The Stars are but Memories of Stars.

I woke up and made myself some breakfast. I was up at 7 a.m. It would be a while before anyone else woke up. I had leftover chicken-fried steak with some over-easy eggs. A damn good start to the day. I had my coffee and managed to get some reading in while it was quiet.

I ran errands—Lowe’s, Sam’s, Target, and HEB. I made it back home, and my family was starting to stir. I had to package an eBay sale; that was my next move. I sold a shirt that had been on the market for almost a year to the day. I asked Yvette to iron it for me because I hate selling shirts that aren’t presentable. I sold a band shirt for $100, and I didn’t even have an iron at the time, so I did my best to make it look okay. My standards living alone were mid to lower level when it came to wrinkles. No negative feedback, but damn, I felt like I sort of gypped him.

“Weapons” was the Saturday movie. I was meeting my mom for another mother/son movie date. Of course, I wasn’t going to get Yvette to tag along with me to another one of my weird horror films. Besides, she was shopping with Lola.

I was running late after leaving the grocery store and trying to get home quickly to eat lunch. Damn, the time just slipped away from me. I grabbed some bottled water and candy to save us nearly $20 on concessions and was out the door with ten minutes to spare. Of course, I had to hit every red light and encounter a maximum number of bad drivers in that two-mile stretch from my house to the theater. I was cursing some dipshit going 28 mph in a 45 mph zone when my mom called wondering where I was.

The movie was a fucking trip. Yes, it was scary, but what surprised me the most was how damn funny it was. I found myself laughing quite a lot. It was certainly a very original film. The structure was really cool, and that ending—my gosh, it went bat shit crazy quickly. My mother and I were both very happy we came.

I woke up Sunday feeling hungry. I also suffered from a bad case of indecision. At one point, I almost went to get burritos, but the only thing that stopped me was the inflation cost of burritos these days. So, I put my head against the wall and came up with something really on the fly: chilaquiles. The first time I made this dish was during my creative endeavors in the COVID times. I’ve since made it a few times, but not regularly. It turned out really well, but the family really didn’t want anything to do with it.

Mall shopping—that was one of the plans for the day. As you know, I hate the mall, but at least ours is tiny. It was a little busy, though. I had forgotten that it was tax-free weekend. First, we went to American Eagle to find a couple of shirts for Teegan. I actually found a good shirt for a damn good price. I wasn’t expecting to walk away with anything for myself. Look at that.

We continued shopping—Dillard’s, Marshalls, and some shoe store I can’t recall. Yvette eventually found some really nice shoes. Funny that the scariest place in the entire mall was the women’s shoe section at Dillard’s. Good lord. Women scurrying around with a feverish glint in their eyes, almost foaming at the mouths, looking at the 65% shoe sales. I was afraid I was going to get attacked just for being in the way. She found her shoes, and we left without much injury.

Lola wanted to go to Walmart, and since we were nearby and could use a few items, we met her there. Walmart is always a trip. Personally, I enjoy the people-watching. We grabbed a few groceries and some other things before heading out. That was enough shopping for me for one day—I think I endured three full hours. Incredible.

Pool time for relaxation—really, it’s all for Alaya. We gathered up and made the trip. The place was relatively empty, which surprised me considering it was the last weekend before school started. Maybe families were out on their final summer trips? Whatever the reason, it was damn relaxing—a fitting close to a nice weekend.

Monday was a really good day at work and a nice start to the week. Since the boss was gone, everyone was a little more relaxed, and the office was relatively quiet. The salvage crew found a plentiful amount of fake plants that the dorms no longer wanted, so what did we do? Decorate! We filled my boss’s office and turned it into a jungle perfect for Ted to make himself at home. Goddamn paradise for our drunk little coworker, Mr. Bear.

That night, I watched the movie Snatch (2000). I can’t even remember the last time I saw it, but damn, if that wasn’t a comfort film on a Monday night. Such a great film—funny and just all around engaging. Brad Pitt is hilarious. I’ve always liked Guy Ritchie films, and Snatch might just be my favorite one. This was a film that came out during my first year in college, and I remember vividly watching it all the time with my old friends. I know all the laughs like I know the back of my hand.

The morning was beautiful come Tuesday. Crisp air, soft light — it really felt like fall. A nice surprise, but a cruel tease all the same. The heat wasn’t ready to relent just yet. Everyone knew August could still bare its teeth and deliver the hottest days of the summer.

I started a new show on Hulu, Alien: Earth. It’s a prequel to the Alien movie franchise — another prequel, if you will. We’ve already had Prometheus and Covenant, but this one feels more direct, taking place only a few years before the original 1979 film.

I was curious to see how Alien would transfer to the small screen. I’ve been watching the movies since I was way too young to be watching the movies. Since the 1980s. Would this show add up?

The first episode was actually quite good.

From what I can tell, this series will shift focus a bit. Rather than just the xenomorphs and the terror they bring, Alien: Earth seems more interested in the real evil that’s always lurked in the background: the corporations. The puppet masters. Mainly, Weyland-Yutani — the company pulling strings and making decisions that led to most of the horror in the films.

So far, the show is off to a promising start.

The Big Morning Meeting:

We had our “big” morning meeting this week. Total waste of time. Same old recycled talking points, same empty enthusiasm. I could see what they were doing — stalling.

Everyone knew what we were really there for: the promise of a raise.

And, being the benevolent entity they are, they saved it for last.

A whopping 2% raise across the board.

What an insult.

No one had much to say after that. Not out loud, anyway.

Morale tanked. The rest of the day dragged. You could feel it in the room — that silent, heavy mix of frustration and resignation.

Pathetic.

I was so thankful to have Friday off. I didn’t want to do another minute of work for the cheap assholes who employ me. Frankly, I was pissed.

All year we’d been hearing how well the university was doing, how our hard work was being noticed, how this year’s raise was going to reflect that. Bullshit.

It was all just noise. Empty words to keep us going until they could slide in a 2% raise and act like they were doing us a favor. This year’s raise was the lowest we’ve had in at least a decade. Meanwhile, the cost of living keeps climbing — and our paychecks keep falling behind.

I don’t even know why I was surprised. Maybe because I actually believed them this time. Fuck them. Days like this make me want to find a new job.

Instead, I went home. Cooked. Had a couple beers. Tried to relax. Tried to forget how angry I was — and how tired.

The next morning, we woke up early and hit the road. I was about an hour behind Yvette — she had to take her car out of town to get some work done at a VW dealership. They said it could take anywhere from 6 to 8 hours.

Figured if we were going to be stuck somewhere that long, we might as well make a day of it. So, I put together a little itinerary.

Once I picked Yvette up from the hell she’d been stuck waiting at, we went looking for some Dr. Seuss. Abilene is the Storybook Capital of America. Who the hell knew that?

Apparently, they’ve got story sculptures and quotes scattered all over the downtown area. Our first stop was the old historic train station — and honestly, it was pretty damn cool.

Yvette read me Seuss while we wandered around, taking in the art. It was one of those strange little detours that actually worked out.

Next, we ventured over to the convention center to continue the story trail. This is where we found the Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Bears, and so many others. It was a nice little stroll through a beautifully shaded area. From the looks of it, the place would be even more magical lit up at night.

We saw so many familiar faces from our shared childhoods — the kind that sneak up on you and make you smile without realizing it.

Our next stop was The Grace Museum — and it put the San Angelo museum to shame. Hands down the most engaging exhibit I’ve seen in a long time.

The interactive section was dark — not just in mood, but in message. It painted a stark portrait of the world before we ruined it with pollutants, and the bleak aftermath we’re hurtling toward. The voice-over narration? Enough to scare children. I loved it. They encouraged visitors to leave a message behind, so I did: “The stars are but memories of stars. Memories are what we are.” Yes, I quoted myself. Silly or not, it felt right. I think that’s what I’ll title this blog.

A final bit of art — this time on a nearby college campus tucked into the community. I’ve always had an appreciation for some biblical art, and this piece was Jacob Dreaming. It felt like a fitting end to the little art voyage. Now onto the normal things in life.

First things first — food. A friend from campus gave us a bunch of recommendations, but only one spot happened to be nearby: The Biscuit Bar. The place was different in a good way. The food hit the spot, and the area around it was surprisingly beautiful. It felt open, walkable, and ripe for exploring. So we did. We wandered. We wasted more time. And it was exactly what we needed.

Next, we went shopping. The rest of the trip was more Yvette’s vibe, but it was nice. We bought a pumpkin, and at the mall, we had a good time just wandering around, checking out various stores.

I’ve mentioned in a few blogs how much I hate malls. Honestly, I think it’s the people I hate — the noise and chaos. But a mellow mall? Not so bad. I actually found more stores I liked in that little Abilene mall than I have in Austin. I even found a gift for Teegan.

All in all, the day was really fun.

We made the most of being stuck in a town for hours — because that’s what we do. We have fun together and find ways to make the best of situations we don’t want to be in. Eventually, we hit the road and headed back home to the kids.

Happy Friday!!!