An end to the vacation

My vacatio ends today. Tomorrow, I return to work. Basically, all I did during my vacation was absolutely nothing. Sure, I did my Christmas shopping on Friday, and celebrated Christmas Saturday and Sunday (as I previously posted about). But the rest of the week, I did nothing. Just vegged out and ate Christmas leftovers. I watched college football. I was going out to visit some friends, but I decided that this week will be recovery time.

Btw, I did work on my computer. Started wiping the drive Friday, and I finished reinstalling everything this morning.

Holiday wishes were sent (and recieved). But the time has come to think about going back to work….

Merry Christmas, blah, blah, blah….

Another Christmas is upon us, and has almost passed. Again, there were two family reunions for me to go to. The first one, I missed for all intents and purposes. I was in my Grandma’s living room, having just watched the Seahawks game. It was probably about 5 o’clock or so. The next thing I remember is like a dream. I was dreaming that my father and my brother were trying to get me to check my blood sugar. What had really happened was that I had a hypoglycemic episode and had passed out on the couch, and they were trying to bring me aroud. The m&m’s my father provided were what brought me around. So, I made it to the first Bryant Family reunion, and after my second cup of apple juice, I was coherent enough to chech my blood sugar, which was still low. I think what happened was the change in venue. Grandma’s house is too small for the family reunion, so they rented a Grange Hall. And that was where all the food was. Basically, I was a combination of too high of an insulin dose at breakfast, too long without eating, and not having a source of candy nearby. Lesson learned: I will always have candy within arms’ reach.

But I made it to the Grange Hall. And I felt fine after the third glass of apple juice. I missed the church service and dinner, but made it for the gift exchange. We drew lots this year, and I was the very last lot. This being done in white elephant style, you could either choose a present, or you could steal another relative’s present, and make them choose another. Since I had the very last lot, I could either steal any other cousin’s gift, or open the last one under the tree. Upon consultation with my brother (who is the cook in the apartment), I stole the crockpot that another cousin got. And having been on the recieving end of one too many ‘gag’ presents in years past, I decided this year to give one: a USB pet rock. I also threw in a gift card to a national retail chain, too.

So, fast forward to today. This was the family Christmas celebration. I made sure that I wasn’t going to pass out at this one. There was food. Lots of it. And it was good. And I brough leftovers home. When it came to the gift exchange, some nephews/nieces got gift cards to Target, some to Worst Buy. And my brother, I got him a talking plush Dalek. And the DVD set of I, Claudius (we had both taken the same humanities class in high school, where Mr. Tarry had shown it). I gave Grandma a couple of gift cards, one to Subway and one to Jack in the Box. My Father got a gift card to The Home Depot. And also there’s the present I gave to the owners of the Mrs. Fields I used to work at: I’m taking February 13th and 14th off to work at Mrs. Fields so they can go enjoy Valentine’s Day as a couple.

Some of the stull I got today:

• Know what, I’m not going to list it this year. It is better to give than to recieve….

Merry, Christmas, Happy Hannukuh, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Festivus, Happy Solstice, Hapy New Year, or Happy Whatever Day You Choose to Celebrate…

On a little road trip.

It's Christmas Eve. Which means I'm on the bus, headed out to Grandma's. This year, I have a full week off (I'm actually on day 2). And I'm heading up way too early, so I can service a laptop and hopefully get that up and running as a favor to my father.

So Merry Christmas, Happy Hanakkuh, Happy Festivus, or Happy Solstice. Or failing that, the 'Hawks are playing at the CLink this afternoon, and reminding everyone why you shouldn't wear a mitre on the football field...

Gosh darn it!

Went to turn on the computer this morning and my usb 3.0 hub had gone on to The Beer Volcano and Stripper Factory last night. No Problem. I just went to Spamazon, and ordered a new one. Yes, there were cheaper ones available, but I’ve also found that on Amazon, you generally get what you pay for, and if you get cheap merchandise now, you’ll end up replacing it. Soon. And to be honest, I’ve never had an issue with the Amazon house brand. And I’ve never really had an issue with house brands in general. The Home Depot has Husky, Worst Buy has Insignia, and Spamazon has Amazon Basics. All really good. And not expensive….

Blown out yesterday….

The Seahawks were blown out yesterday. 38-10. But they’re still atop the NFC West. And in fact they’re the only team with a winning record right now. But the Sounders FC won it all Saturday night (on the road even), so I don’t mind this loss that much…

Anyway, my weekend has come to an end, and so I must retire for the night.

They won it all last night

The Sounders FC won the MLS Cup last night. In every year that they've played in the MLS, they've at least gotten into the post-season. They've won The Supporters' Shield (which in European Leagues is how the Champion is determined) in the past and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on numerous occasions. It's time they won it all...

All this for a spell-checker…

Wiped the tower this past weekend (which is why there no posts Sunday or Monday). I had overcome all my previous issues with Windows 8.1, and in fact I was looking forward to using as my daily driver. Got all my drivers installed. Then it came time to do the in place upgrade to Windows 8.1 Pro. No go. So, I go to Windows Update, and it would download or install updates. After al whole day of this, I wipe the tower again and start over. This time I can upgrade to Pro, and then I start updating. And eventually I end up with it not being able to update. Again. So, Monday night, I said screw this, and I pulled out my Windows 10 thumb drive. I didn’t even have to enter my Windows 8.1 pro key to upgrade this time (the secret, I’ve found out, is to let all the marketplace apps, including the store app to update themselves, then it’ll upgrade you to Pro).

I guess Windows 10 is what I’m meant to run now. Not that it’s a bad system. In fact, it’s a really good system. Oh well. At least I still have a computer….

Made an exception to the rule today…

Normally, I call out for weather only when it’s cold. Like in the teens or lower. I tried to make arrangements previously to come in an hour later, and avoid most of the walking, but it was still recorded as a tardy occurrence, so I’m either on time, or not at all. Anyway, I said I had made an occurrence to my rule last night. I saw that the forecast was in the lower 20s last night. So I went ahead and called out. I had been saving my last eight hours of sick time for instances like this, and I felt that this was the time to use it.

Yes, there is a difference between getting up at 8 in the morning vs. getting up at 1:30…

The only drawback is that the next cold snap I’m going to have to tough it out and walk it in…

It happened a couple of weeks ago.

I went to the Sprint store with my brother 2 weeks ago to upgrade his phone, since I’m leasing his iPhone. And it turns out that they were out of his preferred phone. While I was there, I addressed a matter. It was time I address some very poor judgement that I used 2 years ago. I had never used the tablet. Sure every once in a while, I took it out and used the LTE internet. But I was always so concerned about going over the limit that I kept it home. And on the home Wi-Fi. So, I was paying $20+ a month for something that I didn’t use. I’m a man of integrity, so I kept my end of the contract. And this last summer, I paid the contract off. And while we were are the Sprint store, I cancelled the service. I told the clerk that I never used it. And that was the end of it….

It is possible to pay off a cell phone contract and cancel service without drama…

Finished one wipe, now on to another

Yesterday, among other things, I finished reinstalling all the software from the last time I wiped my tower. Everytime I think I want to try another version of Windows, or even the latest and greatest Windows 10, I always end up back with my previous version. I guess I still like the start menu that I can arrange and sort the folders. I know there will come a time when I’ll have to go to Windows 10 and stick with it (which is why I still keep the flash drive with the installer on it updated). But it could be worse. I could go with Windows 8.1…

Anyway, I was on the phone with my Dad, who got Mom’s laptop when she passed away. And the time has come to wipe it. A lot of her memories are on it, I’m sure. But, I’ll make sure to back everything up before I wipe it. The laptop has potential. But mother was not the most computer literate, and there were serious spyware issues. With all of her machines. When she gave me her previous laptop, the first thing I had to do was wipe it. Anyway, the 32gB usb Flash Drive for it has been ordered from Spamazon.

They lost yesterday…

The Seahawks lost yesterday. Bet they’re still atop the NFC West. We can’t win them all. But there is always next week. And unlike the Browns or the 49er’s, they haven’t already been mathmatically eliminated from the playoffs already…

The Sounders FC are now in the MLS cup. This is the first time that they’re in the finals. They have always made it to the post-season in every season. Next week, they’ll play either the Montreal Impact or Toronto FC. If Montreal wins, then they’ll be playing for it all in the CLink. If Toronto wins, they’ll be playing in Toronto. I’m rooting for Montreal.

Polished off the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers yesterday. Since we had a pork tenderloin (btw, my brother is a really good cook), there was no loftover turkey in the house. I had to go buy some turkey from the Deli counter for my sandwich. And it was good.

Payday was Friday. Today and yesterday were my days off. I did my laundry yesterday and finished reinstallling my software after my latest tower wipe yesterday. So I have today off, I got up early, and all my errands were run yesterday. So I was about to go out and about today (off to Wally World, mainly to get ideas about elf-work). As I’m about to leave, I get this nagging feeling to pay bills. So I sit down, log into BECU, and review my account balance. After budgeting for my ORCA card reload, I paid the electric and the cable bill. And I’m broke again (credit cards were paid last Friday).

So that’s my weekend. Tomorrow, it’s off to work. For another 5 days…

The original Thansgiving…

Addams Family Values was one of the funnier movies around...

Happy Stuff Bread Up A Turkey’s Ass Day!

Also know as Thanksgiving. I have many things to be greteful for. Family, friends, job, the roof over my head. The list goes on an on. I think last year, I posted most of the aforementioned items. But whether or not you’re eating Turkey, Ham, or Soylent Green (Or feasting upon the Lambs. And Sloths. ANd Carps. And Anchovies. And Orang-utans. And Breakfast Cereals. And Fruit Bats. And Large Chunks….), go ahead and have a happy Thanksgiving. There is nothing wrong with having Chinese Takeout or pizza for Thanksgiving either.

Although if you’re still looking for the largest turkey in the store, then go to the poutlry counter, and ask the clerk for Colin Kaepernick. Though Tom Brady is bigger, but by the time you get it home, it will have deflated to smaller than a cornish game hen….

Where do I start?

The Seahawks won today. The Philadelphia Eagles brought a rookie quarterback to the CLink. The conclusion was forgone when the schedule was announced…

After getting his Well-Deserved Beating at the hands of the Seahawks last week, Tom Brady took it out on KaeperPICK. In San Francisco.

Did laundry today. I forgot to remove the change from my work jeans before I put them in. Change was very clean, but it made for a very noisy dryer..

Yesterday, I went to MacDonalds. Placed and paid for my order. And waited. And waited. And waited. Ended up leaving without my food. Had a nice little chat with the manager later, and he told me to come back so they could make good on it. If I leave a restaurant without getting my food after I have paid for it, I make it a point never to come back. I can forgive wasting my money, but wasting my time is inexcusable. Especially in a ‘fast’ food environment.

Got live Christmas trees in at work last week, and I was part of the team who stocked them. My roommate and I won’t be setting one up….

Only have a one-day ‘weekend’ today. Since I’m getting Thanksgiving off, and that’s usually a work day for me, I have to work tomorrow. But that means I get my 40 hours this week, plus 8 hours of holiday pay. One of the reasons why I like my job. True, there are issues at work, but for the most part, I hold my peace, and the situations work themselves out….

On a business trip….

The Seahawks just gave Tom Brady a well-deserved beating. On the road. Tonight, we interecetped Tom Brady, and sacked him twice. And for once, the officials didn’t mess up the calls….

Happiness is....

Happiness is a 20 minute phone call with Grandma. I highly recommend it. Just what I needed, especially after this season a partisan rancor. But more on that later...

Next Stop, Colorado….

The Sounders FC just knocked out FC Dallas. Next up are the Colorado Rapids. To be honest, the last time I saw the Sounders and the Rapids play, it was the game where Steve Zakuani had his leg broken. Let’s hope this game comes out better….

Time for the ful 90 again…

So, it’s round 2 of the conference semi-finals. The Sounders FC won the first round at the CLink, defeating FC Dallas 3-0. Since the scoring is aggregate in this round, Dallas needs to beat up by at least 3 points. Possibly more…

Football, football, and more football

Day 2 of three days ina row off. And I’ve spent most, if not all of it watching football. First, there were both the U Dub and Moo U massacring their opponents. Then today, I had the TV on CBS all day, watching the double header. And tomorrow, it’s the Seahawks in the CLink verses Buffalo. I’d watch the Raiders game on Sunday Night Football, but I’m going to switch to the other football: it’s round two of the Sounders FC match with Dallas. But hey, soccer is called football in Europe, so it’s still football….

3 day weekend….

Due to a quirk in my schedule this week, I have a 3-day weekend. 3 days off in a rown. Without having to take a sick day. And I’m so lazy that I had Spamazon deliver my Diet Coke.

• The cubs won the workd series the past week. The first time in 108 years. I saw most of game 7, but I had to go to bed at the end of the 8th inning.
• A schedule change back in the first part of October now has me walking 4.5 mile to my bus stop every morning. Surprisingly, my left foot (the one with the plantar facsitis) is holding up better now that with my pprevious schedule (where I was walking the 4.5 miles only two days a week). It could be the gel insoles. Or just the shoes (though since I’m wearing the Wally World house brand, so I have to be careful as they wear out).
• I got somebody hired at Mrs. Fields. They need someone, but I’m no longer have that kind of availability (something about being full-time already at my current job).

I have a three day weekend. Main agenda: binge-watching football. Right now, I’m watching Moo U beat up on Arizona. Later on, it’ll be U Dub vs. California. And I’m sure there’ll be other games to watch on the Vizio 55” today.

Today is a good day. Never mind the rain. That’s par for the course on my day off…