Y11 D219

Talk about rough fucking days. That memorial was hard as hell. I have been to a lot of funerals over the years. Old people ones are easier to get through. Ones for like my brother or my friend's brother are a lot harder. But fuck, burying a 14 year old? Yeah, I thought she was 15. She would have turned 15 in March. A child was remembered yesterday and it was damn hard. The dad did his best when he got up to speak but he lost it hard halfway through as did most of us in the audience. I don't wish that pain on any parent. It was a couple hours at the church followed by a couple of hours at a hall for food after. All in all, we left the house around noon and got home at 5. Long day of emotion.

The snow has come. It's white outside. Starting the year off in a blanket of pure white landscape. Appropriate I guess?

Tonight ends a decade. It's been one hell of a decade for me. From divorce, to dating mishaps, to finding new friends, to losing old ones. From making mistakes and learning from them. To finally starting to come to terms and be happy with who I am, what I have, and where I am going. To learn to be grateful, and patient. To holding on to the ones I love and keeping them safe when I can. 10 years. 10 years of life changes. Ten years of growth, backsliding, and growing some more.

To all I have hurt in the past decade, I am sorry. To all I have loved, know I will always love you.

May all of you be blessed in the decade to come. May you find your place, your space, and your contentment. Be safe. Be happy.

Happy new year.

Y11 D218

Yesterday turned into a very uneventful day. We drove home, B took meds and fell asleep for like 6 hours.

Me? I went to the grocery store to get a couple of things, like more meds for her. I spent the majority of my day taking down Christmas. That was a big chunk of my afternoon. Putting all the ornaments away, packing up the tree, rearranging the storage area, etc. Took a few hours before everything was done.

Made leftovers for dinner, went to bed.

Today is the memorial service. Not looking forward to that one bit.

Y11 D217

No, I'm not dead. Just late. We came home early this morning because someone wasn't feeling well and didn't sleep. So we had a quick breakfast and drove the 2 hours home. I just finished unpacking and such and am now sitting down to do my normal morning stuff.

Had a pretty good day yesterday. B got up late so we missed breakfast, but had lunch at the Wolfgang Puck Kitchen Counter where they have sandwiches and the like. I had a smoked salmon sandwich with a cup of butternut squash soup. Quite tasty. From there we went to the spa and had massages. Man I needed that.

After we cleaned up and rested it was time for drinks and dinner. I do remember now why I stopped drinking. Had a bit too much last night and I am feeling it now. We went to the secret bar before dinner. Then with dinner I had more. I did have an incredible 40oz tomahawk steak. Sweet bejeebus it was good. I brought the bone home to gnaw on.

After dinner went back to the secret bar until about 10 and then bed.

Not very exciting but still, what I needed to recharge.

Y11 D216

I am in love with this hotel. THIS is what I needed. Where it's not about the destination but about the property. It's a registered historical landmark; I know this because there's a book of histroic hotels on the coffee table and it's in there. We are on the 24th floor in the added tower section with views of the river, the Apollo Space Museum, the Gerald R Ford Presidential Library/Museum, and the rapids themselves. It's pretty freaking cool. But more in a moment.

Got up at 4am, again, to take the friend to work. She is staying at our place while we are gone this weekend so fine, doing us a favor, I do you one. But damn if I wasn't up earlf AF yet again. Note it is 7:30 here as I finally slept in. Got back, putzed around, waited for B to get up. Made sure everything in the house was ready for us to leave and we headed out around 1:15.

Arrived at a little after 3, checked in, and explored the hotel. Found the hidden door. It really is a door with a keypanel and a plaque that says "for those in the know". Went inside and found the coolest, funkiest bar with patio area. Was very impressed.

For dinner we ate in the room and watched multiple episodes of the mandalorian. Yep. That was our big exciting night. I then took a bath in the whirlpool fancy ass tub. Needed that too.

Today is a spa day, followed by dinner at Ruth Chris. Ahhh.

Y11 D215

Before 9am I did:

-- Went to the car wash. Ran out of time before I got all the soap off because the stupid machine didn't beep. Had to wipe it down with paper towels from the trash. Fun.

-- Went to Target for batteries, a better towel to wipe off the rest of the car, rockstars, and eggs. Why Target? Because it's right next to the car wash.

-- Police station. Dropped off alarm permit form. The nice ladies there even opened 10 minutes early for me.

-- Pet store for cat food.

So yeah. I did a lot in the morning. B woke up. She went to her other grandparents while I relocated a piece of cabinetry in our laundry room. We have this countertop that was too low for me to put my wine fridge under and I have been wanting to raise it up. Carefully unassembled the framing for the counter and successfully reattached it three inches higher. Boom. Wine fridge moved. Which gave me more room for my Pops allowing me to rearrange those.

B is still in and out of good moods. She went to her friend's house to smoke herself into not thinking. Okay.

I had chicken and fish combo from Happys for dinner. Yay me.

Today we leave for Grand Rapids. But first, the bills.

Y11 D214

Oaky to recap the last two days:

Tuesday:
Got up and took the friend to work. She's gone finally btw. We took her to her mother's yesterday afternoon. But having to get up and drive someone on Christmas Eve. Fuck capitalism sometimes. Seriously. I had to take her to her drug test thing first too which sucked. But she's almost done with that. Only two more weeks.

Got back, got ready to go out, and headed over to B's grandparent's around 11:30. Stayed there until about 4 being overwhelmed and frustrated. Frustrated because I don't like stupid Christmas gifts. On one hand, B did all the shopping this year for her grandparents and from "them" I got something cool. I got a puzzle storage board from my wishlist. Perfect. Just what I wanted. But from other family members? Ugh. Slippers that don't fit and I would never wear. I did get some Pops but again, B bought those and labeled them from her sisters. B knows what I want. The others, not so much. Plus there were too many kids, too much noise, and just ugh.

Got home, B got the friend from work, then at 7 we settled in for TV. Watched our Xmas Eve stuff and went to bed.

Wednesday:
I still hate that the holiday was on a Wednesday. Annoying. Took the friend AGAIN to her drug thing. At 6am. Fuck me. Got back, eventually opened presents. Approve of all gifts. Got our SimpliSafe system. I spent about 2 hours getting it all configured and set up. We are now protected. Also got some clothes and things from my list. Nothing that makes me bounce off the walls, but nothing disappointing either. I opened my heater from my client and that's pretty sweet. It heats up the entire house in like 10 minutes. This thing is powerful. Got 8 shirts total from the kid - 4 for me, 4 for B. She even made a custom Britney one for B.

Speaking of B, she's having good hours and bad hours. If she slows down and has time to 'think' she goes off into her head still. I fear it will be like this until the memorial on Monday but it is what it is. She went over and saw the family on Tuesday and said the dad looked like the life had been drained out of him. The siblings (all older and already out of the house) were all just beat up and tired looking. I can't imagine. Sucks.

Went for Chinese food as is the rule. Found a new good place that we want to go to under normal situations later.

Today nothing is planned other than washing the car. Then tomorrow it's off to Grand Rapids.

Y11 D213

Merry Christmas Bitches.

Y11 D212

So fucking tired this morning. Have to drive our 'guest' to work and bullshit this morning. Had to do the same yesterday. Gah. People. Annoyed.

I had something planned to write this morning but now I have completely forgotten it.

Oh yeah, I remember. It's about being over stimulated which I was yesterday. Way over stimulated. Just too many people, too much noise. Had a hard time coping.

Everything hurts this morning. Shoulder. Neck.

In good news column, all presents have arrived including a $130 gift from my client in PA. They sent me one of their nice ceramic heaters. Can't wait to use that!

Only 18 hours until Xmas. Thank god.

Y11 D211

B isn't doing well. The shit with her cousin is causing her anxiety to spike. She didn't sleep at all the night before and had to take drugs last night to get to sleep. There will be a memorial on the 30th which means even if she gets it under control in the next day or two, it will come back again after the memorial. Fun times.

Still four presents out there scheduled for delivery some time in the next 48 hours. We shall see which ones get here in time.

I dislike holidays in the middle of the week. In 10 years I know I have bitched about this before. It's just confusing. No work gets done around the days, it gets hard to remember what day it is, etc.

Made my first car reservation of 2020. The prices are going to go up slightly on 1/1 so they told me to make sure I made my reservation before the end of the year to get the old price locked in. It's exactly 4 weeks until my next trip today. Although I still have hotel nights coming up this Friday. Looking forward to getting out of town for relaxation instead of work. Will be a nice change of pace.

We didn't do much yesterday. Ran a couple of errands including breakfast. Happen to see one of B's bingo ladies at breakfast and she picked up our check for us. That was nice. We left the waitress a ridiculous tip in exchange.

Made steak and tails for dinner. Was very pleased at how everything came out. Yes, I grilled in 53 degree weather. Hey, there's no snow, so what the hell. I am becoming one of them where 53 degrees doesn't bother me. Ugh.

B's friend is back through Christmas. I am driving her to work this morning hence the early rise on my 'vacation'.

Only 42 hours to go until presents!

Y11 D210

Dad Joke levels:

Told at 11:59pm 12/31;
- See you next year - weak
- See you next decade - better
- See you next century - alright
- See you next MILLENIUM - pro level

I've lived long enough to tell all of them. Dad level 1000. Boom.

Just a random. I freakin' slept in like crazy this morning. It's 8:40am. I went to bed around 11:30 so this is some seriously sleep time. I am still not 100% because I haven't really taken any more meds since getting home. Not enough at least. My body still needs to recuperate. Okay. You can have all the sleep you need.

Finished my downstairs project of rearranging all the storage area yesterday. That was the majority of my morning. Went to the grocery store to get stuff for mexi-chicken bake for dinner. They had a special on steak and baby lobster tails so guess what we're have for dinner tonight? A little sunday treat.

B's still having a rough time from her cousin. Found out some more. She left a note and has been planning this since September. Even her own therapist was shocked. She was showing no outward signs.

Remember gang, as you've read here many times, depression can hide. Hide so well no one knows about it. You can smile on the outside but inside be ready to pull that trigger at a second's notice. Don't blame yourself if you don't 'see' something. Hiding is what depression does best.

Watched all four episodes (so far) of the new Harley Quinn. Weird. But in a good way. Downloaded some old games from GOG for the hell of it. Winter sale and all. Played Civ IV for like two hours last night. I forgot how much I loved that game.

63 hours until Christmas. MULTIPLE presents still out there. All of the ones from the kid, SimpliSafe, Google, Amazon. All out there in the void. I am expecting one today but the rest are all scheduled for Tuesday. Make me nervous much?

Nothing planned for today thank goodness.

Y11 D209

Before I get into my trivial bullshit, I have to share some tragic news. B's step-cousin killed herself last night. She was 15 or 16, I'm not sure which. We just saw her last Saturday at the family Christmas party we attended. She seemed fine. I unfortunately don't know a whole lot about her having only met her one time last year. She overdoes on pills. That is all I know as of last night but wow, it sure does put all the minor stuff I whine about into perspective. It's all not that fucking important. Her parents must be suffering like crazy today and I can't bear to bitch about stupid shit like FedEx being late on one of my packages. Life is short, tenuous, and everything can change on a dime.

B went over to her friend's house to hang out and take her mind off everything and I don't blame her. She needed to just forget for a while and I am okay with that. While she was gone I worked in the basement rearranging shit keeping my mind from wandering.

I am very sorry for this family and the struggle they are facing given the time of year. I can't even begin to imagine the heartbreak and stress this is putting on them. Such a tragedy.

Y11 D208

It was weird being officially off yesterday. I still check emails of course. Sent quite a few. I will try not to send any today but you know how that goes. I think somewhere in my psyche is the fear of out of sight out of mind. I know I don't work for conglomocorp but still. I worry. I only sent a few though. Not like micromanaging anyone or being intrusive. Just stuff that was immediate.

We did take a nice break and went to the Henry Ford museum. They have a cool Lego exhibit going on that I wanted to see. Nice thing about being members is going anytime. It's only like 20 minutes away and so we had lunch, saw the Legos, came back home.

Had leftovers for dinner, watched some tv, went to bed.

Today is more of the same. I need to go to the grocery store this morning but otherwise no big plans. I may run to home depot to get a couple of things because B has a light she wants me to hang. I also want to start one of my big vacation projects - rearranging our storage. When we moved in we just kind of put things in storage to get them out of the way. Now we're settled, it's time to put things in better places, identify things that can go, etc. It's a big undertaking but one I want to get done.

Only a few days left until Christmas! Present time! Woo!

Y11 D207

I am officialy off! No worrying about work until 1/6. Two weeks of bliss. Of course I am going to check emails and shit because that's what I do. But I won't worry about doing any real stuff. I can tackle some of my at home projects. But first some needed time away from the computer. Today for example we are going to the Henry Ford museum. They have a Lego exhibit I want to check out. Boom.

Worked on more docs yesterday until it was time for the company meeting. Talk about insulting. Praise heaped on salespeople and project managers. WTF? How about the people who actually DO the work? Anyone can sell or push paper. I was very annoyed.

Our friend came over last night because he needed some help with Xmas shopping. He has been out of work for a little while now but he still had enough savings to at least get his immediate family some stuff and he wanted help. I respect this guy. He is in a rough place but he has his shit together, is doing his best, and is looking for solutions. Can't do much more.

We went to Walmart because that's within his budget. Bought some stuff, came back, and hung out until about 11. Headed off to bed.

Been sleeping great the last couple of nights. Much needed deep sleep.

The yard guy couldn't come yesterday because it snowed a bit overnight so he is coming Friday. I am looking forward to that for sure.

Y11 D206

Last night I finished watching Watchmen. Holy shit. That was hands down the best 8 hours of television I have ever watched. It's amazing what a good storyteller can do when given a full 8 hours to tell their story. I loved every single episode. Not a minute of it bored me or I wanted to fast forward through. It was so well done, well crafted, and wrapped up beautifully. I was in awe. Loved. Best way to end 2019 tv shows. In-fucking-credible. So yea, you think I liked it?

Spent the day working on new materials. Got a good chunk done too. I will work some more today and hopefully get the presentation side completed. I don't expect to finish the demos until 2020 but should have the core done today. I am on module 5 of 9.

After working, I decided to tackle one of my "Christmas Break Projects". I have about 4. One of them was to rearrange and clean out the pantry. Boom, done. I am extremely pleased with how that came out. I had a whole garbage bag of expired or stale stuff. Cleaned the shit out of the shelves too. Next on my list, which is a bigger project, redo the storage areas in the basement. Three areas that we haphazardly put stuff in when we moved in. It's all getting pulled out and rearranged. As part of that, I am going through old clothes and making a donations pile. I will keep myself busy.

Met with a new lawn guy yesterday. He's coming by today to do end of year cleaning on front and back. It's slightly snowing so I hope he can get done quick enough. Then in spring he will be back to do weekly lawn. He's $3 a week cheaper than my current guy.

B had bingo last night and I was on my own for dinner. Made mahi with some nice mac and cheese and peas. Was pretty fucking tasty.

Had some presents arrive so wrapped those babies up and stuck them under the tree.

Headed to bed around 10 and slept REALLY well. Good solid rem sleep. I needed it.

Y11 D205

Before I tell you what happened yesterday, I have to give some back info. B and I decided to take some money from my LOC (about 10k free) to knock down a couple of our other bills. We have a couple of bills that are about $300 which if we paid off/down would give us a little buffer while still letting us pay a little more to the LOC. In the long run, it's easier to have one than 4 going on each month kind of thing. The reason that's important is that one of the things we paid off was the note I had with my company. I had $1300 left (from $6500) and said screw it. Paid in full. Well...

The last few days I have been feeling like a pariah because I stood up for myself and told them I needed a break. I texted the big boss to ask him to please confirm receipt of the $1300 which he did and then said "we need to chat". Not good. Well...

Turns out he was scared I was quitting because I paid the loan off in full. In the end after an hour conversation, all is good. Matter of fact, due to legal changes to our PTO time in 2020, he NEEDS me to take time off or I am going to lose some. They are forcing companies to split PTO into sick versus vacation. As of 1/1 all employees will automatically have 40 hours of sick time separate from the accrued vacation time. The total number comes out the same, but I would have seen 40 of my vacation hours gone. So in the end I am using about 72 hours to get my number down. I will start the new year with about 125 vacation and 40 sick. Okay.

Also he agreed to treat us to a Christmas dinner when we are in Grand Rapids. We made a reservation for Ruth Chris. Yeah. Suck it.

So overall I am feeling better going into these final weeks of the year and as of tomorrow afternoon, I am going to enjoy some needed time off. No emails, no phone calls, no customers. Have some stuff to finish catching up on today and tomorrow still, but that's about it.

Y11 D204

Didn't do much of anything as planned yesterday. Went to the pet store. That was our big trip out. B worked on the headboard she is building for us. When it's done I will take a picture. It's currently on my dining room floor where it's being stained and sealed.

Haven't heard anything from work. I don't know if I am doing anything this week or not. I may just officially start my vacation and say fuck it.

Maybe they fired me and didn't tell me.

Whatever.

Y11 D203

Had a surprisingly okay day yesterday. Got up, started baking for this party. Made that caramel apple pecan cake thing. B made green bean casserole. We headed out around 11 and got there a little before noon. It was decent. Small group this year with less tiny children. There were still a couple but better than last year. We socialized and chit chatted with everyone until around 4. Headed on home and B's dad came over to help us put plastic sheeting on the windows.

On the way there I saw a billboard for an upcoming concert at one of the casinos. Jonny Lang. I first learned about him 20 years ago while visiting North Dakota where he is from. I've always wanted to see him as I do like his music. B of course had no interest in going. When her dad was here I asked him if he liked Lang and he got real excited. Fuck it I thought - well then we're going! I sat right down and looked up tickets. The tickets for good seats were about $150 each which I could see him pause on so I offered that he only owes me $100 and the rest was his Christmas present from me. Done. On 1/12, we are going to see Jonny Lang in a 1500 seat venue from row 4. Not too shabby. Hey B is off to Billie Eilish and Alanis Morrisette next year so what the hell. I will have Jonny Lang and Ozzy.

The sheeting is all up on the windows and it's already making a difference at keeping things warmer. It's starting to turn to snow outside and we needed to get that up. The temperature is going to start dropping and our front windows are huge. Keep that air locked in the house.

Went to bed soon after he left as it was getting late. Nothing on the plate for today. Just going to relax and do nothing.

Y11 D202

I am home! For a while too. Thank goodness. I headed to the airport around 2 something, dropped the car off at 3, waited for security to open at 4:15. Got to the club and sat there doing bills until it was time to head home. No issues on my flight. Got home, did laundry, settled in.

Went to dinner, went to the grocery store, went to bed. It was a boring as heck day. Is good.

Started watching Watchmen. Pleasantly surprised. I was worried it was a reboot or some other bs but it's a true sequel of the universe and it's not bad. I am only 3 episodes in, but sill, am liking it.

Today we have B's cousins Xmas party. I need to bake a cake this morning. Must get my morning stuff done so I can go bake.

Y11 D201

My whining paid off. I was just trying to get Monday's class canceled but in the process I made everyone feel bad enough they freed the whole week up for me. So now of course I feel guilty like I'm not a team player or something. Fuck me.

Got through the day, headed back to hotel, ate leftovers, went to bed.

Leave her shortly for airport, then home by 11am. Timesheets, expense reports, weekend. We have a party Saturday I have to attend (which is why I was stressing about working Monday. I didn't think I would get enough rest).

Sigh. I need to find a new job.

Y11 D200

Fuck my company. I coughed so hard yesterday I had a bloody nose which led to blood in my phlegm. Fuck them.

Made it through the day, barely.

I did sleep well at least.

I just need to make it until the 20th. Fuck me.

Y11 D199

Dammit, it's snowing here. I am hoping it warms up and it doesn't stick, but damn. And I have two more days of this place before I can leave. According to the weather this should be a temporary thing. It should clear up by the time I leave on Friday. Thank god I have an annoying 4 wheel drive right now. I should be okay driving to the client this morning. It's scheduled to stop around 8 or 9. Let's see if it does.

Not a bad day yesterday. I am in the basement of a giant manufacturing plant but it wasn't horrible. About 10 people yesterday with 4 new ones today. We got through everything around 4:15. Traffic back was a little rough and I may stay closer to the client for dinner tonight. Take my time getting back. Last night I went to PF Chang's because it was close to the hotel. Horrible. Everything was burnt and bland. Never going back to that one again.

Stayed in the room watching some tv and went to bed around 10.

Please stop snowing.

Y11 D198

In PA. It was a bit of a rough day yesterday. Mostly due to weather. I got to the airport way too early. My flight didn't board until 12:30 and I got there before 10. I could have pushed my pickup out at least 30 minutes if not an hour. But oh well. I was there and I sat and waited. It wouldn't have been too bad if I didn't end up getting delayed. We sat on the tarmac for nearly an hour while they literally rebooted the plane. I picked the flight I did because it would have gotten me there right before typical evening commute times. But due to the delay, I arrived in the middle of rush hour.

Add to that I didn't realize there was a shuttle bus to the car lot. I saw it across the street and decided to walk over not realizing it was a lot farther than it looked. It would have been okay if it wasn't pouring rain. Then I get there and the only car they have available for me is a Jeep Gladiator. Never heard of it? Me neither. It's a Jeep truck thingie. Very weird, very 4-wheel monsterous. Although, given how flooded some of the roads were, I was glad for it by the time I got to the hotel.

I am about 20 miles away from the airport here and it took me over an hour because of weather and traffic. I was cranky, cold, hungry, and wet by the time I arrived.

Went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner, came back, tried to shake off the day. Ended up going to bed around 9:30. I did sleep well at least. The room is quiet, the bed is good, and I was exhausted. So it all worked out that way.

Dealt with a bunch of bullshit emails last night too. I hate people more and more each day. Salespeople specifically.

Make it through the week and I am home until January. I can do this.

Y11 D197

Oh man it is so nice sleeping. Even though I am traveling today, my pickup isn't until 9:30. So I didn't have to go to bed at a ridiculous time. I went to bed normal, slept without an alarm. Neat!

I know this is going to sound crazy, but B and I planned a trip for the end of the month. Just 3 days two nights. A little getaway if you will. The catch is, I told B I wanted to stay at a nice hotel. No business hotel with a waffle maker. I have stayed in enough of those this year. When the destination is the key, the hotel matters less. In this case, the hotel is the key. I want to be pampered. I wanted a place with a spa and fancy sheets. So we are going to Grand Rapids. It's a two hour drive, but we are staying here:

Yeah. Fancy hotel. Calling tomorrow to make us a spa appointment. 6 onsite restaurants. Historical building and rooms. This is what I need. A get away. Not just another trip. We're going the 27th to the 29th. I now have something serious to look forward to after these work trips. Cool.

Ran a couple of errands yesterday but otherwise stayed in the house. Had Chilis for lunch because I have been promising to take B. Had leftovers for dinner. All worked out. We watched some tv, relaxed. I am still sick so not much else going on. I am hoping to clear this cold up this week. We shall see. I'll either day at this client or be healthy when I get home. 50/50 either way.

Ah now to go slowly get ready.

Wait, I almost forgot to tell you all something. We bought our "big" Xmas gift yesterday. We have been wanting a home alarm system since we moved in. We have been going back and forth between a couple of brands and when I got home there was an ad from SimpliSafe in the mail for 25% off. I decided to look yesterday and they had 40% going on plus a free camera. We sat down and put together a system. We got $900 worth of equipment for $500. So we will now be covered. 3 motion detectors, 2 cameras, video doorbell, multiple window and door modules, keychain FOBs, and glass break detectors. Plus 24/7 monitoring and recording. I am very excited about this. It should be here this week and then I need to debate if I wrap it or the empty boxes. We shall see.

Y11 D196

Best fucking sleep I have had in over a week. Even though I fly out tomorrow, I for once have a late flight. This trip is the equivalent of me going from Northern to Southern CA. Or Portland to Seattle. It's a 90 minute flight and it doesn't board until noon. Heck, my pickup tomorrow isn't until 9:30am. So not only did I get to sleep in today, I don't have to be up at crazy time tomorrow either. Nice.

Uneventful travel day. Sat in Sac for longer than I wanted to, but I did go to the club for a little over an hour. Had food, charged my devices. Quick trip to PHX where I had about 45 minutes. Luckily my gates were close and I once again popped into the club where I had a good 25 minutes to eat something, charge up, use the bathroom, etc. Got to my gate and there were 15 wheelchairs. I know this because the gate agent told some other person who was trying to board "oh sweetie, we haven't started yet, I have 15 wheelchairs still to pre-board". Damn. That's a lot. Luckily they were all in the back of the plane.

Landed, B was sick so I had car service pick me up. Got home, ordered some dinner, ate, then we decided to take care of as many of today's errands as possible. Target, grocery store, pet store. Done and done. Another reason why I can relax this morning.

So there it is. My big weekend. Now to do time sheet and expense report and my obligations will be complete. I already did laundry and repacked so I am good to. Next stop PA.

Y11 D195

Back to shitty sleep. Look, I know I talk a lot about my sleep habits these days but when you are spending as much time as I do on the road, and I don't drink any more, what the hell else is there to talk about? This is my fucking life now people. Boring nights in hotel rooms, caring about the weather (pouring rain outside for those who care), and how well I slept. That's what I got most of the time. You think it's fucking fun for me? Rest assured it's not. I am the poor son of a bitch who has to live it.

Final day of training. End result was over 80 people trained in 5 days. Plus I met with their boss and talked about who to fire. No, seriously. We agreed on 90% of who doesn't have the skills and won't make it. I defended one they had thought was a lost cause but in the end they are going to give that person another chance. The rest though we were in full agreement.

Got back to the hotel around 2, sat around watching tv, packed, ate crap in the fridge, went to bed at 7. Tossed and turned until 10 when B messaged me saying she felt sick and to see if I could get a ride home (unknown at this point). Went back to sleep until 12:10. Leaving here shortly for the airport. 5:30am flight, one hour layover in PHX, then hit DTW at 3:50. Laundry, food, bed, leave again on Monday for PA.

Y11 D194

FINALLY I had a decent night's sleep. Took all week but I managed to do it. Humidifier on, air conditioning on, sheet only. Of course my throat is killing me, but I slept. Yay me.

Yesterday's group was the toughest. It was the truly least technical and many of them struggled with even the most basic computer skills. They were friendly and kind enough, but they just couldn't keep up and this is a basic class. I am supposed to meet with their boss today to do a debrief and I have to be honest with them. Some of these folks just don't have the right skills. That's all there is to it. Not to be mean, just being honest. And not one of those 'be brutally honest' sort of things.

Grabbed Rubio's for dinner. Had fish tacos and a lobster burrito for dinner. It was good. While I was eating fuckhead the sales guy sent me a message confirming that next monday I have to do a private session for one of the worst groups ever. From 11:30 - 7:30 my time. Assholes. These people are notorious for being late, being rude, and being useless. Fuck them.

Went to bed around 9 and as I said, slept. Last day here. Leave tomorrow around 2am and get home around 3pm.

Y11 D193

It's only Thursday? Are you sure about that? Son of a bitch.

I haven't had a full night's sleep the entire time I have been here. Too dry and too sick. Just one night of sleep. Is that asking so much?

Day three yesterday. Day two of the same material. New group. Sharper group than Tuesday at least. We got out around 4:20 this time. That's not bad. I did get stuck in bad traffic again though trying to get back to the hotel. Traffic around here is just awful. Another situation where an area grew too rapidly to keep up with the demand of vehicles and now they're paying the price.

Had dinner at a family style restaurant. Corned beef and cabbage. Twas not bad I must admit. Got back to the hotel. Talked with B. She had bingo last night. The jackpot was at 7k. One little old lady won it and nearly had a heart attack. 7k is a lot of money for folks like that. Hell, 7k is a good chunk of change for us. Not going to lie. It would help immensely.

Tried to sleep at 9. Failed. Sigh.

Y11 D192

Still not feeling better. Passed out at 8pm, woke up at midnight, took more meds, tossed and turned until about 4:30. Unsure how my voice is doing right now, but don't have high hopes for it. I can feel the scratch in my throat which scares me. I have three more days here then 3 in PA. I can't believe it's only day three here. Feels like I have been here a month.

Moderately decent group. No real troublemakers. Some were struggling a bit but most got through it. Another group today. It's Friday's group I am really worried about. They're the ones that are going to give me trouble. I can feel it already.

Had Jimboy Tacos for dinner. They were pretty damn good. Nothing is sitting right anyway right now, but I managed to keep them down and in me.

At home, we apparently now have axolotls. Yep. Don't ask. It makes her happy.

Y11 D191

Yesterday was hell. Not because of the class, well some of it, but because this sickness hit me hard. I was floopy at a couple of points, could feel my temperature rising, vertigo, etc. Fun times. My voice is going to go before the end of the week. This morning I have flushed like 10 pounds of snot out of my nose. Good times abound!

My class was interesting. I had a small group out of 16 who were combative. The nothing is ever going to be fixed around here why are you showing us this kind of people. I ended up switching the class around midday to do things that I knew would shut them up. It worked.

Finished at 4:40 and tried to get back to the hotel. I say try because once again construction killed traffic and instead of fighting it, I went to dinner. Was just easier that way. I will probably do the same thing tonight.

Got back to hotel and held out as long as I could before taking meds and passing out. I made it until 9pm. Slept restlessly all night. But I slept.

5 more days until I can go home.

Y11 D190

I knew this was going to happen. I'm sick. Being in too many planes, around too many people, too many different climates. My body can't take it. I bought some NyQuil gel caps last night, let's see if they can do any good. Biggest concern is losing my voice. I have three more weeks of classes counting this week and I will probably be screwed by Thursday. No voice. Fucking salespeople. Speaking of them, ours wants me to work this week from the hotel after class. Nope. No way. Ain't gonna happen. I am too weak to even be doing the classes let alone additional work after. Suck it.

With the exception of one almost major issue, yesterday wasn't bad. I was stressed waiting for the car because I expected the airport to be a madhouse. It was, but luckily none of them were in my way. By that I mean, the airport was full of non-status people. Security for regular folks was 100 people deep, but my line had 2 in it. I was through security in under 5 minutes. Same when it came to board my first flight. There were three of us for group 1, but 200 for groups 6-9. The only almost issue was my connection. I only had 1 hour total before my next flight left, 30 minutes before board, 30 until take-off, and we were delayed 40 minutes from DTW. I RAN from A17 to C7. Like a mother. When I got to C7 they were already on Group 6. Luckily though, once again, I skipped their line and went around a couple hundred people all glaring daggers at me. Sorry bitches. When you hit 100,000 miles in a year (which I did yesterday thank you very much), then you can skip around the line.

Got to Sac and it was a torrential downpour. It hasn't stopped raining either. I had to stand outside while waiting for my car. Was very pissed off about that. I am thinking of finally switching to either National or Enterprise next year. They are one company so I need to see which is better for business travelers. I am leaning towards Enterprise. If they will tier match me, I will switch. Use up my Avis points for personal trips. We shall see.

Took about 40 minutes to get to the hotel because of rain. Stopped at the grocery store for lunches and snacks first. I still arrived at the hotel hella early and they let me check in. Decent room. No issues there.

Took a nap, ironed, went to Chili's for dinner. It was okay. Back to the room, meds, and bed. I tossed and turned because I can't breathe. Oh well.

5 days, 79 students. Let's do this.

Y11 D189

I did in fact, not go back to bed yesterday. Sigh. I stayed up and did a shit ton of things around the house including rearranging the laundry room for B. She has been using it for her own little hideaway now that it's too cold outside. I setup things to make it easier for her.

We also went to a place called Atomic Dawg and had the best fucking hot dog ever.

She took a nap, I didn't. Went to bed at 7, got about 3 hours of decent sleep. Now I go to Sacramento. On the busiest day of the year. Sigh.

Y11 D188

I swear, I am going to check in for my flight and go back to bed. I am tired AF. Had a rough sleep night. More weird dreams.

Here was our day:

Yep. It's that time of year. I get to enjoy it for a whole two days. Whee. B took her sister's bowling and gave me the best gift - alone, quiet time. I enjoyed it so much. Took a bath, had a nap, watched my shows on the big tv. It was wonderful. I made tacos when they got home. They left around 8, we went to bed shortly thereafter.

No plans for today. Just checking in, then leaving tomorrow around 3. All day travel. But with backwards time travel. Good times.

Y11 D187

FINALLY! I got to sleep in. Oh man did I need the sleep. I didn't fall asleeo until almost midnight so it's not like I got a huge amount of it, but I did get some deep sleep. I know this because of all the fucked up dreams I had. Just a ton of bizarre shit. From almost burning down a wedding to strangers in my house. Multiple weird dreams.

Got paid this morning and also finally hit the social security cap. They keep raising that shit and it's getting harder and harder to hit. Extra $300 on this check. Thank god.

To be fair (to be fair, to be fair...) yesterday was only moderately painful. Made a cake in the morning, cleaned the house during the day, then we went over to B's dad's around 3. The food was awful save for a couple of things. Like my cake. But god midwest food is so bland. Well, it's either bland or oversalted. There doesn't seem to be any inbetween. But I stayed and made small talk and acted like the good husband. We got back home around 7 or so with B's sisters in tow.

I heard from my sister. She is alive. That's good. I also got a text from X1 who isn't blocked on my new phone. Remedied that shit quickly. Heard from the kid. She had tacos. Make me proud. Heard from my buddy, he had hamburgers. Also proud.

Today Christmas arrives. Only 25 more days people! Woot! Then tomorrow I am up at 5:30 to check in for flight and I leave Sunday. Whee.

Now to go pay bills. Fun.

Y11 D186

The only thing I care about today is I finally have a day off from work. Everything else is irrelevant. Fuck your good housekeeping holiday which is 99% lies. Thankful? Be thankful every fucking day you're alive.

Got through the last day with my students without yelling at any of them. Thankful. Scared someone who was loitering in my driveway. Thankful. Not dead. Thankful.

Have to leave in Sunday. Not thankful.

Booked my first trip of 2020 to Seattle. Not thankful.

Bah humbug.

Y11 D185

Somehow yesterday turned out even worse than Monday with these people. One didn't show. One shouldn't be in the class. 3 of them had to go to a coffee shop to get on a network that would work. Oh and they didn't show up until 9:10. These people have such little respect for my time it's ridiculous. Thank goodness this is the last day with them. I don't think I could take much more.

B's friend had another close open situation so guess who stayed the night AGAIN. I mean she's nice and all but sheesh. Move closer to work already. Do something. Her car situation is screwed again. Sigh. I miss being in OR where we knew no one and didn't have any obligations to other human beings. Made life much simpler. Just saying.

Get through today. Have three days off. Rain has started. 45mph winds forecasted for today. Maybe I will get lucky and the power will go out.

Y11 D184

Fuck this customer. They didn't show up until 9 even though I told them I wanted to start at 8:30. Half of them didn't pay attention and kept leaving. Then they had a fire alarm at 1:15 and didn't come back from lunch until 2 (30 minutes late). Fuck them. But oh wait, I have two more days with them. Oh boy.

7,400 flights. 3.4 million people. That's what I have to look forward to on Sunday. 30 minute layover in Dallas. 8 hours of flights. I don't know which is worse. This client or dealing with that. Then I don't get home until Saturday and I leave again on Monday. So very tired.

That was my day. Ate leftovers last night. Had no energy to do anything else. B is sick. She is cranky. Fun times around here.

Y11 D183

Slept much better last night. I turned u;p the humidity in the house. Finally I could breathe. Fuck dry climates. Fuck them hard.

B got up late so we didn't do much in the morning. I washed blankets, wrapped presents, put away all the shit she had out still like the folding tables and the extra leaf for the dining room table. When she finally got up we went to the grocery store. I picked up six pounds of apples and am making apple butter right now. I let it cook overnight. I need to take the immersion blender to it this morning. Then find something to put it in. We forgot to get jars yesterday. Oh well.

B made soup for dinner which was good. Played some video games and went to bed. A somewhat relaxing day.

Now begins three days of teaching Canadians. Whee.

Y11 D182

I got up when Julio called me and stayed up. I left for the airport around 2:30. Had to wait forever for the fucking valet to get my car. Do not put some old ass dude on valet and have the cars parked three blocks away. Took forever to get my car.

I put in my phone MSP Airport and a gas station near there. I started to leave and it had me going down these weird streets. Dammit. I had 'avoid highways' on. Ok. Pulled over, fixed that, got going. Got to the gas station okay and it said I was 2 miles from the airport. Hmm. Nothing is looking airport like around here. I go to where it says to go and guess what? It took me to MSP Airport OFFICES. MOTHER FUCKER. I was actually 9 miles away from the airport still. Son of a bitch. It's a little after 3 at this point. Finally get there, drop the car off, and get to the terminal. 3:20am and it's a mad house. Oh boy. Things will be even worse on my next trip. Oh boy. I go through security at 4, and look for an admiral's club. Nope. Delta and United are primary at MSP so no club. There is an Amex club however. Fine. Day pass me. I have 5 hours to kill. Very nice club and believe me, I ate $45 worth of food.

Head to my gate and am waiting. They call pre-board and O.M.G. 2 wheelchairs, 4 elderly with canes, and then a party of FIFTEEN mentally challenged. It took about 10 minutes before they got to my group and we're group 1. Wow. Get boarded, get to Chicago. We managed to get into Chicago early so I have an hour and 20. Nice. I go find my next gate and it is right next to the admirals club. Sweet. I stay in there until about 10 minutes before boarding. I go out and wait at the gate. While I am there, I am watching the two gate agents. I can tell they are making the best of a bad day. So I give them each one of the little "you did good" things American sends elite customers. These are important to employees because they get recorded in an employee file. When review time comes around, these help give them better reviews. Both of the agents love me for it. In return, when they call Concierge Key to board, they also say, by name, I can board. Everyone there is looking at me as I go first before everyone else onto the plane. Neener neener. Even though it was a short flight, I also gave one to the flight attendant when we landed in Detroit. She was happy too.

B gets me, we get going, and on the way home we stop at her grandparent's to return the folding chairs B borrowed for her Thanksgiving thing. We end up staying for dinner and finally get home around 6. I then do laundry, timesheet, expense report, put things away, dishes, bills, mail. Sigh. All the things.

At 8:40, I give up and go to bed. But I slept rough. My nose thing wouldn't stay in. The pressure in this house is off. I need to go check the humidifier. It's not putting out enough. Just not a good night's sleep.

Now to enjoy my one and only day of rest.

Y11 D181

And here's the icing on the cake of this week - the front desk just called me. They woke me up an hour earlier than I needed to be up because they had the wrong room number. Seriously? The one time I have a decent flight time out and I STILL can't sleep because now the front desk is calling me?? Are you kidding me? Worst stay of the year. Congratulations Hampton Minneapolis on winng this prestigous title. Good job.

Sigh.

Yesterday was okay. The group had a good time and lavished me with compliments on the way out. That made up in part for the otherwise clusterfuck this week has been.

Got back around 5, packed, ate, went to bed at 7:30. Tossed and turned until 9. Woke up at 12:45 thank to Julio.

Get home around 3 today. Have a 30 minute layover in Chicago. Fun.

Y11 D180

Yesterday was better. Not great, but better. I didn't have any traffic issues this time and managed to get back to the hotel in 15 minutes. That was the acceptable part of the day. During class though it was a bit rough. Still had folks lost as shit. We didn't get through all of the material as expected. Same issue today unfortunately. Plus in the background a bunch of stupid emails were happening. I am now fully booked next week. I have remote classes for people in Canada M-W, Thursday and Friday are holiday, then I leave again on Sunday. I am getting pushed too hard. Getting frustrated.

Not much else going on. B had her bingo Thanksgiving and from what she told me it was a roaring success. I have like 5 pounds of turkey left at home. Joy. That was sarcasm by the way. In case you missed the nuance of that. I warned her it would be too much turkey but she was so stressed about things going well she bought more than she needed. Okay. It's all good.

Paid some bills. Our gas went up from $20 to $70. Yay winter. More sarcasm. Yes. It's dripping this morning.

One more day. I have a reasonable flight tomorrow. 9am. Get home at around 3 so not bad. I can handle that.

Y11 D179

I was ready to murder someone last night. The client site is 4.4 miles from my hotel. While my hotel is downtown, it's not that hard to get around down here. At least under normal circumstances. My hotel is about a half block away from the Target Center (don't get me started on places named after corporations, that's a whole different rant). Last night apparently there was a sporting event occurring there. Some wolves were playing jazz, I don't know. Regardless, my trip home coincided with the start of said sporting event. On top of that, there was a major accident about 2 blocks away from the arena AND there is construction going on downtown. In the end, it took me over an hour to go those 4.4 miles, the majority of the time spent in the last .4 miles. I nearly left the car in the road and had me a Falling Down moment. I just wanted to put the car in park and walk to the hotel. I sat through one signal nine times. I was surrounded by buses the whole time too. It was just pure hell. The real fun started around 10pm when everyone was LEAVING the arena and decided that was the time to test their horns. Good times.

My class was okay. I have 12 students, 9 of whom are doing good. 2 are struggling but still keeping up. One I lost at lunch. Like she is so far gone it's not even funny. I am cramming six and a half days of material into three so needless to say the pace is brisk. She couldn't keep up at all. Mostly it's just computer skills. She can't move her mouse fast enough to follow along. Sorry. I was told this might be the case and to push forward. So I did. Not much I can do. Two more days of the same mess.

Talked with B last night. Ate my dinner in my room. Went to bed. Listened to horns. What a glamorous life I lead.

Y11 D178

This trip sucks. Everything is frustrating me. There was no car when I got to Minn. I ended up in a Jeep Compass when they finally brought one around. My biggest complaint though is the hotel. The room I booked was a studio suite with fridge. I bought $50 worth of groceries expecting a real size fridge like I had in Seattle. The picture and description between the room there and here was exactly the same. Come to find, it's a mini-fridge. Fuck me. I had to have them bring up a second fridge to fit my shit. Even then I know the frozed stuff is ruined. I will do my best, but I am not happy. Add to that, the website said self parking. But nope. The "self parking" is at a janky ass lot across the street with no security and no in out system. So fine valet. Except valet is not available from 11pm - 5am Sun-Thurs. WTF? I need my car at 2am on Saturday. This better not be a problem. I swear. The room is awful. The noise outside is horrible. I couldn't sleep worth a damn. Plus I forgot my mints and can't breathe. I need to find a rite aid but there's none around.

On top of all that, B is yelling at me that she doesn't have enough time to go get cat food and it's my fault we're out but she has enough time to go help her friends with their crisis? Um no. Not going to happen.

I did have dinner with an old friend and that was nice. We haven't seen each other in 4 years and she is doing wonderful. She lives about 20 minutes away from where I am staying. Smart, sharp human being. She is doing great and that was nice.

4 days and I am back home just to do it all again. Shoot me.

Y11 D177

I woke up 8 minutes before my alarm this morning. I rock.

Yesterday was annoying. B's bleeding heart caused her to be gone most of the day and for me to have a houseguest AGAIN. I get that the poor stay poor because the minute they get ahead, something happens, like their starter goes out. But dammit, this isn't a charity. It's my home. I'm not Downton with 10,000 rooms for people to stay in.

Then the person taking over one of my classes this week is being a pain in the ass. I had to deal with that shit all day.

3 trips. 4 weeks. Two private at home classes. Then I am done for the year.

I did finish all my christmas shopping yesterday so there's that.

Y11 D176

I had the freakiest dream last night. In it, I learned the date of my death. Yeah. BUT I also learned that if I altered the timeline I could get another 20 years minimum. I figured out how to manipulate the timeline in my dream. So don't worry. A quick tweak to the timeline and I will be around for a while. At least another 20 years. Long enough to pay off my mortgage. Good times.

Baked as planned yesterday. My cake came out REALLY well. I was really proud of it. We took it over to B's grandparents and between the four of us we ate half of it. That's saying something. I expect the rest to be gone in a day or two. We left it for them obviouly but I wish I had taken one more slice home for me. I have to make another one.

Continued to clean the house for B's big turkey day. She got an 11 pounder and I have been thawing it because she wants to break it down before cooking. That's my job for today. Make sure this thing is thawed enough to break down. Such fun.

Checking in for my flight, my hotel, etc today. Leave tomorrow at 3:30am. Oh, I did arrange while I am in Sacramento to see the kid. Wow that will be three times in one year since we moved away the first time. Nice.

Y11 D175

What day is it? I think it's Sunday. Pretty sure.

B is having her bingo ladies over on Thursday for a bingo thanksgiving and has begun the process of stressing out about cleaning the house. At 8pm last night she decided to start cleaning the kitchen. When do I leave? Tuesday. Ugh.

Didn't do much yesterday. Visited her grandparent's to borrow some chairs. I agreed to bake them something. Going to the store shortly to get ingredients. Making an apple pecan bundt cake for them. Yeah, I'm a nice person.

I'm tired and cranky today. Not looking forward to the next four weeks.

Y11 D174

I slept and slept this morning. Went to bed around 10 and got all the sleep! I needed a good long night's sleep. Let my body recuperate. I had an extremely busy day yesterday. I had 11 things on my main to do list and got them all done.

First I paid bills, then went to the grocery store, started laundry, worked on docs for next week, vacuumed the stairs, did more laundry, got more groceries, hit the vape shop, weather strippped a door, pulled out tables and leaves for B, packed, booked Sacramento, and had a team meeting. What a day.

So some specifics. Like the 'team meeting'. Ugh that was a waste. This is what happens when sales people drive teams. It was a 40 minute demo from one of our other trainers. Cool and all, but only if you didn't know what she was showing. I have spent the last four weeks explaining the same topic to my students. What we did agree on is stuff like this should be at the end of the meeting not the start so people can drop off if they want.

When I booked Sac, I ended up spending a SHIT TON of money on flight. I don't think it's sinking into anyone's head that THIS IS THE SUNDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING. Flights are through the roof. It's the busiest travel day of the fucking year. I am going to hate every moment. But it is what it is. I have 2 open days between now and 1/6 counting my time off from 12/20. That's it. 2 days. I am going to be exhausted.

For dinner last night we went to our favorite Italian place to celebrate 'houseiversary'. Had a great dinner. We had a wonderful time.

Came back, relaxed, went to bed. Now for the weekend we have no obligations, nothing planned, and the snow is finally starting to melt. I can handle this.

Y11 D173

At 8pm last night, after already working a full day, I get notification that stupid City of Minn approved the submitted contract at the last minute. I had to book all my travel for next Tuesday last freaking minute. They still are being stupid and wanting me to fly some ridiculous route that only costs $450. Kiss my ass. I booked my normal flight through Chicago. It was $650. But they allow $57 per day on travel days and $76 per day normal for food. They also allow $130 a night for hotel. I got a suite for $102 and I will spend $57 for the whole damn week on food. We plan to bill them at their max allowed for hotel and food which will more than cover the $200 difference in flight. $76 per day in food. Where the fuck you think I am eating in Minneapolis? Sheesh. I am stopping at Walmart on the way in to the hotel and getting lunches and dinners for a fraction of that. Per their allowance, my food for 5 days should be $342. Literally, I will spend under $50. So yeah, I will recoup the flight and the car service with no problem.

On top of that, at 9pm Sacramento was approved. I have to book that today. So between next tuesday and December 20th, I will spend three weeks on the road. MN, CA, and PA. FML.

My second day with my group went fine. No issues to report there. Good group. I like these people for the most part. They don't ask much of me, they pay attention, they want to be there. You know, a good group.

Had leftovers last night. Wasn't hungry for real food so I ate some pasta with butter and called it a night.

Today I have to work on docs for next week plus 11 other things on my to do list. The biggest ones are laundry, packing, and bills. No paycheck yet though which pisses me off. I hate that my check can come late sometimes. I don't see what it can't just be here at 3am. I get they are west coast, but there shouldn't be any reason why it isn't posted by like 3:05am EST. Fucking assholes.

In bigger news, today marks exactly one year since we rolled into town and moved into this house. Seriously, one year. How amazing is that?? I can't believe a year has gone by. A year ago we had no furniture, just two cats, 4 fish, and a blow up mattress. Now, if I live here 5 more years, it will be the longest I have ever lived at a single address. Only about 1700 more days to go.

Y11 D172

First off let me tell you about these new pajamas I got from Target. One piece long john style with butt flap. OMG. I feel like a backwoods country person but damn if I didn't sleep like a log all toasty and happy. Winter is tough. You can't sleep naked because you'll freeze your ass off but then again you can't sleep with something that's going to ride up like a t-shirt and shorts because then there's that one spot that gets cold in the middle of the night. Nope. These are perfect. Full coverage always, breathable material, but dang if I aint warm! Go Target.

It's good that I am warm because the snow has started again outside. Funny enough, yesterday around 3, our admin sent me a message asking if the material were ready for Minn next week. I replied that not only are there no materials, I don't know if it is happening, and I haven't even booked anything yet. I am supposed to leave Tuesday. The salesguy responded a few hours later saying yeah, it's still stuck in legal. The funny part is I don't know if I would even be able to get to them. Flights are probably getting canceled and changed right now. Another tricky thing about living in a place like this in winter. Frankly it wouldn't matter where I lived if the destination was still in snow. How many times in the past have I been stuck at DFW or ORD because of weather? In this case, I just can't even get out, let alone get stuck somewhere. The salesguy also sent his message around 6:30 EST which means it was 5:30 CST where the client is and no response was going to be coming from them last night. Today or tomorrow if we're lucky. But regardless, I am at the 'last minute booking' stage and that shit is going to cost.

Taught a group of 14 yesterday. Day 1 of 2. Only two gave me trouble. The rest were fine. We finished around 4:40 which wasn't bad. I don't foresee any issues out of them today. Should be a straight-forward day with them.

Tomorrow is bill day and grocery day. I can't wait.

Y11 D171

I am getting nervous about next week. I haven't booked anything but the client is acting like everything is done and done. They want me to help them test, prep the materials, asking questions, and I don't have anything ready because the salesguy has explicitly said it might not happen. We are still dealing with their legal team on finalizing the contract. Yep. With 6 days until I am supposed to be onsite. This is going to cost them through the nose if I have to make last minute plans. I will not take the heat for this. Then I still have no clue on 2 weeks from now in Sacramento. Same issue. Stuck in legal. That one has travel the Sunday after a holiday too.

Speaking of T&E, I did some of my own analysis yesterday. I estimated that a typical trip costs us about $1800 in travel and expenses. After reviewing every expense report from the year, I was so close. The actual average is $1825. We should be baking that into every single contract. Expect that I am going to spend $2k and we can stop some of this nonsense. I plan on presenting this on Friday at our team meeting. Fun times abound.

Yesterday was pure hell for me. 11:30 - 7:30. I was pacing most of the morning like a caged cat. It was driving me nuts. I did have one student who was also east coast that felt the same. She was just hating how late the class was happening. I keep fucking telling marketing we need two sessions, one PST and one EST, but noooo they think it's fine. Whatever. Maybe that's why our attendance numbers are down? Ever think about that?

That took my whole fucking day and when it was over I pretty much watched some tv and went to bed.

At least today and tomorrow are normal 9-5 days. I can handle that.

Y11 D170

It snowed ALL day yesterday. Like non-stop. My backyard went from nothing to this in 24 hours:

Good times. Solid blanket of white. I went out to the grocery store VERY early yesterday and I am glad I did. I wouldn't have been able to go later. I think it's finally stopped for a while. But it's 17 degrees outside so who knows. It might just keep going.

Ironically, or serendipitously depending on how you look at it, we also had a furnace inspection yesterday. They found a gas leak and worn out capacitor on our system. $260 later things were back. The gas leak was tiny and probably wouldn't have caused problems, but it was a gas leak. So no fucking around with that. The capacitor was a small add-on to the bill and will help the furnace work better so fuck it. We only have a few more years left on that furnace so might as well make it work as well as we can.

Built new docs for the folks in PA. Didn't hear from Minn but that's not surprising as technically yesterday was a holiday for them. Of course, the longer we delay, the more it's going to cost them. Sorry, thems the rules. Should also hear back about Sacramento today. Looks like I will be heading out there the first week of December for 6 days. I will break 100,000 miles. FML. The hard part is I have to travel the Sunday after thanksgiving. Seriously? Of all days. Sigh.

Today is 11:30 - 7:30 which sucks in its own right. Then two 9-5 days. Then who knows what.

Y11 D169

And so it has begun. The white stuff is falling from the skies. It doesn't look like it's really sticking, but it is falling. Thank goodness I don't have to go anywhere this week. We will see if I am going anywhere next week. I was supposed to go to Minn, but they are being stupid and I haven't even booked anything yet. So we shall see what happens. I am assuming today is a holiday for them since it's Veteran's day, which means no communication from them today. I have an 11:30 - 7:30 class tomorrow, then 9-5 on Wednesday and Thursday. If they don't get back to us quickly, then I am booking whatever I can last minute. Their screw-up, not ours.

I am loving this Tool hoodie I got at the show. It's so warm and cozy. Smart purchase. A t-shirt is fine, but sometimes you need to be warm.

Stayed inside yesterday with one trip to the grocery store. Otherwise I went nowhere. B went and met up with our friend for a Pokemon raid. She did take my phone with her so I ended up getting a Mewtwo as well. I just didn't want to leave the house.

The kid made it home after a long day of travel. I am sure she is feeling it today too. I didn't hear from her until almost 5pm my time. I dropped her off at the airport at around 7. So a long day for her. Been there. Constantly.

I have furnace guys coming at 8am this morning to do a review of our furnace. This should be fun.

Y11 D168

Last night was hands down one of the best concerts I have ever been to in my entire life. I spent way too much on merch but holy crap. Our seats were incredible. Not a soul in front of us. We were spitting distance from the stage all night. This was our view:

Not bad eh? I have a couple of 'complaints' if you will. First off, I felt bad for anyone in the cheap seats. There were no giant screens for anyonein back to see what was going on. The screens on the stage played nothing but the music video from whatever song was playing. So if you couldn't see, you couldn't see. Second, Maynard is such a goober that there was a STRICT no phone policy. You could use your phone outside the seating area, but otherwise, they were kicking people out for pulling their phones out during the show. For the VERY LAST song only, did they allow pictures and recording. I know that most concerts have a no photo policy, but this was the first time I saw people being kicked out for even having their phone in their hand. For me this was an issue because I was supposed to text B at a certain point in the playlist so she could be ready to pick us up. I had to tell her before hand that I couldn't use my phone at all during the show. So that was a little rough. Luckily it all worked out. She dropped us off and picked us up about .5 mile from the show. We missed traffic in and out of the venue. That was nice. It's been a long while since I stayed at a concert to the very end.

The rest of the day was pretty good too. Got to spend a lot of time with the kid and catch up. We headed to the show about 5:30, got there at 5:58, and got home at midnight. That was the majority of our day. But the earlier part was nice too. I miss seeing her a lot. She's a good person and I am very proud of the adult she has become. She done good.

I am up early to drive her dumb ass to the airport. Only have about 3 hours of sleep under my belt. Hopefully I can nap sometime today.

Y11 D167

Sorry for my brevity yesterday. B got up right when I was typing in some bad pain. We took her to her chiropractor and she somehow pushed a rib out of alignment. Only her, I swear. So some more on Thursday before I get into yesterday.

Got to SEA-TAC at 3am, boarded my flight at 5. The first flight wasn't anything special. My second flight out of Dallas was luckily right outside the Admiral's Club doors so I sat there for three hours doing not much of anything. I did have a decent seat mate though. He works for IBM and actually understood what I do (and vice versa). We were both pleased to meet someone who understood us that we talked for like two hours. Was kind of nice. Made the trip a little easier. Got home, did laundry, ate some random food, and slept.

Now yesterday was fun. I finally had my meeting at 5:30pm. Yep. All day I waited. I did work on some other stuff, but mostly I waited. Waited for my call. Waited for the kid. Put B back to bed with an ice pack after the doctor.

As for my trip to Minn, they are being dicks and I am not to do anything until I get a 100% greenlight. They are trying to own our IP, hold us to Federal travel guidelines, and now wanting shit to be customized. No, no, and no. We resubmitted a document to their lawyers on Friday. If they don't get this shit turned right around, it may not be happening. It does look like I will be going to Sacramento the first week of December though. So Sac, the PA, then December is done. Glory be.

We had pizza last night so we had something waiting for the kid. I knew she would be hungry due to the time change. She was. We talked and caught up until midnight.

Today we're not doing much during the day because tonight is TOOL! I am so excited now that it's finally here. They have a STRICT no photos policy so we shall see if I can share anything tomorrow. Unlikely, but I will try.

Y11 D166

I am home and the kid comes today!! WOOO! Boring travel day. Spent the majority of it in airports and planes. Nothing exciting there. Up to 91,000 miles though. Sweet oogly boogly. I did get one trip for December squared away. Am supposed to have a meeting today to discuss the other. We shall see

Y11 D165

I finally yesterday morning dealt with a travel person who knew how to back down. I got into it again at like 5am with the travel person from the PA client. The client wasn't budging and was trying to get me to stay in some hotel I know nothing about that is some ridiculous little boutique bullshit because they can get direct billing. I kept pushing and finally the travel person stepped in and said "your rate at the hotel you want is much better than ours, please feel free to book it". Bam. This is why I don't fucking back down. Ever.

Sadly, we're not having the same luck with the group in MN. They are a local government (city, not even state) and they are trying to force me into Federal travel guidelines. For example they only pay up to $300 for a flight for me. Um. No. They want me on Spirit. I would walk first. I looked it up and if I suck it up and buy a coach American, it's only $380. $80 more to fly my choice of airline and not deal with a ton of bullshit. That shouldn't be a big deal. Oh but it is. For hotel they allow $93 a night max. WTF? You're downtown MN in the largest city and that's the rate? Go fuck yourselves. It may not even happen because now they are demanding worker's comp insurance and they want to own our IP. These are deal breakers for us. So who knows. I may not be going anywhere else this month. We shall see.

Yesterday's group went fine. No issues. We finished right on the dot at 4:30. Back in the hotel at 5, packed, booked PA, ate dinner, went to bed at 7. Barely slept. Tossed and turned. I am so frustrated right now I can't get to sleep. I woke up multiple times and just gave up around 11:45. Yes, I've been up for almost an hour already. Showered, finished packing, etc.

Out of here around 2, flight boards at 5, Dallas at 11, leave at 3, land at 6:45pm, home at 7:30. So there goes my Thursday. Tomorrow though, the kid arrives!! Then it's Tool!! Woooo!

Y11 D164

The conflict between myself, upcoming clients, and the salesperson hit the fan last night. Hard. Both of the two upcoming folks want me to use their travel agents and I am not backing down. The sales guy is nowhere to be seen and hasn't had my back. One of them wants me to fly Spirit air (yeah right), use some car place I have never heard of, and stay at a No-Tell Motel. Um no on so many counts. The other because they want to be directly billed, is pushing me to stay at their choice of hotel. No. I won't do it. I have too many problems with my back, noise, room comfort, etc that I am not taking a chance staying some place I have no familarity on. Fuck them. I am holding off until friday before I do anything because I just can't deal with this shit right now.

This week's group is good. Couple of duds in the room but overall they're okay. We got through a good chunk of material at a faster pace than the other group. Still had some network issues but we managed to get through them. We finished around 4:30.

Got back to the hotel, ate, steamed about this travel shit, resolved myself to doing nothing, and went to bed.

I slept like shit. Stress. Time changes. DST issues still. Fuck all this. I can't wait until 12/20. Hell maybe sooner if this travel stuff isn't resolved.

Y11 D163

Right when I was trying to go to bed last night I got into it with one of the salespeople. It's times like this where they show they don't understand how to sell, deal with, or manage trainers. From pushing on my travel booking, trying to shove 6 days of training into 3, expecting me to have time to develop custom work, Any time I tried to rebut anything, all I got was "it was our worst August ever!". Don't care. Pushing me harder is not going to make it better. Believe me. It's going to make it worse because I am going to turn bitchy. Not to menion I still haven't hear back about my raise request. Sigh. I am going to have to do what I don't want to do. Find a new job. It's been overdue. I have been whining and bitching for six months now. Time to act whether I like it or not. You're all tired of hearing me complain. But it's safe, albeit annoying, where I am and it's scary the thought of putting myself out there. Better the devil you know? But not any more. I can't keep going on like this either. I need some more stability. There's my first goal for 2020.

2020. WTF? 1980 is about to be 40 years ago. Millenials will be in their late 30s, early 40s. Boomers will start dying. There's the plus side, right? Speaking of Boomers. Fuck them. Waiting for my flight yesterday in Seattle and the majority of us our standing politely off to the side but here comes privileged old white dude who isn't going anywhere the rest of are going but HE has to be first on. Whatever bitch. 16 seats in 1st class and 12 of them were filled with old white men. What a shocker.

Overall my day was fine. I did have one issue when I hit Seattle. Went to where my car was supposed to be and there was literally no car in the spot. I walked the entire parking lot only to have to walk back. Pain in the ass.

I am in the same room as last week. I made a calculated risk that the construction moved. I was right. No noise this time.

Two days of BS here, then home. This year can't be over soon enough.

Y11 D162

A screwy day to say the least. DST messed with both of us. B ended up sleeping weird times. We went grocery shopping. I obvisouly couldn't nap because I had to go to bed at 7. We started introducing Chili to the wider collective and that was an adventure. But we are keeoing her in the bedroom at night. She was crying and made my amount of sleep minimal. Stupid cats.

Travel day. DTW - Chicago - Seattle. All day. Land around 1pm PST, kill three hours, go to hotel. Go to grocery store. Two days of training, home thursday, get kid Friday, go to tool on saturday, drop kid off sunday, go to raid on sunday, never rest. Yep. sounds good.

Y11 D161

Fuck DST or the end of DST whatever just happened overnight. Thank god I don't fly out until tomorrow when people will have had a day to adjust their stupid clocks. I didn't realize how much manual shit we have to adjust until I just walked into the kitchen and had to change three fucking clocks manually. I also will have to adjust the stupid fish tank timer. An outdated concept from outdated people in an outdated world.

We spent all day outside yesterday walking our little tushies off. It was a community even day in Pokemon so we met up with B's friend, went to the major park where people go, and spent from 11 until almost 5 catching the legendaries and raid quests. We ended up with all the Regi forms, steel, ice, and rock plus the big Regi. Don't feel bad if you have no clue what I am talking about. I don't really understand either.

It was a bit rough though. The cold is starting to come in. We were all freezing. B's arthritis in her knee kicked up and made things rough. We had to take a lunch break in between. We did find a decent sushi/korean place as a result. I am happy about that.

Random topic change - We are one week away from the kid being here and TOOL! WOO! I leave tomorrow for the last trip to Seattle. Oh speaking of flying, WABAM:



I fucking did it. I made the next level. I leveled up at American. That's right. I am now Platinum Pro. I get all the cool stuff. I won't make it to the last level. I might actually hit the miles, but I won't hit the spend. It's just too much. I need 100,000 miles and $15k in spend. But, it would be intensely cool if I did. I still have two more trips after this one and MIGHT come close. We shall see. Just checked in for Seattle. That's another 8,000 miles. So yeah, it's possible I will hit over 100k but I will fall short on money. Maybe 12k spend, but not 15. Oh well.

Anyway, we got home around 4, B soaked in the tub to ease her knee pain, had tomato soup and grilled cheese for dinner. B read, I played games, went to bed around 11pm.

Nothing on the schedule for today thank goodness. Can just stay inside and take it easy.

Y11 D160

Reports of snow were grossly exaggerated. It did "snow" but it never stuck. Boo. The kid is here next weekend for the Tool show (ONE WEEK FROM TODAY! WOOO!) and I hope there's a little on the ground for her. Not a lot mind you, but a smattering just to show her life in the tundra.

Why am I up so early on the one day I could have slept in? Well. Life. Because B has 10,000 things she wants to do today. Which means if I want to get anything done I need to get it done early. Groceries. Expense report. Timesheet. All of that needs to happen now. Good times.

Left for the airport around 2am yesterday. Sat and did bills while I was waiting for my flight. I need a raise. We have added almost $1000 a month since we moved here. B's chiro, doctor's bills, AC unit, furniture, and now our mortgage went up because insurance went up. I know a lot of that is temporary and I am aggressively paying off the things we financed (like the $6200 AC unit) but it still is hurting. Plus I haven't had a tangible raise in years. I sent my boss an email at 3am yesterday to that effect. Let's see if anything comes of it. I doubt it, but we shall see.

Had a 3 hour layover in Dallas. Landed early - 6:10 instead of 6:45 - so I had to wait for B. Got home around 7. Laundry. Settled in. Visited kitties. Answered emails. Went to bed around 10:30.

May have ANOTHER trip this month. MSP. Whee.

Y11 D159

I slept like shit. Tossed. Turned. Got maybe four hours total sleep. It's 1am and I have to leave in about an hour. Just to come back here Monday. Maybe I will get the same room. I will request it to be honest. Better the devil you know kind of thing.

Worked on my new class, played Skyrim, watched some tv, ate dinner, went to bed. The life, living it am I.

All day travel. Land in Dallas at 11 something, leave again at 3, land in Detroit at 6:45. Home by 7:30 is the hope. Dinner, bed, rinse, repeat. One more week of this. Then I get a break until December and it's off to Philly. Then two glorious weeks off. The 20th of December until the 6th of January. The world can kiss my ass.

Happy Christmas 1st. I hear it's snowing at home. Fun times. Only 54 days until Christmas and two weeks until it's been one year since we moved into the house. One year ago tomorrow we closed escrow. Damn.

Y11 D158

I woke up this morning and based on my temperature, how many times I woke up, I well rested I felt, I guessed the time to be 4:17am. It was 4:18am. Not bad. I have always been blessed with a good grasp of time. What time it is, how long something should take, etc. I think it's one of the reasons why I can walk into a place for food for example, and 10 minutes later the place is packed behind me. I can feel when it's a good time to do something. No, nothing major about this, no big reveal. Just an obsveration from me about the nature of time and my own internal clock. Yeah, I'm that bored.

I did manage to get quite a bit of work done yesterday morning before the horrid sounds of construction started. I re-recorded two demos, fixed documents, etc. I had it all done by 10. Thank god because the minute the stone grinder started outside my window, I was screwed. I posted a video of it on twitter and immediately the hotel was all over it. The manager ending up comping me one night stay in points. That's fair. They took roughly 20 hours of room usage away from me, give me 24 hours of comped time. That works.

Another day of doing the same. Sitting in the room working trying to not kill people outside my window out of frustration. I leave tomorrow around 2. My flight boards at 5, takes off at 5:30. I have a 3 hour layover in Dallas this week. All day travel. 2am PST to 7pm EST. Literally, all day. Then I get to do it again on Monday. Whee! But this trip will be the one that boosts my standing. It damn well better be.

Y11 D157

So here I am in a hotel room in Seattle. I feel like I should be getting ready to do something, but nope. I have some work to take care of in the room, but no going anywhere. Just doing some bills right now. I woke up at 3:45 PST because of time travel. That's okay. The more I get done early, the less I have to do when there is noise going on. There's serious noise going on here too. Right outside my room they are doing construction. I wanted to kill them yesterday. I checked in around 3 and they were hammering until 5. Can't take a repeat of that today. So the more I get done before they show up at 9, the better.

Yesterday was pretty uneventful overall. Left for the airport at 3:30, at gate by 4:30, boarded at 5:30. Spent 3 hours in Chicago. Delayed at the gate for an hour which sucked, but I wasn't in a hurry so whatever. More I had to pee and couldn't get up. I had a real douche next to me from Chicago to Seattle. He rolled his eyes when I needed to get up. Sorry buddy that's the window/aisle dynamic. Fucking deal with it. Plus he was one of those wipe everything down with anti-bacterial. Just let the germs do their thing man. 4.5 hour flight, got my rental car (of course I get a decent rental the week I am not going anywhere), headed out. Had time to kill so hit the mall and the grocery store. I got $30 worth of groceries for the week. Will probably do the same next week when I am back. Live cheap and die is my motto.

I am $300 away from the next tier on American. I will get it on my flight home. Man, I wish I could have one good international flight before the end of the year. That would bump me to the top. But it's cool, this will be the highest status I have ever had with them and I will take it.

Okay, 2 hours until breakfast. Shower. Eat. Work. Whee.

Y11 D156

Travel day. Off to Seattle.

Did nothing yesterday. Official PTO. Played with new kitty. Played video games. Went to bed at 8.

Frazzled this morning. All off in my head.

Y11 D155

And now for B's actual anniversary present; ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Chili.

Yep. We're those people. Four cats. She's a sweetheart. The name? Well she had a little bowel trouble when she came to us yesterday. And B wouldn't let me call her Poopy. But she was tooting up a storm last night like someone who had just are one too many bowls of chili. There it is. It stuck.

We spent the first part of yesterday prepping for her arrival. House cleaning, new litter box setup, etc. She came to us through a volunteer group who does rescues from hoarders. She was with 88 other cats when they found her. Hey, at least we're not that bad. 4 is reasonable. 88 is kooky town.

Went grocery shopping. Did some more laundry (towels mostly). Introduced Chili to the house. An overall relaxing day with not too much going on. Put up the storm door. Window coverings next. Yes, it's turning into winter here. Temp is dropping into the 30s already. Kind of looking forward to Seattle tomorrow where it will be wet, but not quite as cold. Tomorrow's flight should push me over the edge for next tier. I'm at 72,366 miles out of 75,000 and $8,309 out of $9,000 needed to hit. I think I can do it with this one trip, both for sure. I will be rolling over about 20 hotel nights this year too. Makes next year easier. Bonus points await.

Today is officially our anniversary and I have it scheduled as PTO. I will be doing a whole lot of nothing thank you very much. Just playing with Chili.

Y11 D154

We are home. We got home around noon yesterday. We tried to go to the farmer's market yesterday but we were one weekend off. It closed last weekend for the season. Unfortunately nothing online bothers to state this. Lame.

Got home, cleaned, did bills, put things away. B took a long ass nap while I did laundry. We ate all of our leftovers for dinner.

What day is it? I am a bit confused to say the least. I leave on Tuesday this week. Gone Tues - Friday. Then Monday to Thursday. Looks like I have a PA trip in December. Fun times.

Y11 D153

We did as we planned yesterday. We did the rest of the outlet stores which pretty much took up the whole day. We got up, had breakfast downstairs (which was actually pretty bad; one of the lowest quality breakfasts I have had at a hampton), headed over to the mall at 10. We were over there until almost 3 with a break for lunch. Took a nap, headed downtown for some dinner and some walking. Came back, relaxed, bed at 11. It was a good day.

We are going to a farmer's market first thing this morning and then may head home a day early. we both want to get home to get ready for the new cat. She is scheduled to come tomorrow. yeah, I know.

Y11 D152

So guess who is going to Seattle on Tuesday and sitting in a hotel room? That's right me. Turns out when the client approached the 3rd party people they asked about next week and the week after just to see availability. They only needed two sessions total but weren't sure they could get everyone in certain dates. The 3rd party salesperson misunderstood and told us 3 sessions, which I booked all non-refundable pre-paid to keep them cheap. Since it's all paid for, I am taking the trip anyway for the miles and hotel nights. So yep. I am traveling next week for absolutely no reason. Good times.

Took the car in yesterday for a recall. Brake system. Also fun stuff. We headed out of town around noon, stopped at a cider mill, did half of the outlet stores, checked into the hotel, went to chicken dinner, walked around. It was a really nice day. I just slept for over 8 hours too which is really nice. I needed the sleep.

Today we are doing the other half of the outlets and that's about it. No stress, no worries.

Y11 D151

I am home. For about 8 hours. Then we are out of town until Sunday. But at least this is a personal trip. Turn off my emails and enjoy some time to myself.

Yesterday was uneventful. I got to the airport way too early. Sat and waited for security. Sat and waited for my flight. Had 30 minutes between flights, made it to my gate with 18 to spare. I'm at 72,366 miles out of 75,000 and $8,309 out of $9,000 for my next level on American. With two flights on the books I am going to do it. As of right now I have taken 43 flights this year. Segments to be exact. After these next two trips, that will be 51. I checked the shared calendar and it looks like there is placeholder for a trip in December to PA. Finishing the year strong.

B picked me up around 4, we got home, I did laundry, repacked for this weekend. Neither of us wanted to cook and fortuitously B's grandfather happened to text asking if we wanted to come over for dinner. Um, yes please. Perfect timing. We went over there around 5:30, had spaghetti as a family (weird concept) and hung around until about 8:30. Came back and went to bed.

This morning before we leave I have to take the car in for a recall notice. The auto braking system needs an update. Kind of an important one. While I am waiting for it, I will do my timesheet, expense report, etc. Get everything done and out of the way.

On the way to our destination, we plan on stopping at a cider mill. That should be fun. Let's get this ball rolling!

Y11 D150

Travel day. Off to the airport in a few minutes.

Got five hours of crappy sleep.

Taught all the way up to 4:30 yesterday. Left the office by 5, back at hotel by 5:30. Bed at 7. All day travel today. Get to Detroit at 4pm. Have 30 minutes in Chicago.

Fun times.

Y11 D149

Yesteray was interesting to say the least. I believe I mentioned how these classes are a third party resell to us. The client actually works through another firm who sold the classes to us to deliver because they don't have the expertise to deliver them. So the contact at the client doesn't know who we are, they think we're part of the company they originally hired. Fine and dandy, except the specific contact isn't actually part of the class. They just arrange things. So they have no clue how the product or our material works. They keep wanting things a certain way and keep bitching to the main company who in turn tries to bitch to me to which I have to try to explain "it doesn't work that way". It's annoying and frustrating. The students themselves are fine. The class itself went fine. It's the behind the scenes logistical bullshit that's not working for me. Plus next week's class is with a completely different contact and the resell company has yet to provide me with any details. Fucking annoying. I am going to show up next week with absolutely no info. Stress much?

I finished the day, stopped at target, came back to hotel. Ate dinner, went to bed.

One more day and I go home. Rinse and repeat.

Y11 D148

Wow I am had a disaster. Apparently the fridge in my room is set too cold and when I just opened my rockstar it decided to explode. Right next to my laptop. Luckily I realized what was going on and moved quickly. But dammit, I lost half a rockstar. That part sucks. Now I need to stop on the way and replace it. Fun times.

Yesterday was hard. Time travel. Bad traffic. And I get to do it again two more times! Whee! The traffic was the worst of it. Took me over 90 minutes to go 27 miles from the airport to the hotel. Fuck that. And it was a Sunday! The next time I am here it will be a Tuesday and a Monday. How much worse will it be then??

The day was okay in itself. Long, but okay. First flight no issues. Had 3 hours to kill in Chicago though. On the way home I only have 30 minutes which will be better. Stressful, but better.

4 hours 45 minutes from Chiago to Seattle. Long ass, boring flight. I watched multiple episodes of Elementary. Made it through season 2 and much of 3. Hotel is okay. I am at an Embassy this week because my normal hotel wasn't available. I will be at the other the next two trips.

Two days of teaching then back home, then a trip for our anniversary, then back on the road. Breathe.

Y11 D147

Up. Go. Move. Whee.

Hot. Sweating. Too much moving.

2am. Spazzing out.

Did a TON of shit yesterday. Groceries, laundry, home depot, prescriptions for humans and cats, vape shop (the ban has been temporarily lifted!), got B's sisters, cleaned the house. In short we made yesterday our bitch hard. Had pizza for dinner with the girls then they did pumpkin decorating and movie watching while I went off to bed around 7:30. Fun times.

Time travel today. Land at 12:45PST. It will be a weird day for me. Two days in Seattle, back on Wednesday.

Y11 D146

Ah nothing like getting up at 5:45am to check in for a flight the day before you have to be up at 1am to leave for said flight. Good times.

Taught my class all day. We went until 4:15. The group wasn't bad except for one who said like 4 words. The other students though were all talkative and fun. I enjoyed them. But there's alwasy one, isn't there? Bleh.

B's grandmother was having a bad day yesterday and B went over to make them dinner. When she got back she said her grandfather looked horrible. Tired, run down, exhausted. Seeing as he spends his time taking care of the grandmother, it's no wonder. He never gets a break for himself. Poor guy.

She got back here around 6. We had a random dinner and watched the Veronica Mars movie. I do not need to watch season 4. I am happy with how the series ended based on the movie. They wrapped everything up perfectly in my mind. Leave it where it is.

Went to bed around 11. No plans for today other than grocery store and getting B's sisters. Yep. I have to deal with them here before I leave. Fun times.

Y11 D145

Whew. Been up for like an hour paying bills, moving money, getting life together. Fucking medical bills are starting to get to me. I got another set of test results back. Not cool. Some shit going on. I need to talk with the doctor to see how we're going to fix things. But of course that means I owe them more money. Whee. Can't I just rot away? Life was so much easier when I was drunk all time. Oh well.

Taught a group in Canada yesterday. My third session with them. One more before the end of the year. They're okay. Couple of them annoy me, but otherwise no issues. Just went long. Didn't finish until 5. B was out with her fish friend getting more fish. We now have 20. Yes, 20. I will take a picture at some point. But she didn't get home until almost 6. I started a lasagne at 5.

Ate dinner, went for a drive, watched tv, went to bed.

Same class different group today. 4 students. Don't know any of them. Should finish around 4 if all goes well. Then I get one whole day to myself before it's off to fucking Seattle. Fun times.