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Here in my Garage

Today was the last day of spring break, and therefore it was a day of cleaning up. Summer gathered her things so we could pick up the girls, and on the way out I spotted a mail carrier driving toward my neighborhood. I was expecting my plants that were delayed from yesterday, so we came around the block to wait for it. Summer couldn’t find her keys, so we took the time to unpack her bag and look for them. The mail carrier never came though. I eventually had to give up, and we went to get the girls and take them on home. Just as we pulled in to Summer’s parents’ house, I saw that my package had been delivered, so I dropped the girls off and headed straight back home.

To my surprise and some disappointment, I didn’t receive my aquarium plants. It was actually my Momentum Smart Garage Door Opener that was delivered. I started cleaning up, took a shower, and then ran next door to borrow the extension ladder so I could get into the attic. It was a painfully easy installation, even considering I had to run power above the ceiling. I got the camera set up and hooked up the opener cables so I could open the garage door from my phone. By that time, Summer had dinner about ready, so I headed to her house.

She grilled some chicken to go with some mashed potatoes and cheesy squash and zucchinis that turned out really great. The cheese was probably a bit much, but it was so good broiled and browned the way she made it. Eaddie wanted to watch an episode of Parks and Rec, so after dinner we watched one episode before I headed home to complete some laundry before bed.

While the laundry was going, I got dishes done, and then started messing around with my TeamSpeak server some more. I think all that’s left is to test it with multiple outside connections. Everything looks great so far though.

Vi sitter här i Venten

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Sweet Home Alabama

We got up early this morning for breakfast in the lobby, and then Summer was off to The Great Inflatable Race. I went back up to the room to shower and get things packed up before she got back. Her race ran a little behind, but she still made it back in time to get showered and primped before our late checkout time. I even tucked my shirt in and wore a tie for a few minutes.

Our first stop was at Shoe Carnival in the shopping center by the hotel. She wanted some new shoes for her dress, and I walked around holding some shoes for a while that I ultimately returned before checking out. Then she wanted to go to the McCain Mall right up the block. We made a loop through the whole place, really only stopping at Dillard’s, GameStop, Victoria’s Secret, and finally Spencer’s where I picked up some Rap Snacks for Dale. We were out just long enough to work up a bit of an appetite, so we made our way back over to Red Lobster.

There was only a really short wait for our Lobsterfest to start. Summer got a lighthouse glass without having to steal it, and I begrudgingly ate a sirloin because it was smothered in lobstery things. The lobster pizza appetizer was good, and Summer had a margarita that was unexpectedly the size of her head. I helped her on it just a bit as we took turns getting brain freezes. Then it was off to the Verizon Arena.

We paid for pretty decent parking, though in hindsight I think the block further for half the price may have been a better deal, and ultimately gotten us out of traffic faster. We got to the arena just in time to walk right on in and find our seats, which were also right by the entrance. Summer had a really great time while I fought with my Eargasm High Fidelity Earplugs. I think my ear canals turn up sharply, which causes the earplugs to seal shut. At least I got to learn that now before going to a concert that interests me personally. I kept them in to save my hearing, but the audio was clearly muffled unless I used my fingers to tweak them slightly in my ear canals.

Nice screensaver!I only recognized one song all night, which was by the opening Charlie Daniels Band. The Devil Went Down to Georgia was a staple for my Diamond Rio MP3 player in high school. Summer only knew it and maybe one more of their songs. The real treat for her was when Alabama came onto the stage. She got excited at several of their songs, none of which I could recall ever hearing in my lifetime. I was surprised to hear them go on and on about how many awards they had won and how many chart topping singles they had, partly because I’m only used to hearing rappers do that, and partly because I had never even heard of them. I spent the rest of the evening more in a state of discomfort than anything else. It was hot and cramped, and the band kept doing what I can only describe as a pop quiz after nearly every song, where they had the band start playing the song they just finished and tried to coax the crowd into singing the chorus a couple more times. Of course a country concert wouldn’t be complete without a pickup truck brand roll call, which was just a huge circle jerk of more things that I hate. Even the encore was lazy and uncoerced, as the band had barely left the stage long enough to take another shot of that Tennessee whiskey before coming back out. It just felt like they were pandering to the meme of assumed encores.

Fortunately we got out more quickly than we had come in, until we got into the traffic. It started to sprinkle as we walked to the car, but it wasn’t too bad. There was a questionable guy outside selling shirts at a significant discount from their inside asking price, so we grabbed one of those on our way out. I should have planned the escape route more before taking off, but I was so concerned about beating traffic that I ended up looping through a few more blocks of it than necessary. There was quite a bit of traffic on the interstate as well, almost all the way to Conway. The rain cleared up enough that it didn’t feel so dangerous to be cruising down the highway though, and we made it home just after midnight. Summer crashed pretty much right away, still high on her birthday vibes. I’d say today was a success.

I done told you once, you REDACTED

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Logan’s Birthday Run

The girls got up and left this morning so I could get ready for our trip. Summer dropped them off with her parents so we could go to Little Rock for The Great Inflatable Race. I got going quite a bit later than I originally intended, but it all worked out in the end. My ghost shrimp appeared to have perished in the night for some reason, but the cherry reds still seem to be doing okay.

I fed everyone else, and left to pick up some Starbucks on the way to get Summer. I ordered a “featured drink” called the Iced Cinnamon Cloud Macchiato, that I simply could not recommend. Someone must be tickled to pay for air, but it’s certainly not me. You can keep your whipped cold foam that fills half the glass. I didn’t even know how to drink it all separated like that. Luckily enough, the foam collapsed by the time Summer got into the car, so the rest swirled nicely in the cup.

We first made our way to Conway for a free birthday appetizer and happy hour drinks at Logan’s Roadhouse. The waitress seemed a bit lazy at first with her reluctant response to my request for soda water. She reported back after she found it at the bar where I knew it would be, but fortunately she turned the experience around after that, and we had a good time sipping drinks in the sun coming through the window.

Next we made our way to Red Robin where I had a free birthday burger. Summer got a BLATT with bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato, and turkey. I got the Burnin’ Love with the jalapeño on top. We both ate too many fries and had to take half of our sandwiches to go.

Our final birthday promo gauntlet stop was at MarketPlace Grill for dessert. I had a $10 voucher, so we both ordered desserts and got out for like two bucks. She got an apple crumble dish with ice cream, and I got a cheesecake with raspberry topping. Hers seemed good. My cheesecake was dry and possibly overcooked, and didn’t have enough raspberry drizzle. Both seemed like really tiny portions, but we ordered the full size portions, so I’m puzzled whether the smaller option would come on a baby food spoon. Service was great though, and I guess I can’t complain too much for getting out so cheap.

We completed our trip to Little Rock with a stop at Academy in Sherwood to pick up Summer’s race packet. They didn’t have her shirt size there, which aggravated her since she preregistered quite a while ago. She did find some leggings with a pocket on clearance though. From there it was a short trip to the hotel. It’s right behind Red Lobster, so I think I know what we’re doing for lunch tomorrow. Summer watched some gymnastics on TV for a bit, and then The LEGO Ninjago Movie played us out for the night.

It’s amazing what those girls can do on a 4-inch beam.

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Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls

We got up early this morning to get ready and pack for a hike down Petit Jean Mountain to Cedar Falls. We didn’t get out quite as early as we planned since we were out a bit later than expected last night, but we still made good time. Dad packed a bunch of stuff for lunch that we didn’t really get to enjoy because the place was packed with people. We parked way out by the road coming in to Mather Lodge and walked down to the lodge, and then hiked down to the waterfall. You couldn’t have a fire on the trail, and we didn’t spend any time looking for a place with a grill, so we just ended up eating cold hot dogs by the waterfall.

Summer spent a while sitting in quiet contemplation after I had been in a mood all morning. Dad wandered around taking pictures, and even wandered back behind the waterfall with Autumn. Eaddie didn’t want to get that close, so she got camera sitting duty. I perched myself on the same rock the whole time, trying to prepare myself for the trip back. I knew coming down that it was going to be a difficult return trip for me, but overall it really wasn’t that bad. I was probably a bit thinner when we went to Hemmed in Hollow several years ago, but that trail was over twice as long with nearly four times the elevation gain. That hike absolutely wrecked me. Today I had to stop a couple times on the way up, and got really dizzy once, but I was able to sit it off once I got everyone to quit crowding around me. I’ll be sore later, but at least I didn’t ride the motorcycle to this hike.

We got back to town and sat with Dad a bit once we got unpacked, but then I had to get the girls back so they could go to karate. Summer came back and we went to Walmart for stuff to make barbecue nachos. I spent what felt like forever getting all of that together, and nearly didn’t feel like eating once I was done, but I made myself a little bowl once everyone else was eating. They were way better than I expected, but I wished I had a larger bowl for all the vegetables I had in mine. Nobody even cared to warm them up in the oven, possibly out of pure hunger.

I was too tired for a movie after that. Autumn fell asleep anyway. Eaddie stayed up super late watching Supergirl. I don’t know how she does it, but here I am on the computer. Somehow this spring break feels like it’s just accelerating as it comes to an end. I’m going to be worn out by the time I have to go back to work.

I can’t wait for my visit from Charlie Horse tonight.

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Grey Skies

It was cloudy and a bit rainy all morning. The girls got up and we had leftover smoked pork sandwiches that Ben made for the potluck. Then they went home to clean up and go about their day while I readied to say goodbye to my friend.

Grey seemed to go downhill just over the course of the day, so I felt like I made the right call. I scooped her up off the top of the couch by the window and set her in the carrier. She sort of half stood up, and at one point even got out a little bit of a meow, but that was it. I took her to Tanner Veterinary Clinic for one last time. They had me do the paperwork up front so I could just walk out at the end. I did alright until I looked over at their little LED candle they light for when someone’s saying goodbye to a pet.

They got her weight, and she stood up a bit for that, and then we went to a room in the back. It was all pretty quick from there. I put her up on the table and she walked around a little bit. They gave her a sedative that knocked her out in just a few minutes, but left me in there for 15 to make sure she was solidly out. I just kept petting her, wondering what a cat might dream about that’s lived indoors all her life. Finally they came back in, shaved a spot on her leg, and for some reason wiped it down with alcohol. It took one shot to stop the breathing, and then another just to be sure her heart stopped. She was resilient and stubborn to the end. I didn’t bother to take any more time, having had a few weeks to make my peace.

I headed home and had a couple beers with Split Lip, the last living bit of a life I had so long ago. Things are different now. More convoluted and often difficult. But also simpler and easier. Better. We’ve all grown and changed, or at least our view of the world has expanded. In the end, the best we can do is try to pass on what we’ve learned along our way.

Amanda met me at Ruby Tuesday for a birthday dinner. I got to use my free garden bar birthday coupon. I only ate about half what I normally do since I waited for her to get her food first. We caught each other up on work things mostly. Lots of complaining about working for the government. A little gossip about old work friends. Nothing of any consequence. The true highlight was when our waitress looked at my phone for just a few seconds and memorized my coupon code. It had to be mnemonics. She’s definitely missing a calling somewhere in industrial espionage or something.

From dinner, I headed straight over to get the girls and head up to Zach and Sara’s. Bryan, Daspri, and Gary beat us there and had already chowed down on the burgers and dogs. Hungry for some meat, I had a burger myself hoping the others would follow. Of course they did not, so I ate alone during our game of Sequence. We did that until it was no longer fun, and then switched to Unstable Unicorns. That dragged on a bit as well, just for the number of people we had. We only made it through one game, and then Bryan and Daspri rounded up their girls and headed home. We stuck around to try out a few bombs in Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. It seemed to be a pretty good hit once we got rolling, but I think the game would really shine as a team building game at work. We ended the night with a round of Mario Kart so I could assert my dominance. Zach nearly beat me, but nearly is not enough.

We ran home, stopping for gas, because tomorrow it’s off to take a hike. Somehow we really managed to cram a lot into this spring break.

You’re 5,000 candles in the wind!

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Killing Nothing but Time

I woke up around 8 this morning, tried to feed Grey a little bit, and then went back to bed with her. She curled up right next to my head and I just held her, falling in and out of sleep until nearly noon. Then I got up to make lunch and start some laundry. I got a couple loads done, and sewed a button back on a work shirt before I got to shower. The doctor at the vet had to leave early, so I ended up not taking Grey in today, and instead made an appointment for tomorrow afternoon. She kept making me regret it by following me around the house, but she’s just so weak, and her bones are sticking out.

Amanda forgot about my birthday dinner, so we rescheduled that for tomorrow as well. Sara wanted us to come up to play games tonight, but almost immediately had to cancel to go to the ER with her dad, and we rescheduled that for Thursday. Summer came over and we went to New China for dinner, but not before I had to separate my betta sorority because the Dumbo was picking on the blue one. I’ll have to keep a close eye on them tomorrow.

When we got home, I went out back to hang the hammocks and start a fire. As I swung a ratchet strap around one of the trees, the hook smacked my watch face and gave me some lines in my screen. I couldn’t make out any cracking, but the LCD was definitely busted in some way. The girls got here after dinner with their father, and we hung out in hammocks while I told the story of ol’ Sam the Clam. I think Summer said Eaddie had her first s’more, which seemed odd considering she went to 5th grade camp. Autumn went to bed pretty early while the rest of us finished up the fire. Then I ended the day with some geekery and finished reconfiguring my Mumble server because Johnny’s subscription to the TeamSpeak server finally expired.

thatsthejoke.jpg

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Fish ‘n Chips

We really didn’t do anything at all today. The girls took polite turns watching their respective shows, which earned Autumn her Bluetooth headphones. Summer went to the gym. I finally got my new fish out of bags and into tanks. I’ve kept one allegedly aggressive one out, but I may put it in with the others just to see what happens myself. Right now the others seem pretty active, and they may get a bit aggressive. I’ll just have to watch them and keep separate places ready in case they get too mean. The snails I put in there haven’t really moved, so I’m worried they won’t do well. The fish may bother them too, so it’s just more to watch as they all get acclimated.

Autumn and I split the three slices of cheese pizza that was left over from last week, but nobody else really had any interest in eating anything. Eventually I made some cheese dip, and even added some smoked pork to it because Eaddie thought the cheese dip was too cheesy. When Summer got back, she said there was a guy outside that wanted to ask about my Fiero. We chatted for a bit, but I don’t expect he’ll come back with an offer I’ll be willing to accept. We came back inside, Summer had a shower, and I cut up some broccoli and cauliflower for us to snack on. We played some Jackbox games, then tried playing the Mad Gab card game.

The day seemed to really fly by for me. I felt like I spent it all worrying about the fish and getting Grey to eat. The girls eventually went home, and I chose to stay here with the cats. I’m still left to wonder if she’s in any pain at all, or if she’d be content to hang out a while longer living on gravy. She doesn’t seem to have any more interest in the treats, and she’s gotten to where she’ll only eat the gravy out of a freshly opened can of food. I’ll just have to make the decision and stick to it.

I half expect them to be closed for spring break.

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Shake, Rattle, and Rolls

The girls went home this morning to clean their rooms while I stayed home and took care of pets. The four snails from the 55-gallon tank in the living room don’t seem to want to move around at all, but they’re still alive. The water parameters in the betta bags still seem quite a bit off from the new tank, so I never did get around to actually moving them.

After I finally took a shower, I had the girls meet me at my parents’ house for a late lunch. We were supposed to visit with Uncle Giao, but Mom didn’t tell me until I got there that he wasn’t coming. Summer and Eaddie liked the bánh xèo. There was a pretty big pile of egg rolls there, but I’m not sure we put much of a dent in it. I ended up bringing the leftover cheese pizza home from last week.

When we left my parents’ house, I met the girls at T.J. Maxx for some bargain hunting. I picked up a pink Nautica tie with little whales on it, in spite of the fact that I never wear ties. It effectively doubles my choices for formal wear now though, which isn’t bad for 36 years. We closed down that store and then finished at Ross before deciding we were hungry and wanted milkshakes. We tried Dairy Queen, and probably should have stayed in spite of how busy they were, but we ended up going over to Steak ‘n Shake instead. The employees all looked pretty questionable at best, and it took them a while to get us seated in a mostly empty restaurant. The food came out surprisingly quickly, but the service was otherwise very slow, and we spent most of the evening with empty glasses. At least Eaddie ate free.

After that, Eaddie came back to the house with me while Summer took Autumn home to get some things. I finally moved the snails into the brand new tank. The fish may make that move tomorrow. Hopefully they get along. Summer went to bed pretty quickly. Autumn hid out on the futon while Eaddie watched more Supergirl. I stayed up longer than I should have, especially with how sapped I’ve felt all day. I’m not sure that tomorrow will be much better.

How are these cats taking up so much room in my bed?

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Skate, Rattle, and Roll

I came home this morning and got to work digging out an aquarium to clean up for my new fishy friends. I didn’t spend any time scrubbing glass the way that I usually do because I kind of assume I’ll be tearing this one down sooner than later, but I have to have a place to put these creatures. It took me all afternoon to get everything going, but I think it looks alright.

The girls went to get a gift for Maleea’s birthday, and then went to the park while I did my thing. I was only just getting into the shower when they came over from the park. Once I was ready, we headed to Skate Station where I could just barely keep my head up. I don’t know if I didn’t sleep very well, or long enough, or if I was just tired from messing with the aquarium all afternoon, but I was absolutely beat. The girls skated for a little bit, but I just couldn’t get myself up to do it.

After the party, we went to Walmart so I could pick up another aquarium thermometer, some light bulbs, and Summer wanted some vegetables to eat. Then we went to their house so the girls could get clothes, and I packed the fish up to bring them home. It took me a while to get them situated once we got there, and I still didn’t even get them into the tank. I’ll have to acclimate them slowly tomorrow, but apparently Uncle Giao is coming to visit again, so I really don’t know what the day is going to look like.

Autumn crashed on the couch, Summer went to bed with Grey, and Eaddie sat up watching Supergirl and begging for food to eat.

Most experts say that histamine isn’t the major cause of a runny nose when you have a cold.

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Cards Versus Humanity

Spring break was in the air today. I got up an hour and a half early and made broccoli, rice, and cheese casserole for our potluck, and then had plenty of time to get everything ready for work. We didn’t have anything in the way of group projects, so I just leisurely took care of a few things as they came in.

Ben brought some smoked pork for a potluck, and I think I was the only one that actually made anything myself to contribute, but it was worth it. I haven’t made that stuff in a while, so it was about time. We took a long working lunch, but that didn’t really affect when I was going to leave. I had stuff to do. They got my lift to the junior high so I could replace the band projector bulb. It’s always fun driving heavy machinery around indoors.

After work, I chatted with Ben for a little while before heading home and trying to feed Grey a bit. She managed to get a bit of gravy down along with several treats. Then I went to Walmart to get some stuff for cheese dip before picking Summer up.

We went to Travis’s to play Cards Against Humanity with John and Melissa. Veronica backed out, but she missed a really good time. Travis and Summer had never played before, so it was a lot of fun. Nearing the end of the game, I kept having to tend to my phone to orchestrate the meeting between the internet fish lady and Clint. Eventually they did make the connection, and he shuttled the lot all the way home for me.

Summer and I stayed to chat with Travis for a while, and then left as Clint got closer to town. We met him nearly exactly on time, and I took an armload of fish off his hands. I didn’t have the time or space for them anywhere, so I just ended up opening the bags at Summer’s so they could get some air. I’ll have to take care of them properly in the morning. The girl even sent me some minimal plant trimmings, which was super awesome of her. Just before bed, I also got an invoice for a collection of plants from someone in California. Hopefully this comes together nicely. I have all spring break, after all.

Meeting people on the internet is completely normal and safe in every way.