At Your Service

I had a rough start this morning, but planned to swing by the vet to cancel Muad’Dib’s appointment, since Eaddie wouldn’t be there to take him. We left the house a little later than usual, did that, and then made it to work late. I immediately got a call from Heaven, but that turned out to be a simple UPS update. Then Rhonda wanted help with something, but I brought Janice into the loop since I knew she would have a better understanding of the system procedures. We didn’t get to meet together, because Rhonda was on the phone for a while. Instead, I got pulled away to look at cameras because about half of them were offline.

I ended up staying quite a bit longer than I intended, since I still had to get to Little Rock for our appointments. Just as I was giving up, David mentioned PoE injectors in another location, so I figured I would look at that later. We left, and headed straight to Tokyo House for lunch with Summer after her meeting. We ate, and then ran by the NLRSD office to see if Randy was there. He was not, so we carried on to Gwatney Collision to drop off my car. That was a bit weird, since this was the third person I had spoken to, but he made marks around my car and I gave up my key card.

Next was Summer’s appointment at the Tesla service center. We got there really early, and basically learned that we would just be paying for the entire service. Diagnostics and all was something close to $400, and all they determined was a clogged cabin air filter. Phillip got me a loaner for my service, and Hunter took care of Summer’s car, so maybe we’ll have a little rapport if we have to take her back later.

Summer needed a charge, but thought she could make it to Conway. They indicated pets weren’t allowed in the loaner, so I met her at the Supercharger to load Muad’Dib’s stuff into the back of the car. I later read the loaner agreement, and the only mention of pets was that there would be an extra fee if they had to do extra cleaning due to pet hair.

I beat Summer home since she wanted to work out in Conway just to have some different scenery. I got home and cleaned up a bit before she and Eaddie got home. I got the new shower head, but decided to wait on installing that until I could spend some time straightening the shower arm coming out of the wall. I eventually took Muad’Dib on a run, and some incoming rain made it really nice outside. He ran nearly the whole way, we visited my parents, I cut open a spaghetti squash full of sprouts, and then we continued a short run home as it began to sprinkle.

Summer was off to bed, Eaddie left late, and I wrapped up as quickly as I could.

That’s an expensive filter.

Go Phish

I had some odd requests today, and I was only really semi-prepared for one of them. I had just replaced Heaven’s computer last week, but Scott emailed me asking if I had ordered her a laptop to take out to her new office on the other side of the plant. I reached out to Lexi, my new Howard rep, to see what she could offer, and it took most of the day to learn that it wasn’t great. Later on, Joel forwarded an email chain to me where someone had registered a domain similar to ours and started sending phishing emails.

The morning kind of went by quickly, or at least dully. We left late to pick up a couple burritos from Taco Bell and came back to eat them in the office, because I knew we’d be having cake for Teisha’s 50th birthday. It was a short afternoon after that, though I ended up staying a little bit late. I’ve learned that if I’m not in a rush to get out, traffic isn’t as infuriating the entire way home.

Nick from Tesla called me back just as I got home and confirmed that we could get a loaner next Tuesday. Summer was in the bath when I got inside. I brought a bag of veggies home that Janice brought to share. Summer wasn’t hungry, so I finished up a bunch of leftovers. Then we watched the rest of Jeff Arcuri’s special. We really enjoyed it, though it wasn’t the kind of stand-up that had us rolling in the floor. He was just really funny and charismatic, and fun to watch as he interacted with the crowd.

After that, I took Muad’Dib on a run through nearly the full course, though he was hesitant again to leave the house. I don’t know if he was just too hot or what, because every time I’d try to get him ready to leave, he’d run back toward the bed. We made it to my parents’ house for a bit, and then we had to modify our path home when I heard what sounded like a single, short round of fireworks go off.

Summer went to bed as I finished up. Eaddie came back from Clarksville unexpectedly, and she and Eli watched a movie while I finished up.

Wrap it up!

Low Down Dirty Dogs

I started a batch of cold brew yesterday before I left work, so I was excited to start the day with that and some cold foam. It turned out pretty well, but I forgot to fill my cup with ice before I left the house. It also didn’t take very long for me to find out the lid leaked, so I had a wet shirt for most of the morning.

It was a much quieter day, so I just kept chugging away at different little problems. I did get a couple of calls from Tesla just before lunch time. I had emailed the service manager at Tulsa last night, and apparently there was a new one in training that called me first. He said he was going to make sure I got a loaner, and reached out to the service manager in Little Rock. Then I got a call from him, assuring me that they would work something out.

I brought the last of the roast for lunch, but I couldn’t finish it because it was so much liquid and rice left over. I also started with another leftover salad from the weekend crew, so it was a decently good lunch. Teisha stopped me when I went down to visit the microwave, and said a couple of the guys in the plant wanted the dogs to stay out of the breakroom because that’s where they eat. Of course that was no problem at all for us because they’re well within their right to ask for that, but I did kind of have to laugh at the fact that I can’t lean up against any surface in that room for fear of getting my clothes dirty.

The afternoon went by a little slowly and I had an anxiety attack that left me exhausted again, but we made it through. The drive home wasn’t too bad, and we arrived to find Summer cleaning a huge section of the kitchen. Then she cleaned up some fresh veggies to make cold sandwiches and chips for lunch, which was really good.

It was still early and hot, but I took Muad’Dib for his best run since the fourth, and we visited with Dad for a bit. Then we ran a trimmed route the rest of the way home, but still more than he’d run all week. Summer and I finished thee penultimate episode of Funny AF, followed by most of Jeff Arcuri’s special. We gave up early so we could get to bed on time. She said Eaddie went to Clarksville to work, and wouldn’t be home, so it was just a quiet night after that.

Don’t ruin it for everyone!

Quiet Focus

I felt like I slept okay even though my mind was reeling all night. I woke up around four and laid awake for most of the next couple hours, then got up and out for work. I forgot the power went out briefly yesterday, which messed up my clock. I was a little later than usual, but still there well before eight.

I had a pretty good, focused day after a bit of frustrating back and forth where our Aptean support just plain didn’t seem to be reading our messages. We still never got a real answer for anything by the end of the day. I had to fight with the laptop I had for Gary, since he decided he wasn’t going to be able to make it in person. I was planning to use him to test some of my recent policy updates as a part of updating for best practices, but instead I got to test something completely different.

The day went by really quickly, but I wanted to get something good for Muad’Dib for lunch since it was his birthday. We shared some chili cheese fries, chicken bites, and even a bit of my burger before heading back. It didn’t feel horribly hot, but it never felt like it got any cooler.

The rest of the afternoon flew by as well, and I didn’t even realize when it was time to leave. We walked out a little later than usual, so I just let the car do its thing most of the way home. Summer had a roast in the slow cooker all day, and Eaddie was having her birthday dinner with Eli’s family instead, so the two of us sat down to eat.

Afterward, I ran Muad’Dib to my parents’ house to help Dad pick up sticks in the front yard before they come over to mow. We didn’t stay long because it was warm, so we headed home and I gave Muad’Dib a much overdue bath. Eaddie had Eli and Mari over for a little while after Summer went to bed, so I tried to get things cleaned up quickly.

I finally got a copy of my new repair estimates for my car, and even found my original copies for the warranty work, but I know I had a check from the insurance company, and I can’t find it or any evidence that I deposited it.

Cheque please!

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!

Drain It Again

I woke up around four to swap chargers and then had trouble getting back to sleep. We both met our charge limits, though. It was another quiet day at work. Summer had a meeting in Little Rock, so we met for lunch and I let our usual server pick my plate. Summer barely touched her food, so I ate the rest of it instead of ordering more myself.

The afternoon was a bit more productive until quitting time. About halfway home, there was a semi wreck being cleaned up, and then traffic was backed up going the other direction for miles. We got home without incident though, and I charged a bit while I waited for Summer to get home.

I had a bunch of Vine stuff to sort through. Summer was hurting when she arrived, so I ran her a bath and then had to start draining the basement again while I took Muad’Dib out for a run. He was very slow in spite of how nice it felt outside.

We visited my parents for a bit and helped Mom pull her water hose while Dad got Muad’Dib some leftovers. Then we made it back to the house and the water was still going. I waited for it to finish, then cleaned that up, had a salad, and raced for bed.

it over

Sad Grad

Summer got up early for Run Like Yell in Dardanelle. I originally said I would go, but she insisted that I didn’t have to, and I didn’t sleep great. Of course I couldn’t really sleep after she left, so I got up and made myself a croissant sandwich. I burned the bread and set off the alarms, and then Eaddie got up and left to play at graduation. After that, I repotted a plant and watered the rest. Summer showered, then I followed suit before we left to meet the girls at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Muad’Dib did reasonably well there, and we stuffed ourselves with junk food again. Autumn fussed about not being able to eat much, and then about her relationship, so the conversation started going in circles a bit. I tried not to be too involved, but it really served as a reminder of the past drama we always had to endure. Eaddie showed up late after rehearsal, ate a bit, and then I think she left with Autumn while Summer and I took Muad’Dib to stay with my parents.

It didn’t take Muad’Dib long to break out of the back yard, and then Summer kept calling at him to go back, which of course drew him to jump on my car. I yelled about it, so she got quite for a while. We made it to graduation nearly an hour early and found seats in the second row. It wasn’t terribly long after everything finally started that I got an alert that Muad’Dib had left his safe zone.

I panicked and got up to call Dad, who didn’t answer. Mom answered, but didn’t have a clue where he was. I couldn’t tell if Dad had taken him out for a walk or if he had left to look for him. I also couldn’t send a screenshot of the GPS location because my phone got hot and started acting jittery. I got most of the way back to the car when the location finally updated to show Muad’Dib back near my parents’ house, but Dad still wasn’t answering. I waited a while and eventually felt good enough to go back inside.

We watched Autumn walk, and Summer kept yelling at other people she recognized. I kept feeling like she needed to go back to education if she wanted to feel happy about that kind of stuff again, but we’ve also gotten used to bigger paychecks.

They finally wrapped things up and we met the girls outside in the sun. I got pretty warm and was annoyed that we kept having to wander around looking for kids that were doing their own family things, and hadn’t asked to meet anywhere in particular. We got some pictures, but Summer wanted specific group shots. I ended up sitting in the car for some of that. When the girls all finally caught up with one another, she called me to drive over to them. Then Autumn started fussing about Adam some more. I said my peace and then wandered off to chase my car, which was driving around on “Smart” Summon in an annoying pattern without crossing parking lines.

I finally got Summer into the car, and the kids allegedly left to go meet up with Noah. I dropped Summer off at home so she could rest before going to a team meeting at work, and then took the Onewheel to retrieve Muad’Dib. We sat inside for a little while, then Mom came out to look at her plants. We helped a very little bit before riding back home. Summer called just as we got there because Autumn wanted to tell me I helped motivate her to break up with Adam. I just told her to keep pushing herself to be better and do the right thing.

Summer eventually made it home and we watched a YouTube video about digging for supercritical geothermal. Then she went to bed and I followed for just a little bit before going off to do my own thing. I was up later than I wanted to be, and had an anxiety attack at one point while playing on my phone. Eaddie eventually made it home near midnight, and then I went to bed as well.

Late night drops!

Flower Farm

We got up early today and basically had to drag Eaddie out of the house so we could make it up to Fayetteville in time to get everything done. Eli showed up at the house early, and I don’t know why she took so long, but we eventually made it out. I let Muad’Dib run to my parents’ house, and we tied him up to spend the day with Dad.

We made it to Alma for a short charge while we snacked on some cold chicken from Harp’s. Then we headed straight to the Rivercrest Orchard tulip festival. There were a ton of cars and people there, and it was even more “official” looking than I expected. It looked like they didn’t allow pets because they had food crops like strawberries growing as well.

You could pay per stem if you wanted to pick flowers, or they had several activities that were mostly free all around the property. We walked through the fields that smelled great, rode a little tractor train, and then a train on rails. I picked us up a couple loaded pretzels that were okay, but dressed more like pizza, so that was weird. I probably wouldn’t do it again.

They all seemed to really enjoyed it, but I think next time we’ll try another location. Getting out was tough, because presumably somebody gridlocked the place trying to get in and out. Cars were stuck in a complete standstill, unable to come in or out. Finally some employees showed up to try and clear the mess, and we were able to leave.

We went to charge in Rogers, and roamed a PetCo for a bit until that was done. Then we went to Viet Buffet for a late lunch. They were super slow and ran really lean on the food, but everything was still really good. They didn’t have any of the sausage I liked anywhere, but they had a few new things to try.

From there, we had two more stops for food to take home. Eli’s dad wanted some Pollo Campero, which was in the nearby Walmart. They must have taken a page out of Popeye’s playbook, because they were completely out of chicken and said it would take an hour for them to make a 20-piece order, so we left without. Next up was Hawaiian Bros. after griping at Eaddie for eating mine twice in a row. I don’t even know that it was worth it the last two times, but I’ve just been so upset that I haven’t gotten to eat my own food that I keep going back for more.

Finally we headed home, with a quick stop in Ozark to finish the trip. We picked up Muad’Dib after his day with Dad, and then the kids had to leave for their band thing. Summer didn’t feel great, so she was pretty lame the rest of the night. Eli spotted a jumping spider on my car right as we got back, so I captured it and tried to figure out how to raise it in captivity, but didn’t make much real progress with it. Hopefully tomorrow I can come up with something a little better for it.

let’s put a smile on that face

Short Sunday

The time shift didn’t do much for us today. I tried not to sleep in too much so I could go to sleep in the evening. Summer got up to some coffee and I ate my leftover chicken strip, and then the brisket with the beans and chips from our trip. With the refrigerator mostly empty, I wanted to go shopping and cook a nice dinner.

Summer went to the gym with Eaddie and I got ready for a late start to the day. When they got back, Eaddie showered and left, and then Summer decided she wanted Chinese. All planning out the window, we eventually went to New China where they appeared to still have a steady stream of Hispanics coming in from church services throughout the day. The food was hot and fresh, and I managed to fill up on a few different kinds of broccoli.

After that, we wanted to take Muad’Dib for a walk around Bona Dea. Summer immediately had to stop at the trailhead, so I walked around the short ring with Muad’Dib, and then Summer just wanted to go on home. With her not feeling well, Muad’Dib and I just laid in bed to rest for a bit. I felt like I could take a nap, but didn’t actually fall asleep.

Dad wanted us to bring the Model Y over so their neighbor could check it out. He seemed to have done enough research that I don’t know why they didn’t just go test drive one at the factory, but I talked to him for a little while about it, then gave him a quick test ride. Muad’Dib had run over ahead of me, so I let him run back home as well. Then he and Summer went to bed pretty early. Eaddie was home for a moment, but left. I tried to pay our toll fees from our trip, but failed, so I’ll try again during the week.

Fine, I’ll do it myself.

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!