Whee a travel day! Up at 1am, out of here at 2:45, board at 4:30, land at 4:30 3k miles away in a different time zone. Such fun! And of course my boss had to make me feel guilty about not wanting to do another trip this month. I of course backed down much to B's anger and ire. Odds are in 2 weeks I will be going to TN for 4.5 days. Not normally a problem, but it's one of those teach and travel on the same day things AND the next day is my surgery. If anything goes wrong and I miss the appointment, I am screwed until like December or January. That's why she is pissed. I gave him plenty of notice that this was happening and yet he still won't stand up to clients and just accepts the dates they ask for. That's the annoying part. Whatever. I told him if I miss my surgery, he's paying for it.
I got some stuff accomplished yesterday. Pet store. Bath and body shop. Lunch. House cleaning. It was good to have yesterday to myself without any guilt. Didn't do much of anything else. Went to bed at 8 and managed to get 5 hours of sleep.
Time to get ready, my flight boards in 3 hours and 25 minutes according to my phone!
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Monday, October 30, 2017
Y9 D157
I am very glad we came home on Saturday. I got to enjoy myself at home for the first time in quite a while. I did a lot yesterday but it was nice because I was at home and could get all the things done. I went to the grocery store in the morning, followed by Target (got a new pair of boots for the winter; which according to the wind outside is on its way finally!!), then I worked on putting our treadmill together. We are missing two bolts which I need to order online. I found the supplier but am not sure which bolts I need. I am just going to order all of them probably. They're pretty cheap and it won't hurt to have duplicates of some of the other ones just in case. I then rearranged some stuff to make room for the new chair. That didn't work out too well. Neither of us liked the rearranged look so we had to figure out an alternative. We are happy with how it is. But we are starting to hit the limits of how much this apartment fits. It's getting to the point where we really do need to be in a house. The dream, right? Some day. I know it. I can do it.
B's new poster is coming today and we had to move some art around to make way for it. That was a lot of moving things. Again, we got it done and this time we are happy. We ended up with some extra blank wall space and ordered a new print from Platform 9 3/4. It's for Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, I wrapped all the Pops we got on our trip. It's not even Halloween and I have 13 presents wrapped and ready to go. Less then 60 days until Christmas people!! I will be done and ready by Thanksgiving dammit.
I can't believe it's almost Christmas. Seriously this year flew by. Good thing? It seems like just yesterday we were all crying about a cheeto in charge and here it is almost a year later. It has been one hell of ride and he still may get us all killed. The world has definitely changed in the last year. One thing this fucker does that drives me nuts is he talks just like a salesman. "We're gonna deal with that and at the end of 8 years..." He uses basic salesman tactics. You're already thinking of him in office for 8 years when he does shit like that. Please people don't be stupid sheep. Please for the love of god.
B took a nap. I made chicken for dinner. We bathed the cats. Finished packing. Bunch of other little things around the house. All in all a good Sunday.
Today I check in for my flight but because I have to travel on Saturday this week I am doing shit today. And that's just that.
B's new poster is coming today and we had to move some art around to make way for it. That was a lot of moving things. Again, we got it done and this time we are happy. We ended up with some extra blank wall space and ordered a new print from Platform 9 3/4. It's for Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, I wrapped all the Pops we got on our trip. It's not even Halloween and I have 13 presents wrapped and ready to go. Less then 60 days until Christmas people!! I will be done and ready by Thanksgiving dammit.
I can't believe it's almost Christmas. Seriously this year flew by. Good thing? It seems like just yesterday we were all crying about a cheeto in charge and here it is almost a year later. It has been one hell of ride and he still may get us all killed. The world has definitely changed in the last year. One thing this fucker does that drives me nuts is he talks just like a salesman. "We're gonna deal with that and at the end of 8 years..." He uses basic salesman tactics. You're already thinking of him in office for 8 years when he does shit like that. Please people don't be stupid sheep. Please for the love of god.
B took a nap. I made chicken for dinner. We bathed the cats. Finished packing. Bunch of other little things around the house. All in all a good Sunday.
Today I check in for my flight but because I have to travel on Saturday this week I am doing shit today. And that's just that.
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Y9 D156
Before I start rambling on, a big shout out to my sister. She has been working her ass off (literally) this year and hit a really big milestone yesterday. She has been doing a great job getting into shape and it has paid off for her. So kudos to you and a job well done!!
We made the smart decision to drive home yesterday. It really was a good decision. Both of us were much happier being home and able to sleep in our own bed last night. We did take our time on the way home and make a couple of stops. First we stopped at some outlet stores where I found a new pair of tennis shoes. I have had my old ones for 3 years plus and they were about done.
(Side note, I knew I would get my upgrade for Tuesday for the PHX part of the journey. My flight is 5am and oh look, 5:07, there's the email)
I found the newer version of the Skechers I have with the cushion sole technology in them. They are the exact same color and almost the same style so they work perfect for me. B found some slippers and stuff at another store. It was a pretty good haul. We stopped close to the border for some lunch and got scared out of our minds. Why? Jesus. No, really. As we pulled in, we see this big jacked up truck with Jesus stickers and sinners die stickers and just angry religious stickers all over it. That put us both on edge already. When we get in, there's this guy with his wife and kids wearing a black hoodie with ABORTION IS MURDER in bright letters on the front, GOD HATES SINNERS on one arm, SINNERS MUST PAY on the other, and then on the back GOD HATES THE SHEDDING OF INNOCENT BLOOD. All of this in bright red and white lettering. That just pushed us over the edge. The one thing we hate about going through WA for any reason is the amount of hard core bible thumping idiots. Look, when I was younger I couldn't understand this type of person. Now that I am older I see it for what it is - cloaked racism, misogyny, fear, and sheep brain. This guy looked like he was ready to yell at us any second for being heathen sinners. It really put a negative spin on our meal. We sat in the back but we kept waiting. He kept throwing hard ass looks our way. I wasn't about to get into it with him in a Subway with children around. Wasn't worth it. But it definitely ruined our meal.
Got back on the road and headed home. Once we were home there was a stupid car blocking our access to our garage. Motherfucker. We have had two new sets of neighbors move in while we were in Vegas. We are the only people in our building with either only one car or who uses their garage. Too many of our neighbors when they don't see a car assume we're not home and treat this like their own personal parking lot. Fuck you. We immediately called the office and that shit was moved within five minutes. More hard looks from people. Kiss my ass. Play by the fucking rules. We all have to live here and get along whether you like it or not fucktard.
Finally inside we unpacked, started laundry, cleaned up. For dinner we went and had sushi. After dinner we went and picked up B's anniversary present. Technically it was for both of us. We got this new chair for the living room. Gray fur chair. It is awesome and a sight to be seen. The best part is they were down to just the floor model and we saved 25% off on top a 10% sale price. Okay. I am happy. It wasn't expensive or fancy to begin with, but the discounts made it even better. Got the new chair home and now we need to rearrange the living.
That's the plan for today. Finish repacking for my trip this week, rearrange the living room, and that's about it. I am a bit off and not sure what day it is, but I will figure it out eventually. Then it's off to NJ.
We made the smart decision to drive home yesterday. It really was a good decision. Both of us were much happier being home and able to sleep in our own bed last night. We did take our time on the way home and make a couple of stops. First we stopped at some outlet stores where I found a new pair of tennis shoes. I have had my old ones for 3 years plus and they were about done.
(Side note, I knew I would get my upgrade for Tuesday for the PHX part of the journey. My flight is 5am and oh look, 5:07, there's the email)
I found the newer version of the Skechers I have with the cushion sole technology in them. They are the exact same color and almost the same style so they work perfect for me. B found some slippers and stuff at another store. It was a pretty good haul. We stopped close to the border for some lunch and got scared out of our minds. Why? Jesus. No, really. As we pulled in, we see this big jacked up truck with Jesus stickers and sinners die stickers and just angry religious stickers all over it. That put us both on edge already. When we get in, there's this guy with his wife and kids wearing a black hoodie with ABORTION IS MURDER in bright letters on the front, GOD HATES SINNERS on one arm, SINNERS MUST PAY on the other, and then on the back GOD HATES THE SHEDDING OF INNOCENT BLOOD. All of this in bright red and white lettering. That just pushed us over the edge. The one thing we hate about going through WA for any reason is the amount of hard core bible thumping idiots. Look, when I was younger I couldn't understand this type of person. Now that I am older I see it for what it is - cloaked racism, misogyny, fear, and sheep brain. This guy looked like he was ready to yell at us any second for being heathen sinners. It really put a negative spin on our meal. We sat in the back but we kept waiting. He kept throwing hard ass looks our way. I wasn't about to get into it with him in a Subway with children around. Wasn't worth it. But it definitely ruined our meal.
Got back on the road and headed home. Once we were home there was a stupid car blocking our access to our garage. Motherfucker. We have had two new sets of neighbors move in while we were in Vegas. We are the only people in our building with either only one car or who uses their garage. Too many of our neighbors when they don't see a car assume we're not home and treat this like their own personal parking lot. Fuck you. We immediately called the office and that shit was moved within five minutes. More hard looks from people. Kiss my ass. Play by the fucking rules. We all have to live here and get along whether you like it or not fucktard.
Finally inside we unpacked, started laundry, cleaned up. For dinner we went and had sushi. After dinner we went and picked up B's anniversary present. Technically it was for both of us. We got this new chair for the living room. Gray fur chair. It is awesome and a sight to be seen. The best part is they were down to just the floor model and we saved 25% off on top a 10% sale price. Okay. I am happy. It wasn't expensive or fancy to begin with, but the discounts made it even better. Got the new chair home and now we need to rearrange the living.
That's the plan for today. Finish repacking for my trip this week, rearrange the living room, and that's about it. I am a bit off and not sure what day it is, but I will figure it out eventually. Then it's off to NJ.
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Y9 D155
Happy anniversary to us! And you know how we're going to spend it? Driving home! Wait, what? Yeah. Just listen...
We got up yesterday and got on the road around 10:30. The drive had some pockets of traffic and every one of them was due to an actual accident, which while annoying, is at least understandable to some degree. We saw one car with its front end gone, another upside down, another in the guard rail; People in WA do not know how to drive apparently. We arrived in town around 2:30, checked in, and B wanted to nap. While she napped I went for a walk. We had decided to go to a Hawaiian place for dinner and I wanted to make sure it was really within walking distance. When B woke up we walked over there. It was okay. Was a little more casual than we would have liked.
After we walked down the street to get ice cream, Much better experience. Now, we were supposed to go to Funko today, but it was only 6pm and they were open for another hour, and we said screw it, and went in. We were there for the entire hour, but that's all we needed. We took a lot of pictures and bought 4 pops each for me, B, and the kid. She is done for Xmas. She will have six presents when they visit in November. Did I mention her and the BF are confirmed to visit for Thanksgiving? I even already booked the hotel room. Anyway, when we were checking out the cashier told us we were better off coming in last night versus today. On weekends it turns into screamy children hell. They only allow 100 people in at a time and on weekends there is always a line. Thank goodness we went last night.
Downside? There's no reason for us to stay. We are going to drive home and check out early. I need a new pair of tennis shoes and on the way home we're going to stop at the outlet stores. Why spend a night on the road if I don't have to? It's not like I need the nights any more. I hit the threshold for another Diamond year so fuck it. Let's go home.
We got up yesterday and got on the road around 10:30. The drive had some pockets of traffic and every one of them was due to an actual accident, which while annoying, is at least understandable to some degree. We saw one car with its front end gone, another upside down, another in the guard rail; People in WA do not know how to drive apparently. We arrived in town around 2:30, checked in, and B wanted to nap. While she napped I went for a walk. We had decided to go to a Hawaiian place for dinner and I wanted to make sure it was really within walking distance. When B woke up we walked over there. It was okay. Was a little more casual than we would have liked.
After we walked down the street to get ice cream, Much better experience. Now, we were supposed to go to Funko today, but it was only 6pm and they were open for another hour, and we said screw it, and went in. We were there for the entire hour, but that's all we needed. We took a lot of pictures and bought 4 pops each for me, B, and the kid. She is done for Xmas. She will have six presents when they visit in November. Did I mention her and the BF are confirmed to visit for Thanksgiving? I even already booked the hotel room. Anyway, when we were checking out the cashier told us we were better off coming in last night versus today. On weekends it turns into screamy children hell. They only allow 100 people in at a time and on weekends there is always a line. Thank goodness we went last night.
Downside? There's no reason for us to stay. We are going to drive home and check out early. I need a new pair of tennis shoes and on the way home we're going to stop at the outlet stores. Why spend a night on the road if I don't have to? It's not like I need the nights any more. I hit the threshold for another Diamond year so fuck it. Let's go home.
Friday, October 27, 2017
Y9 D154
No, I didn't forget. Nor did I oversleep. I actually have already been out. I got up around 5 and wanted to get some things done before commuters got in my way. So I went to the store, the post office, and the gas station BEFORE doing my normal morning stuff today. Now I have about 3 hours to kill before B gets up and 4 hours before we hit the road. I want to leave around 11 to hopefully miss some traffic. No guarantees but it might make the drive a little easier. We're going past both Seattle and Tacoma today which have bad pockets of traffic at times.
Yesterday was okay. I finished day two of my class with no issues. Thankfully all my students were east coast and we started early. I was done by 1. Packed for today. We went to Shari's for dinner since neither of us wanted to cook and we are pretty low on groceries.
While at dinner my boss started pushing on me going to TN 11/13. I kept pushing back saying fine, but I need to know WHERE. He wants me to fly home Thursday night but if I don't know where I can't promise I will. If the airport is an hour away from the client then I may not be able to get home that night. I need those details. I plan to send him a list next month of things we need to work on in 2018 and that kind of communication is part of it.
Got back from dinner and relaxed. Went to bed around 11 again.
Ya know, on a side note, I noticed there is an average of 10-12 people who read this everyday. Who are you? I am not that exciting any more. What are you waiting for? The inevitable rise and fall of Rome (again?)? Life is cyclical, sure, but I would like to hope that people aren't reading this just to see the car crashes. I mean that in many different ways too. Some of you maybe are waiting for my financial ruin (trying my hardest to never let that happen again) or maybe my mental destruction (I'd like to think that I have that finally under control)? What is it you find so appealing? Am I like one of those Civil War diaries people read?
"Dearest Martha, today I slaughtered five Union devils. In hell they now reside. Soon we will be together again beating the negroes as decreed by our God. I have a green spot on my leg, I hope it goes away soon. Yours Ezekiel"
Is that the draw? Regardless, hey thanks. I feel better knowing there's at least 10 people in the world who give a shit.
Speaking of that, B and I had a conversation last night about things like social lives and getting out. That is one hurdle we just can't seem to conquer since moving up here. We really do have no social life or circle of friends. I feel bad because at her age she is supposed to be like hanging out around campfires drinking sangria and whining about her internship. Oh wait. My wife is like 80 inside and hates all that shit. Never mind. It's the sarcasm, isn't it? That's why you keep reading.
FUNKO HQ HERE WE COME! Happy 3rd anniversary to us. Tomorrow. Don't text us today. It's tomorrow people. Three years. Wow. How far I have come. Fuck the haters.
Yesterday was okay. I finished day two of my class with no issues. Thankfully all my students were east coast and we started early. I was done by 1. Packed for today. We went to Shari's for dinner since neither of us wanted to cook and we are pretty low on groceries.
While at dinner my boss started pushing on me going to TN 11/13. I kept pushing back saying fine, but I need to know WHERE. He wants me to fly home Thursday night but if I don't know where I can't promise I will. If the airport is an hour away from the client then I may not be able to get home that night. I need those details. I plan to send him a list next month of things we need to work on in 2018 and that kind of communication is part of it.
Got back from dinner and relaxed. Went to bed around 11 again.
Ya know, on a side note, I noticed there is an average of 10-12 people who read this everyday. Who are you? I am not that exciting any more. What are you waiting for? The inevitable rise and fall of Rome (again?)? Life is cyclical, sure, but I would like to hope that people aren't reading this just to see the car crashes. I mean that in many different ways too. Some of you maybe are waiting for my financial ruin (trying my hardest to never let that happen again) or maybe my mental destruction (I'd like to think that I have that finally under control)? What is it you find so appealing? Am I like one of those Civil War diaries people read?
"Dearest Martha, today I slaughtered five Union devils. In hell they now reside. Soon we will be together again beating the negroes as decreed by our God. I have a green spot on my leg, I hope it goes away soon. Yours Ezekiel"
Is that the draw? Regardless, hey thanks. I feel better knowing there's at least 10 people in the world who give a shit.
Speaking of that, B and I had a conversation last night about things like social lives and getting out. That is one hurdle we just can't seem to conquer since moving up here. We really do have no social life or circle of friends. I feel bad because at her age she is supposed to be like hanging out around campfires drinking sangria and whining about her internship. Oh wait. My wife is like 80 inside and hates all that shit. Never mind. It's the sarcasm, isn't it? That's why you keep reading.
FUNKO HQ HERE WE COME! Happy 3rd anniversary to us. Tomorrow. Don't text us today. It's tomorrow people. Three years. Wow. How far I have come. Fuck the haters.
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Y9 D153
Woke up extremely dry this morning. Not sure why so bad. I think it's because B turned the fan on some time in the night. Need to order more mouth pill thingies and start using two for a while.
Nothing exciting yesterday. Three students, taught my class. I did get them to agree to start earlier today since they are all east coast. They were all excited about that. Need to pack some time today. Probably this morning. Made chicken a la king for dinner. Was pretty good. B and I worked on some stuff together in WoW.
Took care of a hotel reservation for the kid and her BF for thanksgiving. They are officially coming up here for three days. Not a long time, but long enough for me to meet him finally. Only been 2.5 years.
Went to bed around 11. Today is my Friday technically. My schedule is so screwed up right now. Now there's talk about one more trip to TN in November. Sigh.
Nothing exciting yesterday. Three students, taught my class. I did get them to agree to start earlier today since they are all east coast. They were all excited about that. Need to pack some time today. Probably this morning. Made chicken a la king for dinner. Was pretty good. B and I worked on some stuff together in WoW.
Took care of a hotel reservation for the kid and her BF for thanksgiving. They are officially coming up here for three days. Not a long time, but long enough for me to meet him finally. Only been 2.5 years.
Went to bed around 11. Today is my Friday technically. My schedule is so screwed up right now. Now there's talk about one more trip to TN in November. Sigh.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Y9 D152
I am squished back in my office again. Why? Because of B's blanket project. She is making herself a weighted blanket finally and it is taking up the entire front room and where my desk out there is located. Whatever. As long as she is happy.
I ran some errands in the morning before class. Including getting a table for B to make her blanket on. I didn't have to start until 10 which was nice. I was able to move slow. Do laundry. My class went fine. 10-2. I unfortunately took a little nap from 3-4. I didn't mean to but I was super tired. Side note - where's my rain? I am home for four days and it will be 'nice' the whole time I am home? Screw you weather gods!! I want rain!! Bastards.
Had chicken fajita soup. Watched some tv. B worked on her blanket. I got an achievement in WoW. Went to bed.
Today and tomorrow are normal days, then we go to WA for our anniversary. 3 years people. Suck it all you naysayers. Only 17 more to go before I can throw a real big party. Or at least 7. 10 years will be a huge milestone.
I ran some errands in the morning before class. Including getting a table for B to make her blanket on. I didn't have to start until 10 which was nice. I was able to move slow. Do laundry. My class went fine. 10-2. I unfortunately took a little nap from 3-4. I didn't mean to but I was super tired. Side note - where's my rain? I am home for four days and it will be 'nice' the whole time I am home? Screw you weather gods!! I want rain!! Bastards.
Had chicken fajita soup. Watched some tv. B worked on her blanket. I got an achievement in WoW. Went to bed.
Today and tomorrow are normal days, then we go to WA for our anniversary. 3 years people. Suck it all you naysayers. Only 17 more to go before I can throw a real big party. Or at least 7. 10 years will be a huge milestone.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Y9 D151
Got seriously delayed yesterday. I got to the airport early to see if there were any other flights I could take. Ironically they offered once again to put me on a Seattle flight and to bounce me down. It would have arrived 10 minutes earlier than what I was on. In hindsight, I should have taken it as I was delayed 4 hours. Supposed to be on the ground at 11:40, didn't land until 4. Oh well. Shit happens. Alaska is also very good about trying to keep people happy. The minute they saw it was going to be a serious delay, they handed out food vouchers. Okay, that's nice. One guy was losing his shit over the delay and it's like dude, this happens. Trust me, your shit is not the end of the world. I would say at least 25% of the plane's passengers were wearing Aftershock shirts so we all just wanted to get home.
Got home, unpacked, B made me dinner, we watched some tv, had some together time, then off to bed at 10.
Now today I have a 1/2 day class, then two full days classes. Then we're off for our anniversary trip!! Woo!
Got home, unpacked, B made me dinner, we watched some tv, had some together time, then off to bed at 10.
Now today I have a 1/2 day class, then two full days classes. Then we're off for our anniversary trip!! Woo!
Monday, October 23, 2017
Y9 D150
Day 2 was nowhere near as enjoyable as day one. The only saving grace was we made friends with this couple in line and they made a beeline towards the couches and saved us one. My ass stayed right on that couch from 11am until we left. It was right in front of the video screen that showed both stages so I got to see everything without moving. The only problem was drunk people who kept getting pissed when only one of us was sitting on the couch. When the kid got up to see in this moment, I had to lay across the couch to stop anyone from trying to sit down. One guy came over and was like sweeping his hands and I was like nope. He walked away going I hate you man. I hate you because I want to be you. Yeah okay buddy, keep walking. Overall the crowd was very different on day two. Angry music. But not good angry music. Loud yelling music. And it was annoying. It brought out the cholos (for ST), the bikers (FFDP), and the angry raiders fans (which include the first two types of people). There was tension in the air all day.
We saw some decent bands like Halestorm. For me though the day was just too much. As the day wore on it got too much for the kid and she wanted to leave. We left right before Ozzy. Sorry Oz, you picked the wrong day to play.
We were out of there at 7. Made it back to the hotel by 7:30, stopped for Thai food across the street from the hotel, and spent the rest of the night in our rooms. It was wonderful. I went to bed at 9:30 and couldn't be happier.
Fly home today, home by 2, teach tomorrow 10-2, then full days Weds and Thurs. Friday we drive to Everett for our anniversary! Go us!
We saw some decent bands like Halestorm. For me though the day was just too much. As the day wore on it got too much for the kid and she wanted to leave. We left right before Ozzy. Sorry Oz, you picked the wrong day to play.
We were out of there at 7. Made it back to the hotel by 7:30, stopped for Thai food across the street from the hotel, and spent the rest of the night in our rooms. It was wonderful. I went to bed at 9:30 and couldn't be happier.
Fly home today, home by 2, teach tomorrow 10-2, then full days Weds and Thurs. Friday we drive to Everett for our anniversary! Go us!
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Y9 D149
I am struggling with my phone this morning. For the first time ever I filled up the memory. I know. Mostly it's because I took a shit ton of videos yesterday. I have freed up 9gb already but have a ways to go. The problem is that I don't have the ability to just use the cable and I have to send them all to like google drive. It's the upload time that's killing me. I can't do any kind of direct connection so I have to send it up the hotel network and then to drive. Annoying.
I have a headache this morning but it's mostly due to the air conditioning unit. I can't wait to sleep in my own bed this week even if it is only for three days. Better than nothing let me tell you.
What a crazy day. Got up, headed to the concert around 10. Lines were already forming. I want to leave a little earlier to avoid some of them today. We'll see how that goes. Got inside at 11 and went straight for a locker and merch. Glad we did that. The lockers sold old and the merch lines were crazy all day. We ended up buying way too many t-shirts but it's all good. We saw a few bands in the morning but most sucked and we only half paid attention. We did get to the rail for EODM. That's one of the reasons my phone filled up. Saw NIN and Perfect Circle from the VIP area. That was good. The VIP section is much better this time around. Overall the whole venue is much better laid out and organized. We had chicken and waffles for dinner, pork sliders for lunch.
There were plenty of drunk idiots to contend with especially as the night rolled in. But we were slightly isolated in our area. More importantly we were able to stand in spots that made it easy to see the stage without being crushed. And now for tonight we know where the good spots are. It all helps.
We ran into friends who were just there to see NIN. They are hard core fans. They go to every show no matter how much the cost. I can't imagine just going to see one band and leaving. But hey to each their own.
My feet are killing me, my back aches, and I don't know if I can do a second day, but hey, that's rock n roll bitches. Suffer through the pain.
I need breakfast.
Today there's only three bands we care about. But of course it's 2pm, 6pm, and then Ozzy at 7:30. Hopefully we will be out by 9 tonight. Get a good night's sleep before flying home tomorrow.
I have a headache this morning but it's mostly due to the air conditioning unit. I can't wait to sleep in my own bed this week even if it is only for three days. Better than nothing let me tell you.
What a crazy day. Got up, headed to the concert around 10. Lines were already forming. I want to leave a little earlier to avoid some of them today. We'll see how that goes. Got inside at 11 and went straight for a locker and merch. Glad we did that. The lockers sold old and the merch lines were crazy all day. We ended up buying way too many t-shirts but it's all good. We saw a few bands in the morning but most sucked and we only half paid attention. We did get to the rail for EODM. That's one of the reasons my phone filled up. Saw NIN and Perfect Circle from the VIP area. That was good. The VIP section is much better this time around. Overall the whole venue is much better laid out and organized. We had chicken and waffles for dinner, pork sliders for lunch.
There were plenty of drunk idiots to contend with especially as the night rolled in. But we were slightly isolated in our area. More importantly we were able to stand in spots that made it easy to see the stage without being crushed. And now for tonight we know where the good spots are. It all helps.
We ran into friends who were just there to see NIN. They are hard core fans. They go to every show no matter how much the cost. I can't imagine just going to see one band and leaving. But hey to each their own.
My feet are killing me, my back aches, and I don't know if I can do a second day, but hey, that's rock n roll bitches. Suffer through the pain.
I need breakfast.
Today there's only three bands we care about. But of course it's 2pm, 6pm, and then Ozzy at 7:30. Hopefully we will be out by 9 tonight. Get a good night's sleep before flying home tomorrow.
Saturday, October 21, 2017
Y9 D148
I just went down for breakfast and there was a group of about 50 well dressed LatinX men and women. Something told me they weren't here for Aftershock. There was an older white guy who looks like he could be one of the crew members for a band so I asked him and he told me they were here for some business meeting. Makes so much more sense. Maybe they are planning to protest the concert. That would be hilarious since they were all nice and smiling towards me in the elevator. Imagine running into them later today and they have Jesus signs. Cracking up.
So yesterday was uneventful but long. I got to the airport at 5:30 just in case my flight was back to its original time (it wasn't) or there was an earlier flight (nope). So I ended up sitting in the lounge until 10:30. Headed to my gate and boarded at 11. Now I don't mind small planes, but this was a wind-up one and those make me nervous. Haven't had to fly on one of them since Canada in 2004. All the nightmares came back. Luckily I was in 1A and in the event of a crash I would be in the front part which statistically is more likely to not break apart. Ah, the morose things a traveler ponders.
Got to Sacramento around 1:15. Multiple shuttles later, got to my car. Hit the hotel at 2. My room was ready. And so was the kid's. Huh? Yeah, funny story. I had reserved one King room. But then I submitted an upgrade for a 2 room suite. Well I guess they were out of those and instead they gave me two actual rooms. We are on different floors right under each other (I'm on 4, she's on 3) but we each get our own room and our own privacy. Trust me, not complaining about that at all. The rooms are what they are and I am glad we have our own as they're pretty standard. Not like the suite I had last week in L.A.
The kid arrived around 6:30 and we went to old town for dinner. Went to Joe's crab shack. Haven't been there in forever. We had a good dinner, albeit loud since it was a Friday night downtown. After dinner we hit the big candy store down there. That was fun. Got back to the hotel around 9:30. I went to bed around 11 and woke up at 5:30. So excited to wake up at 5:30. Living the life.
Today we are heading out around 10 and won't be back until 10. It is now time to rock and or possibly roll. Woo.
So yesterday was uneventful but long. I got to the airport at 5:30 just in case my flight was back to its original time (it wasn't) or there was an earlier flight (nope). So I ended up sitting in the lounge until 10:30. Headed to my gate and boarded at 11. Now I don't mind small planes, but this was a wind-up one and those make me nervous. Haven't had to fly on one of them since Canada in 2004. All the nightmares came back. Luckily I was in 1A and in the event of a crash I would be in the front part which statistically is more likely to not break apart. Ah, the morose things a traveler ponders.
Got to Sacramento around 1:15. Multiple shuttles later, got to my car. Hit the hotel at 2. My room was ready. And so was the kid's. Huh? Yeah, funny story. I had reserved one King room. But then I submitted an upgrade for a 2 room suite. Well I guess they were out of those and instead they gave me two actual rooms. We are on different floors right under each other (I'm on 4, she's on 3) but we each get our own room and our own privacy. Trust me, not complaining about that at all. The rooms are what they are and I am glad we have our own as they're pretty standard. Not like the suite I had last week in L.A.
The kid arrived around 6:30 and we went to old town for dinner. Went to Joe's crab shack. Haven't been there in forever. We had a good dinner, albeit loud since it was a Friday night downtown. After dinner we hit the big candy store down there. That was fun. Got back to the hotel around 9:30. I went to bed around 11 and woke up at 5:30. So excited to wake up at 5:30. Living the life.
Today we are heading out around 10 and won't be back until 10. It is now time to rock and or possibly roll. Woo.
Friday, October 20, 2017
Y9 D147
Why is it that the clients I think hate me the most, the ones I lose my patience with, the ones that I don't ever want to see again, think I am the greatest thing since sliced bread? You read about them yesterday. You read what a horrible time I had. They sent an email to my boss saying that I was the best instructor ever and they can't wait to work with us again and to send me there right away. Seriously? No. I need to shoot myself first.
I spent most of my day at an airport yesterday. I got there around 3:30, got to the terminal about 4. I tried to get on an earlier flight home. It wasn't happening. So I ended up sitting in the Admiral's Club until 11am. About 6 hours. Only upside is I got my timesheet done and my expense report. It was less I had to deal with when I got home. B picked me up and we were home by 3:30. Did laundry, repacked, had dinner, watched tv, printed everything for this weekend, went to bed around 9.
Now I am back off to the airport. The same airport I have seen four times in six days. WTF? This concert better be worth it. I have anxiety about it, but am going to let it go.
I spent most of my day at an airport yesterday. I got there around 3:30, got to the terminal about 4. I tried to get on an earlier flight home. It wasn't happening. So I ended up sitting in the Admiral's Club until 11am. About 6 hours. Only upside is I got my timesheet done and my expense report. It was less I had to deal with when I got home. B picked me up and we were home by 3:30. Did laundry, repacked, had dinner, watched tv, printed everything for this weekend, went to bed around 9.
Now I am back off to the airport. The same airport I have seen four times in six days. WTF? This concert better be worth it. I have anxiety about it, but am going to let it go.
Thursday, October 19, 2017
Y9 D146
I lost my cool yesterday. While the client may use us as a company in the future, it wouldn't surprise me if they requested a different trainer. I will be okay with that because I can't take people like this. "Lifers" who are happy working in cubicle hell. These are people who shouldn't be in the positions they are in. Most of the class was baby boomers who complained all day - "the screen is too small", "you're going too fast", "where is the right click button" kind of bullshit. Not to mention a complete lack of respect for my time and their coworkers time. Strolling in when they wanted, not paying attention then getting pissed at me because I was moving on. Well fuck you. I think my boss only had me do this group because he didn't want to deal with this bullshit. Not cool.
I got in at 6:30 yesterday because they wanted me to help them with some existing issues and they wanted free support basically. Thanks to their lack of skills and time management, I didn't get out of there until 5. It was 5:40 by the time I got back to the hotel.
Had dinner (tomato soup and mac n cheese), packed, watched some TV, and went to bed at 8. My flight today isn't until 11:30 but I don't want to sit in LA traffic and I am hoping to find an earlier flight home. I am heading out of here around 4 which should get me to the terminal by 6. Maybe there's an 8am flight that I can catch. Hell, even if I go to Seattle first and come back down. If not, I sit in the lounge and watch TV and play WoW.
When I get home, I need to do laundry, unpack, repack, and go to bed at 9 so I can be back at the airport. I will have been at PDX 4 times in six days. What the fuck? At least this next trip is personal.
I got in at 6:30 yesterday because they wanted me to help them with some existing issues and they wanted free support basically. Thanks to their lack of skills and time management, I didn't get out of there until 5. It was 5:40 by the time I got back to the hotel.
Had dinner (tomato soup and mac n cheese), packed, watched some TV, and went to bed at 8. My flight today isn't until 11:30 but I don't want to sit in LA traffic and I am hoping to find an earlier flight home. I am heading out of here around 4 which should get me to the terminal by 6. Maybe there's an 8am flight that I can catch. Hell, even if I go to Seattle first and come back down. If not, I sit in the lounge and watch TV and play WoW.
When I get home, I need to do laundry, unpack, repack, and go to bed at 9 so I can be back at the airport. I will have been at PDX 4 times in six days. What the fuck? At least this next trip is personal.
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Y9 D145
Got some annoying news yesterday. Marilyn Manson has pulled out of this weekend's show. I know for the kid it's not that important to see him but he is one of the primary reasons I was going. Out of the 20 some odd bands that are playing he was one of the five I really am going to see. So yes, I am a bit disappointed. It is what it is.
I am working in cubicle hell this week. I will take a picture today to show all of you, but my god, I don't know how people can work in an environment like this. It is the epitome of government workspaces. Grey, grid after grid, cold, cubicle farms. A bit scary to be honest. I would kill myself if I had to be an environment like this every day. Then there's the network. Oh boy. Try to go to ANY website not officially sanctioned and you get block message after block message. The machines in the room I am training in are horrible. Half of them don't work, the other half are so locked down with "protection" I lost a good hour yesterday fighting them. It didn't help that half the class was upwards of 15 minutes late too. To top it off, I have one guy who flat out doesn't want to be there and made that perfectly clear from minute one: "I hate this product, I don't see why we should use it, convince me this isn't a waste of my time." WTF? Why are you even in here? Oh, because someone is forcing you to be here and you're taking it out on me. Got it. Fucker.
Got through the day and left at 4:45. Got back to the hotel at 5:14. 29 minutes to go 6 miles. Yeah, fuck this area.
Had dinner in the hotel. Had a nice duck breast. I do so like Doubletree properties. They overall provide the best experience out of all the Hilton brands. I need to try and stay at more of them even if the cost is a little higher. I tend to be happier.
Watched some tv, talked to B, went to bed around 10.
Today is more of the same. Cubicle hell, dinner, sleep. I did get my upgrade already for tomorrow which is nice. My flight is later in the day but I am heading to the airport early because LAX sucks. Then Friday back to the airport for the concert. Then next weekend off to Everett, then off to NJ. Man, what a life. Good? Bad? I don't know any more.
I am working in cubicle hell this week. I will take a picture today to show all of you, but my god, I don't know how people can work in an environment like this. It is the epitome of government workspaces. Grey, grid after grid, cold, cubicle farms. A bit scary to be honest. I would kill myself if I had to be an environment like this every day. Then there's the network. Oh boy. Try to go to ANY website not officially sanctioned and you get block message after block message. The machines in the room I am training in are horrible. Half of them don't work, the other half are so locked down with "protection" I lost a good hour yesterday fighting them. It didn't help that half the class was upwards of 15 minutes late too. To top it off, I have one guy who flat out doesn't want to be there and made that perfectly clear from minute one: "I hate this product, I don't see why we should use it, convince me this isn't a waste of my time." WTF? Why are you even in here? Oh, because someone is forcing you to be here and you're taking it out on me. Got it. Fucker.
Got through the day and left at 4:45. Got back to the hotel at 5:14. 29 minutes to go 6 miles. Yeah, fuck this area.
Had dinner in the hotel. Had a nice duck breast. I do so like Doubletree properties. They overall provide the best experience out of all the Hilton brands. I need to try and stay at more of them even if the cost is a little higher. I tend to be happier.
Watched some tv, talked to B, went to bed around 10.
Today is more of the same. Cubicle hell, dinner, sleep. I did get my upgrade already for tomorrow which is nice. My flight is later in the day but I am heading to the airport early because LAX sucks. Then Friday back to the airport for the concert. Then next weekend off to Everett, then off to NJ. Man, what a life. Good? Bad? I don't know any more.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Y9 D144
Simple day yesterday. Left for the airport at 2:45, boarded my flight at 5:30. Yes, I screwed up and left the house too early. I got this flight and my flight to Princeton confused. I could have had a later pickup but whatever. I would rather sit at the airport than be in traffic. I flew into LAX. What a pain in the ass. You have to take a shuttle from the plane to the baby terminal, then a shuttle to the main terminal, then a shuttle to the rental car. WTF? I seriously landed at 8:15 but didn't get to the rental car exit until 9:30. It literally took an hour before I was out of there. Whatever. I had time to kill. I stopped at Target on the way to the hotel, grabbed some lunch, and got to the hotel at around 11. Luckily my room was ready.
I have a nice room. Corner suite, 8th floor. Away from everyone and everything.
Only bad thing that happened yesterday is my headphones finally gave up. They cracked off their mount in a way that this time tape or glue won't fix them. I ended up around 3 going to best buy and getting a new pair of headphones. I really did try to avoid doing that. I tried using any of the random pairs in my bag but ear bud style just don't stay in my ear and the sound is horrible. I ended up buying the newer model of B's headphones, the Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II. What's the II? They have google assistant built in. Okay. Whatever. As for the headphones? HOLY SHIT. I will never buy any other headphones again. The sound, the weight, the noise reduction are all through the roof. The minute I switched them on, the outside world vanished. Even with nothing playing through them. It was glorious silence. I was in heaven. I finally understand what the fuss is about these things. It's incredible.
Had dinner in the hotel restaurant, watched some TV, went to bed around 10. Off this morning at 6:30 since I don't know where I am going. Two days in the valley, then home, then off to Aftershock!
Side note - I made an appointment for something yesterday. On November 18th at 1:45pm, I will be getting a vasectomy. Yep. Nothing exciting, just something.
I have a nice room. Corner suite, 8th floor. Away from everyone and everything.
Only bad thing that happened yesterday is my headphones finally gave up. They cracked off their mount in a way that this time tape or glue won't fix them. I ended up around 3 going to best buy and getting a new pair of headphones. I really did try to avoid doing that. I tried using any of the random pairs in my bag but ear bud style just don't stay in my ear and the sound is horrible. I ended up buying the newer model of B's headphones, the Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II. What's the II? They have google assistant built in. Okay. Whatever. As for the headphones? HOLY SHIT. I will never buy any other headphones again. The sound, the weight, the noise reduction are all through the roof. The minute I switched them on, the outside world vanished. Even with nothing playing through them. It was glorious silence. I was in heaven. I finally understand what the fuss is about these things. It's incredible.
Had dinner in the hotel restaurant, watched some TV, went to bed around 10. Off this morning at 6:30 since I don't know where I am going. Two days in the valley, then home, then off to Aftershock!
Side note - I made an appointment for something yesterday. On November 18th at 1:45pm, I will be getting a vasectomy. Yep. Nothing exciting, just something.
Monday, October 16, 2017
Y9 D143
Ah back up at 1am. Such fun. Thank goodness I am only going to SoCal today. I should have taken a later flight but you know me. Paranoia and all sets in. This way it should only take me 45 minutes to go 20 miles from LAX to Norwalk instead of 2 hours. I have to take the 105 to Firestone which should be fun on a Monday. The SoCal speech pattern - "the X to the Y cutting across on the Z to avoid the A". I was watching the Good Doctor to catch up yesterday. It's supposed to be filmed in the Bay Area and there's this cop who says "280 south, where all roads connect" and simultaneously me and the main character said "no they don't". Don't be trying to make things up about that area people. I will catch you on it.
We rearranged furniture yesterday. A lot of it. First we got the old couch down into the garage. That was not fun. It should fit on its side, but it doesn't. While the ceiling is technically tall enough, I didn't allow for the angling. I can't take it on its side and just shove it in unfortunately. It has to be in the garage then angle up and that doesn't work. We had to wedge it into a corner. Anyone have free garage space or need a couch?? Next we put away all the AC units (YAY!) and rearranged the bedroom. That led us to questioning the living room. We moved stuff around there just to be safe that we did EVERY ROOM. Because REASONS!
B took a nap. I got everything ready to go. Emptied garbage. I went to the store in the morning so there are groceries in the house for her.
That was my day. Went to bed around 8:30, up at 12:45am. I get home Thursday and then leave 5am Friday for Aftershock. No rest for the wicked until we close our eyes for good.
We rearranged furniture yesterday. A lot of it. First we got the old couch down into the garage. That was not fun. It should fit on its side, but it doesn't. While the ceiling is technically tall enough, I didn't allow for the angling. I can't take it on its side and just shove it in unfortunately. It has to be in the garage then angle up and that doesn't work. We had to wedge it into a corner. Anyone have free garage space or need a couch?? Next we put away all the AC units (YAY!) and rearranged the bedroom. That led us to questioning the living room. We moved stuff around there just to be safe that we did EVERY ROOM. Because REASONS!
B took a nap. I got everything ready to go. Emptied garbage. I went to the store in the morning so there are groceries in the house for her.
That was my day. Went to bed around 8:30, up at 12:45am. I get home Thursday and then leave 5am Friday for Aftershock. No rest for the wicked until we close our eyes for good.
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Y9 D142
So glad to be home. Slept in my own bed and it was wonderful. Granted, I leave again in less than 24 hours, but it has been nice regardless.
Both of us decided screw the train and to have a driver take us home. Smartest move ever. We got to the airport way too early, but it was better than another minute at that hotel. Literally. We sat for a few hours and landed around 12:30. Our drive got us home around 1:30. Once we got home I started in on stuff:
- Packages
- Laundry
- Bills
- Receipts
- Timesheet
- Repacking
- Dinner (Pizza)
- Cat stuff
- Fish stuff
- Target for B
I didn't stop until 7pm. I was so tired last night it's not even funny. I crashed out around 9:30. Today I have more errands to deal with (groceries mostly) and I have to move the couch. Our new one is coming tomorrow thank goodness. Plus B will need to go pick up our blanket from Sleep Number as they delivered it to a local UPS store since we weren't home. Buttholes.
My mouse is being stupid this morning and I am about to throw it out the window. I think it's cold. Because it is GLORIOUSLY cold here. Too bad I only get that for a day too. It's supposed to rain all week. I don't get any of it. Heck, I get home Thursday just to leave at 5am on Friday. But at least that's for fun.
Both of us decided screw the train and to have a driver take us home. Smartest move ever. We got to the airport way too early, but it was better than another minute at that hotel. Literally. We sat for a few hours and landed around 12:30. Our drive got us home around 1:30. Once we got home I started in on stuff:
- Packages
- Laundry
- Bills
- Receipts
- Timesheet
- Repacking
- Dinner (Pizza)
- Cat stuff
- Fish stuff
- Target for B
I didn't stop until 7pm. I was so tired last night it's not even funny. I crashed out around 9:30. Today I have more errands to deal with (groceries mostly) and I have to move the couch. Our new one is coming tomorrow thank goodness. Plus B will need to go pick up our blanket from Sleep Number as they delivered it to a local UPS store since we weren't home. Buttholes.
My mouse is being stupid this morning and I am about to throw it out the window. I think it's cold. Because it is GLORIOUSLY cold here. Too bad I only get that for a day too. It's supposed to rain all week. I don't get any of it. Heck, I get home Thursday just to leave at 5am on Friday. But at least that's for fun.
Saturday, October 14, 2017
Y9 D141
FINALLY we get to go home. I just want out of here.
I made a comment yesterday about this place being 'Clubnoxious', (Club + Obnoxious, get it? I am fucking funny, leave me alone.) and got chastised for being old. Yeah, I am. I also don't drink any more. I don't gamble any more. I don't waste money like an idiot any more. The trifecta of Vegas. I also fucking hate 90+ degree weather. I hate crowds of idiots. There is nothing here these days that holds my attention or makes me enjoy myself. Period. I find it annoying, tiring, and overwhelming. Too many fucking homeless, too many "walking pop up ads" trying to sell me show tickets or girls to my door. It's a pain here. Plain and simple. I have no interest in any of this crap. So fuck this place. Let me go home.
We both slept poorly Thursday night and B ended up taking a 'nap' in the morning. Basically we got out of bed, had a horrible breakfast, and she went back to sleep until noon. Breakfast was horrible because of the volume level and sheer number of people. That's the irony here. We have had some great food but the shittiest ambience and places to eat it. I was getting a splitting headache trying to deal with the noise level.
After she woke up we got out of the club, I mean our hotel room with the blaring pool music, and walked through the Miracle Mile shops. No we weren't looking for anything in particular, just wanted out of this room.
Came back, did part one packing (part two is this morning), and relaxed. We ate almost all of our leftovers from the week for dinner. Nice job. Went to bed around 10.
Leaving for the airport around 8. Flight boards at 10. Home by 2. Laundry. Packages. Cats. Soon. Very soon.
I made a comment yesterday about this place being 'Clubnoxious', (Club + Obnoxious, get it? I am fucking funny, leave me alone.) and got chastised for being old. Yeah, I am. I also don't drink any more. I don't gamble any more. I don't waste money like an idiot any more. The trifecta of Vegas. I also fucking hate 90+ degree weather. I hate crowds of idiots. There is nothing here these days that holds my attention or makes me enjoy myself. Period. I find it annoying, tiring, and overwhelming. Too many fucking homeless, too many "walking pop up ads" trying to sell me show tickets or girls to my door. It's a pain here. Plain and simple. I have no interest in any of this crap. So fuck this place. Let me go home.
We both slept poorly Thursday night and B ended up taking a 'nap' in the morning. Basically we got out of bed, had a horrible breakfast, and she went back to sleep until noon. Breakfast was horrible because of the volume level and sheer number of people. That's the irony here. We have had some great food but the shittiest ambience and places to eat it. I was getting a splitting headache trying to deal with the noise level.
After she woke up we got out of the club, I mean our hotel room with the blaring pool music, and walked through the Miracle Mile shops. No we weren't looking for anything in particular, just wanted out of this room.
Came back, did part one packing (part two is this morning), and relaxed. We ate almost all of our leftovers from the week for dinner. Nice job. Went to bed around 10.
Leaving for the airport around 8. Flight boards at 10. Home by 2. Laundry. Packages. Cats. Soon. Very soon.
Friday, October 13, 2017
Y9 D140
I slept in!! For the first time (and probably the last) in a week plus. Man was that much needed sleep. I woke up at 3:30 and was like hell no. Not today satan. I don't need to get up and I am not.
Did the final day of the conference. Even with my not rushing and my lack of sleep, I was still the first one in the booth. Now as the last day there was no keynote in the morning, and the first breakout sessions didn't start until 9. Hence, there was nobody going to the booth. I mostly went over to get breakfast. One last day of free breakfast and lunch, you'd better believe I am going for it.
I went to a couple of sessions myself and then took off around 2. I was sticking around in case they needed booth breakdown help but all was good.
While I was doing that, B was dealing with the room switch. Which it turns out was not worth it. I ended up talking with a manager. He acknowledged that I am not the only one who has complained about the music and that this is not the right property for someone here on business. In the end I got 60,000 Hilton points and a $100 food and beverage credit on my bill. I can handle that.
Around 6:30 we met my boss at this place called Hexx for dinner. We had a great 3 hour dinner. Some of the best simple food. I had a meat and cheese plate that was great, a perfectly cooked steak, B had a pepperoni pizza, and my boss had steak. Now, for dessert we couldn't decide. There were 8 desserts and we ended up ordering 6. Turned out to be the best idea ever!
Got back to the room around 10 and relaxed. Fell asleep around 11.
Today we are taking it easy. We can't change our flight so we are going to wonder the shops, pack, and just enjoy the day. Tomorrow we fly home around 10.
Did the final day of the conference. Even with my not rushing and my lack of sleep, I was still the first one in the booth. Now as the last day there was no keynote in the morning, and the first breakout sessions didn't start until 9. Hence, there was nobody going to the booth. I mostly went over to get breakfast. One last day of free breakfast and lunch, you'd better believe I am going for it.
I went to a couple of sessions myself and then took off around 2. I was sticking around in case they needed booth breakdown help but all was good.
While I was doing that, B was dealing with the room switch. Which it turns out was not worth it. I ended up talking with a manager. He acknowledged that I am not the only one who has complained about the music and that this is not the right property for someone here on business. In the end I got 60,000 Hilton points and a $100 food and beverage credit on my bill. I can handle that.
Around 6:30 we met my boss at this place called Hexx for dinner. We had a great 3 hour dinner. Some of the best simple food. I had a meat and cheese plate that was great, a perfectly cooked steak, B had a pepperoni pizza, and my boss had steak. Now, for dessert we couldn't decide. There were 8 desserts and we ended up ordering 6. Turned out to be the best idea ever!
Got back to the room around 10 and relaxed. Fell asleep around 11.
Today we are taking it easy. We can't change our flight so we are going to wonder the shops, pack, and just enjoy the day. Tomorrow we fly home around 10.
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Y9 D139
Not sure if it was an actual bucket item list or not, but I can cross off seeing both a "vegas show" and seeing Britney Spears. Notice the overall lack of enthusiasm. I will come back to this. For the record I am on about 4.5 hours sleep. Fun.
Okay, so in the morning I had official booth duty. It was my one day for it. I am scheduled for 7-8:30 with 2 other people. I get there and of course I am the only one in the booth until almost 8. Without a scanner. Fun. When the sales people finally do show up they're all ha ha about it and I am like no, do your fucking job. Whatever.
I went to three sessions yesterday. One was REALLY useful and good. One was factual and helped bolster my technical skills. One I walked right out of. Why? Because EA decided to send two Indian (important in this context) developers to speak. The problem is both had SUPER heavy accents and they were developers. No communication skills at all. They read off their screens. I wasn't the only one walking out. At least 20% had left by the time I did and I stuck with it for a good 15 minutes. Really bad.
I headed back to the hotel around 4 to find B a blubbering mess. Why? The fucking noise from the pool behind us escalated. I had to go down to the front desk, and even with only 3 days left here, ask they change our room. We are moving to another tower today. Hopefully it will be better. Because of that, we spent the next hour packing so she can quickly change to another room.
Around 6 we went to Bubba Gump for dinner. It was okay. Not as good as our normal Bubba Gump experiences. Then we walked around the shops until it was time for the concert. We went in around 8:20 as it was scheduled to start at 9. Also let me retract that word 'concert' and replace it with 'show'. There is and was a difference.
It finally started around 9:20. Overall it was okay. The people around us were annoying and blocking my view of most stuff, but whatever. This to me wasn't a concert. It was a part lip-synched, stage show. That kept throwing me off. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that. It was good and all, just different than what I expected to see. About 15 songs in her playlist. We got out of there around 11.
Got back to the hotel and finally got in bed after midnight.
Last full day of the show today. I have three sessions and then booth breakdown. It doesn't look like I will get in for testing tomorrow so I should have another free day. I tried changing our flights but it was just too expensive. Oh well.
Okay, so in the morning I had official booth duty. It was my one day for it. I am scheduled for 7-8:30 with 2 other people. I get there and of course I am the only one in the booth until almost 8. Without a scanner. Fun. When the sales people finally do show up they're all ha ha about it and I am like no, do your fucking job. Whatever.
I went to three sessions yesterday. One was REALLY useful and good. One was factual and helped bolster my technical skills. One I walked right out of. Why? Because EA decided to send two Indian (important in this context) developers to speak. The problem is both had SUPER heavy accents and they were developers. No communication skills at all. They read off their screens. I wasn't the only one walking out. At least 20% had left by the time I did and I stuck with it for a good 15 minutes. Really bad.
I headed back to the hotel around 4 to find B a blubbering mess. Why? The fucking noise from the pool behind us escalated. I had to go down to the front desk, and even with only 3 days left here, ask they change our room. We are moving to another tower today. Hopefully it will be better. Because of that, we spent the next hour packing so she can quickly change to another room.
Around 6 we went to Bubba Gump for dinner. It was okay. Not as good as our normal Bubba Gump experiences. Then we walked around the shops until it was time for the concert. We went in around 8:20 as it was scheduled to start at 9. Also let me retract that word 'concert' and replace it with 'show'. There is and was a difference.
It finally started around 9:20. Overall it was okay. The people around us were annoying and blocking my view of most stuff, but whatever. This to me wasn't a concert. It was a part lip-synched, stage show. That kept throwing me off. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that. It was good and all, just different than what I expected to see. About 15 songs in her playlist. We got out of there around 11.
Got back to the hotel and finally got in bed after midnight.
Last full day of the show today. I have three sessions and then booth breakdown. It doesn't look like I will get in for testing tomorrow so I should have another free day. I tried changing our flights but it was just too expensive. Oh well.
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Y9 D138
As predicted I had a busy day. I was the first one onsite for the company too. Of course. The floor opened at 7 but they all decided they were going to get there at 8. Fucking salespeople. I handled the early morning people for them since I was there. It was only a few people, but still. The nice thing is that the keynote was broadcasted to all the TVs on the floor and I didn't have to try and jam into a huge line with all the other folks.
There were some moments of cheese during the keynote but it was informative and they introduced a couple of cool new things that are really useful to me. That part was good. I went off to my first breakout where I learned about the art of data which was also a good session. Came back to the floor for lunch, took over the booth for a while, then went off to the afternoon sessions. A little less valuable but still very useful from a company perspective.
I ended up getting a headache around 3 and headed back to the hotel around 4. We went to the shops next door for Mexican for dinner. B was doing her editing that she has been needing to finish. She took care of that and we relaxed. Went to bed around 10.
Today is more of the same during the day but then tonight... It's Britney night!! WOO! I am excited about this concert. I really don't know why, but I am. I think because it's the first time in forever I have been in Vegas and actually going to a show. The last show I saw here was Penn and Teller and that was a decade ago.
That's about it. Off to shower.
There were some moments of cheese during the keynote but it was informative and they introduced a couple of cool new things that are really useful to me. That part was good. I went off to my first breakout where I learned about the art of data which was also a good session. Came back to the floor for lunch, took over the booth for a while, then went off to the afternoon sessions. A little less valuable but still very useful from a company perspective.
I ended up getting a headache around 3 and headed back to the hotel around 4. We went to the shops next door for Mexican for dinner. B was doing her editing that she has been needing to finish. She took care of that and we relaxed. Went to bed around 10.
Today is more of the same during the day but then tonight... It's Britney night!! WOO! I am excited about this concert. I really don't know why, but I am. I think because it's the first time in forever I have been in Vegas and actually going to a show. The last show I saw here was Penn and Teller and that was a decade ago.
That's about it. Off to shower.
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Y9 D137
Something tells me there's a lot of people who are inexperienced drinkers waking up with hangovers right now. A bunch of kids who don't know how to keep it in check and they were all at our party last night. We had 200 signed up and when we left at 9:45pm there were 330+ in the room. The party still had an hour to go too. Insane.
My day started off with having to deal with stupid salespeople. People who don't understand how things get done sometimes. I was supposed to meet her at 7 in one of the lobbies then we would go get the booth stuff and set things up. Well due to people being cheap, we had to first go to this other address and have everything inspected. She was freaking out because she believed EVERYONE had to go and I was like no, that can't be right. I sent her off with the guy driving our truck. She was freaking out worried I wouldn't be able to get in. Yeah right. I was in the building in 5 minutes and had made friends with the three dock workers who were also pissed at my co-worker for being 30 minutes late. Don't ever underestimate the power of old white guy.
We get the pallet loaded from the truck, bring it to the booth, and start setup. About 30 minutes later two more co-workers show up (also sales people) and the whole thing is a clusterfuck. I go into tech manager mode and get them all under control. When I left around 10 (from being there at 5:45 mind you), the booth was perfect, electronics set up, furniture ready. I haven't seen it since so I am worried today how it looks. I got back to the hotel around 11 and took B for lunch at In N Out. We then hung in the hotel until it was party time.
Want more clusterfuck? Stay tuned.
I was told to get to the party by 6:30 with a start time of 7 to setup a table, do badges, etc. I get there at 6:20 and am the only one there. Motherfucker. We do have a nice space rented out - like 3/4 of the whole restaurant so B and I say fuck it and order dinner. We had an entire back half of the place to ourselves with three servers all over us. It was wonderful. It was an Irish pub and we had a curry, some smoked salmon, and soup. All was good.
Eventually people started showing and the first one there was my big boss. The one guy I respect the most in the company. He has been on sabbatical. He sat with me and B and we had a good talk about things. He also agreed that B needed another Harry Potter poster. Oh darn. Guests started arriving and some fucking moron salesperson opened the guest list up to Tableau (the hosts of the conference). Over 100 of the people mentioned above were just Tableau employees looking for free booze. I was getting so pissed because no one was watching the door. I ended up being doorman and checking invitations. Some folks were pissed at me as I turned them away. We had a sign that clearly stated who the party was for and when they couldn't answer that simple question I sent them on their merry little way.
When we left we went over the poster shop. We had already been there earlier in the day to discuss if he had the poster we wanted. Signed Chamber of Secrets will be arriving sometime in the first week of November. Boom. Two down, six to go.
Got back to the hotel and relaxed for a while. Crashed out about 11. Heading over shortly. Keynote this morning starts at 8:30 and then breakout sessions all day. Going to be a busy busy day today. Should finish up around 5.
My day started off with having to deal with stupid salespeople. People who don't understand how things get done sometimes. I was supposed to meet her at 7 in one of the lobbies then we would go get the booth stuff and set things up. Well due to people being cheap, we had to first go to this other address and have everything inspected. She was freaking out because she believed EVERYONE had to go and I was like no, that can't be right. I sent her off with the guy driving our truck. She was freaking out worried I wouldn't be able to get in. Yeah right. I was in the building in 5 minutes and had made friends with the three dock workers who were also pissed at my co-worker for being 30 minutes late. Don't ever underestimate the power of old white guy.
We get the pallet loaded from the truck, bring it to the booth, and start setup. About 30 minutes later two more co-workers show up (also sales people) and the whole thing is a clusterfuck. I go into tech manager mode and get them all under control. When I left around 10 (from being there at 5:45 mind you), the booth was perfect, electronics set up, furniture ready. I haven't seen it since so I am worried today how it looks. I got back to the hotel around 11 and took B for lunch at In N Out. We then hung in the hotel until it was party time.
Want more clusterfuck? Stay tuned.
I was told to get to the party by 6:30 with a start time of 7 to setup a table, do badges, etc. I get there at 6:20 and am the only one there. Motherfucker. We do have a nice space rented out - like 3/4 of the whole restaurant so B and I say fuck it and order dinner. We had an entire back half of the place to ourselves with three servers all over us. It was wonderful. It was an Irish pub and we had a curry, some smoked salmon, and soup. All was good.
Eventually people started showing and the first one there was my big boss. The one guy I respect the most in the company. He has been on sabbatical. He sat with me and B and we had a good talk about things. He also agreed that B needed another Harry Potter poster. Oh darn. Guests started arriving and some fucking moron salesperson opened the guest list up to Tableau (the hosts of the conference). Over 100 of the people mentioned above were just Tableau employees looking for free booze. I was getting so pissed because no one was watching the door. I ended up being doorman and checking invitations. Some folks were pissed at me as I turned them away. We had a sign that clearly stated who the party was for and when they couldn't answer that simple question I sent them on their merry little way.
When we left we went over the poster shop. We had already been there earlier in the day to discuss if he had the poster we wanted. Signed Chamber of Secrets will be arriving sometime in the first week of November. Boom. Two down, six to go.
Got back to the hotel and relaxed for a while. Crashed out about 11. Heading over shortly. Keynote this morning starts at 8:30 and then breakout sessions all day. Going to be a busy busy day today. Should finish up around 5.
Monday, October 9, 2017
Y9 D136
We walked so much yesterday. Killed my poor feeties dead I did. Let's see if I can remember everything I did. Got up, went for a walk around 5:45. I walked the hotel grounds and the adjacent shops/restaurants. The number of people drunk AND still drinking at 6am was just mind boggling. Even in my heyday I would have been done drinking at that time of morning. I did discover quite a bit during my walk, especially a more direct route to our hotel. That always helps. When B got up (3 hours later) we went over to the same area I had been in for some 'brunch'. That consisted of fancy hot dogs. I gotta admit they were pretty damn good.
While we were out they came and replaced our shower head. It was awful. It was shooting 10 different directions and none of them were at you. Came back to the room where she napped. At 3 we headed to Mandalay for me to check in for the conference. I ended up walking the booth to make sure everything was looking good. They even let B in with me which was cool for her. She's never seen a behind the scenes of a tradeshow and it was a fun experience for her.
Had Hussong's for dinner which was really good. We then walked back. Yes, from Mandalay to Flamingo. We stopped at the Coke store and the M&M store and did some shopping along the way but we walked the whole damn thing. We were both exhausted when we finally got back in the room around 9.
Took a bath together using some new treats we had gotten earlier in the day. That was enjoyable.
Now I am headed over to Mandalay again. Today is setup during the day, then keynote around 4 in the afternoon. Then I come back, get B, and we head back around 7 for company dinner and party. Time for the work part of this trip to begin.
While we were out they came and replaced our shower head. It was awful. It was shooting 10 different directions and none of them were at you. Came back to the room where she napped. At 3 we headed to Mandalay for me to check in for the conference. I ended up walking the booth to make sure everything was looking good. They even let B in with me which was cool for her. She's never seen a behind the scenes of a tradeshow and it was a fun experience for her.
Had Hussong's for dinner which was really good. We then walked back. Yes, from Mandalay to Flamingo. We stopped at the Coke store and the M&M store and did some shopping along the way but we walked the whole damn thing. We were both exhausted when we finally got back in the room around 9.
Took a bath together using some new treats we had gotten earlier in the day. That was enjoyable.
Now I am headed over to Mandalay again. Today is setup during the day, then keynote around 4 in the afternoon. Then I come back, get B, and we head back around 7 for company dinner and party. Time for the work part of this trip to begin.
Sunday, October 8, 2017
Y9 D135
Here we are in Vegas. I used to like this town. When I drank and gambled and spent money like a sailor on shore leave. Now I am older, calmer, and find most of the things here annoying as hell. Like most places, it's changed over the last 20 years too. There's too much these days. It's overwhelming to the senses. Too much going on at once. Too much noise. Too many drunk people. I ranted years ago about all the reasons why I hate Vegas. No need to rehash it. Suffice to say, I am simultaneously too old for this place and too young. Too old to spend $300 on vodka at a club, to young to want to spend $500 on Celine Dion. Oh well.
We headed out to the airport at 4:30, got there by 5, went through security with no issues, and sat in the club until 6:40. Boarded a little before 7 and we were off at 7:30. Got in about 15 minutes early which was wonderful because we were just ahead of the VP. Unbeknownst to us, Pence was coming to visit to do his photo opp du jour at the shooting site. We literally landed 20 minutes before his plane. The whole airport was being shut down and cleared out. The taxi line was completely empty which is how we found out about all this.
Got to the hotel a little after 10 and luckily they had a room ready for us. It's okay. This is the one type of property where my status comes in 2nd. We are at the Hilton Grand Vacations which makes Owners a higher level than me. I am still treated well, but get bumped by those with just a little bit more. I took what they gave me at 10am (6 hours ahead of normal check in, I will deal). B immediately took a nap. I unpacked, dealt with some emails, and explored the grounds a bit. We are right behind the Flamingo hotel and casino so I wandered over there.
After B woke up, we had some snacks brought to the room and then around 2 we went out. We wandered around the shops at Caesar's for a while. Came back, and since she wanted to, we had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. She had never been and I said what the hell. It's a Landry's property and we got points for eating there. It was acceptable. After dinner we went back to the shops where I got a hat I had been looking at earlier. A real Stetson. Hand shaped. Silverbelly model. They even branded it for me. That is my anniversary present. B's is the Britney tickets on Wednesday so this was mine. I look good. Period.
Got back to the room around 9 and we both crashed hard. Although at 1, B woke me up to use saline spray because this room was drying me out hard. Her exact words were "use this or I will kill you". Yep. Now it's 4:30 and I am awake whether I like it or not.
One thing she mentioned yesterday is that she apologized for treating this solely like a vacation. I thanked her for that. This is work for me. Yes, we tacked on these extra days but starting tonight through Thursday night, I have work to do. Real work. I have to go over to Mandalay tonight to get pre-registered and get settled with my badge. I have setup at 7am, I have events and keynotes and booth duty. This is why I am stressing. This isn't a picnic for me.
Don't know what I am going to do with myself this morning, but I will figure it out.
We headed out to the airport at 4:30, got there by 5, went through security with no issues, and sat in the club until 6:40. Boarded a little before 7 and we were off at 7:30. Got in about 15 minutes early which was wonderful because we were just ahead of the VP. Unbeknownst to us, Pence was coming to visit to do his photo opp du jour at the shooting site. We literally landed 20 minutes before his plane. The whole airport was being shut down and cleared out. The taxi line was completely empty which is how we found out about all this.
Got to the hotel a little after 10 and luckily they had a room ready for us. It's okay. This is the one type of property where my status comes in 2nd. We are at the Hilton Grand Vacations which makes Owners a higher level than me. I am still treated well, but get bumped by those with just a little bit more. I took what they gave me at 10am (6 hours ahead of normal check in, I will deal). B immediately took a nap. I unpacked, dealt with some emails, and explored the grounds a bit. We are right behind the Flamingo hotel and casino so I wandered over there.
After B woke up, we had some snacks brought to the room and then around 2 we went out. We wandered around the shops at Caesar's for a while. Came back, and since she wanted to, we had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. She had never been and I said what the hell. It's a Landry's property and we got points for eating there. It was acceptable. After dinner we went back to the shops where I got a hat I had been looking at earlier. A real Stetson. Hand shaped. Silverbelly model. They even branded it for me. That is my anniversary present. B's is the Britney tickets on Wednesday so this was mine. I look good. Period.
Got back to the room around 9 and we both crashed hard. Although at 1, B woke me up to use saline spray because this room was drying me out hard. Her exact words were "use this or I will kill you". Yep. Now it's 4:30 and I am awake whether I like it or not.
One thing she mentioned yesterday is that she apologized for treating this solely like a vacation. I thanked her for that. This is work for me. Yes, we tacked on these extra days but starting tonight through Thursday night, I have work to do. Real work. I have to go over to Mandalay tonight to get pre-registered and get settled with my badge. I have setup at 7am, I have events and keynotes and booth duty. This is why I am stressing. This isn't a picnic for me.
Don't know what I am going to do with myself this morning, but I will figure it out.
Saturday, October 7, 2017
Y9 D134
I have a love hate relationship with coupons. There are some places where I explicitly tell them not to give me their 'world o bucks' money, or their '40% off your next purchase of something you'll never buy!' pieces of paper. They go to waste. B, coming from the backgrounds she comes from, loves coupons. But inevitably they go from back to fridge to trash. Prior to us leaving for Vegas today, I cleaned up the fridge inside and out. I took down the 10 coupons that has expiration dates ranging from last week all the way back to August 30th. Sigh. At the same time, every now and then I get a coupon I can use. Especially if I am smart enough to use it right when it comes. Yesterday was a good example of that. Sleep Number does this thing where if someone says you referred them, you get $100 voucher. Apparently 2 people used our name in the last month because I got a $200 coupon from them PLUS another $25 from a recent ad. Cool. We ended up getting a winter blanket and new a pillow for B for $210. I ended up leaving $15 on the table, but okay. It was free money to begin with and I was doing my best not to have out of pocket. Score.
The rest of the day was spent prepping for this week. Laundry, packing, animals, documents, check ins, you name it, we did it. Side note - the trip to the ER was worth it. B woke up for the first time in a week actually smiling. It was a Christmas Miracle Charlie Brown. We got everything done including me dealing with the annoying people at my work.
I am having a rough time with this trip because I am used to solo travel. Traveling with B is okay and it's not that part of the equation that's the issue. It's my co-workers. I am not used to being onsite with other people. I do my own thing. I stay at my own hotel, I don't go out at night, I don't interact. They keep trying to send me booth schedules and dinner plans and I am trying to be nice but am having a hard time with it. I really need today to be mellow and not be bugged. Otherwise I may lose my shit.
We didn't get an upgrade on this flight since it's a partner flight, but whatever. It's only 2.5 hours. A couple of TV episodes and a nap will handle it. I did call the hotel to arrange for an early checkin. Hopefully they can honor it. We are staying at Hilton's Grand Vacation Time Share properties which means for once, there is a higher status than mine. Normally I would be treated well but owners come before me. It's going to be a long week.
Driver comes in about 90 minutes and then we board at 6:30. Time for a snack in the lounge.
The rest of the day was spent prepping for this week. Laundry, packing, animals, documents, check ins, you name it, we did it. Side note - the trip to the ER was worth it. B woke up for the first time in a week actually smiling. It was a Christmas Miracle Charlie Brown. We got everything done including me dealing with the annoying people at my work.
I am having a rough time with this trip because I am used to solo travel. Traveling with B is okay and it's not that part of the equation that's the issue. It's my co-workers. I am not used to being onsite with other people. I do my own thing. I stay at my own hotel, I don't go out at night, I don't interact. They keep trying to send me booth schedules and dinner plans and I am trying to be nice but am having a hard time with it. I really need today to be mellow and not be bugged. Otherwise I may lose my shit.
We didn't get an upgrade on this flight since it's a partner flight, but whatever. It's only 2.5 hours. A couple of TV episodes and a nap will handle it. I did call the hotel to arrange for an early checkin. Hopefully they can honor it. We are staying at Hilton's Grand Vacation Time Share properties which means for once, there is a higher status than mine. Normally I would be treated well but owners come before me. It's going to be a long week.
Driver comes in about 90 minutes and then we board at 6:30. Time for a snack in the lounge.
Friday, October 6, 2017
Y9 D133
The headache is gone (B's). But not without a 4 hour trip to her medical provider's ER. Downtown. At 8pm. No joke. First off she didn't get up until noon. When she did get up the migraine was still there but low level. As the day wore on, it went from a 2 to a 4. She made a 7:15 appointment at the clinic near us. We went in and at 7:45 they sent us off to their ER. They have one. It's down by the big huge stadium. Which had something going on last night. Sigh. After ruling out stroke and heart attack, they gave her multiple injections, one of which caused her to pass out right in front of me. That was a bit scary to say the least. Finally after a long time of waiting for things to kick in and take effect, the migraine was gone and we were able to go home. Thank goodness. She is finally getting some real rest. It's been a long week.
Taught day three of my class. Almost lost my cool but made it through. Had a pot pie for dinner. Not much time for anything else. Class finished at 3, we went to the doctor's around 6:45. Doesn't give you a lot of time to do much.
Today I have a ton of things to do. Benefits for 2018 (once again my company gave me only a couple of days to get everything done. Dicks). Laundry. Suitcase. Vape shop. Hotel. Flight. Car. Ugh. Hence why I am up once again at 4am. You know what? On Sunday, I am sleeping dammit. At least until 6!
Taught day three of my class. Almost lost my cool but made it through. Had a pot pie for dinner. Not much time for anything else. Class finished at 3, we went to the doctor's around 6:45. Doesn't give you a lot of time to do much.
Today I have a ton of things to do. Benefits for 2018 (once again my company gave me only a couple of days to get everything done. Dicks). Laundry. Suitcase. Vape shop. Hotel. Flight. Car. Ugh. Hence why I am up once again at 4am. You know what? On Sunday, I am sleeping dammit. At least until 6!
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Y9 D132
B needs to stop being stubborn and let me take her to a doctor. She still has the migraine. Last night was so bad she was on the couch in tears. Nothing helped. Flexural, Imetrex, pot, sleep, nothing. I just got up to find her on the couch still. No matter what she says, I am taking her to the doctor this afternoon. The problem is there's only one doctor she likes to see and that doctor is currently working an hour away. Versus the 4 minutes away office we could go to. Sigh. Whatever. It's not like I will have anything to do after 3pm anyway.
Taught my class. 4 out of 5 students are just fine. One doesn't belong. She's old, she's white, and she is constantly telling me to slow down. Think faster! We got through the class thank goodness. One more day.
Watched some new shows yesterday - The Gifted, good. The Mayor, bad. Wisdom of the Crowd, B likes, I hate. But then again I hate anything with fake tech and I think Jeremy Piven is a weasel. I also watched Kevin Probably Saves the World and surprisingly I enjoyed it. It was not what I expected. I thought it was a cheesy sitcom but it's actually a drama and not half bad.
Went to bed around 10. Slept pretty good. Had weird dreams but then again, when don't I? The main theme of last night's anxiety fueled dream was missed flights. I couldn't get a car to the airport, cabs were useless, I missed a connecting flight, couldn't reschedule -- yeah, anxiety central.
I am feeling a bit overwhelmed right now with all the travel coming up and I think that's where this is stemming from in my brain. Not a big deal, just need to get through some stuff.
Good news! Our new couch has arrived! It is scheduled to be delivered 10/16 while I am in LA. So that means I have 10/15 to try and get the house ready before leaving for LA. Lovely. I have one free day between now and 11/5. Fuck. See why my dreams are stressed?
Taught my class. 4 out of 5 students are just fine. One doesn't belong. She's old, she's white, and she is constantly telling me to slow down. Think faster! We got through the class thank goodness. One more day.
Watched some new shows yesterday - The Gifted, good. The Mayor, bad. Wisdom of the Crowd, B likes, I hate. But then again I hate anything with fake tech and I think Jeremy Piven is a weasel. I also watched Kevin Probably Saves the World and surprisingly I enjoyed it. It was not what I expected. I thought it was a cheesy sitcom but it's actually a drama and not half bad.
Went to bed around 10. Slept pretty good. Had weird dreams but then again, when don't I? The main theme of last night's anxiety fueled dream was missed flights. I couldn't get a car to the airport, cabs were useless, I missed a connecting flight, couldn't reschedule -- yeah, anxiety central.
I am feeling a bit overwhelmed right now with all the travel coming up and I think that's where this is stemming from in my brain. Not a big deal, just need to get through some stuff.
Good news! Our new couch has arrived! It is scheduled to be delivered 10/16 while I am in LA. So that means I have 10/15 to try and get the house ready before leaving for LA. Lovely. I have one free day between now and 11/5. Fuck. See why my dreams are stressed?
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Y9 D131
I booked my travel to NJ yesterday. I still can't get over the fact I am speaking and teaching to people at Princeton. That's just mind boggling. I should hit all my end of year statuses by the time that trip is over. I am $900/2k miles shy at American, 12 nights at Hilton, and 1 rental at Avis. Between now and mid-November I should easily knock those all out. I also had to book a quick trip for right when I get home from Vegas. I am doing two days in LA. I get home from Vegas on Saturday then leave for LA on Monday. Come home Thursday, leave Friday for Sacramento. Come home Monday, home for a week, then go to NJ. Whew. A lot going on.
Taught my class. Ended up having five students instead of six due to a scheduling fuck up on our part. One guy had been scheduled but never notified he was scheduled. How do you not stay on top of shit like that? If I paid a couple grand for a class, I would be all over it and looking for constant confirmation emails. Whatever. Some people don't care which means I am not upset he isn't in my class. I only want people who actually want to be there. Finished around 2.
Watched some tv, made a pork roast for both dinner and lunches the rest of the week. Went to bed around 10. B has had a migraine for 3 days now. I think if it hasn't broken by this afternoon we are going to the doctor. She needs a hot of imetrex (??). Nothing else has been working. She even tried a different pot strain but it's not breaking the headache. Can't have that floating around for next week.
Day two of class today then no plans.
Taught my class. Ended up having five students instead of six due to a scheduling fuck up on our part. One guy had been scheduled but never notified he was scheduled. How do you not stay on top of shit like that? If I paid a couple grand for a class, I would be all over it and looking for constant confirmation emails. Whatever. Some people don't care which means I am not upset he isn't in my class. I only want people who actually want to be there. Finished around 2.
Watched some tv, made a pork roast for both dinner and lunches the rest of the week. Went to bed around 10. B has had a migraine for 3 days now. I think if it hasn't broken by this afternoon we are going to the doctor. She needs a hot of imetrex (??). Nothing else has been working. She even tried a different pot strain but it's not breaking the headache. Can't have that floating around for next week.
Day two of class today then no plans.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Y9 D130
I had to check the news first because apparently yesterday Tom Petty died, then didn't die, then died for real at 10:40pm. I don't blame the first announcement - fully unconscious, no brain function, off life support, yeah I would have said dead too. But it was premature. He would hold on for a few more hours. Either way fucking Tom Petty is dead. I listened to his greatest hits yesterday. 19 track and 17 of those were top 100 hits. 10 of them top 40, and at least 5, top 10. That's some fucking legendary music making right there kids. Another great rock n roller is gone.
Add to that the TERRORISM that took place in Vegas Sunday night. What the fuck? And don't be sugar coating this fucking shit. He wasn't a 'lone wolf' or a 'poor guy who snapped'. Those are actual descriptions of this TERRORIST. The worst death toll mass shooting in US history and we can't call a fucking old white TERRORIST what he really is. Who the fuck brings an ASSAULT RIFLE on vacation with them?? I have been packing for Vegas the last couple of days and NOT ONCE did the thought of bringing a fucking semi-automatic weapon cross my mind. No one needs a goddamn machine gun. Fuck you and your 'second amendment rights'. Have you READ IT? Are you a militia? Are you serving in the protection of the free state? No you're a fucking TERRORIST killing people at a music show. But of course 'this isn't the time to discuss'. Aka this isn't the time to stop the NRA from giving me millions of dollars towards my re-election campaign. Johnny can't fucking read but he can kill a crowd of people who irk him.
On top of all this, you know what really pisses me off?? Marketing. Salespeople. Spam. Take a break from sending out your bullshit emails people. I get so angry at spam. It should be illegal. Unsolicited emails of porn and fake payments should be a goddamn felony. It's disgusting and needs to end.
I worked all day. Got through one set of docs. Today I teach. Six students, three days. Hopefully none of them will have a machine gun.
Add to that the TERRORISM that took place in Vegas Sunday night. What the fuck? And don't be sugar coating this fucking shit. He wasn't a 'lone wolf' or a 'poor guy who snapped'. Those are actual descriptions of this TERRORIST. The worst death toll mass shooting in US history and we can't call a fucking old white TERRORIST what he really is. Who the fuck brings an ASSAULT RIFLE on vacation with them?? I have been packing for Vegas the last couple of days and NOT ONCE did the thought of bringing a fucking semi-automatic weapon cross my mind. No one needs a goddamn machine gun. Fuck you and your 'second amendment rights'. Have you READ IT? Are you a militia? Are you serving in the protection of the free state? No you're a fucking TERRORIST killing people at a music show. But of course 'this isn't the time to discuss'. Aka this isn't the time to stop the NRA from giving me millions of dollars towards my re-election campaign. Johnny can't fucking read but he can kill a crowd of people who irk him.
On top of all this, you know what really pisses me off?? Marketing. Salespeople. Spam. Take a break from sending out your bullshit emails people. I get so angry at spam. It should be illegal. Unsolicited emails of porn and fake payments should be a goddamn felony. It's disgusting and needs to end.
I worked all day. Got through one set of docs. Today I teach. Six students, three days. Hopefully none of them will have a machine gun.
Monday, October 2, 2017
Y9 D129
I just woke up from the weirdest dream. I was doing some work with this guy and as a result I ended up buying a NY apartment so I would have a place to live on both coasts. I went across the street to my apartment (which btw had a pool on like the 50th floor that you could jump down from the 75th floor in to. Yeah, that makes sense) and I had one on the 6th floor. Apparently I could afford to live there but not higher? The apartment was nice. I had a mouse, a cat, and a lizard all running free in there too. I had a really nice bedroom. Before the apartment I was at some club/arcade thing with a bunch of people and then we ended up outside eating apples. Man the human brain is weird.
We spent the day mostly inside. We did go to the store once for halloween/fall type decorations because you know how it is. Other than that, not much else going on. Talked to the kid a bit. We are both excited about the upcoming concert. There was some worry since Manson got injured in NY and has cancelled shows. But he is back on the road 10/15 which is fine for us. He plays 10/22. A whole week later. He'd better be there dammit.
Today I am doing doc updates then teach the rest of the week. Then it's off to Vegas!
We spent the day mostly inside. We did go to the store once for halloween/fall type decorations because you know how it is. Other than that, not much else going on. Talked to the kid a bit. We are both excited about the upcoming concert. There was some worry since Manson got injured in NY and has cancelled shows. But he is back on the road 10/15 which is fine for us. He plays 10/22. A whole week later. He'd better be there dammit.
Today I am doing doc updates then teach the rest of the week. Then it's off to Vegas!
Sunday, October 1, 2017
Y9 D128
We did not go to the cider mill yesterday. I had a feeling we weren't going. Both of us were too tired to make a 2.5 hour drive. On top of that when I checked the weather it was supposed to rain all day up there. Neither of us wanted to risk getting more sick (in my case) or slog through mud (her case). Instead we stayed home and cleaned the house.
We finally found a solution to something I have been looking for. I have been tired of spending so much time in the office. But it's where all my machines were. Yes, I have a laptop but I can't look at that screen for too long for like game playing or stuff like that. It's why I have a separate monitor. Plus I never felt a separation between work and not work. We have been looking for a small console table or writing desk to put in the dining area so that way I can get out of the office. Found one at Target of all places. It's perfect. It's not too big, a weathered white color so it blends in, and this way I don't have to feel trapped in the office all day. When I have work to do, I have two machines in there and can work on them. For fun stuff I can be out here. We've been using the dining area as a cat room basically and they're not happy I am invading their space but they will deal.
That was our major adventure yesterday. Cleaned, setup the new desk, relaxed. We made vegan tacos for dinner. We both are trying to figure out what to bring to Vegas. It's a lot of days. We also looked at where we're going to be and what's close by. B wants to go to a Hard Rock Cafe. Sigh. Okay. It's the 90s all over so why not.
Went to bed around 10 and feel like I finally got a decent amount of sleep. Thank goodness. I have to teach three days this week and didn't want to be sick for that. Today we have no plans other than to start packing. Whee.
We finally found a solution to something I have been looking for. I have been tired of spending so much time in the office. But it's where all my machines were. Yes, I have a laptop but I can't look at that screen for too long for like game playing or stuff like that. It's why I have a separate monitor. Plus I never felt a separation between work and not work. We have been looking for a small console table or writing desk to put in the dining area so that way I can get out of the office. Found one at Target of all places. It's perfect. It's not too big, a weathered white color so it blends in, and this way I don't have to feel trapped in the office all day. When I have work to do, I have two machines in there and can work on them. For fun stuff I can be out here. We've been using the dining area as a cat room basically and they're not happy I am invading their space but they will deal.
That was our major adventure yesterday. Cleaned, setup the new desk, relaxed. We made vegan tacos for dinner. We both are trying to figure out what to bring to Vegas. It's a lot of days. We also looked at where we're going to be and what's close by. B wants to go to a Hard Rock Cafe. Sigh. Okay. It's the 90s all over so why not.
Went to bed around 10 and feel like I finally got a decent amount of sleep. Thank goodness. I have to teach three days this week and didn't want to be sick for that. Today we have no plans other than to start packing. Whee.
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