That Time of Year Again

Today marks the final day of the year. I sit here and try to think about what has been so great (or not) about the past 12 months, and really can't seem to recall anything that stands out. I got a job. The Daughter graduated secondary school. we all got another year older. I am sure there are other very important things I am forgetting at this moment.

 Blogger has been acting funny for me of late. When trying to write a post, if I am not in HTML style, it won't let me type. But in HTML, I can't do line breaks - or at least, I don't the script for it. Pressing "enter" just isn't working. I may have figured it out now, but it still makes it a bit of a pain in the ass.

Tonight nothing special is going on for our household. The boys are staying home today since I am off work, instead of going to the MIL's as they usually do. Maybe I will take them out to lunch ... maybe I won't. We usually don't go anywhere for this night, to avoid the drivers who may (or may not) be intoxicated. No sense in pushing one's luck. I have a few movies downloaded, so maybe there will be one we will watch tonight. Tomorrow the plan is to do lunch at Sis', as RM's tradition of ribs is so dang tasty. And coleslaw. I love me some good home made cole slaw.

Well, I suppose since my coffee cup is now empty, my things to share are, too. Hope you all bring inthe new year in a way that makes it enjoyable. I'll prolly be asleep by 11.

PeacE

The Week of Rest In Between

Here we are, starting the week of being In-Between holidays. Many people have a few of these days off. Some of us don't. I will be back to work today. Not that I mind it. Yesterday seemed to be a pretty good day for my family. The kids got enough stuff that made them happy, plus some new clothes to wear. I ended up at home to go to bed about 6'ish. I was just beat. We were over at the MIL's and I had the Wife drive me the half mile home so I could go to bed. The Wife had had a nap that afternoon. I guess I should have tried to take one as well. Shrug. Slept through until almost 8 this morning. Feel pretty good for catching up on that sleep. I have the funky work schedule this week, which means i will be working Saturday, just to help make sure I get my 40 hours. I also have to work Saturday night at the second job, so I can keep my 'employee status' which gives me discounted prices on food and drinks at the pub. Saving money where I can! Blogger working kind of funky this morning. I read over at RM's blog about how to had to get a post started several times before it letting her type. I had a bit of the same problem as well. Switching to HTML seemed to work, for the moment. Edit: Nope, it ain't working right. Crams everything into a paragraph. Alright, I got other things to do before work. PeacE

Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas.

Well, one would hope it is merry, I guess. I am the only one awake at this hour in my house. I woke the Wife when I woke up, and tried to clarify what the plans were for the day. All I was able to decipher was that this year, nothing is going the way it has in the past. So I get to run solo a bit today. Rather, I am choosing to run solo.

The Wife doesn't want to wake the kids until 8'ish, so I got an hour plus to kill. Then I guess we are going to RM's, then home again. Her family isn't getting together until the afternoon, which is hours after what we usually do. I may run to my Sis' instead of going to the MIL's. Haven't figured it out. Maybe I will just go to the bar.

Hope you are having a good one, even if you took the time to come by here.

PeacE

Another Christmas Eve

It has come to that time again, the one I dread. Christmas Eve is here, which means I won't get to sleep until early tomorrow morning. The Wife usually spends most of the night wrapping gifts, on our bed. Kind of hard to sleep with all the paper cutting, taping, etc going on.

I am off work today. Meeting up with Preacher Tom this morning for breakfast, then going to try to get some shopping finished up. I need to return a couple items, replace them, and look for a few other ideas. Of course I am not REQUIRED to do all this, just would make me feel less guilty. I will probably end up at the pub at some point this afternoon for a little bit.

Hope everyone has a nice holiday tomorrow.

PeacE

Wacky Days

My boss gave me a weird schedule for the next couple of weeks. With Christmas and New Year's on Wednesdays this year, he is trying to avoid me having to deal with extra traffic on the Eves. Thus, I get Tuesdays off, but he is wanting me to work on Saturdays, so I get my hours in (I'm an hourly employee). Soooo, that means I get to work the next two Saturdays, from about 10 am until I get my route done. Bonus is, I can leave a bit earlier than the "usual time" like on most weekdays. We only have a half crew that work every other Saturday (of the guys I deliver to) so it won't be a problem meeting up with most of them if I start earlier. Just sort of worried about the ones I can't meet up with. Will have to figure it out as I go along I guess. It is only for a couple weeks, but also the EOM/EOY for the company, so it is important to get the paperwork back to the shop in a good timely manner.

Needless to say, we had a mandatory meeting at 7am this morning. I usually don't go into work until about 11'ish, but I had to be at this meeting. So was there early and no sense in driving 30 miles back to the house to sit for an hour or so, and go back again. I went out to Denny's for breakfast (one is fairly close to the shop), read for a bit, and fueled up the truck, before returning to work at 10:30. From there, I did get through traffic a bit better tonight. I am guessing many people have taken next week off (for those that can) and traffic was light for a Friday. I am hoping to have better time tomorrow, too, with even less traffic. Thankfully I don't drive near any major shopping malls.

The Wife is in Tucson tonight, helping the Daughter move stuff. I guess they did smaller stuff and boxes today. Tomorrow they have a couple pick-up trucks to move the bigger stuff. At least it is only a 1-bedroom, and not a ton of crap ... like if we were to move from our house.

Oh well, I am tired and am crashing now. May be a few days until I am back.

PeacE

Remembering Friends

The other day I was mentioning about how I was missing my buddy Smitty, and then yesterday morning I found out another friend had passed away. Puppy (his nick, because his dad's was Dogg) was in a motorcycle accident. I haven't heard an official 'what-happened' but the story relayed to me was a woman in a car had pulled out in front of him, he swerved to miss her, and ended up losing the bike, laying it down. Unfortunately, he was not wearing a helmet. I've known Puppy for years, and lifted quite a few drinks with him. No, he had not been drinking at the time of the accident. Another downer for the holiday.

I'm still groggy this morning (yes, even at this hour) and don't have much to share. Too busy thinking about other things. It reached 82 yesterday, and set a new heat record for the Valley. Joy. It was warm enough, I turned on the AC in my truck for part of the route. It's to cool off to the mid 70s today, and upper 60s by the weekend.

The Wife is talking about going to Tucson this weekend to help the Daughter move. I ain't going. I found out yesterday that they want me to work Saturday, and are adjusting the day I deliver parts so that I have Tuesday off (Christmas Eve) as they feel it will be busy with extra traffic and they would rather me not drive. Yeah, I don't get it either. I think they are setting up for New Years Eve, so I am not out. I don't know though. Sucks I have to work the next Saturday or two.

PeacE

Another Boring Day

Tuesdays feel like a left-over Monday sometimes. That feeling that you don't want to get out of bed, or do anything. I have it bad this morning. At least the next couple of weeks won't require the early wake up to get the oldest son to school for band.

Maybe it is the weather that is making me feel all blah. It was a nice mid 70s yesterday, and is expected to stay in the 70s until Friday, then a slight chance of rain. I don't recall it being so warm here, even in December, but it is in the average range for us.

Okay. It is that bad. I can't think of anything else to write about this morning. Maybe I should just go back to bed for a couple hours.

PeacE

Christmas Spirits

Wow. I just re-read what I posted last night. Gee, I couldn't tell I had a few Christmas spirits yesterday... But I have no regrets. I spent some time last night remembering some great times I have had around this time of year with friends. I always looked forward to the Christmas party Lynn & Smitty would have each year. To open their home to friends and family, and share some fun with all. I miss Smitty. While having bloody marys yesterday morning, my buddy Jan brought up how he misses Smitty, too. They would go out the week before Christmas to do their shopping together. He said it just isn't the same anymore, even though this year he is taking his granddaughter out with him.

I'm getting all depressed now thinking about it. On tho better things.

The boys are in their last week before being released for a couple weeks. The oldest one has finals this week. The Daughter is moving to a new apartment come this next weekend.

I got nothing else today.

PeacE

Another Post About The Holiday

Christmas is still a ways off. We aren't even within a week of it, and I so want it over. RM emailed a possible solution, about having us over the Sunday evening before the holiday, and do a little "Christmas together" then. Mostly due to my last post, I think she offered this. I called her, and said, in short ( and I am para-phrasing) no f-ing way! Regardless about how I feel about it, it is more for my kids, and they can do it all on that day. Okay, maybe I am not being totally clear at this moment, but, yeah, that is pretty much how it was. Stuman and Sis can take that option, but for me and mine, not a choice. If I have to spend the time to find presents, or whatever, then it is going to happen on that day, not before. No matter how easy that may be!

Yeah. Good chance I am being a bit pissy about it. I don't care. I got other things on my mind.

I spent 45 minutes giving an acquaintance a ride home tonight. Someone I have known for several years. He has recently come into some problems, and pretty much 'let himself go'. Tonight, giving him a ride home, I spoke up, and let him know what I thought about the whole thing. Then I get the whole sob story about how he has cancer, blah, blah, blah. Frankly, I am tired of cancer. I am sure those that have it, are more tired of it, moreso than I am hearing about it. I am sick of having it used as an excuse, whether they truly have it, or not.

My Dad died from cancer. I've lost close friends to it. I've got family, close and not so close, that have it, died from it, going through treatments for it, have had it go into remission (and come out again), and been completely free from it after treatment (and extensive prayer, if that works). In this day and age, it is almost like, if you don't have some form of cancer, you are not human. And if anything makes you feel bad, just say you have some form of it, and everyone should kiss your ass.

 Well, fuck that. Cancer sucks. You can't always beat it, but humanity has developed ways to detect it earlier (for some forms of), and treat it (some forms), and make it go away, or into remission. GREAT!

This acquaintance tonight, that I gave a ride home to, admitted that he has cancer. Basically, that is why he has been such a fucking ass of late. He has lost his job, quit taking care of himself, and become the "moocher" from hell. On our ride to his house tonight, I shared my opinion. Hey, I earned my title of ASSHOLE years ago. Tonight, he learned why I earned that.

 By the time we went about a mile, he was crying. And stopping in front of his home, I told him basically to get over it. Yeah, you got cancer. No, it is not debilitating at this time. Yes, you are pissing off your friends by playing that card. No, we are not going to go out of our way for you, especially when you look like shit, smell like shit, and do nothing but be a drunkard that deserves nothing. Get a damn haircut, shave a bit, though the mustache is coming in good, but look presentable.Quit looking and acting like a piece of shit.

Some people need someone to tell them this ... to show they care a bit if nothing else. It was my way of saying I care. I noticed he wasn't taking care of himself. He's not part of my "Best Friends Ever" circle, but has been around with us (friends of mine, and I) for a few years, but no one wants to say anything. Was I out of bounds? Maybe. Did he need someone to tell him that? Maybe. It is possible, that because I said all that, he may put a gun to his head and pull the trigger. That made me feel guilty ... for about 15 seconds.

I ain't God. I ain't even Morgan Freeman.

Now I wonder why I care enough to do that, when I fucking hate most of humanity.

Damn, I need a psych doc.

PeacE

A Pathetic Grab Bag of Thoughts

I don't have anything really to write about today (do I ever) so I guess it is going to just some random stuff.

Today is Friday, the thirteenth. That means only 12 more days to spend all your money on gifts no one will care about in three weeks. Either that, or they will be eaten, digested, and flushed by then. Going a few years (and then some) I sort of remember vague things about my first Friday, the thirteenth. I was young (duh) and was just beginning to learn/understand superstitions, and whatnot. I was a little more observant about what was going on around me that day. Nothing bad happened, but I did stay away from mirrors and ladders. That I can ever recall, nothing has ever happened to me on these rare, dated Fridays, and I have been through quite a few.

Speaking of Christmas coming soon, I have not finished shopping. This weekend will be spent at the gift  card center of our local grocery, or maybe Walgreens, deciding which one to get for whom. I suck at trying to find gifts that a person would like. I hate shopping - even for myself. I'd just soon not get anything, than have to feel like I need to respond in kind with a gift. But it is another way to conform, I guess. People get their feelings hurt if they don't get something, and then I have to hear about it in some way, shape, or form.

Not sure what exactly our plans are for Christmas. Usually we end up doing our family, then the go to the MIL's, then to the Reverend Mother's, then home to rest. RM blogged this morning that she is thinking (not planning) to maybe do it differently this year, but I don't know. By the time we get to her place (I think around 11-12) I am beat. I feel cranky, tired, and just ready to end the day and go have a beer. Sure, I sort of like the looks of gladness (if any) when someone opens a gift they really like (if any). Sure, I like being together with family (sort of ... well ... ). If I was wasting a day of my week, I don't know if this would be my first choice of a way to do it. I mean, spending money on a bunch of presents, and traveling "all over the world" seemingly to get it everything to everyone .... sigh.

Have I mentioned before how much I don't care for holidays? Especially the commercial ones?

Now I am bummed out thinking about all that crap. I should go watch a movie or something.

PeacE

Awww, Man

I am pretty sure I have stated before about how fairly easy my job (for me). How often is it that someone ends up in a job where they have it easy and they like their job?

That being said, I screwed up last night. I accidently left a part with a different tech than the one it was to go to. The problem with that, is that I did not know which tech, and didn't realize it until near the end of my route. Turns out that it was left at the one before that stop, and they were working on meeting up to exchange. But I messed up, and it bothered me all night. Sure, an easy little mess-up, but it ruined my evening and I am pretty sure it caused me to sleep as bad as I did, since I was worrying about it.

So I am relieved that the problem is getting resolved. Maybe I should get a nap before work. I don't know.

PeacE

Snifflin' Sick

Over the past couple of weeks, the people in my office have been dropping due to a cold that is going around. Like most offices, when one person gets it, it slowly does the circuit once, sometimes twice, before fizzling out. It always takes the person a day, or two, at home to feel better to return to work. I notice most of those 1-2 days is in the middle of the week, like an extra weekend ... but I am not accusing anyone of faking it. One person I work with stated yesterday as they were leaving that they felt a cold coming on, but there was that sly look ( I thought) as if they were just saying that to take the day off. I don't know. I always looks at the negative side of things.

Speaking of colds, I do wonder if I may have a touch of it. This morning I woke with the sniffles. You know, that irritating runny nose. I feel no other symptoms though, so I think it is just my allergies. It has been a little windy the past few days, and as usual, it takes a day or two to kick my allergies into gear after windy days. I popped my pill just a few minutes ago, so will take a bit to see if that is what is going on.

Monday our company had an insurance meeting. I guess it is open enrollment time, et cetera, et cetera. I declined as the insurance through the Wife's employer is better. I am still waiting my probation review. It's only about 3 weeks late. My boss though, is one of those ones that is always on the move, and sometimes requires trips out of the shop to other shops/warehouses/etc. so half the time he isn't even there. I should probably leave him a note asking about it.

PeacE

Hello AZ Winter

It got damn chilly last night. Enough that I almost rolled up the window while driving my route last night. Almost. To make some of you a bit more jealous, and state how much of a wuss I am, it was only down NEAR freezing, with only the outlying areas of the Valley supposedly reaching a degree or two below freezing (32 degree F). It may have been only the upper 40's when I thought of putting the window up, but then I was back in town, and didn't. What is nice, is that the news is saying it is to return to the low 70s daytime temps as of the middle of this week.

The oldest son made the school district's Honor Band this past weekend. Of course I did not hear about it, and had to schedule things around a Saturday afternoon concert, but I did make it. It may be one of the few I am able to attend this year due to my hours at work. The middle son has a concert Thursday night for their school's Christmas thingy. I won't be making that one.

Sunday was The Wife's birthday, where she finally catches back up to me in age. But she looks better. Luckily the weekend before II had a chance to get the boys out and find some gifts. Now I need to figure out what to do about Christmas for her. All the ideas I had are now used up. Beside the commercialism of the holiday (oh, that is all for another post later on) one of the things I hate most is feeling like I HAVE to get something for people, and then trying to figure out WHAT. That, and I hate shopping. Don't be surprised if everyone I have to buy gifts for, get gift cards.

Did I mention I hate shopping?

PeacE

Working On The Weekend

Hello 5 am. Your friend 4 am was here earlier, like when I awoke, and couldn't get back to sleep. Even though it is not anywhere near 6 am which is what my alarm was set for, since I have to work this morning. Yeah, early Saturday working for inventory. The result of getting yesterday off. I think I might have preferred to work yesterday instead. Though, waking this early would really stink if I did not have to work ... At least today should be only until noon. Maybe.

Not much otherwise going on. The Wife celebrates her (and the MIL's birthday) on Sunday. I plan on taking them out to a dinner tonight to a restaurant of their choice. I was able to get out last weekend and pick up a few things for the Wife.

It's still a bit chilly here. I am wearing shorts today to work though. Wearing a pair of jeans the past couple of days just felt ... too weird. As long as the wind isn't blowing up the pants legs, shorts should be fine for me.

Got nothing else at this early hour. After all, it is too dark outside to see anything yet.

PeacE

Baby It's Cold Outside

I know most of you probably are in colder climates than I am, being how I live in Arizona, but it is getting to be our winter weather here finally, thanks to that arctic front being pushed. It actually hit freezing temps in some of the Valley's outlying areas. I had been wearing a pull-over fleece jacket (I think Sis got it for me a Christmas ago) the past few nights while driving my route. I like to drive with the window down, no matter the temperature, as long as it isn't raining. Yesterday, I showed up at work and was greeted with the comment, "Oh man! You know it is getting chilly in the Valley when Ralph(d00d) wears long pants to work!" I guess in some ways it is good to be noticed.

With the company in the process of doing inventory this weekend, things worked out that I am off work today, but have to go in Saturday for at least the morning to help get things finished. Had a nice breakfast out this morning with Preacher Tom. The Wife has today off as well, and I mentioned to her last night it would be a good time for us to get out and get some holiday shopping done without the boys. However, there are things that have to be done today, that it may be afternoon before we get the chance to get out, and I don't how my mood will be then. I don't want to get into why my mood may be sour.

In the meantime, it's supposed to warm up to a whopping mid-50s today. At least the sun is shining!

Above is the original cut of this song from the movie NEPTUNE'S DAUGHTER ( I think it said). However, I think Dean Martin sounds better singing it. But I also like this version from GLEE.

PeacE

Getting A Bit Wonky Around Here

The next few days are going to be a bit weird for me. All because of work. Back at the beginning of October, the company I work for did their first ever inventory count. Now we are not a big parts warehouse like the manufacturers, but overall it took about 3 days to count our parts room, the technician trucks, and get the inventory in our computer system to a "more correct" number/valuation. Since that time, we have found some errors in processes that are creating either a false count, or even a negative inventory (when it isn't), thus, this weekend is another inventory.

As part of the Parts Dept., we are a bit essential to completing the count, plus control of the inventory. Personally, I know I complete the transfers (via computer and in person) of parts from the Parts room, to the technicians. Which boils down to I find that the inventory could be wrong when I see a zero or negative inventory in the system, but I physically pulled the part from the shelf. The numbers have been getting closer to a correct number, but is a slow process.

Either way, this morning I need to show up a couple hours early to complete my 'daily' parts pull so they can count the Parts room. Which mean I may be sitting around a couple extra hours this afternoon. Tomorrow, they say I will be able to pull parts for Monday and deliver them, but the techs are due in Saturday morning for truck inventory - so why am I delivering the parts when they can pick them up? I don't know. Something to talk to the Boss about today. Plus I don't know if they need me to assist on Saturday or not. Monday we have a mandatory insurance meeting for Open Enrollment - even though I opt out of the insurance they offer. That is going to make Monday a long day too.

I guess things could be worse. I could NOT have a job, and have to deal with these sort of problems.

PeacE

Somedays

Somedays, it is probably best if I just stay off the internet.

PeacE

Taking Rivalry A Bit Far

There is nothing better than a bit of rivalry between sports teams. It doesn't matter what sport. Being rivals helps make us want to achieve better things, to get that better award/title/payout. It is seen and used all around the world in any aspect you can think of, from siblings, to businesses, to co-workers, to sports. You see it when that guy in the freeway lane next to you speeds up when he sees you trying to switch lanes. Well, maybe not there, but sometimes it could be.

Personally, some parts of a rivalry are good. My Washington Redskins have a rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys. I have friends and other acquaintances, that are big Dallas fans (meaning Losers!) and we like to make friendly wagers on those games. Mostly it involves bragging rights until they meet again.

This past weekend had quite a few rivalries in College football going on. I saw the end of the Oregon/ OSU game. There was the Duel in the Desert here in Tempe, with AZ State going against UofA. Personally, I could care less about either school. Sis graduated from ASU, and the Daughter's fiance graduated from UofA. I have friends from both schools.

This year, that rivalry got a bit too far between a couple of my family members. Sis, and the Daughter. Social Media was used (read: Facebook). Posts were made, then deleted. Family members were unfriended. Both sides called me to ... what? Mediate? Say why their side was better? I don't know. I do know I used the word 'fuck' in probably darn near every application of meaning, let alone every other word when speaking to both the Daughter, and Sis. I think the fact I had had a few drinks probably escalated that usage. Either way, you don't call me in the middle of the day because you can't be adults and resolve it yourself.

So. Now feelings are hurt. No one is apologizing. No reparations or words of "I understand" are in the works. They are being, in my thinking, childish. I don't care if you need your "profile" to appear professional. If you are putting down a rival on said media, be prepared for someone to come back and say something. And if you do come back and say something, don't be surprised if they delete it afterwards, after all, it is their post that you posted on. Fucking let it go. Damn children.

I'm glad it is Monday. I am glad I don't have to deal with stupid shit like this on a normal basis. It would be nice if my sister, and my daughter, would grow up and act like the adults they are... but that is asking a lot. And it is not nearly close enough to Christmas. Maybe miracles will happen ... but I ain't holding my breath.

See the joy I had this weekend?

PeacE

Post T-Day

I finally awoke from my food coma. Actually, it wasn't that bad, but I did go to bed early last night, feeling tired. There was a LOT of food yesterday, and I made an attempt to eat most of it, but failed miserably after two large platefuls. I even skipped dessert ... until later that night after we got home.

It is back to work today for me and The Wife. The oldest son is doing a birthday thing with his cousin today, and the two younger are at the MIL's. The Daughter is in town, and she is spending the day at MIL's as well. Which leaves me all alone this morning, and makes me happy. Some quiet time is nice.

Nothing else going through my mind right now.

PeacE

That Time Again ...

I had a post earlier this month about how this is my 'anniversary month, of when I started blogging. Well, started blogging using Blogger.com anyways. I originally started out at LiveJournal, but quickly moved over here once I saw how much easier it was to use. Well, this morning found an email in my inbox to renew my domain name. I didn't realize it had been a year since I had last had this done, changing from Boobiesand Beer.net to Ralphd00d.com. I guess many changes have been wrought this last year.

It is Thanksgiving today, and before I go into my rant, I hope you have a good one, no matter who you are spending it with, or working, or whatever. We will be spending ours at Sis' with family. Reverend Mother has tried to get started a Thanksgiving Day Walk in the mornings of, but I have not gone before, and I shall not this year. This is one of those traditional holidays, in the sense that it seems most people have something they HAVE to do every year. Be it, making Grandma's special stuffing, or shopping after lunch, or whatever. I know my family (here in AZ) have generally seemed to congregate over at Sis', her having the best place to have family gatherings, and she always makes yams with marshmallows. I don't care for it, but she has her traditions. Mine is I eat til I can eat no more. I guess I do have a tradition.

Due to the holiday, November has also been a month of people listing daily things they are thankful for in their lives. From my standpoint, it seems kind of pointless, but some people like to do it. Stuman, on Facebook earlier this month, did a post that he was doing it all in one swoop, posting supposedly everything he was thankful for ... even if some of the things seemed like they would just make me want to barf. Yeah, his current girlfriend ... oh, I don't want to go there....

So am I thankful for anything? I mean, I could try to post every little thing, and I mean EVERY LITTLE THING, like some people I know (they don't read here, so don't feel like it is you). But I feel that is stupid. And EVERYONE always says they are happy for family, whether they are getting along or not. Jobs, food, place to live, their children - always said. Sigh. I would feel fake if I had to be sappy and do all that, even if it is a bit true. I have decided to do something different, sort of.

I am NOT thankful the loud parties my Hispanic neighbors across the street have until the late hours of the night.

I am not thankful for the loud-talking, swear-word using Rednecks next door, sitting by their firepit in the front yard, talking and whatever util the wee hours of the early morning.

I am not thankful for when the dog shits in the hallway, and I inadvertently find it, with my bare foot (which did not happen recently, just saying it).

This list could go on for quite some time, because, well, there's a lot of shit I am not thankful for.

But, going against my rebellious nature ... Thanks for coming around!

PeacE

Early Completion (I'm Bored)

Gee, it is not even 6:30 yet this morning and I am already done with 90% of my morning routine. That sucks. Now I have more time to waste before I go to work. At least I have a dental check-up/cleaning, so that will help waste about 45 minutes.

Nothing exciting to say today. Still waiting on my probationary review. My Redskins lost last night (again) so I am pretty much fed up with them this year.

Guess I am off to catch up on some television shows.

PeacE

Dude, Like What's Up?

Monday has come again and at least I am not dreading it. This particular Monday starts a 4-day work week, with Thursday being Turkey Day. Though, in some ways I am sure that it will be a harder working day than the others this week. You know how it is when having to deal with family at times. To try to not say the wrong somethings to certain ones, and how not to do this that makes these others mad, and trying to relax and be yourself. It can be very tiring for me, so I usually just give up. If a person isn't supposed to know something, don't tell me. Not that I gab out secrets, it's just easier if I don't have to worry about saying the wrong thing. Not saying it has ever happened at our family events (eye roll).

Nothing exciting or special going on at present. Another day is happening. It rained most of the weekend, but is expected to clear up today, warming back up a bit this week. I actually broke out my light jacket this weekend, as it was cool enough.

I suppose we should start Christmas shopping soon, though I usually don't do too much of it. I tried in past years, but the Wife never has specific items to get, and I am not the type to just see a gift and think 'That is so much like so-n-so would love"! Well, a few things I can do that for, but not many. At least I am working this year, and hopefully we will have enough to be able to make Christmas a little nicer than last year for the kids.

The Daughter's Fiance was to have some sort of job interview yesterday, but I haven't heard how it went. Hopefully it went well enough he will hear some positive news soon.

Guess that is all I got going on for now.

PeacE

My Cup Runneth Over

Literally. Well, more like the bucket in the kids' room, that is collecting the water from the drip coming from the ceiling. Yeah, another one.

A few years ago, the Wife decided to take on re-shingling the house on her own. She swore it would be easier and cheaper than hiring a company to do it. The roof was pretty bad, and we had to end up replacing several sheets of plywood as well. Need less to say, for a long time afterwards, we had a drip in the Family Room, dripping from the ceiling vent in that room. We were able to track down that it was a leak around one of the air vent thingies on the roof, and the Wife would go up and re-tar around it, hoping it fixed the problem. Only to find out the next time a decent rain came along (months at times in-between storms) that it hadn't fixed it. Finally, we seem to have that one fixed, and now this one comes along. Already I see the ceiling drywall cracking, and we have yet to begin looking for the source of the leak. I am thinking around the AC unit, as it is right above that area, basically.

Sometimes I am hating being a homeowner.

Needless to say, it is in the forecast to be rain all day today. Joy. People here don't seem to know how to drive in the rain. Going to be a long night on my route....

PeacE

Starting To Feel Like November

This morning it is feeling, and looking, a little more like November, to me, for Arizona. It looks a bit dreary with some cloud cover (and a chance for maybe some precipitation) which has been building up the past day or so. The temps are lower, making me pull out a fleece pullover I got last Christmas. I'll put it in the truck, just in case it gets too cool for me at night while driving. After all, I like to drive with the window down.

Not much new and exciting in the world of Ralphd00d. Hump Day is here, and another day of work. I haven't heard anything about my probationary review, which should be due this week. Last week I received the insurance information packet from our HR Department, but The Wife and I decided to turn it down. We have better coverage through her employer, plus the company mine uses is what The Wife and I consider worthless. Even the dental/vision coverage are not as comparable. I'm just hoping for a raise. That, and I want to hear about how good a job I am doing, even if my boss tells me that every now and then already.

Thanksgiving is coming up next week. I have that day off but have to work Friday, as does the Wife. I am going to ask the Boss about my oldest son riding with me on that Friday. I think it would be fun to have a few hours to just have some "man time". When I asked him last week if he would be interested, he said "Sure" but I wonder if he is going to be wanting to do that, or sleep all day. You know teenagers. We haven;'t made T-Day plans yet, though Sis emailed me the other day to find out if we are going to her place or not, and how many of us. I have been asking The Wife, but she has not made up her mind. Not sure if her family is doing anything. The MIL probably will not join us if we do go to Sis', and I know that causes some grief for The Wife, her mom staying home alone on a holiday. It's almost a no-win situation for me. I'm supposed to be thankful for that? Hmph.

I'm off to cause some havoc.

PeacE

One of Those Mornings

Today is one of those days where, upon awakening, you just want to curl back up and go back to sleep. As the Wife was leaving with the boys about 7am, I pondered laying in bed for another 2-3 hours, before I needed to get up and prepare/go to work. If I had been just a tad bit less awake, I might have done just that. Instead I realized that if I did, nothing would be going off to wake me up (ie. alarm, phone, etc). It took several minutes, but I talked the voices in my head into getting up - to use the bathroom if nothing else.

So here I sit twenty or so minutes later, debating the merits of setting the alarm and laying back down. I wasn't out late last night. I'm not hungover. I'm not sick (well, maybe a bit in the head, but people call that perversion) that I know of. I think my body just needs some extra time to "rest up". I seem to recall waking several times in the night ... maybe that is why I feel so tired.

That leaves an opening to say that maybe tomorrow I will talk about what happened last night ...

PeacE

Huh ... Wasn't Paying Attention

As I was killing time, waiting to leave for work, I noticed that Saturday was the anniversary of starting this blog 7 years ago. Didn't realize it had been that long.

What should I change this year around here?

PeacE

Just Tweaking It

Over the last three months, I have been making adjustments in so many things. Time I get out of bed, physical activity, the way I eat, how much I drink, time with friends and family. It has been quite some time since I made such changes, and though many are for good, I am sure some just happen to be bad. It's my nature. This past week I spent more time out, hanging with friends, especially my friend Ginny visiting from North Carolina. More time than I should have, or would have done regularly. So, Sunday I decided to stay home rather than my usual antics. I pretty much turned my volume off on my phone, and hid.

Sure enough, the texts started early. First it was one friend who said he wasn't feeling well, and would not be meeting up for Bloody Marys as usual. Then another one wondering if I was going to make the softball games (I didn't go). Though I was awake, I did not answer them. Late in the morning, I finally replied to the one that kept asking if I was coming out that "I have things to do" and he finally quit bothering me. So what was so important to do?

Nothing. I played World of Warcraft part of the day. I watched a couple movies. I had a day of relaxation I guess you could say. Did I need one? Not really. But I took one. A couple of the boys had Christmas play practice after church, so they weren't around. It was a fairly quiet day. I ended up staying up later than I meant (damn game I found on the Kindle) but overall not a bad day. It is back to work today, and though I sort of dread it all (the knees and ankles are groaning) I actually look forward to it.

My probation period should end about the end of this week. Wonder how much of a raise they will give me.

PeacE

Bed Calling

I hear my bed calling me. The sad part is, I cannot go back to bed, as I need to leave in about a half hour for work. I've been dragging already today. The results of staying out too late again, I know. I swear it was only 11, and when I next looked at the time, it was after 1am. Definitely getting too old to be out that late.

That being said. I got nothing today.

PeacE

Wondering About this Winter Wonderland

As I was tasking the oldest son to school this morning, I heard the weather report for the next few days on the talk radio I listen to. I missed the expected temperature for today, but caught that it is to be 83 tomorrow, lowering to about 72 for Sat & Sun with a slight chance for showers, then warming back up to 82 by Monday. It is mid-November here in the desert, I don't expect the snowy landscapes, but it appears that now we won't even get the cooler weather it seems. At least for now anyways. I looked up the monthly average for Phoenix, and the high is averaged out to 75 degrees (on the site I got the info) so I guess it isn't too far off the mark, being in the low 80's. Just feels ... weird, I guess.

Thursday is here again, and I recall back several years ago, a few friends and I called it Thirsty Thursday, and would meet up at a local pub and drink some cold ones. I don't do that much now, on Thursdays anyhow, as two of those friends have moved out of state. That, and it gets to be an awkward day to be out drinking for me.

I suppose I should get the morning rolling, and start getting some stuff done while getting ready for work. But I just don't feel like it today. I may just sit here and surf the net a bit.

PeacE

You're Freaking Nuts!

A cousin of the Wife posted a comment on Facebook today, about how she had come across a jumping spider (actually, in this case it was ANOTHER jumping spider - like having more than one is normal). Somehow, she determined its sex as female, followed by how they are supposed to be pretty much non-existent in that part of Utah she lives, then comments about how they are not as "cute and fluffy as the males". WHAT?!? I shudder to think of even getting that close to a spider (or other large-sized insect - and I know spiders are arachnids, not insects). She comes back to tell me that they aren't poisonous (like I care) but still... I remember raising rabbits, and how to check their sex. Does one do the same for spiders? Because if she is basing it off just color(s) she could be in for a surprise. Blanche just had a dreary morning and decided not to spiffy up .....

And then to mention ON TOP OF THAT, that it is a jumping spider... I mean, those things JUMP! No way am I getting close to one.

Ugh, now I got me some heebie jeebies going on....

PeacE

Eating Aspirin Like Candy

I admit it. I skipped writing anything yesterday just because I wanted to do so. In fact, I laid in bed, reading more of Stephen Donaldson's THE LAST DARK, which is the last book in the Thomas Covenant series. I even thought, 'Maybe I should get up and figure out something to post about,' but then did the mental equivalent of 'Nah!'

I am going rapidly through a supply of aspirin, though. Okay, I say aspirin, but it really is ibuprofen. See, Sunday, the morning of Holy Church and Softball, had come about, and though I am not on the roster, I am now. We had one team player be the recipient of some broken bones in his foot (non-softball related injury) and cannot play now, so I have replaced him on the roster. This past week, instead of just keeping score, as I regularly do, we were short players, so had to play. Usually not an issue, but I had actually planned on not playing, and had worn sandals. I ended up playing in sandals. At least it was only first base, and I only had to bat three times. Still, the legs and feet are still feeling the muscle and other soreness from playing ball in sandals. The bottom part of my feet ache, and different muscle groups in my legs are letting me know that they are not used to the way I abused them. Once I get to moving around at work I am okay, but sitting down just makes things stiffen up. So driving ... ugh.

Marching season is over for the oldest son. He said they should start their regular concert music today. I figure there will be their Christmas concert in about a month. The middle son, too. I will end up missing both due to work. My friend Ginny is visiting in from North Carolina. She flew in Friday, and stays until next Sunday. I am hoping to get a chance to get out to visit with her a bit before then, bit not sure with work going on. Getting home at 9 my time is like 11 on her schedule.

We took all the parents out to dinner on Sunday. I got a wild hair up my ass, and decided to do it. The Daughter and fiance were in town as well, so they came, too. Good dinner at Chili's. I guess the RM had given her leftovers to the Wife, and so I had that last night. It was some kind of flatbread meal, but dang if it weren't good. I heated up some leftover scalloped potatoes and green beans ... was a meal for a king, I say. Then I crashed about 8:30.

Ugh. Traffic will be back to it's normal tonight.

PeacE

Some days I just don't feel like getting up. This morning was one of them. I woke feeling a bit of stiffness and pain in my right hand. Yesterday I had banged it on a door frame as I was carrying a box to/from my truck, and though it didn't bruise, the back side of the hand (the part I hit) was a bit sore to touch. I am not sure if that is related, but my knuckles were pretty stiff and sore in that hand today as well. Maybe it got cool enough last night (to the low 50's) that it is affecting the arthritis. I don't know.

So the oldest son is going to school today. He has a final marching band performance tonight as the school football team is in the first round of play-offs. It is at another school, so he won't be home til after 10:30, at least. The Daughter's graduation is at 3pm, so the Wife and the carload will be leaving here about the time I leave for work. Who knows when they will come home.

That leaves me with another typical Friday work day. Though if I do recall correctly, they are doing a potluck at work (summer foods like hot dogs, hamburgers, etc). Maybe I can get home before 9pm, like last night. I wanted to go to the pub and watch the game, but by the time I got home, there was only 3 minutes left, we were losing, and no one else (of my friends) had went. Needless to say, I went to bed early.

No major weekend plans.

PeacE

No Title

Another mellow morning in Arizona, at least for me, so far. Regular routine. Sitting here drinking my coffee, catching up on my social media, emails, and other sites I like to visit.

Tomorrow the Daughter officially graduates from Pima Medical Inst. The ceremony is tomorrow afternoon, but I will not be going. I felt I can't afford to take a day off work while in my probationary period. The company is good enough, if I had asked, they probably would have let me, but I didn't. The Wife is planning on taking the boys out of school, plus taking the MIL, and a cousin, all down to Tucson for the ceremony. Another reason not to go. That is going to really cramp up the seating in the van. I need to figure out about the oldest son, as he has a marching band performance tomorrow night, but she was talking of taking him to Tucson, and I have no clue as to what time they expect to be back.

Good thing football is on tonight. My Redskins are playing against Stuman's favorite, the Vikings. We should be able to defeat that Minnesota team. I am trying to get Stuman to come up to the pub for a couple to watch the game, but even I won't be able to get there until after 8.

The alarm clock has started going off for the Wife to get up, so I guess I should head off here.

PeacE

Dragging My Ass

I am hauling junk in my trunk today. I just can't seem to get motivated to do anything, or care about anything. I was dragging so much, I slept in until 9:30 this morning. A rarity for me.

So we managed the other night to trim back our tree a bit, in order for the truck to fit on the side drive. A bit more was taken off last night, and there are just a couple spots that need a touch more for tonight. Now I just hope no one parks across the street from that drive, as I need all the room I can get to pull it out without taking out part of the wrought-iron fencing between us and the Redneck neighbors. Speaking of Rednecks, I am feeling pretty sure it was no them that called the police. Monday night, they came out and offered to trim their tree (which is overhanging our drive) to help make the truck fit in better. I bit my tongue and did not tell them that they should do it anyways as it is hanging over the fence line ... but I was good, and said sure. I am still waiting for them to trim it back.

Short post today. Seems I am dragging ass here, too.

PeacE

Picking Your Neighbors

Last night, the Phoenix Police Department came a-knocking on my door. It wasn't late, only about 7-8 in the evening. Seems one of my neighbors had called and complained about the truck I drive for work. I park it in front of my house on the street. This neighbor evidently has done this sort of thing before, I am guessing, as the officer said that the complaint was that my vehicle was going against city code. The officer was polite to me, and I was back to him. I asked if I moved it onto the driveway at the side of my home, would that be fine. He said yes, as long as the sidewalk wasn't blocked. I grabbed my keys to move it, and he mentioned, to be nice, that he smelled alcohol on my breath (I had been at the pub earlier that day) and he would be willing to let the truck stay parked on the street until morning, so I wouldn't have to get a DUI as well. Needless to say, it is still sitting there this morning, and I refuse to move it until I have to, which is in a couple hours when I head to work.

Last night, this incident just really made me angry. Very angry. I was ready to go start knocking on doors and berating whomever I think was the one that called the police. Only problem is, I am not sure who it is. The officer said a neighbor. He was parked in front of the house next door ... but that may only be because my truck was in front of my house. And neighbor doesn't necessarily mean someone directly next/across from me either, I know. I still have pretty much narrowed it down to the Hispanics across the street (we have had previous issues with them) and the Redneck neighbors to the one side of us (issues with them as well). Needless to say, when we moved into this house 13 years ago, these neighbors weren't here, and we had no problems with the ones that were. I know the Rednecks are in a rental home. I am not sure about the Hispanics, but it would not surprise me. Seems several homes on my street are now rentals.

So tonight I need to park in the side driveway, and hope the truck fits. We have a tree that overhangs there, and it may need to be trimmed back in order to squeeze the truck in. I tried looking through the city codes last night, to verify if my truck was wrongfully parked, and best I could figure out was yes, it was. Evidently, any vehicle with more than 3 axles, and over 3/4 ton are not allowed to park on resident streets. When it comes to parking on my property, there is no real clear size restriction, as long as it isn't an eyesore, basically.

Damn neighbors. I can't even figure out why they have to do this shit ... What'd I do to them?

PeacE

Sometimes It Just Doesn't Work

I took the last week off. Well, sort of. It was more like I didn't have anything I really wanted to share. Not that anything especially good, or bad, has to happen for me to have something to post about, I just didn't feel  like posting anything. Some of you are probably smirking and muttering, "That's nothing unusual, posting nothing, since you do that half the time anyways." Don't worry, I can hear you. I am usually thinking the same thing. But don't let that stop you from coming here to see how your life is better than mine.

I sifted through many memories yesterday. The oldest son attended the ABODA State Festival for Marching Band yesterday, as they had made it there based on three EXCELLENT ratings (as well as some caption awards) from three previous competitions. I decided to go, as not only have I only been able to see their show once, but for support, as it was an hour's drive away, across the Valley, having to use 5 different freeways to get there. They received an EXCELLENT rating, plus caption for Musical Performance. No one received a SUPERIOR rating. Since they performed in the morning, we had to wait all day to find out they did not qualify for State Finals, as they were not in the top ten in ratings. But four EXCELLENT ratings, and several captions are great, considering they started their show late due to not having a band instructor until almost the start of school. They out-performed last year's band.

I mentioned going through memories. Being at the State Festival brought back thoughts of when I was in Band. I heard several of the kids around me in the stands, that would make comments like I did when in band, about the performance of the band on the field. Stuff that was important to me then, not so much now. I remembered how it felt to finish up that 4th song with the grand flourish and horn flash with the high slow step. The feel of sweat pouring off the face, and running down my back and sides, heaving lungfuls of breath while holding the attention pose, knowing I had just completed the show giving my part everything I had. The excitement of the bus trips to Band Days, and even some thoughts of how my buddies and I always managed to sneak off where ever we were, and get into some kind of mischief. I hoped my son was getting to make some of these memories - well, except the ones about getting in trouble - or at least caught at it. Yeah. This post is taking forever to write as I keep reminiscing.

I think I will close off on that note. Heh. Note. Post about band. Get it?

PeacE

Taking Recovery Time

I feel like I need a day off to just recover from doing things this weekend. Friday night I ended up getting asked to work at the pub, as the  cook was sick, and the guy working the door that night was also a cook (second job). So I ended up working almost 14 hours straight. To top that off, there was a sewage back up at the pub, that ended up coming up through the floor, and all bathrooms were backing up. Made for a stinky night. It was fixed and all cleaned up the next day. Seems some kids had unscrewed the vent caps and filled them with rocks. What a mess.

Saturday, the Wife and I were able to get out without the kids, and attend a birthday/Halloween party with some friends. It was over in Chandler, so was a bit of a drive, but had a wonderful time, then drove past where I work to show the Wife where it was located. We ended up stopping at Dennys where she had some dessert, and I ate supper. Sort of a mini-date, which was nice.

Sunday was spent in my usual fashion: softball followed by the football game. Too bad my 'Skins didn't do well against the Broncos. Tried to end up the night watching WORLD WAR Z, but I fell asleep during the movie, rousing at the end, and retired to bed.

Headed out to breakfast with PT here in a few. Other than that, it's back to work.

PeacE

A Bit Empty

Thursday has now come around, and I feel like I have nothing much to say. The MIL is home form the hospital, which is good. Things have pretty much returned to normal, for us, around here. My free time of late has been filled up with reading, though nothing so fantastic I need to share it here.

It seems I haven't heard much about the Government since it has resumed. Of course, the radio in my truck is out again (it's got to be a fuse) and I have not taken the time to fix it. Since I don't read the paper, or other sources of news, I guess maybe I just haven't heard anything. The only politics I have seen, and quickly skimmed over, then discarded, were on Facebook, and that is all just boring as shit anyways.

So, you know my weekend plans already. Guess I can just end this today.

PeacE

Getting Busy

Sometimes it just fees like there is too much 'stuff' going on. I'm am starting to feel that way. The sad part is that there doesn't really seem to be much. Maybe it is because I am constantly going over things in my head, and repeating them that it seems like a lot.

The Daughter is coming into town this weekend. Mostly because it is Homecoming for her High School, the same the oldest son attends. There is a dance Saturday night he wants to go to. Also on Saturday is a "fair" the church puts on, mainly for kids to sort of trick or treat in a safe environment, that  am sure the two younger boys want to attend. The Wife and I have a birthday party to go to, that is also that night, so the Daughter is going to have to do running of the kids for us. Will she have her car? Will she need to use my van? What about supper?

Also the MIL is still in the hospital. From what I was able to understand from the Wife, she has some enlarged discs in her back that they say they will not operate on. Something about the surgery being too extensive (maybe due to her age?) or something. The cardiologist had them do a stress test, but the results were not back as of last night. The Wife made it home to catch up on sleep, but will be returning this morning again. Another day off work for her, but no one else in her family will step up and help at this time. Of course, the closest lives about 30 minutes north of us, and the next closest is about 2 hours (average) north of the Valley. The Wife has kept them in the loop of what is going on, but no one has offered to come down and help, or just sit with her so the Wife can get other things done. I guess because the MIL is not dying, they won't be coming.

Already took one boy to school this morning, and I suppose I will be taking the other two here shortly. Which reminds me I need to change my contact number with the schools to my new cell number. I suppose they will not let me do that by phone. I don't know.

See it doesn't seem like much. But in amongst all that rumbling around in my head, I have the other issues: bills, how much is in the bank, did I get that one thing done at work that needed to be done, what roads are closed that are going to affect my route, what if the MIL gets worse, Christmas is coming - presents, other holidays and what are plans are, and the list goes on. I know there is a ton of stuff going through the mind, and it just is getting to the point where, for now, it is starting to feel overwhelming. I am sure if I got a few hours to sit down and relax without interruptions, I would feel better, and have a better perspective and idea of how to get things handles, plus putting what needs to be worried about in their proper places. I guess that meditative time is sort of like Reverend Mother's 'time with God' she does each day. Well, sort of similar.

Okay, I am off of here. Got to get the boys up and ready for school....

PeacE

The Late Night Post

It's just after midnight here, and I am awake. Not a normal thing for me, unless I am out drinking, or working. Tonight's cause is the MIL. The Wife had mentioned to me earlier that her mom was experiencing some discomfort, and her blood pressure was a bit elevated. I guess she called Wife about 45 minutes ago, stating she was having pain bad enough to want to go to the emergency room, so the Wife left to take her. Having no clue how long she could be there, she had to wake me to be sure I knew where things were for the boys to get them off to school. I hope she is back by then. And of course I hope the MIL will be fine.

I got my truck back on Friday, so am happy about that.

The son's band will be attending the State competition, by receiving another Excellent rating at the competition on Saturday. This week is Homecoming. The Daughter will be coming up for the weekend, and is able to help us out with the boys so the Wife and I can attend a birthday party for a friend.

Okay. Sitting here staring at the screen isn't helping anyone. Guess I shall go lay back down and see if I can fall asleep again.

PeacE

I Want My Baby Back, Baby Back, Baby Back

No, this isn't a post about some food, though that almost sounds good at 6:30 in the morning... It's more about my truck, and the hope that it will be done today so I can get back to using it. Driving a van for my route really is not really working out all that great. My boss has today off, but I figure I should take initiative and call the shop to see if she is ready. If so, maybe I can pick it up on my way to work. I miss that big ride.

The son has another band competition tomorrow, but I don't think I will be attending. If I remember correctly, it is over at ASU, and quite frankly, having to drive past there everyday, I have no desire to drive that far again on a day off from work. That, and the cost of entry, and all the walking. Nah. I'll pass.

Wow. I seem to have a blank mindset this morning. Go figure.

PeacE

There Was A Time ....

I think I have come to accept that I am getting older, and having not taken the best care of my body these past many years, that there will be signs of the body's disapproval. The past several weeks at the new job has made me more do more physical work than I have in ... well, about 15 years approximately. A couple weeks ago, my feet were hurting pretty bad at the end of the day. I the cause down to the shoes I was wearing, a pair of sneakers that I had worn for my workouts at the gym. I thought, well, they are a good year or more old, maybe not up to 8 hours of being on them all day. So the other weekend I went out and ended up with a pair of hiking shoes. I chose them as they had good arch support, and thought they would be more durable for being on my feet most of the day.

Now, my ankles and knees hurt. Take away the foot pain, and the next 'squeaky wheel' comes along. I am sure the ankles and knees hurt just from all the work  put them through, especially considering the weight I was at for years, and I am no skinny little guy now even. I am hoping the use of some ibuprofen will help alleviate most of the pain. I say pain, but I should clarify and say more like an ache, or just sore. It is not debilitating, just sore and achey. Can't think of better words.

In other news, THE LAST DARK by Stephen R. Donaldson was released yesterday, and I got my copy. For those of you that don't know, this is the fourth book of The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, which is the third series of Thomas Covenant that Donaldson has written. I remember picking up LORD FOUL'S BANE almost 25 years ago, that started my journey in this series. It is sad in a way that it has to end. I am sure I will be reading it soon.

This morning's madness leaves me with nothing else for you today. Still trying to wipe clean the dream I awoke to this morning.  Maybe I can get s a short story idea out of it. Not to ruin details, but it involved me, some other guy that was supposed to be a best friend (though I didn't know him) and a moving truck, with us in it, that had flipped while we were driving it. The dream gets really erratic after that. Where my mind gets this stuff sometimes ....

PeacE

Sending My Baby Away

This morning it is a low 54 degrees (in an outlying town of the Valley called Buckeye) so it is about 58 where I live. I had the brief thought that it is almost time to start wearing jeans, rather than shorts, not only when I take the son to school, but maybe for work as well. Then I dismissed the idea. There is no way I want to wear jeans any longer than I need to, and quite frankly, with the temps to be in the mid 80's all week, I am not wearing jeans. I'll put up with a slight chill before I put them jeans on. Though, I may need to get out a light jacket ... just to be prepared. And maybe be sure I have a couple pairs of jeans that still fit.

I'll be driving a little further than normal this morning on my commute to work. I spoke to my boss yesterday, mentioning that we need to get the truck I drive back into the shop. The coolant sensor is not working properly (still) plus she needs an oil change. I am not happy about having to send her away. I am getting quite used to the truck (a 16-foot box truck, diesel) and with her being in the shop, I'll be using the standard vehicle the company has: an extended panel van. People just don't get out of my way like they do when I am driving the truck. Plus, I don't sit as high, and I really lose storage space. I just hope over the next couple days I don't have an unusually large number of doors/tubs to deliver to the techs.

So the Government is still shut down. Yeah. Enough said there.

Halloween is in 16 days. Thrill. I know many places are doing their parties the previous weekend (the 26th or something like that) which is cool, since I will be working Halloween night. I know the church the Wife goes to is doing the regular Harvest Festival thing, where they give out candies to the kids, and have games, etc going on. The safe environment thing. I actually like that idea. The kids usually go to that. On Halloween we will drive the kids around to some of the local churches that do the Trunk Treats thing in the parking lots of their respective churches. It seems to be becoming more of the normal thing for us for this holiday.

Speaking of holidays, that means the next one is one of my favorites. Who doesn't like to eat turkey, mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, stuffing, etc. all afternoon, and for the next week? If you said you don't care for it, you might as well just quit reading here. I can never get enough. It is truly a holiday that I can just enjoy for a week, meaning the week after, if there are enough leftovers that is. I know the Reverend Mother has posted recently about holidays, family gatherings, and needing (for her) to "let go" more, for us siblings to be able to do/make holiday pans with our own families (or those of spouses) rather than be centered on just Our general family. I honestly don't know what we will do over the next three family holidays. I like to do T-Day with my family (meaning RM, and the other siblings plus their families) but I don't know. Usually we do it at Sis' as her husband doesn't like to go to RM's for holidays. Personally, I think it is the control of the TV remote he doesn't get to have ... well, that and a few other things. But that is my opinion, and since too many family people read here, I am not going to share.

There's the holiday after that one, too. I don't want to think about that one yet though. It's just too damn expensive.

PeacE

It sure is a Monday morning. I have been up for about an hour, and already I feel like climbing back into bed. The comfort of being under covers in a warm bed, cat-napping just sounds good.  Not that I will get to do that ... seems like there are too many other things that need to be done today.

The oldest son had the first marching competition of the season on Saturday. He was supposed to have been there at 6:30, but we had overslept, thus he did not get to the school until 7:30, but at least they had not left yet. Their performance was at my alma mater, so we went to watch it. This was the first chance I had had to see their show, and must say I thought they looked and sounded good. Evidently the judges did as well, since the scored and Excellent, with captions for General Effect and Musical Performance. Not bad for the first competition.

Even though today is Columbus Day, the boys still have school. It might be because they were off all last week.

The Wife and two younger boys have just left, so I guess if I want to crawl back into bed, there is no one here to stop me. Maybe I will go lay down until I have to get up for work.

Decisions. Decisions.

PeacE

Another Week Finished

It is Friday again, and nothing new is going on. The Government is still closed. Everyone is still blaming everyone else. Soldiers aren't getting paid, and Nat'l parks are not open. Luckily, I am still working, and getting a paycheck. That's the best news I have for you today.

This week wraps up my first month and a half with this company. I am looking forward to my 3-month probation period to end, to see if (and how much) they give me a raise in pay. The past 2-3 weeks have been stressful at times due to the whole inventory situation going on. At first I was doing more work than the job description explained, and now (or this week anyways) much of that has been given to a new position they created. Makes it a bit easier for me, in the way that I am not time constrained as much as before. I am not feeling as rushed in completing the first part of my day (gathering the parts orders). All in all, it is getting worked out to a better solution, slowly but surely.

With the rains we had yesterday morning, it has brought the temps down in the Valley. Supposed to be back up to a high of 79 today ( via the radio) but this morning it was cool enough to make me wonder if I should wear jeans instead of shorts to work. Plus last night, I wondered if I should bring along a light jacket, for the later evening (after nightfall) when it cools down in the outlying areas that I am in. I opted for shorts today, and no jacket. The truck has a heater if I get cool.

PeacE

When the Wind Blows

Yesterday was not a good day. Aside from the fact I was feeling a bit foggy-headed from imbibing a few beers the night before, it was windy. The advanced forecasts had been calling for it, the day before our temps were to drop into the 70's (for the high) and a very good chance for showers. For once, they were right. The Valley was a dust covered haze all day, and in parts, the mountains were even hidden from view due to the amount of dust in the air. South of us, there were several accidents on I-10 due to the low visibility. I was not enjoying my route, as a 16-foot box truck gets blown around a bit when the wind is gusting.

Aside from the feeling of it being a long day, the wind is my enemy. I woke up this morning feeling my allergies taking effect. I've got the stuffy nose, runny nose, itchy, watery eyes feeling that I just love so much (could you feel the sarcasm?).

It is raining though, and that will help clear the dust and allergens from the air, even if the drivers out here have no clue how to drive in these conditions. And, the work truck gets washed!

PeacE

Living Vicariously

Yesterday was a long day. The company had completed inventory over the weekend, but the busy part is here over the next few days. We had our parts company hold our orders (and we placed orders every day) for the past 4-5 days, so we would have to inventory those parts as well, intending to add them as fresh inventory now. Yesterday alone, the estimate was about 750 parts came in, and that was just one company, for a portion of our parts on hold. Needless to say, the boss had asked me to come to work early, so I ended up putting in a 12-hour day, counting the route last night. Afterwards, I had to do an errand to Wal-Mart, and stopped by my brother's.

My brother, Stuman, is blessed. I really mean it. He is blessed with having bad things happen to him, or at least that involve him to large degrees. I am sure somewhere in the past nearly seven years, I have posted some of his unfortunate events. Needless to say, I went by his place to visit a bit last night, to catch up on his current drama. Sometimes, it is more fun than a TV show. Sunday night we had invited Rev. Mother and Preacher Tom out to dinner, and they had dropped a couple things about goings-ons with Stuman. It's not my place to really share them, as I am not sure he would appreciate me airing out some issues. I did mention to him last night that I live a fucked-up life vicariously through him. He was a bit intoxicated (well, more than a bit) so he just nodded his head. I am not sure he understood what I was saying, but probably took it as a compliment. It wasn't really meant as one. But he won't change.

One of my buddies tells me every so often, that he lives vicariously through me. Usually it is while we are having a few brews, and the talk turns to the wives. He is always shocked that the Wife lets me do somethings with no strings attached, or no complaints, whereas he claims to have to go through bloody hell just to get to do something. I always laugh when he says it though. I think I have a pretty simple life. Would be nice to be able to do more things, to go more places, et cetera, and I know we could, by making myself commit to a goal, or whatever. But you can tell how lackadaisical I am.

Well, today I am on my regular schedule for work. Will be the rest of the week as far as I know. Maybe more time to write tomorrow, if I can figure out a topic, or something.

PeacE

Counting on Friday

Fridays are becoming my 'Feel Good' days. Mainly because I know I have a couple days off. however, that may not be the case this week. With our company doing their first time ever inventory, the last couple weeks have been ... trying. I say that as We in the parts department, have been stretched thin and put in extra hours leading up to this great event, which takes place tomorrow - on my day off. As of yesterday, it seemed all was pretty much in place, and aside from final details, things should go smoothly tomorrow. What I don't know, is if I am working tomorrow or not. I shall find out today when I go in. What is nice, is I do not have to deliver on my route tonight, as all techs will be going to the shop tomorrow, to inventory their trucks, and will pick up their parts for Monday then. Sounds like all I am doing is pulling the parts for Monday, today, and who knows what else. Maybe I will get off early today, to ease up on my hours, since I have put some extra ones in this week already.

Aside from not knowing yet if I am working tomorrow or not, no other major plans for the weekend. I may just bum around the house.

Our Government is still closed down. My brother is on furlough due to the shut down. A few other people I know are affected as well. Doesn't change anything here for myself or the Wife, which is nice.

PeacE

No Laughing Matter

Who said the title of a post HAS to have anything to do with the content? I mean, aren't you already wondering what I am going to write about that supposedly is no laughing matter, except that now I am am writing something different ... so it that a laughing matter? I suppose it would be if I told a joke or something. Unfortunately, I don't recall having heard any new jokes, and nothing really comes to my head that is worth laughing about. At least at this hour of the morning.

I think summer is pretty much over here in Arizona. Last week was the first that the temperatures were under 100 for the whole week. This week we expect the same, though some days will have some in the 90's degree range. I still run the air conditioning in the truck, but after dark, I usually roll the window down unless I am on the freeway. It is getting to be that beautiful weather stage in AZ.

I gave the oldest son his first cell phone today. It wasn't new, as it was the one I had been using. I decided since my employer gave me a phone, that instead of carrying two around, the son could use one. Now I am in the process of getting my new number to those that need it, and making sure everyone knows that the son has the phone now. It is as bad as notifying everyone that you are moving.

The Wife is off work yet again today. I have no idea why the "census" of patients is low ... maybe them old people don't feel like needing that type of medical attention at this time of year. Either way, she says she will be back from her Mom's soon (taking the boys to school, etc) but maybe I will luck out and not have to see her for the next couple hours while she visits with her Mom. Sounds cruel, but I just don't feel like conversation this morning. I feel like a cup of coffee and some breakfast. Presto! I ahve my coffee and a granola bar. Joy.

PeacE

Going to be a Long Week

The appliance repair company I work for is doing inventory this week. That doesn't sound odd. Many companies do inventory at different times, sometimes monthly, some yearly - based on fiscal year, etc. I don't know how often they plan on doing it here. I would think not often, as this is the first one they have ever done since the company was put in place/purchased/whatever back about 10-12 years ago from what I have been told. What does that mean? It means, there is a lot of miscellaneous stock (for appliance repair) that has been shelved/boxed in the parts room for that long. Think like washer/dryer sized tubs (in boxes) and shelves of miscellaneous small parts. Needless to say, over the past few weeks they have been doing small stages of preparing for the big day of counting inventory by getting rid of some stock, returning it to the place of purchase for maybe a reduced price. There are some things that the distributors won't take back, and I am not sure what our company will do with it. Either way, our big day of counting is this coming Saturday.

Which means, I won't be delivering Friday night (yea!) though I will need to work the day shift, and also that Saturday. The first part of the week through Thursday will basically be business as usual for me.

Nothing much else going on. I suppose we will find out today if our Government is going to close down because they can't settle on anything. Joy.

The Daughter was in town this weekend as her birthday was Saturday. She turned 22 this year. the end of this month she finishes up schooling to be a Respiratory Therapist, and graduates in early November.

That's all I got today.

PeacE

One Of Those Mornings

It's been an hour since I was wakened to take the son to school, and still I have the remnants of a dream in my head. I think it is because I feel more the fool for the dream than anything else.

In the dream, I was with my buddy Jan, and a couple of other guys (no one else sticks out, but I knew they were friends). We were on a hunting trip of some kind. I had a weapon in my hands, it looked like the handgun from the old Nintendo DUCK HUNT game, except it was more like a pistol-grip mini shotgun, but it was in the orange color like the game pistol but had pump-action. Our group of about 5, counting our guide, were all in a canoe, yes just one, going down some waterway. This waterway reminded me of part of the scenery from the game World Of Warcraft. So we're canoeing along, and pull up at this "hut" and beach the boat. This is the "clubhouse" for us hunters. There is a crowd of people lined up outside, and I find out it is for some video game hunt, but me and my buds decide to not do it. There is some length of time to waste before we leave, not sure, but felt like a couple hours or so, and I tell the buddies, I see a shop across the water so I will grab us some beer.

I find this little footbridge to cross the river, and head for this shop, which is on the edge of a small town. I go in to find some 20'ish lady there at the counter, I ask what beer they have available, as I see none stocked there int he store. She says anything I want. So, thinking of my buddies and not just about me, I tell her I need a case of Bud Light (yes, this was distinctive in my dream). She opens this skinny door, which opens into this huge warehouse-sized freezer, and she enters to get the case of beer. She comes back, I go to pay, and make a comment that she charged me $3 extra, on top of the tax. She said something about local politics, and gave me a receipt, which was weird in itself.

The receipt she made was sort of taped to the edge of one of the dollars I had given her (I only had $11 when I walked in there, so I was getting a good deal on a case of beer, even with the extra she charged). Then she ripped about a 1/4 inch of the bill, 1/5th of the way along the long-wise side of the bill. I asked her how come, and she said it was to prove I paid for it there. I shrugged, thinking 'back woods mentality' and left. As I got a few steps from the door, I opened the case. Instead of opening at one end though, I unfolded it like some weird puzzle box. Inside were maybe 15 containers/cups of different sizes, filled with frozen beer - no cans or bottles. I get pissed. THIS isn't what I wanted, and somehow I knew it wasn't Bud Light either. I return to the store, and wait my turn in what seems a sudden rush crowd. When finally my turn, I demand a refund. She tries to argue me out of returning the beer (already opened, etc for excuses). I show the receipt (specially made) so she finally agrees to refund me, by reaching into the pocketbook of the lady off to my side, and taking $6 from the purse and putting it in my hand. I get the lady's attention, to tell her the clerk is stealing from her, and she says it's ok, she is her mom.

By this time, I am feeling desperate and crazy in my dream, and yelling, I demand the full refund amount of $9.00, and would not settle for less. The clerk asks for my receipt, which, reaching into my pocket I realize I no longer had having given it to her before. I say something like,'Oh, you are good. You know I had a receipt and now you took it and won't refund me the whole amount.' She just smiles and says something ... I don't know what, because about that point is when I was woken up.

Weird stuff, huh? For stuff to be that messed up in my dreams, I must see/think/feel some really messed up stuff during the day. For once, I am sort of glad I am awake.

PeacE

More Than A Little Exercise

In the past almost two years, I am down at least a minimum of 60 pounds. I say a minimum, as I haven't weighed myself since a few weeks back. I know I have lost at least an inch, maybe a bit more, around the waist in just the 5 weeks I have started at the new job. It is a bit more physically demanding than the last couple jobs I had flying a desk. In fact, I wonder if that is why my joints have started aching a bit each morning. Joints mainly being the knees, hips, elbows, back and ankles. Yeah, pretty much everywhere that would have to deal with lifting/carrying quite a bit. Not that the stuff is heavy, just that there is some days quite a bit of it. Not to mention the climbing in/out of the back of the truck.

So, I know I am slimming down, which means a good chance I have lost a nice chunk of poundage as well. I guess I should buy a scale for use here at home since I don't go to the gym anymore - and I need to cancel the gym membership still. I keep forgetting. So, in the spirit of the whole 'eating healthy' and 'losing weight' I bought carne asada burritos last night, as I was hungry while on my route. I ate two while on the road, which means there were two in the fridge this morning, and I do love a burrito for breakfast. Yes, one is already gone. I am debating eating the other as well, but waiting for a couple hours so I won't be hungry later this afternoon.

Other than that, I haven't much for you today.

PeacE

What's On My Mind

*crickets chirping*

Yeah. Not a lot on my mind this morning. The weekend felt pretty long, or I had enough things going on to make it appear that way. I am actually sort of worn out feeling this morning. At least, some of my joints are telling me I am (elbows, fingers and back). Or it might be that I am just getting old.

There isn't much I feel like talking about today. It's not going to do me any good to complain about how I feel the Government is doing (or not doing) their job, to gripe about the situation going on now. Would you care to hear my opinions on the Presidency, and how I feel the current person is doing? I didn't think so. How about the current ear worm.

Yeah, it's been stuck in my head for the past couple days. I had watched the movie some time ago (meaning months) and have been hearing it quite a bit of late on the local radio stations here. I saw some clip of a video yesterday, that said the best way to get rid of an ear worm, is to do a puzzle. They showed someone doing a crossword, or word search, in the video. I tried it last night, but every time I stopped working on my crossword, then think 'Maybe it really does work,' the song would pop back into my head. Perha[s there is a certain length of time needed to make this trick work.

Last week I got a new phone from my employer. It is a nice Galaxy Note II, and is the first smart phone I have ever had. I have been playing with it over the past few days, and am actually impressed with some of the stuff you can do on it. With the phone came a blue tooth, car charger, and protective case. The Wife and I have been discussing getting the oldest son a phone soon. He is fifteen, and we wonder if he is ready for that responsibility. I know my siblings have given their kids phones years ago, but the Wife and I are different than that. Since I got this new phone for work, I think we may give him my old phone, though, I have had that number for so many years, if anyone needed to reach me, he would have to relay them my new number or something. Or we could spend $50 plus to get him a phone, and add him to our plan (about $40 more a month). I suppose we will need to make a decision soon. Maybe.

Welp, I am going to skedaddle. Got things to do and all that nonsense that isn't true.

PeacE

Feeling ... Groovy

Huh. I woke up this morning in the usual way - the Wife shaking me awake saying it is time to take the older son to school. Nothing unusual there. But now that I am back home, I am realizing I am feeling a bit weird this morning. Weird in the way that I feel wide awake (I am not a morning person) and have that "ready to face the day" attitude. Definitely not my regular self. Maybe the Wife slipped me some experimental drug in my Jack in the Box last night.

Either way it is Friday, which means I am off work the next two days. Today the work load will be fairly light, as we were ahead of the mess yesterday, so I was able to complete some of the stuff needed to be done today early. The company has given me a new phone, too! It is one of those Samsung Galaxy Note phones, so is so damn smart, I can't figure out how to use most of it. I will have to find some Dummies book online to download so I can figure out how to do some of the cooler things with it. I'll be keeping my regular dumb cell, as this one is a work phone, but I can use it for personal use as well. I guess now I have conformed to society too much, and will be carrying two cell phones around now. Sigh.

I don't believe this weekend has much going on for us, aside from trying to get things done that we weren't able to get done during the week. I am working Saturday night for the UFC fights at the pub, so I can keep my discounted prices there. With closing up there late, I am not sure about going to the softball games on Sunday. I think  I may prefer to get some sleep.

It's only 6:30, but I need to get things moving if I am going to be on work on time. I know I need to go to Verizon and get them to transfer the contacts from my old phone to the new one, so I don't have to enter them all by hand. Then I need to get some other things done.

PeacE

Tired

I am feeling tired this morning. Enough that I even slept in until about 9:30. Mostly from having a couple beers last night with the guys, but I think my job is wearing me down a bit too. Not in a bad way. I just need to adjust (still) to the hours, and physical activity it requires. this is only my 4th week. I think it is just catching up to me.

I was woken up this morning about 7'ish, with the shop calling me. Supposedly, I was to drop an oven dolly with one of the techs last night. I told them I had, and which one. Well, another tech had said he needed it, not the one I delivered it to. So now someone has to run one out to the tech. Though, I clearly believe I delivered to the correct person, as I made note of it on the paperwork. No way to tell if I was correct or not until later today I guess. Strike against the good job I have been doing. I honestly don't think I messed up though. I know I am going to worry about it most of the day. I hate crap like that. Now I am going to double check my self on all my paperwork, etc.

Welp, guess I should go get some other things done to try to get this off my mind until I get to work.

PeacE

Blah Blah Blahgen

The Wife is home again today. Almost makes me wish that there were more old people getting hurt and needing her services, but not really. Her being home doesn't disrupt much of my routine. I just get funny looks when I heat up some leftovers. For breakfast.

For some reason I didn't sleep well last night. I have vague recollections of some pretty vivid dreams, and an hour ago, I could have told you what they were, and why I had them. For example, there was one where I was showing my oldest son how to get from the airport to an AFB on the north side of the Valley. Except, there is no AFB there in real life. And the scenery around us had deciduous trees that are not common to Phoenix. Forests of them. Like I was driving in the mid-west. I am sure that snippet of dream was because last night on my route, I was thinking about how soon they may move me up off the route driving and was thinking about training a new person. Not that there is any talk of me being offered a position otherwise, I just think it may happen around either my 90 day, or 6 month time. I guess that is me being optimistic, a rarity for me.

I have nothing else for you today.

PeacE

Vindictiveness

The past three weeks have been good for me. Maybe too good. Started the new job, been enjoying it, and that all-around good feeling that nothing seems to be going wrong. 

Yesterday morning it was still looking good. I got up and did the regular routine of meeting my buddies up at the pub for a couple Bloody Marys. Our softball season started up so we played two games then returned to the pub for the team drink, and to watch the remaining portion of the Redskins game. That's where things started to go wrong. The Redskins ended up losing. Then the Wife called, saying the internet was out at home (via the modem) and wanted me to try to talk her through how to do the online reset.check thing that I have done before. By the time I had her boot up my system to do it, the internet was back up, so maybe that wasn't as bad a thing.

Then I came home. Now, I park on the street with the work truck, as it is a 16-foot box truck. It won't fit on the drive due to the carport, or the RV drive on the side due to the tree we have out front. It fits nicely along the front without blocking our regular driveway on one side, and the RV drive on the other - note that both these driveways are ours.

So I came home Sunday early afternoon to find a parking ticket on my work truck. The violation? Parking on the sidewalk, because the front wheel had crested the angled curb. It is a $70 fine. I admit I was on the sidewalk (technically) but what was worse, is that I have been parking on the sidewalk for the past 2 1./2 weeks, in order to allow more room for traffic on our street. It is a tight single lane access with the truck out there.

Back to the ticket. How is a cop going to see my truck on the sidewalk, unless someone specifically reported it. I am far enough from the "busy" street that they would not just see it glancing down the street as they pass. I seriously believe someone called it in to the city to report it, as I had not moved it since Friday night. And I think I know who - those Mexicans across the street. They have their soirees every weekend, playing Spanish music somewhat loud, and drinking in the front yard (not taking it to the backyard). We have had issues with them before. But with my bringing home the work truck, they can't park in front of my place anymore, and their work truck (a pickup that pulls a trailer of landscaping stuff) has issues pulling in and out of their gate at the side of the house. So they have to pay attention when they pull in/out. Plus, when I cam home Friday night, I had to get them to move their vehicles so I could park my truck. I was even nice and said thank you when they did. 

Maybe I am wrong, and it wasn't them, and it was just some random cop that happened down my street and was having a bad day so ticketed me and no one else on the street.

I doubt it. But I can't prove nothing. Either way, for now I am out $70.

PeacE

Gotta Love Fridays

Most people enjoy Fridays. Mainly because it is the last day of their normal (Monday-Friday) work week, thus meaning their next two days are off. That sentiment is not lost on me. I get that same deal. Today is just going to be a bit longer than most. Today I get the joy of going into work earlier, as we are short-handed in the shop. It is either that, or be later getting out on my route, and tonight I cannot be later. In fact, if anything I want to be done faster. Why? Our pool team is having a small party tonight at the pub that sponsored us. It starts at 7pm, but I won't be able to get there until closer to 9, if I am running on time. Maybe a bit earlier if I am running early, but I don't see it happening. I have two days of deliveries today (Saturday for those that work that day, and Monday).

I found out that the Wife is off yet again this week. The census numbers (number of patients they need to work with) has been low the past couple of weeks. I guess they have been flip-flopping who takes the day off, as no need for all of them to be there. Today is again one for her to take. Which is good. I have been forgetting to deposit my check for the past few days, and she can do that while I go to work early. you wouldn't think I would forget to deposit a payroll check, but that is how things go. Forget about it until I am on my way to work, then it is too late afterwards. Hopefully my direct deposit will kick in this week.

Off for some breakfast.

PeacE

It's What For Breakfast

This morning found myself up and awake early. My work truck is having the windshield replaced (again) due to a crack that started. The only time the guy could come by and do it was 'too damn early' o'clock (meaning before my usual rise time of 6am). Needless to say, at least it is getting done. The windshield had been replaced just under two weeks ago, but I noticed a crack had started two days ago. Looked like a stress fracture, but after closer examination, there was a chip close to the seal. Heh, the glass guy just called me to go over basic instructions (crack the windows when shutting doors for a couple days, leave the tape in place for at least X amount of hours, etc.).

So, all this early time and what have I accomplished? Well, got the oldest boy to school. The alarm is about ready to go off for the Wife to get up, and she will be leaving then with the two younger boys. That leaves me thinking of breakfast. I should just have a banana and a granola bar, but I am craving something greasy ... like Denny's breakfast skillet. or some thing with sausage. I'll probably settle for the banana and granola bar.

I hear the Wife is up and moving now, so I guess I should get off here to help get the boys up.

PeacE

Getting Washed

Phoenix tends to be a dirty town. On a normal day, one is able to see the haze that hangs over the Valley, created from all the dust from traffic, construction, dust devils, etc. Gives that nice brow haze/cloud look over the city. But when it rains, it cleans up that haze ... for a few days. Today, we are entering day two of the rain forecast for the week. Currently, it isn't raining, but we are to expect scattered showers over all parts of the Valley. Meaning for me, I have no idea what I will be driving in tonight. Yesterday wasn't bad. By the time I started my route, the sun was out, and I only caught portions of some light showers. Most of the street flooding had taken place earlier in the day, when the rains were constant and heavier. I even saw a couple pictures, each from opposite sides of the Valley, where vehicles were submerged in puddles, or flooded out areas.

Here in Arizona, we have the Stupid Motorist Law. Basically, it says that if you purposely drive around barricades, or into flooded areas, and have to have medical/emergency vehicles/personnel assist you, not only will you be billed for it, but are also possibly liable up to $2000, like a fine. Personally, I think that should be much higher, as we tend to have many stupid people here in the state, and those are the ones that are legal and can read English. Most times I just snicker when I hear them toss out the warning, "Take notice, the Stupid Motorist Law is in effect" every time it rains here. I shake my head disgustedly. Idiots.

One of the better things I like about the rain, is it brings down our temperatures. This morning as I drove the oldest son to early hour band, they announced it was a cool 72 degrees across the Valley, with a high today expected of only 89, due to the cloud coverage. Of course, the extended forecast jumped those temperatures back to 100 by Friday. And with the humidity? Oh, it is going to be so not nice. I sweat enough without the humidity.

Well, I am off to catch up on some television.

PeacE