Tag: anxiety

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Email From the 1900s

My Onewheel was out for delivery today, so I paid extra attention to the front door to make sure I could be there to sign for it. I made myself a pretty good looking burger for brunch, and then helped Julie set up some web hosting so she could get a business email set up. When I heard the mail truck pull up, I went outside to fetch the mail. I stopped on the way back inside to check on my black widow, and then the UPS truck pulled up. I got my Onewheel unboxed and charging, and unfortunately my odometer had been reset, but at least it worked.

I dug through Namecheap and Hostinger to try and pick hosting for Julie, and ultimately just kept it all on Namecheap thinking it would be easier for her for not much difference in price for her current needs. It astounded me how web hosting is still just as complicated as it was back when I started this type of stuff over 20 years ago. I tried to break it down for her as simply as I could, but it wasn’t until late in the evening that I got her email going.

Summer had range anxiety after going to Little Rock and Greenbrier for work, but she made it without any trouble. I even had enough charge to take her car across town to get Zaxby’s for Eaddie, who was working late at the high school.

As soon as I got home, I took the dogs out for a really fast and long run on the Onewheel. We stopped to see my parents, but they were gone, so we continued on around to the basin trail. We stopped to rest on a bench for a while, and the dogs sat nearby for pets. They did super well, and I hoped they would tire out for the night. They had killed a tiny, baby possum the night before, so I had to bury it when we got back home.

Summer was in a bit of pain for the rest of the night, so I didn’t see much of her. Eaddie came home earlier than she expected and wanted me to go get her some cigarette papers to clean her flute, so I drove to the closest gas station, which didn’t sell them. That led me to Casey’s, who sold them, but didn’t have any without the glue. I didn’t feel like running to another store though, so I picked up what they had, along with a freebie cookie, and headed home.

I ended the night completing new-hire paperwork for the North Little Rock School District, and then tinkered with Julie’s email some more. Evidently it didn’t automatically point the domain to the host, even though the purchase specifically asked me to do so since they were both purchased from Namecheap. With that finally working, it was time for bed.

What do we want?
Low-flying airplane noises!
When do we want them?
Nnnnnooooooooowwwwww! 🛩️

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Oodles of Moodle and Noodles

I tried to study for my Moodle skills assessment this morning by poking around in their test instance. Eaddie went to church again, and Summer went to the gym. I finally just had to dive right into my assessment, and it was basically just another instance with one particular setting changed. It took me an embarrassing amount of time to find where the override was set, but I eventually sent my response. Hopefully my “customer service” response will be enough to make up for my lack of experience in their application.

Dad had messaged us early in the day that Mom mentioned spring rolls, but it didn’t seem like anyone got a hold of Mom to confirm. We did end up going over there, but not without jumping through some hoops first. Summer and I went to get Nova from her dorm, but then were sent back home to get our electric skillet so we could set up two tables for everyone to have enough room to reach all of the food.

As Summer and I rounded the corner to get back home, I noticed the house at the end of the road had a table and some stools out by the curb. We ended up going back home to get the Murano, I knocked on their door and confirmed it was okay to take them, and we hauled them home and into the back yard. It was all in surprisingly good shape, so I don’t know why they were getting rid of it instead of selling it.

By then, Eaddie was home and had decided she wanted to go eat too, so the three of us headed back to my parents’ house. I spilled a bunch of raw noodles in the floor, but we eventually got everyone sitting and eating. In the end, we dropped Nova back off at her dorm and made it home for the evening. Not having work for the next several days will be a bit nerve-racking, but I’m sure I’ll survive.

Cleanup time!

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C-Ya Suckers

I ran late today, but who would even notice? Apparently Barry came by while I was gone yesterday and pushed for Chromebooks to be deployed, obviously without having done any work himself, so Kim was loading devices onto a cart when I got there. They never actually got that done though, and I wasn’t even sure what they were working on. I just did my best to clean up the last few of my things.

It was Kim’s birthday, so I insisted that we take her out to lunch and then visit the Plainview campus. We went to the Junction Cafe but turned around when she saw her ex’s car there, and went to the Superette instead. That was a good choice, because they had a surprisingly good catfish meal deal for Friday. I was mad that she had never told me before, because it was only $11 for three large pieces of fish, fries, slaw, and hushpuppies. It was even freshly cooked and delicious.

After we ate, we went to the old school and rummaged through a bunch of crap just to see what was there. Then we headed back to the office and I continued to clean up my stuff. I ended up forgetting a couple of things, so I may go back, or James could bring them back to town for me.

Eaddie had friends over when I got home, and it wasn’t long before they went to my parents’ house to swim. I walked the dogs over there, but they were about done by the time we got there. I wasn’t terribly impressed with a couple of the girls that showed up last, but they didn’t really seem to fit Eaddie’s usual crowd anyway.

Summer was home when I got back with the dogs, and I sat on the couch with her until she went to bed. I finished my leftover lunch for dinner and eventually got to bed. I’m a free man, so now I just need to figure out what my time is worth for these wildly different salaries I may be offered.

Or maybe I won’t get a choice.

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Fool Me Three Times

Midway through the week, things are still pretty calm. Teachers have been fussing about not having Chromebooks yet, so Kim sorted through handbook agreement forms. I had to give James a quick pep talk on how to keep track of what devices are going out, and I probably should have just let him struggle a bit. Between that and helping with the paraprofessional test, I just felt like I was doing too much.

He ended up leaving early to help his father at a doctor appointment, and of course I was the last one out the door again. I’ll never earn enough for the time I’ve put in there. It was an easy drive home though, and I had to kick Eaddie and her friend out from their duo band practice so I could finally have my remote interview with DeepNet.

The joke was on me, because the chick cancelled on me again at the last minute. I scheduled one more for Monday, but at this point I’m not hopeful. Best case scenario, I can earn some good money in Little Rock and then find a home at Grace if they’ll pay enough.

Summer and I had some leftovers and then walked the dogs around a different path through the neighborhood. Eaddie was out until after dark, but then it was an early night for all of us.

Fool me four times, shame back on you actually. You are picking on a vulnerable man!

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Grand.

I got out of the house super early today just in case traffic was awful. There were tons of trees down along the way to work, and the house across from the school had like three trees blown right over. Of course I actually beat everyone to work, but Kim was right behind me to let me into the office. The day went by super fast, but ham and cheese wraps didn’t sound at all appetizing. I ended up taking James to the Junction Cafe for lunch, to needlessly build a little more rapport. I’m just too nice.

The afternoon went by quickly as well, and Kim and James both left at 3:30, which still shocks me. I don’t think he’s worked eight hours yet. I stuck around to get my hours, because I ain’t no cheater. I headed straight home, and Summer had veggies, potatoes, and sausage in the oven. Eaddie had Eli over, and it didn’t take long for me to get generally irritated.

Stilgar chewed the water hose apart, so I spanked him with it. It didn’t stick, because he was right back on it after I went inside. I wasn’t in the mood for company, and there was food rotting in the fridge, so I didn’t eat any of the new food. Summer wound down early, and I took the dogs for a walk to my parents’ house as the sun set. We got home with the last little bit of twilight, and then Dad wanted to come over to update his new DJI FPV drone. Their cable has been out for a few days, and I don’t know if there’s an ETA for repair.

We eventually got the drone updated, and the Roomba suddenly wasn’t fussy about being on my account, so I left it alone. Dad went home, and I wound down as quickly as I could.

It’s complex.

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Cleaning up a Storm

I was surprised at how early I woke up this morning after not getting to sleep until around three, but then I lightly snoozed pretty late to make up for it. Summer went to the gym and then came home to mow the lawn, so I got up and cleaned the kitchen. It had gotten pretty wild, but I managed to get almost every single dish into the dishwasher. I still struggle with not blocking the detergent dispenser though, because it requires such a direct spray to clean it out. A liquid detergent would probably work a lot better, but I hate paying for water.

Eaddie went to church with Eli in the morning, so we didn’t see her until later. Summer eventually finished up and we walked the dogs to my parents’ house for a swim and some leftover pork chops and noodles. They had gone to see the new Deadpool, but got home a little while before a storm rolled in.

Eaddie came over while we were eating, and then we loaded the dogs into the car and got home just as the weather started to get bad. At least one big branch came down nextdoor, and a car alarm went off on the street behind us, but it blew through pretty quickly.

One more week at work, broken up by three interviews. Hoping for something fun.

LFG

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Video Game Movie

I slept in pretty hard today while Summer got up and did some working from home. When I finally got around to snack on some breakfast, she suggested going to Price Break and a movie in the afternoon. Dad said Uncle Giao, Erica, and Nova were in town, so I assembled my arcade stool and we stopped by their house for some lunch first. They were dropping Nova off at Tech, so they didn’t stick around super long.

Eaddie had band stuff all day, so Summer and I made a quick and mostly boring run through Price Break. It was $10 day, and there were a ton of people there rummaging through stuff. I think it’s more fun to find really cheap stuff that hasn’t been picked up yet.

After that, we went to UEC to watch Borderlands. I liked the visual style, but a lot of the CGI was really hoaky, and the story didn’t really grab me. I never really played the games because they weren’t made for mouse and keyboard, so I wasn’t invested in it at all. I was also still pretty exhausted from general stress and the heat, so I had trouble staying awake in the recliner.

Dad gave us their Roomba, so I cleaned it up when we got home, and had it vacuum the living area. I think I’d really like to get a mopping one for the hard floors, because that’s where the dirt ultimately comes from. It did pull a bunch of crap out of the carpet though, so I need to start seriously shopping for a new vacuum cleaner.

Eaddie didn’t get home until super late, and I spent too much time dawdling before bed. The overbearing heat has me lethargic, and is possibly causing anxiety attacks again, because I’ve been having at least one a day for the past few days. I couldn’t think of anything else that could be triggering them, but I hate it.

Park it.

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Oodles and Moodles of Interviews

I was a little frustrated that I beat James to work today, and he still left at the same time as Kim. Even she’s pulling more hours than he is. To think, I could have just not cared this whole time, and just left at the end of school. Denice was in the office all day as well, which was cause for further annoyance.

My big event for the day was a panel interview with Moodle. I tried to prep for it a bit by researching the company, but it really wasn’t necessary at all. They just took turns asking me typical interview questions. I thought it went super well, and I seemed to get a positive response when I closed by asking each of them what change they would personally like to better their job or the company.

In addition to that, I got a request for an interview at the North Little Rock School District. It could potentially pay the most out of everything that’s currently on the table, but would also be the longest drive at just over an hour. I’m not thrilled to commute, but at least it’s a relatively straight shot. I’ll have three total interviews next week, and I expect to get at least a couple offers to choose between.

Eaddie had her final parent marching event for band, so she and Summer were at that after I got home. I ate some more leftovers and then took the dogs for a walk to my parents’ house, since I couldn’t get any life out of my Onewheel. I don’t figure I’ll get a response from them until the middle of next week, which is a bummer. It was one of the hottest, most humid days we’ve seen this year, so I got home absolutely drenched.

I took a shower and then watched some YouTube in the living room with Summer. Eaddie was pretty tired when she got home, so it got pretty quiet pretty fast. I should have gone to bed earlier, but I got trapped looking through more Amazon Vine stuff.

The bottom fell out?

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More Expenses Paid Trip

The silence stirred me this morning. I was hopeful after spending so much time and effort fixing up the fence, but I knew there should have been more noise outside, at least from the neighbors’ dogs. I got a call from a group of people with Muad’Dib, and then Summer got a call from the vet because someone else had Stilgar. I took the Onewheel because I thought Muad’Dib was only a block away, but he wasn’t much farther. I talked to the folks that had him, and then rode with him to get Stilgar. That woman came out in a mumu and had locked him up behind her privacy fence. Behind that fence was a chain-link fence. She wasn’t necessarily unpleasant, but she wasn’t pleasant about it.

The dogs ran home with me at a pretty good clip, so they were fine with coming in for the day. Then I started packing and getting ready for our Disney trip while Dad came over with some more concrete blocks.

I was high stress for the entirety of the day. I only missed one thing when packing, because I couldn’t find my USB power bank. I remembered taking it out from my daily carry, but I couldn’t remember where I put it after that. The girls took Stilgar to the vet for boarding, and Noah would be staying at the house. Dad and Suzanne both said they could check in periodically. Summer drove us to Conway to eat at Raising Cane’s, which was just more spicy mayo. Then we got to Expressway Parking and took a shuttle to the airport. The TSA line was long, but manageable, and we made it to our gate in plenty of time.

Julie and Kevin showed up, and then Summer saw Jeff and his wife get off of our plane and talked to them. I was still trying to plot and plan and understand the Disney Monster, but it was only more stress. It’s just become too much. Maybe it will be fun in the moment, but the people and the money and the stress just makes me want to do anything else.

The flights were uneventful and long. The changeover at St. Louis was easy enough, but then finding a ride to the resorts was stupid. Julie managed that for us, and we shared a ride with two stops, but the Disney and Lyft apps were both frustrating to navigate. Too much.

We got to our room and I found a dried up contact lens on my nightstand. The girls made it to bed quickly. At least in this time zone I’ll be awake before I get a call about the dogs.

Boat.

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Raining Sunshine

The dogs chewed their way out again through a new hole, and I only finally saw Stilgar as I was leaving for work. He was up the hill in the neighbor’s backyard, chomping on a dead frog. Luckily he followed the car back to the house, and I put him in the fence again. Dad sent a screenshot of the Nextdoor app where someone had posted some pictures of both of our dogs with a third, which I’ve seen around the neighborhood multiple times. Eaddie and I did some sleuthing and found the house in the background on Google Maps, and she drove around to try and find Muad’dib while I was at work. She never did see him, but Summer came home in the afternoon and found him with the neighbor. I guess he just found his own way back, and she kept him for a playdate until later in the evening.

I did a bit of research into home solar since I had a meeting with Sean from Nivo Solar later in the evening. He didn’t seem super enthusiastic last time, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew we didn’t have prime property for panels, but it’s something I’ve always wanted, and some of the incentives appear to be going away soon.

It was a long day, but I eventually got back to the old house to feed the fish, and then went to Optimum to drop off their modem. I didn’t think to ask for a receipt the first time, so I went back and got one from someone else. The girl that took the modem earlier asked about cellular, but didn’t put up much of a fight. When I got back for the receipt, I made a comment to the guy about how they were always nice there, but I couldn’t bear to do business with Optimum the company any longer. I’ve never seen an employee completely turn on their company so quickly before, and it seems toxic the entire way through.

With that done, I finally made it home to find both dogs. It started sprinkling, without a single cloud above me, and the sun shining bright. Summer got home much earlier than I expected, and then I had my solar meeting to discuss some options ranging from about $14k to $30k. Those numbers matched mine pretty closely, so they seemed okay to me. I also asked about putting solar on the shed out back, which would be possible, but also covered by trees. I’d like to get some additional quotes, but so far they seemed pretty straightforward.

I spent a little more time with the dogs, but the evening flew by and before I knew it, I was late to bed. I reviewed the pet grooming kit I got from Amazon and got an invite to their Vine program, so I’ll have to look into that more tomorrow.

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