Tag: family

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Crew Crumbs

There were only four of us at work today, so Zach took the role as leader to point us at Jason’s list of duties on the board. He sent Allen to do work orders and Brice to try and update a touch panel’s firmware while he and I stripped and rebuilt a large charging cart. We got about halfway through stripping it when Brice got back and helped us finish. Then when Brice went to get the second cart, we realized that the first cart could have been left as it was with the old chargers, because we needed one of each for old and new chargers.

With that major flub out of the way, Brice and I left for Oakland to swap his faulty touch panel. On a whim, I turned the old one on and we couldn’t get it to fail again, so we ended up not replacing it. We got the new firmware to install by reading the instructions, and then we met Zach and Allen at Brangus for lunch.

After lunch, Brice and I went to the high school to hang a signage TV in the STEM center. It went up without too much trouble, but then I couldn’t get the Airtame to talk to our cloud account for some reason. We spent a while messing with it, but never did get it going. Zach sent us home just a few minutes early, and I went to the junior high to wait for the girls to finish their activities. Once they came out, I dropped them off with Summer and went home to clean up. I’m pretty sure I saw a new shrimp spawn, and the first batch are getting big enough to see them all over the tank.

Mom had been boiling some phở broth all week, so I went over there and the two of us had dinner together before I had to go see Summer get her quiz bowl ring at the football halftime show. As soon as that was over, we headed back up to her house and the girls left with their father. Then Summer and I ended the evening with a couple more episodes of an ever-dramatic Battlestar Galactica.

Yeah, you point finger back far enough and some germ gets blamed for splitting in two.

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Pulled an All-Dayer Today. Pretty Rough.

It’s endlessly frustrating how much work I always have left to do these days. Then I go to the shop and hear someone watching YouTube videos a good hour before lunchtime. I spent a bit of the morning at the high school rushing to get some things done before my call with Jamf support. We never came up with a resolution, but at least I learned a couple things during the call.

Zach, Allen, and I went to Morelos for lunch, and then crossed the street to give Summer some lunch too. Then I made my way back to the high school to get as much other stuff done as I could. I ended the day dragging the ladder around the STEM center so I could set up their new Airtames. I still don’t understand why we’ll buy TVs for them, but not every other department. I file those under “nice to have, but ultimately pointless.”

Summer needed me to take the girls to karate, so I ran home for just a little bit before picking them up. Eaddie forgot her pants again, and fussed at me the whole way to take her home to get them. I told her it wasn’t about time, and that I had other things I wanted to do that didn’t involve driving all the way across town. Then as soon as I got to my parents’ house, Summer called to say that Eaddie had taken her car keys. So here’s me, driving back across town again to return the stupid keys.

Mom and I finished up some leftovers with some more of that weird, flavorless squash. I added a ton of fresh ground black pepper this time, which gave it a nice kick. After that, I started to head home but decided to go up to Summer’s instead.

When Summer and Eaddie got back from the gym, we let the little stray cat in for some cheese, then settled in for some Battlestar before bed.

to be continued

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Midweek Blitz

It was back to work today after a four day weekend, though it didn’t really feel like I had a day off at all. I jumped right into work and picked apart all the work orders I had gotten while I was away. A few of them had already been looked at by someone, which was a really nice surprise. I ended up spending all morning at the shop to catch up. Most of that time was spent with the iPad Pro after hearing back from Jamf support, but unfortunately we still couldn’t get it enrolled properly.

Zach, Ben, and I went to Arby’s for lunch and all got the Beer Cheese ‘n Double Beef Sandwich with free fries. It was a bit messy, but not any more than a big Beef ‘n Cheddar. I really enjoyed it. Then after lunch I finally made it to the high school to jump into my remaining work orders. I kept really busy right up to the end when Autumn came to the high school. On the way out, we walked across campus to the PAC so I could take a look at their sign again. What a surprise to see it not responding over wireless.

Autumn and I came back to my house for just a little while until it was time to get Eaddie from her after school activities. Then I dropped them off at their house before going to visit with Mom for dinner. She had made some salty sausage and stir fried some kind of squash to go along with it. Then we shared some French bread and sweetened, condensed milk for desert.

To wrap up the evening, I came home and did some more laundry while I took care of all the pets. The teeny baby shrimplets have doubled in size by my estimation, and it’s becoming easier to see how many of them there are. I really may have to just eat the culls, because they’re booming and it’s only going to get worse as more of them mature.

Missin’ out on ACOT has me all sad ‘n stuff.

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Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!

Summer took Eaddie to school this morning while I went home to clean up. Then I picked her and Autumn up to go back to Children’s so we could commit to a surgery date. Talking to the doctor and the train of other staff didn’t seem to take that long since we kept moving from one place to another. I don’t think I’ve ever waited as long there as I do at my own doctor’s office. Autumn got some new crutches and got to practice going up and down stairs.

With a surgery date planned, we made our way across town in the rain to get some food. I picked Chuy’s at first, but then changed my mind as we passed Genghis Grill. I’d always wanted to try that place, so we pulled around the block and found our way in. It was pretty quiet but cramped inside, without a lot of room between tables. Autumn had an absolute fit about not liking Chinese food, which was half the fun for me. We picked out our daddy, mommy, and baby-sized bowls and made our way through the selection of raw ingredients and seasoning. Even my large bowl seemed really small to me, especially since I know how much the vegetables cook down in size. I wanted way more vegetables, but just couldn’t fit any more into the bowl.

Even Autumn really liked her end result of rice, ham, and smoked sausage. We’ve got to get her on some vegetables somehow, and I want so badly to play mean. Teaching kids the food pyramid doesn’t do a damned thing if you don’t enforce it.

We made our way home pretty quickly, stopping briefly for some drinks. I got some Mango Wheat Blue Moon that I’m anxious to try, along with something else that came in what was designed to look like a bottle of lighter fluid. We had to stop by my house so Autumn could change, and then we went straight to the high school for her marching competition. After all these years, I finally got to see her spin her flag around, so I can say first hand that she doesn’t always just walk around with it by her side.

We ended up spending more time waiting for her back at the junior high than it took for us to see the junior high compete. Then we went to the Neighborhood Market for some additions to dinner at home. Autumn neglected to bring her uniform bag out of my house, so we had to run and get it on the way back to their house. I cooked up some chicken for sandwiches, and then Summer and I watched a couple more episodes of Battlestar Galactica before bed.

They needed a home, so they set out in the void of deep space with nothing but their ships and their guts.

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Ketchup Over Rice

I slept as late as I could this morning, then got up to take the girls to school. Afterward I went home and started some more cleaning and laundry. I got a good shower, then went to meet Suzanne at Linhs for lunch. They were super packed, with people coming and going. It was really nice to see after so many visits in the past to an empty restaurant. Suzanne showed up shortly after I sat down, and we chatted over an assortment of our usual choices. It was really great having a conversation of substance after such a long time apart, and I even got the truth out of her that she was the one that sent that embroidered apron to me out of the blue.

After lunch, I went home for just a little while to wait for Eaddie to get out of school. I gave her the choice, and she had me pick her up from the junior high with the bike. Then we went back to my house for a little bit before taking the car out for gas and then to get Autumn. I took both girls to their house to wait for Summer to get home from her retreat. Once she got there, I took them all to Western Sizzlin for dinner.

Stuffed, we returned home for the girls to get ready for bed. Summer and I caught up on a couple episodes of Battlestar Galactica and finally found Earth. It was nothing we wanted and less.

Nothing but the rain.

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Bored Bored Bored Bored

I got up this morning after the light coming through the windows made it too difficult to sleep. I milled around the house waiting for Eaddie to wake up, but apparently she had been up a while and just didn’t want to come out of her room. We went to my house so I could do a bit of laundry and take a shower. Then we went to see Mom for lunch. I warmed us up some soup and we shared some dessert, then headed back to their house.

I played a little Anodyne that I picked up for the Switch for a buck until Summer got home from work. She wasn’t feeling great, so I just let her settle in and wasted more time. By the evening time, she was ready to watch some Battlestar before bed. Then I finished the first episode of Luke Cage to catch up with Eaddie.

Sine qua non

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Shrimp Daddy

We had a pretty contagious day of not giving a crap about anything. Jason sent every last one of us to the junior high to do a few things, and then vanished as usual. He did stop in a couple times just to make his presence known, but otherwise he was as useless as ever with an attitude to go along with it. I stopped in to talk with Matt about esports again, so I guess that’s still on the table. Then we got a few lines run and found another that already existed. They fed us chili dogs there, and pretty much everyone came out for it.

I spent the afternoon with Brice, first going by Oakland to take care of a couple of his things. We ended up sticking around the office for a while just to enjoy a Friday afternoon. Then we finished up at the high school running a video cable for a troublesome display. I didn’t leave with an overwhelming feeling of confidence, but I guess we’ll see what happens.

Summer had me get the girls from the junior high, so I dropped them off at their house because they didn’t care to have me around. I went home to clean up a bit from all the ceiling dust. That’s when I spotted something new in the Imagitarium!

I finally have baby shrimplets! They were so minuscule that I had to get out the magnifying glass just to see any detail on them. Some of the bigger flatworms rival them in size. I’ll never know exactly how many shrimp I have ever again, because this is just the first of many population explosions. I’ll need to get some other tanks cycled soon for my genetic experimentation.

Mom called me over for dinner, so we sat and had some soup together. Dad had already left on his trip, but left us some fresh banana bread for dessert. Then I headed up to Summer’s where everyone had pretty well split up into their rooms. Summer and I watched an episode and a half of Battlestar before she passed out. I’m super happy about having a long weekend myself.

Alone she sleeps in the shirt of man, with my three wishes clutched in her hand.

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What Prompted This?

I had a pretty rough start this morning, but with an iron will and the perseverance of someone with a powerful need to eat, I was able to make it happen. Work started out okay, but then I got to my office.

I had just gotten into a little work order to install a minor upgrade in a computer lab, which seemed petty and annoying at first, but became fun when I realized how easy it was. Halfway through that, my favorite regular customer walked in asking if I had gotten her email. I guess she thinks I just sit in my office playing Minesweeper until a little notification bell goes off. As it turns out, work orders and emails are a relatively small part of my job. I fashioned a response for her and the handful of people she addressed, and made a mental note to proceed with my next troubleshooting steps for her at some point ever. Then I continued on with my more pressing matters.

The rest of the morning went by pretty quickly. I texted Allen to reserve a lunch date at Taco Bell for a Toasted Cheddar Chalupa before they went out of fashion. When we got there, we felt encouraged by the marquis advertising the object of our yearning. Even the Taco Bell app was working just as it should. Things couldn’t be better. I had just selected the $6 box for my order when the girl at the counter told Allen that they no longer carried the toasty, cheddary treat. With that, I sat down and ate the saddest bean burrito I’d ever eaten.

When we got back to the shop, I spent a little time there on my iPad Pro again, with no additional luck. I ended up back at the PAC to try and downgrade the sign software, but got stuck again when the support rep refused to provide the password for the hardware we purchased. School let out just as I gave up, so I had to ride through that traffic to get to the other side of the building to my office. I wrapped up a couple more work orders to finish the day, then finally made the call for my vision exam.

The later it gets in the year and the more I read about what my EyeMed benefits actually are, the more upset I get over having waited so long, and also having purchased the insurance at all. It seems like a complete sham to have a provider that only has three local providers in their network, especially when one of them is the CFO’s wife, and another has a 2.7 star rating on Google Maps. I half expect them to poke me in the eye with a sharp stick and tell me I’ll just have to be blind for the rest of my life. I wonder if my insurance will even cover a sterile stick.

I didn’t have much time at home before I had to get Eaddie from her after school activities. We headed up to her house and killed most of the time until Summer got back with Autumn. I cooked some chicken strips for salads, then burned the rest of the evening fighting Google systems and their sign-in prompts. I should be able to get a two-factor authentication prompt on my phone, but it’s been broken for what feels like forever. I’ve reset more things, more times than I can count, and I’m just sick of it.

I took a break to watch an episode of Battlestar Galactica with Summer, and ended my night in another disappointment without my prompts.

Well, this is embarrassing.

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Blockin’ out the Scenery, Breakin’ My Mind

It was quite chilly out this morning. My fingers felt the sting of the autumn air on my ride in to work. I got out of the teens on my work order count, not counting any of the 1:1 laptop stuff, so I felt pretty good about it. I got a response back from 000webhost about my site and got the suspension lifted. The first thing I did was make a backup, but I have a feeling this is ultimately going to end in me paying for hosting. They’re cheap enough though, and the support response was fast and helpful. I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth so far.

Gary said he was going to Tropical Smoothie for lunch, so I met him, Zach, and Heather there. I had a coupon, but it was “Pick 2 Tuesday” that got me the same thing for a buck less. The flatbread was really good, and the pumpkin smoothie was delicious and larger than I expected to get in a twofer. It still wasn’t cheap, but I felt pretty good about it. I couldn’t believe how busy they were though. The drive-through line just didn’t quit, and there was hardly any room for other traffic to pass through. It didn’t bother the bike any though.

After lunch, I met with Ben and we worked on the LED road sign. We were out there for nearly four hours working on the damned thing, and we really didn’t do anything to fix it other than reboot it several times. Once we got it working, I screwed it up again by updating the publishing software to a version that evidently isn’t compatible with our sign’s firmware, so that’s another call in to the company that no longer supports our sign. I have a feeling they’re going to just have to replace the stupid thing anyway, probably with an even stupider thing. The whole time we were working on it, I just felt like maybe if there was only someone that worked specifically at the Center on their very technical things, that we wouldn’t have to be out there. At least the weather was nice, and I even got some closeup time with a black widow mamma and her sack of eggs.

Once home, I spent a little time cleaning up before going to get the girls from karate. Then we met Summer at my parents’ house for bún bò Huế before heading home for an early night.

ESPORTS REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
J/K

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Downtime!

It’s been three days since my site at 000webhost was shut down for some unknown violation of their terms of service. I finally sent an email off to them to appeal the shutdown. I guess I’ll give them a couple days to respond before I try and migrate to a paid plan. Their free service has always been more than enough for me, and I figured it would be fine for the foreseeable future.

Not much else of note happened today. I went to Popeye’s for lunch with Allen and was reminded of the maddening inconsistency in the size of their tenders. After work I went to my parents’ house for grilled pork chops before coming home to clean house. I can’t let all these responsibilities keep slipping by. Maybe this is the year.

I can’t get no relief.