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My thoughts released; a mind set free |
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These pages contain my thoughts, from meandering ideas and persuasions to deep cerebrations and serious mentations. Why, for what purpose? To release my mind and set creativity free. Somewhere inside the constraints of my mind dwells a writer, a poet, an artist who paints with words. In here I release those constraints and set the artist free. Perhaps, lost somewhere in the depths of thought, is a story or a poem, waiting to be written. 
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| I'm not going to write much again tonight, just a little bit on my day. Then, I'm going to relax with a little brandy, watch the second half of the movie we started last night, and after, it's off to bed. I was up at three this morning, and off for work just a little after four. Normally, it's about a half hour drive, but it was foggy out this morning so it took longer. The fog slowed me down a little, but the biggest problem was the ice forming on the road as a result of the fog. The temperature was hanging right around thirty degrees, just enough to make the fog condensate on everything as a sheet of ice. I heard on the radio, on my way home from work, that it's suppose to be like this for the next few days, lots of fog and ice. According to the forecast on the computer yesterday, the fog was to lift around nine this morning, then lots of sun with a few clouds, and a high near forty. Instead, it stayed foggy all day, with the temperature hanging in there around thirty degrees. It's going to be tiring driving on ice every morning if the radio is correct, so I'm planning on getting to bed a bit earlier than normal. Hopefully I manage that without any problems, and can make it through the rest of the week and weekend without getting myself way behind on sleep again. |
| Just finishing up two days off, and what do I have to show for the time? Not much. Don't misunderstand, I enjoyed the two days off, and I did get rested up. But what else did I get accomplished? Again, not much. I slept in the first day off, then relaxed with coffee and conversation with my beautiful wife. Not something we have time for except on our days off, so not wasted time at all. After, we set things up and did a Bible Study. Again, time well spent. Of course, our hour study often runs over some, but that's the benefit of doing our Bible Study on disc. Well, that and our church is not within driving distance. But, even if it was, our schedule would prevent us from participating in the Bible Studies most days. Another high point of doing our study on disc, we can stop and discuss things as they come up, we can pause if needed, so we don't miss anything if nature calls, and we can take time to get our notes correctly written. The down side is the time it takes to complete a lesson. But, considering the amount of time I have been granted for everything else, I feel the time spent in worship is minimal. That brings up the rest of the time, and where it goes. Part of the day yesterday, after the above mentioned activities, was spent preparing dinner. We had our meal planned out, but part of it required us making the sauces. One was a hot-wing sauce, and the other was a barbecue sauce. We had some ideas of how we wanted to make both of these, but as of the time we started, that was all we had, the idea. We started with the hot-wing sauce, which turned out very good. We don't enjoy too much heat, and like to have a lot of side flavor with the toned down heat. So, we used an idea based on the barbecue sauce we would be creating, but altered it some. We had the base sauce down in short time, but then needed to add some spice to the mix. We both like a lot of spice, but Rhonda likes her hotness lower than mine. Even mine is pretty mild by most standards, so this was not a problem. We ended up with a pretty good flavor, but decided that we need to tune the cumin down more, as well as to make it a bit less sweet. Even so, it was good, and we enjoyed the "hot-wings" after they were done. I say hot wings, but they are not wings at all; we use chicken breasts, cut into bite size portions. Next, we created our barbecue sauce. This was based on a sauce we made for use as a steak sauce. It used the same basic sauce base as the hot-wing sauce, but from there, it was quite a bit different. Again, we made a mild sauce, as far as heat, but it did provide a lot of flavor and spiciness. It turned out terrific, and will need no adjustments at all. Now, understand, we create many of our own recipes. There are a few reasons, one being we just enjoy good food and enjoy creating them together. Of course, this means using existing recipes as well as making up our own. We enjoy creating them as much as we enjoy the foods that result, and we also are both trying to lose some excess weight, so we also work on creating low calorie recipes, or at least reduced calorie ones. Not all the time, but quite often. Of course, this is again time well spent, but by the time the creating is done, it's time to get cooking the main foods, and most of the afternoon is gone. While dinner cooked, we did get some Christmas decorating done, and we both enjoyed our time shared together very much. After dinner was done, we enjoyed the bounty of our hard work, then retired to the living room to relax and take in some television. After, we sipped on brandy and listened to a bunch of our favorite Christmas songs, while enjoying the Christmas lights we had put up earlier. That was the first day, and it was a terrific day; a very enjoyable and fulfilling day. But, there were other tasks I had wanted to get to, as well as activities I enjoy and want to squeeze in. Unfortunately there is more to do than there is time to do it in. I know this is something that does happen. It is something I have been trying to overcome and change. It isn't something that happens once in a while, but always. So, there was also today, and again, it went about the same. A good day, but not enough time to do much of the things I want to do with my time off. It's the same on the days I work, I get done early, and should be able to do so much, but it just doesn't seem to work. Time runs out long before I have the time spent on the things I want. It is something I will continue to work at. I know if I get better organized I will have more time. I also know I need to schedule, to utilize my time allotments properly. Unfortunately, there seems to be a constant conflict with my time and work time. That is what messes things up the most. I do not remember the last time I had time off, whether two days or a week, that work did not interfere. Even this two day stretch had a work call come in. I ignored it, and figured if it was important, the person would call back, or would have left a message, but the damage is done just by having the phone ring and seeing it's from work. I have to stop and see who is calling, or check later after finishing what I was doing. Then, it's a matter of checking for text messages and going into my voice-mail. If there are no messages, I can return to my day off, but even so, my mind is now partially occupied with the reason I was called, and what I will find when I get to work. It's -- using terminology from times long past -- a real bummer, man. I just wish I could get paid what it should be worth for this kind of job, but that isn't going to happen anytime soon, either. It makes it difficult, but I know it's not impossible, so I continue trying and hoping. Now, it's time for dinner, then a little relaxation for the evening. I have to retire early tonight, since I will be up at three in the morning, and I'm a bit concerened over that call. We had an audit on Tuesday, and I know the night shift did fine, but I'm not sure about the opening guard. I can understand if he may have had some difficulties, since he is relatively new yet. But, my biggest concern is the afternoon guard, who has been with us for almost a year. He is smart enough, yet seems to just not care. He is anything but professional, and if there is a problem, he seems to be in the midst of it. So, a call, but no message, and an audit, but I have not heard any results. What will the next few days bring? Possibly, not anything serious at all, but then again, it could be that I may have to remove someone and give up my days off to fill the position until we can get another guard hired. I start having three days a week off next week, and until I change the schedule, it will stay that way throughout the winter. But, if someone messes up, I won't have any choice except to change that. This has been the way it's worked since I took this job, and even before I was the supervisor. Back then, it was my boss dumping it on me, instead of being responsible and filling in himself. Now, it's my responsibility to fill the position, and unlike my boss, I give the other workers as much choice in this as is possible. So, if they don't want to pick up any more hours, or in most cases, it doesn't fit their schedules outside of work, I have to reschedule myself. |
| If everything works the way it's suppose to, this will be the last Monday I will have to work for a while. Unfortunately, things seldom work out the way they are suppose to. But, we will hold a positive attitude and enjoy what ever Mondays we get off, up until something changes. Of course, we are going to have an audit tomorrow, so it could change very fast. Again, I'm going to stay in a positive frame of mind, and anticipate the best. I have the next two days off, and I'm going to enjoy them. For now, it's late, I'm tired, and this is the shortest entry yet. |
| I'm not going to write much tonight; it's been a kind of off day since I got home from work. It's turned colder again, and it was kind of stead at work. It tired me out more than I had expected, but then I still haven't gotten a full night sleep. I did pretty good last night, but only had about five hours. Normally I would do pretty well on that, but I haven't gotten much for sleep this week, so I'm kind of running on empty. I did take a short power nap after I got home, right after I finished lunch. I had intended to work on the drain for the kitchen sink, but found myself half dozing while getting set up and started. I figured if I was that tired, I better take a short nap or I'd be falling asleep under the kitchen sink. After I woke up, I did tackle the sink drain, but found that I needed more parts than I had anticipated, so I'll pick them up after work tomorrow, and hopefully get it done tomorrow afternoon. |
| I did a little better today, getting logged in here by late afternoon. Even so, I still won't have time for much again. Time just is not cooperating very well. But, it's getting better, or at least it seems to be. Now, if I could just get some decent sleep at night, I think I'd have this about beat. I was a couple hours late getting to bed last night, but that's still better than the norm, or at least what has been normal in the past. I was getting about three to four hours of sleep a night on work nights, but now I'm up to five to six hours. I've even managed to get to bed early enough to get seven and close to eight a few times. Of course, I do better when I don't have to be up around three, or three thirty in the morning. The biggest problem lately hasn't been getting to bed on time; I've been shooting for seven hours. It's getting to sleep on time. I just can't get to sleep it seems, and when I do, I'm awake right away again. I usually don't have a lot of trouble getting to sleep, but if I go to bed early, then I do. Also, I've been waking up a lot during the night. I'm talking about being asleep, and just waking up for no apparent reason. I wake up, but have no idea what has disturbed my sleep, and once awake, find I need to use the bathroom before going back to sleep. Not that I have to go bad, but I have enough of a desire to go that it keeps me from going back to sleep right away. It's kind of like a thought slips into my mind that if I don't go now, I'll wake up in another hour and need to go then. So, as long as I'm awake, I should just go and get it over with. Only, this happens a half dozen times a night, and with only about five or six hours of sleep time, it's a big problem. But, I'm working on some alternatives, other than sleep aids, and hopefully I will overcome this obstacle, soon. |
| No time for much in here tonight, but at least I remembered to log in and write this. I see I didn't get an entry in yesterday, and that kind of bums me out. That is why I'm putting more effort into logging in and writing, even if it's just a few sentences or a short paragraph. Time is the culprit, most of the time. But, even when I have time, I've come to the point of forgetting to log in. Of course, most days I remember, but it's then late and I don't have time to get in here and write. That's not the excuse for yesterday, however. I had yesterday off, and should have had plenty of time to get in here and write in my journal. I did get a bunch of things done, but in the process, I was distracted and just forgot to log in. I suppose that's a side affect of not logging in for the last week or better of November. I had decided to start afresh in December, and in the process, got out of the habit of logging in here and writing. It takes such a short time to create a bad habit, but it seems like it takes forever to develop a good one. Even so, I will continue to work at this, as well as getting things organized and scheduled, to create more usable time. One of the biggest obstacle, is getting enough sleep, and that means getting to bed earlier. So, I'm off to bed, and only an hour behind schedule. Now, if I can sleep well, instead of being up most of the night, like last night. |
| Kind of late getting in here tonight, but we made it. It's been a busy and productive day. We didn't get as much done as we had intended, but we did make a pretty big dent. The porch is cleaned out, and most of the stuff is put away, however some o f the items ended up going to the garage and just kind of stacked out of the way for now. The garage is another project for another day, but one that needs to get tackled, too. Until we do get a chance to clean and organize the garage, it's going to be kind of a cluttered mess. We also managed to get some of the stuff arranged upstairs, but there is still a lot to do. Even so, it's a good start on setting up the area we want to use to exercise in. So far, we have the gazelle setup, and the one bike is now up there, but not on the stand yet. It's one of them magnetic resistance stands that turns a regular bicycle into a stationary exercise bike. We also have our yoga mats up there along with the body balls, but we will need to do some work up there before there will be room to use everything. We also moved some furniture around and made better use of some space, as well as making room to set up the Christmas tree. Not only did we make room, but it's set up and decorated. It looks great in the spot we picked for it, and after a nice dinner, we relaxed to some Christmas music while we enjoyed the beauty of the lights and ornamentation on the tree, We still have tomorrow off, so there will be plenty of time to get more of our work list completed. I don't think we will get to everything, but we are getting a lot of the list tackled. |
| It's been quite a while since I've written in here, November 18 to be precise on the date, and it's time to get started again. I have also been thinking about writing in 750 words again, but I'm not fully decided yet. If I do, it won't be a combined write like I was doing. Instead of writing my journal entry in 750 words and then copying it over here, like I was doing, I will write them individually. The problem is time. It has been for some time now, and it's just not getting any better. It's also why I haven't been into WDC for over a week, and why so many other projects don't get done. It's frustrating, to say the least. I try to organize and schedule in an attempt to utilize time better, but it just never seems to work out. Most of the time, it's things beyond my control, and I have no choice at all. Other times, I do have choices, but I'm so frustrated that I just don't have the motivation. A lot of it seems to be job related. I'm not just talking about the time I spend at work doing my job, but also the time I spend doing work related tasks from home. It's part of the job, I know, but it just seems that there is always something pending or coming up, and it interrupts plans and schedules. Also, there are so many times I have to work for someone who calls in. Sometimes it's legitimate, but many of the calls are just a bunch of bull. It's not just the workers, but even my boss. I send a schedule to the corporate office before the period begins, and I have to go through my boss to take time off, so I know the office is aware of what days I work and what days I'm off. Even so, many times the office will call me bright and early on my days off. In addition, each time I have requested and gotten paid time off, my boss has called during the time off. Many of the things I'm contacted about also require me to go into work, a fifty mile round trip, and often take an hour or more to complete. Now, understand that I only get paid for the time I am at work, doing my job as a security guard. Anything other, whether it's at work or at home, is done off the clock. Also, I do not work with any other guards and cannot do much while working on the clock. No phones, no computer, no electronics at all. So, in order to do any of my supervisory tasks, I am required to do them off the clock. I do get paid more for this, seventy-five cents more, per hour, while I'm working on the clock. It doesn't even come close to compensating for the amount of time required to do the job right, but that's another story in itself. Here we are concerned with the time factor, not the compensation. What it comes down to is the simple fact that I cannot leave work at work. I have to take my work home with me, and I never know when work will interrupt me. I also never know if or when I will get called and have to run in and work because someone didn't show up, got sick, or couldn't make it due to weather. All this tends to create quite a bit of stress and anxieties, which means I don't always sleep the best, and always have a lot on my mind. Now, consider that I have to be up around three in the morning to get to work on time, and often don't get more than four or five hours of sleep, and you can see that I am also always tired and run down. When I do have time, I'm stressed, anxious, and tired, so I tend to not get much done. I have worked at getting to bed earlier, and I have made some improvements. If my job doesn't interrupt me, I may just get a handle on things yet, but so far, that seems to be very limited. Also, it's winter, and there is an increased likelihood of people getting sick and having weather related problems. What it comes down to, is I have limited time, and I don't even have the ability to schedule it to fit my needs. If I do, it's certain that something will come up and I will have to break my schedule anyway. After a while, a person just gets tired of trying to work around everything. My wife and I have both tried to add some control into the factor, but the job just won't allow it. So, with limits on time, I have to try and find some way to prioritize how I spend my time, and what I spend it on. This seems like the only place I can make any improvement right now. The only other option I see, is to find a different job. |
| Kind of tough getting in here tonight. I don't know why, but my internet disconnected on me, and now it's going very slow. I'm hoping it corrects itself real soon. On top of this, I'm using my netbook, which has a very small keyboard, and I'm just not accustom to it yet. But, I won't get any more proficient if I don't just get in here and go. So, that's what I'm doing, and I'm sure there will be many typos as a result of my fingers missing their targets. It will give me an opportunity to try out the new grammar application I downloaded, however. Speaking of grammar, I also have some good news on that very subject. I should start with the beginning, however, and make some sense out of this. I write well, as far as the context goes, but when it comes to mechanics, I lacketh. I'm not terrible with my grammar and punctuation, but I have a lot of room to improve. English and Grammar were two of my worst subjects in school as a child. Now, I love to write, and need to do more writing. But, I also need an editor to correct my mistakes. I'm terrible at proofreading my own works, and not a lot of good at proofreading anyone else. It means I don't do much good when it comes to editing. It also means I make more mistakes to correct, too. I have been wanting to improve in this area for a while, but I just didn't have the time. I don't have much more now, but I do understand that if I can improve my grammar and mechanics, I can actually have more time. I will write better, write faster, and won't have to take as much time to proofread. Also, I will be able to edit my own works, which is mandatory if I'm ever going to take my writing further than a personal hobby. So, this last week, I ordered a couple of e-books on grammar and punctuation for Kindle. I also ordered one in print that I can use at work. This time of the year I have a lot of usable time at work, but I can't have anything electronic. By purchasing the book, however, I can read and do exercises at work and use this time to improve my writing and editing. I'm kind of excited and eager to get started. The book is The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation, and I think it will be a wonderful aid in my learning grammar and improving my mechanics. I can use it at work, it has quizzes and tests, an I also have two other e-books to work through on my Kindle application. I'm nervous, and maybe even a bit anxious, but I know it's because of unfavorable situations back in my lower grades. But, as well as being a bit anxious, I'm also excited about overcoming this obstacle and becoming a better writer. |
| dis·com·bob·u·late (dskm-bby-lt) tr.v. dis·com·bob·u·lat·ed, dis·com·bob·u·lat·ing, dis·com·bob·u·lates To throw into a state of confusion. Not only a colorful word, but one fitting to my entire last week. That's right, I went and got myself discombobulated. I didn't do it to myself, but nonetheless, I found myself very discombobulated, to say the least. It all started one week and one day ago, last Sunday. On Saturday, after I returned home from work, things were looking pretty good. I had to work on Sunday and Monday this week, then would have Tuesday and Wednesday off. There was snow in the forecast for Sunday, but it seemed too early to get any snow, and the forecast was for just an inch or two, mixed with rain, and a mix of the two. I figured we would get more rain than anything, and what little snow that did come down would melt off as soon as it hit. By Saturday evening, the forecast had updated, and now called for rain Sunday morning, switching over to snow, with two to four inches possible, and some very cold temperatures to follow through the week. Not quite what we tend to get for weather this time of year, but our weather has been anything but normal. Even so, a few inches of snow, and some cold, if the forecast doesn't change again. Nothing too severe, and maybe it would clean up the air and help with allergies. Sunday morning predictions for three to six inches of snow, with some stiff winds. It would start as rain sometime in the early afternoon, and then switch over to snow by evening. The timing was pretty good for us, Rhonda would be driving home before the snow hit. Once I left for work, I had no idea if the forecast had changed, but it was pretty nice out. the sun was shining off and on, and the temperature wasn't bad at all. It stayed nice and we had a busy day. By the time Rhonda got home, it had clouded up and started snowing. No rain, just right into snow. the roads were covered and getting slippery. The forecast now called for non stop snow through Monday night, with up to eight inches expected, with some higher amounts by location. I left a bit early for work Monday morning, and drove in with snowy roads, but not real bad. When I turned north, I ran into snow and rain mixed, and the roads just got worse as I went. By the time I got to work, it was miserable, and the ground was covered with snow and slush. Withing a couple of hours, the wet heavy snow had turned to just snow, and it was coming down fast, with blowing and drifting. I couldn't keep up with just a shovel. By the time I would finish one side of the guardhouse, the other side was an inch deep as a result of the drifting. It was slippery, couldn't see more than a block, and looking worse all the time. The guard who was suppose to work on Tuesday and Wednesday was out of town and called to say he was stranded until after the storm let up. I called Rhonda and told her not to even try coming in, and then called another guard who lived in town to see if he would come in so I could get home. I finally left ten hours after I started, and it took over an hour to make a twenty-five minute drive. It was terrible, and I wasn't done yet. It snowed late into the night, and I worked Tuesday for the guy snowed in out of town. I also ended up getting very behind on sleep, and was also physically wore out from the stress of driving in the mess, shoveling, and the cold. the temperatures did drop, near zero and just below a few nights, and only into the teens by day. The wind blew and drove the cold right to a persons bones. I had been putting a lot of energy and effort into getting my schedule set up, and spending more time doing some of the things I had been wanting to get done. Then, January weather in November, and I found myself exhausted, and fully discombobulated. Now, a week later and we are still getting light snow some days, the temperatures are still bitter cold, and I'm just starting to get back to were I was before this unexpected weather invaded. |
| Let's see where we are at -- I didn't get logged in yesterday, so two days to reflect back on. Yesterday I worked, but it was a short shift. After work I stopped and did some grocery shopping, then came home and got a few things ready for snow. We had a major storm heading Our way, and actually started seeing some wintery mix before I even finished work. They had predicted light snow in the morning, turning over to light rain in the afternoon, then returning to snow by evening. It was snow all day, but only a light dusting by evening. The winds picked up, and the roads had gotten a good glazing of ice on them, and by the time we went to bed it was snowing harder. I worked this morning, so I was up at three a.m. and it was still snowing pretty hard out. By the time I left a little after four, it was a freezing rain and everything was ice. We had a nice wind blowing at twenty to thirty miles per hour, gusting to about forty, so there was some drifting, but not too bad. This was only a result of the precipitation being too wet to blow around much, and instead of creating drifts, it turned everything to slick, ice covered mess. Even with driving slow, and having extra weight in my already heavy vehicle, I had numerous incidents where the sheer force of the wind itself caused my vehicle to slide and fishtail. But, with slower speeds and expecting it, I made it safely into work. It continued to snow a wet heavy snow up until about seven, when it turned to strictly snow. It was still heavy, but not like the earlier stuff that packed in and was so difficult to shovel. It was also quite heavy, and I had quite a work out cleaning up around the guardhouse. But, I was persistent and soon enough had it cleaned up. The problem was, by the time I worked my way around the guardhouse and had the last side shoveled out, the first side was in need of shoveling again. It continued like that all day, and when I left at three thirty this afternoon, the snow plows still had not arrived to clean up the yard. It was a real mess, deep snow, heavy and wet. Several guests got stuck in the yard, as well as a couple of freight deliveries. The snow was a good foot deep in most places, deeper in some. I, like an idiot, had not gotten my boots out, and didn't have time to look for them this morning. They had gotten moved when we relocated our sleeping quarters upstairs and rearranged the house. So, I went to work in my shoes, nothing more than a pair of cross-trainer tennis shoes. My feet were soaked most of the day, and very cold, as well as my lower legs, and even my upper body. It snowed hard enough that anytime I ventured out to work, or shovel, I would soon be covered in sticky snow. Upon returning inside, it would melt and saturate my coat deeper and deeper. I was suppose to be done at eleven, but I couldn't justify having Rhonda drive twenty five miles in for work on such a miserable day, so I stayed until three thirty and had another guy who lives close to work come in and close up for the night. It made for a ten and a half hour day for me at work, and I have to go right back in again in the morning. Normally I would have the day off, but the guard who fills in on my days off is in another town about sixty miles away, and the weather is too bad for him to even attempt to drive back today. So, I work for him tomorrow, and he will pick up Thursday for me. It works out all right except that Rhonda will be off tomorrow and Wednesday, meaning we will only get one day off together this week. Such is the way it goes, especially in winter. Only it's not winter yet. Well, not by the calendar, but by the looks outside at the white, snow covered ground it is. And, if you look at the thermometer, you will see that we will barely make it into the lower twenties for highs this week, and be down into the single digits at night. Yes, by all indications, it is winter already, no matter what the calendar states. |
| This is going to be a short entry, just because it's getting kind of late, and I have a whopper of a headache on top of being very tired. It's getting to the point that I'm hitting my backspace key more than any other key, trying to make corrections. It's looking like autumn is fast coming to a close for us here, snow predicted for tomorrow and Monday, up to eight inches now. I also suspect the wind will continue, since it's been blowing hard for the last two days now. So far they are saying fifteen to twenty, but it's been howling past at twenty to thirty, with gusts yesterday in excess of fifty. Not as bad today, but still whipping debris around at about twenty mile an hour gusts. So, tomorrow we get to taste winters snowy touch, and by tomorrow night or Monday morning, his icy fingers will be gripping us tight as more snow piles on top of the ice that will come with the start of this storm. By Monday night, we could see eight inches, and knowing how we usually get more than predicted, it could be a foot. Of course, the actual path of this system is still not certain, so it could swing north or south of us, and we may only get a couple inches by the end. I guess I will give an update in a couple of days, possibly even by tomorrow evening. I don't mind the snow, but it's also going to turn cold, with temperatures barely reaching into the twenties through the week. I get the fun of working tomorrow and Monday, but then I have two days off to clean up around the house. |
| Not much time to get this entry in. But, I did get caught up on my work. Reports are sent, documents faxed, and the next schedule is ready to post. I also faxed a request for some time off for me along with Rhonda's. I already approved her's, so she's good to go. I'm sure my boss will approve mine, too. It will be nice to have the time off together, and hopefully the weather is still good. It's not sounding very good right now, but it could change a lot over the next couple of weeks. Today started out pretty nice, but kind of breezy. By the time the sun was up, it was mostly cloudy but the wind had settled down some. the temperature was in the mid fifties and it was suppose to be mostly sunny by early afternoon. Instead, the wind came up and more clouds moved in. We did get a few sprinkles, but not much. The wind, however increased to about twenty five to thirty five miles per hour. If that wasn't enough, the gusts are around fifty miles per hour, and still going strong. Tomorrow is suppose to be pretty nice, but cooler again, then on Sunday snow moves in, with more following on Monday. This morning they thought we would get two to four inches. By this afternoon, they increased it, four to six inches. Now tonight I see it's up even higher. Six to ten inches, some areas could see a foot or more. So far, the call is for snow, but no wind to amount to much. But, that could easily change by Sunday. Of course, the snow could also miss us, it's much to early to know. I know, the forecast. But, when you consider they can't forecast twenty four hours ahead, why put much thought into the forecast for Sunday and Monday. It could, and likely will, change at least a half dozen times yet. They will eventually get it right, or at least close to right, but not until about mid-afternoon on Tuesday. With that, I'm off to bed~ |
| Another fine fall day comes to an end. It's just going on eight o'clock here, but that's about my bedtime when I have to be up for work at three. It got a bit later than I had intended, before I got in here to write my journal entry, and I had also planned on spending a bit of time here this afternoon, reading and reviewing. But, things don't always work out according to the plan. So it was today. It started out fine, I was up on time and out the door right on schedule. I had a tune-up done to my vehicle, so it is running nice and I was right on time for work. The day started out normal and everything was going great. It was cold out, but the wind wasn't too bad, it wasn't raining or snowing, and it wasn't over busy at work. Rhonda came in a little bit early, to drop off her prescription at Walmart, then came in to work, just a few minutes before she was scheduled. The plan was, she would drip off her prescription and insurance information, and I would stop by after I got off work and pick it up for her. Then, I would come home and get a little work done before logging in here and spending my afternoon in WDC. We knew it would take a little while to get the prescription filled, so I had made plans to stop by my brothers for coffee and a short visit first. But, here is where the plans start to go awry. First of all, the pharmacist tells Rhonda she needs to call the doctor to find the dosage, which is not on the prescription. Not a big deal, and we knew that the doctor was at the clinic today, so it wouldn't be nothing more than a little bit longer wait. So, in compensation, I stayed a bit longer at my brothers and we had a nice visit. Then, it's off to Walmart to pick up the medication. But, when I get there, they don't have any idea what I'm talking about. There is no prescription for Rhonda in their system. Before I can inform them when she dropped it off, they start looking at call in prescriptions as well. This wastes a good ten minutes more, but eventually they get back to me and inform me that no prescription for Rhonda has been received, she must have taken it someplace else, or had it called in someplace else. I explain that Rhonda brought the prescription in around ten o'clock, and updated the insurance information. That she was told the pharmacist needed to contact the doctor about the dosage, and had then informed me to come and pick it up a little later. Now, the lady goes and talks to the pharmacist who just informed me that no such prescription had ever been brought in, and she produces the prescription, saying the doctor had not returned the call yet. this has me pretty steamed, since they either knew this all along, or they had lost and just located the missing prescription. So, not wanting to have them lose it again, and a bit short tempered after spending close to an hour waiting to find out nothing had been done yet, I take the prescription and leave. I stopped and picked up Rhonda's insurance card, then went to a different pharmacy and asked if there would be a hold up getting this filled, since it was supposedly missing the dosage. The new pharmacist looks at it, says it's complete, and since it only comes in one standard dose, doesn't need it written on the prescription, and has it filled and me out the door in fifteen minutes. I returned to tell Rhonda it 's filled, and all taken care of. There was no mess up on the prescription, and there was no problem getting it filled. I don't know what was up at Walmart, but it's difficult to believe a licensed pharmacist could not understand the prescription another pharmacist could, and I also checked the clinic to see if they had even called. No record of anyone calling for information on the prescription. There's only one explanation, the Walmart pharmacist had her head wedged quite high up her own ass. It's scary to think this person is handing out prescription medications with her head buried so deep. |
| I just noticed on my calendar that I did not get an entry in here on November first. I did, but it didn't show up on the first; I missed the midnight date change by eleven minutes. Oh well, it's not really anything important, I did make my entry in here on the first, but of course I'm in a different time zone, so eleven minutes after eleven is still the first here, but in WdC it's an hour later and the next day. Like I said, not that important, since I made the date by my time. What is important is I didn't notice this for five days. Okay, I noticed on the fifth day, but that still not very observant. It was a very nice autumn day, cool out, with a blustery northwest wind. Wet and rainy this morning, but it cleared off nice by noon, when the wind picked up. We had some work to do outside today, and it was enjoyable crunching through the fallen leaves, smelling the autumn smells, and feeling the nip in the air. We got the privacy panel taken down, reset the blocks in the patio wall, then put the panel back up. After, we moved a bunch of patio block into the garage. We didn't get them in this fall, and it's getting that time of year when we can wake snow on the ground. I didn't want to have them freeze down where they were, and Rhonda was concerned they may even get cracked from freeze thaw cycles. Once this was done, we threw the toys for Hannah and Hyko a few more times. They had gotten to run and play a few times, the first when I first went out to start working on privacy fence, and then again after Rhonda came out. They enjoyed the time playing, but really wore themselves out. In fact, the fresh air and exercise seems to have taken it's toll on everyone except me. I'm sure the nice roasted ham dinner after added to this. What I'm saying is, Hannah is sleeping on her bed under the window, Hyko is next to my feet, under Rhonda's foot rest, and she is reclined in the chair beside me. All three of them are out to the world, napping away the evening. Me? I'm going strong. I just down loaded an album by Electric Light Orchestra, and am writing in here listening to some fine music. Not only am I not napping, I am feeling only moderately tired. I had the same exercise and fresh air, I was up early this morning, and I haven't taken a nap at all for the last two days. That may not sound like anything, but to me it's a big deal. I have been so run down and tired for the last two months, that seldom a day passed without taking a nap. Even on the days I slept in, I would either take a nap outright, or I would nap after falling asleep in my chair. Of course, being sick with some kind of respiratory infection for the past two months was a major factor in this, as was the allergies. I had also not been getting much sleep for months, which probably added to the other two. That's why it's such a big deal to me, it means I'm recovering. I'm finally getting back to my old self again. Of course, the allergies are still giving me some problems, but the over the counter medications are helping, and it seems the allergens are finally starting to clear from the air. That's why I said, fresh air earlier; it's been a long time since the air here has seemed fresh and clean. Now, it's time to finish my cup of coffee, relax for an hour or so and then get myself off to bed. I have to be up at three, and there isn't any sense in starting out my work week short on sleep, and sabotage myself and my gains. |
| The time is now; the time has come -- to log into WdC and get my journal entry done. Yes, right now, before it's pushing the time I should be retiring to my room for slumber and dreams. Typically I wait until just past the last minute to get in here and do this, and of course, that also means some times I just don't get in here at all. Not tonight. Dinner is cooking, and while I wait, I'm logged in and writing. I didn't get a chance to log in sooner, and therefore I didn't get a chance to read and review anything. But, I did have a good day, and made good use of the time. I did get some important stuff done today, and playing catch up takes a lot of time. See, today is election day here, and I firmly believe in participation in the process. But, I also believe that only qualified people should vote. What makes a person qualified? Well, like so many things, this topic could get pretty lengthy and in-depth. But, to give a short version, lets just say a qualified person should be someone who has not committed crimes against society, is a legal citizen, and has taken the time to understand the issues and standings of the people they are voting for. This is where I spent a great deal of time today, getting a clear idea of who I need to vote for. I have heard some of the crap, some of the promises, and a little of the campaigning, but not enough to know just who should get my vote. So, today was a research day spent studying biographies, and past actions of many of these people, as well as their current standings on today's issues. Then, comparing them to past standings on similar issues as well as against the opposition. See, I'm not really a Republican or a Democrat, or any other party member. In fact, I don't really believe in the party system. I vote on who will do our state and our country the most good; who will uphold the principles and way of life this nation is founded on. Since I didn't stay current, it took time to prepare and make a good choice. But, it was either take the time to know, or just not vote. I firmly believe that no vote is better than an uneducated guess vote. |
| Kind of late tonight, again. But, it was a pretty good day. It started out getting to sleep in a bit later than most Mondays. Normally I would work and have to be up at three o'clock, but I had today off, and didn't have to get up for anything. Rhonda did have to work to day, so I got up when she did, at seven. We enjoyed coffee, breakfast, and kind of a leisurely morning. Normally she wouldn't have gotten up until eight, but we had gone to bed pretty early. As it turned out, she was up at six, because of a Dinger. What's a Dinger? It's kind of a long story, and we'll have to save that for another day. But, we can give the short version. A Dinger, is short for Labradinger, which is what Hannah is. A two year old, going on three, we rescued from the pound almost a year ago. She is have Lab, half Springer, and quite a little bundle of energy. She had piddled on the rug a few days back, and Rhonda had scolded her, telling her not to do that again. So, at six o'clock this morning, Rhonda was awakened by a very determined Dinger. She needed to piddle, and since the rug was off limits, needed someone to let her out. I don't know why she wakes Rhonda, she just always has. She jumps up and gives kisses, roots with her nose at any exposed body parts, and just won't quit until she gets Rhonda up. She has done the same to me a few times. But, when she starts kissing, I just tell her to knock it off and she does. She'll snuggle right up and sleep tight against me, waiting until I get up. Rhonda does the same, but for some reason, Hannah doesn't stop, she relentlessly continues until Rhonda gets up. Who knows what goes through the mind of a Dinger. Anyway, we enjoyed the morning, then I took Rhonda to work, did a little work on site, came home and did a little work form home, then went back in to pick her up later in the afternoon. I didn't get much done at home, but had a nice afternoon. I did get some shopping done, too. I also made us a nice dinner, and then we relaxes in front of the tube. I suppose now that there are no tubes left in a television, I can't call it the tube anymore. Interesting thought. Anyway, it's about time for me to head off to bed |
| Time to get this done, and then it's off to bed. It's not quite as late tonight, as far as needing to get to bed. It's still later than I would have liked, but that is just how it's been going. Even so, I continue to work at making more use of the time I have, and hopefully I will soon be spending more of that time doing the things I enjoy. I'm feeling pretty good, but still having some issues with the allergies, but they should also get better soon. It's getting pretty late in the year for allergies. The doctor told me that allergies are horrid this year, and even people who normally don't suffer from them are having a difficult time. It's been just wet enough and humid enough all summer to have a lot of molds and fungi on everything, especially in the corn and soybeans. Let's face it, we had mushrooms and toadstools growing in the middle of the back yard, which gets sun for about half the day. That should indicate how damp it was, and how severe the molds and fungi problems are. Also, consider that there are slews all over this area, again because of the wetness. We also live right next door to a grain elevator. So, we get all the crap coming off the dryers and the blowers, too. With the wind blowing again today, it looked like the place was on fire as I drove past. I could barely make out the semi parked by the chute, getting loaded with grain. The dust was so bad that it made it difficult to see when I crossed the railroad tracks. Even just a few minutes ago, when I took the dogs out, it looks like fog over there. So, allergies will continue until the pollen counts go down, but even then, it's going to take a while for the dust to settle. I have a hunch it will be bad until we get snow. Of course, we could start seeing snow anytime, but then again, it could be another month or better before we see enough to do any good. No matter what, however, I'm doing what I can to keep things working out, and hope to have more time here soon. |
| The first day of November, and the first day of NaNoWriMo. I'm not participating this year, since I am having enough difficulty just getting in here to write my journal entry every day. I was considering a different project for this NaNo season, and that was editing the novel I wrote last year. I also gave some thought to writing in 750 Words for the month, but instead of 750, doing the minimum for NaNo, so I would in fact have a novel size journal by the end of the month. But, I'm still undecided on the first, and may try and do the editing. I will not do the second, since I would have to be in 750 Words writing this, and make the count for the day. It's something I could enjoy, if things were going differently. But with things as they are, I'm barely getting in here to write daily, and will be doing great just to not miss a day this month. It's not just time, it's a little of this and a lot of that. For instance, I haven't been sleeping well again, and the lack of night sleep has left me so tired, I can't function well by afternoon. I make it through work, then just run out of steam. This afternoon I had good intention of getting some work done, but ended up napping away the entire afternoon. And I'm still tired. I suppose the allergies are a big part of it, along with not sleeping well at night. Hopefully I can get that worked out, and the allergies should be letting up soon. Also, I took my last antibiotic this evening. I know they have had me feeling kind of messed up, and if the infection is gone, I should be doing all right now. So, no real determined plan for the month, just one goal in sight. Get in here and write, read, and review. |
| Last day of the month, and Halloween, as well. It's late and I should be off to bed, but I wanted to get an entry in before I retire. I haven't been doing the best at getting in here, but I logged an entry the first day of October and I'm going to end the month with an entry, too. I'm feeling better, which is a good thing, but I'm still not sleeping the best. I wish I could sleep sound, and through the night all the time, like I did when I was taking the Prednisone. But, sleeping all night is the exception, and something I rarely get to enjoy. I won't complain, however, because I can usually go right back to sleep, in minutes. I wake up for whatever reason, then have to get up to take a leak, but upon returning to bed, I'm right back out, most of the time. I also enjoy the feeling I experience when I realize I don't have to get up for a while and can return to bed and sleep longer, then slip into the blankets, snuggle my beautiful wife, and drift back into slumber with her in my arms. But, the last two nights I woke up shortly before the alarm was set to go off. I didn't realize this at the time, I just woke, had to go to the bathroom, and before returning to bed, looked to see if the automatic start on the coffee had turned on. It was still green, so not time for the coffee to start yet, meaning I get to return to bed and sleep a while longer. Then, it was back upstairs, slip into bed, snuggle up to Rhonda and hold her in my arms, and then drift off, into -- no sleep. That's right, I didn't drift off into sleep. I closed my eyes and anticipated drifting, but nothing. I just lie there holding Rhonda, desiring to return to sleep, but no sleep. I rolled over, got all snuggled into the blankets and focused on relaxing and pleasant thoughts, and again I feel myself drifting, but not into a nice sleep. Just about, but just not quite into sleep. I roll again, get comfortable, and try to drift off again, but it's the same. No sleep, and I'm still trying when the alarm sounds. Two nights in a row now, and I would guess about a half hour or so of trying to sleep, but no luck. And, it's not because I have been sleeping too much, I have resisted napping, and I'm only going for about six hours for the night. Hopefully tonight it doesn't repeat, and I can sleep until the alarm sounds. I did take a couple hour nap today, just because I was so tired. Maybe, just maybe it will also change my sleep pattern for the night. Now, it's off to check the bank, since I see there was a problem with depositing some checks from our daughter.... I know, not the most relaxing task to perform right before bed, but what the hell, I haven't been sleeping well anyway. |
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