Y12 D219

 I had, for me, a really bad dream in my final sleep stage. I had another one earlier which was pretty awful too. Let's start with the first one; I was trapped in a building on fire. Yeah. I was also trying to figure out how to get me and my stuff out. The second one involved X2 and some weird shit. I can't wrap my head around all of it, but between both of those, apparently I have some issues. Fuck dreams.

Last day of the year. So? Nothing is going to change tomorrow. There won't magically be 500 million vials of vaccine available. The spoiled baby will still be in charge for 19 days. I will be more excited on Feb 1 when there's a chance things might be looking positive. Until then, fuck NYE. Just another Thursday.

Played video games. Made stew. Went to bed.

Y12 D218

 My tinnitus is so prevalent these days in my left ear that when it's not going, it's weird. Like right now it's silent in my head. Not used to it. It's quiet, too quiet. 

I'm getting used to this nice sleeping in thing. It's already 7am. Not like I have anything to do today mind you, but next week is coming fast and I have to be back up early. Can't get too spoiled this week. I'm off, my coworker is off, and our boss is off this week. I have been checking email once or twice a day, but so far nothing. Of course now that I said that...

I have completed the sous vide trifecta. I did my salmon last night. 30 minutes at 122 degrees. Very tasty. This is how restaurants get so many plates out looking exactly the same. They have a giant version of this where they just throw in the entrée, let it cook and finish in pan. Things like salmon can be cooked in advance then flash warmed in a pan. If more people realized this they would complain less at restaurants because the shit is already cooked. "Oh mine isn't cooked right". Bitch it's cooked exactly the same as the 20 other portions that came out of the kitchen tonight. 

Watched tv, read, played video games. Some day if I ever retire, that's going to be the daily entry at least 4-5 times a week. No complaints.

The year is almost over. So?

Y12 D217

 Been up for a little while. Had to deal with a couple of things. First one of the filters wasn't going and it was due to a tube not being at the right angle. Not enough pressure for it to suck the water up and out. Fixed. Then I had some bills to pay. No stress there because I had already factored them into my calculations on Friday as I knew they'd be coming. Done and done. 

Not much excitement yesterday. To be honest, no excitement at all. Cleaned the kitchen, played some video games, watched some tv, read a little. No drama, no nothing. Made philly cheesesteaks for dinner. We used the air fryer setting on the new toaster oven. Ooh. Ah. Meh. Didn't notice any difference. Sorry, not that excited about the air fryer portion. That was all B's desire. It made fries. Whoop-dee-doo. 

Got my last package from the kid. A book from a London bookstore which is why it took so long to arrive. Neat. It's from an author who has written quite a bit of the Doctor. I think today I might start it.

Same plans for today - in other words, nothing.

Y12 D216

Ah, the week between Christmas and New Year. When you're full of cheese and have no clue what day of the week it is. 

Y'all want to see what a perfectly cooked steak looks like? Well, here you go:

129.2 degrees F for 1 hour. 1 minute sear for finish. I love my Joule. (I spelled it wrong yesterday. Oops.) I'm so happy and excited with this thing. Brings me joy in an uncertain time. B for once was absolutely thrilled with a steak I made her. Depending on the cut, the cook, etc. she sometimes isn't always excited to eat a slab of meat. The best part was the cut and cost. Sous vide can make even a moderate cut of meat come out well. When I told her that these steaks were like $5 each she was amazed. Frankly so was I. They truly did come out good for the cost.

So Nashville, eh? Suicide? Hmm. I think he knew something about what was going on in that AT&T building. That's pretty elaborate for "suicide". Just sayin'. 

In addition to making the world's best steak, I got a lot accomplished yesterday. Was up early to hit the grocery store. For once I only had to go to one store. I managed to get everything I needed. Miracle. I also managed to order my new UPS online and gets same day delivery. It arrived around 3pm yesterday. Happy with it so far. I ended up putting it closer to my desk than the old one. It's more powerful but a bit smaller. I think because it uses dual batteries instead of one big honking one.

Cleaned the bathrooms, did some laundry. Played some video games. We watched some more Goliath. Good show. B decided to continue to power watch it. I will get to it in my own time. Too heavy for me to power through right now. 

A whole week of doing nothing. Going to Home Depot tomorrow I think to buy some paint. I want to paint the laundry room cabinets. Need a big thing of white paint to do it. Lofty goals.

Y12 D215

 First time in a while I have been up to an alarm. Why? The fucking grocery store. How sad is that. It's Sunday, it's 4:30am, and I am up to go to a store because I am afraid of being around crazy people. What a life.

I used my Jules for the first time yesterday and made perfect sous vide eggs. They were wonderful. 194 degrees, 8 minutes. Tonight I am going to do steaks for 1 hour at 131 degrees. Cooking and science! Woo!

Cleaned up all the remnants of Christmas. Much easier this year given the minimal amount of decorations we put out. Took me about 20 minutes. Took me longer to deal with all the cardboard boxes for recycling. But it's done.

We reorganized the kitchen and put all the new pots and pans away too. Setup the new toaster oven. A productive day overall was had.

I have to go to best buy today. After 5 years of dedicated service, my UPS battery has died. I looked into a replacement battery and no one around here has one in stock. It may be easier to just replace the unit for now, then order a new battery later to use it in other parts of the house. Today's project after the grocery store.

That's about it. Oh wait, let's talk about Nashville. WTF is up with that? Think about it for a while. This was some Leverage level shit. B and I think it was a distraction for another heist or to test police response. It definitely wasn't a cheeto supporter because then the RV would have been covered in Obama is from Kenya stickers. No, this was next level. They didn't want anyone hurt, they gave ample warning, the blast was limited. Since no one was hurt, I don't feel bad finding it fascinating. I am curious to see how it plays out.

Okay. Store time. In the snow. On a Sunday. My life.

Y12 D214

 And now it's Saturday. Yesterday was just very surreal. I am sure I'm not the only one experiencing that this year. Well, one of the smart people experiencing that feeling. The idiots still all got together with their families yesterday and spread diseases. 

I got some good gifts. B got me a sous vide stick and cookbook which I have been wanting for a long while. I got some nice clothes, we got our new pots and pans, and I got a bunch of pops. B was happy with all her stuff too. She was super excited when she opened the Barbie. I told you all about that, right? '95 Songbird Barbie? Anyway, she was happy.

Honestly the best part of yesterday was dinner. FINALLY found a GOOD Chinese place. We bought dinner for us and B's grandparents and brought it to them. It was very touching to me that we're the only two people they trust enough to de-mask and spend two hours with right now. This is the grandparents where grandma is on dialysis and has medical issues. They have to be ULTRA careful about germs. You walk in and they have an industrial medical grade air purifier in the living room given to them by their medical folks. This isn't a sharper image piece of junk. Nope, this is something that came from a hospital. Yet, they let us in and spent two hours with us eating and socializing. I needed that badly. Seems like they did too. 

We came home, watched Charlie Brown since we didn't watch it Thursday and called it a day. 

Today we are going to tear apart the kitchen and put the new cookware away. That will be a project for sure.

Y12 D213

 Yay. It's Christmas.

It snowed. A decent amount too.

Notice the lack of excitement. 

Yesterday I was trying to fake it to make it but it really didn't work. Being stuck at home, no decorations, no people, it just didn't feel right. Plus B's having a hard time because we're at the one year anniversary of her cousin's suicide. It's been lingering on her brain all week and just taking away from things for her. 

So yeah. How about, it's Friday?

Y12 D212

Today I am up early. Oh well. Not tired or anything either. I'm just awake and done sleeping. Such is life. 19 hours until Christmas. I know I have been meh up to this point, but we're 19 hours away and yes, there is excitement in my heart to open presents. Leave me be. 

And I just got paid. Score. Now of course that means I get to spend the morning doing bills, but hey, paycheck a day early is nothing to complain about. 

Finished God's Basement last night. Wonderful little game. Very fun, very thought provoking. Definitely worth checking out. That was my big accomplishment. That and some laundry. Didn't really do much of anything else.

We had a lovely charcuterie platter for dinner with meats and cheeses given to us by B's Dad. They may have blown it on the other gifts, but that one was right on. Of course, I have horrible heartburn today. Getting old, it's a trap.

No plans for today either. Finish another video game or two. Just ones where I am so close to the end that an hour or so will knock them out. I have at least three like that. Just get through the main story and move them into the finished folder. 

18 hours, 48 minutes.

Y12 D211

 First off, yes, B and I got over our argument. We both needed to cool down to understand what is was about the interaction that caused us both to go on the defensive so hard. We talked it through and figured it out. Things are better. But you want more juicy bits, so here's something for you all...

People shouldn't buy people gifts without asking them for a fucking list first. B's damn family did it again. Specifically her dad and stepmom. Last year they blew it with me, this year they just blew it. I know that's harsh to say and the ol' it's the thought bullshit, but nope. Their gift is now going to cost me time, annoyance, and aggravation. Why? Because for me they once more, bought fucking stupid slippers that don't fit and I don't like. But the kicker is their "big" gift to us? A fucking set of pots and pans. WTF? First off, do we look like kids who wouldn't be able to get our own? Second, oh gee, we DID buy ourselves a new set of professional grade, specific color, specific weight, size, and temper, 7x the cost of what you spent, pots and pans. They bought us some Walmart (seriously) Pioneer Woman bullshit pots and pans. Hey look, if that's your thing, great. But to buy someone like me who is really fucking picky about things something like without discussion? Fail. So now we have to return them and get the money back. Good times. Next year I am giving them a choice - here's a list or give us cash or don't give us anything. This is not a discussion. Waste my time. Ugh. Humans.

Bought a new heater for my office yesterday. I love the one my client sent me last year, but it also dries me out and gets annoying quick. It's forced air, so it heats the room really nice, but I can't take the air blowing on me. I got a radiator style. Downside is takes longer to heat the room, upside is it heats the room. Versus just blowing air in one spot. Got it on sale at Lowe's last night. Yes, I left the house. Scary AF to be honest. Then we went to B's dad's where we loaded up the dumb gifts (seriously people, if you don't want to buy something from a list, don't buy me anything. We will both be happier). Then we stopped at B's friend's place as he had a gift for "us". Really he had a gift for B, and he acknowledged that it was mostly for her, but I'm okay with it. I know he has limited funds and wanted to do the best he could. See? No complaints there because I would rather it be that way.

Speaking of funds, who's excited for their $600 slap in the face? Woo! I don't expect to get one this time based on the new rules, but just in general what a load of shit. Plus did you see how in the COVID bill is a 10 year prison sentence for pirating? For real. Go read it. Fuck this government. What a bunch of out of touch, old white people who need to die off. Then the orange one has said it will be "a reign of terror" for the next 30 days. Wow. Yet, I am still surrounded by people who support him. What is wrong with all of you? Begone you vile creatures. Not even human. Creatures. 

3 million total dead in 2020. 320,000 from COVID. A reign of terror for 30 days. Ah, and I think to myself, what a wonderful world...

Y12 D210

 B and I had a huge fight yesterday. After being in the house for 10 months it's not surprising. I'm sure we're not the only people who've just had it with each other after all this time. We still haven't resolved our issue. That's mostly my fault because I did what I do best - I shut down. The issue is she swears she told me something about the fish tank and instead of just accepting the possibility that she didn't tell me, she won't let go and accused me of gaslighting her because I kept saying she didn't tell me. I talk to literally ONE person on average each day. She talks to ten. I think I remember what I have been told or not. She can't keep straight who she has had conversations with about things. So yeah, I am very confident she didn't tell me what she thinks she did. I would have let it go if she hadn't started yelling at me about it and again, telling me I was gaslighting her. I'm not fucking gaslighting you, I'm saying that to the best of MY recollection you never told me this piece of information. Plus I am just pissed off at having to basically live my life in the dark. I have no lights down here that I can easily turn on or off. Add to that the simple fact that I spend most of my fucking life in a basement. Good times.

Yeah, I'm still angry.

So today should be a lot of fun.

Y12 D209

 Well now, I had a right sleep in, didn't I? 8am. Oh boy! Granted I didn't go to bed until midnight. Yes, I stayed up late on a Sunday no less. Yay me.

Had another productive day. Went to the grocery store, cleaned the back storage room in the basement, baked cookies, did a little more in my closet (just some final touches), took the dishwasher apart to give it a good clean,  and finished series 8 of BBO. Not a bad sunday. Also managed to get some video gaming in. Overall I am very pleased with how the day went. Had soup and sandwiches for dinner because I was feeling lazy. Hey, I did a lot in the morning!

I found out the air date for my buddy's Jeopardy episode - Feb 10th. We shall all see then how he did. 

Going to do two week's worth of timesheets today to get them out of the way. Other than that, no plans for today. Oh, wait, that's not true. I need to do a water change on the big tank and make some appointments for Jan. Okay, that's all for today. I can handle all that.

Before I wrap up today's post, I do want to say how annoyed and disgusted I am with the government right now. From people who don't deserve it getting the vaccine first, to the orange hairball threatening martial law, to a measly $600 check for some people - these people are disgusting examples of human beings and are a disgrace. I don't know how they sleep at night. I really don't. Any of you who voted for one of these people should feel absolutely ashamed at yourselves. You disgust me as much as they do. A pox upon your house.

Y12 D208

 I know it's cliche to pick on weather people for 'being right 50% of the time and still keeping their jobs', but it's so true, isn't it? I mean seriously, all I heard the last few days was how it was going to snow all day yesterday and be a serious one. Yeah, it "snowed" for like 20 minutes and was more like a very tall person with dandruff shaking their head. Seriously. I think more snow melted yesterday than fell. I am really curious to see how the week shapes up since they have been predicting a white christmas. At this rate the only thing white about christmas will be the stupid people still going to each other's houses. 

I got a lot accomplished yesterday. Almost everything on that list from yesterday, I managed to get done. Very proud of myself. On top of all that, B and I managed to get through ALL of season 2 of Mandalorian. I won't post any spoilers, but I will say I truly enjoyed it. I saw a meme yesterday that I think sums it up:

I think that about says it all, doesn't it? Favreau has done what no one else could. Stayed true to the world and the story while giving us something new and fresh. Well done sir. I strongly encourage you all to watch it if you can.

Made pork chops for dinner. For the first time in a while we had a real dinner. B is working on getting her sleep schedule more back in line with normal people. She is trying to be up by noon and in bed by 2. A noble goal. She's doing it for the reasons I was getting frustrated with her; she wants to be able to make phone calls or go to the store. When you go to bed at 4am and don't get motivated until 3 the next day, makes it hard to get anything handled. I have been letting it go because things are still far from normal and for once, being patient paid off. She recognized the issue on her own and is taking steps that work for her to address it. Kudos.

I have to go to the grocery store this morning but as you can see, I am going to brave it at like 8 or 9am. I know it's crazy but you do what you have to do sometimes. I need just a few things so I should be able to get in and out. Wish me luck. Other than that, no real plans thank goodness.

Y12 D207

 Woohoo! I slept in until 6am! Given that I have been up early all week, I will take a 6am sleep. Find the positive where you can.

I had the pleasure of turning on my out of office yesterday at 1pm. For internal folks, they will be greeted with a lovely limerick:

As this year comes to an end,
we've missed seeing family and friend
but please be smart
wear a mask and stay six feet apart
For your funeral I don't want to attend.

I think that summarizes the year pretty well, don't you?

Class went quite well. I was extremely fortunate to finish the year up with one of the best groups I've had the pleasure of teaching. They were all sharp, focused, on time, and we ended up finishing about 30 minutes early. I love groups like that and to have it be the last one of the year was just the icing on the cake.

Speaking of icing on the cake, we binged four episodes of BBO last night. Only a few more to go and we will be all caught up on the series. Best series ever. Wholesome, kind, and makes me want to bake. I might make some crepes today as a result of watching the show.

After class, I went to the grocery store and the pet store to avoid having to go there today. Smart move. It wasn't too horrible at the store when I went. Advantage of going out on a Friday whilst all the blue collar folk are still working. 

My second to last Christmas packages should arrive today. Just one more on Monday and I will have everything. I have been getting worried some stuff wouldn't arrive in time. The stuff from the kid will be late and she feels horrible about it. B's stuff from her should make it on time, but my stuff is set for January. Oh well. Is what it is. It's not like we don't have enough stuff to open in the absence.

As for me, I have a list of things I want to accomplish while off. I do figure I can get most done this weekend, but some may take a few days. Here's my goal list:

• finish moving clothes
• move dresser
• hang clothes
• caramelize apples
• hang pop shelf
• move games
• dishes
• eyebrows
• nails
• wrap final presents

Not a comprehensive list, but the immediate stuff I need to handle. Like I said, most of it I will finish today or tomorrow. 

161 hours to go.

Y12 D206

 This is it! The final day of the year for me! It's 2:30am but man am I ready to get through this! Finish today and I am done!

Yesterday went well. Good, smart group. Only 8 people so it's the perfect size to handle. 8-10 is optimal for me. Enough where we make money, small enough I can keep tabs on everyone easily. We finished around noon. I didn't get to rest though. Too much to do. Today will be the same. Too much on my plate to rest. Yesterday after class I had to take one of the cats to the vet for a follow up treatment. Then I spent the rest of the day starting to move stuff from old dresser to new. I did have to rearrange furniture first which took a while. Then I had dinner, watched some Facts of Life, and went to bed.

I did get the pleasure of telling our stupid people at work that I wouldn't be attending their bullshit party. That was satisfying. I don't think my coworker attended either. So basically our entire department was unrepresented. Satisfying little boycott thank you very much.

It snowed all day. I think it's still snowing. Finally getting a decent covering out there. Five packages arrived yesterday too which was a pleasant surprise. I only have a few little things still out there and they should arrive this weekend. At that point, Christmas will be done. 165 hours to go and it's present time. Yay!

Okay. Need to shower and get ready for my class. Ten hours from now, I will be done done done. 

Y12 D205

 I am up and 'ready' for the day. That's a lie. I am up. Let's go with that.

Yesterday was better. I was on much more table ground. The class was solid, the material was good. I only had one problem student who was new for the day. There's one company in particular we deal with that I just don't understand how people get hired to work there. My co-worker has the same issue with them. None of their "technical" employees seem to have one ounce of computer skills. Seriously. They can't type, they can't figure out left versus right click, and they never ever show up anywhere on time. It's like how the fuck did you get into this position?? Needless to say, they were my problem student all day long. Without them I would have covered more material for sure. But I got through it and finished a little after 6:15. Shoved some food in my face and went to bed at 7pm. That was my day. Good times.

It snowed. It's sticking. And of course it snowed the day my dresser arrived. The dresser showed up around 3pm and is looking good. Unfortunately, I won't be able to do anything with it until the weekend at the earliest. It is what it is. I have to move some things around first before I can start putting stuff in it. 

Okay, two more days, and I am done. Let's do this!

Y12 D204

 Yesterday turned into a complete shit show. Here's the story:

The classes I am teaching Mon-Weds this week are ones I have inherited from other people. I have been spending the last six months trying to make them something workable. The problem and reason they moved to me is the original persons teaching them are not instructors. They are really sharp technical folks but horrible teachers. Most importantly, they would teach the classes slightly ad-hoc as they weren't the kind of people to use PowerPoint slides or have formal written demos. This is what I have been doing most of the year. Taking their ragtag pieces and making them into proper repeatable courseware. The problem is now we have 5 classes for the topic, but there is a lot of overlap. I was told to make them stand alone classes. Marketing however is still selling them as a three day bundle AND they are using the old description as provided by original deliverer. This means that what the students signed up for and what I was prepared to teach, don't align. I ended up doing an on the fly set of material culled from three different classes. Nice, huh? It made for a really rough day. The best part is I have potentially one more day of that! Oh boy!

Once again I finished hella late and by the time I sat down to eat it was 7pm, watched a little tv, and went off to bed. 

Tonight I will go to bed pretty much right after class since I have to be up at 2:30am tomorrow. Almost there. Stay on target.

Y12 D203

 Well, I was supposed to have a bit of a break on Wednesday but that is no longer happening. Unfortunately my coworker who was teaching then had a death in the family and now I have to take over their class. Not a horrible situation at the end of the day, it just means I will be working from 10-6 on Weds, then having to go right to bed so I can get up at 2:30am and be ready for a 4:30am class on Thursday. Four more days and I get a break. Just four more days.

Yesterday went okay. I had some tough questions thrown at me, but I muddled through. Nothing like googling a question in another window to sound like you know what you're talking about. It was a full class and will be 90% the same group today. A few add-ons but not so many it should be a problem. 

After class I ate and then helped B with some fish tank stuff. Next thing you know it's 9pm and I am done for the day. This is why I don't like 10-6. I don't feel like I get any time to relax. It's just one task after another. 

Still waiting for multiple packages to arrive. Some stuff should arrive today, but I have too many things that are just "unknown" right now and it's pissing me off. Thanks government for fucking up USPS earlier this year. They're still scrambling to get back on track and it shows. Two of the things out there are gifts for B which is really annoying. I have enough shit for me to open, I want her to have more stuff. We shall see what arrives today.

Dresser still scheduled to arrive on Wednesday. Now of course B has to be awake and take care of it because I won't be able to break. Good times.

Not much else going on. Just counting down.

Y12 D202

The main thing from yesterday was I did my hair. I now am a violet grape. When it calms down a little I will post a pic. Two hours total to bleach, three hours to process color. This is why I kept putting it off. It really is an all day thing. I am pretty happy with it. It's a little more purple than I hoped, but it's acceptable. I might order some of their dilution creme which lightens dye a bit. Make it a bit lighter.

Other than that, played games. One of my clients sent me a $25 steam gift card which was really nice. I of course reciprocated so we basically gave each other $25. Silly but fun.

B had a craving for del taco last night so she drove and brought it back. Was acceptable. 

That seems to be the theme of the day - acceptable. I am alright with this.

Just need to make it through this week. 4 days of full classes, one day of marketing bullshit and a webinar and I am done for the year. I can do it.

Y12 D201

 Finally, some sleeping in. Granted to some 6:30 doesn't sound like sleeping in, but seeing as I was up just after 4am yesterday, I'll take it. 

Was at the grocery store at 6am. Was home and done by 7:30. Only three of us in the store this week. Oh, that just reminded me of the dream I was having before I woke up. I was in a school in Cleveland for some reason, driving a school bus and I got freaked out because the person there wasn't wearing a mask and was standing too close to me. Lovely. My anxiety of people has dripped into my dreaming subconscious. How freaking wonderful. That's how much this shit worries me apparently. Last night we had to tell our friend she can't come over for Christmas. The last two years she has stayed the night and celebrated the morning with us. Not this year. You were positive human, you keep your distance. 

After groceries, played some video games, cleaned the house a bit, waited for B to awaken. Made pasta with meat sauce for dinner and then we watched a movie together before going off to bed. Well me at least. I am sure she was up until at least 3am.

I did have a bit of a breakdown yesterday listening to the "new" Chris Cornell album. It's a collection of covers he recorded before his death. Some of them just kind of hit me ya know? Definitely worth listening to if you like Cornell's voice.

Played C2077. Yes, it's too long a name for me to be typing the whole thing. Immediately got hit with the "little tree" glitch. But a quick update to my video driver fixed that. Played for about an hour and finally got to the title screen. Getting my money's worth by doing every quest and objective. Got to make it worthwhile. Probably invest another hour or two into it today. 

Going to finally do my hair today too. First some bleaching, then the color. Wish me luck.

Y12 D200

 Well. I caved. I bought Cyberpunk 2077. Only got as far as downloading and character creation. That part took nearly 30 minutes. I had to be up early this morning to go to the grocery store so I didn't want to try and start any missions or anything until I had a good hour plus to spend. That will be for today.

Got through my class. Finished around 5 something. Had leftover chinese food, watch British Bake Off, played game, went to bed. That's it.

Dreading the first two days of next week. 14 students both days. All Indian programmers. Not my kind of class. It will be either too quiet and disengaged or there will be the one person who asks questions well outside my wheelhouse. Next week is about survival and nothing else.

Okay, time to face the evil and go shopping. Lovely.

Y12 D199

 I slept extremely sound last night. I woke up at 2:27am fully rested and ready to go. Luckily I fell back to sleep until 5, but I almost got up the first time. I think the humidifier for the house is finally kicking in at night making it easier for me to breathe.

Well it's official; my hair is long enough for a tiny ponytail. Like a 90s movie producer ponytail, but one none the less. That's what 9 months of no hair cutting does for a person. Still not going to cut it. Just going to let it grow. Why? Why not? Not like I am going anywhere any time soon.

Day two with my group. They did wonderful. I do like teaching people from this company because they are typically sharp but more important, they're interactive. They do make the day go by quicker. That's what makes it fun.

Had chinese food for dinner last night. We were both craving it. Found an inexpensive place and B went and picked it up. For the price it wasn't bad. Not out of this world, but you got a good amount of food for a reasonable price with reasonable taste and quality. Will take that as a win.

Today is one more private group. Should have 4 or 5 today. Enough to make the day interesting but not so bad that I stress. Then the weekend. Whee. Today is bill day. Need to do that next. Still have some presents floating out in the nether. Should knock a couple out this weekend but there are at least three things I don't think will make it in time. Two weeks from today. Which means they have about 12 days to get here and be considered on time. We shall see.

Class is from 10-6 today so I have a few hours to take care of bills and relax. 

Y12 D198

 I am so confused as to what day of the week it is right now. I keep thinking it's Friday or is it Wednesday? No wait, it's Thursday. I don't know why I am having so much trouble. 

Full day of teaching so not much else went on. 8:30 until 5:00, had leftover lasagne for dinner, played some video games, went to bed. No, I didn't buy Cyberpunk 2077. I am debating whether to get it this weekend or wait a month until they do their first patch. You know one will be forthcoming. It's just a matter of time. Plus if I wait a while, I might get lucky and hit a steam sale. It's not like I am suffering from a lack of games.

Class went okay. 13 students total. 90% of them did okay, couple of strugglers, but overall we got through the day. Same group again today. Had a small fright with USPS yesterday. Saw a package was delivered and I guess the carrier hit the wrong button because it showed "delivered to neighbor as requested". Um, no? Luckily it was on our porch but man, careful with those buttons Eugene. I would not be happy if stuff went to the neighbor.

Okay, that's all. One of the cats has a vet appointment today. Ear issues. Lovely. B is taking them at least. One less thing I have to worry about. Got to take out cat carrier.

Y12 D197

 Is it just me or does it feel later in the month than it really is? It just surprises me it's only the 9th. I think because there's so much going on in the latter half of the month I feel like it's closer than it is. Or I am just losing it. Both are valid answers. Taught my one person class yesterday. Oy, what a pain. What should have taken a couple of hours took nearly the normal amount of time. Why? Because they asked like 900 questions, most unrelated to the topic at hand. Whatever. It's what I'm being paid to do. 

After class we had lasagna for dinner and then ended up watching 4 episodes of British Bake Off together. Stupid wholesome tv show. You can definitely see the differences between the old BBC version and this new Netflix version but overall it's still the same show at its core. 

The kid's final christmas present arrived. I have three items outstanding for B, two for me, not counting my dresser. The dresser will be here in one week and I have a firm date on that at least. The other stuff is floating in the void right now. Here's hoping everything comes by at least the 22nd. That gives me enough time to wrap. I don't want to be scrambling last minute. Plus Xmas is on a Friday which means only four days of mail that week. Don't want to miss anything. 

Today and tomorrow I have 15 persons from all over the world. Advanced material. It's going to be two long days. 

Y12 D196

 One day down, nine more to go. Just counting them down until it's time off time. Then I can ignore all the emails and stupid shit flying around. 

Yesterday wasn't bad. Small group but sharp group. They were a bit quiet but they paid attention and knew what they were doing mostly. We finished around 5pm as there were questions after the main material but I'm okay with that. 

I had something I was going to talk about this morning but I have completely forgotten what it was. Oh well. I mean, let's be honest, it would have been about the state of the world, the state of stupidity, or the whining idiots so we can just blanket cover them in one shot. They all suck. 

I did get myself a Christmas present last night. I ordered a new dresser. Right now mine is in the closet which takes up a lot of room. I have a console table that we got when we first moved in here in my office that I use for some storage and to hold a machine I don't use regularly. If I got rid of that, I wouldn't have to have the dresser in the closet. So I ordered a new dresser roughly the same height and length as the console table. This will give me more room in there for hanging clothes. Plus, my dresser has seen better days. The drawers are broken in a few places, the paint is chipped, and it just feels janky. We got it at a consignment store and it did it's job. Now for something newer and nicer. We have people here we can pass both the console table and dresser on to so they don't go to waste. The new one arrives next Wednesday. Not a bad delivery window. I first looked at IKEA and almost bought the same one I had when I lived in the Bay Area. But for $90 more, I was able to get one through the same place we got our upstairs tv cabinet and couch. Now I don't have to assemble anything, it will have a good warranty, and I know will be of a higher quality. No weird gaps or misaligned drawer slides. Sometimes you have to buy the big kid furniture, you know?

I swear there was something I wanted to tell you all but it's gone from my head. Ah old age. It sucks. Plain and simple. I do have a picture of the dresser:

Not bad, eh?

Today's "group" is a one on one training with a moderately sharp student. Should be able to get through the material pretty quickly. This is the last day of short classes. Tomorrow and Thursday I have 15 people from 9-5 and then on Friday, 5 people from 10-6. Next week Monday and Tuesday are sold out with 16 each from 10-6. Fun times.

B is doing better about Odie the fish. Still a little sad about it, as am I. But we're getting there. Chi has to go to the vet on Thursday for her ears again. Stupid cat and ear infections. Worse than me with that. 

Dammit. I keep thinking of things but none are what I wanted to mention. Oh well. Save it for another day.

Y12 D195

 I know to some of you the fact that we were having feelings yesterday over a fish may seem dumb. But let me tell you, he was a good fish. It hit B hard around 7pm last night. She needed to go through old pics to get the image of him floating out of her head. I had my breakdown while I was burying him in the yard. Yes, I buried him. He deserved it. We nursed and raised that little fish from a tiny 1" little thing into the protector of all the other little fish. He was big and dumb and wonderful. The tank seems empty without him. So much so that we are probably going to get rid of the tank. Without him in it, they don't need as much room. Drop them down to half the size possibly. We shall see what happens after christmas. 

I cleaned like crazy yesterday. I needed to focus my feelings into something. Like scrub the bathtub kind of cleaning. Did three loads of laundry. Just needed to put my mind somewhere else for a while. I did have one moment where I pulled a passive aggressive dig at a client. This pain in the ass one from last week and before, on Friday sent a message saying they wanted us to schedule them for 12/18. Well I shot that down on Friday but yesterday the fucker that has been the real troublemaker sends a message. Now in our reply, our sales guy gave him three dates in Jan that would work. This fucker responds back saying "oh we though three days heads-up would be enough time to schedule something. here's 5 dates that work for us". Not a SINGLE one of his dates matched the three we sent. It was with great pleasure that I got to respond last night at 8pm saying 'sorry, none of those dates align to what we have available. please see X's reply on dates that work. also, at this time of year you need 3-4 weeks notice to get on my schedule. normally it's 2-3 weeks. 3 days will never be enough notice'. Dickhead. I can't wait until we are done with these fuckers.

But it was nice to have something to focus my anger and rage on, even briefly. 

I have a full week this week. 10-6, 10-6, 9-5, 9-5, 10-6. Times suck, but at least I am fully booked. Same thing next week. Then I am done for the fucking year.

Y12 D194

 I am a fish killer. Accidental, but I killed one of ours from the big tank yesterday and it is very sad. Odie the One Eyed Wonder is no more. I was cleaning the tank and he decided to commit suicide by jumping out and he landed BEHIND the tank. I had to move 900lbs of tank to get behind there and it took me too long. He survived for about 15 hours in an isolated bowl and for a while it looked like he would make it through, but alas he did not. If I had moved faster or not left the lid off he would have made it. We had that fish for 4 years. He grew from a little one inch fish that the store was going to get rid of to a 12 inch monster who ruled the tank. It is a sad day. I will be burying him later today in the backyard. He deserves that. He was a good fish.

Went to the grocery store and pet store yesterday. Cleaned the house a bit. Had leftovers. That is all.

Y12 D193

 It's cold in here this morning. On the cusp of being in the 50s in my office. Too cold. No likey. I didn't mean to get up early this morning. I am going to the pet store this morning but they don't open until 9am and I didn't want to be awake and rush, but alas, here I am. I didn't sleep well. Hard time breathing last night. Too dry. I have the house humidity turned up, but apparently not high enough. A little blood on my nose this morning tells me I had a rough time. Plus I had weird ass dreams. Stupid shit like having a black eye, watching a bad commercial on tv about some guy selling a marshmallow dessert item to go with a steak. I don't know. It was weird. It was marshmallows and peas. That's what I remember of it. 

Spent the day recording yesterday. No real issues until about 4:30. Remember the client that tried once before to pull some shit on a Friday at 4pm? Yeah, same people. This time they decided they were going to pick the day of their next session. Oh no, they didn't ask if we were available that day, they just decided this was the day they wanted. I got the fun of shutting them down on that. They wanted 12/18. Oops, I am booked 100% from now until 12/18 and guess what? I am off 12/19 until 1/3. Sorry buttholes. Here's some nice dates in Jan and Feb where I might be available. Have a nice December. I know business has been slower for people, but don't assume especially this time of year what someone's availability might be. If I get any pushback and someone wants me to teach during my off time, it's $1500. Yep. I will teach one day and you will cut me a check for $1500. That's what one day of my time is worth during my off time. Don't like it? Don't schedule. 

Had Mexican for dinner last night and then B and I played ACNH together for like 3 hours. It was nice sitting in the same room talking and having fun. For once we weren't in separate rooms doing stuff. That made me happy. 

One of her Christmas presents ended up getting stuck. Won't be here until the 20th. I mean, that's enough time for a present, but annoying. In total I have about 4 things still floating out in the nether. Wait, let's count - 1 for both of us, 1 for her, 1 for the kid, 2 for me. Okay, 5 things. We shall see which get here in time and which become post-christmas items. 

Watched a movie yesterday. Sometimes you need to remember the good in the world. I watched the original Muppet Movie. One of those movies that takes me back to a time when things felt okay and I still had hope. Need some of that right now.

Y12 D192

Okay I am getting there. Moving not slowly, but just diagonally today. Doing multiple things at once already. 

Having ear issues still. Fucking sucks. Can't hear out of my right ear. I hate this. 

I did like nothing of any value yesterday. Seriously. Worked on stupid ass marketing and sales stuff. Read articles. Tried a couple of things to just play around with shit. I don't like this. I can't take another year like this one. The world needs to get its ass back in line. Quickly.

I did finally get something I have been looking for a long time. Let's see if this reminds you of anything:

You take the good you take the bad you take them both and there you have...

Yep. I managed to get all 9 seasons of a show that was major during my childhood. From ages 11-20 that show ran. Small victories. My first real celebrity crush was Nancy McKeon. Of course there was Molly Ringwald in season 1 in her first major production. Plus George Clooney later on. Ah such memories.

Yeah, that's what my life is about right now. That's my excitement. Go me.

Y12 D191

 Got water on my ear. Can't hear shit out of my right ear. Ugh. Step 1 towards an ear infection. This sucks. I truly hate when this happens because there really is nothing I can do. Wait it out. Be in pain for a couple of days, be cranky because I can't hear, and just ride it out. 

Hey guess what? My class for today and tomorrow got cancelled. Surprise, surprise. In this case it turns out the one student I had didn't know they were in the class. They thought they had been rescheduled for one in 2021 and weren't prepared to take a class today. Good job. So now I have to spend the next two days doing marketing bullshit. What fun. It's okay. I have some stuff I can work on anyway. The next two weeks looks better. Next week Mon, Weds, Thurs, and Fri are confirmed classes, plus the week after Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Fri plus a webinar on Weds. So after this week I will only have two days where it's not confirmed students. I can handle two days of bullshit this week.

Not much else going on. Just trying to make it through to the 18th. Played some more Greedfall. Really enjoyable game. Huge world. A bit linear at times, but enough depth that there's a lot to do and see. The time period aesthetic really makes the game. I would encourage people to check it out. Definitely put it in your wishlist and wait for a sale.

Made honey mustard chicken for dinner. Was pleased with how it came out. No leftovers either which is always a pleasant thing. Nothing sitting in the fridge getting old. 

Still waiting for a couple more gifts to arrive. The issues with USPS are still happening despite everything. The world is still a shitty place with the tin pot dictator trying to stay in power. Trying to pardon everyone in sight including himself, preemptively. You know, if someone is trying to preemptively pardon themselves, doesn't that mean they know they're guilty of something? Hmm. The one that really gets me is how people managed to re-elect Palpatine. He has done nothing but block stimulus and is doing nothing to get Vader out of office. But somehow the people of his state keep electing him back to office. You want to look for fraud, why not look there? Or would that cause too much disturbance to the Empire? Just saying.

Y12 D190

 It's chilly in my office this morning. Not quite to those nasty winter numbers in the 50s yet though. 62 in this room. I need a heater vent. Add it to the list of things we need to improve in this house sometime between now and death. Driveway, flooring in my office, heater vent, redo the electrical; the list goes on. Unless you build a house from scratch, there will always be something, won't there?

Ended up having to cancel my class yesterday because once again no one showed up. Good times. I worked on some random shit to fill the time. I am getting real tired of these internal classes where people say they will be here and then don't bother to show. Rude. 

Made omelets last night for dinner to use up the leftover chili. Came out pretty good in my opinion. I was pretty happy. Watched some tv and played games together.

We did get a bit of good news. B had to go to the dermatologist last week and have something excised. She has stitches on her back right now and we were both worried what the bill was going to be like. Since the doctor put it down as a biopsy, insurance covered all of it. $1200. Her insurance, compared to mine, is actually pretty good and I feel we get our money's worth. Maybe next year I will switch over to hers. We shall see. 

Today is no class but I have a couple of meetings and some docs to prep. Right now I am really just counting down the days until the 18th. Making it through. I wish I was on the road but alas, that's not to be this year. Maybe next year. Maybe.

Y12 D189

 The snow is falling and sticking. There's about an inch outside right now. Not enough for concern or shovels, but enough that the ground is white and things are quiet outside. That's the one part of this that I like. The silence after a fresh snowfall. Less cars on the road, the normal every day sounds muted by the blanket of snow. It's very peaceful. I know it doesn't last, but it's nice for a while. It's supposed to continue through about noon today and then that's it for a week. Enjoy it while it's still enjoyable I guess.

No, I'm not ignoring that today is 12/1. I know normally I would be excited and bouncy but this year isn't the year. Too much shit going on. Not the right year to be indulging. We still haven't even put up a couple of the decorations I brought upstairs. They're still sitting on the dining room table in boxes. Meh. 

Felt nostalgic yesterday. Blame it on the Simpsons. They played a snippet from an old show and it made me want to watch said old show. WKRP. Sorry got distracted. Anyway, going to watch an old show. I do wish I was on the road this week because I would crank through this on airplanes and in hotels for sure. Now it's going to take me a while. I also need to watch Fargo Season 4 as it just finished. Again, another one I would have cranked through sitting on an airplane.

Yesterday's class was awful. I was getting chewed out by the students for things that weren't my fault. Basically the 3rd party company that hosts the solution for these people has absolutely no clue what they're doing and the students were pissed off I was showing them stuff they could never use. I get it, but hey, don't take it out on me. I have a meeting tomorrow with my internal folks to discuss this and how we should proceed with the next session in January.

Got my last classes of the year finalized. I have a private group on 12/17 and 12/18. Good, yes, but they're in London. I will be working 4:30am - 12:30pm. So my day will be over early but ugh. I will have to be up by 2:30 each of those two days. That sucks ass.

B made chili for dinner last night. It was fighting back a little last night but seems okay now.

Today I have an internal training session from 11-6. Let's see if anyone shows up. Sigh.