ANA Y3 D33

Nothing of much excitement to write about today. It was hot yesterday and we stayed inside for most of it. We did go take a walk around 8:30 and got some DQ. We needed out of the house. Since it's now legal, we did shoot off some fireworks. Because why not? We were not alone that's for sure. All week there will be pew pew. It's almost July. Birthday in one week. Holy moley.

ANA Y3 D32

What a day yesterday! I was exhausted in the morning but slogged through some work stuff until 11:45. Off to the tattoo parlor we go! New ink didn't take super long. We were done and out of there by 4pm. I love my new tattoo. Because of the color saturation, no pictures yet. I need this one to heal first. We did spent quite a bit of time discussing colors. I am glad we did as we nailed it. She had picked out four colors she thought would work but as a team we ended up switching out two of them. Came out perfect. For this one, color was absolutely crucial. Had a great time hanging out with her and catching up. We also discussed plans for 2025 which include starting my first ever cover up. That's going to be a fun one!

After ink we went downtown where we were and had dinner at the Italian place where we had our first date two years ago. Still as good as we remembered it. We had a really nice dinner and walked around afterwards. We got back home and around 8pm we went out to run an errand and do some grocery shopping. I am very happy we went last night because it is pouring out there right now. I am afraid to see what the basement looks like to be honest. It's a pretty serious storm. Should clear up in a few hours.

Got back home, put everything away, watched some tv, did a little test of fireworks because they are now legal to shoot off through the 5th, played some games, and went to bed around 1am. I slept so hard. Didn't wake up until 7:15am this morning. I needed it. We have ZERO plans for today and for that I am grateful.

ANA Y3 D31

I am on the new machine! Woo! My new memory came yesterday and I was able to put it all together, move the sound card and the final pieces and fully switch to the new machine. I will now set up my old machine for C. Pics at the end.

Had a rough long day yesterday. It started with 3 hours of dental work. I had a regular cleaning and then replacement of three fillings. My dentist tries her best to be gental but it was a lot of work and my mouth was sore for hours. I then had multiple meetings. I finally got through all that and worked on the computer. Some where in there I grilled some salmon for us. We went to bed around 11pm and that's where the real issue started. At midnight some asshole decided the whole world needed to hear his exhaust and was just racing up and down the main street. Like shake the house loud. I was immediately jolted awake and couldn't get back to sleep until after 1am. Fucking idiots. So I am functioning on 2, maybe 3 hours of sleep. Good times. BUT it's new tattoo day and I am excited for that. Now on with the show:

ANA Y3 D30

My stupid memory got delayed. Thanks UPS. You suck. Hopefully it will be here today. We shall see.

Did a webinar yesterday. Not much else. Quiet day. Played my game while C worked. Dentist appointment this morning. Then meetings all afternoon. Salmon for dinner tonight.

ANA Y3 D29

Yesterday was long but very good. This is the first time I had a group where everyone showed up for a workshop, had a full agenda, had good questions, engaged in the conversation, and was eager to be there. We got through the client's entire agenda and everyone left happy. Finished around 5pm so it was my whole day, but was worth it. While I was teaching C went and got us a new propane tank. We grilled italian sausage for dinner. Watched some tv and headed to bed around 10:30. Not a very exciting day, but one that was pretty darn good.

ANA Y3 D28

Did you know DDR4 and DDR5 have two different socket layours? I did not. I went to put my old memory in the new machine because I would rather have 128gb of slower memory than 32gb of faster memory and lo and behold, it doesn't fit. Son of a bitch. I ordered 4 32gb modules yesterday. Be here tomorrow. With the memory in place, the new machine will be ready for use. I got the drives in yesterday so I now have 8TB internal all SSD and a 4tb external backup SSD. Everything is almost ready to go. I also installed ESET on it so the machine is protected. Once the new memory is in, I will be done and ready. I expect to start using it as my primary machine come Thursday. Oh and the new memory has fancy LEDs on it so it will be all shiny. I know I have spent way too much money on this but it's around what I paid for this machine 4 years ago. If I can get 4-5 years out of this new one, then it's worth it. Plus C is going to end up with what is for her, a kick ass machine. She is getting the old one with 128gb now, twice the storage space, and a video card light years above what she has. This also means our Plex server can finally get upgraded. Everyone wins for the next 4-5 years. No complaints. 

I worked on that and some more curriculum stuff yesterday. Answered a few emails and prepped for today's workshop. C closed so I was alone most of the night. Watched a little TV, had leftovers. Went to bed around 11pm. Workshop is scheduled until 5:30 tonight. Given the client's agenda we should get close to that. There's my whole day today. One more week and I get a break for six days. Just need to make it.

ANA Y3 D27

The new machine is slowly coming together. Just ordered a 4tb SSD to add to it. I have four m.2 slots on this baby. This will give me 12tb total.  Then I can finish installing all my stuff, rip my memory and sound card out of the old machine and actually start using this thing. I  spent last night going through services and the registry turning off all the junk.

Mini morning rant: when did OS manufacturers get so lazy? What I mean by that is there should be an install for mobile/portable devices and an install version for desktop devices. Almost everything I turned off last night are things that I would NEVER use on a desktop machine - phone, radio, mobile hotspot. People don't realize how many background services get started that will never be used on desktop machines. It's because there is ONE OS installation and it just automatically installs everything whether it will ever be used or not. So you end up with bloatware services taking up memory for no good reason. Add to that all of the general MS bloatware. One thing that they did in Win 11 that is driving me nuts is they bundled a bunch of bloatware inside of usefull things. Like buying a 3 pack of DVDs where you really want one movie but they are trying to get rid of the other two. In this case - Get Started, Windows Backup, and Windows Security are all bundled into "Windows User Experience" package. So if you remove that you also lose Notepad, Paint, and Snipping Tool. Bastards. Rant over.

As I said, we left the hotel early yesterday and C got to work around 7am. Basically an hour late which isn't end of the world. I got another good coupon in the mail for fireworks and went to the store in the morning to cash it in. The fireworks store right now is open from 8am to 11pm. Part of me is thinking who the hell is buying fireworks at 8am but then it turns out, me. I needed grocery stuff too so I was able to go out once. C's store is having a meat sale. Their normal prices suck, but when they have meat, they do it right. I got two racks of ribs and 4lbs of hamburger dirt cheap. The hamburger will be for the 4th and the ribs are good to have. Came home, did laundry, cleaned, made steaks for dinner. Just have to get through this week and then it's vacation time. I can do it!

ANA Y3 D26

We went to what could be called the best wedding ever. Seriously. Got up in the morning, packed up, headed out around 1pm. Got to the hotel around 1:40pm and checked in. We didn't know where we were going but we figured it out. The wedding was at a state park so parking was confusing, there were no signs, and we were confused. Found out later we weren't the only ones which made us feel better. We had to take a shuttle from the parking lot to the spot where the ceremony took place. Ceremony started about 4:30 and was done by 4:45. For real. Like Do you? Yes. You? Yep. Done. No complaints, especially since it was 92 degrees and there were bugs and wind. We were right on the water which was nice. Had some breeze coming in but the wind was messing up the mics. We all took the shuttle back to the activity center for the reception. From there it got even better. There was absolutely no agenda, no scripted bullshit, no speeches, no nothing. They organized the buffet with precision, the food was outstanding, there was plenty of it, and the desserts were great. We got to dance, meet new people, and had a wonderful time. Some of the people there were not our favorites but we got through it. We did get to see some old friends and made a new one. Got back to the hotel around 9:30, crashed out, and left at 6am this morning. C just went off to work and I have some chores to do here. Already started laundry. All in all, a good time was had. We both looked fabulous, felt fabulous, and enjoyed each other's company. The way it should be.

ANA Y3 D25

Therapy helped immensely yesterday. I worked through a lot of the things that were bothering me but more importantly I had a chance to just dump. The end result is I am still not thrilled about my birthday but I am in a better place mentally. I also upped my sessions to every two weeks instead of monthly. Oh and I got my new computer yesterday. Spent 7 hours configuring it. Not quite ready to go live with it yet, but got OS mostly ready. We have the wedding today but tomorrow I will work on getting things installed and try to move over hardware. I need to move two HDDs, memory, and sound card. With those moved I can work on software installation and start using it. I may let it sit for a few days so I can work. C found a new dress to wear today and I am very excited for her on that. I hope we have fun today. I really do.

ANA Y3 D24

Still hot here. Didn't leave the house yesterday. Pobably won't leave again today.

Too much going on in my head. Too many things. I am loathing my birthday this year. I don't know why. I have therapy in 2 hours. Maybe it will help.

ANA Y3 D23

It was hotter than satan's asshole yesterday and the forecast is 4 degrees warmer today. Bleh. Summer is the worst season by far. I don't care what anyone says. It stinks.

We took a mental health morning yesterday. Went and played Top Golf. On Tuesdays it's half price and before noon is the cheapest time. We got 2 hours for $32. First time I've picked up a golf club in 20 years. Did better than expected but still it reminded me why I quit playing golf in the first place. I am sore as fuck this morning from it too. Add to that it was 80 degrees by 8am and 91 when we finished, bleh. We would definitely do it again, just not in the summer. Horrible.

Came back home and worked on new curriculum. Made gnocchi for dinner. Went to bed. Nothing much else going on. Wedding in three days. Very excited about that.

ANA Y3 D22

I realized something yesterday. In my post I didn't mention that C and I had sex Sunday night. It caused me to reflect that there have been multiple times where I haven't included that in my daily posts. Why? Because I finally have what could be considered a normal sex life where it is part of our regular relationship and doesn't need to be called out as some special event any more. That first year I was keenly hyper aware of every time because it had been so long since I had a regular healthy level of intimacy with a partner that I was amazed at how things could be. Plus we were fucking like a couple of rabbits back then. Now it's just something that happens because we care about and love each other. It's not a thing that requires highlighting or sharing some days because it's like part of our normal lives. This is a good thing.

It was hotter than fuck yesterday. Mid 90s all day. At 11pm when we went to bed it was still 80 degrees outside. I did my best to keep the house around 74 all day. I took the car in early for its first service yesterday. It was storming like crazy. Like shaking the house level thunder. I sat at the dealer waiting for them to open at 6:40am and was just blinded by the sky. It finally died down around 8am and then went to hot. The car is fine, no issues. Better not be at 5k miles. Came back, worked on assorted things until C left for work around 2. 

Watched a movie while waiting for her to get home, Monkey Man. Meh. She got home, we relaxed, and went to bed.

Oh, and we had sex again last night.

ANA Y3 D21

It's raining and hot outside. Like really hot today. 93 and thunderstorms. It's already 70 at 4:45am. Of course I have to go out in this. I have a car service appointment. Fun. Had a quiet day yesterday since C worked. Did laundry. Some house cleaning. Made braised rabbit for dinner. Was very good. We watched I saw the tv glow. Weird fucking movie. Not sure the point. But it was interesting. Really that was about the extent of everything I did. Another weekend down the tubes. This weekend we have a wedding to go to. That I am looking forward to. As long as it doesn't pour and ruin it.

ANA Y3 D20

I am awake. I don't want to be, but I am. Yesterday sucked horribly. I really don't like C working both fucking weekend days. I just wandered around the house bored off my ass and in my head. We all know the last place I should be is in my head. Oh look, the same thing today. Joy.

Made ribs for dinner. Watched some tv, went to bed around 10 because up early today.

ANA Y3 D19

Sigh. No matter how hard I try, I can't sleep past 6am any more. We didn't go to bed until like 11:30pm either. No alarm this morning, just sleep, but 6:02 I'm awake. Is my life. 

Had a good day yesterday. Went to the store early. Worked on a bunch of random things, had a meeting with my boss to discuss the next two weeks. We had a friend over. He got a new car and we're very excited for him. It's his first true new car. 2024 Bronco Sport. He's leasing it but he feels really good about it and we support him. It is a very nice green color and he's so proud. Way to go my friend! We made chicken quesadillas and had a nice fire outside. He took off around 10:30 or so. We stayed outside waiting for the fire to die down until 11. It was really nice just sitting outside and enjoying the weather.

C has to work today and tomorrow which pisses me off but it is what it is. I don't have plans for this weekend other than cooking and laundry.

ANA Y3 D18

It was hot yesterday. 91 and raining. Nasty day. Luckily C got up early and mowed the backyard with five mintes to spare from the rain. At least it's done. I taught all day, got chinese food, had a nice time with friends. We wrapped around 9:30, stayed up until 11, went to bed. Have to go to the store this morning, very tired and don't want to go but I don't get a break. Not until July. I can make it I swear.

ANA Y3 D17

Had a webinar yesterday I have been stressing out about. My big stress point was doing it with someone else. You just never know if your style is going to match and align with another person's. But I got through it, it went well, and it prompted a discussion about some other stuff amongst ourselves internally that will lead to hopefully positive change.

C closed so not much else went on. I cleaned the house as we're having some friends over tonight for Kraken Day. Time to drink rum and eat chinese food.

ANA Y3 D16

Now C's work is trying to gaslight her. She went in yesterday only to be told she worked today. We don't make mistakes with our calendar. They changed shit and didn't tell her. Talk about pissed off. 

I taught until 5, then we went to the store to get dinner stuff because plans got changed for us. Had pulled pork for dinner. Watched some tv. Went to bed.

Today is a webinar I am not prepared to do. Good times.

ANA Y3 D15

Don't feel like talking much today. Have to get ready to teach more Boeing sessions. C closed last night and tonight. Same shit over and over again.

ANA Y3 D14

Yesterday marked 2 years since my first HRT injection. Wow. 2 years of being me. What a trip. What a wild ride it's been. Still standing bitches.

Didn't do a whole lot yesterday. Went to the store in the morning to get things for soup later. Made soup. Cleaned the house a bit. Watched some tv. Pretty boring day to be honest.

ANA Y3 D13

It's amazing how much you accomplish when you have a partner who's you know, an actual partner. Yesterday was a great, long, fulfilling day. We got up and got ready, out the door at a little after 7am. Got to the market about 7:30 and even C noticed how busy it was already. We scored though big time. We got three flats of flowers for the front of the house, mushrooms for soup, fresh produce for dinner, hot suace from our favorite company, found a real butcher who not only had freshly cut ribs, but they had rabbit!! We also got some beef jerky and smoked fish. Before heading home we stopped at home depot and got a bunch of stuff to plant and prep the flower bed for the new flowers. We also got some lunch. Once we got home we dove into planting. For five years I have wanted flowers in front of the house but didn't want to have to do all the work alone. We got it done together. I am over the moon at how it looks. So happy. We then had dinner, salmon on rice with the veggies from the market. We watched a documentary on vigilante pedo catchers. Played some games and went to bed.

Now, C is stressing about her job and has sadly been up all night. I don't know what to tell her. I know she wants me to tell her to call in, but I don't think that's the right solution in this case. I think it will just cause problems. If she had something even remotely lined up it would be a different story. I don't know what to do on this.

Last thing - I don't really have anyway other than my own intuition on how things are except for one thing. All week dealing with my students and teaching, my tinnitus has been low grade fucking with me. Yesterday and right now? Not a single sound in my head. Even with everything we did yesterday. Not one peep. That tells me all I need to know.

I almost forgot something else we did yesterday. We went to the fireworks store. I had a coupon I have been sitting on which is scheduled to expire next week. The coupon was any $269 set for $109 and a second one for 50% off anything else. We got almost $400 worth of fireworks for $150. Over 125 fountains, shells, pew pew pew goodness. We think we're going to have some friends over for the 4th and light things off. We shall see how it goes.

ANA Y3 D12

Yes, I am up early on a Saturday but for good reason. We're going to Eastern Market today! Now unlike the first time I went which was a disaster, and the second time I went which was too early, C and I decided on a time that like good ol' goldilocks, should be just right. So yeah, up early but not crazy early. Although we did go to bed late. Again.

Taught all day and finished around 5. Made bison burgers for dinner. Watched some tv, played some games, went to bed. Welcome to the weekend kids.

ANA Y3 D11

Slept much better last night, just not enough. Ended up going to bed well after 11:30. Not for any particular reason to be honest. Just kind of happened. We did go to the grocery store together around 8 which was part of it. By the time we got home and got everything put away it was 9:30 but we had energy as a result of going out. Oh well.

Yesterday's class was better than expected but still not awesome. This group just has less technical skills I feel and they struggle more with the material than the other group. Got through it okay, but it was a harder journey. Finished around 5, made chicken caesar wraps for dinner, and waited to go out. When I teach it does make for uneventful days. Which is not a bad thing.

You know, all in all, right now things are calm. No issues with B. I am busy with work. Bills are getting paid. Okay, I can handle this. I did open the early birthday presents that came. I have the sweetest friend. She sent me some headbands, a Barbie, and the cutest dress. Like wow so above and beyond. I am blessed to have people like her, won't deny that. Alright let's go pay bills. It is Friday after all.

ANA Y3 D10

Woke up around 2:15am in screaming back pain. Combination of gas and cramps causing lower back pain. I was up until 3am until I fell asleep on the couch. Needless to say, rough night. I did sleep once I found a comfortabl position but god it was an agonizing period. Feels better this morning but rough night. 

Yesterday was okay. Taught until 5. Had stuffed pizza waffles for dinner. C got home very late. Like 9:40pm. We didn't go to bed until after 11which suck because of things. But it wasn't a bad day per se. Class was okay. The last two days have been the 'good group'. The next two are going to suck horribly.

Yeah, here we go.

Oh on a positive note one of my friends sent me two early birthday presents which I am going to open today. She gave me permission. I am very excited to open them. So sweet and kind. She's been my friend now for over 15 years and I am blessed to have her in my life. One of the very first people I ever came out to directly. She has always 100% supported me. I am lucky to have her in my life all these years.

ANA Y3 D9

Here we go. Another day. Yippee.

Yesterday was okay. Taught all day as I will today and the rest of the week. The group yesterday and today aren't bad. They're what I call the good group. They're smart, attentive, and interested in doing these things. It's tomorrow and Friday I dread. But I will get through it. Made lamb pita for dinner. Came out quite well for a first time at making this particular recipe. I was very happy. We started watching a new show and binged a couple of episodes. We almost watched a third but decided against it. Each episode is an hour long so two was enough. Nothing else happening right now. Just making it through the heat and trying not to sweat to death.

ANA Y3 D8

I am very sleepy this morning. It's hot and I had a rough sleep. Going to be hot again today. 90 is what is expected. Windows closed AC on kind of day.

Had a meeting with our new COO. New being relative. He's been around since Jan and just now decided to meet with me. I am cautious about him. He has big plans and I worry I don't fit into them. But we shall see. C worked a close so I was alone last night. She is getting fed up with her schedule. They have her working a Saturday on the 15th. Nope, no way, unacceptable. We only get one day of as it is. Not going to be a thing going forward I swear. I helped her look for some new positions yesterday. We shall see what happens with that.

Not much else going on.

ANA Y3 D7

Very quiet boring Sunday. C worked. I had to go to the grocery store because there was an issue outside. We didn't take the big trash can out last week because of the holiday and there just wasn't enough in it. Well sadly something went bad and the can was covered in maggots. I haven't checked it today yet, but I sprayed it with bug killer and hosed it down. I need to do more after they take it tomorrow. Good cleaning and hosing out. This is what happens when shit sits in the hot sun and goes rotten. It's life. It sucks, but it's life. That was the most excitement of the day. Otherwise I played video games, watched a movie with C, made sausage hoagie rolls for dinner, went to bed.

This week I teach Tues-Fri so my week is accounted for minus today. This morning at 8:30 I have a meeting with our COO so I need to look proper. He wants to finally "meet" me as he has been here for six plus months and we've never spoken. Go figure. This could be interesting. Other than that, today is prep day for the rest of the week. C closes so dinner and evening alone.

ANA Y3 D6

Long fun day yesterday. Started off with us having our hair appointment. Very happy with the results. We then went to Old Navy as C needed some new jeans for work. We then had some lunch, did some thrifting, then the dispensary. Quick nap, then went and had dinner with a friend. We went to our favorite pizza place for dinner, sat outside and had a blast. Went back to the house, lit a bonfire, sat around talking until 9pm or so. We had to wrap up early because both C and our friend work today. Me, I am just here. I am early out of love and no other reason. We did find time for some good sex though. Don't care how tired you are, gotta make the time. Yes, multiple nights in a row. Only reason I am mentioning it. Maybe tonight we'll have a turkey.

ANA Y3 D5

Yay it's new hair day!! Been waiting for this day for a while. Very excited. Taught, had meetings. Made tuna for dinner. Had some frisky time. Heh. Unexpected frisky time too. Best kind. Okay, need to shower. We have a lot to do today. Oh yeah, happy pander to the lgbt community month. Woo.