Day One

 I have been trying to quit smoking cigarettes the past few days. Today it is Day one, as the last two days I ended up having part of one, but it still counts. I made it to about 6pm yesterday, so my hopes are today that I will go all day. I read somewhere that it only takes three days to get over any nicotine addiction, but can take "forever" to change the habits that make us smoke. I had done it before years ago and lasted just over a year. The problem back then was friends smoked, and the bar was allowed smoking inside. Dating my self, but it is what it is...

I didn't really do much yesterday. I did go to my Support/AA group (big book study) and my Home group (welcome newcomers). I had meant to attend another one in the evening where one of the guys from my home group was going to share his story as a speaker, but I lost track of time playing video games and missed it.

Today, nothing on the calendar but I know I need to get the Agenda for Tuesday's House/Entertainment meeting completed and sent. I need to get an email out to the Riders as the Riders dinner is Friday, plus the info from the Convention. Plus play video games.

Okay, I admit it. I still need to chop up veggies as well. Make a quart (or two) of pickles and chill/freeze the others. Good healthy snack food. Gotta keep that weight down!

Bulk trash is tomorrow. The Wife and Youngest got most of the stuff ready and part of it to the curb yesterday. Wife had reached out to the Boys (they live in town) to see if either of the two older ones could help out. Oldest said he would be here this morning, but no sign of him yet and she isn't going to call him. He offered to help at her request and she feels like it would be placing him on a guilt trip. Which, in away, it would be - or a shaming. Today it is mostly hauling the large bags of grass, etc. from the back yard. I tried, but honestly ... I could hardly lift a bag, let alone carry it to the street. I miss my muscles.

Guess I should close this out today. I need to do some quiet time with God and there's a meeting at 11am I'll end up at.

PeacE

*YAWN*

 I'll take the middle ground, I guess, as if I had a choice. Didn't wake until about 6:20 this morning - so I got an extra hour, but not really since I went to bed an hour later, trying to be tired enough to sleep to the alarm time. Oh well. Feeling tired this morning, even though I did not take a sleeping pill. This morning might require a nap at some point.

So I'm up, at my desk, and doing my daily checks (BP, glucose) and taking the handful of pills (and one liquid), I hear the Youngest talking a bit more than normal when he is awake at this hour. Seems he is on Discord while playing a game online. Had the Daughter, Oldest Son, Youngest Son, and a friend of theirs all talking while playing the game together. I jumped in to just say morning, especially to Oldest, as I rarely see him.

Calendar is empty today. I guess I will be playing "Where Winds Meet" for most of the day. It is a freebie game I found several weeks ago, based in ancient China. I am just amazed at the level of gameplay and graphics... and even the story line! At least it is free!

Not much to talk about today. I did pretty much gaming yesterday, plus my meeting. Had a nice surprise when the Wife came home last night. Seems RM had swung by her work with some food stuff, and some beef sticks for me! Thanks Mom! Some grapes, cherries, lettuce, green onions .... am not sure what else. Some snacky food that's healthy.

Welp, I'm outta here to spend some time talking to the kiddos!

PeacE

Welp, I tried ...

 Friday late in the afternoon was my doctor appointment. As usual, I show up fifteen minutes early (habit) and sath the expected five minutes vefore begin called back. Weighed in (heavier than last month - wonder why) then sat in the room for an unexpected 20 minutes before the doc came in. Things were short and to the point. Decided to add another pill for the HBP. It shold help get it lowered to where we (meaning the doc) feels it is at a more comfortable level. We talked about the metformin - and as expected due to my glucose readings, the doc wants to double it up. That's when I asked about the extended release version. He took a couple minutes and looked it up right there in the room, and said that it was available for that level of prescription, and that he would do that when the order was placed. Then I sat there for another 25 minutes (very much unexpected) while they called in my new 'scripts, and gave me my appoiontment results. Overall I was in there over an hour - where usually I am in and out in like 25 minutes. Weird.

Saturday I went to the Walgreens near our house. I needed to drop off the bottles for new prescription refills for a couple of the pills I take, and sai dI would be back to pick them and the new ones up. Took the Wife out to breakfast at Ronnies (one of our faves) and did the bank run for the Wife. Went back to Walgreens to find out that one of the new scripts was not approved by the insurance. Of course - it is the extended release metformin-type (I forget the actual name off the top of my head). When asked the cost outside insurance....over $2000 for the 3-month suppply that was scripted. Yeah, not paying out of pocket for that. The pharmacy had tried to contact the office, but it was late day Friday (I left the doctor's around 4:05pm) so they had not gotten a response at the time. I guess I will be calling this morning to explain and see if the doc can change it back to the non-extended release, or if there is a generic or something. Other than that, I got the three other pills.

Last week I ordered a new video game. I know, I don't play them often, but this was one that I had offhand been wanting to try for years - Grand Theft Auto V. I had amassed a whopping $30 gift code for Amazon by doing online surveys this past month, and the game was $29 and change, so bought it for the PC. My PC is a few years old. Still works great for everything I need, even if I have been ddebating getting a newer one. But my DVD/CD-Writer drive is compromised somehow. When playing a DVD it will occasionally just stop, but will resume once prompted. I found out, GTZ V is a 7-disc install, and it won't get past disc one, due to reading disc failure. I figured the drive had finally seen its end. I ordered a new one this weekend, and it showed up late yesterday. Today I will be dismantling the PC, and putting int he new one, then hopefully loading up the new game.

It is a Monday, and things will somewhat return to normal. Except that the Youngest is out of school this week. I think Wednesday is his last day. I will have to have him help plan out our little family vacation this year. Maybe put him in charge of the hotel search near the amusement park - finding one fairly inexpensive, but nice, etc. That will give him something to do than sleep all day. Though I know it will probably only take him less than a day to find someplace. Sigh.

Guess I am starting to ramble, which we sure don't want to happen too much.

PeacE

Monday Morning Musings

 Of course, the phone makes the noise of notification at 5am this morning. It is a distinctive one I set up so I know when I have an email, versus just a text, or other kind of notification. I was hoping for one early today, but when I opened one eye to check it, the email was not the one I was hoping to receive. It was "junk" mail. The one I was hoping for was from the Company, saying they had a new project I had been assigned to, and here are the details when we are starting.

I laid there a moment, thinking I should roll over and nap until the alarm goes off, but the bladder was pretty insistent I get up. So I did, and once that problem was taken care of, went ahead and decided to stay up for the day since I was on my feet. I deleted the junk email, and wrote one up and sent it off to the Company, reminding them I am now available for my next project. Hope to hear something later today.

I am in the process of downloading a game this morning. There is this 'platform' (?) called Steam, that you can purchase games through, and the Daughter had recommended a couple that looked interesting. I picked the $4.99 one and is working on being transferred to my computer as we speak. It is large enough in size it should take about an hour - I have slow d/l speeds. Daughter mentioned she plays it with a Playstation controller, on her PC. I knew one could do that, but have you seen those controllers? There are buttons all over, and two joysticks to have to use... I just never had the dexterity? hand control? patience? to learn to coordinate all of them just to play a game. But I have a feeling later on this morning I will be asking her recommendations for the type of controller to get, and if not too expensive, order one. After all, I am sure there will be other games I may use it for, or worst case, I give it to one of the Sons and they will find use for it.

After completing the last book I read, I reached my goal of reading 150 books this year. I had lowered the goal from 175 (last year) since I was hoping to be working more hours this year (didn't happen). I thought about raising the goal, but decided not to. I still will try to get as many books in as I can, but I reached a goal setting from almost 10 months ago, and though I may make new ones, I'll leave that marker set. Next year is next year. In fact, I need to go over and write up a review for yet another I have finished.

I didn't include it in the last post, but the new car has finally lit up it's first warning light. Low tire pressure. It happened when we were leaving the restaurant on Saturday in Tucson, and stayed on the trip back to the Daughter's house. I checked the tires (looked at) to see if any looked low, and concluded that though a couple looked possibly low, it was hard to tell in the dark with a flashlight, and the way I was parked. We visited about another hour or so, and I checked again before we got on the road to home with no difference. About a third of the way home, the light went off, and I thought it may have happened since it was about 70 degrees there (they were getting a little rain) and that was the coolest I had driven the car in (I bought it in April, when temps were in the 90's already). Now yesterday was a rainy day here in town, and I don't recall what the temps were, and I did not get in the car to check if the light came back on or not. I will check it today. If so, will hit Discount Tire and have them do an air check (since I ain't working today anyways).

Well, enough gabbing this morning. I need to get stuff done - or at least pretend that is what I am doing.

PeacE

Video Games Rule My Life

Lately I have been Playing World of Warcraft quite a bit. Mostly because I'm 'in-between' jobs, and there isn't much else interesting to do. There are always things that I could do, just don't. Either way, I play a lot.

That being said, today I hit one of the nice achievements in game... EXALTED reputation status with the Mecha-gnomes, which unlocks the last of the allied races.

Yeah, I know. That doesn't compute with you. But for me, it means it is the sixth race I have "grinded" reputation points for, in order to be able to create a new character of that race. Sixth. And that is not counting some of the other reputations I have had to grind along-side these, just to get things in-game. I'm pretty stoked, and that is all that matters right now.

So, you wondered what I did all day....

PeacE