Tag: food

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Tracking Dog

I watched Muad’Dib’s Fi collar pretty closely this morning while Eaddie and friends took him along to Sam’s Throne for a hike. I went to work mostly excited for lunch at Ortega’s even if it would be by myself, since Summer wouldn’t have time to stop on her way back from Little Rock. I stayed fairly busy again, but still didn’t have anything material to show for it. I did learn a bit about the applications and services we use, which will help.

When lunch finally came around, I found a new starter combo that I really liked. Getting a chalupa and a tostada first gave me a crispy meat and bean “hamburger” with lots of guacamole and sour cream that could be eaten with whatever else I got. The chicken was great today too.

The afternoon came and went, and I walked out just a couple minutes late. Muad’Dib was outside when I got to the house, so I let him in and we went out front to check the mail. He got a wild look in his eyes and took off in circles, barely able to keep enough traction to keep from running into the car. I changed clothes and we walked out just as Summer got there, and ran to Walgreens for a prescription.

I had an anxiety attack on the way back home that made me feel super tired for the next couple hours, but we managed to go back through our entire usual route, saw my parents, and then got back to the house so I could give him a bath. It was probably the longest bath I’ve ever given him, and I pulled out a ton of fur. He still smelled like corn chips though, so I may call the vet later just to see what they say about it. He did great for the bath though, even though he didn’t love it. He just sat there and let me run back and forth for supplies, timers, and even blow drying.

Summer was asleep by the time we finished. I wrapped up quickly and went to sleep.

Fizzle

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Pro Duck

Sleep was really touch-and-go last night, and of course as morning drew near, sleep felt heavier with more frequent dreams. Muad’Dib beat me out of the gate and we had a fairly gentle ride in to work where I actually stayed pretty productive all day, though in the end I still felt like I gained more projects than I finished.

We had a cheap lunch, splitting between some cheese sticks at Sonic and a sandwich from Arby’s. We ate the cheese sticks in the car while we waited for the Arby’s, and then ate the sandwich back at the office before calling Gary back to troubleshoot a display issue he was having.

The afternoon ended up speeding by, especially the closer we got to quitting time, and we walked out a little bit late. I had a couple of dueling super duty super douches on the Interstate, so we exited early and went to PetSmart to avoid any more road rage. Muad’Dib did great, and I ended up getting him a floppy rubber frisbee like Cutie always has.

Summer surprised me with shrimp and veggies over rice for dinner, and it was just the two of us, so we ate in front of the TV and watched Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 before retiring for the night. Eaddie had plans to take Muad’Dib hiking th enext day, so I set up his Fi Mini tracking collar and got everything ready for her. I was a little nervous about it, but the tracker helped.

Wild that it’s more expensive than Fitbit Premium, but I guess there’s a cellular aspect.

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Out of Nerves

I fell asleep late, but surprisingly woke up fairly early. Summer got up for coffee, and I made us a couple more sandwiches. I thought it would be a good, productive day, but Summer almost immediately started irritating me by being loudly obtuse. I just had to walk away before my inside thoughts got too mean, but of course that upset her too. I thought she left for the gym, but she actually just quietly started cleaning the laundry room, and rearranging everything in there. I walked out of my office and the house was cold because she had the door wide open while she was doing that.

Things just got worse all day long, as I struggled to make sense of how she had compacted everything. I didn’t really get anything accomplished except for the cooking of some old food that needed to be consumed. I started the turkey carcass in the Instant Pot, and boiled the liver and leftover broccoli stems for Muad’Dib.

Dad called and needed to borrow a carpet cleaner, and somewhere along the way, the handheld one got a damaged charge port. I blamed Summer because she had just moved it in her cleaning, but that upset her too. Dad had to bring it back and swap for the upright carpet cleaner. I took Muad’Dib for an early run while the sun was up, and then spent the rest of the evening finishing up the turkey broth and beans. It wasn’t anything like the soup I wanted to make, and it was more beans than soup, but it was edible, and it got junk out of the fridge and turned it into something that everyone will have to eat.

no improvement

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Thighs and Breasts

I slept in a little bit later than I intended while Summer went to work for a few hours. I had a bit of a stomach ache when I woke up, but I had to get ready for our trip to Little Rock. Summer came home and we left for Waldo’s Chicken and Beer where we had the absolute best chicken sandwiches. End of line.

Lunch with some incredible cheddar biscuits and chicken bits gave us plenty of time to make the five minute drive to CARTI for Summer’s appointment. I didn’t remember the lobby, but we had been there before, possibly in the same exam room, to talk to her surgeon. Her mammogram and ultrasound both returned a benign cyst, so there was nothing to cause alarm. They did categorize her as high risk after the initial incident though, so she’ll be going back regularly to screen. She was relieved though, to hear that her new lump was nothing to worry about.

From there, we went to McCain Mall to browse for a while before my appointment at the body shop. The mall was back to the usual sadness after the Christmas rush that Eaddie got to witness. It was mostly fast fashion outlets with unrecognizable store names, and immigrant cart vendors. Even Old Navy left something to be desired.

Finally, we made our way to the Gwatney Collision Center to get a quote to repair some flaking paint on my car. Hopefully the time delay won’t cause any issues, since we had taken it to Tesla in Tulsa in the middle of the year. The quote was about three thousand more than I expected, but maybe that means they’ll do a solid job.

We popped into Sam’s Club nextdoor and grabbed an impromptu cartload of stuff we didn’t need, and then had to stop by the Splash warehouse in Conway for some supplies on the way home. We didn’t waste any time dropping those off once we got into town, because Eaddie had Eli and Ceci over to help make our lasagna dinner. It was ready right as we got home, so the five of us sat down and had a really great meal together. Then the kids took Muad’Dib for a run while Summer and I unwound and got ready for bed.

PI

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Conspire to Give

I woke up to a stomach ache this morning, presumably from the eggnog, but I think the Lactaid helped. I made breakfast bagels for Summer and myself, and had an anxiety attack somewhere in the process. Then we started packing up the Christmas tree. We stowed all of that in the attic and took down the light trees in the front yard, but we still managed to forget a couple things in the house.

Julie and I conspired to show up at my parents’ house so we could distribute the gifts we didn’t take to the airport the other day, so after my shower, I took Muad’Dib on a run over there. The girls followed in the car with the gifts, and Julie and Kevin eventually showed up. Mom had fallen asleep, and Kevin woke her up and scared the heck out of her. I didn’t realize how shy we were on Kevin’s gifts, but Dad and Julie liked theirs.

Afterward, I finished my run with Muad’Dib through cold and heavy winds while the girls went to Zaxby’s to pick up dinner. We got home and ate, and then I started some laundry and watched some Stranger Things recaps. When Eaddie came out to the living room, I moved off of YouTube and into the official Netflix recaps, and then we skimmed through a few episodes before bed.

Then the north wind blew south.

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Unboxing Day

I got up and fried some ham and eggs for breakfast. Summer went to the gym, and I got started on cleaning and unpacking and sorting and rearranging everything that was still cluttered. The kitchen table got covered up pretty quickly, but with purpose. I was able to empty a couple boxes worth of stuff that had been stowed in the hallway while we underwent repairs.

The girls went for a walk with Muad’Dib when Summer got back from the gym, and then she helped clean up around the house. I lost track of the day and eventually had to make myself stop to shower and run Muad’Dib. Mom made some stirfried noodles, beef, and veggies for dinner and I thought Summer would go back with me, but she was in the tub when Muad’Dib and I got back from our run.

I drove over to eat, then came back well after dark to find the kids all watching Stranger Things in the dark. Summer was doing puzzles in bed, and I wasted the rest of the night.

Noggin

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Spring Holiday

I slept a little later than I intended, but had plenty of time to get the turkey on the smoker. We had time for some coffee and presents, and a game of Phase 10 Tiles. I managed to get some blisters on my right hand trying to chop up some wood for the smoker, and then ended up putting the disc in whole since it just barely fit. I was worried the charcoal would jam it, and it did later on. I took Muad’Dib on a run to my parent’s house for some honey, and then rode back with an instant read thermometer for Dad. On the way back, the Onewheel died on me, so Summer had to come pick us up.

I smoked the turkey and the ham, and had to dislodge the wood to keep the fire going. I had accidentally started the turkey about 100ยบ too hot, so I dropped that down after basically reverse-searing it. The ham probably could have gone on earlier too, but they all finished right on time for me to get the turkey sliced up.

Eaddie, Eli, and Ceci were watching Stranger Things all day, but came along for dinner. We got to the airport just in time to eat, and Kevin had a bunch of family there along with our group. I didn’t feel too bad, because Julie had to run home for something too.

Dinner was a little fragmented, and we didn’t really have a clearly defined dinner and dessert time. Dad did some magic, and then flamed the plumb pudding. The alcohol didn’t all burn off though, so it tasted a bit boozy with the PGA. I chased it down with some of Julie’s over-rich chocolate cake.

The kids kept wanting to go home early, but we made them stay a while before cutting out. Then I was in a rush to get out so we could settle down for bed and work in the morning.

But now I’m sunny with a high of 75

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Sick as a Dog

Eaddie texted me last night as I was getting ready for bed, and asked if Muad’Dib could stay home from work the next day. I told her he could call in sick, and I left by myself in the morning. Just as I approached my exit, I decided to stop at Wendy’s for breakfast and was surprised at the size of their burrito. It was of fairly poor quality, but it was a decent size with two real eggs, which was nice.

I thought it would be more quiet, but everyone was upstairs. I bounced between a couple of things, but still didn’t really make any notable progress on anything. Summer went to Little Rock, so we met for an early lunch on her way back. Ortega’s has been a great way to break up my fast food week, and their all-you-can-eat is a great deal to get some variety even if we don’t stuff ourselves.

I picked up an order from Walmart on the way back, and when I got to the office, Tammy said she got permission to go home at 2:30. I was thankful the afternoon wouldn’t have a chance to drag on. I got another RMA approval from Future Motion, but of course that just means I have to ship off my Onewheel again. With the battery failures and intermittent motor disengagements, I’ve just been a little terrified to go on any serious rides.

Everyone was at the house when I got there. Summer and Muad’Dib met me outside. Eaddie had Eli and Ceci over to watch Stranger Things. I took Muad’Dib on an early run, and it was so warm that he just barely walked the whole way.

A little while later, Summer wanted to go to the grocery store. Muad’Dib insisted on going too, but he had to sit in the car. They were really busy, but there was a good flow and it wasn’t too crazy. They were out of mollases though, so Summer got some dark corn syrup for the gingerbread cookies instead.

Back at the house, I played some Don’t Starve on my phone with my new controller mount attachment. It worked really well, and I was surprised at how little battery it actually used on my phone. I played for a while as Summer bathed, and then eventually wound down for bed.

Gonna have to dock a vacation day for that.

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Hammer and Chisel

I got up this morning and actually got showered fairly early. Eaddie had the community concert in the evening, and Summer wanted to do some shopping. I wanted to take Muad’Dib, so we went to PetSmart first to pick up some more food. Then we put him in the car while we quickly poked our heads into Belk. They didn’t have what we wanted, so we drove over to JCPenney. From there, I got Muad’Dib out and we walked up the strip. Summer stopped at Shoe Carnival, and then we walked a little further up before returning to the car.

We were pretty hungry by then, and I was actually hungry enough to eat Italian, so we tried to stop at Italian Garden. Muad’Dib got super whiney, so we let him out to run a bit first. That was my mistake, because I should have had Summer queue us first. By the time we got in the door, she said there were a few people waiting. They quoted her ten minutes, but we decided to leave. I made a quick pass downtown to see if the taco place down there was open, but they weren’t. Feeling my frustration steadily growing, I took us to the house and warmed up some pizza and other leftovers.

Summer went to the gym and I started chipping away at the dining room table. I got a little bit of stuff moved, but there was just so much to put away properly. Summer eventually made it back, and I took Muad’Dib for a run while it was a little warmer out. Mom made curry, but it wasn’t ready when Muad’Dib ran us straight there. We continued around our reverse route for a while and then turned around just a couple blocks from our house to go back to my parents’.

I ate and then we started rolling back to the house. I got to the end of the road when my board threw a charge error again, but I was able to limp it most of the way home. I did carry it for about a block total, mostly just to make it up the hills. By then it was about time to get ready for the concert. We put Muad’Dib out back and then picked up Dad, and made our way to Witherspoon.

We sat near the back with Eli’s family, and Salvadore talked to me until we finally sat down. Summer wanted to sit by Shaana, so Dad and I just sat at the end of the aisle. The music was pretty typical for a Christmas concert. On the way out, Summer had us walk all the way around the building to avoid Gerald, which seemed a bit ironic considering the heat I’ve gotten for wanting to avoid Autumn lately.

We dropped Dad off and then got back to the house so I could give Muad’Dib a bath. He did wonderfully, and even stayed in the tub for me while I fetched the blow dryer. I gave him a good vacuuming afterward and pulled off a bunch of hair. Then it was a rush to bed.

Payout for tricks!

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Blue Da Ba Dee

Summer and I got up early so we could get to Little Rock for her race. The organizers waited until the last possible minute to post the actual location, so we got stressed when we arrived at Allsopp Park and didn’t see a crowd. Summer had me make a block, but we came back and saw a few cars at the top of a hill. That ended up being the race, but it was small and informal, without any real prizes or anything. They had nachos, beer, and Fireball, and the race path was not at all paved. In fact, they had to explain symbols, marked in flour in the dirt, so that people would know where to go or when they were off course.

They finally kicked off the race and people disappeared around a corner, and I drove down the hill to Beignets & Brew for coffee and a snack. The beignets were hot and fresh, so I ordered a few more to take to Summer when she finished. It wasn’t even a full 5k, but she seemed to enjoy it. They had an assortment of trophies, probably picked up from a junk store, and basically handed them out at random. They even tried to call me up for being the partner of the best looking runner from Russellville. We had some nachos, and left shortly thereafter.

Our next stop was Park Plaza to do a little looking around. Summer picked up a couple of things, and then we continued to Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken. I impressed her with my perfect parallel parking after she sassed me about having the car do it. I think I actually executed it better and faster anyway. We split half of a chicken and some extra sides, and everything was delicious. I just wished the chicken was bigger. Then we made our way across town to the IMAX.

We got there just in time to get situated, but I had to swap my glasses due to some wicked glare I couldn’t get rid of. Avatar: Fire and Ash was a spectacle, to be sure. It was an enjoyable, long movie. I barely remembered The Way of Water, but I wasn’t terribly worried about keeping up with the lore anyway. We were entertained.

After the movie, we went straight home except for a stop in Blackwell. Summer wanted to get some wine for Shaana, and I picked up three more kegs of Fireball that were on clearance for less than the price of two bottles, so that was a pretty great deal. I don’t know why they were clearing them so close to New Year’s Eve, because that seems like prime time for that stuff. I grabbed a dozen tamales from the food truck outside when we left, and the girls really enjoyed those when we got back to the house.

I spent too much time dawdling after that, in spite of feeling pretty exhausted. Tomorrow will be a busy day of cleaning up, and it will only get more stressful from there.

She’s crazy!