ANA Y1 D187

I am done with these fucking animals. Wake up to one horking on the bed like some fucking alien, walk into the other room to find a pile of puke, get woken up in the first place by a third scratching and knocking things around. Haven't been downstairs yet, but I am sure there's piss waiting for me down there. Nope. Just done. B can have all of them. I don't fucking care. I want a quiet empty house. I want out of here. I want to be done with everything here. I hate this state. I hate this area more specifically. I hate poor, uneducated, stupid people. I hate people who try to drive into me in their piece of shit cars while talking on the phone. Fuck them, fuck this world.

I spent most of yesterday cycling between pissed off and depressed. Today is not starting out any better. I don't want to go into it, but let's just say, I am tired and done with my job. I am tired and done with B. I am almost willing to just walk away from all of it right now. Start over again on a remote island somewhere. Leave all this behind. Everything. 

I'm just done.

ANA Y1 D186

I woke up this morning and smiled because I felt C next to me but then realized it was the stupid dog and got all sad. Not going to lie, I miss her sleeping next to me. But I will also admit I slept pretty fucking good. I have a good temperature in the house, the humidifier was running all night, and I was cozy. I checked my sleep log this morning and was at an 80% quality. I consider that a good night's sleep. 

C left yesterday around noon, I worked on presentations. Made chicken for dinner. Did laundry. Wrapped Xmas presents. Watched some TV. For the record, Wednesday is awful. Like really bad. Jose Guzman is a great actor, but he is NOT Gomez Addams. It's just a watered down play on a good premise. Bad.

Had a two hour talk with B. It was up and down. We decided on a few things. Like I am willing to continue paying shit if it gets them out of my house. I also conceded a couple of items like the Xmas tree and the dining room table. Look, I want my life. I want my house. If it means I give up a few things, so be it. We did agree that when they (eventually) get back here, we will do a room by room inventory and we will look at the balance of every credit card and determine what is "household" debt and what is their debt. I won't keep paying forever. I need an end date. I need a settlement to be honest. Same thing I did with X1. Here, take this and go. I wish I had that kind of money again as it would make this so much easier. They are still stuck in Alaska by the way. The truck still isn't fixed. They don't know when it will be fixed. The shipping people only ship once a week. Right now it looks like they will be stuck there until at least Xmas. I am taking the whole tattoo appointment on the 27th. A also has a place lined up now for when they get back. Hopefully, B will move right in with them. That's my desire. Again, if I have to keep paying for a while, but it gets them out? Okay. Do what you got to do.

More of the same today, then group tonight.

ANA Y1 D185

Slept much better last night. We changed the sheets and switched back to our "normal" bed sides. Too many years on one side. Can't change now I guess. Plus I got new nose things we helped immensely. Still too fucking dry in this house though. I need a larger scale humidifier. Done. Will have a new humidifier under the tree. I had a small one before because B hated the moisture. C is like me and needs it. So guess what? Humidifier big enough for the room for 45 hours. Fuck it. Merry fucking Xmas.

We had a good day. We watched TV, I read my book, we had tacos for dinner. We had ice cream afterwards. It was a nice Sunday. We played video games. We had sex. I can't ask for much more than that, can I? It's a pretty straight forward existence, but it's mine. At one point yesterday I was doing something and I realized that even if C wasn't there, I was okay. I still need to remind myself of that. I am not happy because of C, I am happy and that lets me be a better partner for C. There's a fine distinction, but it's important. I need to know I am okay regardless. This week is going to be a test of that. She leaves today for the week. Won't be back until Sunday at the earliest, but most likely Monday. I need to make sure I ear, I clean, I do work. I need to thrive and not just stay alive. B once more was being a pain even from 3800 miles away. She tried asking if A could stay for a week if she couldn't find a place. Um sure I guess. I think A will have the bigger issue, not me? But I did hold my ground when they asked if the dog could also come. Nope. I am having enough issues with the animals here. I don't need some big old dog in this house too. Nope nope nope. I want animals out not more. So I stood fast and made it clear that wasn't acceptable. They were okay on the surface with that answer but I am sure it will come back to bite me.

I had a dream last night C and I were looking at a house. It was a bungalow style with 1950s appliances all still built in. It was cute and small and much more my personality. Read into that what you will. I also had a dream with Roseanne and Jackie in it and they were trying to get off the grid so yeah, there's that too.

Today and the rest of the week is docs and docs and more docs. This will be a tough week work wise trying to hold my focus and get stuff done. In some ways I am glad C will be gone. Will make it easier to work.

ANA Y1 D184

I slept like absolute dog shit last night. We switched sides as a test and it was not a good test. Going back to my "normal" side tonight. Also there's a hole in the sheet and my foot kept getting caught and tangled up. Plus we both were sweating like crazy even though the heat was only at 65. Lastly, I couldn't fucking breathe because the dryness in the room was just beyond comfort. All in all, it was a horrible night for both of us. Just fucking done. Oh yeah, C is still here. She was supposed to leave yesterday but because we were accidentally exposed to fucking COVID on Friday, her sister made her stay until tomorrow. She's going to test out and if she's negative she will go. If not, looks like she is staying until further notice. We shall see what happens. That drama made for a rough morning. She kept getting mixed messages from her sister on if she should go or not. No one would make a fucking decision. I don't mind if she is here, I just need some clarification. I like shit to be planned. I hate when things are up in the air. Same for her. It was just a morning of waiting for people to get their asses in gear. Once again I had to deal with other people 3800 miles away. This time I was helping them pick out new fucking insurance because apparently I am still their "parent". Whatever. I am just tired and done today.

ANA Y1 D183

That is the longest I have slept in for the last week. Why you ask? Because we locked the fucking cats out of the room. Oh the difference it makes. No one walking on your face at 2am. No one knocking shit off the dresser at 5am. No one screaming at you for food at 5:01am. Fuck these fucking cats. The dog when it goes to bed, goes to bed. No drama, no issue. When I get up, she gets up. Bless her tiny little heart. 

Crazy busy day yesterday. It of course started with pulling out the tree and the first steps towards Xmas. We only got it part done before we had to leave for my hair appointment. We were there from 10:30 until 1, stopped for some lunch, then on a whim, went to bed bath and beyond. Turns out my local store is closing (has been for 8 weeks) and it was down to the fixtures. Well, I didn't let that stop me. I ended up buying one of the display barrels. That's right. I bought a barrel. It's fucking cool. It's on instagram. Go look at my barrel. I put all my booze bottles in it. It looks really neat. I am very happy with that random find. I also found a small side table for the media room couch. It is isn't the best, but it works and it was $30. Includes power charger too. I had C wait out in front while I grabbed the truck and pulled up to the loading zone. As I was doing that, Bob's Furniture called. Appears there was another delay on my ottoman. Nope. I had them straight up cancel. As I was pulling up to the loading I witnessed male bullshit at its finest. Some creeper saw C standing by the doors, and started leering and walking right towards her. I revved the truck engine and slowly drove by him giving him the look of death. He realized I was there for her, and went into Torrid of all stores. He got so pale and freaked. He immediately realized his poor choice, swerved out, saw us still there and went into BBB waiting for us to leave. I was watching him hard the whole time. C was laughing at how much I freaked this pervert out. He was short, old, gimpy, with greasy hair, and just gross. I was having none of his shenanigans. And he knew it. I hope he thinks twice next time. There could be some pissed off butch waiting to stomp his ass. 

Got home, put all the stuffs away and finished putting Xmas together. We set up our new barrel, hung ornaments, and then had leftover roast as cheesesteaks for dinner. Then watched some tv, and went to bed around 11:30. A very good day. C has to leave today for a week and we're both very sad, but it is what it is. We will survive it. I may kill a cat or two while she is gone, but oh well. B gave me an update. They will probably be pushed out at least a week on their return journey. They aren't getting the truck fixed until Tuesday which was the day it was supposed to be shipped to Seattle. Now that has to wait a week. They may not make it home by Xmas. Oh well. Welcome to being an adult. It just means for me, I have to adjust my tattoo appointment on the 27th. Gosh, whatever shall I do. It's not like I have an entire folder to choose from instead. Golly. Time to get ready and see C off. 

ANA Y1 D182

I keep forgetting to tell you all about the drama on Tuesday. Around 2pm I go outside to grab a package and there's guys walking in my front yard. WTF? Well, it turns out the water main broke. Literally at the end of my driveway. Next thing you know I am moving my truck, there's construction vehicles in my driveway, part of my front yard and driveway are being ripped out. Yep. They finished by the time we had to leave at 6, but there's still a big hole in my yard. They said the city would 'eventually' come around and patch it, but I am not holding my breath. This week has been just a clusterfuck.

I am up earlier than desired thanks to the fucking cat at 5:45 knocking god knows what off the dresser. I have had it with that cat. I need it to go away. But even that may not happen now. Had a 30 minute call with B yesterday where they shared that things are not going well there. A is not used to someone being in her space and is starting to lose her cool. B is getting homesick and stressing out. They still don't have a working car and may end up getting stuck longer than expected. Luckily A can keep working even without an official contract but it doesn't stop them from being stuck in a 1 bedroom apartment 24/7 on top of each other. It's not pretty in Alaska right now boys and girls. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

I cooked a bomb of a dinner. Have leftovers for a week and managed to keep the mess to a minimum. C and I had a great fucking day yesterday except for the call with B where C felt annoyed and worried that B is going to disrupt our ability to move forward. I had to work on getting her back to center while maintaining the peace of 3800 miles away. I just want to live my life people. That's all. Today I have a hair appointment and that's it. Tomorrow C goes away for a week. It's going to be interesting.

ANA Y1 D181

Let's see what today is... hmm...

Happy Indigenous People Slaughter Day?
Happy Capitalistic Bullshit Weekend?

No wait, there's something important today. What was it?? Oh yeah, HAPPY SIX MONTHS ON HRT DAY! Yay me. I can't believe six months ago I got my first set of implants. Wow. What a ride. I have lived more in six months than in any other time in my life. I'm also the happiest I have ever been. Seriously. I feel content and whole for the first time ever. I feel I am finally on the right path. I wish I hadn't waited so long, but the climate and conditions were never right. I had to wait for this perfect storm of life to happen to break on through to the other side. May I have many years to enjoy it. It's all I can ask and hope for these days.

I'm already getting into an argument with people in my Discord server over what today is about. Fucking mid-westerners wanting to go to parades and shopping. Fuck off. Ugh.

I did have to go to the store yesterday but it wasn't horrible. Wasn't a walk in the park but I got in and out in a reasonable enough time. Other than that, stayed inside most of the day. We went to dinner with a friend of C's which was nice because up to this point it's all been about my friends. She doesn't have a lot here in this area. The ones she does have here, she is close to and it made for a nice dinner. The food was meh as we didn't pick the restaurant, but the company was good, and we got out of the house.

I started a roast yesterday for tonight. We're having three starches because I need to use up potatoes. But it's not for Thanksgiving. It's because I like to fucking cook. There's a difference. Okay enough, time to get prepped to put in mashed potatoes for 8 hours. Peace love and all that bullshit to all of you this weekend.

ANA Y1 D180

The last few days I feel like I have been moving way too slow in the mornings. I'm getting too distracted by stupid shit and feel rushed. Today is no exception. It's been too goddamn cold when I get up in the morning so I am dragging. I can't turn the heat up while we sleep or both of us wake up dried out in our noses. Last night we stayed up too late having fun time. Didn't go to sleep until almost midnight. Then up at 6 to take the dog out and now I am just catching up on shit. C leaves for a week on Saturday and while I will be sad, it will be good to get back into my more normal groove of bed early up early. We've evolved from NRE and have a good rhythm established, but I still am more inclined to stay in bed longer than in the past. We sleep entangled compared to me and B who slept at opposite ends of the bed pretty much our entire relationship. C is a sleep cuddler which doesn't really bother me. I kind of like it. Ask me again in the summer when I am sweating to death though. Regardless, I am doing okay.

Taught two sessions yesterday. One a mentoring thing with Monday's students and then my sixth final session with another group. All went well and there were no issues. After class we went to group. Bad traffic and we felt rushed but we had dinner and made it on time. We left right after and came home to be with each other. Not much else happening yesterday.

Today for most office workers is a lazy day. Nothing happens today. I will be reading, going to the grocery store, and that's about it. Need to start my roast for later in a little while. Start it at 9, in the bath by 10, eat tomorrow at 5. Two glorious days off. Then a week to myself. B may or may not be home as planned now. They're still struggling to get a working vehicle back in Alaska. They may be delayed a week or more now. I couldn't handle that. I don't know how B is going to function long term. Once they are back in their normal day to day, let's see how they do. Both C and I are curious about that. Otherwise, all is good for everyone. 

Time to shower and hit the store with the crazies.

ANA Y1 D179

It's amazing how much mental stress is alleviated when you have a partner who actually pulls their share around the house. You go from feeling constantly overwhelmed to relaxed in a snap. No more "I have to do this, that, this other thing, those things, etc" to okay, focus on these two things, the other stuff is being taken care of right now. It really is a liberating feeling. Case in point I taught all day yesterday. One of the more technically challenging classes too. It was a very draining day. In the back of my mind was all these things I had to do after class. But, C was taking care of them. She wasn't spending her day on her phone getting high. Shocker. Dishes. Pets. Store. All done. To her it's no big deal, to me it's life changing. I was able to finish class, make us dinner, enjoy said dinner, and not stress about everything that wasn't done. She has to leave for a week on Saturday and it's going to be rough. Not going to lie. I will feel the pressure of too many things at once again. But I will get through it because I have to. It will be okay. Not much else to talk about today. When I teach all day like that it pretty much eats the day from 8:30 until 6pm. I have another class today, a follow up meeting earlier, and group tonight. It should be another straight forward day.

ANA Y1 D178

I did what I said I was going to do. I made everyone feel special and kept the fucking peace. I said what they wanted to hear, I smoothed all their feathers, I played their games. I made everyone fucking happy. When C asked me why I did it, I showed her Patrick Swayze in Roadhouse. The time will come for me to not be nice. That isn't right now. Soon, but not now. I may not talk to one of the people giving me problems right now for a while, but so be it. This is their issue not mine. I don't have time for childish games and stupid shit. I do think the person in question might be using drugs again. It's the only way to explain their erratic behavior. But I am not their keeper. They must find their own way out of darkness. As for B, they're just them. They want cake, ice cream, and an entire party package. The longer they are gone, the longer they see me moving forward without them, the harder it becomes. The more they realize they are missing out. They're living in an apartment in Alaska with none of their own stuff. It must suck to be fair. Well, sorry. Not my fault. But I will keep the peace. I will placate the masses. Inside I am planning, taking notes, and prepping for the future. On the outside I am sunshine and giggles baby.

I did what I planned to do yesterday. In other words, not a fucking thing. We played video games, cleaned up the house, and relaxed. It was great. For dinner I made angel hair with scallops in a spinach cream sauce. It really was a nice sunday dinner. We had a good day just being. No expectations, no demands. We have six more days together until C has to be gone for a week. We're going to make the best of them. I teach two out of three days this week, I agreed to a video chat on Thursday with B, and I am getting my hair done on Friday. Also on Friday, Xmas will explode. It is that time of year. 

Today's class is 9:30 to 5:30 so I need to go get prepped. Whee.

ANA Y1 D177

My god people are so goddamn childish sometimes. We had a game night last night and I am dealing with the aftermath this morning. I got one who is in their own head and has decided the world is against him, I got B 3800 miles away pissed off I am stealing their friends, and who knows if anyone else had a good time. Jesus people, get a thicker skin. Your mental issues are not my responsibility. Work your issues out at home. Don't bring them to my doorstep. Maybe I need to start wearing a sign that says "Hey I am an asshole that will exploit your deepest insecurities out of love." because that's all it is. If you people don't know how to communicate if something is bothering you, don't make that my drama. This is why I can walk away from people and not look back. Get bent. Figure your shit out and come back when you can act like an adult. Of course that's part of the problem isn't it? I surround myself with people whose combined life experience is less than a third of mine. Plus, I have a good goddamn therapist.

Had a busy day in prep of people coming over. Double cleaned the house even though the cleaners came on Friday. We got everything done and prepped. Ordered a ton of food for everyone. I managed to get the timing down and basically everything came together right as the first people walked through the door. Other than that, we only left the house for C to have some taco bell. Which I should point out she paid for including mine. I was supposed to pick up my new meds but there seems to have been some issue and they won't be ready until Monday after 2pm. C has agreed to go pick them up for me. Gee, it's nice to have a partner who will reciprocate my actions. What a new development in life.

Today is a video game and fallout day. I will deal with everyone's childish behavior, maintain the peace where I can, and just live my best fucking life.

ANA Y1 D176

Hold on, I will write when C isn't brushing my hair. Yeah, that's right she is brushing my hair. I couldn't be happier with this. I love the intimacy it creates and plus the added bonus of my hair looking good. 

We had a busy crazy day but it was a lot of fun. Some drama in the later part of the evening due to just some emotions coming to the surface partially fueled but not limited to alcohol. The day started with me having to go to Rite Aid to get C a heating pad and icy/hot. She hurt her elbow and it was really killing her. I then had to go to the grocery store because I knew I wouldn't have time to do it later and I flat out refuse to go any day next week. Fuck that noise.

After all that I went to therapy. Good session. Focused mostly on all the shit that B threw at me this week. How 3800 miles away they're still being a pain in my side. I am done with them so hard it isn't even funny. Which also ties to the drama that happened later in the night. After therapy came home and had a follow up doctor appointment. Everything looks good. I have a follow up in January and we will probably do my next pellet injection in January and do enough to last me through all of 2023. Nice. I also got my prescription for progesterone. You do not want to know the most effective way for me to take that. Let's just say, not orally. But I will get the best fastest results from it. 

Molly Maid then showed up and we got trapped in the office for an hour. Finally we had lunch and started getting ready to go out. We went to Lost River Tiki and had a fabulous time. I had drinks that got lit on fire. Video at the bottom. We had a blast. Our bartender was a happy lesbian who loved us and gave us so much stuff. Lots of booze, post cards, and stickers. I would definitely go back.

So on the way home, C got into her head a little bit because we started talking about tattoos and she remembered that B and I are supposed to get one more in December. It was a long conversation that only just finished this morning as we both processed things. The end result? It may not happen. Not because of me, C, or B, but because of A. I don't think she is going to handle her girlfriend getting a matching tattoo with her ex-wife. On my end, if it happens, I am getting something very small and discrete to mark the end of the relationship which C understands. All good here. But A may not see it the way we do. This is going to prove interesting. And now, a drink on fire.

ANA Y1 D175

It's my 4 year Michi-versary. Four years ago today I rolled up into this bitch and became one of them. I may be off a few days to be honest. I can never remember if it was the 15th or the 18th, but it was somewhere in that time frame. If it was the 15th, well, I forgot. So I am moving it to today. Can you believe how much has happened in four years? Divorce. ENM. Transition. Made friends. Lost friends. New girlfriend. New hair. I've gotten older and wiser. I've stayed young. I've traveled. I've gotten stuck in the house. Sickness, surgeries, new animals, lost animals. I've lived a lifetime in these four years. Insane. Just downright insane.

Yesterday was no exception. Lots going on. New couch was delivered. New faucet got installed. Groceries were delivered. Yet work is the same old shit isn't it? Four years down the road and I am teaching the same shit, spewing the same things over and over. Guess I need one consistent thing in my life. I am grateful for that. I feel like I did a lot yesterday but did nothing at the same time. The day went by quickly. I've never been so content in a relationship. That's saying a lot for someone with my personality type. It's very easy for me to get bored or tired. I blame my failings in the past on that to some degree. I don't see a problem with them on this. C has a sharp mind, a mind that challenges the world, a mind that asks questions. A mind like mine. I put all the pieces together finally. I know the pieces fit. I know the pieces fit. I know the pieces fit. I know the pieces fit. 

Therapy. Doctor appointment. Lost River tiki bar. Welcome to Friday.

ANA Y1 D174

Every morning this week I have woken up to a password reset from iHeart radio of all things. Seriously? What do you think you're going to get trying to hack into that account? Hell, I didn't even know I still HAD an account there. Losers.

I was up until 1am not for any fun reason. Nope. It's because one of the fucking cats decided to piss on the bed and it soaked all the way through. At 10pm I had to do laundry because I didn't want to let it sit. Since it was ALL of the bedding, I couldn't just start it and go to bed. I had to switch things out twice. Poor C tried her best but she fell asleep around 11:30. I mean I did tired her out for an hour and half prior. Oops. We had a talk about sex recently. We both acknowledge that we have been extra active due to it being a new relationship and all. This week we've gone at it twice. But we discussed what's realistic to sustain long term. Maybe if B and I had a conversation like that we would have done better. Either way, we know that we can both be happy with 2-3 times per week in the long run. Hell, that's more than I was having per year, so yeah, I am happy. 8-10 times per month? 96-120 times per year? I think that would be more than B and I had our entire relationship. Yep.

Yesterday was a busy day. I went to multiple grocery stores, went to the pet store, did work, and taught a class. I felt overwhelmed for most of the day. It wasn't very pleasant to say the least. But I got through it and here we are on thursday. I have a lot going on today too. Hopefully I will get through it with a little less stress than I did yesterday. It just felt like it was one thing after another. I got a slow start, I had to go pick up B's prescriptions at the pharmacy, buy groceries, stop at another store for different groceries, then after class we went to the pet store to get things to try and distract this fucking cat, then some groceries we forgot. Just non-stop. Then the peeing issue. I made dinner in there somewhere too. Made lamb burgers which came out pretty good. We didn't eat dinner until almost 7pm though. Then dishes, then sex, then laundry. Today we're having the new faucet installed, have to hit the bank, couch delivery, and grocery delivery. Somewhere in there I have to write blog posts for work, work on a presentation, and read a book. Ugh.

I am mostly annoyed with B right now to be honest. While I am over here dealing with all this shit, which includes some of their shit, they're honest to god, posting pictures of themselves exploring a glacier saying "take a chance you'll never know where it leads". Bitch, please. Take a chance. You're only there because of me. I just checked bank accounts and they better get a job soon is all I am saying. They aren't doing too well. Time to stop your little adventure and come back to reality. I am hoping I get paid early next week myself. Hate this time of year. 

ANA Y1 D173

Once again I am re-evaluating my chosen career. I am just tired of getting emails at 9pm from marketing people asking me to get excited about shit that is so irrelevant and ridiculous in the grand scheme of things. It's like reading gibberish because it's just so fucking stupid. I don't care about measuring your metrics and goals. But it pays the bills and puts a roof over my head so I read the books and learn the stupid shit. It is my fate.

Taught all day yesterday. First full day class in a while and it was draining. A full load of 15 people too. Most were good. One was a little dense but I managed. Got through it and finished at 5:30. Made cheesesteaks for dinner. We had a friend come over to eat with us and hang out. They ended up leaving around 10 and we were in bed by 11. Didn't fall asleep for a while due to activities though. You know what I mean. Nudge nudge wink wink.

Today is a 1/2 day class from 2-6. Second to last one with that group. I have one more session with them next week. With that and a class on monday, next week is looking nice and full. That makes me happy. Actually, C makes me happy. This shit just pays the bills.

ANA Y1 D172

Had a fun night last night. We went to dinner with a friend, followed by dessert at a local bakery, then we came home and made pretzels. We were up until 11 doing it, but it was a really good time. We work well in the kitchen together. Nobody in anybody's way, nobody yelling at each other. The pretzels came out pretty good for our first attempt. The flavor and taste were spot on. The looks are another story, but hey, it was our trial run. We want to see about making more for our friends on Saturday but we needed to do the test first. Success.

During the day we had a little rough time. C had some bad nightmares that left her in a funk all day. We didn't have an issue, but she was just kind of melancholy so the whole mood of the house was quiet and reserved. I get it. I still have stupid dreams about my stepfather no matter how old I get. She had bad dreams about her dad and being stuck. It's okay. It happens to all of us. But she just was quiet and in her own head for a big chunk of the day which lent a subdued feel to the house. I did some work while she just kind of kept to herself. I tried to be comforting but it's the kind of thing one has to work through on their own sometime.

B pissed me off a little last night. They are having car issues in Alaska. A's truck is dead and they don't know what to do. They were supposed to ship it back to Seattle then drive home, but now it's dead and they can't find someone to fix it, or if it will be fixed in time to ship back, so she messaged me and asked for "a Dad opinion". The whole conversation made C angry because it showed just how co-dependent B is on me. C worries when it will end. I get where she is coming from. We're not together any more but here I am still helping you solve problems but now I am solving them for your girlfriend? It left a bad taste in my mouth. Luckily I had a pretzel to get rid of the taste.

Full day of teaching today. We've decided we're not going to group because I teach until 6, then we have axie stuff to do, and we want to make cheesesteaks. Group can handle a week without us. C has been here for a week I realized. Two more to go before she has to return back to handle some stuff.

ANA Y1 D171

We've got music playing, everyone is awake, and life is fucking glorious. This is the life I was meant to have. 

Yesterday was a great fucking day taking out the hour we got stuck in traffic because MI freeways suck. We went for a day trip to Lansing and had the best fucking time ever. We even got caught in the snow walking and it was just beautiful. We started at boot barn to find some cowgirl boots. Sadly that was a fail. We did then go to PetSmart where we got a fence to put up across the kitchen to keep all the animals out. B had been on me forever to get one but you know how it is when you listen to the person whose opinion you actually give a shit about. After that we went to the coolest grocery store. It was huge and we got sushi, mushrooms for soup, and some other snacks. I would drive the hour just to go back to that store. From there we went downtown to Old Lansing and hit up multiple vintage shops. At the first stop I got a great new shirt that has the words GAY WRATH in the style of some death metal thrash band. I love it. Forget gay pride bitch, we're coming for you, we're pissed off. C found a "new" winter coat. Vintage 60s with suede and fur. She fucking rocks it. From there we went to the best vintage shop ever. The owner was from the city and around my age so we bonded like fuck. He ended up giving us beers, a free pair of socks each, and 30% off everything. He even called us his best customers of the day. We had a blast trying on so many clothes. I found a rabbit fur coat from the 80s, C got a 70s dress, sunglasses from the 80s, and two pillows that say "FUCK" on them in different styles. Those are going on the new couch bitches. Last stop was a piercing shop. We finally got C's ears pierced. She has crossed a huge hurdle of womanhood with that. For the fun of it she also got her nose pierced. She's so happy I thought she would cry at one point. 

In other words, I haven't had a day like that in years. I needed it.

When we got home C set up the new gate while I started on the mushroom soup. We had grilled cheese and soup and laughs and great conversation. Together we cleaned the kitchen, played some video games and hit the bed around 11.

I teach a couple days this week, new couch is coming, we're having dinner with a friend tonight, game night on Saturday, and assorted shit in between. Welcome to the new world order. Long may it reign.

ANA Y1 D170

Had a good day yesterday. Got stuff accomplished around the house - laundry put away, things cleaned, in other words domestic crap. The real fun was had when we went out around 5:30. Met a group of friends for drinks and dinner. Stayed out until about 9:30 and came back. We both were exhausted and in bed by 10:30. To be honest, it was a pretty routine kind of day. The kind of day we both have longed for given the turmoil and emotional crap we have dealt with prior. Sometimes you just need a fucking break.

Today we're going vintage shopping, making mushroom soup, and enjoying each other's company.

This is happiness people.

ANA Y1 D169

I swear to god, I cannot wait until one of these cats is out of my house. I love and hate the cat at the same time. Chi is an absolute terror. She knocks everything over, she climbs on us while we sleep, she cries in my face in the morning. I am just tired of the neediness and annoyance. The other two cats are fine. Chi is a royal pain in my ass. I already told B that Chi is going with them. C has her own cat who will live with us, so two of these cats are gone. It will be me, C, Marble, Pip, and Merlot. Merlot is hers. Well, now ours. That's enough thank you. The damn axies need to go too. I am doing twice week feeding and once a week water changes for B and already that is driving me nuts. Boundaries, it's all about boundaries.

Which was the topic of yesterday's therapy. How I am setting clear, distinct boundaries these days. Do you know how different my life would have been if 20 years ago I had a therapist like this? Hell, 30 years ago. I would have never gone through half of the shit I have suffered through. Would have worked through my trauma decades ago. Maybe I wouldn't have ended up a raging alcoholic back then. Yeah, but all roads led me to here, didn't they?

Where's here? Happiness. Took a while. Took a few twists, turns, and bumps, but here I am. Content. Happy. Feeling alright about myself, my choices, and my life. I am good people. For the first time in a very long time, I am good. 

Worked on my presentation as planned. Got that done. Ordered Xmas gifts for B and C. Speaking of that, B had the nerve to ask for one more last night. They asked for a $60 video game to fucking play with their girlfriend. This is the kind of thing that boggles C's mind. Funny enough I discussed it with my therapist yesterday. The parentification of my relationship. How B has slid into this weird dynamic and while they don't realize it, they definitely do treat me like a parental figure. This is a very hard boundary I am setting with C. The minute I see any behavior other than partner or equal, I will be raising it up for discussion. Not doing this again for the next decade. We did laundry together, took care of the axies together, did grocery shopping together. We went to the fancy store and got food for the week. Last night we made homemade pizzas with a loaf of pesto bread we made. We're doing things together on the same page. No one is being served or made to be the servant. I excuse a lot of B's behavior to their illness and disability, but I made too many allowances for too long. Not this time. Learn from each relationship and correct your mistakes.

After dinner we watched more Euphoria, had mini cheesecakes, and ended up making out on the couch like high schoolers. The difference is our foreplay ended up in the bedroom for a romp. Afterwards, we showered and went to bed around midnight. I woke up to a message from B at 12:30 asking for a login code for Disney+. Oops, sorry, 30 minutes too late. Sucks to suck.

Today we are doing house things. Cleaning, organizing, etc. We are meeting friends at 6 downtown, and planning a fun saturday night. Welcome to the weekend kids.

ANA Y1 D168

Having a wee bit of tummy trouble this morning. Indian food catching up to me I'd say. Been up for a while but in the bathroom. Good times over here for sure. Slept moderately well. Can't recall any crazy dreams. It was a good day yesterday. We went to IKEA. C's first time there ever. We of course had meatballs because it is a mandatory thing when you go. They were apprehensive of food in a big old store like that but immediately fell in love with everything as one does in IKEA. There's something fundamentally wrong with people who don't like that store. Sorry, it's true. We bought a few things. Got our dishes and silverware. Got a new faucet for the kitchen. Got a black velvet throw blanket for the new couch. Found a stuffed octopus who I have named Frank. He just looks like a Frank that lived in the sewers of NY because he got too big to be a pet. Yes, the infamous sewer octopuses of NY. We've all heard of them. What? I'm hilarious, piss off. We got a couple of Xmas decorations. Some other little things as well. The importance of this trip was more seeing how well our styles and taste match up. On that front it was a more than successful trip. Very happy to see how in alignment we are in terms of how things should look. I suspect that over the next year or two, some furniture in the house will start getting replaced. Plus there will definitely be painting and wall changes around here. I also broke the seal on me posting on social media. B has already posted them and A, but I have been biding my time. I pulled the trigger in a tasteful way yesterday. Me and C at IKEA. An innocent way to introduce to everyone, hey here's my girlfriend, get used to seeing her around for a while.

Did some work on my next presentation. Got the skeleton complete. Will finish it off today. Also I got a new book in the mail that they want me to read. Cloud FinOps. Woo. Started reading it a bit and almost fell asleep. Whatever. I get paid to read. Okay.

For dinner we had carnitas tacos, we watched an episode of Euphoria, then we sat in the media room snuggling and listening to one of C's favorite albums. On the way back from IKEA we stopped at the cheese lady and the wine store. Picked up a little of both. We sat and had a nice bottle of prosecco while eating cheese and listening to music. What a horrible life I have. Just plain awful. Went to bed around 11.

Today is therapy, more work, then french bread pizzas for dinner. One thing C likes is how we plan out the week in terms of meals and what's going on. She's not used to having that kind of stability. With B, she saw it as constricting. C sees in me stability and order. Not words I would have ever used to describe me, but okay. She's not looking for a savior, just less drama and insanity. I can provide that. We had the most wonderful boring domesticated day yesterday. It was glorious for both of us.

ANA Y1 D167

Twice. We went at it twice yesterday. It's definitely official. Even in our first months together B and I didn't have the physical relationship that C and I have. We have been dating three months now and I have lost count. I have now exceeded the last two to three YEARS of my marriage in three months. That's something for sure. But we have more than that. We talk. We've gone on more after dinner walks than I have in the last two years. We've snuggled more on the couch. We've spent better quality time. 

More importantly, my ears. Silence for three days. I can't point to a bigger sign than that.

Worked on a new webinar yesterday. Learned how to do query folding. Don't ask. It's boring and dry and I somehow have to make it sound exciting for an hour. Going to put my presentation together today. Lord knows how I will make this fun. Got sent a new book by work - Cloud FinOps. No, I don't know what the fuck that means either. But let me read this book and I will get back to you on that. These people make up words and expect us to know what they are. Okay. Babble babble bitch bitch and don't forget the violence. Had a meeting from 3-4 yesterday. Did some laundry. Made indian food for dinner from scratch. We had butter chicken, rice, lentils, naan, and spinach. Was quite tasty. Tonight we're having carnitas tacos. It's so nice to just be home and do boring home things. We don't need to be going out constantly. Just chill at home.

We brought the dresser up from my old office to give C space for her stuff. Thanks to my rearranging of the bedroom, we fit it in with no problem and there's still plenty of room. Now we have space for all our clothes. This makes me happy. According to my calendar, B is on day 9 of 49. I hope they're doing okay still. Another month in the tundra before they come back. That's a long damn time to be away from everything. C has another 15 days before they have to go home for a while. Man my life is weird. I feel like this year will be over before we know it. I am genuinely excited to see what next year brings. At least here in MI, politically it will remain stable thanks to Tuesday's election. Hopefully. 

I am happy and I don't want to fuck it up. Let's make sure I don't fuck it up, okay?

ANA Y1 D166

I have absolutely had it with Chi. Worst cat ever. I woke up this morning to an entire jewelry dish empty, keys on the floor, tweezers, and other items. Anything she could knock over, she did. I am going to be picking shit up for a week. Lost earrings, a necklace, and nose jewelry. I am going to have to start locking her up at night. She is out of control. I am taking her to the vet on the 18th for unrelated stuff but going to ask them about her behavior. It's gotten worse since B left and I think that's part of it. She has toys. She has food. She has the other cats. This is just downright malicious behavior and it needs to stop. 

Taught yesterday for 4 hours, from 2-6. Before that I worked on some more upcoming webinar stuff, I also moved more furniture around. I also took down more artwork. It is slowly becoming my house. This weekend, C and I are going to Old Lansing where there are multiple vintage shops. We're going to look for some clothes and a purse for her, I am going to be looking for artwork and things to make this house mine. We're also going to boot barn. I want a pair of cowboy boots and will give them to myself for Xmas. 

C arrived around 7 last night. We went to group late after feeding the axies. This was the largest group meeting I have ever seen. 27 people. It was crazy. We caused quite a stir coming in late and disrupting. People went nuts to see us live. It really felt like being a rockstar. Or at least how it used to be back on cast. I miss those days. After we went with everyone for dinner and caught up with a few people. We didn't get home until almost midnight. We planned on going to sleep, but our libido had other plans. Didn't actually go to sleep until after 1:30. Oops. 

I have to learn some new stuff today, then a meeting from 3-4. Making indian food for dinner. I hope C likes it.

ANA Y1 D165

Yesterday was frustrating. It just was one of those days where it felt like I was struggling to stay on top of things. Too many legs is what C calls it. She's right. My biggest issue yesterday tripping over, cleaning up after, or pushing away animals. All day. Three cats and a dog is too much for one person. I was also very clumsy it felt yesterday. I kept dropping things, knocking things over, etc. So far this morning is better. I slept more soundly and I did the big favor to myself and locked the cats out all night. Just me and the dog. Nobody walking over me all night or yelling in my face to feed them. It makes a difference. It will help tonight when C is back too. Sleeping alone has it's positives and negatives for sure.

I dealt with a work issue yesterday. Our Litmos system decided to hiccup and sent me 8000 emails. No joke. I deleted 5000 on Sunday, woke up to another 2300, deleted those, reported the issue, then before it resolved, another 500 came in. It was just annoying. I don't know if I missed anything important because of it. Oh well. I also worked on putting my next webinar together. I have a good topic and am confident I can do it without any issues. I then had a whole slew of things happen at once. B wanted to talk to see the dog. I got on a Zoom meeting with them and no more than five minutes after we start talking, B's dad shows up to finish the job AND the gardener shows up to do my leaves and gutters. All the while, I have C talking to me in Discord. My brain was on overload. 

The talk B and I had was good. We discussed future plans, we discussed when they might be coming home, how we're both doing with our new partners, how things are going to work moving forward, they showed me their apartment, the view, and we talked about stuff they're going to do over the next month. We also discussed Xmas and where each of us will be. We both want to wake up with our new partners so they may stay at the grandmother's and C will stay here. Honestly it was one of the best conversations we've had in months. Being apart and being happy in our situations has finally brought us back to being friends. It was a nice time. There's no animosity or anger any more. I will say it once again, even without C in the picture, I have peace finally. I am in a good place and it shows. So are they. My ears were clear for the majority of the day. They're clear right now. Being alone since Saturday has also shown me that I am good. I will survive. I will be okay.

Had all the leftovers for dinner, watched tv, C and I played video games together, talked on video, then I went to bed around 10. Today C comes back. I also teach, have to feed axies, and we have group. We probably won't go to the meeting, just to the after party. We want to see people but we also don't want to see people. It's a select list. We will see how things go. Today is my only teaching day and the rest of the week will be light. I don't know what we have planned for the weekend, but we get a whole weekend together which will be nice. 

ANA Y1 D164

 I am not doing well this morning. I am just flustered already. I have been up for nearly an hour, have accomplished nothing, the time change is fucking with me, I have a splitting headache, there was shit on the kitchen floor, and the fucking cats won't leave me alone. Welcome to my world.

I got a ton of stuff accomplished yesterday. I went grocery shopping, got my money back from ex-gf, moved the bedroom (more on that in a second), and packed a ton of B's stuff. It was a very productive day to say the least. I had a nice rotisserie chicken for dinner, watched a little tv, and felt like I had a good sunday despite being exhausted at 9pm. I am getting frustrated with this new watch though. I wanted it to be able to track my damn sleep but so far it doesn't seem to recognize I am sleeping. I am not sure what I am doing wrong. I will do some more research this week. I have one day of training due to a company having three employees quit on them. Gosh, I sure do want to train you if three of the six quit a week before they're supposed to be trained. Sounds like a swell place to work.

So the bedroom. For four years I have said the bedroom could be moved around to make more space. B constantly and consistently told me no it can't, it won't fit. I would every now and then ask if I could at least try only to be told no. Over and over again. Well guess what? Not only does it fit the way I have wanted it, it makes more space, things are better laid out, and it makes more spatial sense. Kiss my ass. I know B is going to blame C for it when they get back, but this was all me. This was four years of being denied to do what I wanted to do. Not any more. I honestly can't wait for them to get back and see how different things look. I also took art off the walls, move a bunch of my stuff upstairs, this is my time. Deal with it. I have some stuff still downstairs, but that will come up tonight. No more of this shit. 

I have some work to do today but shouldn't be too stressed out. I just feel like I am making it through the weeks right now. A cog in the murder machine.

ANA Y1 D163

Fuck daylight saving time. Yes, it's time once again for my biannual fuck DST message. You like it, just admit it.

Anyway, it's Sunday. I got a lot accomplished yesterday. C left around 7am to go back to take care of the dad for a few days. She will be back Tuesday. Until then, the house is empty and all mine. I did laundry, installed a 5 port switch in my office, put away clothes, cleaned up a bit, made bread, and most importantly, had my hair did. VERY happy with how my hair turned out. Pic to follow. I honestly think that's about it? I played some video games, ate some food. I am trying to think what else, but that's about it. It was busy but not crazy. Mostly it was my hair. I was gone from 8am until 1pm. That took up the majority of my day. Laundry took up a big chunk. Oh I did tech support for B in alaska on a new printer A bought for them. Some bullshit HP thing that required router changes. They were sending me pictures all day too. Something tells me A was at work. But I will say, it shows how much of a relationship we still have that I'm the one they're sending pics directly to and not just posting shit on social media. 

Today's projects are packing B's shit and moving the bedroom. Time to get rolling. But before we part:

ANA Y1 D162

Had another great day with C. We talked, we laughed, we had sushi, we went for a walk both with the dog and by ourselves. They inspire me to be motivated and move. They inspire me to get things done. We did a lot yesterday while doing nothing at all. I went to therapy in the morning which was quite good. The big part of that was I left C alone in the house while I went. This was a big step in trust. Here you go, here's my entire house, all of my pets, access to my computers. Bye. Well guess what? They were still here when I got back! It sounds dumb, but when you've been fucked over as many times as I have, there will always be that little voice in my head. Yes, I talked about this in therapy. I'd be a fool not to. It's important and influences my behavior. I'm sitting here trying to remember all the things we did yesterday and it's just all kind of blending together. We did water changes and feeds on the idiots, we hung a mirror in the shower, we watched a little tv with our dinner, we went for a walk, we setup my new google watch, we trimmed C's eyebrows, I did a tiny bit of work, we went through old clothes to see what would fit her, molly maid came and we hid in the office, we had bagels - I feel like there's more, but that's enough on its own, isn't it? A full boring day. Exactly what we both have been after. We took a love language quiz. We both know that it's not a true measurement of a relationship but we took it for fun and surprise, surprise, we both have physical touch as our number one requirement. Acts of service was second for me, while quality time was for them. QT was 4th for me and AoS was fourth for them. Gift giving was the lowest for both of us and words of affirmation, right in the middle. It didn't come as any shock to see these results. Our percentages were also very close. 2-3 points difference at most. We just align in regards to most things. This is good. 

Today she has to go back to take care of her dad but will be coming back Tuesday. I'm okay with this. Give me some alone time in the house. I can pack more stuff up, do some rearranging, feel like I am accomplishing things around the house. I have a hair appointment today so that will take up 3-4 hours. Changing colors. Going copper blonde for the winter. Never been a redhead before. Very excited and nervous about it.

B sent many pictures. Including some of a moose! They also saw a bald eagle. Definitely envious of them on this trip. No question about that. I am glad to see them thriving. I am over here doing the same. It's all good Charlie Brown, it's all good.

ANA Y1 D161

Slept like shit last night. Too many animals walking all over me all night. Really pissing me off. There are too many of them in this house. As mean as it might sound I really can't wait until B takes a couple of them. They are too needy for my tastes. I may lock everyone out tonight. Just don't want to deal with it. I woke up at 4:11 and poor C was worried about me. She is learning that hey, I stop breathing while I sleep. Good times. Plus they aren't used to me snoring yet. Sorry. I snore. I'm fat and I can't breathe. Welcome to my life. My sleep app says I slept like shit too.

Taught yesterday morning until about 1pm. Then C and I had wonderful afternoon sex. That was a nice change of pace. After C and I went to Walmart to pick up some odds and ends for the house including some new sheets and a new towel. We stopped at this place called Crumbl Cookie and got a dozen cookies for company later. When we got back, B's dad was working in our backyard finally finishing the work he started a month ago. He still hasn't finished. He left it in worse shape than before. I know he means well but I wish he would finish an actual project. I also wish he had told us he was coming because what if he had come earlier while C and I were busy in the bedroom?? That would have been uncool. I did feed him though. That was an awkward dinner. Me, C, and B's dad. Um, yeah. My ribs came out great. Not going to lie about that. After dinner a friend came over, we ate cookies, then C and I helped out someone. Ex-gf is having major car problems. She reluctantly asked to borrow money for two days to buy a new radiator. I did it. Yeah I know. Leave me alone.

By the time we got home we were both exhausted from the day and zonked out around 10. B sent pictures of Alaska. First day there and they spent it going to Goodwill and Fred Meyer. Okay. Not how I would have spent my first day, but meh, you've got 7 weeks. Have a blast. Still nothing on social media so I am still refraining as well. One of us is going to break. It's not going to be me. I promise.

Therapy today. Then more time with C. She has to leave early tomorrow to help out back at home, but then is back Tuesday for 3 weeks straight. Can't wait. 

ANA Y1 D160

And with that, they are gone. At 3am my time they sent me a pic from the airport of a moose. Let's see how long it takes before there are pics on social media. As soon as they do, I am going to town. The media ban has been officially lifted, but let's see who pulls the trigger first. Won't be me. I promise you that. They left around 10:15 yesterday EST and didn't land in Anchorage until 12:10am EST. Almost a full 12 hours of travel. I have been there and it's rough. But they made it safe and let the 7 weeks away begin.

Oh what's that? How am I forgetting the more important thing? Don't worry my lovelies, I am not forgetting at all. This morning I got to wake up next to C. My heart swelled when the realization that they were next to me in bed sunk in. Yes, they have arrived as well. She can only stay until Saturday for now, but then will be back Tuesday for almost three weeks. All the way through Thanksgiving. While I am sad this first visit is short, I am happy that we get so much time together. She will be gone for about 5 days, then back through December. Out of the 7 weeks, I get 5.5 or so. Okay, I will take it. Yes, we had sex. Dirty minded individuals you are. Yes, we will have more. I swear, before this year is over, C and I will have had more intimacy in just these 5 weeks than I have had in literal years. I have never craved another human being the way I crave her. Crave is the only word I can use. It's the only word that fits so perfectly. I've never wanted to rip my clothes off and feel the touch of someone else as much as her. I don't know what it is. It's just incredible to feel this way. But yeah, I got to wake up next to them this morning. Even the dog is happy. The dog has been getting up with me in the mornings but this morning she stayed in bed curled up next to C. Even the fucking dog is happier. Welcome to my new life.

While I waited for C to get here, I did some work. Had a few meetings. Mapped out the plan for early 2023. I am good through first quarter. I have some specific projects to work on, including setting up an Azure DevOps server locally. That's going to be interesting. Learning something new finally. I also moved some furniture around and packed up like six boxes of B's stuff. I have more to do on that front but will get it all done this weekend. I had to get things moved for the couch delivery in 2 weeks. Plus it helped to keep me distracted until C got here. I need her help bringing some things downstairs today but the house is starting to look and feel like mine finally. Almost all of B's stuff is downstairs, my stuff is upstairs. Then in a few months, I get my downstairs back and I can work on that. My house. My life.

I just started a rack of ribs for dinner. 12 hours at 165. Finish in the oven with sauce, dry rub during cook. Serve that with some nice mashed potatoes and a veggie. C is going to eat good while she is here. I might not be able to promise much, but I can promise that. Teach from 9:30 - 1:30 and then the day will be mine. I know what I want to do at 1:30. Yep. That. New world order my friends, new world order.

ANA Y1 D159

The day has finally arrived. In less than 5 hours car service will pull into my driveway and take B away for two months. Take them away to the land of moose! I will miss them of course. But I will also enjoy feeling like my house is mine. C will be arriving later today to spend at least three days, go back home for 3 three days, then stay for almost 3 weeks straight. Then they have to go back for like a week, then she can come back for 2 more weeks. Out of the 7 weeks B will be gone, C should be here for 5 of those including Thanksgiving. This is going to be the most interesting end of year I have had in quite a while. We shall see how things are when B returns from the land of moose. Will they still be together? Will they have a plan for the future? Will C and I make it? Stay tuned kids and see the exciting conclusion to 2022!

Worked on random things yesterday. Moved some more furniture around including putting a desk in here for C. They can now work in the same room while I am teaching. I setup my laptop with a monitor and such right next to me. I also did some more rearranging in the media room. I moved enough stuff that I was able to order a couch finally for in there. I have a RED couch coming with ottoman. I am very excited about that. The last time I was able to buy furniture that I 100% loved all to my own was 10 years ago. Heck to be fair, it was even earlier since I had to buy furniture for my little apartment. I miss that little apartment sometimes. It was small and weird, but it was on the beach, walking distance from everything, and helped me become me. Did way too many drugs there though. I miss the drugs some days too but that's another story.

Went to group for the first time in weeks. Mostly enjoyable? A couple of the people just dragged their stories on and on. One of them is the slowest talked in the world. She basically told us her whole day in excruciating detail. I could have summed up her whole story in 1 minute - I got my name changed today and managed to get a lot of things accomplished. THAT took 15 minutes to tell. Dear god, talk faster. I also got frustrated with someone else yesterday for being a fucking boomer. One of the people in our group online asked a question about phones and this boomer bitch derailed the conversation talking about nonsense. Just shut up please. Went out for donut after group, but was home by 10:30. Talked with C and went to bed. 

Meetings from 12-4 today, then C is here and who knows what we will do tonight. Aw, who am I kidding, there will be sex tonight. Much sex. God bless me.

ANA Y1 D158

I slept like complete shit last night. The one thing the sleep app doesn't track well is if I wake up and just lay there. As long as I don't make noise, it treats it as if I was still asleep. It makes sense. You'd need something physically attached to you to really know. I was up for a while last night. I had trouble falling asleep (which it did record, 25 minutes), but then I had horrible dreams. Just not cool shit. Hallucinations, violence, weird shit. I woke up at like 2 and sent C a message. Not a good night. 

Maybe it had to do with the movie we watched last night. We capped our horror week off with Midsommar. Fucking freaky ass movie. Really good, but freaky as shit. It definitely stuck with me. C and I came up with a great couples Halloween costume for next year. One of us goes as a bear, the other covered in flowers. Those who get it, will get it. The rest not so much. 

Taught yesterday and went to the doctor. Had bloodwork done. Follow up in two weeks. Then next set of pellets. Like to get them in by Thanksgiving. One less thing I have to worry about for six months. 

27 hours to go.