Procedures in a Sardine Can

Saturday: We woke up and Yvette got ready for the drive to Dallas and back to pick up Teegan. I wish I could’ve gone with her, but my back just can’t handle those long trips anymore. I really wish there was something I could do. I need to try the spinal injections because I’m tired of this.

I had a list of things I needed to get done. At the top: oil change and yard work. We’d either been too busy or the weather hadn’t allowed for yard work lately. I also had a movie date with my mom,: Jurassic World: Rebirth.

First things first, I went to the windmill to fill up our 5-gallon water bottles, which I’m the only one who ever uses. I still don’t know why that is. They only drink bottled water… It’s wasteful and not very environmentally friendly. Haha, I can’t really talk—I go through a lot of bottled water at work.

After that, I decided to go ahead and get my oil changed. It needed to be done. While I waited, I had a pretty decent sausage and egg burrito. Gas station burritos— always a gamble. But I was hungry and needed nourishment for the day’s activities, so I took the risk. Honestly, it was better than expected.

The next thing on my long list of things to do was get Teegan’s oil changed before he got back in town. Yvette wanted me to go to Meineke because she had a coupon and wanted better service than where I usually go—Stripes. They asked if I had an appointment. Nope. It was going to be an hour wait. Good thing I brought my book. It was fine; I still had time to get things done before the mother/son movie date

I had some good conversations with the workers at Meineke. They were nice guys and even recommended I try a food truck downtown, which made me think—why the hell not? It was just me today. I figured I’d be hungry after doing the yard work anyway.

The yard work took just over two hours. That yard had gone feral with all the rain and my neglect. It was very thick, and my mower wanted to choke a few times. I also had to rake up mesquite beans. I’ve never had to do that in the seven years I’ve lived in this house. It was wild. The weather must have been just right for them to produce. I didn’t get them all, but I filled up a whole bag. It was crazy. I finished the yard in just the nick of time, it began to rain.

After cleaning up, it was time to try Mad Messy—the place the Meineke boys recommended. I went with the original, added jalapeños. It was a traditional Philly sandwich with real Cheese Whiz. I was going to get it to go, but some cop pulled a car over and blocked me in while handing out a ticket. Oh well, it was a nice enough day.

The sandwich came out, and I was immediately impressed. It looked messy and delicious. My lord, those boys did not steer me wrong. That was the best Philly I’ve had in town.

After a quick run to the store, it was time to meet my mom at the movie—Jurassic World: Rebirth. We both arrived just before 3:30. My mom grabbed a snack and a drink, and we headed to the theater. Or so we thought. Turns out, we each assumed the other had bought the ticket but neither of us had. Shit.

After the initial frustration, we managed to find seats next to each other for a showing an hour later. So, what to do in the meantime? My mom suggested cocktails at Outback Steakhouse. That worked for me.

When we finally made it to the movie, we realized—surprise—we’d accidentally bought 3D tickets in the scramble. It ended up being pretty cool. It was my mom’s first 3D movie experience, and I was happy to be part of it. The movie itself was fun, a bit of a throwback with lots of Jaws references at the beginning. Just an all-around good time.

After the movie, I went home and started making our dinner: grilled chicken, steak, veggies, and fried rice hibachi-style. Teegan was supposed to be back, but it turned out only Yvette and I would be eating. Oh well, Teegan ate later. The meal turned out great.

When Teegan did get home, he showed me his travel gifts. We opened some Pokémon cards and caught up. I really did miss the man. Sounds like he had a good time visiting his father. He also saw Jurassic World: Rebirth, so we talked about the movie—the highs and the lows. It was a nice evening

We slept in on Sunday. We had to make a trip to San Antonio, but there wasn’t a set time we needed to be there since it was just for a morning visit. We could leave at our leisure. We hung around with the kids until about 1 before finally hitting the road. I decided to do the driving since Yvette would be driving us back.

It was a nice road trip together, and we made pretty good time. Once in San Antonio, we checked into the hotel and got comfortable. We scouted out a place for dinner and decided to hit up Old Navy. Hell of a summer sale—50% off many items. I even found some beach candles for under $10.

After shopping, it was time to eat. Our first attempt was a bust. The place had a promising menu online, but when we got there, all they offered was sliders. We left. Our second try was a spot we’d noticed while shopping called Flying Saucer. We sat outside, and I had a couple of local beers. The food was amazing, and the music was memorable. Beef patty, broccolini, cilantro lime rice w/ Thai sweet spicy chili sauce. I’ll be making this at the house. Rocket Man by Elton John and Kokomo by The Beach Boys brought back a happy vibe from my youth. Things happen for a reason. Yvette and I were clearly meant to end up at that place.

Back at the hotel, we went for a quick swim before settling into the room to watch Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel. Good times. Great date night.

Business in San Antonio wrapped up around 2. We stopped by another car dealer to look at a vehicle for Teegan and grabbed some Chick-fil-A for the road. It was time to head home to the kids. The ride back was physically uncomfortable for me, but that was to be expected. Still, it was a fun little trip. We turned it into a mini vacation, and I wouldn’t trade a minute of it.

Once home, I laid down and started watching a show called Chapelwaite. It’s based on an early short story by Stephen King and stars Adrien Brody. I was curious how they’d stretch such a short story into a series—though much of the original was told through letters, so the material was there. The first two episodes were good.

Tuesday, I almost didn’t make it to work.I woke up at 5 a.m. and couldn’t get back to sleep because of the pain. Eventually, I decided I could either be in pain and bored at home, or in pain and not bored at work — so I went to work.

It turned out to be a pretty good day, despite the bloating and abdominal pain. Seth actually covered for me since I had been off on Monday, which was unexpected — especially since it was his first day back after a week’s vacation. Maybe he felt refreshed.

I made a point not to overdo it, and the day flew by.

After work, Yvette and I stopped by the post office to mail one of my eBay sales, and then we headed out to my mother’s. She made us my favorite dish — chicken divan. Total comfort food. Teegan, Yvette, and I absolutely gorged on it. It’s such a simple dish: chicken, broccoli, cheese, and a curry sauce served over rice. Yummy yum yum!

After dinner I made myself some sleepy tea to relax and I jumped right back into my show.

Hump day. Work was typical. It was also my third day without coffee, alcohol, or beef. I think I was doing okay — trying to abstain for a week. The mornings are hard, and in the evenings, I can’t really relax. We decided to go to the pool, which helped. I’m also drinking these herbal teas.

Thursday was my hearing with the appraisal district to dispute my property taxes and assessed value.

I had my evidence ready for presentation, thanks to Yvette. I arrived early for my appointment and only had to wait a short while. Once I was checked in, things moved quickly. I opted for a one-on-one meeting instead of going before a board — less intimidating.

The meeting went well and worked in my favor — my appraised value was lowered. The reason my property had been valued so much higher than my neighbors’ was because, for some reason, it had been compared to a much larger home with significantly more square footage and acreage. The appraiser I met with was also confused and spent about 15 minutes trying to figure out why it had been done that way, before finally finding a property that more closely resembled mine.

Was any of this something I should have had to catch? No. They should’ve caught it themselves. Honestly, it seems shady as hell.

I’m glad I went. Yvette convinced me: “What harm could it do to go?”

Turns out — no harm, only benefit.

Chapelwaite has really turned out to be one hell of a show. I’m genuinely impressed with what they’ve managed to do with the source material. I’m only halfway through, but so far, it’s done a great job expanding on the characters and background. It has a much stronger gothic vibe, which really adds to the atmosphere. This is exactly how a short story should be adapted for film or television.

Friday morning, we got up early for another appointment — a busy week for both of us. It’s always kind of exciting to see the town in the early hours, before most people are awake. Or at least, before I’m usually awake. I’m not out on the streets before 6 a.m. very often.

After the appointment, I made it to work about an hour and a half late — and of course, Troy had called in. Friday ended up being the busiest day I’d had all week. Shocking. How does it always happen that way? Short-handed, on a Friday, and I get slammed. Frustrating, to say the least.

After work, I picked up Yvette, and she and I went to grab snow cones. It was that kind of day — I just wanted something cold and sweet. It turned into a cute little date.

Happy Friday!