Y9 D339

Ever have one of those days where you go out to take care of one thing and end up being gone for six hours because you get a new tattoo? No? What? We're weird that way? Oh well. Because that's what happened to us yesterday.

Went out in the morning to look at a couple of AC units to see if I could find a small, but powerful, window one for the bedroom. We've rearranged the bedroom since last summer and while we can use the floor one, we were hoping to find a window unit powerful enough to swap out this year. Unfortunately, the only window we have in the bedroom has a 21" opening and the larger units need 24-26" minimum it seems. We may not be able to use a window one as a result. There's one on Amazon that would work, but I am worried about buying something like that sight unseen. Some things I want to be able to see before hand. Got back, waited for B to get up.

Made myself a giant thing of nachos while I was waiting for her. I have been craving real nacho goodness with the meat and cheese and said screw it. Big ol' plate was my breakfast/lunch. They turned out really well and I was happy.

Once B got up, we took a ride. Our initial plan was to go to the thrift store, then stop at the tattoo shop to make appointments for next weekend. We got to the thrift store and both of us found books. i found a whole bunch of Piers Anthony books I don't have which is amazing. Someone got rid of an entire collection of his stuff. I managed to get 5 new books, B three.

Got to the tattoo shop, showed the artist what we wanted and where, then when it came time to make the appointment, I asked, well, do you have time to do them now? He had a cancellation and was like yeah fuck it, we can do it before close. Score! It was about 3:40 at that point and we got out of there 4 hours later both of us wrapped and ready to go. I posted a pic on twitter if you want to see it. We are both really happy. I like this artist. Between the two of us, this is the fifth tattoo he has done this year (3 for B, 2 for me) and he is just excellent. He's a couple of years younger than me, but gets it. He gets how my mindset has changed from "it has to have meaning and be deep!!" to "yeah, I like that, fucking do it". He went through the same thing even so much as having laser to remove a large section just to redo things. Now, he's like me. He sees it, he likes it, he inks it.

Stopped for noodles on the way home because there was no way we were cooking after all that. Went to bed around 10:30.

BUNCH of admin stuff today I intentionally didn't do last week or this weekend. No more free work. Timesheet and expense report need doing? They will get done during normal business hours. End of story. That's how I will be spending time today. Fun.

Y9 D338

Had a good day yesterday. Nothing exciting happened, but it was alright. We did some stuff around the house, went grocery shopping. B got a package in the mail from one of her friends in MI that made her happy. Some handmade rug thing made out of pom poms. I don't get it, but she likes it and that's what matters. We did find a new sushi place which was kind of exciting. Our previous one was okay, but they have changed staff a couple of times in the last year and I haven't been as happy. I wanted more of the traditional sushi place. Boy did we find one. Small, loud, and excellent food. I was pleased with dinner for sure. We also bought a new fan. Starting to plan for the summer. Figuring out AC units, where things will go, that sort of thing. That was my Saturday.

Y9 D337

Slept pretty good last night. Got almost 6 hours of sleep. Feels good. Of course now I won't be able to go to the grocery store until a little later and I will have to deal with HUMANS. Argh!

My class went better than expected yesterday. Luckily the two students were sharp, older, and knew what they were doing. The other instructor and I talked before class and he said they would be easy. I was a little apprehensive, but he was right. They were looking for specific information and it allowed us to jump around a bit and treat it more like a mentoring session rather than a formal class. Made the day easier to handle for sure.

Finished around 1:30, took a nap, then made dinner. We had a nice rice vegetarian thing. Like chicken casserole but without the chicken. After dinner we went to the store for some round one groceries. We had some coupons for stuff and used them up.

Today I have to get the remaining grocery items, laundry, house cleaning, you know, fun weekend stuff. I have to get a handle on the bills. Not in a bad way. With the loan coming through it has thrown off my period numbers and I don't want to mess up. I finally have everything where I want it and need to get my spreadsheet updated. Nothing bad, just some tedium I need to handle.

That's about it. Let the fun begin.

Y9 D336

It took me forever to get home yesterday. It was 5:10pm PDT before I was home and settled. From getting up at midnight PDT. That's a long goddamn day. And now I have to teach a class this morning. While my boss takes yesterday through monday off. Dick.

I get to the airport and sit until security opens. Then I sit until the Admiral's club opens. At 5:45 I walk over to the gate. Okay, let's discuss something for a second. The people at the counter explicitly say PLEASE KEEP THE BOARDING LANE CLEAR UNTIL YOUR GROUP HAS BEEN CALLED. Yeah, I know many of us are in group 1, but guess what?? There are people and things that may be going on or off that plane EVEN BEFORE US. Why do I bring this up? Because when I get up to the gate, standing there with her over priced luggage, blocking the boarding lane, is this old ass, facelift wearing, privilege having, white as fucking white bread, old biddy. I swear she looked like Lovely Howell from Gilligan. And there was her husband. Yep. Thurston Fucking Howell the Third in living flesh (what was left of it that hadn't been stretched thin) complete in sailor blazer and ascot. I shit you not. I was two seconds away from singing sit right back and you'll hear a tale... And they just sat there blocking that lane even when two wheelchairs needed to get on because they though they were the most special fucking creatures on earth. Fuck I hated them so much. For the record? My seat was IN FRONT of theirs and they were in my way when we boarded. I almost popped off but just kept my shit.

Get to Dallas, sit in the club for 3 hours, don't get an upgrade. Get squished as fuck for 4 hours in coach. Land at PDX at 3, get on the train, get downtown, switch to the other train, have to stand for the next 45 minutes, finally get home.

Unpack, try to relax, eat, etc. I went to bed around 10.

It's been hot here the last few days and it was a horrible sleep. Tossing, turning. It is supposed to be better the next few days. Let's hope so.

Y9 D335

I fucking hate NJ. Sitting here waiting for security to open and someone just tried to beg $3.75. Yes, he wanted that exact number. WTF? Plus I hate their security line. One line for both pre and regular. Luckily I don't board until 6 so I can wait until it opens at 4, then go around to the priority line. Until 4, they make you all stand in one line. Fuck that.

Anyway, at the airport. Finally after midnight PST and I can post.

This morning I had a good cry of joy because my loan went through. Chase and BOA are now paid off. I got rid of 28% interest that was killing me for a single 6% loan with a fixed length of 36 months which I plan to reduce down to at least 32 if not less. A light at the end of the damn tunnel. It only took 10 years but I am now in control of my finances. Longest 10 years ever.

My morning was a bit adventurous yesterday. Went down to breakfast and somehow a homeless guy managed to get past all the secure doors and get into the restaurant. He was okay at first just asking for some juice. But then he went nutty and started yelling about AIDS and 9/11. Dude. You fucked up. Security had to come. I recorded the whole thing. He saw me recording at one point and started shouting at me about the white man recording him for entertainment. I told him no, I am recording as a record of events. He didn't have a comeback for that. Suck it bitch. They finally got him out of there with minimal issue.

Then I had to walk to the client in the rain because the shuttle driver didn't feel like going two blocks off his path. Seriously? Luckily they had an umbrella this time for me. It was a mild rain and wasn't too bad. Just annoying as hell.

Finished day two and got out of there at 5. It was another rough day. People in advanced classes that don't belong in them. Fuckers.

Stopped at subway on the way back to the hotel. Ate, packed, and was in bed by 7:30. Up at 1. Now for 8 hours of flying with a 3 hour layover. Security. Humans. Ugh. Got one upgrade at least so I will get breakfast. Small victories.

Y9 D334

I have a sinus pressure headache this morning. It started raining some time during the night and I can feel it. It's causing my head to throb. I still slept okay but not I struggled more last night than the night before.

Had an okay day yesterday. I have about 14 people in the room and at least two of them are pains. Too many distracting questions. Not that there's anything wrong with questions, but when the questions slow the rest of the room down because they are the same question over and over, it becomes challenging. Just shut up and listen instead of asking the same thing four times. Just because you ask it different each time isn't going to change my answer. I promise.

Finished at 4:45 behind where we should have been. I could have pushed us to a little after 5 but they were already grumbling. Fine. Go home. See if I care.

Went back to the hotel, changed, and then went to a place called Dino BBQ. It was pretty good for being BBQ in NJ. Very bluesy kind of place with decent food. I was happy with dinner.

Got back and had trouble keeping my eyes open. Finally gave up around 9:30 and went to bed. Tonight I have to be in bed around 7 to get up at 1 to go to the airport. Fun stuff.

I have to teach now on Friday too. Not happy about that. Especially since it's a split team kind of thing. One instructor is taking day one and I am taking day two. Very disruptive to the students if you ask me. Two very different styles for the same class. If I were a student I would complain. Whatever.

Can I go to Australia yet?

Y9 D333

Slept REALLY well last night. Partly due to not being able to sleep on any of my flights yesterday. I did have my upgrade from PDX to PHX but it was such a short flight that by the time we were done with breakfast it was pretty much time to land. Then fuck PHX. 31 names on the upgrade list and I was a solid 18th. Oh yeah. PHX is just full of old people and annoying travelers. I got stuck in the tiniest seat ever where I couldn't move and my back was killing me for 5 hours. I wanted to scream. It was so bad at about the 4 hour mark, I just stood up. Plus I was in an aisle and every time someone came down or up they would slam into my shoulder. I used to like aisles because I would stretch my legs out and allow me to pee, but fuck that. It's just a pain these days. The aisle widths have become so small it's a nuisance.

I got to NJ around 4:45pm EST after leaving the house at 3am PST. My day was spent in tin cans. Only got to eat once. Then there was the 50 person long taxi line outside the airport. Was after 6 by the time I actually got to the hotel. Unpacked, ironed, and ordered in room service because it was too late to try and go anywhere.

When all was said and done, it was 9pm before I could even think about relaxing. I ended up in bed around 10. Fell right to sleep.

Just saw an email from my boss. He fucked up and has a class on Thursday and Friday still assigned to me. Oops. I will be traveling all day on Thursday. Good job dumbass. I need to find a new job.

Breakfast here doesn't start until 6:30 so I have a little under two hours to kill. Then walk to the client and teach. Fun times.

Y9 D332

And here we go. Up at 1:20am so I can leave at 3. Board at 4:40, get to NJ at 6pm EST. Long fucking day, here we come. I will have 30 minutes in PHX which isn't too bad. No time to get frustrated. Move and stick. Got plenty of stuff to watch. Might actually sleep for a few hours. We shall see.

I slept pretty darn solid last night. It might have only been 5 hours, but I have had worse five hours.

We stayed in the house mostly. I went out for some errands in the morning. We went to Joann's later to get the stuff I need for the sewing class. I did sign up for it. I will be learning how to sew on May 4th. Go me. For dinner we went to Sweet Tomatoes again. We like the place. Wasn't as good as the last time but I think that had to do with how crowded it was. Sunday was rough. Need to go on a Tuesday.

Okay, that's it. I need to go shower and leave. Driver arrive soon.

Y9 D331

It took me three hours and five stores to find the can opener I was looking for yesterday. I was looking specifically for one of the no sharp edge, no touch kind of electric can opener. B's arthritis sometimes makes it hard for her to open cans with a normal can opener. This is why the hunt began. But my persistence paid off and I found one that will work for her. It's an "As seen on tv" but whatever. It works and it will reduce pain. Most people think that tv stuff is crap, but the reality is a lot of came from someone who was handicapped or in pain looking for a better solution. Like this can opener which is specifically designed for people who suffer from arthritis or similar hand issues. So there.

Came back home, did laundry, cleaned a little, took a nap. Made tacos for dinner, went to frozen yogurt after dinner. Watched some tv. Went to bed around 11.

Got one upgrade, but not both. Oh well. Better than nothing. At least this way I will get breakfast. No lunch, and I will be hungry when I hit NJ, but won't be starving. It's a long travel day tomorrow. I leave here at 3am and don't get in until 5pm EST. By the time I get settled in the hotel it will be 6, have to find dinner, iron, and get prepped. I will be exhausted tomorrow. Fun times.

Taking it easy today for the above reasons.

Y9 D330

Alice Cooper once said Welcome to My Nightmare. Welcome to my dull nightmare. I need to DO something. I actually looked up sewing classes yesterday. It's something I have always wanted to learn how to do. It came up because B and I bought some clothes recently and they were too long for both of us. Hey, we're short people dammit. But it's one of those things that I had to wait for B to do because I don't know how. I have that issue with a lot of clothes. People always wonder why people on tv never have issues with their clothes and it's because there are tailors and seamstresses on the set adjusting things to make it fit better. It may be off the rack, but then it gets fitted. Legs too long, sleeves too long, need a little taken out here, a little added there. So it might be kind of fun to learn how to do that for myself. Give me a new hobby.

Packed most of my stuff for next week. Paid some bills. Got some groceries. Caught up on some emails and the like. We made fishless fish po' boys for dinner. Nothing exciting, but good for us.

Went to bed around 11. Yep, stayed up late. Wild bunch here. Today I have big plans - find a new can opener. Look out world!

Y9 D329

I had a dream last night that I could talk to dogs. Telepathically. One dog, whose name was like Fluffy, was trying to tell me his 'real' name - FastWalker. Yep. Even in their own heads, dogs are kind of dumb.

Taught day 3 of my class, went fine. No issues. We finished hella early as expected. I took a nap as a result. We made sloppy joes for dinner. Watched some tv, played some games, went to bed around 10.

Today I need to pack and get ready to go to NJ. Leave at 3 on Monday. No plans for the weekend. Didn't get my extra money on my check. Apparently that will arrive May 4th. I will believe it when I see it. We will be using a portion of that for new tattoos. Because we can. Leave a pretty corpse baby.

49 days until we leave for Australia. 77 days until my birthday. Ew.

Y9 D328

Tired this morning. Need a little more sleep. I didn't go to bed too late, but I am just tired. I woke up a few times during the night for some reason.

Had a decent day yesterday. Taught my class. The two students are good, smart people and we were able to push past the normal stopping point by a good 45 minutes or so. Which means we should finish today very early. No complaints here. Part of it is the small class size. Only two students, but they are also just smart people who know what they're doing. That helps. For once I have people who belong in this class.

After class B and I decided to look into debt consolidation loans. I applied for one. We shall see what happens. If it goes through, they will pay off three of my credit cards directly, my payment will be about $200 less than what I have been giving these people, but more importantly, it will be a fixed 36 months at about 1/4 the interest I am paying right now. That's the big difference. We have been looking at all the open accounts we have and one is at 27% interest. It has to go. The new loan will be at 5.6%. Huge difference. Plus no penalty for early payback. That means I can add a little to each month, knock a couple payments off, and get things squared away much faster. 

Had peppers for dinner and after dinner we went to target to pick up a prescription for B. Came back, watched some tv, played some video games, and helped B dod some adjustments on some clothes. We both have a couple of things that need hemming and she was in the mood to measure them out. Giving herself a project while I am gone next week. Around 10, went to bed.

No plans for tonight. Maybe a nap after class. We shall see.

Y9 D327

Go state of Oregon! I just got my refund already. Nice. On the negative, somehow my Match.com account got reactivated. I thought it was deleted, but apparently they left all my shit on their servers? Or someone used my email to reopen it? I don't know but I am watching that shit closely. I just went and re-cancelled it but let's see. None of these fucking sites actually "delete" anything and that worries me. What kind of info do they keep archived away? But it's been 5 years why is that shit still on there?? It's definitely me as there's all the stuff I typed, my profile pic, etc. I just don't know why it's there. Weird.

Had another relaxing day which was good. My voice is almost back to full strength. Almost. I now have to teach for two days so let's see how this goes. I did go to Target and run some other errands in the morning, but otherwise we stayed in the house. I had a book show up and B had a package delivered, but unfortunately it got delivered to the wrong apartment. Luckily I had a feeling I knew where it was and ran over there. Snag. See in Oregon, apartment buildings have different numbers, but they reuse the apartment number. So our building might be 123 Unit 456 and the building next door is 234 Unit 456. When the delivery person just looks at the unit number and not the building number, this shit happens. Lame.

Made coconut chicken for dinner, cleaned the kitchen, caught up on some TV, and went to bed around 10. I have to deal with a couple of things before class this morning and only have two hours. Should be plenty of time but need to move a little quicker if I am going to get everything done. Wish me luck.

Y9 D326

Yesterday was a much better "Sunday" than the real one. I was more present than the day before. I got up normal time even though I knew I had nothing too specific to do. I went and did some grocery shopping. I keep finding things we're out of but because B was sick, she didn't have a chance to do a real list. It's not a big deal, more amusing to be honest. At least yesterday it was amusing, on Sunday it would have annoyed me. Sometimes you have a bad day.

I also stopped by the Mazda dealer. As of right now, they don't have any interest in taking the car back early as they have two vehicles just like mine on the lot. Okay. Not a big deal. I wanted to check and that's that. I am not getting stuck with some upside down bullshit this time. It is what it is. The sales manager said he would check with me next month. Sounds good.

We went to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner. That was quite enjoyable. We both needed some healthy ass soup and salads. Came back, played video games, went to bed. 

Not sure what my boss needs of me today. I am scheduled for training tomorrow and Thursday so let's see what he comes back with today if anything.

Y9 D325

It rained and rained yesterday. Put me in a gray mood.

Went to the grocery store in the morning. Two to be exact because I was looking for something specific. Both stores were out. I am going to try one more this morning and see if I can find it. Nothing exciting, just a brand of honey B wants. Then I had to go and get cat food. So a few errands run.

Things were going smoothly until B and I heard a noise in the kitchen. The stupid fridge started leaking. The office said it's because the vents in the freezer were blocked. I found that hard to believe because nothing had been added to the freezer. But whatever. I rearranged the freezer and eventually the compressor kicked back in. Made for a fun time cleaning up piles of water on the kitchen floor.

Then B got a wild hair up her butt and wanted to play N64. I knew where it was, but it was a major pain. I must have gotten hit on the head from falling boxes 10 times. I got very frustrated and depressed dealing with that. Why? Because I feel like that's my whole life. Jammed in a closet, buried away, nothing of mine in the front room, everything of mine in boxes. I just want some space. My closet is a ticking time bomb because everything gets jammed in there. Clothes are impossible to get out. Fucking sucks. I need more space.

Whatever. Doesn't matter.

Y9 D324

I made it home!! YAY ME!! And look at what time it is! I slept in! I got almost 10 hours of sleep! Much needed sleep that's for sure.

I sat at the airport waiting for my flight for most of the morning. My flight was scheduled to board at 8:30 and I bopped over to the gate around 8. The number of people on standby because of the weather cancellations was staggering. I did feel bad for some of them. There was a woman with her baby that had been there all night and they were trying to pull the same shit they pulled on me - DFW to San Diego to Portland. She wouldn't have arrived in Portland until 10pm at night. Fuck that shit. Luckily I did see her board before we took off.

I tried to sleep and dozed sporadically throughout the flight. I didn't want to deal with the train, B's nose was stopped up and she didn't fall asleep until 7am so she wasn't coming to get me. Instead I texted my driver right before we took off and lo, there was a car waiting for me. Got home around 1:30.

Unpacked, started laundry, woke B up. We took care of booking and planning our July trip. Her cousin is getting married and B is going to use the time to go to visit family. She is going for two weeks. I am showing up near the end for the wedding and to visit people for a couple of days. I booked two one way flights for me so I could end up being on the same flight home. On the way there I am taking American, on the way home, Alaska.  It's weird but it works. She's on the Alaska flights there and back.

We ended up deciding to go to the Nissan dealer because it is near where we planned on having dinner. B really loved the Rogue. Now tomorrow, I am going to Mazda, discussing early turn-in, then doing a deal on the Rogue. Keeping everything separate and clean. This will be the first time in forever I haven't rolled money in, or been upside down, or not had any down payment. It feels pretty good. Mazda may not let me turn in the car early in which case, we wait on the Rogue until it's closer to the end of the lease and that's okay. I told the sales guy, you've made a sale, it's now down to timing.

After leaving the dealer we went to Elmer's for dinner. Elmer's is a stone cold diner-ish old people place, and it's just what we wanted. B had breakfast, I had prime rib because you can at Elmer's. It's like a Lion's or Cocos, better than Shari's, less disgusting than a Denny's, more old people than IHOP. We like Elmer's.  Cuz we old people.

Got back home, relaxed, and went to bed around 9:30.

Since we did the car stuff yesterday, today I am doing NOTHING. Going to not even put on real pants. Leaving my sweats on ALL DAY. Take that!

Y9 D323

I am just getting around to doing stuff because I ended up having to drive to DFW. 5 hours and 354 miles. Fun times. I was getting ready to call it a night last night when around 6:30 I got an email saying my San Antonio to DFW 5am flight was cancelled. They wanted to reroute me: SAT -- PHX -- LAX -- PDX. Um, no? Instead, I left at 11:30 and drove here. Wasn't too bad of a drive. My biggest concern was deer to be honest. I saw quite a few on the side of the road and kept worrying that they would jump out in front of me. Luckily the worst I had to deal with was a tentative raccoon who in the end made the right choice.

Yesterday was rough. 15 students, all loud, majority marketing. We didn't finish until 4:55. Even then I had to skip some material. My voice is trashed. My stupid boss wanted me to take over a class on Monday and Tuesday so I called him and two minutes in he realized I need to rest my voice. Plain and simple. There's no way I can teach for a few days at least.

Got back to the hotel, packed, and while eating, the above all happened. I immediately went to bed and managed to get about 2 hours of sleep. I am really hoping I can sleep on this flight. I have no upgrades, but here's hoping I will have room to crash. We shall see. I should land around 11 and then of course B is going to want to do 900 things.

Sigh.

Y9 D322

So sleepy. I can't wait to get home tomorrow and sleep. I just want to not wake up to an alarm for at least one day. Is that too much to ask? Sunday. Sunday I won't have to wake up until I am damn good and ready. Almost there.

Day four completed. Small group finally. Don't know why, just ended up being a smaller group. That's okay. After the large groups all week it was nice and refreshing. Today I am going to have anywhere from 13 to 15 people so no break today. We finished around 4:30 as well for the first time this week. Plus I felt I could give much more personal attention to everyone. Not today. Just want to power through today. Last group, last day.

Stopped at the store on the way back as I was out of some toiletries. Needed toothpaste and some throat lozenges. Made it back to the room around 5:30, ate leftover chicken, and collapsed. I was so tired I went to bed at 9:30.

Nothing exciting on the homefront. B is still sick and frankly I am happy I wasn't home this week to deal with that. I am sorry I wasn't there for her, but I would have probably annoyed her at the same time. She's been able to be sick without anyone bugging her.

No upgrade for my flight yet. Oh well. It is what it is. I have an exit row on the way home and I can stretch out at least. Maybe sleep the whole way home. B is going to pick me up at the airport which will be nice.

One more day. I can do it.

Y9 D321

I took NyQuil last night around 8pm and by 8:30 it had done its job and knocked me out. Problem is I could use another hour or two of sleep to really get it out of my system. I am groggy this morning. I took it because I was coughing like crazy yesterday and my nose wouldn't dry up. No problem with that now. I am dry as a bone but man am I tired.

Wednesday group was the roughest so far. The least technical group of the three. We finished at like 4:50 which has been the latest. Supposedly my most technical group will be tomorrow which means I probably have another rough day ahead of me. Nothing has been really bad, but we spent a lot of time on simple stuff.

Got back to the hotel around 5, changed my clothes, and decided to go out for some dinner. I have been asking my group each day where to eat and all three groups have recommended a place called Rails. It's a cafe inside of what used to be the main train station here in town. It was okay. A little pricey for TX, but okay. I had penne with quail which is something I don't get or see often. I enjoyed it. Got back to the hotel around 7, relaxed, took my meds, and passed out.

Hopefully I will get some upgrades today. Another trip in coach is going to be the death of me. At least my back. Tonight is soaking night when I get back to the room. Tonight I will try to work away the whole week. We'll see how well that works.

Okay, let's do this.

Y9 D320

I have been watching the original Roseanne lately given her new reboot that's currently airing. Man I forgot how funny that show used to be. Especially in the first season. Can you believe that was 30 years ago? For me that show meant a lot. 30 years ago all the families on tv were too fake. The Huxtables, the Seavers, the Full House family, Family Ties - they were all the same. They all had simple problems and were too damn nice to each other. Then came the Conners. The first real family. A family that yelled. That had trouble paying the bills. Where the parents weren't doctors or lawyers. Where people got mad and had to struggle to figure out dinner. For me that was the real world. My mom had died only a couple years earlier and to see a family that helped me remember mine was important. I think about that when I hear people say today "representation matters". Little kids who see Black Panther or Wonder Woman and see themselves. It's important. Roseanne and the Simpsons. They changed the face of the American TV family. Not always in the best. Some even say it was the downfall of TV when those shows aired, but good. People need to see a slice of reality sometimes to know they're not alone. Roseanne was my slice. 30 years ago. That's a long fucking time.

Day two went well. A little better than day one in terms of student participation. Timing was about the same. We finished up around 4:45 so almost the exact same as Monday. It's rough doing the same class over and over. I have three more days and 36 people to go. But it's a good group. I have taught at worse places with worse students.

After work stopped at the mall to get body wash and a bath bomb. My exciting plans for Thursday night. Because my back is already starting to hurt and I know come Thursday night it's going to be killing me. Got a chicken box for the rest of the week's dinners too. $20 gets me lunches and dinners for multiple days and I am not complaining.

Got back to the hotel around 6:30, ate, relaxed, and went to bed around 10.

Almost done.

Y9 D319

Woke up to a shitstorm of things this morning. Apparently there's an internet outage at home, my company big boss is a self centered dick, and I had some fucked up dreams involving werewolves and bloody murders. Hello Tuesday.

Yesterday went okay. The material is too large for the skills of the people taking the class. I had to drop some stuff towards the end. I can fine tune things today and see if I can improve it. Nice thing about doing the same class over and over is being able to tweak it. Sucky part is having to do it day after day.

The campus is nice, the people are nice, the commute is nice. Nothing to really complain about there. They even got me a badge within 10 minutes of my arrival. That rarely happens.

Fuck my rockstars are frozen.

This day sucks already.

Y9 D318

Welcome to Texas y'all! Here I am in the middle of nowhere Tejas. Literally everyone I encountered yesterday was either an old white person or a Vaquero. No mistaking where I am this week for sure.

Got to the airport around 4 and it was crazy busy. It looks like Spring Break is finally winding down for everyone and they were all headed home. For some reason my flights were both 100% full. There were only six of us on the first upgrade list, but no one cleared. I was stuck in the squished seat for 4 hours. Couldn't sleep either. My cough is not quite gone and I am sure the people next to me were worried that they were going to catch the plague from me given the cough and sniffling I did the whole trip.

Got to DFW around 11:30 and was excited that my incoming plane was also my outgoing at the same gate. I only had at that point, 30 minutes between flights and was worried about having to get to my next location. That was compounded by the fact that they announced the SkyLink was down right as we landed. DFW without SkyLink? That's a recipe for disaster. So it was nice to know I was getting off and getting right back on. So I thought. My San Antonio flight has 17 people on the upgrade list and once again, no one was being cleared. We ended up being delayed by an hour because of maintenance issues which worried me because I just flew 1600 miles on a plane they decided wasn't good enough to go another hour in the air. That gives me so much confidence. Finally got a new plane at the gate and we got to San Antonio around 3.

My rental car for once is decent. A 2018 Ford Flex Limited with navigation and all the niceties I like in a vehicle. Thank goodness as I still had an hour drive ahead of me. The drive was uneventful. Was like driving the highway down to Disneyland. A lot of cows and stretches of nothing. Got to the hotel around 4:15, checked in, and found a Walmart for supplies for the week.

I was going to have Church's for dinner but they were backed up and it was a 15 minute wait for chicken. Um, no. Your chicken is good, but not that good. Ended up coming back to the hotel and walking to the Cracker Barrel next door. Chicken livers instead. I like chicken livers. I don't care what anyone says.

Got back to the room, ironed, relaxed, and went to bed around 9:30. I got more NyQuil at the store and dear god that is the nastiest stuff on the face of the earth, but it does the job. Knocked me right out and I slept like a log until 4:30.

Day one of five about to commence. 63 people this week, same class, five times. This is going to be a long week.

Y9 D317

Goddamn it. No upgrades. It's been a LONG while since I had to board third and sit in coach. This day is going to suck. Spring break is the only reason I can think of why 1st would be full on a fucking Sunday in April. Or the sports. Maybe some sports people are going to be on my plane. Fuckers.

B was me from Wednesday. Death bed ill. She had a marathon day of her Guidos and Guidettes. Boy was that fun to listen to all day. I did do some stuff in the morning while she slept. Laundry, groceries, lunch. I even had time to test drive a car. Yeah, yeah, I know we had sort of settled on keeping the Mazda. But we have a couple of options still on the table. If we do this right, the monthly would be less than the Mazda, we'd still have warranty, etc. Not looking above our means this time. Looking right where we should be, putting down money, and keeping it separate transactions. We are looking potentially at $100 - $125 a month difference in payment.

Other than that, we stayed inside. My voice isn't quite where I need it to be, so lozenges and honey tea for me. Some nice hot water.

The weather is fucking crazy here right now. Mass rain. Yet I am off to 80 degree weather. This is how I will never get healthy. Because I come home to this, then go to NJ where it will probably be fucking snowing. Go me.

Okay shower time.

Y9 D316

Oh dear god, B is wide awake and watching Jersey Shore. Talk about things you don't want to hear at 5am. These are the dumbest people in the world. I don't see the appeal of these people. At all. And yes, her sleep schedule is fucked up and she is awake. Whatever. I leave here in less than 24 hours so I don't really care.

We had a decent day. We got up early and went to B's TSA pre appointment. It wasn't until 9:10 but we didn't want to sit in a huge amount of traffic. We ended up getting there at 7:40 and luckily they took her in early. We actually got home BEFORE her appointment was scheduled. B went back to bed, I did some work stuff. I took a brief nap from like 10-11. Made some lunch, watched some TV. I am still not 100% and I didn't want to over exert myself.

We went out around 4:30 to meet my friend for drinks and dinner. We got there about 5:20 and he arrived about 5:40. We had a really nice time talking and hanging out. I was getting a little tired and we left around 7:30. Home at 8. Went to bed around 10.

Today I am going grocery shopping and checking in for everything. Otherwise I am taking it easy and most importantly not talking to save my voice.

Y9 D315

I think I made it through the worst of it. Yesterday was really bad again. Another day of moaning, groaning, sleeping, no eating, and to make matters worse, at one point issues with bodily fluids. Don't trust farts kids. Especially when you're sick. I was in some dire straits people. Then around 9pm as I was about to go off to bed I started sweating profusely. My fever had peaked! I sat there in agony for like 30 minutes until it broke. Lo and behold, broken fever, major issues gone. Don't get me wrong, I am still pretty fucked up and don't feel like dancing the cha cha, but I am at least functional and can take B to her TSA-pre appointment this morning. I was really worried she was going to have to do this by herself which would not be a pretty thing.

Other than being sicker than fuck, there's not a whole lot to report. Most people left me alone. I booked a trip to NJ in three weeks. I leave Sunday for TX. In 30 minutes I might start getting upgrades. Hopefully I do. If not, whatever. I can suffer. I will sleep because I will not be completely fixed for a while, that's for sure. I do plan on taking it VERY easy tomorrow to not relapse.

Now to get ready and get B TSA pre. About damn time if you ask me.

Y9 D314

I did the unheard of yesterday; I canceled class due to illness. That's right. Me. Rescheduled both of my students to 2 weeks out. I spent the first part of the morning trying to find an alternate instructor but unfortunately no one else was available. This was not what I wanted, but I needed it. I could have survived mostly but I would have destroyed my voice. I have 63 students next week. I can't have my voice going out on me. So I made the rough decision of canceling a class. I then, fell asleep.

Dear sweet jebusus. I have never slept as much as I slept yesterday. From 8am until 1pm. From 5pm until 7:30pm. From 9pm until 5am. I SLEPT. I feel moderately better today. I will probably have a repeat of yesterday. Maybe not quite as much sleep, but a good chunk. My nose is stopped up today and my throat feels like sandpaper. That's the big one. Got to keep the pipes safe. B too is sick. She is blaming the humidifier. She has read too much about humidifier lung and how mold can come out and poison the body. I am not going to argue with her. If she thinks the humidifier poisoned her, then okay. Just not worth arguing over.

I really didn't do anything yesterday. We had no appetite between us. Juice and chicken soup was the meal of the day.

Here's hoping today is a little better.

Y9 D313

Dear god how I long for the sweet embrace of death. Yes, I feel that awful right now. Take me away. End my pain. Oy.

I don't know how I made it through yesterday and am not sure how I am going to get through today. I would have to pause every so often to have a coughing fit, catch my breath, let the vertigo pass, then continue class. Fun times. Today it has moved into my nose as well. So now I will snot while coughing and dying. Oh boy!

We had chicken soup for dinner because I needed it and we had all the ingredients. I have leftovers for lunch today which is awesome.

I really need to be over this by Sunday. I can't fly sick. I won't get any better. I have 63 people to train next week. The energy has to be there. I will probably spend most of Saturday sleeping.

Y9 D312

I feel horrible. I am sicker than shit right now. My throat hurts, my head hurts, I am coughing like a mad man. Oh and I have to teach the next three days and travel this weekend. WHEE! Fun stuff.

I don't know how I am going to get through the next three days. No joke. Halls here I come.

I did nothing yesterday. I napped twice and passed out on the couch at 9. B had to kick me to bed.

This is the excitement of my life.

Y9 D311

I feel a slight cold coming on. I think it's from being in different climates like I was with AC and then being in cold. Regardless, I can't get a deep breath in without coughing and my throat hurts. Fun stuff.

Hey it's Monday. How'd that happen? Well snickerdoodle. I have classes Tues-Thurs and I am taking Friday to myself but I have to do a bunch of catch-up today. Expense report, timesheet, etc.

You know I am getting upset with Chrome. What used to be my browser of choice has been letting me down. I don't know if it is the people writing these websites or something Google is doing, but I have a 1/2 dozen sites that just do not work in Chrome and I yell at the people when I should be yelling at Google. Here's the short list: SFGate, Avis, TFAW. These three in particular all have issues when I use Chrome but work like a champ in Safari. I don't know though if it is Chrome or the add-ons I use. Might be the ad-blockers and video blockers. I wouldn't have to use them if these people didn't have such fucked up sites.

We didn't leave the house yesterday except for a quick run to DQ. We were craving some DQ action and they were one of the few places open. Did you know Target closes on Easter? Wouldn't it be hilarious if in this country we closed for other religious holidays and not just the Catholic ones? Just saying.

Other than that, we spent the day inside. We watched some tv, made salads for dinner, and played video games.

That's it for now. Oh shoot. Almost out of upgrades. Need to get some!

Y9 D310

Happy Easter and April Fool at the same time. There has to be a joke in there somewhere.

Finally had a decent night's sleep. So happy to be home. My back doesn't hurt. I didn't wake up 8 times during the night. Home, home again. I like to be here when I can.

Got up at 1:30, left the hotel around 2:45. Thank goodness I did leave early. Three lanes closed on 5, had to take the 134 all the way around which meant going all the way down Hollywood Way. Made it easy to get gas but if it had been any later in the day it would have also meant bumper to bumper traffic. I got to the airport around 3:40 as it is. Dropped off the car, walked to the terminal, got my boarding pass and sat for an hour and 15 minutes. Burbank is a convenient airport, but not an easy airport. Most airports open earlier on weekends, not later. Plus I think for some folks Spring Break is either starting or ending because the number of people traveling with families was ridiculous. So many small children. Luckily I was keeping my eye on things and managed to be the very first person through security. My flight boarded at 6:20 and I got through at 5:35. Go me.

Flight was okay except for the fact that they didn't give them plates and I had to eat a breakfast burrito straight off the wrapper to which it had stuck. Fun times. Also thanks to TSA fuck up we were delayed and half the planes bags stayed behind. This is why I don't check luggage people. Their bags would be coming later on the 1pm flight at the earliest. Fun stuff.

We landed around 9:15, I got on the train, hit home around 11. I kept forgetting it was Saturday until we would hit certain stops. Like downtown the police got on at one point to do a ticket sweep. Normally they don't bother M-F but on weekends they are more hardcore about tickets. At least 5 people got escorted off for no ticket.

Once home, laundry, unpacking, mail, then a brief nap. We went out for Indian and after dinner did grocery shopping for the week. I didn't want to have to go anywhere today as some places have adjusted hours due to Esther. Came back, dyed easter eggs, enjoyed each other's company, went to bed around 11.

Today I plan to do nothing. A little easter egg hunting, a little relaxing, and that's it. Not going to do my timesheet or anything else. They can piss off. You don't get my whole weekend.