Tag: pets

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You Can Take Rally’s Out of the Hood

I squeaked into work this morning, and I think I’m even more consistent with my arrival time now than when I worked five minutes away. The guys sat on the other side of the partition for a while, and Randy debated his Chromebook strategy with them. I had to be careful not to ruffle too many feathers, but it was the same old story. They didn’t seem super anxious to work any harder. I still think people will grow to meet your demands if you’re consistent in holding them accountable.

Nobody showed up for lunch, so I went to Rally’s by myself. I ordered online and got my food reasonably quickly, but I felt super out of place when I saw the other people that had walked up to the window. The fries looked soggy, but tasted alright. I even tried their mozzarella sticks and found them to be pretty tasty, even without the marinara sauce they failed to give me. Then I found they had mismade my burger, so I went back to the window again to ask for a correction. A guy named Omar came up to the window and gave me some grief about it, and said, “we don’t have onion straws, so you wouldn’t have got ’em anyway.” I offered to let him just squirt some barbecue sauce on my partially eaten burger, but he called for it to be remade anyway.

I tinkered with SCCM and VMware the rest of the afternoon, and fought traffic the entire way home after work. Dad had the trees cut down in the front yard at the old house, so I stopped by to have a look and grab a few things. I didn’t care much for the look of it, but I suppose now there will be fewer tree-related problems.

The car was pretty gross from all the bugs I encounter on my regular commute, so I stopped to wash it on the way home. Summer was getting ready to take a bath when I got there, so I ate my leftover remade burger from Rally’s and discovered that they did have onion straws after all. It was even pretty good reheated. Then I took the dogs for probably the best run I’ve ever had with them. They ran the whole way to my parents’ house and sniffed around there for a while. Then we went through the basin and back up to the house without any fuss. I didn’t even have to scoop any poop!

I fed the dogs, loaded them up on treats, and then settled in to watch a couple episodes of Modern Family with Summer until bedtime. Eaddie made it home a little later, but I only barely caught sight of her as she came in and ducked straight into her room.

…but you can’t take the hood out of Rally’s.

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Doggy Paddle

I got up pretty early this morning, but things went pretty slowly after that. The girls eventually got up, and Eaddie left for church with Eli. I made a “grilled cheese bacon, egg, and cheese” sandwich out of some frozen grilled cheeses and leftover bacon that I found. Then Summer and I wanted to take the dogs to the lake to see how they’d like the water.

We waited around for Eaddie to get home in the afternoon, and we loaded everyone up to go to the marina. We walked around a little bit at first, and the dogs had to run around sniffing everything. Then, as we predicted, Stilgar dove right into the water. Muad’Dib was a little slower, but eventually did get all the way in on the boat ramp. Stilgar would have tried to swim to the other side of the lake if he hadn’t been on the leash. We let them run around to play, and I even let Muad’Dib off of his leash for a little bit. I wasn’t quite confident in Stilgar’s recall to let him go, but he stayed on the long leash.

After we had enough of the water, I rode them around the loop on my Onewheel to dry off. We encountered a persimmon tree right by the road, and they absolutely loved those. I had one off of the ground, and it was pretty sweet. I tried not to let them eat too many of them though, for fear that some of the seeds would get stuck coming out.

We made a couple loops, and then Stilgar passed something bright orange. I thought maybe the persimmons had just gone through him that quickly, but when I picked it up, it seemed really hard. I couldn’t tell what it was, and I wasn’t willing to dig through the poop to figure it out. We finished our loop and packed everyone in to go home.

The dogs got fed as soon as we got back, and then they were pooped out. I went and got some KFC for the rest of us, and then the girls retreated to their televisions. I took a late shower and wound down pretty quickly. It was a fun day, but the weekends feel particularly short now.

Three months of driving…

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Armadillo Eggs and Other Nonsense

I ran a little behind to work after having to clean up some more puke from Stilgar. He seemed to be feeling better this morning though, so the worry was over. I still managed to get into the office before anyone else by more than 10 minutes, but apparently they were socializing outside before work. I just continued working on group policies all day.

NextStep took us out for lunch to a place called DRAFT + TABLE, which was excellent. They had an appetizer called Armadillo Eggs, which were “fresh jalapeños grilled, stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in our sausage and cheese breading, and baked until golden and crispy, served with our signature blackberry cream sauce.” They were much larger than I expected, and absolutely delicious. Then I had their pastrami reuben, which was also much larger than I expected. Both it and the fries were amazing. Finally, their “banana pudding” was a gelatinous atrocity. It was served in a ceramic dish, similar to their crème brûlée, and it looked strange from the start. The “pudding” was a thin layer of appropriately colored gelatin that was so hard, it wanted to jump out of the dish. In fact, a square slice of Maggie’s made it down to the floor from our high table, and didn’t lose a bit of its shape. Zero out of five stars.

The rest of the afternoon was more of the same until quitting time. Traffic was awful on the drive home, but at least it was steady and fast. They need a bullet train that just runs down the Interstate. I got home and immediately took the dogs out for a run. Dad had checked on them midday and said they both seemed fine, and indeed we ran for nearly the entire loop of the neighborhood. We stopped to see Dad briefly, then went the long way around the basin trail, zig-zagging through the neighborhood to get home. Some lady saw me and felt compelled to record me on her phone while she drove slowly behind me in her car, hanging out of her window. It was super awkward, and I thought this must be what celebrity feels like.

Eaddie was out late again, and I managed to get to bed close to my planned time after catching up with Travis a bit. I don’t know what prompted him to reach out again, but it didn’t seem like much had changed. I just wish he would get over his anxiety and go outside some more.

No more nonsense.

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BiteFighter

It still surprises me how little I notice the long drive to and from work. The only thing I notice is how much less time I have at home, which still isn’t good. It just makes my days feel so much shorter. Once I got there, I spent all day in group policies again. I think I found the source of some slow profile loading, so hopefully everyone notices that immediately.

The guys wanted to go to The Purple Cow for national cheeseburger day. I had Rally’s yesterday, but I wasn’t opposed. The Purple Cow wouldn’t have been my first choice, but the food was good and our server was even better.

I left for home a little bit late and passed Eric and Carlie on the interstate as I got closer to home. I wasn’t sure if it was them, so I called and talked to him on the phone for a little bit until we each got to our exits. Carlie sent me pictures of some turtles from their pond, which may or may not be related to the one we released there a couple years ago.

I stopped at the old house for a few things and then made it home. Summer wasn’t feeling well and sat in the sunroom all evening. I went out with the dogs and found they had torn up the water hose some more, and one of them carried a bottle of Tiki torch fuel out into the yard. The lid was chewed off, so I was worried one of them had ingested some, but they acted alright. Then as we hit the road on the Onewheel, it was evident that Stilgar didn’t have his usual energy.

We walked slowly the entire way to my parents’ house and I made sure he got some water. Then we made it home slightly faster, but he still wasn’t acting right. Muad’Dib was fine, but I gave Stilgar two cups of food to try and give him something in his belly. I came back in to eat some leftovers myself and then went back out to find he had thrown up both cups in two different places in the yard.

I gave him a bit more food and spent some time on the porch with him. He seemed to perk up a little bit, but I won’t know until the morning how he’s really faring.

Bored dogs get into things.

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No Rushing

I timed my trip to work this morning just about perfect, but I watched as someone else careened across four lanes of traffic and almost spun out over-correcting for his arrival in the left lane. I can’t imagine being in that much of a rush to get to work. I like my job, but I wonder what it’s like to love your job that much.

Someone said something about an ice machine, so I found it in the breakroom today. Evidently it was broken though, and full of water that wouldn’t drain. I was never clear on whether anyone contacted help for repair, but I was unsuccessful in my attempts. Otherwise it was another chill day, mostly in the office by myself. I dug around in group policies quite a bit, and started sorting things out for a big cleanup effort.

Nobody said anything about lunch, so I ended up just going to Rally’s to pick up something. They were incredibly slow for the three or four cars ahead of me, but as soon as I got to the window, I paid and was handed my bag of food immediately. It was still fresh when I got back to the office, but the burger looked like I had gone through the passenger-side of the drive-through and they threw it across the car at me. I gave up trying to be clean, and just went to wash up after I finished.

I considered leaving a little early since I didn’t actually take much of a break, but I still ended up leaving late. I thought I might intercept Summer in Conway for dinner, but she declined, so I decided to stop by Long John Silver’s for dinner by myself. After that, I went by Bargain Hunt to peruse for snacks before swinging by Splash to catch Summer for a moment. Then I continued home, stopping one last time to wash the bugs off of the car.

The dogs didn’t get a walk yesterday, so I changed and immediately took them out. They ran the entire way to my parents’ house, only briefly stopping a couple of times. On the way back, Stilgar tried picking up a dead squirrel that I hadn’t noticed on the way out, so I wondered if it was fresh. I kicked it out of his mouth and we continued home for some processed food instead.

Summer got home just after I did. Eaddie wasn’t terribly far behind her. I had Eaddie go out to check the mail, and she came back with an orange cat. I told her there was no way someone mailed that to us, but it kept rubbing its face all over the front door, trying to get in. She played with it for a while, and I tried to wrap up my own evening and get to bed. I’m still struggling getting to sleep, but I don’t know what other time I could possibly accomplish anything I need to do.

Act rich.

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Smoked Meats and Drinks

Eaddie went out this morning to volunteer at a cat adoption event downtown. I got up just in time to take a shower and take Summer to pick up some Ridgewood Brothers to take to Diana’s house for lunch. Grant hooked us up with some heavy handed servings and sausages, which was awesome. I forgot to ask for some plates, and I wasn’t even sure they had any even for takeout, so we ran back to the house to get some and made our way across town.

It was a nice visit, and we chatted for quite a while. Lunch was great, and fortunately we seemed to avoid any trouble with her gluten allergy. I talked to her about my thoughts for the house, and she seemed really excited about it, so I think we may actually talk to the bank to see what kind of offer we can get there.

Summer left for the gym once we got back home, so I took the dogs out for a run to my parents’ house. Dad was getting ready to cover the pool, so I took the dogs back home and waited for Summer to get back. Eaddie was home when we got there, so I showed her the leftover barbecue, which was a mistake because she took it upon herself to feed her friends. She also wanted to go ride bikes with them, so I drove her to my parents’ house to get her other bike back, since not all of her friends had bikes. I’m not sure how I got suckered into that either.

Once Summer got home, we walked the dogs back to my parents’ house and covered the pool. By the time we got back home, I was sweaty and wanted to take a quick shower. Summer didn’t pay attention and left her leash outside where the dogs got into it, so I went back out later and found the rubber grip had been shredded all over the yard, and the poop bag holder was destroyed with plastic bags strewn all over the place. This caused a bit of a fight, because I’ve been beyond sick to death of her running around completely aloof, not paying attention to anything. I’ve got to get her back to the doctor to find some way to calm her mind.

Eaddie and Eli made it back to the house and hung out for a while, and then I got out my cocktail smoker and we tried smoking some Fireball whiskey for Summer and myself. The smoker worked great, and we didn’t even set off the fire alarm.

I ended the night submitting some reviews for my Amazon Vine products. I guess I’ve got to wait two weeks to be allowed to search for items again, because my review count dipped below 60% of the items I’ve ordered. The website only ever said I needed to review 90% by December, so I had no idea I was going to get suspended.

Come on!

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Grand.

I got out of the house super early today just in case traffic was awful. There were tons of trees down along the way to work, and the house across from the school had like three trees blown right over. Of course I actually beat everyone to work, but Kim was right behind me to let me into the office. The day went by super fast, but ham and cheese wraps didn’t sound at all appetizing. I ended up taking James to the Junction Cafe for lunch, to needlessly build a little more rapport. I’m just too nice.

The afternoon went by quickly as well, and Kim and James both left at 3:30, which still shocks me. I don’t think he’s worked eight hours yet. I stuck around to get my hours, because I ain’t no cheater. I headed straight home, and Summer had veggies, potatoes, and sausage in the oven. Eaddie had Eli over, and it didn’t take long for me to get generally irritated.

Stilgar chewed the water hose apart, so I spanked him with it. It didn’t stick, because he was right back on it after I went inside. I wasn’t in the mood for company, and there was food rotting in the fridge, so I didn’t eat any of the new food. Summer wound down early, and I took the dogs for a walk to my parents’ house as the sun set. We got home with the last little bit of twilight, and then Dad wanted to come over to update his new DJI FPV drone. Their cable has been out for a few days, and I don’t know if there’s an ETA for repair.

We eventually got the drone updated, and the Roomba suddenly wasn’t fussy about being on my account, so I left it alone. Dad went home, and I wound down as quickly as I could.

It’s complex.

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No, but Maybe

I forgot to grab a banana for work this morning, so I started off hungry. It was pretty quiet, but I still had plenty of time to vent about the surrounding idiocy. I was a bit more helpful today, and it seemed like James was getting into a little bit of a groove. I still don’t know if he’ll stick around, but I guess he is making more than I was. I could see him leaving for Russellville, since he evidently lives just a few blocks away from us.

I did get a call from Grace Manufacturing, which was a bit of a surprise. They turned me down for the job I interviewed for, but liked me well enough to call back because one of their IT guys is retiring in a few months. I laughed a bit that they were actually able to get ahead of that and train someone before he leaves, unlike schools where they just play catch-up forever. I’ll get to have a real interview next week, so I feel like I have a pretty good chance of getting an offer from them. Tomorrow, I’ll have my call with Moodle too, so I really need to study up for that one in the morning.

I was the last one out of the office again, this time messing around with SCCM. I should just leave it, but I also don’t want to make it seem like I didn’t actually have it working. I need to be able to image at least one computer to prove it works before I go.

After work, I took care of the fish and made it home to eat some of the leftover tacos Dad brought over. Then I was pretty quick to take the dogs out for a run. We got to the end of my parents’ street when my Onewheel just died. Luckily I was coming up to a stop, so I just tipped forward and stumbled off of it, but all the lights went out and I could never get it to wake up again. I ended up carrying it, a water bottle, and two bags of poop, all while trying to keep the dogs from pulling me over all the way to their house.

Dad got the DJI FPV drone in, and unboxed it before he had to go water the plants. I had Summer bring my swimsuit over so I could cool off, and we played with the dogs by the pool. Stilgar really wanted in, so I splashed him a bunch to cool him off. Then Summer took everything else home so I could walk the dogs back. It was a struggle, but we made it through the humidity of the evening.

Eaddie got home a little after I did, and spent some time talking to Summer while I wound down for the night. Muad’Dib really doesn’t seem to like the Ol’ Roy that we’ve gotten for them, so I guess I’ll have to keep buying something better.

Pay the bills!

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Hold the Phone

I spotted a Cybertruck at the new donut shop on the way to work, and I wondered if the owners were just crazy Tesla people like us. I don’t mind the way they look, but I do think it’s stupid how polarized people are over them. I’ve been listening to podcasts on my commute, and though I guess I’m a little late to start doing that, I’ve been enjoying it. Today was The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart, since he’s basically the only person who can present politics in a way that I can enjoy them.

I wasn’t going to do much at work, but then James and Kim managed to break the counselor’s phone. I finally went down to the elementary with him after lunch and fixed her phone there, but then I had to fix the one at the high school too.

My interview had to be rescheduled again for an “ongoing family emergency,” so hopefully everything is alright for my interviewee. I headed home with a couple things from the old house and ate a couple leftover burritos since I skipped out on cafeteria spaghetti for lunch. Eaddie and Eli were watching Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but left for the park when that was over. I cleaned up the kitchen before Summer got home, and then Dad came by with some leftover tacos from church.

It was hot and humid out, but I took the dogs for a run. They did really well again, but Stilgar struggled with the heat. They drank all of their water and we took a slower pace on the last leg of the walk. I’d be alright with some cooler weather.

“How do you spell literacy?”
“I-R-O-N-Y”

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Step Back and Watch

I had my leftover burrito on the way to work today, and decided I was going to relax and just let everyone else take care of things for the day. I made some coffee and sat at the “guest desk” I had set up. As time goes on, I get a little more honest and smile a little less, but I’ve had worse days. It was mostly boring without having any real projects to pace myself. I’ll turn around and check in on James occasionally, but for the most part he’s just diving in and trying to learn as much as he can. I think Kim still has more questions for me than anything, and he’ll typically just listen in. Hopefully he sees the struggle I’ve had with her as well.

I tried calling the Walmart Amp box office for a refund, but they were firm on their policy. Fortunately, near the end of the day, I thought to try and sell my tickets online through StubHub. I ran into some trouble with their site, and it wouldn’t let me create an account with my usual email, but I could with another one. I don’t know if it thought I already had an account, or what. If all goes well, I’ll make my money back, plus some. If it actually works, it may be worth actually “scalping” some discount tickets to sell on the day-of for future concerts. I won’t feel bad, since they’re obviously just trying to fill all the empty space on the lawn at that price, so it’s really just passing some savings along to last-minute buyers that would otherwise pay the box office.

Dad let the restoration guys into the old house and then left them there, and it seemed like they were being kind of nosey, but I didn’t have memory cards to review the full footage. All I could see were some short clips where they were looking around parts of the house where they weren’t working. I don’t guess I have anything super important there, but it still didn’t make me feel good about them being there. I stopped by on my way home to feed the fish, and didn’t see anything obvious missing.

Summer was home early doing some work when I got there, so I changed and then finished up some leftover chicken tacos. Eaddie brought Eli over after band practice, and then I took the dogs out for another really great run. As the weather is nicer, they’ve been really sticking together for the most part, and listening to my less animated commands. We passed one of the ladies that fed them when they broke out previously, and then briefly rolled by my parents’ house before turning back. I forgot their water bottle at home, so I didn’t want to take them too far from home. Stilgar seemed to struggle a little bit more than Muad’Dib as usual, but he was still good. He stopped in a puddle on the way home to cool off.

I tried to get to bed quickly after that. Summer was already in bed, and the dogs were pretty tuckered out. I’ve got a non-technical phone interview with DeepNet tomorrow afternoon, so I’ll probably try to get home early for that, or else I’ll be at work later than I really want to be.

Gotta find some time to catch up.