Not Your Grandfather’s SpaghettiOs

I had an anxiety attack in the middle of the night at one point after I had been awake for a moment. When I did finally get up for work, I was able to cut my morning short and warm up my last burrito before showering and heading in to work. I was aware of my afternoon meeting with Aptean yesterday, but somewhere along the way it fell off my radar.

I took a late lunch, but fortunately I had brought leftovers from home, because a few bites into it I noticed the calendar alert. I hopped onto the call about five minutes late and felt terrible for it, but it was still a mostly pointless and short meeting.

A little while after that, I started to feel some generalized anxiety again, and I didn’t understand it. I think that hung around for an hour or so before it let up, but I had trouble focusing after that. I tried to just relax on the way home, but I pressed on as usual.

Eaddie was home from band camp, but Summer had already eaten earlier in the afternoon. They sat around talking and doing things on the couch while I processed Vine stuff and put together a couple motorcycle stands. Then I took Eaddie to La Villa for dinner. I got a seafood pasta that had so many calamari rings that it looked more like giant SpaghettiOs. She talked all about her experience as a counselor and how terrible the entire event was. It sounded like the complete lack of adult oversight could have easily caused enough of a parental stir to get Tech into big trouble, but it’s more likely that nothing will happen.

When we got home, I took Muad’Dib for a quick run to my parents’ house as it got dark. Eaddie left, Summer went to bed, and I fought sinus issues the rest of the night.

Just a trickling.

Runabout Rock

I had my wellness appointment this morning, and I really wanted to push the anxiety issue I’ve been having. I spent way more time talking to Irene, the nurse, than Crystal, who just came in for a couple minutes and basically asked how I was from across the room. She said she could refer me to a neurologist and run some extra labs, so I gave a little bit more blood and then left.

Summer, Muad’Dib, and I loaded up and headed to Little Rock after that. We went straight to Southern Tail for some lunch since we could take Muad’Dib out on the patio. They were pretty quiet and it was pretty hot outside, but they had sunshades up, and we got to sit on an outdoor couch to eat.

From there, we went up to my old office to see if we could catch Randy or any of the other guys. Anita had been moved to Transportation, and everyone I wanted to see was at HSTI, but I went back and saw Charles, Jimmy, and Gary all sitting on their computers scrolling social media.

We got to Gwatney Collision about half an hour early, but I filled out my paperwork and they got out pretty quickly to take pictures. I didn’t hear about my estimate again, but hopefully I’ll get an email soon. We left and went by the new Tesla service center to see what it was like. The showroom was surprisingly barren, but I talked to a guy named Vaughn(?) for a while before going back to the service department where I met Phillip.

I went back up front and got Vaughn to sign me up for a test drive of a Cybertruck. He had to take me first, but then he dropped me off and I took Summer for a spin. She was surprised at how well it drove and handled, so I guess that was a win.

We stopped once more for Muad’Dib and then headed to Conway for a charge. Summer said “ice cream” while I was thinking it, so we stopped at Kassi’s Cookies for a couple scoops and then made it home. Dad need to go to Walgreens, so I dropped Summer off and then picked him up. We got his prescriptions, then went to the Neighborhood Market to get my own before dropping him back off.

I did some cleanup back home when I got a call with lab results. They said I was a little low on iron, but not as bad as last year. I was also low on vitamin D3, so I’m adding both of those to my regimen. Then I took Muad’Dib for an evening run when it actually felt really nice out. We stopped to see my parents and I had some mango soup, and then we ran home in the twilight and raced to bed.

I asked you what I owed, so don’t send me a bill later!

Listen

Summer got up and made us pineapple upside-down pancakes for breakfast. Eaddie was up late, so she didn’t get up until she had to start getting ready for band camp. I did some reviews and cleaned a while, eventually getting a shower so we could go to a matinee in town. I hadn’t heard anything leading up to the release of Disclosure Day, but it looked interesting.

We dropped Muad’Dib off with Dad and then made it to the theater just in time. I was pretty annoyed by the number of stuck pixels that were clearly visible in the middle of the film, but otherwise it was a good movie. Summer was clenched for a lot of the suspense, and the topic of aliens didn’t freak me out like it would have as a child.

Afterward, I dropped Summer off at home and then took the Onewheel to get Muad’Dib. She was making a sandwich when we got back, so I sat down to have one with her. I did a bit more cleaning up and then we watched a couple episodes of Funny AF and a little YouTube before she went to bed surprisingly late. I was up later doing a bit more, but I tried not to be up too late past midnight.

Swell!

Import-ant

We had a little bit of rain this morning, but nothing more than a sprinkle. We got there early and went straight upstairs where I thought I was going to easily have an import ready into the sandbox. Boy, was I wrong. I got Tammy to come upstairs to talk to me about it for a while, and I think I finally understood enough to continue on with my test. Muad’Dib didn’t like her there, or anyone else for that matter. He jumped and snipped at her, so he was in trouble for the rest of the day.

We went to Sonic for a small, cheap lunch, but then grabbed some curly fries from Arby’s on the way back. I fought with Traverse, Excel, and everything else the rest of the afternoon. I ended up leaving a little later and walked out with everyone else, but that meant traffic was a little better somehow. For some reason, my car didn’t have a data connection for navigation, even though streaming music and everything else was still working.

We made it home where Eaddie had Eli and Ceci over. Summer was in a bath, but eventually came out to have dinner with me. I was frustrated with Eaddie for still not having my earplugs, and she kept giving both of us attitude when we asked about them. We have a concert next weekend, and there’s no reason I shouldn’t have what’s mine.

I eventually drained the basement again while I took Muad’Dib out for a late run, finishing up in the dark. Then I did some more cleanup and reviews until a late bedtime as my legs continued to swell from being out of my hydrochlorothiazide.

And now we’re out of lisinopril, too.

Bloody Meat

I was pretty sure I had an anxiety attack in my sleep last night, but it may have been a dream. I felt like I had a mild headache when I woke up from it. Summer had to work for a bit today, so she left and I got up to write some reviews. I finished all of the stuff we had for salad for an early lunch, and then she asked if I wanted to take her out to a late lunch when she got off of work. I wasn’t sure how hungry I’d be, but by the time I got ready and Summer got home and took a bath, Eaddie said she wanted to join us. Eli had just come over but his mother was cooking dinner later, so we let him babysit Muad’Dib while we ate.

Summer wanted Pasta Grill, and we got there just a little bit before they were actually open, though there were a couple other parties already waiting inside to be seated. We got a table and I decided to try the prime rib cooked medium instead of medium rare. I think that helped with some of the toughness I’ve not enjoyed before. We all had leftovers to take home, and then Eaddie left with Eli.

Summer spent the rest of the night on the couch while I tried to do some more reviews and cleaned up a little bit. I eventually started draining the basement again and took Muad’Dib out for a run. We encountered another lady walking a couple of dogs, but one was off of his leash. I stopped to see if it was just a loose dog following her, but it was hers. We chatted for a surprising little while as we passed her the second time, and then we continued around, skipping the basin due to flooding again.

We visited my parents, but it was so humid out that I started not feeling well. I sat down there for a minute to get my heartrate down, and then we made a straight shot home. I had to cool down a bit again, but I eventually joined Summer on the couch for one more episode of Funny AF. I’ve gotten a few chuckles out of it, but overall I wouldn’t say I’ve really loved it.

As soon as Summer turned off the TV, Muad’Dib got up and kept leading us uto bed. I stayed up to do some more reviews, but finally had to get to bed around midnight.

What a pain in the ass.

Leftover Day

I had an anxiety attack in the shower this morning, followed by a dull headache. I couldn’t tell if the headache was from the attack or just the lack of sleep, but it eventually went away. We got to work with some leftover chicken pasta and the expectation of a long day inside without much of a break.

I finally got a reasonably good combination of configuration profiles for my plant computers, but there’s still a little more tinkering I want to do. We ate in the office and then had a quiet afternoon until quitting time.

Summer had been working from home all day, but was upset that she was kicked out of another meeting due to some restructuring. Evidently they forgot to tell her, so she showed up without the agenda and then left.

We found some more leftovers for dinner, I started draining the basement again, and then I took Muad’Dib on a slow run. It felt really nice outside, so it was disappointing that he didn’t pick up the pace. We made it to my parents’ house and helped Dad get the robot out of the pool. Eli had come by earlier in the day to help drop it in, and it got most of the leaves out until they get the filter repaired and it stops spitting sand out.

We made it back to the house where the sump had actually finished, then cleaned up a bit before an early bedtime.

“on time”

Goats of Music Past

Summer left the house super early this morning to run up Mt. Magazine. She decided to start extra early so she could join some other ladies, and let me stay home to sleep. I didn’t really sleep in much though, and got around to shower pretty early so we could have the day together. Eaddie left fairly early as well, to prepare for the celebration of life concert for Cooper and Shepherd. I had an anxiety attack after my shower, but fortunately it was super quick without any haze afterward.

When Summer made it home, she cleaned up and we went to La Huerta for lunch. Muad’Dib got to hang out on the porch with us, and it was just on the hot end of comfortable. The humidity had me sweating, so I wasn’t super thrilled to learn that we would be rushing to get to the concert. We ended up leaving Muad’Dib at the house, and barely made it to our seats as they played their tuning note.

It was a very long event, with four speakers sharing stories between multiple guest conductors. I didn’t realize that it was a community concert either, or I would have suggested we sit it out. Summer enjoyed it though, and then we waved Chance down as we were leaving, just to say, “hello.”

Muad’Dib was in bed when we got back, but he was excited to see us. Summer spent the rest of the day in bed while I cleaned up a bit around the house. It felt a bit late, so I took Muad’Dib out for a run. It was still bright and hot, and then my parents weren’t home, so we came back home for the evening.

I continued to clean and tinker, and then Dad asked me to come help unload some groceries pretty late, so I took Muad’Dib out for a quick run straight to their house where they had already unloaded. We came back, I tinkered some more, and then went to bed.

And I didn’t even get to meet Corey!

Ortega Bros.

It was a little rainy, but really misty this morning, so I had to use my meats to drive to work. The weather wasn’t bad once we got there, but it showered again at least once while we were there. I had my head buried in Intune for most of the day, and was stuck waiting on my test computer for much of that.

Lunch time came around, and Grant had planned to meet me for some Ortega’s, so I walked out with Muad’Dib and waited for him. We rode to the restaurant together and had a good meal and chat. I think we’ll plan on some double date stuff soonish, and I’m hoping Summer can make a good friend of her own out of it since I don’t really know Jana at all.

I had an anxiety attack in the afternoon that left me slightly dazed, and then incredibly sleepy for the rest of the afternoon. It may have just been yesterday dragging me down, but I tried another cup of coffee and didn’t feel super smurfy for it. It felt like maybe it was stress, but I didn’t think I felt like I had any reason to be stressed.

We made it to the end of the day and ran to therapy. Summer finished up at the lube and then we had a decent session. I don’t really think the book is helping as much as if we were just talking through some of the specific pain points we have, but at least it gives us a guided tour, regardless of whether the topics are relevant ot us.

Mom had more bún bò Huế for dinner, so we headed home to change. Summer took a shower while I ran Muad’Dib, and then she and Eaddie met us there for dinner. I tried to help clean up a little, and then we made it home to try and wind down early. I showed Eaddie how to clean the hair out of the vacuum brush, Eli came over late, and they went to watch a movie since Eaddie had been cleaning up her stuff all day.

Water!

Wringing the Air

I slept in while Summer went to her run, and we had a much better day after that. We got up to eat some leftovers, and then I tried to be productive with some of the stuff all over the house. Summer has been excited about the new Masters of the Universe movie, but I learned that she was completely unaware of the old 1987 movie starring Dolf Lundgren. I found it for free on YouTube, so we watched that in the afternoon. Afterward, Summer wanted to take a nap. Eaddie was around for most of the day, but left later on.

I had set up a tiny dehumidifier last night, but it hardly pulled any water out of the air. Today, I uncovered a larger one I had ordered a while back, so I set it up and found it to work much better. Even with all the rain we’ve had lately, the little one barely had a quarter tank of water after 24 hours.

I took a shower late in the day, and then Dad asked for help unloading some things they had picked up at the store. I took Muad’Dib out for his run, but then saw that my parents were already home, so we circled back and got there as quickly as we could.

By the time we got back to the house, I had worked up my appetite. There wasn’t really anything left in the refrigerator, so I used my 50% discount at Domino’s and took the Onewheel out again so Muad’Dib could get some more steps in. Summer and I ate, and then lounged in front of the TV for the rest of the night. Out of nowhere, I had my first anxiety attack, I believe since I started taking my iron supplements again. It was a really short event, but still left me a little dazed. Eaddie showed up with Eli, and they watched a movie while we went to bed.

Good journey. 👋

Up in Arms

I felt like I woke up about every thirty minutes last night, but somehow I didn’t feel completely worthless when I got up. We made it out the door a little early, but then I remembered at the last minute that I had a Starbucks deal, so we actually showed up at work just a few minutes later than usual. I was greeted by an office of four other dogs, and I’m pretty sure they’re planning to take over our jobs. I was also greeted by a concerned controller who thought her account may have been compromised based on a bunch of automated emails that were sent from her address.

I traced back the emails, and along with some good old fashioned human memory, discovered they were from an old Traverse report that somehow came back to life after being broken for many months. That was how I learned a little bit more today.

I wasn’t super hungry by lunch, but we went to Sonic and McDonald’s to “build our own combo” out of deals. I ate in the office since it was super windy outside anyway. The afternoon was some birthday cake and then a bit more of the same until quitting time.

We were just approaching the Phoenix bridge when Summer texted that Mom had to take Dad back to the emergency room. He had surgery for his torn rotator cuff first thing in the morning, and he said it was worse than he expected. After he had been home all day, he discovered he wasn’t able to go to the restroom, and also felt nauseous. Mom had called Summer since she was in town while Julie and Kevin were on vacation and I was working out of town. I met Summer and a very groggy Dad in a packed waiting room while Mom was out getting prescriptions filled.

We eventually got him into a room, and then I swapped with Mom so she could go in and I could take Muad’Dib home and change clothes. They let me back as well, after fetching his discharge paperwork and some Jell-O, which he actually wasn’t allowed to eat. We sat for quite a while until Mom kicked us out to find dinner and get cars charging.

Summer and I went to Cici’s for a quick and cheap salad, and I had more pizza than I planned, but this time I really meant it. They had half the restaurant closed up early, but the pizza was somehow still good. Afterward, I took Summer back to her car at the hospital and checked on Mom. She refused anything, so I went to the Neighborhood Market again for some bananas, cheese, coffee, coconut water, and then a bag of bagels for Summer.

I got back to the emergency room and Mom refused everything but the coconut water, so I headed back home to quickly unwind. It wasn’t very long after that when Mom texted that they were headed home, so I raced over to help get Dad out of the car, up the stairs, and into the recliner. Then it was back home and straight to bed.

Don’t shoulder it alone!