It's just short of the 8am hour, and I am up already this morning. The alarm did its job of awakening me :at  just as I had programmed it. I am the only one awake in the house (aside from the pets). Is this my alone time? Not really, but it sort of is. I know the Wife won't get up until 9, or later, and the Youngest? He was up until at least 2:30 this morning, so I doubt I will see his face before afternoon.

The past couple of days have passed by without notice from me. I have been in a "blank state" where I just don't care. I know I went out Thursday for 'Buddies night' but I wasn't much for conversation. Friday I popped into the VFW, but didn't stay long there either. Yesterday was spent at home, as I presume today will.

Well, I guess I should get on with doing nothing.

PeacE

What a Pain in the ... Head?

 The alarm went off at 6am, as it does every day. I rolled over and shut it off, as I do every day. Then I lay there, and think about what I would like to accomplish that day. Throw that list away, and make another of what NEEDS to be done that day. Throw that away, and just lay there enjoying the comfort of a warm bed, on a somewhat chilly Arizona morning. It has been a bit cooler due to the rain and winds we have had the past couple of days. My allergies tell me that they really appreciated the wind. Between yesterday, and this morning already, I have blown my nose so much that it is tender to the touch. And my eyes? They just won't stop running.

The Wife rolled out of bed, and went to wake the Youngest for school. She is gone for maybe 30 seconds and comes back. Says to me that she was going to ask me to take him to early hour for school today, as her head was hurting (migraine) but he had actually met her in the hallway, saying his head was hurting bad today and wanted to call-in for school. It is supposed to be cloudy/partly cloudy today, and these types of days, especially with rain, or more drastic than normal temp changes, tend to through the family into headache turmoil. The Wife moreso than the boys, but Youngest gets them frequently, and I know the Oldest Son has gotten them time to time. So the Wife took some pills, and went to lay down for another hour before having to force herself to work. Youngest will get a call in to the school, and probably spend most, if not all, day in bed resting. Me? Obviously I am up and at the computer.

It's Thirsty Thursday, and as is the norm, I will probably be meeting up with some buddies. I will know more for sure around 3pm, as that is when one of them ALWAYS texts our group chat if anyone wants to have a couple beers. He's a dork, but we put up with him <laugh>. I am sure they say the same of me.

I did get my reviews caught up on my books read. I even put out a couple more requests for more. I am hoping to finish up reading another today. Depends on how much into Warcraft I feel like playing today.

Welp, I am gonna get outta here for now, I guess. Nothing really flitting across my thoughts.

PeacE

Well, Blow Me Down!

 The winds today are definitely going to try that, if I were to make an appearance outside the domicile. We had notice last night of incoming rain with high gusting winds winds through most of the morning, and into the afternoon. It is about noon now, and I still hear the winds playing havoc with the Wife's wind chimes. They are just under the eave on the back porch, but they are getting some good movement even as I look out the window at them. The rains were hear early this morning, as the sound of heavy drops hitting woke me - though I do not recall at what time. Somewhere before 6am is all I could affirm to. I've already seen some reports of trees being blown down north of the Valley, where they are also getting snow, and closing/limiting the traffic on sometimes the only main state highway to get into those areas. The Wife has a brother that lives up north, and they have been commenting on the "family chat" messages about the weather there, then the other brothers/wives commenting on where they are (all out of state). Drivel. Pure drivel.

Which is what you expect here most days, and today I am hitting the mark for it. Nothing of excitement has happened in the past two days. I have no plans of anything to come. I did message an Uncle back in Indiana, about if they were planning a family get together this year or not. The Wife and would like to get back to see family before we get too old. Maybe take the Youngest with us, but not sure what we will do about the pets. It's all in speculation mode until the uncle gets back to me. If no trip there, looks like I will be going to North Dakota for Country Fest. Sawyer Brown is playing there this year, and I would love to see them in concert. Few other big country acts as well, just don't remember off the top of my head.

When it rains, ... Books. How my Dad and RM instilled the reading gene in me, I'll never know, but am glad I have it. I have got too many books going on that I *WANT* to read. I also have a few in my *HAVE* to read (as they were eARCs and require I share a public review). Then I still have that other set of *GOING* to reads. Just before writing this paragraph, I did shoot off a review for one of the eARCs, but unfortunately, was not a positive review. I rarely have to write one of those thank goodness. This book just could not get my interest, or attention, even after several tries. Though, the blurb about the story sounded good, and the artwork was nice. I have another I started already, and have a couple more in the request chain. I may be busy doing reviews for a couple weeks, before returning to my current regular reads.

Welp, I guess I am off to go check on my book sites now that I have mentioned reading. Need to check if any of the ones I'm waiting on have come out, or anything new I can request to read.

PeacE

Banker's Holiday

 President's Day. What a joke. Nothing more than a Federal government day-off, that Banks and many other companies use. Schools, too, as the Youngest is home today. I have never worked a job that got this day off.

I'm still a bit groggy this morning. Slept good though.

Had a good dinner out with the three boys last night. Went to Chili's. Wife got to see the car the Oldest has gotten.

The potato salad was good RM. It's all gone already. She was a bit upset (I'm reading into the comment she made) that I was not here when she came by though. But, my car needed a wash, and I had already made plans to be somewhere else. Sorry!

That's about all I got today. Got a good sale going on at the discount grocery (20% off my purchases with ad) so should probably finish getting ready to face the public. Need to stop by one of the other dollar stores and see about some new reading glasses - my last pair broke.

PeacE

I'll Do It Tomorrow

 Today is already feeling like one of those days. You know, where you know you should spend the time getting things done that need to get done, but you just want to put it off. I have several 'little' projects I want to complete, and as I lay in bed last night before falling asleep, I was doing my best to talk myself into getting these few things done today. Not that they are important, but would be helpful, and nice.

Yardwork. The never ending chore (CURSE!) needs to be completed. Though not necessarily needing mowed, but the weeds need to be pulled. It seems half the yard is weeds, and they grow faster than any of the grass. Especially with the day of rain we got early this week. Usually the Wife does the weed pulling. But there are other things that need to be done, like trimming up around her flowers, getting the grass out of the cracks (lines) of the sidewalk and driveway. And this is probably the best weather to do it, as you know in a couple months when it is 90-100 there is no chance you will find us out there doing this kind of work.

I need to work in the family office room as well. My desk is starting to get a little cluttered, and could use some straightening. I have some boxes that have kind of gotten set off to the side from Christmas packages, that need to be emptied of whatever I have set in them (to get off my desk) and then taken out. At some point I need to get some breakfast in me as well. I just took my meds, and I know within the hour my stomach will be issuing loud alarms that it needs sustenance. That, and the waves of nausea that will be right behind it. As long as I eat something, it is fine. In fact, kinda looking forward to RM bringing by some potato salad she made yesterday.

Guess I should close this off and force myself to get started on those things I should not put off til tomorrow....

PeacE

An Expensive Morning

 I was awake, dressed and out the door at 7:40 this morning, to pick up the Oldest Son at his apartment. We had talked yesterday, and made some decisions about his current vehicle issues. While the car that was stolen is still in the repair shop, he made the decision to go ahead and get a newer vehicle. This morning I was picking him to run down to a particular dealership that had used vehicles of the make/model he wanted, within his price range. We were in and out of there in about 2 1/2 hours - way better than the 3-4 I had to do each time on my vehicles. Of course, getting there moments after they opened, on a weekday, was a wise decision. And today started their President's Day sale for the weekend as well. He is now an owner of a 2021 Toyota Rav4 XLE that is metallic grey in color (like my first Rav was) and has a few more bells & whistles than my Rav4 has, but okay. With some haggling, we go the price down about $6,000 from the first offer. Still, all said and done, it was a hefty price (thanks inflation). Of course, I was along to drive him there, and assist if needed for anything. And I had the checkbook (Son had not ordered checks recently for his account). Of course, Mom & Dad are helping a little with the financials, but most of the cost he has covered. He has done well saving up.

By the way, RM, I'll let him do the bragging about the new vehicle... but I had to post about it somewhere. My boy is getting all growed up. He is even taking over his own insurance costs as of now. If we could get him to do that with his cell phone, he would be cut of any financial ties.... sigh. Someday soon. I know right now he is much more relaxed. He has been stressing about the whole situation for a couple months, and this helps ease his mind (mine too). When his other car is out of the repair shop, and the insurance has completed their portion of the costs, the Wife and I are talking about 'buying' it from the Son. Maybe it will encourage the Youngest to get his permit finally, and it can be his when he finishes high school. Not quite sure what plans are at this exact moment.

So, once papers were signed, car washed and detailed, Son took me to lunch. We went to a place called Little Miss BBQ. Wife and I had been there once about a year ago, and we really liked the food. Son had never been, so I suggested it. A little pricey, but REALLY GOOD - and hey, he was buying. He loves the place now as well. Plus we got to sit and visit for a bit more.

I came home, and emailed our insurance person, passing along Son's contact info for them to get in touch with each other about getting his new policy set up. Now I am just kind of relaxing, a little. This truly is one stress off my mind, knowing that the Son has reliable (and better theft-proof) vehicle, and his stress is much less due to the situation as well. I know RM can relate to the stress parents have about the stress their children have.

I am truly feeling much better. I think this time I have taken/taking to help get things 'sorted out' has been working well. Still have much I need to "do" ... but it is getting there.

PeacE

Late to the Game

 Heard that phrase before? It just popped into my head this morning as I lay in bed, debating on if I should get up or try to roll over and go back to sleep. The Wife's (first) alarm went off about 5:45, and woke me. Which is good, in a away. That means I slept good last night with no middle of the night waking up and having to do something until I was tired again. But back to topic.

I guess it is how you use the phrase as to what it could mean. One way could be that you are slow to understand something, like a joke, or how to perform a job function. I could see it being extended to implying someone is mentally challenged. I actually thought this about myself this morning. As I contemplated the worthiness of rising from the sheets, I thought of a couple things I wanted to do today. One was get on my Spotify account and add a couple songs to my lists. I had been watching some Youtube 'shorts' and came across a couple songs that were used in the background for a few of them. Hey, sometimes you find new music you like in the weirdest places....

So, as I booted up Spotify and looked up the first one (I had written them down, because, you know, my memory). I had heard the song a few times before writing it on my list, and I see on Spotify it had a few million 'listened to' notes. I thought, well, I'm a bit late to this game (meaning to find the song and like it). I just looked up the video on Youtube (Mr. Red White and Blue) and see it was added eight years ago. Oh my, maybe I am a bit late to the game.... The second one wasn't as bad. It actually was just released in January 2023, so no lateness there. In case you are interested (Runs in the Water). 

One of the features I like in Spotify, is every Monday they release a 'Discover Weekly' list of songs based on the type of music I have 'liked'. Fridays, they do a 'New Releases' list of artists I 'follow'. It's a good way to find new music by artists I like, and ones I have never heard of. Of course, there is always the regular way (listening to the radio) but I haven't done that in ages now that I can choose what I want to  listen to while in the car. I try to go through both lists at least once a week. Then I also "share" music with ,y two younger Sons. We linked each other, and each week it updates the list of 50-100 songs that we either individually like, or just one of us likes. I skip through listening to the ones that they like. Interesting some of the things they listen to, but they probably think the same of my music, even if we do have many of the same likes/types.

So now you know how I will be spending at least an hour of my morning. No major plans the rest of the day. Raid on Warcraft tonight.

PeacE

Another Hallmark Holiday

 It is Valentines Day. Another holiday created to line the pockets of card and candy makers around the world. The Wife and I gave up getting each other gifts specifically for the holiday many years ago. I expect this year to be the same, as I have no plans to get out of the house to go find anything.

Sunday was okay. I had a good time hanging out with friends, though did not win any monies from the square bets. The game was okay. The commercials - just didn't have the feel like they usually do. Or maybe it was me. Shrug. Whatever. I did end up calling the Wife after the game to come pick me up. I was going to Lyft home, but the usual $13.00 trip has rocketed up to $40+, and a longer wait time.

Just a short story for you today. The Wife was giving me the ride up to the pub on Sunday, and we passed one of those corner stands where they sell the pre=packaged Valentines basket thingies. Wife asked if she should turn around and go back, so I could get her a basket for Valentines Day, and I gave her the 'shocked' look and said "At those prices?!?". She simply replied, "True. I would rather have a dozen eggs."

PeacE

Super Bowel Sumday

 See what I did there?  No it is not a sign that I really had to use the bathroom this morning., though I will share I had a very large BM yesterday. Felt good.

So I have no team participating in today's sporting events. I will. however, be going up to the pub and watching the game (and commercials). Supposed to have a fairly good sized group of friends up to watch as well. I will have the Wife drop me off, and either have a friend drive me home, or use Lyft later. The pub is less than ten miles from the stadium where the game is being played - I have no desire to even tempt any police on the road. I know I have one friend that had issues planning his route home, as he lives SW of where we are meeting. He finally figured out the best route, which involves avoiding the freeways, and any major street out near the stadium. I'm am sure that will be a mess come end of game.

I heard from the oldest Son last Friday after I messaged him, inquiring about the car situation. He said the insurance finally got the car to the repair facility at 5:30pm on Friday. So nothing will be started until Monday. This is almost two weeks after he said to have it repaired. Most of the cost is out of pocket due to deductible, but still will improve trade-in value, and give him a set of wheels again. He did say he is leaning to trading it in. Get something that has the key chip, so this doesn't happen again.

The RM and PT drove to Tucson yesterday to visit with my Daughter and family. As I read her blog this morning, I was happy she was enjoying the visit, even with the sourpuss along. I will have to check with the Wife and Daughter and see what plans are going on and plan our own trip down for a day ro something soon.

Welp, I got a short bit of time before needing to head out. 

PeacE

Side Effects

 It is going to be a long one. That could mean this night, or it could mean my Thursday. After all, it is nearly 3am Thursday morning, and here I am, sitting at the computer and not sleeping. Not that I had much choice - about the sleeping anyways. I feel like I am slipping back to those days when I would get bouts of insomnia. I could figure out no reason why I would have them, and once they would disappear, I still could not find out how/why. Though, they have come back several times, with varying amounts of time in-between.

So, since I am awake, I figured maybe I could be more productive than just trying to watch videos, or episodes of shows, and decided I need to "catch up" on my notebooks I keep here by the computer. I mean, don't we all do that? Have notebooks by the computer to make notes in, whether it is a show we are interested in, a book, maybe a name to research later. I have actually 3 books here at my side. One is the 'quick note, and maybe move to important notebook later, or just scratch it out' one. Most pages have notes about company work (hours, project info), some book titles, some movies/television shows that look interesting, and jots of Warcraft notes (where to find certain items, how to do a certain feat, etc). The second book is my daily readings one - where I record (when I do them) my glucose and blood pressure readings. BTW, both are doing fairly well. BP average is in the -ish range of 150-75. The glucose count is usually between 140-160, though some times higher depending if I ate certain foods the day before. I'm still learning by trial and error, or reading online, about what foods are better to keep that count lower. But sometimes, dammit, I just need my sweet tea, or my Mtn Dew. 

The third book is my 'special one'. It is one of those spiral 3-subject ones and I have it broken down. The first section is my BOOKS section. Here I list book titles with author for upcoming releases I want to watch for, and if I have a release date, it is usually there as well. I use my ARC request sites to not only get these books early (when approved) but to keep abreast of  new releases (especially if it is in a series I started). This section is followed by FAVORITE AUTHORS, which is pretty much self defined. Whether they had a series or a stand alone novel, I just list the author name. I use this to help search for new releases, in case it isn't on a list somewhere. Most of the time, I also have a saved folder in Google where I store the author's website - to additionally help me check for newer releases from them. Some don't have websites (in this day and age?!? SHOCKED, I tell you!) so this list is handy.

The final section is my MOVIES and TV SHOWS one. I kind of have it split in two, in a way. The front is a list of movies that maybe the trailer looked interesting, or it is one I have been expecting at some point. I usually go through this list once a month by putting the names in Netflix to see if it is loaded into their system, even if it is not 'instant play'. If it is in their system, I save it to my queue, then mark it out of the book. Yeah, I use Netflix as a movie check when I want to watch one, as I have a couple other sites that I am able to watch newer movies and television shows on, free of charge. So the TV Show list is pretty much the same way, though I think there are only two shows on it right now. I'm not ready to start a new series, seeing how I have like seven in the works right now, and some of them have 8+ seasons to watch. Can't sit here watching the screen all day....

Welp, as you can see, I have rambled on this morning. Mostly because I have naught else I feel like really doing. And I am wide awake. The four melatonin tabs I took just aren't working to 'relax' me to easier sleeping mode. Either way, I can't think of anything else worth writing about now.

PeacE

It Truly Was ...

 ... a no-football Sunday this week. I had went on up to the pub about an hour before the scheduled game time, not knowing for sure if the other guys were going to be there or not. One showed up just minutes before the game, and we settled down to watch it. Note, I had been watching the 'pre-game' stuff, as I had my book with me. What in the tarnation was this fiasco I saw on the television? Flag football? Huh?!? Seriously, if you did not watch the Pro-Bowl, you weren't watching it anyways. Four different "games of flag football, and a handful of other 'events' to show off which division was better (AFC/NFC). It was like watching celebrities play professional sports. There was no competition per se. I understand that these guys make millions of dollars, and don't want to jeopardize their futures by a possible injury, but ...but ...sigh. I was embarrassed to be seen actually watching that drivel.

Welcome to the Tuesday version of my week. Yeah. It's not much different than yesterday, except I actually wrote something here today. The leg is pretty much back to normal. I'm still working on my mental issues. I feel like right now I have this huge list of things I need to get accomplished, not necessarily today, but the sooner the better. Except, I don't want to 'adult' and do them. One is a new ceiling fan for our bedroom. The light fixture of it quit working, but the fan is fine. Granted it is the 'major' light in the room, we can bet by with end table lamps for now. Mainly because aside from having to go to the store and purchase a new fan, it will probably end up being just me to install it. Not a big deal, unless you picture my fat ass standing on my bed to reach the ceiling and get it done. Maybe I should wait until one of the older boys can help me with it - ya know, so I can make them do the physical work of it all.

Another thing on my list is trying to find an RV or fifth wheel that is able to be rented for the ND Country Fest I am going to this year. A couple friends and I are going, and we determined it would be cheaper to get an RV rental to be dropped off/picked up at the Fest. We got the VIP site for a good cost. Now to find an RV. So far most places I checked have none available for that time frame. I need to spend more time getting this done now, before it becomes too close to July to even think about it. I know I am not the only one of the group going that could do this, but probably by far easiest for me to do it.

It's been another early morning. In bed around 10 last night, and up around 3 this morning. I spent some time watching the idiotic videos on FB, and then went through some of my book sites. Not much else to take care of this morning, so I guess I got the time to look for that RV.

PeacE

A No-Football Sunday

 I'm at a bit of a loss this morning. I had spent what seemed quite a bit of the night trying to fall asleep, when at 6:55AM my phone alarm goes off. What? I didn't set the alarm last night? And why is it set for such a weird time? I don't know, but it was, it did, and I laid there in bed all of two minutes, knowing that I was not going back to sleep. Sigh. So it was "up and at 'em" even if I am still a bit groggy.

The leg has gotten much better. Still a bit sensitive to the touch, but not in a painful way. I am marking it as 'healed up' and moving on. My mental fog I have been working through actually feels somewhat better as well. I wonder if it is the lack of stress helping that out, or me just working on things and straightening that mental closet. I don't know, but hopefully within the next week I will feel better enough to get back into the work habit.

I woke, and when I got around to writing here this morning, I figured it was a no-football Sunday, meaning no games until the Superflush next week. Well, I was wrong. While I ate a couple bites of breakfast, I realized that the Pro Bowl is today. Not that I care at all. I will have to text out to the buddies and see if they are meeting up to watch. We didn't discuss it last week, concentrating on details for SB next week.

Middle Son stopped by yesterday for literally a quick moment. Last weekend he had gone down to Tucson to visit his Sister and family. I guess she sent him home with some leftover broccoli and cheese soup (YUCK!) for the Wife, so he stopped yesterday and dropped it off. When the Wife was mentioning this to me, I started to interrupt her to remind him that he and his brother both have packages here. I guess she says she did tell him, and he mentioned he would back 'in the next couple days' to get them. I'm hoping it is not today if I decide to meet up with the buddies as I would like to see him.

So as you see, I have really exciting stuff going on, and I guess I should get to the bathroom and get all gussied up for my day.

PeacE

The Mental Fog Rolls On ....

 Welcome to the first hour of Thursday morning in the Mountain Standard Time zone. I'm awake (still) and decided laying in bed listening to the Wife sleep was not doing me any good. So here I am in front of the computer trying to figure out what 1) to do to help make me sleepy, 2) is wrong with me. Now, now ... don't go jumping in there on the #2 with things that you could definitely say about me that would fit your way of thinking.

The leg is doing better. The tightness of skin, fever, and pain at the softest of touches has slowly been going away. It is not as 'red' as it looked a few nights ago, though, both legs have some slight discoloration that the Wife has commented is probably due to the bad circulation I have in them. The area still feels tender pain when slightly prodded, and that area has spread out a little, but not much. Overall, I would say it is fixing itself with me just not bearing weight (as much as possible) on it.

My mental state is still 'foggy'. I don't know how to describe it, even if I were to see a psychologist. I know it is not my meds as the diabetes/blood pressure/cholesterol pills have been the same dosage for several months now. I have actually been drinking less alcohol than what was 'normal' for me, so I don't think that is it. I have been doing some self-analyzing of what life experiences that I have been through in the last month or so, and the only thing I can think of is some form of mental stress. Maybe combined with some physical stress as well. I have been pushing myself to change some life habits (trying to eat healthier, smaller portions; drinking alcohol less, and more water; adjusting my diet to have less sugars; et cetera). 

That also includes things that I do outside of work. I got into Warcraft a little more, and since the boys and I are in the same guild in-game, I joined the Raid team, that performs twice a week in the evenings. That helps keep me home, and not at the bar. Though, I admit, I stress a little as I am not as "gung-ho" like so many of the team are, and my character is not as geared up, nor producing the damage levels that they are. It's a work in progress. I've been trying to catch up on more of the unwatched TV series (about nine of them currently) and other movies through the streaming services I have, just to stay home more. There is still a limit as to how much media I can watch though, even interspersing it with gaming, or reading.

Yesterday I emailed into work again, and explained that I had some health related issues I needed to address, as they were affecting my ability to perform my job duties as needed. I requested that they just remove me from this project and I would contact Recruiting when I was ready/able to return after a short break (hopefully). The Manager messaged back that if needed they could adjust my working hours to something that would fit my needs, but I said no. I did not share more as to why, but I just can't seem to stay focused when working. My mind wanders off to the twenty-million other things running through it, and I can't concentrate on the information I am going through. I think I will break for a week for now, and see if this helps get my head back on straight.

I realized later this past evening, that I felt less stressed just a little. The Wife and I had talked about my mental well-being Tuesday night, and agreed to some of the steps I mentioned above. Work issue for sure, and she knows I have been working on the other things.

The Oldest Son finally heard from the insurance company about his vehicle. It took them nearly a month to get a valuation on the damages when it was stolen. They said that there were issues in physically locating the car within the Phoenix Police that caused the delay. Sounds to me like the police didn't properly record where it had been towed to, just the same as they never contacted my Son that it had been recovered at all. Anyways, according to the list they sent the Son, some minor front bumper damage, obviously the steering column and key mechanism, a back door window broken, 4-wheel alignment needed, and interior cleaning (guessing the glass, plus the window being broken for the past  month plus). Overall, with labor, they quoted damages at just over $1,000. Yeah. The deductible is $1,000. Go figure. We messaged a bit about it, then he asked what I think he should do. Get it fixed. You need wheels, and it has been a month plus since you have had any. Use it to save up some more money, then use it as a trade-in. One of his fears is the "party" that stole it from his apartment complex, if they live there, and see it back, would they steal it again knowing how easy it was the last time? Though, I told him that works with any vehicle, his or not. Though, his being a 2017, why didn't have the chipped key, so it wouldn't start if they didn't have the key? Answers I just don't have...

Well, with no work tomorrow, I need to figure out what I am going to do. Oldest and Middle Sons have had a few bits of mail, plus some packages arrive here they have not picked up, so I may call and run that over to them. Maybe can do a brunch with them - I don't know. At some point here in the next week the front needs mowed again. There's always my books to read, Warcraft to play, and internet surfing that won't get done if I don't do it, too.

Happy Thursday. I'm off to do some gaming for a bit, and hope it helps me sleep.

PeacE