Tag: parenting

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The Dilemma

Feyd-Rautha laid on the porch by the back door all night long, and I could not have felt worse about the possibility of him going back to those people. He had finally started wagging his tail when he saw us come out, though he still hadn’t eaten anything but a couple treats. Summer left for Little Rock and I headed to work with the plan to deal with him later, though I texted Eaddie later and asked her to play with him some when she came back home from class.

I stayed pretty busy, but took time to email Animal Control again. They said they would send someone to do another welfare check, so I called to clarify that I still had the dog in custody. Tammie didn’t seem too concerned with what I had to say or what I wanted to do, so we just agreed to bring him in ourselves in the evening. I guess I wasn’t surprised, because it just comes with the job for them.

I met Summer for lunch at Ortega’s, and I was a little frustrated by the lack of service. They brought us a brand new bottle of salsa and then no chips, and didn’t get all of my order right. At least the food was good, but I could have gone for some more.

The afternoon was short just due to how late we ate, and then I asked to leave early so I could help Summer take Feyd to Animal Control. I raced home through slow traffic, and we wouldn’t have even made it on time if they hadn’t been waiting for Dreya to show up with another found dog. She talked to Summer briefly, and I took Feyd-Rautha into the loud, smelly, anxiety-inducing prison for the night. Tammie was of course unaffected, but did say the guy called looking for him. She did me the favor of not telling him that I had him, but said she would at least make him fill out the return paperwork tomorrow.

Summer and I headed back to the house and I started grilling steaks while she baked potatoes. I wanted to use charcoal this time, and it turned out pretty good. I even managed to use a small amount of charcoal without having a ton left over. At some point, we made it to the bedroom where I dug around and found my S21 Ultra, so I’ll be able to use it for the company picnic. We ate, and then I took Muad’Dib for a late run to see my parents. It was dark by the time we made it back, and we rushed to bed.

Oh, yes. I remember Gammu when it was Giedi Prime – the oil-soaked, blood-soaked hell hole of the Imperium!

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Side Quests

Summer had to work this morning, so I slept in a while, then got up for some leftover corned beef for brunch. Eaddie left for school and I got cleaned up for a trip to Conway with Summer to pick up some stuff for work. I had gotten tickets to see The Super Mario Galaxy Movie so it wouldn’t be a whole trip just for work. I really wanted to see Project Hail Mary, but the release of Mario knocked it out of every single larger theater.

I lost track of time and we got out the door way later than I planned, but we made it just in time to walk straight back and sit down at the end of the trailers. A family with at least one kid was sat right next to our seats in an otherwise mostly empty auditorium, but I sat down and shared an armrest on principle because I had reserved our seats ahead. It wasn’t completely unbearable.

I thought the movie was fun, but the 3D didn’t really do much for it, which was a surprise. After that, we went to Splash to pick up Summer’s stuff. I asked for the key to the manual wash and was able to give the Model 3 one of the best washes it has ever had. I had forgotten how vibrant the paint was.

By the time I finished, we were both super hungry, so we made our way downtown and ended up at the Rogue Roundabout. Summer didn’t have her ID for some reason, so our server said she would have to call over the manager. I didn’t recognize him, but he learned where we were from and said he was born and raised there, having graduated high school a year after me. I asked his name and learned he was the same Chris I had driven to the emergency room after stepping on broken glass at Cole’s bachelor party camp trip some fifteen years ago. I still had photos, and even had his number saved in my phone.

After that, we had several drinks before our food came out an hour and a half later. Everything tasted great – it was just incredibly, frustratingly slow. We caught Chris outside as we left, and I shared a couple pictures. Then we started toward home. Summer had previously said no to Long John Silver’s when we were thinking of where to eat, which put the bug in my brain that I should pick some up for later.

We went through the drive-through where I ordered a family mean, and was subsequently parked to wait for our food. I ended up going inside and had a great conversation with another customer that came in after me. We chatted intermittently with the guy who took my order, since he was busy running around behind the counter. He gave both of us free drinks for waiting so long, and then I remembered their delicious strawberry lemonade. The restaurant always looks super dated and worn down, but has never been what I would consider dirty. The staff has always been super friendly, and the food has always been fresh. I wish them success, because I miss the one in town.

I eventually got my food and we headed home, snacking on clam strips as it started to pour down rain. We made it home where Muad’Dib had apparently been left alone for several hours. He ran up to me like he thought I had gone forever. I had asked Eaddie about being home, but I guess I wasn’t specific enough because she had been gone to Tech for several hours before we made it back. Everything was intact though, so maybe he’ll be okay to be left alone a little more frequently.

First goes the body, then goes the bones. Then all that’s left is dust.

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Nearly Ninety

Summer made us some eggs to go with leftover pork chops and waffles for breakfast this morning. Afterward, we enjoyed some coffee on the couch and I played on the Steam Deck for just a few minutes. When she finally went to the gym, I cleaned myself up and got ready for the day. She was going to mow the lawn when she got back, but Mom texted that she made bánh cuốn, so we walked Muad’Dib over there for a late lunch first.

Flip flops were a bad idea for me, and my feet were super sore from the friction by the time we got back home. Summer mowed while I gave Muad’Dib a good and long-overdue bath. Then after she got cleaned up from that, we laid on the couch and watched some YouTube for a little while until she was ready for bed.

Eaddie went out late, but when she got back home, she told me she found the other Pathfinder keys in her room. Now I just need to find the Grom key, my waist fan she borrowed, and most recently the high powered USB charging brick that disappeared from the living room.

Black hole son’s got nothing on her.

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The Difference is Staggering!

We had our staff meeting first thing this morning, and I didn’t have a whole lot of exciting news. The whole day kind of dragged on a bit, possibly because it seemed like it was going to be such a nice day out. We went to Taco Bell for lunch and had an okay time, but I think the salt got to me later in the afternoon.

I let Muad’Dib out for a run on the way back to the office, and we finished out the day quietly upstairs. I had another quick anxiety attack that snuck up on me. Summer wanted to go to the yoga Sip + Stretch at Point Remove shortly after I got home, but I felt my blood pressure was high and had to relax a moment at home first.

Summer went to her thing for an hour, and Muad’Dib and I walked all the way downtown to meet her. It worked out perfectly, because we arrived just minutes before she finished her hour, and we didn’t have to sit around entertaining ourselves the whole time. We had some wings and a few drinks, then drove back home for the night. She passed right out, and I finished up my stuff fairly early. I would have gone to bed early too, but Eaddie got home early and came to my office and chat for a while. She’s got spring break coming up, and is excited for all the new, fun stuff that comes with independence.

It’s a five minute walk from my house to the bar, but an hour walk from the bar to my house.

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Pork Choppin’

I surprisingly woke up pretty early today and didn’t feel groggy, but I just wasn’t ready to get up before the sun, so I slept for a couple more hours until Summer got up. I had a leftover waffle, but nobody else wanted to eat with me. Eaddie left and was gone for most of the day, but Summer we planned to cook a nice dinner in the evening.

Summer eventually went to the gym, then we cleaned up the kitchen a bit in the afternoon. We eventually got out of the house to go to the Neighborhood Market for groceries, and just as we got inside, it started pouring rain. Muad’Dib didn’t seem terribly bothered in the car, so we continued shopping, and it had stopped raining by the time we were done.

I had voiced frustration trying to continually plan around Eaddie when she has become less and less reliable over time. She loses my stuff as well as her own stuff, and I’ve gotten to the point where I’m just ready for her to move along with her own life, but she doesn’t have any source of income yet. I think we’ve agreed that we just need to do what we’re going to do in spite of her, because we’re always going to cook more than just the two of us can eat anyway, and then Eaddie can join us or not without any expectations.

Summer made mashed sweet potato and broccoli, and I grilled pork chops, zucchini, and squash, and it all turned out really good. We’ll have plenty for the coming week, with opportunities to amend our meals with other sides. Dinner was great, and I finished up some laundry before we started winding down for an early bedtime.

Pork paper!

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Smash and Grab and Go

We weren’t in a huge hurry to get out this morning, so we felt pretty well rested. Summer and I got up to take Muad’Dib out and get some breakfast, and we spotted three or four vehicles on the other side of the building that had shattered windows. It was probably foolish of us to think we were the first ones to discover this, because the front desk already seemed stressed when we went in to report it.

We ate, then went back upstairs to clean up and pack. Timing was just about perfect to get out for the eleven o’clock checkout time. While we were still in the area, I wanted to use my birthday reward for $10 off at Hawaiian Bros, so we stopped in Allen to get some food to take home. Then we decided to stop at Buc-ee’s in Melissa to charge for a long haul to Henryetta.

While we were at Buc-ee’s, we ran into some guys charging that evidently recognized us from the trip down. They were headed back up as well, and just recognized Muad’Dib while we had him out. We also saw a couple of Tesla company cars with roof-mounted cameras or lidar. I went in to grab some snacks, and then we made the long trek to our next stop at a QT station.

We ran into the other guys at the charger one last time, and then Eaddie and I walked across the street to eat at the Taco Bueno while Summer and Eli kept Muad’Dib and ate their leftover Hawaiian Bros. That worked out pretty well, and then Summer drove us to Alma. I let them all get ice cream at Braum’s before going to charge across the street. Then Muad’Dib and I walked back over and had just enough time to use the restroom before going back to get the car.

Eaddie had left her car at Witherspoon, so when we finally made it home, we dropped the kids off and unloaded their stuff. Summer and I reset the dog seat protector, then made it home to clean up before bed.

Flies again!

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Road Dog

We got up fairly early this morning and got ready for our long drive to Dallas. I did all my packing and we got on the road right about when we wanted. Our first stop was Alma for a charge and some early lunch at Sonic. As soon as we walked up, one of the carhops offered us a pup cup of some whipped cream, which Muad’Dib loved. It was probably the busiest either of us had ever seen a Sonic, so the food was hot and fresh.

We continued on to our next two charge stops at Henryetta and Denison before finally making it to our hotel in Dallas. We barely had time to get changed before we had to head up to Denton, stopping one more time at the nearby Buccee’s for some more charge and a quick dinner. Summer said Muad’Dib found and killed a baby rabbit while I was inside getting food, which was particularly frustrating because she had his e-collar ready to go.

We arrived at the Murchison Performing Arts Center just in time to find Eli’s family and then got our pick of seats. I figured Tech was the last band to play after a long day of music, and there were still quite a few people there, but there were a lot of empty seats. We just happened to sit behind a composer of one of the pieces they played, and I convinced the girls to get their programs signed between sets.

After the show, there was a brief reception with some hors d’oeuvres. The kids eventually came out and we chatted for a little bit, but then Summer and I had to get back to Dallas. Luckily traffic was much more manageable at night. We got up to the room and crashed.

King size!

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Waffle Music Time

I woke up fairly hungry, so I decided to make some waffles. Summer got up and left for the gym just as I was messing up the recipe, so I had to figure out how to adjust and correct. We didn’t have much milk, but I substituted eggnog, heavy cream, and water, and they turned out great. Eaddie got up and we ate some chicken wings with them before Summer got home.

Eaddie had a concert in the afternoon, so she left early to rehearse. Summer got home and we didn’t waste much time cleaning up to go. We picked Dad up and left Muad’Dib in the car for what ended up being about two hours. I felt bad for him, but I guess it was good practice for our Denton trip.

Afterward, we dropped Dad back off and then tried to figure out dinner. We thought we’d try Buffalo Wild Wings because it was nice out, but by the time we walked out the door, it had already gotten cold. We ended up at Point Remove instead, and played Battleship over a couple of beers, then ate more chicken wings and a pizza. Muad’Dib got lots of pets from curious patrons, and we had a good time before coming home for an early night to bed.

Crunch!

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Lemme Cook

We got up this morning and I decided to make pancakes and waffles, so Summer and I went to the Neighborhood Market for some milk, and browsed for something to cook for dinner as well. We ended up with a whole bunch of New York strip steaks, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts. The girls went back later for some russets though, because I really wanted a classic baked potato.

I was disappointed in my breakfast, which we ended up eating right around noon, because both the pancakes and waffles didn’t really fill in, and had holes or jagged bits after they were flipped. I did get to use up a bunch of blueberries and bananas that had been sitting around for a while though. At least everything tasted good.

The kids had to go to a recital in the evening, so we planned to have dinner early. I tried to clean up a bit, and got the kitchen taken care of, but before I knew it, we had to start on dinner. I had gotten a fire started in the fireplace that we never really got to enjoy before I had to get up and start the smoker. I wanted to smoke and then sear the steaks I got, but time dictated that they could not smoke for long before they needed to be ready.

By the end of it all, we had everything ready and it was only Eaddie that ate. Eli didn’t come over, and Summer and I weren’t really hungry enough for dinner quite yet. Eaddie had also brought some ribs and chicken wings that she just picked up from her father in Clarksville. She ate and then left, so Summer and I cleaned up a bit more before sitting down to eat a small dinner ourselves.

We cleaned up a bit more before relaxing a bit. Then as the evening came to a close, the fire roared up in the fireplace again, so we sat together to watch that for a while before bed.

Speedrun Sundays

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Lessons Fought

Eaddie called me a little after midnight, which of course startled us both. I tried to answer, but then she walked around the corner toward the bedroom and said she needed help. Summer jumped up too, but I dressed and followed her outside to investigate. Eli was sitting in the Pathfinder in the driveway right behind my car, and had gotten stuck on the ice slope.

We couldn’t even walk on the ice because it was so slick, so I got a couple containers for the kids to shuttle water back and forth. Eaddie was minimally helpful, and sassed me any time I told her to do anything. Summer eventually came out with my axe and started whaling on the ice to break it up. After a couple hours, we finally got free and climbed out of the driveway. I mentioned Eaddie’s attitude to Summer, and she decided to address it right away before the kids left. Of course Eaddie started crying in frustration, which broke Summer down. I meant for it to be discussed later, but apparently Eaddie had previously expressed wanting to be called out on the spot. They left and Summer and I struggled to go back to sleep.

As tired as I was in the morning, we made it to work for a long day. Rhonda said Muad’Dib had peed on Teddy’s bed in their office, which surprised me since he’s usually right around me. I tried to stay focused, but had a pretty bad anxiety attack in the morning. We got mozzarella sticks from Sonic, then a box from Taco Bell since it actually felt reasonably nice outside. Some old jackass parked crooked next to me, but luckily I could Summon my car out of the spot and load Muad’Dib back in when we left.

The afternoon dragged on a bit, and then we headed home. Janice gave me some money for gift cards from Old South and Brown’s, but the latter would be closed until the next day. The girls were at the house when we got there, but things seemed quiet. Summer bathed and I left to pick up some food. Eaddie denied hunger, but I knew she would eat, so I picked up a bunch of wings from Buffalo Wild Wings, and then a plate from Panda Express. Buffalo Wild Wings was terribly slow, and the boneless wings were terribly small, and of course Panda Express had boxed up my order half an hour before I finally got there.

We all sat down to eat, which was nice, but then Summer quietly summoned me to the bedroom for a talk. I think we both knew Eaddie was really upset that Summer had reversed her decision to get out by the end of the week, but I guess they talked about it and it had them both very bothered. I went to talk to Eaddie about it myself, and I felt like we had a pretty good conversation. Of course I won’t know how she really feels, but hopefully she and Summer can revisit later, and I’m sure we’ll be fine if we can all agree to focus our energy in a positive way.

Eaddie left to practice at Witherspoon, and I rushed to bed without much of a catch-up session with Summer. The less energy we have to spend on catching up for things like this, the better.

Beat the keys out of it.