Tag: food

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Keep Summer Safe!

I made it to work early again, but it was a sleepy drive both to and from after missing some sleep. I dug into SCCM some more, but didn’t really make any headway with my issue. The whole day just dragged on since it had felt like it should be Friday for the past three days.

Randy took me to North Bar to meet Jim and Kyle, and then Jay showed up as well, so I scooted to the adjacent table with him. I was super disappointed in the burger I got, due to the size and limited toppings. It was the most basic hamburger you could imagine, with almost nothing on it. I ate Jay’s fries and hushpuppies that he didn’t want, but his coleslaw was awful too. Overall a terrible experience.

The afternoon dragged on the worst until I headed home. The drive was long and dull, and I kept wanting to fall asleep. The car got me home safely though, and I took Muad’Dib out for a run before Summer got home from the gym. Dad was out taking senior pictures with Eaddie on Mt. Nebo, so we made it straight home where Summer was reclined on the porch with a glass of wine and her laptop, updating her résumé after a tough day at work.

We chatted for a bit, and then I came in to warm up some leftovers for us. I combined some meals into the gumbo and split it with her, and it turned out really good. After we ate, we talked for quite a while longer until she went to bed. Then I caught Shawna up on all the details and got her feedback. I did eventually make it to bed, but not for long.

My function is to “keep Summer safe,” not “keep Summer being, like, totally stoked about, like, the general vibe, and stuff.”

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Look at the Stars

I thought I’d make it to work a bit early today, but the onramp was closed again, followed by nearly stop-and-go traffic from Conway all the way to Little Rock. I still made it before anyone else of importance, so none of it mattered. I spent the whole day doing Vine reviews again, so once they post, I should be up over 70% from what I can tell.

We had a lunch-and-learn with Howard and a vendor at American Pie Pizza, and I ate way too much. It was a strange mix of chips, cheese dip, salsa, wings, and pizza, but it was pretty good. The pizza was mostly cold by the time we got to it, but it was also free.

The afternoon was more of the same, but went by quickly until quitting time. We were supposed to meet with Diana about the house again, so I tried to stop by Blue Barn Bakery. I assumed the door was only a back door, so I didn’t try turning the handle and left empty handed, but then Summer texted just as I got home to say that she was feeling chest and throat pain. I texted Diana to let her know we probably shouldn’t meet if Summer was sick, and we decided to reschedule for another time.

Power had been out for most of the afternoon, so all I could do was take Muad’Dib out for a run. Summer made it home and rested all evening while we ran. It was super nice out, but the entire neighborhood was lit up with the sound of generators on every block. I brushed Muad’Dib out while we were at the basin trail, and then we visited Dad before making it home. I reviewed my final tax forms and got those paid, and eventually made it to bed pretty late since Eaddie wasn’t home until nearly midnight for state concert assessment.

And all the things that you do

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Death and Taxes

Summer was basically attached to me all night, but the one time she wasn’t, she awoke in a panic and screamed for me, which jarred me awake. We made it through the night though, and I made her a latte when we got up. She went to the gym and wanted to come home to do yard work while I picked up around the house. She got stuff to make a slow cooker gumbo for dinner, I did a bunch of Vine reviews, and then I took Muad’Dib out for a slightly early run.

He wasn’t running super fast, but he came up behind me and touched the back of my legs, which scared me into thinking I was running over him, and I wiped out. The only damaged appeared to be a bruised left heel, which hurt the rest of the evening. We visited my parents, who were getting ready to go to the movies, but The Chosen was evidently sold out by the time they got there.

We made it home and I started working on my taxes until dinner was ready. Eli came over and the four of us had a great meal, then I went back to taxes. My Amazon Vine income has caused some confusion, because evidently I can claim that as a part of a business for some deductions, but Cash App Taxes seemed to input a Qualified Business Income number out of nowhere. I didn’t want to be up too late trying to learn tax law, so it would have to wait for the next day.

Well I can’t quit procrastinating now!

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Tempestas Fugit

I got up this morning and considered taking Muad’Dib out for a bath, but as soon as I started petting him, even more hair came right out of his coat. He’ll need to get further along in his shedding before we bring him in for any length of time. I had plans to be pretty productive for the day, but it just didn’t happen. Summer was up and we were able to have what I thought was a long, meaningful chat. Eaddie had to prepare for prom when she got up, so all I really did after that was eat some tacos and then wait around for her.

Eli’s mom came over in the afternoon to do Eaddie’s hair and makeup. As they finished up, we got some pictures and then went outside to wait for his dad and sister to come and take pictures outside. I took Muad’Dib up the street for a quick jaunt just to burn some energy, and he jumped into Eli’s opened driver-side door when we got back. He knows cars are for adventures now, and he’s not afraid to go for it. The kids did great, and even Muad’Dib sat still long enough for some photos before they left.

Summer and I chatted some more in the evening, and I eventually got outside to grill a couple of burgers for dinner. It was dark by then, so I took Muad’Dib out for a run and tried to catch up with Shawna for a bit. We stopped to see my parents and their new kitchen countertop, and then it was a fairly quick night to bed. The kids came home to change before going to the after-prom party, but neither of us could stay up as late as they would be.

So taxing.

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The Umpire Strikes Back

I had a belly ache for most of the day after eating two buffets yesterday. I got to work and everyone was already burned out for the week. I actually tried being a little productive at first, with a cup of black coffee to get things moving. Just as I finished that, Randy announced that he was going to Burns Park to watch some autistic kids play softball, and invited me along.

I welcomed the change of scenery, and we drove out to the park to check things out. Jim was out there helping. The sun was shining and the wind was blowing, which caused some of the sand to kick up into the air. It was still a beautiful day to be outside, and we watched as they finished up their activity day.

We were a little early to get to lunch, so Randy drove me around the whole park, which was pretty neat. Then we slowly made it across town to Brewski’s where we met Maggie, Kyle, Jay, Corey, and Hunter. I thought I’d get out cheap by splitting some wings with Maggie, but what she ordered ended up being well over $20. I should have just stuck to myself. I was still stuffed, but the wings were pretty good.

The afternoon was pretty dull back at the office. I walked out a few minutes early so I could get home to Muad’Dib. I really wanted to take him to the lake and then get him a bath so he could come inside. Summer was supposed to go, but was an hour late getting home, and said she was tired and in pain. Ben called me while I was outside with Muad’Dib, so we talked for a while. Then I ended up just taking him out for our normal run, and he did much better than yesterday. I think he just needed a day to recover. We stopped at the basin and I raked out a bunch of the hair he was losing.

My parents weren’t home, so we continued on toward home where we crossed paths with Tasha, her husband, and baby who were all out walking their tiny dog. I stopped to chat with her for a little while, then made it home for the night. Summer was laid out on the couch, so I sat down with her and tried to watch the Netflix Kill Tony episode, but it was pretty awful. Then I put on Resident Alien and got a few laughs. She was done after that. Eaddie was out pretty late with Eli, but I caught a glimpse as she made it home just before I went to bed.

So let us stop talkin’ falsely now.

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Bobuffet

I got very little sleep, but made it to work at a more leisurely pace without any trouble. I tried to stay busy, but I think everyone has just sort of been hiding lately. I knew we had Mom’s birthday dinner planned, but completely forgot about it when Randy walked up to me and whispered, “pizza.” He wanted to go to Larry’s for lunch, and that sounded good to a hungry me at eight in the morning.

Lunch was great, of course, but I ate too much. The afternoon dragged a bit, and then the drive home was stupendously slow. Summer had a rough day at work, so she was pretty quiet all night. I tried to take Muad’Dib for a run, but he was still tired from yesterday and just barely walked the whole way.

We were visiting Dad when Mom got home, so we made it back to the house and Summer and I met everyone at Brown’s Catfish. Julie, Kevin, and his parents met us there as we pulled in right behind Mom and Dad. Dinner was good, but I had fried fish batter coming out of my eyes and cinnamon roll icing coming out of my ears by the time we left.

Summer got to bed pretty quickly once we got home. I had some big boxes from Vine, but it wasn’t really a ton of stuff. I got that unpacked and then rushed to bed.

You can run, but you’ll only die tired.

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Husky Nights and Melancholie Days

Summer had to open one of her stores today, so I just met her at Saint Mary’s for her mammogram and ultrasound. I walked in and saw Allen sitting there waiting to go back, so I sat next to him to chat until seats cleared up and we could all sit together. He was there getting X-rayed, and stayed to chat with me while Summer went back. She wasn’t in there long though, and came out looking really upset. I may have misread her based on our conversations the rest of the day, but they referred her to get an MRI in Conway instead of taking a biopsy, so I’m hopeful that it’s just nothing.

She had to go back to work, so I ran to McDonald’s to grab her some breakfast before meeting Allen at Price Break. Wednesday was apparently dollar day, and the place was absolutely packed. He didn’t stay long, but I grabbed a Christmas ornament of Rocket Raccoon and a case of some soda or energy drink stuff to try. He had another doctor appointment after that, so I headed toward home but stopped at Ridgewood Brothers just to say, “hello.” Grant accidentally messed up his macaroni sauce somehow, so I got out of the way and went home just long enough for Allen to text that he was done.

We met at Panda Express for some lunch and chatted for quite a while. I thought he’d come see the new house, but he changed his mind at the last minute and I headed home to run Muad’Dib. We went to the basin and saw that Dad was at the old house, so I thought we’d run across town to see him. He was mowing the lawns, so we rode on down to Allen’s house and got to play with Davis, his new dachshund. Davis ran circles around Muad’Dib in the back yard for a bit, and then we continued on down to the airport to visit Kevin for a little while.

Summer mentioned us coming to see her, so we headed back to the old house for a break before making our way to Superfast. Everyone there loved him, but Muad’Dib was tired. He had some popcorn, and then we continued home, stopping at the little paved pad with bike tools and a picnic table to rest and enjoy the shady breeze for a while. We got through the basin, visited Dad at home, and finally made it home where he laid down on the porch for a snooze.

Shawna called and we caught up for a little bit while I sat out on the porch with Muad’Dib. Eaddie got home from band solo and ensemble, and played with him for a little bit before coming in to eat. I cleaned up some of my own leftovers from work lunch, and then Summer got home and I made her a bowl of meatballs she made last night. We had a nice chat for a while until she went to bed, and then it was a slow wind-down for me.

Perfect.

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Beef Stroganov

Neither Summer nor I slept very well last night, but for all of the up and down, I actually didn’t have any trouble getting moving. I actually got out of the house a little bit early and beat everyone to work except for Gary. The middle school was still down, and there was some finger-pointing about whether it was a problem on our side or on Windstream’s side.

I tinkered a little bit, but again didn’t have much direction today. I was actually alone for much of the morning since Randy had his executive team meeting and Maggie had some kind of training. Lunch time came around pretty quickly and I ended up going to Popeye’s for a couple chicken sandwiches. The chick that was working the drive-through wasn’t in the mood for whatever her customer kept saying, because I could hear her sassing him over the speaker as I walked in, then got to witness her exaggerated eye rolling once I made it inside.

The sandwiches were good, but I didn’t quite “get” the pickle seasoning version. The pickle slices were huge on both sandwiches though. After that, I tinkered in Mosyle for a bit to try and deploy the Adobe suite on a “donated” MacBook. The afternoon went by more slowly until the last hour, which sped by.

Traffic home was incredibly slow for no discernible reason. I got home and took Muad’Dib out for a good run while Summer was at the gym. When we got back, we ate the slow cooker noodles and meatballs that she made to resemble a beef stroganoff. It was actually pretty good, and it kept growing on me the more I ate. The green beans she made were good, but undercooked for me. Overall it was a good, easy dinner.

She was still nervous about her second mammogram, but kept busy doing some work from home while I put together an Adirondack chair. I wasn’t quite confident enough to sit in it myself, but I think Summer liked it alright. Eaddie was out late having Eli’s mom do her hair as practice for prom. We settle down fairly quickly, then it was off to bed.

Turns out all of my highs are making love to my lows

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Leftover Sunday

I was up way late, but woke up in the morning when Randy texted about some systems being down. I got up and the three of us each had some leftover pizza as we came around. I sat on the computer for a bit trying to help Randy, but there wasn’t much I could do without understanding what he was seeing, or knowing what the vendor might be doing remotely as well.

Eaddie had a recital that she didn’t want us to watch, so we stayed home all day. The afternoon went by really quickly, but I did manage to get Muad’Dib out for a little bit. The basin was flooded, but we ran straight down Vancouver to the roundabout. Dad was cooking some bacon when we stopped to see them, and Mom kept trying to run us out of the house even though Muad’Dib was relatively clean.

We got back home and had some time to relax and clean up, then ate some leftover Tacos 4 Life that was really good. It really was a good recovery day. I gave Shawna Summer’s information and they started texting, so I really think this will be a good thing for everyone. As the sun slowly set, Muad’Dib and I laid on the couch and let Summer pet us for a while. I kept falling asleep, so we eventually headed to bed a little early.

High Availability? More like High Failure.

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Gateway 2000

I started getting texts early on the drive in this morning. Internet was down in multiple buildings, which meant something was down at the core. I got there and was able to ping switches, so I knew it wasn’t a network issue. Kyle was out, so Randy and Jim were at the high school trying to figure things out. It took them until just after lunch to figure out it was a misconfigured switch due to a power outage last night.

David from Howard brought a Clear Touch representative and lunch from Jimmy John’s to discuss some of the issues the techs had been facing ever since the boards were installed. I don’t think anyone was super impressed by the cold sandwiches, but free was free. We sat and talked for a while, and Randy eventually showed up once they got the switch reconfigured.

The afternoon was just as quiet, because nobody wanted to do anything by that time. I watched a livestream of Eaddie performing at Tech for the Music for All, but Summer was actually able to go in person. The temperature spiked outside and storms started blowing in, so Jimmy, Maggie, and I left the office a little bit early to beat the weather. I stopped in Morrilton for some drinks, then made it home where the kids were waiting for Summer to finish dinner. I cleaned up a bit, we ate, and then Summer and I sat outside with Muad’Dib and talked for a while.

Summer also made strawberries and whipped cream to go with some angel food cake for dessert. After we ate that, we considered taking the dog out for a bath. It got kind of late, and it was already gross outside though, so we ended up staying in and playing Heads Up! with the kids. Afterward, Eli left and Eaddie settled in. I laid down with Summer for a little while, cleaned up just a hair more, and eventually made it to bed.

I was caught in the middle of a railroad track.