a cold which was driving me nuts. But even with a blocked nose, I could still smell the smell. I plan on tearing this place apart today to find it.

Got unpacked, things put away and went to bed around 11. Today is a light day. I got both of the upgrades on my flight Sunday. Thank you Platinum status. It's one less thing I have to worry about this weekend. I just have to do my time sheet, expense reports, and my class for the following week wants to talk. Whatever.

HOLY SHIT. I almost forgot the biggest news of all!! While we were driving home yesterday I got an email from my boss. He has a class for me the week of May 23rd and he wanted to make sure I was okay traveling to the UK! Yep. Going to London next month. SCORE. I am seriously looking forward to this. The details are still being worked out, but it would be one week of custom training in downtown London. So excited about it.

Time to start doing chores.

Y7 D324

Day three complete. Students taught. Everyone is happy. Taught until 3:30, headed back to the room, fell asleep on the couch until 5. We went to Raising Cane's again for dinner, then went to the piercing shop. B wanted to get her tongue redone. It looks pretty good too. No issues. Got back to the hotel around 8, relaxed, bed at 10:30.

Obviously a very boring day.

Now this morning I have to do two - three hours of mentoring, come back and pack, then head home. Should be home by 9. A long day ahead of me.

Y7 D323

Let's hear it for the boy...

Yep. We saw a Reno show last night. Wow. In both a good and a bad way. We had awesome 4th row seats, but then again the venue wasn't that big and pretty much any seat was a good seat to be honest. It was fun. It was good. But it was also one step above a really good private high school production. It was the kind of thing the good playhouse in a decent city puts on. It was not Vegas, it was not Broadway that's for sure. But we had fun and that's what really counts.

Taught day two of my class. Finished up around 3:30, came back to the room, we changed, headed to the casino, and picked up our tickets. Of course there were 900 year old people in front of us at will call who wanted their whole order voided out and redone because the counter girl forgot to give them their $5 off senior discount. Bite me old people.

Once we had our tickets we hit the buffet as we got 50% off. Score! We were both glad we got there early because as we were leaving around 5:30 it was already starting to pack up. We had an hour to kill and we hit the casino floor. We both spent a dollar - B lost hers and I won $4. Whoo! High roller baby.

The show finished up around 8:30 and we headed back. B needed to stop at Target for some travel thing on the way and we got back to the hotel around 9:30. Did some night time stuff, and went to bed around 10:30.

One of the best days on the road I have had.

I also transferred $2000 from our savings yesterday to cover taxes. Fuck taxes. But I paid it. And that's what counts.

Y7 D322

I have been up for a little while but have been in the restroom. Not feeling well this morning. Crampy and poopy. The evil dwarves. I did fall asleep super early last night. I was waiting for stupid shows to download on this craptastic internet and ended up falling asleep at 9:30. I woke up once at 2, then again at 3:30.

Yesterday was pretty good. My client and I are both pissed off at some of the people there. She was expecting 8 but only 5 showed. The other 3 are the ones I mentioned before that "already know everything". At least twice yesterday my client mentioned things they have said and they were 100% wrong. Not even a little right. She's pissed at them, I am pissed at them. Let's get them!

We finished class around 3, I walked back to the hotel, and B was asleep. I took a ride to the walmart nearby to pick up a single packet of soap for the laundry machine. She wants to wash a couple of things. Okay, whatever.

Got back, she woke up around 5:30 and we went on a little adventure to find Steak N Shake. Great dinner, I wish there were more of those around.

Headed back, watched John Oliver, started downloads, went to bed.

Day two of three today. Then tonight we are seeing a show!

Y7 D321

Made it to Reno. The biggest little city in the world. It's their tagline, don't ask me. Got up around 6:30am yesterday, did some morning stuff, packed up, got B up around 8, and headed down for breakfast. I was not impressed with their breakfast setup. Usually everything is buffet except for a few items. Here you had to ask for pretty much anything other than toast. Whatever. After breakfast while B packed up I went to the bank to get stamps to send out our taxes. I made sure to bring my checkbook with me so I can send them their blood money.

We got on the road around 9:30 and headed to Reno. The drive was pretty boring. It was raining in parts which slowed us down a little but not too bad. As we got into Nevada there was some snow on the Donner pass. Nothing major though. We got into town around 1:30 and had some lunch at Raising Cane's. We also stopped at a toy store we both like, and made an appointment at a piercer for Wednesday. B wants to get her tongue done again and there is a place here that is actually pretty well known.

Got to the hotel a little before 3 and headed to our room. We have a nice corner junior suite that we both realized we have stayed in before. I need to start marking hotel rooms somehow. Like a dot under the desk or something.

On the way in we saw a sign for a show at the El Dorado casino - Footloose. When we got to the hotel and managed to get the world's slowest internet working, we looked up tickets. They were reasonably priced and so we are seeing a show on Tuesday. That will be fun.

B took a nap and we went out around 6 for some dinner. Went to Mimi's cafe. On the way back we hit Walgreen's as she needed a couple of things and I needed rockstars for the week.

Got back, relaxed, and went to bed around 10:30.

Day one of four starts in a few hours for me. Luckily the client is right next door. Three days of official training, one of mentoring. I have worked with this group before and it's been good. Here's hoping that stays the same.

Y7 D320

A wonderful long ass day was had. We left the house as planned at 4am. The next 10 hours were nothing but driving, singing, the occasional stop for gas (not bad, two tanks total), and one stop for food. We rolled in around 2pm, met with my tax guy, and checked in to the hotel about 2:30. Nothing exciting happened on the drive which in this case is a good thing.

After settling in at the hotel, I went over to Target to get a bag and card for the birthday present. Came back, took a 20 minute power nap, and then we picked up the kid. We had burritos for dinner with the kid and headed to the party.

We had a great time at the party. Everyone was happy and excited to see us, we got to catch up with a lot of people (some we wanted to catch up with, others not), and we left around 11. 5 hours at the party, not too shabby. Our friend teared up when we were leaving as she had been so touched and surprised at our coming down for her.

Dropped the kid off at her grandmas, headed back to the hotel, in bed and done around 12:30. Whew.

Now today we're off to Reno!

Y7 D319

My friend scared the living crap out of us last night. He is watching the cats while we are gone this week and he got the date mixed up. We were sitting on the couch watching some TV and I heard something at the front door. Then I heard the sound of someone trying to open the door. I leapt from the couch to the front door in one bound and had my entire body weight against the door. I was in serious fight mode. Luckily I heard him on the other side but man both B and I were freaked out. Scared us half to death. My mind was racing with who the hell was trying to get in. I don't know what I would have done if it hadn't been someone we knew, but it was scary.

WE ARE LEAVING TODAY YOU BIG GALOOT. Dork. Don't do that.

Taught an annoying fucking class yesterday. Wanted to cut a bitch the whole time. I forgot how frustrating some of these classes are to teach as I haven't done them in a while. One person was not paying attention then after lunch they send a message saying "I have a work issue must leave". Okay bye. You're weren't paying attention anyway. Butthole.

After class we made soap. We want to bring some on this trip to give to friends and we needed to get it done. We managed to make six bars each with different scents and botanicals. It was fun. We finished up packing, ate chinese food for dinner, then I went to bed around 9.

BIG week ahead of us. First stop friend's birthday then a week in Reno. Let the fun begin! Whee.

Y7 D318

I am so fucking pissed off right now it's not even funny. I have been pissed off since yesterday afternoon and it's not going away any time soon. Plus I super depressed over the thing that is making me angry. No, not B, not work, not the cats - the fucking government. I finally got my tax numbers back yesterday. Fuck the government, fuck Obamacare, fuck fuck fuck.

We owe the Feds $2522. $2396 of that? Fucking B not having insurance. Are you fucking kidding me? Once again the government is applying macro economic rules to micro economic situations. Two things are pissing me off - first I am upset because I would have done it right for once in my life. I would have broken even. That should alway be your goal when it comes to taxes. If it wasn't for the stupid fucking insurance penalty I would have owed them $126. I am getting back about $500 in state which would have netted a $300 refund overall. That would have been PERFECT. It means I didn't give too much out nor did I keep too much in. A perfect goddamn balance. Nope. The government is going to fuck me over yet again. The second thing is their goes my fucking savings. I have worked my ASS OFF the last year to put almost $4000 in savings. Wiped out in one move. Gone. For what? Not even anything real. A stupid fucking penalty for something we couldn't afford. Fuck you. Fuck your fucking government oversight. This is the reason people get pissed and vote for people like Trump. No, don't worry. I am angry, I didn't get lobotomized. I am simply pointing out I can feel the pain of everyone who has been saying screw this new insurance deal.

Bottom line, I am once more fucked over and my hard work was for nothing. Absolutely nothing. Fuck me. Plus it's not like we can ask anyone for help either. Nope. This all comes out of our pocket. One fell swoop, we are back to square one.

Enough to make you put the gun in your mouth.

Taught my stupid class yesterday. Finished at 4, drove home in a blinding depression. Didn't say a word to B most of the night because I didn't want to snap at her for something that wasn't her fault. Did laundry and packed for the next week on the road. We leave in less then 24 hours and won't be home again until late Thursday.

Don't forget to feed the cats.

I finally was able to talk later in the night. We didn't make soap because I was just too upset. We have to do it tonight if we're going to give any to people this weekend. I didn't even dinner last night I was so upset. Food just wasn't anything I cared about. Still not hungry. Still angry.

Fuck this. And fuck this class I have to teach today. I am going to power through this as fast as possible to just be fucking done.

Y7 D317

Getting to my client yesterday wasn't bad. Getting home however was a serious pain in the ass. 16.5 miles and one hour later I finally got home. Ugh.

Left the house at 5:50 and got on site at 6:15. Not horrible. I can handle that. Taught my class which went well. We have 4 days worth of material to do in 2 days and we managed to get through the first half. I had to push a little and we went right up until 4pm, but we did it. Let's see how we do today.

I also learned that my trip to Pasadena at the end of the month is being extended by 2 days as another group down there wants training too. Honestly I am not complaining as it gives me more hotel stays. And the second part of the trip puts me right in Anaheim a block from the park. For two nights I can go to the park basically for dinner. Oh darn.

Got home and made the mistake of looking at bills. Paid a couple and stressed out for the rest of the night. I am trying so hard to not take anything out of savings but paying for B's dental work hurt. A lot. Just one more day until payday and oh boy I can pay more bills. Whee.

That of course put me in a lousy mood for the rest of the night. I said maybe two words the whole night as a result. Went to bed at 10.

Another day on site but at a different location today. Then we will do laundry, pack, do a class from home on Friday and we are out of here for a week. So much stress right now. My head hurts.

Y7 D316

Was up at 1am yesterday. Got ready, car picked me up at 3 and I was at the airport by 3:30. My driver and I were joking that if I had waited just a little while longer for a pickup, the drive time would have doubled. It's just one of those things. I didn't leave until 8am but I am glad I got to the airport early. For a small charge I was able to get my flight changed and left at 6 instead of 8. Plus I managed to get an upgrade. Not only did I get home two hours early, I did so in first class. No complaints here on that.

Landed at 8:30, took the train, and was home a little before 10:30. I then did my expense report, unpacked, etc. Our toilet handle in the master bath cracked and I had to wait for maintenance to arrive. Got that squared away around 1.

We went out around 5 for some dinner and a couple of small things at the store. Watched some TV and I was so exhausted I went to bed at 9:30. It was a long day.

Today and tomorrow I am doing a local gig, then one day at home, then off to SF followed by Reno. I also got an email telling me I will be staying in SoCal longer than originally planned at the end of the month. Fun. Three more days added to teach a different group. More hotel nights. Not complaining since I am behind where I should be for the year anyway.

Time to get ready as I have to leave soon to miss traffic.

Y7 D315

I have a splitting headache for some reason this morning. It's not due to alcohol as I had only 2 drinks with dinner over two hours and I had three glasses of water during that same time period. I think it is more due to either sugar overload, sinus pressure, or something. I was in no way intoxicated last night. But man I wish it would stop. It's killing me.

Yesterday started off with a bit of adventure. I walked to my client around 7 only to realize I was in the wrong building. I walked about .5 mile to them and then had to walk back and go an additional 3/4 mile in the other direction. Great way to start the day. Luckily I gave myself a large buffer for time and was doing okay. Had 14 students yesterday, 2 more than planned. This client was trying to maximize and squeeze out of us more than they had agreed to in the original deal. Whatever.

Okay, whatever is bugging me just took it's toll in the bathroom. Whoa. This is going to make for a long flight today if this doesn't resolve itself shortly. I do not feel good. Ugh.

Anyway, taught my class. It went okay. We went right up to the mark and I was out of there by 4:40. Came back to the hotel, changed, and went off to dinner. I went to a place called Industriel. They're misspelling not mine. Urban farm cuisine, sustainable handmade foods. I had a bunch of little plates including Moroccan lamb, a red cabbage salad, spicy shrimp, and a chocolate pretzel tart for dessert. $100 for everything which isn't bad at all. I rather enjoyed myself. Got back to the hotel around 7:15, packed, and went to sleep from 8-1.

Now I head home, and do two days locally onsite for a client. Busy week. One day after that of teaching from home, then we're off to the our friend's birthday, then Reno. Whee!

Y7 D314

There are some cities that when I travel, I truly enjoy being back in. St Louis, Reno, heck even Columbus OH. But not Los Angeles. I am in the heart of it, and I mean that literally. I am downtown at Wilshire and Grand. Right in the middle of the smelly, disgusting, mess of it. I walked to the store and saw $100,000 cars parked in front of homeless people who were talking to a 7' foot tall transvestite hooker. It's the most bizarre place on the face of the earth. Heck, even on my way to the hotel we got stuck because they were filming an episode of Training Day a block over from my hotel There was a sign in front that warned "you might hear gunshots". Such a weird place and I live in a city that proclaims itself to be weird. But LA beats it every time.

Speaking of my hotel, whenever I stay in a hotel room I judge it based on if it were an apartment, could I live in it. The answer is a resounding no. I stayed here because it is .3 miles from my client and I can walk with ease this morning. It advertised itself as a 'hip downtown boutique' hotel. No, it's an old cramped building with bluettooth elevator and room controls. It's not horrible but it's also not my favorite hotel for sure.

The trip here was not exciting. Had a decent seat on the plane, a bumpy ride, but overall it was okay. My car driver got stuck in traffic (what a shock) and it took us over an hour to go 16 miles to the hotel. Checked in, ironed, took a nap. Walked to Jimmy Johns for dinner. Watched some TV, went to bed around 10:30. I only have the one day here. Out of here at 3am tomorrow. I don't need to leave so early but god knows with the traffic it could take me 2 hours to get to the airport. Better safe than late.

2 hours until I head out to the client.

Y7 D313

TRAVEL DAY! I have been waiting for a travel day forever it feels like. I am so happy and excited to be on the road even if it means the frustration of an airport and traveling. Yeah, I am a pretty twisted guy. Luckily my flight isn't until 9:30 so I didn't have to get up at 1 in the morning for this. Plus this trip is only a couple of days and I will be back home Tuesday afternoon. This is a quick but needed trip.

Yesterday I got up, talked with my buddy about watching the cats when we both go away soon, then waited for B to get up. Who by the way was still awake when I woke up this morning. Sheesh. We headed out for the soap making class around 9. Class started at 10am was in a senior center not too far from us.

We both were a little disappointed in the class to be honest. We were happy with the material taught, but not the layout or way the class works. I expected us to each have our own individual station with choice of ingredients. Nope. It was a 'group' class where basically we watched the instructor make soap, with her choice of things. We got to stir and slice one time each but that was it. The knowledge we took away from the class was acceptable, but for the price we paid ($45 each) we were both pretty pissed off we walked away with one small bar each. We did decide we would try this at home and I was able to order all the ingredients (many of which will last for a long time) to make another 10 bars (basically the amount of students in the class) for $80. 10 bars for $80. Not 2 for $90. I would never take another class like this again. We also took it hoping to get out of the house and meet people but nope. The people in the class were not like us at all. One hipster couple who want to live cheap and green, two gluten free annoying housewives, an asian woman who spoke little english, and a hispanic gentleman who also spoke little english. Sigh.

Once done with soap, we headed home, got on the train, and met my sister downtown. That was fun. She got lost because her husband is a douche and stayed home. Long story. Regardless, she's awesome, he's a butthole. We hung out with her for a while, had some food truck food, ice cream, I took her and B to the world's tiniest park, and we headed on back home. She was SUPPOSED TO TEXT ME to let me know she made it home safely. (I know she reads this on occasion and that message was for her). Got back home, and B took a nap.

I headed to the comic book store. My final issue of Fight Club 2 arrived yesterday (AND WE MADE SOAP! Right?!?!) and I wanted to pick up the variant cover. Got back, B wanted cheesesteaks for dinner and we headed back out. Was kind of nice. We watched a movie and I went to bed around 10:30.

Busy Saturday actually. And now time to fly like an eagle...

Y7 D312

Just another day under my belt. Lucky me. Got up early and took the car in for service. I had a 7am appointment and got there at 6:20 to make sure I was the first one in the door. Turns out I set the appointment for 'drop-off' not 'wait' and the poor service guy was so worried I was going to be sitting. I kept reassuring him it was fine. He didn't want to believe me. Okay. It ended up only being 90 minutes and I was back home by 9. No biggie.

Got home, did a conference call from 10 - 11, worked on the stuff that came out of the conference call and then B wanted lunch. We just had a Chik-fil-a open here and we tried to get into it. Yeah, no. The drive through line was 50 cars deep. The main parking lot was so full you couldn't even get in. They had a cop out directing traffic. We ended up at Taco Bell. We don't have it that often so fuck it. Came back, did some more work, then I had an eyelash appointment at 3. Got home from that and we did some laundry, I packed for my trip, we had dinner, and then I was getting restless again. We took a ride to the bookstore.

My problem is that on a Thursday or Friday night, I would either go out or have people over. Sitting at home constantly is killing me. It's better for my health and bank account, sure, but my brain is dying. We didn't buy anything at the bookstore but at least I got out of the house.

Came back around 9 and we watched the new show Wynonna Earp. Wasn't bad. It was good enough I will try a second episode. Think Justified meets Buffy. A little corny but watchable. Heck, even Buffy sucked until season 3. Went to bed around 10.

Today? Today we make soap. And visit my sister. But soap!

Y7 D311

It was another warm day yesterday. After months of being cold having temperatures in the mid 70s is ugh. Not as bad as Wednesday but it still sucked.

We left the house super early because B had her final round of tooth work. 90 minutes and $600 later she was done. I tried to do some work but the wireless at the dentist office was meh to say the least. Not optimal conditions.

We got back home around 10 and she was out for the count. She slept from 10 until 2. I worked. Had a conference call with a client, worked on docs, and prepped for my class next week. I have more of that today including another call. Finished working around 3. Her mouth was still hurting so we went and had Zoup for dinner.

We were both feeling antsy so we went out to the store to look at yoga pants for B. Hers got a rip in the seam. We didn't find any but at least we got out of the house. We also stopped at the yarn store so she could finish a project she is working on for her friend in Australia.

Came back, watched a little TV, went to bed at 10. Slept better but not perfect.

This morning I am taking the car in for service. More money spent. Yay. At least I am not waking up finding I spent $300 on booze and food I puked up. No, I am going broke being responsible. Fun stuff.