Welcome to Thursday. It is starting pretty similar to Wednesday, but supposedly is one day closer to the weekend. Not that I have anything exciting going on this weekend. Maybe just catch up on television shows I haven't had time to watch. Then again, maybe not.
Nothing of any importance has really happened the last couple days. Pretty much getting up for work, going to work, then coming home and head to bed. I know, you wish you were me.
I should get off here and see what sort if trouble I can create for today.
PeacE
Thursday, July 31
Tuesday, July 29
Getting Old, It's Just In Your Head .... Right?
I feel like I need a week off from everything. Not just work, but just Life in general. A week where I can literally just relax, not do anything to exert muscles. A week to let the body heal up from the stuff I make it do in one of my regular weeks.
In other words, I am sore. By last Friday, I felt almost broken down. Muscles ached, joints groaned, constant tension headache at the back of my head. And that was before I went home to the family! Saturday I was up earlier than usual ... not by choice. Wasn't a bad day. Took the family out to the Hibachi Grill (Chinese buffet I like) for dinner, and surprised the boys with going to the movies to catch TRANSFORMERS IV. That started at 8:50, so knew it was going to be sort of a late night. No worries ... I'll sleep in good the next morning.
With about an hour to go in the movie, the screen blacks out. Seems a storm was hitting the Valley, and had reached the North side where we were. A power surge had hit, shutting the computers down momentarily, is my best guess. Either way, it was back up and running within about 10 minutes. But while it was down, I walked out to the exit door, and saw the winds were pretty strong, and rain was starting to fall. We finished the movie, and got out about midnight. Some rain as we walked to the van, and on the way home.
Within a couple blocks of getting off the freeway, we noticed one side of the street was without power. Our side of course. No biggee .. we live further down, and our area wasn't affected. Nope. We are talking a good square mile, including our home. It's about 12:20/12:30 by now. Arrive home. No power. But the house isn't stifling, so couldn't have been out very long. That, and no neighbors outside, so most everyone was asleep when it happened. After an hour getting the kids somewhat situated, I went to bed, to sweat, toss and turn. We had what doors and windows we could have open, but there was no air movement, and it was so humid. I couldn't sleep, but caught little naps. The Wife and Oldest Boy, the same. Power finally came on about 5:30am, and we quickly shut the doors, so the air conditioning could get to work. Turned on every fan in the house, too.Was only able to sleep in until about 8.
Sunday was an okay day. Met up with a buddy for a couple hours, then over to RM & PT's for burger and dogs on the grill, plus some swim time for the kids. Got to bed about 9:30'ish. Up again before the alarm set for 7. Ran the Oldest Boy to band camp at the high school. Then off to work. Got some tennis elbow going with the right arm. just regular aches still in the shoulders, knees and ankles. The lower back flares a bit every now and then, depending on what I am doing. In bed 9:30 again. This morning up just before 6.
Getting old - we joke about the aches and pains. We snicker about the need to go to bed early, and the early hours that wake them up (probably bathroom calls). The gray hair. Shit, that all sounds like me now.
Sigh.
I need to rub some Ben-Gay on before work, take my pills ... and use the bathroom yet again.
PeacE
In other words, I am sore. By last Friday, I felt almost broken down. Muscles ached, joints groaned, constant tension headache at the back of my head. And that was before I went home to the family! Saturday I was up earlier than usual ... not by choice. Wasn't a bad day. Took the family out to the Hibachi Grill (Chinese buffet I like) for dinner, and surprised the boys with going to the movies to catch TRANSFORMERS IV. That started at 8:50, so knew it was going to be sort of a late night. No worries ... I'll sleep in good the next morning.
With about an hour to go in the movie, the screen blacks out. Seems a storm was hitting the Valley, and had reached the North side where we were. A power surge had hit, shutting the computers down momentarily, is my best guess. Either way, it was back up and running within about 10 minutes. But while it was down, I walked out to the exit door, and saw the winds were pretty strong, and rain was starting to fall. We finished the movie, and got out about midnight. Some rain as we walked to the van, and on the way home.
Within a couple blocks of getting off the freeway, we noticed one side of the street was without power. Our side of course. No biggee .. we live further down, and our area wasn't affected. Nope. We are talking a good square mile, including our home. It's about 12:20/12:30 by now. Arrive home. No power. But the house isn't stifling, so couldn't have been out very long. That, and no neighbors outside, so most everyone was asleep when it happened. After an hour getting the kids somewhat situated, I went to bed, to sweat, toss and turn. We had what doors and windows we could have open, but there was no air movement, and it was so humid. I couldn't sleep, but caught little naps. The Wife and Oldest Boy, the same. Power finally came on about 5:30am, and we quickly shut the doors, so the air conditioning could get to work. Turned on every fan in the house, too.Was only able to sleep in until about 8.
Sunday was an okay day. Met up with a buddy for a couple hours, then over to RM & PT's for burger and dogs on the grill, plus some swim time for the kids. Got to bed about 9:30'ish. Up again before the alarm set for 7. Ran the Oldest Boy to band camp at the high school. Then off to work. Got some tennis elbow going with the right arm. just regular aches still in the shoulders, knees and ankles. The lower back flares a bit every now and then, depending on what I am doing. In bed 9:30 again. This morning up just before 6.
Getting old - we joke about the aches and pains. We snicker about the need to go to bed early, and the early hours that wake them up (probably bathroom calls). The gray hair. Shit, that all sounds like me now.
Sigh.
I need to rub some Ben-Gay on before work, take my pills ... and use the bathroom yet again.
PeacE
Friday, July 25
The Time Is Now
My internal clock is either a) broken, or b) playing a very sick and twisted prank on me. For some reason, I presume the latter. Currently it is 3:51 a.m., I am wide awake, and have been for about a good forty minutes. What is wrong with that? Last night, as I went to bed around 9:30 p.m., I did one of those little tricks to help wake myself at a needed hour: I said the mantra "Wake at 5:20" about a handful of times. In many previous instances, this worked well in helping me wake up around the time I needed to, most times, within a minute or two before the alarm going off (always a good back-up). Not working do great this morning, though, I wonder ....
It is daylight savings time in the U.S. right now. Could it be a reason why? I live in the Mountain Time region, though, most of Arizona does not adjust that hour as the the rest of the time zone does. When the shift occurs, we just keep our clocks the same, and basically become the Pacific DST hour. With computers, phones and other electrical time pieces, we even have our own time zone indicator, something like Mountain Time (Arizona), or (UTC-07:00) Arizona (as it is on my computer). UTC ... Universal Time Clock? Heh. I looked it up actually. Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) is often interchanged with Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) which is the time at the Prime Meridian. So, possible my body has shifted a couple time zones? Not likely. I haven't even been out of state for quite some time.
Perhaps it is my mental state. Aside from partially insane and containing way too much sewer humor, I refer this one more to the radio in my work truck. See, at one time, when I had it in the garage for some work ( I think it was a resistor replacement in the electrical for the blower) they had to disconnect the battery. As usual, that reset the radio presets, and the time displayed. Now this particular radio is somewhat ... well, old and out-dated. Though it does possess a digital read-out and the ability to play cassette tapes (sigh - not CDs), it is still rather old, and has been exposed to the heat of Arizona at least since 2008, the year of its manufacture. Thus, the buttons/keys that are rarely used, basically are sort of stuck, and unusable. Those keys being the ones that pertain to setting the clock. As luck would have it, the presets, forward seek, and power/volume still work. But as to the clock the time displayed since the last battery connection, is about two hours and five minutes ahead. So if it reads 5:05, it truly is 3:00. One of those weird, and seemingly stupid, things I do, is use this clock for the time. I constantly know the difference from what is displays, and am calculating it whenever I need to see about what time it is. So maybe, just maybe, the mind tricked it self into waking me two hours before the alarm this morning.
Or maybe, that internal clock is just a mean and twisted. Either way, I am up two hours before I need to be. Today being a long one, as we have a Tech Meeting this morning at work, at 7am, about an hour's drive from home. Which afterwards, I won't have the time to drive back home, and yet, be too early to really start work, so will end up sitting at Dennys for an hour or two. Yeah, it's rough to have that much reading time, though, I really would be happy to use that time sleeping a bit.
Ahhh life. At least I won't have to rush to work today thinking I am late, or worry about traffic time.
PeacE
It is daylight savings time in the U.S. right now. Could it be a reason why? I live in the Mountain Time region, though, most of Arizona does not adjust that hour as the the rest of the time zone does. When the shift occurs, we just keep our clocks the same, and basically become the Pacific DST hour. With computers, phones and other electrical time pieces, we even have our own time zone indicator, something like Mountain Time (Arizona), or (UTC-07:00) Arizona (as it is on my computer). UTC ... Universal Time Clock? Heh. I looked it up actually. Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) is often interchanged with Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) which is the time at the Prime Meridian. So, possible my body has shifted a couple time zones? Not likely. I haven't even been out of state for quite some time.
Perhaps it is my mental state. Aside from partially insane and containing way too much sewer humor, I refer this one more to the radio in my work truck. See, at one time, when I had it in the garage for some work ( I think it was a resistor replacement in the electrical for the blower) they had to disconnect the battery. As usual, that reset the radio presets, and the time displayed. Now this particular radio is somewhat ... well, old and out-dated. Though it does possess a digital read-out and the ability to play cassette tapes (sigh - not CDs), it is still rather old, and has been exposed to the heat of Arizona at least since 2008, the year of its manufacture. Thus, the buttons/keys that are rarely used, basically are sort of stuck, and unusable. Those keys being the ones that pertain to setting the clock. As luck would have it, the presets, forward seek, and power/volume still work. But as to the clock the time displayed since the last battery connection, is about two hours and five minutes ahead. So if it reads 5:05, it truly is 3:00. One of those weird, and seemingly stupid, things I do, is use this clock for the time. I constantly know the difference from what is displays, and am calculating it whenever I need to see about what time it is. So maybe, just maybe, the mind tricked it self into waking me two hours before the alarm this morning.
Or maybe, that internal clock is just a mean and twisted. Either way, I am up two hours before I need to be. Today being a long one, as we have a Tech Meeting this morning at work, at 7am, about an hour's drive from home. Which afterwards, I won't have the time to drive back home, and yet, be too early to really start work, so will end up sitting at Dennys for an hour or two. Yeah, it's rough to have that much reading time, though, I really would be happy to use that time sleeping a bit.
Ahhh life. At least I won't have to rush to work today thinking I am late, or worry about traffic time.
PeacE
Tuesday, July 22
Looking Forward to the Next Paycheck
The company I work for has some weird pay schedule, as far as the days of the week. We get paid weekly. No big deal. But instead of it being like a Monday-Saturday pay week, it like a Thursday-Wednesday time period. Unless you are me, or the techs that are on the West Side, that I deliver to each night. Then it is more of a Wednesday-Tuesday deal, as everything I turn in on Tuesday (including my sign-out time sheet) is the close of the pay period for us. I guess Wednesday night's stuff, being as how it doesn't physically get to be turned in until Thursday, is too late for the payroll dept. Either way, this week will be nice, as I have put maybe 10 hours or so of overtime in. It has been a bit crazy. Today, I think I am only going in about an hour early.
I have had much time to think about topics to write about here. Heck, I have about four hours worth as I drive around town. But I never can seem to find a topic worth really sitting down and taking the time to write. I think maybe I should discuss current events, but who wants to hear just someone else's opinion of the whole Israel-Hamas thing. OR the Ukraine-Russia events, or the Malaysian airliner crash (pick one). Should I bitch about our country's immigration policies and border control. Maybe the condition of our VA medical system. Maybe my opinion about Joe Arpaio, and how everything he does, it is only for photo ops and newspaper space. Though, I do admit tent city for jails was a good idea (and I even spent time there).
No ... readers coming here want more. In previous years this spot of the internet was called "Boobies & Beer" and I never much talked about either, but every now and then posted some pictures of both. Glancing back through the old posts, it seemed I bitched about work, and other basic stuff ... pretty much like I do now. Maybe I don't need "Change" like Obama campaigned on. I think I will just stay me.
PeacE
P.S. Reverend Mother, if you are reading this, you haven't had a post in over a week.....lol
I have had much time to think about topics to write about here. Heck, I have about four hours worth as I drive around town. But I never can seem to find a topic worth really sitting down and taking the time to write. I think maybe I should discuss current events, but who wants to hear just someone else's opinion of the whole Israel-Hamas thing. OR the Ukraine-Russia events, or the Malaysian airliner crash (pick one). Should I bitch about our country's immigration policies and border control. Maybe the condition of our VA medical system. Maybe my opinion about Joe Arpaio, and how everything he does, it is only for photo ops and newspaper space. Though, I do admit tent city for jails was a good idea (and I even spent time there).
No ... readers coming here want more. In previous years this spot of the internet was called "Boobies & Beer" and I never much talked about either, but every now and then posted some pictures of both. Glancing back through the old posts, it seemed I bitched about work, and other basic stuff ... pretty much like I do now. Maybe I don't need "Change" like Obama campaigned on. I think I will just stay me.
PeacE
P.S. Reverend Mother, if you are reading this, you haven't had a post in over a week.....lol
Monday, July 21
Eh. Another Monday
What is it about Mondays that everyone seems to hate? I mean, yeah ,,, most people return to the work week, or school. It's ending a weekend, or maybe a vacation. I have noticed over the past few months, I actually sort of look forward to Mondays because I am going to work. After two days with my kids, the work week is like a mini-vacation from them!
This week brings us closer to school starting back up. The oldest boy has "optional" attendance for marching band practice. But I was told, not really optional since he is a section leader. Required attendance is next week. So this week I have to run him to school prior to heading into work.
Today will an early work day. Hopefully the last one for awhile. I will have to check the paperwork for tomorrow to determine how bad it may be, but from what I remember last week, I should be okay going back to my regular start time. Of course, the extra couple hours per day is nice on the pay check, but just wears me out faster.
Middle son's birthday is coming up soon. I have no idea what we are getting him. He is turning 12. I am sure the Wife will stick me with getting something for him.
Alright. I ran out of things for today.
PeacE
This week brings us closer to school starting back up. The oldest boy has "optional" attendance for marching band practice. But I was told, not really optional since he is a section leader. Required attendance is next week. So this week I have to run him to school prior to heading into work.
Today will an early work day. Hopefully the last one for awhile. I will have to check the paperwork for tomorrow to determine how bad it may be, but from what I remember last week, I should be okay going back to my regular start time. Of course, the extra couple hours per day is nice on the pay check, but just wears me out faster.
Middle son's birthday is coming up soon. I have no idea what we are getting him. He is turning 12. I am sure the Wife will stick me with getting something for him.
Alright. I ran out of things for today.
PeacE
Saturday, July 19
What? I Set It Too Early?
This morning is packed full of crap I need to get done. The first being the Wife's brakes on the van. I had set an appointment for the brake place for 7am, and decided to get up at 6:30 to make the appointment time. Good job me ... I set the alarm for 6. Now I have wasted 30 minutes of time I could have slept.
Pretty worn out as it is. The past two days I have put in probably 4 hours extra at work (2 each day). I hope this is only a temporary situation and not becoming the norm. I know there was a big stink by the boss early last week about the CSRs not setting the appointments once parts came in, so they were to concentrate on that rather than new service calls. Which created the huge amount of parts I have had to pull and deliver. Thursday was a bad day ... I pulled 10 fridge doors, and had to deliver eight of them. Doesn't sound like much, but these doors are bulky, large and can weigh up to 75 pounds each. After having to pull it, load it and now carry it, to a van, at least 8 plus times, I get pretty tired.
Tonight I am hanging out with my buddy Don. His birthday is later this week, and he has gotten in touch with some other co-workers and people to get together tonight for his birthday celebration. No, not really a party. I don't know what to call it. But it will be nice to hang with a few co-workers we like, outside the office. Plus, there will be some drinking.
The Daughter has come into town for the weekend. I have no clue what her plans are, so haven't been really able to make any specific to her. Maybe dinner out on Sunday before they head back to Safford.
Guess that is about all I have today.
PeacE
Pretty worn out as it is. The past two days I have put in probably 4 hours extra at work (2 each day). I hope this is only a temporary situation and not becoming the norm. I know there was a big stink by the boss early last week about the CSRs not setting the appointments once parts came in, so they were to concentrate on that rather than new service calls. Which created the huge amount of parts I have had to pull and deliver. Thursday was a bad day ... I pulled 10 fridge doors, and had to deliver eight of them. Doesn't sound like much, but these doors are bulky, large and can weigh up to 75 pounds each. After having to pull it, load it and now carry it, to a van, at least 8 plus times, I get pretty tired.
Tonight I am hanging out with my buddy Don. His birthday is later this week, and he has gotten in touch with some other co-workers and people to get together tonight for his birthday celebration. No, not really a party. I don't know what to call it. But it will be nice to hang with a few co-workers we like, outside the office. Plus, there will be some drinking.
The Daughter has come into town for the weekend. I have no clue what her plans are, so haven't been really able to make any specific to her. Maybe dinner out on Sunday before they head back to Safford.
Guess that is about all I have today.
PeacE
Thursday, July 17
When It Rains ....
As I sit here trying to wake up, eating my blueberry flavored, imitation pop-tart, and drink my milk, of what needs to get accomplished today, and over the next few days. I do this most mornings, just to depress myself properly so I can go about my day like a norm. Why should today be any different?
This morning I need to go into work early. Yesterday it seemed there was more work than usual for me to do at the shop. Looking at the paperwork involved for today, I could see that today was going to be more, so decided I should at least get the jump on it. Besides, I could use the extra hour or two to get me closer to 40 for the week. Summer brings lighter hours for my position. The only problem is that I am pretty sore. One of the parts I delivered last night was a whole tub assembly for a washer .... a big washer. Needless to say, it had to way close to 150 pounds. Doesn't sound like much, I know, but when it is in a box about 3.5 foot square, and where the handles are, the shipping people have "broken" them (torn into the box) it makes it difficult to lift. I managed, by myself, to get it out the back of my truck, turn and take 2 steps placing it into the work van of one of the techs. You should have heard the groaning. I sat there in my truck for about 5 minutes after that stop. My right arm already was feeling the strain I put on it, as was the back. This morning, it feels like only the lower back is still feeling it. Though, after I typed that, I flexed the arm and can feel it.
The Wife tells me last night that the slight grinding we had heard on her brakes is now a full fledged, "making noise even when I am not touching the brakes" stage. I told her the only options I saw was to either take off work and take it to the garage, or wait until I can do it Saturday. You know she is going to opt for Saturday. By then we will probably have to replace the rotor as well. Great. I suppose I could save money and do it myself - I do have the know-how. I just don't think I want to sit out in 110 degree heat working ont he brakes. It's worth it to pay someone to do it.
Middle son back from camp yesterday. He had fun. The older one starts band camp next week I believe. I need to check the dates again. Registration for both of them is soon as well.
Thank goodness this week is almost over.
PeacE
This morning I need to go into work early. Yesterday it seemed there was more work than usual for me to do at the shop. Looking at the paperwork involved for today, I could see that today was going to be more, so decided I should at least get the jump on it. Besides, I could use the extra hour or two to get me closer to 40 for the week. Summer brings lighter hours for my position. The only problem is that I am pretty sore. One of the parts I delivered last night was a whole tub assembly for a washer .... a big washer. Needless to say, it had to way close to 150 pounds. Doesn't sound like much, I know, but when it is in a box about 3.5 foot square, and where the handles are, the shipping people have "broken" them (torn into the box) it makes it difficult to lift. I managed, by myself, to get it out the back of my truck, turn and take 2 steps placing it into the work van of one of the techs. You should have heard the groaning. I sat there in my truck for about 5 minutes after that stop. My right arm already was feeling the strain I put on it, as was the back. This morning, it feels like only the lower back is still feeling it. Though, after I typed that, I flexed the arm and can feel it.
The Wife tells me last night that the slight grinding we had heard on her brakes is now a full fledged, "making noise even when I am not touching the brakes" stage. I told her the only options I saw was to either take off work and take it to the garage, or wait until I can do it Saturday. You know she is going to opt for Saturday. By then we will probably have to replace the rotor as well. Great. I suppose I could save money and do it myself - I do have the know-how. I just don't think I want to sit out in 110 degree heat working ont he brakes. It's worth it to pay someone to do it.
Middle son back from camp yesterday. He had fun. The older one starts band camp next week I believe. I need to check the dates again. Registration for both of them is soon as well.
Thank goodness this week is almost over.
PeacE
Wednesday, July 16
Pet Peeve?
This is a release from Weird Al Yankovic's newest album, and quite frankly, I like it. Though I do not care for the Robin Thicke song "Blurred Lines", Al takes that extra step to make it worth listening to. Of course, I am probably breaking every rule in the song, each time I post ....
This is his other funny one, called "Tacky" based off of Pharrell's "Happy". Another song I was not fond of on the radio, but hey ... I do like Weird Al, even if I cannot stand the song over and over.
So that is all the excitement I can muster today. Off to see if I can find the album for a decent price.
PeacE
Monday, July 14
Gambling, Friends, Swollen Ankles
According to my last post, I had some kind of hidden fore-knowledge about my weekend. Not much on my to-do list got done. I blame it on my friends. Saturday after getting the middle son off to camp, I did get out and find a new pair of work shoes. Then I was hanging out with some friends for a bit. Some discussion went on, and next thing you know, we are on the way to Laughlin, NV, for the night. That was at about 6 in the evening. We ended up getting back around 2 on Sunday afternoon. Yeah, I did some betting, I am not much of a gambler. I was there to hang out more than gamble. Laughlin, though closer to Phoenix, seems to have less to offer than Vegas.
Sunday, once I was home, I did get a short nap before headed to the airport to pick up my friend's wife. Had a bite to eat on the way to her hotel, and got to visit for a bit. She is here until Friday afternoon.
My ankle is bothering me this weekend. All I can figure is that I rolled it getting in/out of my truck Thursday, as the pain had started Friday morning. After a weekend of walking around in sandals (the shoes I had on at the moment when we did the road trip) I know having not much support did not help things. Yesterday evening I could tell the top part of my foot, and ankles on both legs, were a bit swollen. The right one is pretty achey, too. This morning I see no obvious swelling (as of now) but still aches. Has to be a strain/sprain.
Nothing else to share today. I haven't heard any news yet this morning, and that usually just depresses me.
PeacE
Saturday, July 12
Murphy's Law ... or What?
It is barely past 6 ay-em and already I am wide awake, sitting at the computer, ready to share a whole lot of nothing with you. What is so unusual about that? Well, it is Saturday morning, and one of the days I generally prefer to sleep in. So what brings me to be so awake on this morning, even though I stayed up way too late last night (past midnight!)? I have no clue. Actually, I do have a guess, and that would be because the middle son is leaving this morning for camp. I am betting my mind made the simple calculation, that since the bus leaves from the church at 7:45, that we need to be there by say 7-7:15, and that would require us to be awake by say ... 6:30. So being awake and unable to snooze before 6 is not surprising the way my body seems to be. Personally, I think it is revenge for the hell I put my body through.
So, the middle son is off to camp for a week. He attended the camp last year as well, and really enjoyed it. His two older siblings had never shared a desire to attend, so he is the first to do the summer camps in our family (at least to any memory I ever have). I guess it might be one of those traits that are different between siblings.
My best friend's wife is flying into Phoenix Sunday night. She has a week long conference in her line of work (something bio/lab) and is coming out on the company dollar. Last year they had the conference here as well, and we were able to get at least a chance to have dinner with her once. This year, due to my work schedule, Sunday night is about the only chance we have this year as well. I know her husband, my friend, is a bit disappointed he could not come out with her. I know the feeling when it comes to finances, etc.
There are quite a few things I wanted to get done this morning. My van is having issues. Engine light is on, it is "chugging" at idle, and even a bit when in motion. Fuel filter? Needs a tune-up? I don't know. Autozone and O'Reilly I heard have the diagnostic thing for free to get whatever error code that the engine light is on for, so I should drive it to one of them to see. I also need to get some new shoes for work, and it wouldn't hurt to get a couple more pairs of shorts, and maybe some more t-shirts, too. Oh, and I still need to get the kitchen faucet replaced. For some reason, that did not get done last weekend. I ahve my bets that not much off my list will get done this weekend....
PeacE
So, the middle son is off to camp for a week. He attended the camp last year as well, and really enjoyed it. His two older siblings had never shared a desire to attend, so he is the first to do the summer camps in our family (at least to any memory I ever have). I guess it might be one of those traits that are different between siblings.
My best friend's wife is flying into Phoenix Sunday night. She has a week long conference in her line of work (something bio/lab) and is coming out on the company dollar. Last year they had the conference here as well, and we were able to get at least a chance to have dinner with her once. This year, due to my work schedule, Sunday night is about the only chance we have this year as well. I know her husband, my friend, is a bit disappointed he could not come out with her. I know the feeling when it comes to finances, etc.
There are quite a few things I wanted to get done this morning. My van is having issues. Engine light is on, it is "chugging" at idle, and even a bit when in motion. Fuel filter? Needs a tune-up? I don't know. Autozone and O'Reilly I heard have the diagnostic thing for free to get whatever error code that the engine light is on for, so I should drive it to one of them to see. I also need to get some new shoes for work, and it wouldn't hurt to get a couple more pairs of shorts, and maybe some more t-shirts, too. Oh, and I still need to get the kitchen faucet replaced. For some reason, that did not get done last weekend. I ahve my bets that not much off my list will get done this weekend....
PeacE
Friday, July 11
A Guy Walks Into A Bar ...
... which is why I feel a bit muddle-headed this morning. Stayed out a bit later than I meant too.
Other than that, I don't have much to add to anything today. My feet hurt. My back is a bit achy.
No major weekend plans. I am thinking about getting a new pair of work shoes. Exciting, huh?
I'll leave you with this... just because I like it.
PeacE
Other than that, I don't have much to add to anything today. My feet hurt. My back is a bit achy.
No major weekend plans. I am thinking about getting a new pair of work shoes. Exciting, huh?
I'll leave you with this... just because I like it.
PeacE
Wednesday, July 9
Searching For Service
The Daughter had moved a couple weeks ago from Tucson to Safford. A bit of an adjustment for them, as it is sort of like going from a bigger city, to a much smaller one. Driving around a bit in Safford, it seemed to have many of the amenities that the larger Tucson had: several fast food/restaurants, shopping stores (Basha's, Walmart, etc), even a Dept. of Motor Vehicles, and a Post Office! Seriously, there didn't seem to be much they should be missing from the big town.
They quickly got the propane service turned on (for their heater/water heater and range). Electricity and water are covered in the rent. Trash scheduled pick up and postal service are up and going. Lastly, it leaves cable, phone, and internet service. Both of them have cell phones, so there really is no need for a home phone. So just cable and internet. Therein lies the problem.
It seems that they are just a short distance (basically on the wrong side of the railroad tracks - literally) that the two local cable companies do not provide service for them. It comes down to satellite service, or the big phone company, Centurylink. Both providers offer a download speed for the internet of like 1-2 Mbps. Considering they were using like 20Mbps in Tucson, it is a major drop in speed for them, both of who do quite a bit of online gaming, movie streaming, etc. To get a speed similar to what they are used to, there is a data limit, which they would be past within a matter of days instead of a month.
I spent yesterday morning before work searching the internet for possible other solutions/plans in their area, and thought I had found one. I spoke to the Daughter, who later int he day asked me to send the link to her phone as they could not find what I had told her about. After looking it up after work last night, I read that at the speeds available, online gaming would not be possible. So I searched some more. As usual, I had no luck. I called and spoke to them, and I think Centurylink is their best bet. They can bundle and use DSL, and get up to 5Mbps (from what I read) which should be enough for just the two of them and their gaming. They are going to check it out more, and see if they can find possibly some other company/deal I missed. No sweat off my brow, it is them that have to go without basically until they decide what to do.
That being done yesterday, this morning I woke and did my morning routine, which includes getting on the computer to check my email. No internet connection. Spent several minutes trying to figure out why, thinking, maybe the Wife forgot to pay the bill, but I know it had been done the other day. Finally, after a few more minutes, a connection was made. I don't know why it took so much longer than usual, but at least it connected. Otherwise, I couldn't have bored you this morning.
PeacE
They quickly got the propane service turned on (for their heater/water heater and range). Electricity and water are covered in the rent. Trash scheduled pick up and postal service are up and going. Lastly, it leaves cable, phone, and internet service. Both of them have cell phones, so there really is no need for a home phone. So just cable and internet. Therein lies the problem.
It seems that they are just a short distance (basically on the wrong side of the railroad tracks - literally) that the two local cable companies do not provide service for them. It comes down to satellite service, or the big phone company, Centurylink. Both providers offer a download speed for the internet of like 1-2 Mbps. Considering they were using like 20Mbps in Tucson, it is a major drop in speed for them, both of who do quite a bit of online gaming, movie streaming, etc. To get a speed similar to what they are used to, there is a data limit, which they would be past within a matter of days instead of a month.
I spent yesterday morning before work searching the internet for possible other solutions/plans in their area, and thought I had found one. I spoke to the Daughter, who later int he day asked me to send the link to her phone as they could not find what I had told her about. After looking it up after work last night, I read that at the speeds available, online gaming would not be possible. So I searched some more. As usual, I had no luck. I called and spoke to them, and I think Centurylink is their best bet. They can bundle and use DSL, and get up to 5Mbps (from what I read) which should be enough for just the two of them and their gaming. They are going to check it out more, and see if they can find possibly some other company/deal I missed. No sweat off my brow, it is them that have to go without basically until they decide what to do.
That being done yesterday, this morning I woke and did my morning routine, which includes getting on the computer to check my email. No internet connection. Spent several minutes trying to figure out why, thinking, maybe the Wife forgot to pay the bill, but I know it had been done the other day. Finally, after a few more minutes, a connection was made. I don't know why it took so much longer than usual, but at least it connected. Otherwise, I couldn't have bored you this morning.
PeacE
Monday, July 7
Sticky, With Good Reason
This past weekend has been terribly humid, at least for those of us here int he desert called Arizona. We finally had rainfall this past Thursday night, heading into the holiday weekend. After 122 days of no rain, it was nice to get some, but as always, I forget about how "sticky" and "muggy" the air feels afterwards. In this case, it has been feeling that way all weekend. There looked to be slight chances of additional rain, but none ever happened, that I saw at least. We are still in the monsoon season, so who knows when and how much more may come.
Of course,speaking about the weekend means that today is Monday, and I am sure that many of us are returning to work today. I know I will be, in a couple hours or so. It's not that I am NOT looking forward to work, as I do like my job, I just kinda feel a bit .... blah ... this morning. No, not tired. Not sick. Well rested I would say. Maybe I just don't have a purpose yet for myself today.
I had a nice lunch with RM on Saturday. It was nice to be able and catch up a bit with her, since it has been awhile since I last had a chance to do so. Was even better we were able to do it one on one, rather than at a family get-together or whatever. Less interruption and a little more open. Not that there anything major to discuss. PT and I have a breakfast about once a month. I get lunch solo lunches with RM maybe every few months, if that. Busy schedules ...
Sunday I spent doing pretty much nothing. Watched a couple movies (nothing worth sharing) and played games on the computer. I was going to replace the kitchen faucet, but it didn't happen. I suppose I will end up doing it sometime this week after work. I hope I won't have to make a run for parts to Lowe's while in the middle of doing the job. They may be closed at that hour. I may have to wait until next weekend.
No more holidays until September, but I am fine with that. The oldest starts band camp the last week of July, so I will be making school runs then. Of course, that signals that school will be starting back up soon (mid-August) and the return of m having to get him there at 6am. Sigh. I hate those days. Only 10 more years of it ... since the two younger boys are in band as well. Yeah, they are all four years apart....
I'm out of here to go waste more time before work.
PeacE
Of course,speaking about the weekend means that today is Monday, and I am sure that many of us are returning to work today. I know I will be, in a couple hours or so. It's not that I am NOT looking forward to work, as I do like my job, I just kinda feel a bit .... blah ... this morning. No, not tired. Not sick. Well rested I would say. Maybe I just don't have a purpose yet for myself today.
I had a nice lunch with RM on Saturday. It was nice to be able and catch up a bit with her, since it has been awhile since I last had a chance to do so. Was even better we were able to do it one on one, rather than at a family get-together or whatever. Less interruption and a little more open. Not that there anything major to discuss. PT and I have a breakfast about once a month. I get lunch solo lunches with RM maybe every few months, if that. Busy schedules ...
Sunday I spent doing pretty much nothing. Watched a couple movies (nothing worth sharing) and played games on the computer. I was going to replace the kitchen faucet, but it didn't happen. I suppose I will end up doing it sometime this week after work. I hope I won't have to make a run for parts to Lowe's while in the middle of doing the job. They may be closed at that hour. I may have to wait until next weekend.
No more holidays until September, but I am fine with that. The oldest starts band camp the last week of July, so I will be making school runs then. Of course, that signals that school will be starting back up soon (mid-August) and the return of m having to get him there at 6am. Sigh. I hate those days. Only 10 more years of it ... since the two younger boys are in band as well. Yeah, they are all four years apart....
I'm out of here to go waste more time before work.
PeacE
Saturday, July 5
It Just Don't Feel Right ...
It is a Saturday, but feels like a Sunday, all on account of being off on Friday for the 4th. Really messes with my internal time clock. This also makes the second day in a row I have been up prior to the early hour of 6am, and on days that I have the opportunity to sleep in. That is frustrating. Instead I have to entertain myself with Facebook and trying to find something witty to say here. This morning wasn't so bad. At least one of the boys has arisen early to spend time with Dad (meaning, he wanted to get on the computer and get some play time in at the station next to me).
How was the 4th? Pretty much like any other "weekend" day around our house. I spent some time with some buddies. We went out to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. Surprisingly, all of us were so full we could not finish our dinners. I think this is a first, that the whole family had to do the take home trays. It was good family time!
Today no major plans. I need to drop off the Daughter's cable box. Also I am doing lunch with the Reverend Mother. I had asked her out for lunch a couple weeks ago - I had to give advance notice for her hectic schedule. I have no idea where she has decided to go. I know when we last talked, we were throwing around a few ideas: Souper Salad, Sweet Tomato's, U.S. Egg. Heck, she might even pick Denny's, though for lunch, I don't think she will. I told her I would buy lunch so she got to pick it. It will be nice to sit down and talk, just the two of us, as we have not had the chance in quite some time. Sometimes, a d00d just needs some him and momma time.
The rest of the weekend is pretty boring. I need to replace the kitchen faucet. This one has a constant dripping going on, and has for quite some time. The Wife picked out a style of faucet she wants back a couple weeks ago, but we have been so busy, I have had not had the chance to get it done. I told her I would like to get that accomplished this weekend. Will help a bit on the water bill, too.
Guess that is all I have this morning....
PeacE
How was the 4th? Pretty much like any other "weekend" day around our house. I spent some time with some buddies. We went out to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. Surprisingly, all of us were so full we could not finish our dinners. I think this is a first, that the whole family had to do the take home trays. It was good family time!
Today no major plans. I need to drop off the Daughter's cable box. Also I am doing lunch with the Reverend Mother. I had asked her out for lunch a couple weeks ago - I had to give advance notice for her hectic schedule. I have no idea where she has decided to go. I know when we last talked, we were throwing around a few ideas: Souper Salad, Sweet Tomato's, U.S. Egg. Heck, she might even pick Denny's, though for lunch, I don't think she will. I told her I would buy lunch so she got to pick it. It will be nice to sit down and talk, just the two of us, as we have not had the chance in quite some time. Sometimes, a d00d just needs some him and momma time.
The rest of the weekend is pretty boring. I need to replace the kitchen faucet. This one has a constant dripping going on, and has for quite some time. The Wife picked out a style of faucet she wants back a couple weeks ago, but we have been so busy, I have had not had the chance to get it done. I told her I would like to get that accomplished this weekend. Will help a bit on the water bill, too.
Guess that is all I have this morning....
PeacE
Friday, July 4
Independence
I think most people nowadays treat today as only a day in the middle of summer that they don't have to go to work. Others as a chance to get family together to barbecue, or go out at night and watch/set-off fireworks. I don't blame them. My family has done that, too. Lord knows I love me some good pulled pork ... hamburgers and hot dogs are dang good too!
I was thinking, how should we celebrate Independence Day? I came across this from John Adams, to his wife, Abigail:
The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.
Interesting that even then they said it should be celebrated with much fanfare. I know my household won't be doing all that this year. I think we are planning a quiet day. No family gatherings today. No plans (that I am aware of) of driving across town to watch some fireworks display tonight. We don't buy fireworks to set off ourselves, so that is out too. Yeah doesn't sound like much fun, but we will survive.
Hope y'all enjoy the day, however you spend it.
PeacE
I was thinking, how should we celebrate Independence Day? I came across this from John Adams, to his wife, Abigail:
The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.
Interesting that even then they said it should be celebrated with much fanfare. I know my household won't be doing all that this year. I think we are planning a quiet day. No family gatherings today. No plans (that I am aware of) of driving across town to watch some fireworks display tonight. We don't buy fireworks to set off ourselves, so that is out too. Yeah doesn't sound like much fun, but we will survive.
Hope y'all enjoy the day, however you spend it.
PeacE
Tuesday, July 1
Still In Recovery Mode
Last night was the first night of real rest I think I have had in three days. And I had to ruin it by getting up about an hour earlier than usual, to go to the dentist for a crown. An hour and a half later, here I am. Let's catch you up on how my weekend went...
Friday, around 1:30pm, I get a call from U-haul. According to my online reservation I put in place about 2 weeks prior, that the online reservation was not a guarantee of equipment being available. This guy confirmed it. I reserved a 14 foot truck in Tucson to be ready 8am. I was to drive the Wife's van down Friday night. Uhaul tells me they have absolutely NO TRUCKS OF ANY SIZE available, in Tucson, for Saturday morning. There was one 14 foot available, but not until 630pm, if the previous users turned it in on time, which was not an option for us. No trucks at all. So we started brainstorming, the uhaul guy and I. He said he might be able to find something in Phoenix (where I am) and I could drive it to Tucson, load it, then go to Safford and unload, then leave the truck there (the whole one way trip for the truck as I had planned). He threw in that they would upgrade me to a 20 foot truck, and they doubled the amount of miles they allotted as I was driving twice as far. I explained that the van I was to drive to Tucson was to be our ride back to Phoenix from Safford, so I needed to find out if the Daughter would be willing to drive the 3 hours one way from Safford-Phx, twice in one day, as she would need to return home. Got his number, would call him back in 15 minutes.
About 17 minutes later I call back, and of course the guy I was talking to has left for whatever reason. Explained the whole situation, the upgrades I was getting, and that I needed to know where in Phoenix to pick up the truck. She has to transfer me a different uhaul phone system as they don't have the Phoenix area (different than what the first guy told me) so I spent another 20 minutes on hold before someone answered. Another time explaining what was going on, but this guy was pretty good. he saw they had added the perks to my online rental contract. Spent another 15-20 minutes on the phone with him as he searched for any truck in Phoenix available. In the end, we did find a 20 foot truck, about 30 minutes drive from my house. Preacher Tom was kind enough to drive me there when they opened at 8am on Saturday, and I headed to Tucson.
So, already 2-3 hours behind the original time schedule I had in my head, we are loading the truck up. The Daughter and Fiance are coming out of a 1 bedroom on the second floor, so stairs. And I couldn't get the truck close, so we had to walk about 40 yards to/from the stairs. Any closer, and I closed off traffic to the complex in that area. Five of us. That was all there was for most of the time. They had one friend show up, and he helped for a bit, but then needed to leave. There was no way a 14 foot truck would have held the amount of stuff they had. *This is where Reverend Mother says something about how God made our plans be all messed up so he could make sure we had the bigger truck*
By near 8pm, everything was loaded, apartment was cleaned, and we were getting on the road for the two hour drive to Safford. They had got this apartment through word of mouth from his parents, and it was a converted building/warehouse south of the actual town. The drive, I was told, was marked by some reflectors on posts on either side of the drive, and if you saw the Church of Christ, we went too far. Luckily, having had much experience with directions like these, I found the place (they all were behind me, I was int he truck). Being about 10:30'ish, we unloaded just enough to get out their mattress. Then they gave us a ride into one of the local hotels I had picked out from online for a room. The oldest boy stayed with the Wife and I in town. Sunday we had it all unloaded in a matter of about three hours. Dropped the truck off at the location I needed to, and spent the night at the hotel again. Monday morning, the Fiance started his new job, and as soon as he was gone, the Daughter picked us up and drove back to Phoenix. Made it home about 9:30am, in time to change shirts, get in the truck and go to work for me. The Wife had the day off.
Needless to say, the hotel we stayed at wasn't 5-star, but their beds had much comfort to be desired. I had seen sheets of paper that were thicker than the pillows, and lain on boards that were softer than the bed. But it was decently priced, and in a close location the the apartment. What is important is that they got moved, even if I had to do all the hard stuff to make sure it got done (drive the truck, make the truck rental, deal with the arranging of the truck). I am sure we spent a pretty penny in costs that the Wife offered to help with in the move too.
I feel more tired now having to sort of relive that while typing. Ugh. Almost time for work.
PeacE
Friday, around 1:30pm, I get a call from U-haul. According to my online reservation I put in place about 2 weeks prior, that the online reservation was not a guarantee of equipment being available. This guy confirmed it. I reserved a 14 foot truck in Tucson to be ready 8am. I was to drive the Wife's van down Friday night. Uhaul tells me they have absolutely NO TRUCKS OF ANY SIZE available, in Tucson, for Saturday morning. There was one 14 foot available, but not until 630pm, if the previous users turned it in on time, which was not an option for us. No trucks at all. So we started brainstorming, the uhaul guy and I. He said he might be able to find something in Phoenix (where I am) and I could drive it to Tucson, load it, then go to Safford and unload, then leave the truck there (the whole one way trip for the truck as I had planned). He threw in that they would upgrade me to a 20 foot truck, and they doubled the amount of miles they allotted as I was driving twice as far. I explained that the van I was to drive to Tucson was to be our ride back to Phoenix from Safford, so I needed to find out if the Daughter would be willing to drive the 3 hours one way from Safford-Phx, twice in one day, as she would need to return home. Got his number, would call him back in 15 minutes.
About 17 minutes later I call back, and of course the guy I was talking to has left for whatever reason. Explained the whole situation, the upgrades I was getting, and that I needed to know where in Phoenix to pick up the truck. She has to transfer me a different uhaul phone system as they don't have the Phoenix area (different than what the first guy told me) so I spent another 20 minutes on hold before someone answered. Another time explaining what was going on, but this guy was pretty good. he saw they had added the perks to my online rental contract. Spent another 15-20 minutes on the phone with him as he searched for any truck in Phoenix available. In the end, we did find a 20 foot truck, about 30 minutes drive from my house. Preacher Tom was kind enough to drive me there when they opened at 8am on Saturday, and I headed to Tucson.
So, already 2-3 hours behind the original time schedule I had in my head, we are loading the truck up. The Daughter and Fiance are coming out of a 1 bedroom on the second floor, so stairs. And I couldn't get the truck close, so we had to walk about 40 yards to/from the stairs. Any closer, and I closed off traffic to the complex in that area. Five of us. That was all there was for most of the time. They had one friend show up, and he helped for a bit, but then needed to leave. There was no way a 14 foot truck would have held the amount of stuff they had. *This is where Reverend Mother says something about how God made our plans be all messed up so he could make sure we had the bigger truck*
By near 8pm, everything was loaded, apartment was cleaned, and we were getting on the road for the two hour drive to Safford. They had got this apartment through word of mouth from his parents, and it was a converted building/warehouse south of the actual town. The drive, I was told, was marked by some reflectors on posts on either side of the drive, and if you saw the Church of Christ, we went too far. Luckily, having had much experience with directions like these, I found the place (they all were behind me, I was int he truck). Being about 10:30'ish, we unloaded just enough to get out their mattress. Then they gave us a ride into one of the local hotels I had picked out from online for a room. The oldest boy stayed with the Wife and I in town. Sunday we had it all unloaded in a matter of about three hours. Dropped the truck off at the location I needed to, and spent the night at the hotel again. Monday morning, the Fiance started his new job, and as soon as he was gone, the Daughter picked us up and drove back to Phoenix. Made it home about 9:30am, in time to change shirts, get in the truck and go to work for me. The Wife had the day off.
Needless to say, the hotel we stayed at wasn't 5-star, but their beds had much comfort to be desired. I had seen sheets of paper that were thicker than the pillows, and lain on boards that were softer than the bed. But it was decently priced, and in a close location the the apartment. What is important is that they got moved, even if I had to do all the hard stuff to make sure it got done (drive the truck, make the truck rental, deal with the arranging of the truck). I am sure we spent a pretty penny in costs that the Wife offered to help with in the move too.
I feel more tired now having to sort of relive that while typing. Ugh. Almost time for work.
PeacE
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