Tag: pets

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I Am Shrimp Mother

I was so happy to get to sleep in a bit today. When we did wake up, we sat in bed and watched an episode of Battlestar Galactica. After that, I went home to get ready for the evening. I was supposed to meet Ronda, Mollie, Erica, and Leslie at Fat Daddy’s, but Erica wanted to push it back an hour and then Ronda cancelled on us entirely, so we just gave up for this weekend.

I spent the rest of the afternoon into the evening taking care of my aquariums and giving everyone a full chemistry check. I learned a bit more about the red cherry shrimp and how to sex them, and now I’m thinking I inadvertently split up the males and females. Apparently the males can be less colorful, and those are the ones I put in the Imagitarium, while the ones in the old shrimp tank all appear to be female.

Summer decided to make a wonderful dinner for us all since I wasn’t going to be out for the evening, so once I got everything packed up, I headed up to her house for the evening. She grilled some chicken, squash, and zucchini, and roasted some itty bitty potatoes. Noah brought his new dog over, and the girls had the old mattress in the floor to lay around. Noah wanted to watch a scary movie after dinner, and I had been wanting to watch I Am Mother since it came out, so we settled for the suspense right before bed.

Do you ever feel like murdering robots?

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Getting it Done

Jason found the student laptops we lost the other day, exactly where he put them originally. I had no idea they were in these massive bags from shipping, and they didn’t look at all like anything useful. About half of the crew was out, but Jason had a plan for most of us. I had to tell him that Ben planned to spend the day with me, which I’m not certain actually changed any of what the rest of them were doing.

Ben and I loaded up and went to the high school to try and run some network cable for the new assistant technical director. His chosen office space was laughably stupid, and the absolute farthest away from the rest of civilization that anyone could get. Even vo-tech and the multipurpose facility didn’t seem as out of the way as his office. It wasn’t even a real closet. It was literally the access room for where the stage curtain rolls away. There was absolutely no access for cable, and we didn’t have a ladder even half as high as we would have needed to run the cable.

Giving up with that, we went upstairs for what turned out to be a super simple run for some phones to JROTC. I didn’t even mind having to run it twice to add a WAP line. We finished up just in time to make it to lunch a little bit late. Jason, Brice, and Zach met us at CJ’s for double-price burgers. I ran into Jessica’s mom there too, but otherwise it was an uneventful and quick lunch.

On the way back, Ben had to stop by St. John’s Catholic School to drop off some RAM, and made jokes about me spontaneously combusting as we pulled into the property. I wasn’t worried, but I also didn’t want to tempt fate by letting him park on top of the single parking space with a cross painted right in the middle of it.

I was on my own for the rest of the day, so I went back to the high school and tried to finish up what I could before the three-day weekend. As everyone started to leave at the end of the day, I headed back to the shop to upgrade PaperCut with Ben. The new version was actually a new major release which fixed the staple finishing option. With that done, I noted the day as a great success.

I got home just a little late, especially considering Ben sent everyone else home a bit early. I spent a whole bunch of time with the shrimp, dividing everyone up by color and acclimating them to two different tanks. I put the higher quality cherries and ghost shrimp into the larger tank, and the lower quality cherries into the Imagitarium to test the water. I hope they brighten up from being around the dark substrate, but I really don’t have a clue how they’ll look when they grow up.

Finally I headed to Summer’s for the evening, where I decided it was a nice evening for a fire. Summer brought leftover pizza home from the shop, so I ate a bit of that for dinner while I got the fire pit started. Once the larger logs lit up, she came outside to kick back under the stars with me, and we chatted away while the girls went to bed.

Everything goes somewhere, and I go everywhere.

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MRIs!

It was actually a little bit cool out this morning, and another nice day to ride. I closed out what work orders I could chase down, and then left after a half day so we could take Autumn to Little Rock for her MRI. Once Summer was home, I picked her up and we went to The 3D Cafe for lunch. The fajita nachos were excellent and heaping, and apparently they’re the kind of restaurant that serves chips and salsa when you sit down now. Summer wanted the strawberry pie too, so we split that cream cheesy goodness.

When we got to the junior high, I ran inside to see the girls in the library for just a moment, and then we were on our way. I thought about stopping in Conway first, and possibly should have, but it all worked out in the end. We took a brief detour through Little Rock due to some blind acceptance of the GPS, but we made it to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in plenty of time. It was a late appointment, and the place looked mostly empty, so I guess it shouldn’t have been surprising that they got us checked in so quickly. There was a bit of a wait for the MRI, but then she was in and out in no time. Summer and I didn’t even make it through a whole episode of Battlestar Galactica on my phone before Autumn got back.

I fought my GPS a little more and circled the capital before heading out of town. We got into Conway and stopped at Sam’s for a little too long before running through Bed Bath & Beyond to grab some clearanced merchandise, and then finally stopping at PetCo for some more shrimp. The store looked to be in particular disarray, and it took us forever to get any help. They had one fish tank full of young bettas that were flaring up at each other with all manners of stress, and I was just told he’d “tell their fish guy.” There were tons of dead, but I went through with the purchase anyway. Some combination of poor eyesight and not giving a shit landed me with a couple extra shrimp, but I figure I may lose that many in the next day or so just due to the poor handling.

We stopped at Rally’s for a bite to eat on the way home and had some of their awesome fries. Their cheese sticks didn’t have any noticeable seasoning as advertised, but the cheese itself was perfectly stringy and delicious. When we got back home, I dropped the shrimp off, we got Eaddie from her grandparents’ house, and then I dropped the girls off at home. Summer and I finished the last few minutes of our episode, and then I headed home to set up a quarantine for the shrimp before bed.

OIC, MREDBD peepers!

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The Humidity of Our City – Our Ciiiity!

I scarfed down an apple fritter on the way home this morning, and was greeted by another dead A/C unit, presumably full of water again. At least the house had cooled down quite a bit, so I was able to get ready for work without too much additional sweat. I was running a tiny bit ahead, so I proceeded with adding the new shrimp to the kitchen aquarium. Dad showed up just before I left for work so he could house-sit while Dependable replaced my central heating and air. I figured it would be a few hours, but it ended up taking all day long.

Jason decided to take a look at the high school sign with me, which took quite a bit of walking and driving back and forth across the campus. We ended with the assumption that the outlet is bad, or at least giving dirty power that’s causing some issues. Everything else seems to be working correctly. When we got back to the shop, we loaded up with some cable and went to meet Heather at the junior high to pull a couple lines. I thought I had it down to the foot, but I ended up being super short and lost one of the two cables in the ceiling, so we had to finish after lunch.

Allen and Gary wanted to go to Bocadillos for lunch, but didn’t want to wait for me to get back to the shop, so I had to drive myself down to Dardanelle. The food had been better, and the salsa tasted like it had started to turn. To top it all off, I was charged double for my drink, and my mangonada cup was served super messy. I managed to make it home to check on Dad though. Bác Vân brought him lunch, but I felt bad that he had to sit in the hot house all day. I really had no idea it would take that long, and I didn’t leave him anything to keep entertained. I really should have just taken the day off myself.

Back at work, Jason stayed at the shop while Heather and I finished re-running and terminating cables. Then we ended the day with some battery swaps and a cooldown in the office. That’s when the rain finally hit, and it really poured. I wasn’t willing to wait it out, so I ran to the car, splashing through the flooded parking lot, and made my way home.

Baby Bye Bye Bye!

The guys were just finishing up with the equipment and needed to test the thermostat. It was a bit upsetting that they didn’t seem to have a clue how to use the Nest thermostat since Dependable is a registered Nest Pro. I had to set the thermostat up myself after plugging it in to a micro-USB cable to quickly charge it back up after they cut power at the breaker for it last month. They had enough other stuff to finish while we waited for the charge though, and eventually tested everything successfully. It took the house a few hours to cool down from the peak of 89 degrees, and the unit didn’t seem to be very fast at all. The air coming out of the vents was just barely cool, and the outside unit didn’t blow as hot as I expected. I was just happy to have something going though.

When Summer and Eaddie finished what they were doing, they came to pick me up and we went to my parents’ house for some leftover phở. We sat there for a little while before going back for my car. They went home and to sleep while I cleaned up a couple things at the house, and then I joined them for another night.

So much to catch up on now…

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Removing Tech

Finals started for my campuses today, so I spent all morning at the junior high while Ben covered Oakland. I used the time to dust and wipe more computers for esports kids since there wasn’t any real need for me anywhere. Dale called for lunch and nobody else was interested, so I met him at Subway for an overpriced 6-inch sub. We didn’t stick around long because the parking lot was packed. I went back to the shop for a bit before visiting Oakland.

Steven had texted earlier about his laptop not working. Ben okayed the swap of his old desktop and laptop for a single laptop to use, but I considered it a small success to have him agree to use the office loaner on those very rare occasions that he needs a laptop, and I’ll replace the desktop with a current model over the summer.

I finished the day at the shop, partly messing with a Chrome tablet and partly chatting with Ben. Then I went home and had to clean up a bit and separate my betta pair in the kitchen. The Dumbo’s fins have been getting worse every day, and though I haven’t seen the other betta pick on her in any meaningful way, I had to start eliminating variables to get her better. Afterward, I went to visit with Summer for just a little bit before going to get gas, exchange the incorrect toilet seat I had picked up from Lowe’s on Saturday, and finally to Tractor Supply to pick up some bags of Black Diamond coal slag sandblasting abrasives to use as a soil cap in the aquariums. I really hope it pans out, but it’s going to be quite a bit of time consuming work ahead.

Back home, I started some laundry, installed the new toilet seat, cleaned up, and played some Overwatch with Clint, Jack, and Johnny before bed.

The socks won’t sort and number themselves!

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Custom Cocktail Cures

After doubling up on Benadryl last night, my head seemed a bit more clear when I woke up. I’m hoping I’ve found a combination of medicine that I can take to quickly rid myself of the congestion that normally plagues me for months at a time.

When I got to work, Zach gave me an ice chest full of frozen food he wanted to clear out of his freezer. There was something about a church food bank that always has leftover frozen goods that nobody ever wants to take because it requires more effort to keep. There was a surprising mix of better frozen meals, junk food, and microwavable breakfast sandwiches. I managed to fit it all into my freezer, and it’ll be nice to have something easy to warm up on weekends when the kids are over.

I didn’t get a whole lot done today because I still wasn’t feeling great. I spent a few hours fighting with the intercom system at Oakland, picked up some soup for lunch by myself in my office, and then spent the rest of the afternoon there just picking at things to clean up. The day went by pretty quickly though, and it didn’t seem like too long before it was quitting time.

Summer talked to Matt, and made it official that she’ll be taking the job at the shop. I guess I knew she was leaning that way, but she never really talked to me any more about it. I was hugely disappointed that she didn’t at least try to negotiate a better starting rate. Every time I bring it up, it’s like a deer in headlights and I don’t know what else I can do to help without just pushing her away. This stuff is really important to me, and I feel like it should be important to her too. I completely understand being shy or lacking confidence to have that conversation, but at the end of the day, money not earned is money lost, and that directly impacts the family. At some point, something’s gotta snap into gear where you just get shit done. The weirdest thing is that she’s very much that way in many other aspects of her life, so I don’t understand why this should have been any different. This should have been an easy win.

I volunteered to wait for Autumn and then take the girls to pick up Noah before heading home. The kids all sat around playing their various electronics while I started a load of laundry and confirmed that my kitchen aquarium water was toxic. From that point, I knew I had to jump right into a water change tonight.

We loaded up and headed to Summer’s where the house was filled with the aroma of simmered, shredded chicken breasts. I’d always read about shredded chicken out of a crock pot, but I’ve never actually tried it. The chicken came out way mushier than I expected, but I didn’t know all the variables to correct it for next time. It tasted good though, and made plenty for leftover nachos tomorrow after the barbecue sandwiches today. She scored a key lime pie for dessert, and then I had to head back home to tend to my own chores.

The bettas and snails all seemed to look a little better after a massive water change, but I’ll have to keep doing more relatively soon to make sure the chemistry balances out. I also need to go get some potting soil and sandblasting media to properly plant and cycle another tank or two in order to move things around to where I want them. It’s a shame we’re only given so much time for all the different things we enjoy.

Guaifenesin Diphenhydramine Phenylephrine

 

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‘Cause I am Barely Breathing

Summer had a 5k and quiz bowl tournament to attend today, so I slept in a little bit. It really wasn’t too late though, before I got up and started trying to motivate myself to clean house. I felt my head cold grow all day long, and I just kept feeling worse and worse, but I didn’t want the day to be a total loss. I ate my week old Firehouse sandwich that was dry and not delicious. Then I started cleaning up around the kitchen and vacuumed the living room.

I wanted to get the big pieces picked up before Ronda and Steven came over to drop off some stuff she picked up for me, but I guess they had more deliveries to make and didn’t stick around long. She got me a reptile double lamp and a nice little aquarium with an overly intricate filtration system in the back. I think it will make a nice home for Murderface in the near future.

I went ahead and moved Blue over to the community tank and she seemed to do fine there. I also noticed she only has one ventral fin, and I’m not sure she’ll grow a second one back. It looked like it could have been a birth defect. I watched her for quite a while to make sure she settled in well, and nobody really seemed to take any notice. The heavy plant coverage should help her find a home in there anyway.

When Summer got home, she took a shower before we strapped in for a Battlestar marathon. I got up to make some instant phở for dinner because neither of us were too keen on getting out, and it was rainy anyway. We got a few episodes watched before my head stopped functioning and she was ready to pass out. I loaded up on what meds I could and hoped for the best.

Hamburger

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Sticking It Through to the End

It was supposed to be a bit warmer today, so I took the bike to work. It was pretty cold in the morning, and it never got super nice to ride, but the afternoon wasn’t too bad. I met up with Dale, Allen, and Jason at Ruby Tuesday for $5 salads. Ronda and Jennifer sat at a table next to us as well. When we left lunch, I met Dale at the shop to give him his Rap Snacks. He loved it, and even posed for a photo.

The afternoon went by pretty quickly, and before I knew it, it was time for another esports practice. We only had a couple seats left in the lab, and everyone seemed to jump straight into games pretty quickly, so I’ve reached near autonomy. Sam, one of my founding students, came in for his first meeting and gave me a set of Hot Wheels that I didn’t immediately identify as being Rocket League themed. It was a pretty awesome gesture, and I was happy that he finally made it to a practice.

I ended up staying super late again, this time fighting with some PLTW Android tablets. For some reason, several of them just refused to see the internet through the internal wireless. I wasn’t able to figure them all out tonight, so that’s just more work for tomorrow. On the way out, some kind of torpedo-looking vehicle silently zipped past me in the parking lot. It had a bicycle tire in the back, and headlights and tail lights for riding around in the dark. I couldn’t really see through the windows in it, but it looked like some kind of motorized recumbent bike. It was super low to the ground though, and didn’t seem to have any room for pedaling.

When I got home, I spent the evening cleaning up after the pets. I moved Murderface to the old shrimp bowl, and then Big Blue to the old container. Hopefully everyone acclimates well, but dead shrimp have me nervous. I’ll have to keep a close eye on them.

Señor Cow is ready for his cover photo.

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Grey Skies

It was cloudy and a bit rainy all morning. The girls got up and we had leftover smoked pork sandwiches that Ben made for the potluck. Then they went home to clean up and go about their day while I readied to say goodbye to my friend.

Grey seemed to go downhill just over the course of the day, so I felt like I made the right call. I scooped her up off the top of the couch by the window and set her in the carrier. She sort of half stood up, and at one point even got out a little bit of a meow, but that was it. I took her to Tanner Veterinary Clinic for one last time. They had me do the paperwork up front so I could just walk out at the end. I did alright until I looked over at their little LED candle they light for when someone’s saying goodbye to a pet.

They got her weight, and she stood up a bit for that, and then we went to a room in the back. It was all pretty quick from there. I put her up on the table and she walked around a little bit. They gave her a sedative that knocked her out in just a few minutes, but left me in there for 15 to make sure she was solidly out. I just kept petting her, wondering what a cat might dream about that’s lived indoors all her life. Finally they came back in, shaved a spot on her leg, and for some reason wiped it down with alcohol. It took one shot to stop the breathing, and then another just to be sure her heart stopped. She was resilient and stubborn to the end. I didn’t bother to take any more time, having had a few weeks to make my peace.

I headed home and had a couple beers with Split Lip, the last living bit of a life I had so long ago. Things are different now. More convoluted and often difficult. But also simpler and easier. Better. We’ve all grown and changed, or at least our view of the world has expanded. In the end, the best we can do is try to pass on what we’ve learned along our way.

Amanda met me at Ruby Tuesday for a birthday dinner. I got to use my free garden bar birthday coupon. I only ate about half what I normally do since I waited for her to get her food first. We caught each other up on work things mostly. Lots of complaining about working for the government. A little gossip about old work friends. Nothing of any consequence. The true highlight was when our waitress looked at my phone for just a few seconds and memorized my coupon code. It had to be mnemonics. She’s definitely missing a calling somewhere in industrial espionage or something.

From dinner, I headed straight over to get the girls and head up to Zach and Sara’s. Bryan, Daspri, and Gary beat us there and had already chowed down on the burgers and dogs. Hungry for some meat, I had a burger myself hoping the others would follow. Of course they did not, so I ate alone during our game of Sequence. We did that until it was no longer fun, and then switched to Unstable Unicorns. That dragged on a bit as well, just for the number of people we had. We only made it through one game, and then Bryan and Daspri rounded up their girls and headed home. We stuck around to try out a few bombs in Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. It seemed to be a pretty good hit once we got rolling, but I think the game would really shine as a team building game at work. We ended the night with a round of Mario Kart so I could assert my dominance. Zach nearly beat me, but nearly is not enough.

We ran home, stopping for gas, because tomorrow it’s off to take a hike. Somehow we really managed to cram a lot into this spring break.

You’re 5,000 candles in the wind!

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Killing Nothing but Time

I woke up around 8 this morning, tried to feed Grey a little bit, and then went back to bed with her. She curled up right next to my head and I just held her, falling in and out of sleep until nearly noon. Then I got up to make lunch and start some laundry. I got a couple loads done, and sewed a button back on a work shirt before I got to shower. The doctor at the vet had to leave early, so I ended up not taking Grey in today, and instead made an appointment for tomorrow afternoon. She kept making me regret it by following me around the house, but she’s just so weak, and her bones are sticking out.

Amanda forgot about my birthday dinner, so we rescheduled that for tomorrow as well. Sara wanted us to come up to play games tonight, but almost immediately had to cancel to go to the ER with her dad, and we rescheduled that for Thursday. Summer came over and we went to New China for dinner, but not before I had to separate my betta sorority because the Dumbo was picking on the blue one. I’ll have to keep a close eye on them tomorrow.

When we got home, I went out back to hang the hammocks and start a fire. As I swung a ratchet strap around one of the trees, the hook smacked my watch face and gave me some lines in my screen. I couldn’t make out any cracking, but the LCD was definitely busted in some way. The girls got here after dinner with their father, and we hung out in hammocks while I told the story of ol’ Sam the Clam. I think Summer said Eaddie had her first s’more, which seemed odd considering she went to 5th grade camp. Autumn went to bed pretty early while the rest of us finished up the fire. Then I ended the day with some geekery and finished reconfiguring my Mumble server because Johnny’s subscription to the TeamSpeak server finally expired.

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