Saturday, I woke up to find I was all out of coffee—a terrible situation. I decided to worry about my caffeine fix later; first, I needed a little breakfast. Teegan was still asleep, and the girls had run off to a sale, so I made myself a fried egg and leftover Spanish rice. It was a simple meal, quickly thrown together, but it hit the spot.
I left the house for Sam’s to get gas and bottled water. Damn gas prices went up 20 cents overnight. Bullshit. After that, I stopped by the campus for some coffee. I figured the Starbucks would be open. I was wrong. Damnit.
Lilyfest 2025.
My lord, things have changed since Landon, the founder, passed away. Last year it came as a surprise, but this year, I kind of knew what to expect—bounce houses, a DJ, and snow cones. Trying to make the event relevant to the younger crowds.
It used to be such an elegant affair. People came from out of the country to see the lilies. They even had fireworks in the evenings. Not anymore.
I still had fun people-watching and admiring the beauty of nature. They’d done a good job cleaning up the tanks compared to my visit the week before. The lilies had been so overcrowded and were desperately in need of thinning out. I was happy to see they’d made it much more presentable.
After the fest, I went to an actual Starbucks. I needed my damn coffee—and three hours later, I finally got it. I found a bench by the river, watched the wildlife, and enjoyed my damn coffee.
It was family weekend on campus, so the day’s tailgating was family-filled. We got there earlier than usual, and already there were a lot of people. So much damn food. I ate and ate like there were no repercussions. Unfortunately, there always are.
The girls left about an hour before I did because of the heat. I understood—Yvette really looked like she was feeling it. I stuck it out and had my fair share of beer and food. I was going to make that membership fee worth it, by God.
It was fun just roaming around. I ran into some friends and a couple of retired university folks. I like the sense of unity I get at these events. Everyone finally together, despite differences. You can feel it in the air. I just wish it was always like that.
Once back at the house, it was time for dinner. How could I possibly even be thinking about food. National Pepperoni Pizza Day! I had to use that as an excuse to make my own pizza. Yep. And wings on the grill. Why the fuck not?
Teegan and I caught up on our show, Peacemaker. We both laughed our asses off. I love having shows with him. It’s really something I never knew I needed or wanted. I’ll miss those moments when he moves off to college. Thinking about it makes me kind of sad.
Sunday, I woke up super late with a tummy ache. All that tailgating food. The repercussions. And yeah, I ate more pizza before bed. Idiot move.
On a wild hair, I decided to go see The Long Walk since I’d just finished the novel. I really wanted to see how they’d pull it off. I guess they managed fairly well, but honestly, I found it underwhelming. I was kind of just sitting there waiting for it to end. Maybe it was because I’d just finished the book? Honestly, I kind of felt the same way while reading it: just end already.
So, the week began—miserable. On Tuesday, my tree limb saga continued. My neighbors clearly didn’t like that my insurance didn’t find me legally liable for any damages. It was an “act of God,” they said. But the neighbors wanted money. They were demanding and pushy. I might have compromised if the demands hadn’t been so ridiculous—especially after being told I wasn’t accountable for the vehicle.
I had no intention of burning a bridge, but let’s be honest: they were never really my friends. Until this incident, I hadn’t even had a proper conversation with them in over a year, at the very least. I think the last time I spoke with them was when my yard was getting a little unruly. I couldn’t maintain it because of my back injury. They acted like they stopped by out of concern, but I always got the feeling they were just hinting that I should take better care of my yard.
If I were a real prick, I’d take this opportunity to point out that their new circle drive funnels all the stormwater from the street directly into my yard—flooding it and filling it with debris. I’ve had to clean up a mess every damn time we get heavy rain, and I haven’t once complained.
And now here they are, wanting me to pay their deductible and cover any possible premium increase if they file a claim. Again, this is after my insurance determined I’m not legally liable for the damage. For fuck’s sake—I even paid to have the tree removed. I didn’t have to do that!
I could understand if it were a vehicle they actually used, but it’s a ranch truck that’s 20 years old and hasn’t left the driveway in months. The damage is minimal—a single dent to the hood. Nothing to weep over.
I’ve been very cordial up until the demands started. I called my insurance again to inform them of the situation. They told me that from now on, my neighbors need to direct any future claims to them—not to me—because I’m legally in the clear.
People can be so damn petty.
On top of all this, I had a sick dog. Of course, it was Owen. The dumbass no doubt ate something he shouldn’t have. This happened right after he’d just seen the veterinarian last Friday. I had to clean up vomit seven times, and the poor bastard wasn’t eating.
Wednesday was so much kinder to me.
I woke up around 4:30 to some loud fucking thunder. It was shaking the house. The thunder was so intense that everyone but me jumped out of bed to inspect. It had to have been extremely close, because we heard what can best be described as a pop or snap right after the initial crack. I’d heard about this before on The Weather Channel. I was afraid the power might be out, but we got lucky.
What followed was rain. Beautiful rain. Before I had even left the house, over an inch had fallen—and it didn’t look like it was letting up anytime soon. I sure love a good rainy day. Throw in the fact that it was considerably cooler, and almost everyone seemed to be in a better mood.
For lunch, Yvette brought to my attention that Wienerschnitzel, a fabulous hot dog chain, had four chili dogs for only four dollars. Christ, you can’t beat that! It’s a bit of a heavy lunch for me, but I honestly had no idea what I’d scrounge up at the house—so I was in heaven. Chili dog heaven.
Thursday started rough. I woke up already frustrated—poor Owen still wouldn’t eat or drink. I can’t even put into words how frustrated I was. I had a short day at work ahead of me and a long drive to Texas A&M, and here my damn dog was sick again. I couldn’t leave him with Lola and the baby—not even for a day. So I called the vet and made an appointment.
I hate having sick pets. It’s always Owen. The fool just can’t help eating what he shouldn’t. And then we’re right back in the vet’s office. He had to have surgery and they removed a plastic bag stuck between his stomach and intestines. Poor expensive fool.
As if that wasn’t enough, work brought its own kind of headache. Another morning meeting—this one supposedly about active shooter training. But that turned out to be just the bait to get us all in the room.
What it was really about? A new state law. One that prohibits any discussion of sex or gender that doesn’t fall strictly within “man and woman,” “he and she.” Everything else is off-limits. No more mention of pronouns beyond the binary. No more talking about transgender, bisexual, or nonbinary identities. According to the presentation, violating this law could result in immediate termination.
I saw it coming.
On Tuesday, my brother had sent me an article from a news outlet in Austin. Someone on campus had leaked details: the university is trying to get ahead of enforcement efforts from both the state and federal levels. According to the article, “if they make any statement on campus implying that there are more than two sexes or genders (male or female), they will be fired.”
We’re state employees, so we have to comply.
What a bummer.
It’s disheartening to see freedoms chipped away like this. I feel for the people who will be directly affected. I know people who are going to suffer under these changes, and it breaks my heart. I genuinely don’t understand why people can’t just let others be—how is anyone else’s identity harming you? You might not understand or like it, but it is not really hurting you?
Why can’t we all just live and let live? Why can’t we all just be happy?
After all that bullshit, I was just happy to be hitting the road to Aggieland. That five-hour drive? Total therapy. Teegan, Yvette, and I loaded up and made the most of it the highway. We made decent time, even with an accidental detour through Waco.
Once we got to College Station and settled in at Yvette’s childhood friend’s place, she took us out to dinner—same spot my boss had recommended, actually. I had two much-needed beers and a damn tasty burger. I was in a happy place.
Sleep came easy.
We thought the tour started at 9, but it was actually at 10—so we woke up with a little more breathing room. I drove out for coffee. Honestly, my morning would’ve been fucked without it.
The first part of the tour was the usual—showing off landmarks. The fun part. I wasn’t as impressed with A&M as I was with Texas and Baylor, but it was still pretty impressive. Honestly, just seeing how these larger universities compare has been a real highlight. Each tour has come with its own weather experience, and this time, it was the heat. Unlike the other campuses, though, they didn’t offer bottled water, which is definitely a negative in my book. Oh, and I wasn’t all that impressed with the art, either.
The Aggie Corps was something else, though. I’d always heard how cultish they were, and my lord… I can’t imagine myself ever being part of that group. I kind of wanted to laugh a little. I mean, the boots with spurs?! The shoes with bottle caps attached to them so they’d make noise. The uniforms. It was all just a bit much.
Also, the traditions were just goofy. HOWDY!!! That’s definitely not in my vocabulary. The people were pumped, but it all felt a little like bullshit to me. Still, bless them if it’s genuine.
I don’t want Teegan to go to A&M but if it’s is the place he decides to go, I support 100%.
All in all, the trip was a great time, and I was really glad to add another college campus tour to the books with Teegan and Yvette. I did have a technical issue with my insulin pump, which kept me from having as much fun as I would’ve liked. I went 24 hours without insulin—headache and irritation aside, I was still happy. Happy Friday!!!
Horror Season 2025
Event Horizon.
What a damn frightening film.
I still recall the very first time I watched it and how disturbed I was after the credits rolled. It was the summer of 1998. I was in Midland with my brother, Samuel. His dad had recently moved and was living in a temporary apartment while looking for a house.
We picked up some pizza and stopped by a Blockbuster on the way home. Oh, the good ole days—I miss video stores. I liked to just walk around and let my eyes do the picking. I always gravitated toward the horror section because of the gnarly cover art. Unexpectedly, I happened upon a movie that featured Sam Neill on the cover, so we grabbed it. We’d been Sam Neill fans ever since watching Jurassic Park as small boys.
(Aside: I was also a boy the first time I watched Event Horizon, only seventeen.)
What we got that night was far more than we were expecting.
The wonderful thing about movies back then was that you often didn’t know what you were going to get. You didn’t have the internet to look up trailers or plot synopses. Unless you caught a trailer on TV or in a theater, all you had to go by was what was written on the back of the VHS or DVD case. Usually, it was extraordinarily little plot and almost no representation of the visuals.
Event Horizon made it clear from the get-go that it was not just a science fiction movie—it was very much a horror movie. Nearly 30 years since its release, it remains one of the most disturbing visual films I’ve ever seen. The grotesque imagery was burned into our heads that night. What’s so chilling is how briefly it’s shown. The mind didn’t have time to fully comprehend what it had seen, but the glimpse was enough to leave behind pure nightmare fuel.
The story of faster-than-light travel has been done many times before. What Event Horizon explores, that others have not, is the idea of creating a wormhole—folding space-time, teleportation through black holes. But what is the dimension you travel through to get from one point in space to another? What could be brought back into our world? What if the dimension you passed through was utter chaos? What if it was hell? That’s where things get interesting.
That is exactly what Event Horizon explores—in a truly terrifying fashion.
I love this movie. It has great acting, an exceptional story, haunting atmosphere, eerie music, and visuals that still hold up all these years later. I’ve become somewhat desensitized to horror over the years, but this one left a scar on my developing mind.
A movie that snuck up on two lifelong friends, enjoying some pizza on a Friday night, in a town they barely knew, with a future ahead of them still waiting to unfold.
Jalapeño
Pizza and wings!!
Loaded baked potato. BBQ pulled pork, corn and all the fixings.
Imitation crab pasta.
Jambalaya.
Buffalo chicken pasta.
Aggieland burger!!
Tired from the road to go food. Sesame ginger chickennn
En Fuego 