Saturday I woke up a little bit in a haze. I had a little more wine than I’m use to drinking these days. I got up and wiped together a breakfast pizza with sausage, eggs and cheese with a country gravy mix as the sauce. It worked and I delivered it to Yvette and the kids. We all ate some. After that I ran to my moms, walked the dog, his the store for some dinner plans and took a shower to make myself presentable.

That afternoon we went to the RamJam. It was a beautiful day for it. The weather was ideal. Oddly, not a lot of people were around. I guess they were afraid it would rain. It never rained. We had some drinks, free food, people watching fun and just all around good time. Only one more left and we will have to wait until next year. So sad.

Sunday was the time change. I had to turn the clocks back. It will take me a while to get adjusted. It always does. It gets dark so early!!! We had a very lazy morning. I made breakfast and we just lounged around. I took my time putting away all my Halloween decor. I had that it’s already over. Makes me a little sad every year.

We went over to her folks house for a little lunch. Spaghetti and salad. I was honestly pretty full when all said and done. Breakfast was kind of late so I didn’t need much to fill my belly. It was good food as always. After eating we ran to both Sam’s and HEB. We both needed some bulk items, mainly water and coke. I found I can also snag my keto bread at Sam’s for much cheaper that I have been getting it. It’s white bread rather than wheat but oh well. Worth trying. Hate how high keto items cost. I’m not going it for a diet, I am diabetic and need it. After our shopping excursion I grilled us some lunch for the week, chicken breast and sausage. That done, it was off to my mother to visit and use her hot glue gun to fix one of my favorite Halloween pumpkins I broke trying to put away. It was a nice easy fix and an enjoyable visit. So happy she is doing well.

Monday. It was a slow long day made much worse because of the time change. Bloody time change. I did what I could to pass the time. No one seemed to be doing anything which made it hard for me to do anything since I was the buyer for the week.

“The Empty Man”. I had been wanting to watch this but never made the time. I will say I rather liked it. It was… weird. An evil entity and a rich cult that follow it. Missing teenagers. A down and out ex detective. I like how it never allowed itself to fit into a form. It jumped when you thought you knew the direction it was going. It had some truly creepy moments. One of those lost forgotten films that suffered from obscurity due to the pandemic. Shame, it worked and I think with time when more find it it will become talked about.

Tuesday was Election Day. I was happy to leave all the bullshit behind us. I dislike one much more than the other. The damn Orange Man. Either way, we as a country have some serious problems. I voted early so on E-Day I just kept my head in the sand. I didn’t want to hear about a damn thing. Fuck all that. I really think it’s unhealthy to always be thinking about politics.

I guess America wanted The Orange Man. It is what it is. I find in unbelievable that a felon has won the presidency. A man that has already proven to be unfit. What is reality anyway? This sure doesn’t feel like it. I just personally can’t stand the man. I have no idea how anyone likes him. This man is always referenced with religion while this man that is an abomination to all the lord stands for. I grew up in the church and it’s an insult to me when I see anything bible or religious related in the same sentence as Trump. This man is a walking sin. When judgment falls upon us he will try to buy his way out of hell.

I can’t stand seeing or hearing him. He looks constipated all the time and his incoherent bullshit vitriol is infuriation. For Christ sake, the man cusses during his speeches. How professional. Don’t get me wrong, both parties are a mess, but no way in good conscience could I live with voting for that disgusting man. No offense to those that love him. I don’t see what you must see. I just wish the slimy piece of trash had crawled back into the swears where he belonged.

Thursday we were almost done. Friday Eve. Great colleges to work. The free lunch was a bust. They ran out of food. Yvette and I got our blankets. The poor girl was hurting. A migraine came on and it became full on by around 3. I gave her a ride home on the pleas from her boss to get her home. I was brining her ice cream hoping to make things better and she approached me. I had hoped she was feeling better. Migraines are terrible. I’ve only had a few, thank god.

That evening we finally had rain. I was at HEB getting so Aleve for my back and ran into Tee. He was grabbing some sausage for Yvette. He said it was coming down outside. He wasn’t lying. When I left it was freaking pouring. !!! I was so happy. The sound of thunder. The sight of lightning. Love it. It was so dark. I could listen to the rain all day. It was especially special because I laid a little sod as an experiment. Hope that rain water does me well.

Friday morning I woke to 4.8 inches of rain and counting. Crazy. I imagine I will have some yard clean up come the weekend. Friday was busy as one would expect after a rain like that. Things happen. I was happy with it. I was sad no Yvette on campus. It’s nice to see her at work on my breaks. She was till feeling under and had a doctor’s appointment at 11 that morning. The day sure did move though.

After work I picked up Yvette’s meds from the pharmacy and hung out for a little while. I played peek a boo. I just found out that you NEVER change your voice during the game or you risk frightening them. I do not know these things. I felt bad. I love that girl.

I went to my moms to have dinner and we watched a movie that I have seen a few times. The Fall Guy. It’s just good clean fun. It was a nice mellow evening. Happy Friday!!

Jalapeño

I made breakfast pizza.

Bbq steak bits with grilled okra and corn on the cob.

Chipotle ham and cheese omelette with hash brown bites.

Italian pork meatballs with pasta, spinach, cherry tomatoes and parmesan cheese.

Leftover. This was the meal I made for my mom and us last Friday. The leftovers are soooooo good.

Fried chicken wings, mac n cheese & green beans. Just some comfort food.

Fish & chips w/ slaw.

Grilled chicken thigh, veggies and white rice.

Steak tips, mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts.

Saturday was fun. Woke up early and experimented with breakfast and crawled into bed with Yvette and napped for a little while. I trimmed another tree and cleaned the porch. Ran around town like a loon. We had RamJam to attend. I ate too much. The food was great and the company better. It was a nice Saturday.

Sunday Sunday. It’s Halloween week. Exciting week. I woke up early and made some breakfast, filled my water bottles and decided it was time to mow the freaking yard. I didn’t want to because my bloody back was screaming but I didn’t want to put it off for another week. Besides, it was a beautiful morning. The mowing took a little longer than it should have because I had to stop twice to deal with a barking dog. Damn Molly!!! Oh well.

Once done I showered and took jalapeño poppers to Yvette and the kids and hung out with the little angel before starting a pork butt and picking up some Schlotzsky’s for my mom and I. It was a nice long lunch visit. I brought some leftover flat bread to Teegan after I left and Yvette and I went to Sam’s. We were supposed to have a movie date but that fell through. It happens and the day was better enjoyed for it. I was happy.

I guess two years ago I was having some problems. I almost died. I believe the last message I posted on Facebook before my head injury popped up today. “I didn’t know a headache could last for days. The light hurts.” Well, they are not supposed to. I now know that. Yvette kept telling me to go to the doctor. I had hit my head and was suffering a brain hemorrhage. I just almost died. I’ve learned to listen to her. I really don’t remember much other than having a pillow on my face. I guess I was leaving goofy voicemails. How crazy is life. How many times must I have hit my head? I’m sure I had a concussion. It’s scary as hell tot think back upon.

Monday was a very slow day at work. I guess some people might like that but not me. I like staying busy. I had signed up for a trial experimental flu shot a few months ago and finally had my appointment Monday at 12:30. An hour of paper work, 4 vials of blood, an injection and a 15min wait and I was rewarded $100. They will do additional blood work and pay another $100 down the line. I have no problem doing this. I wish I’d know I had the easy cash option long ago. It will help go towards the weeding.

Short horror night. “The Viewing”. I do love this film. Panos Cosmatos is a fantastic up and coming horror writer/director. His previous two films, “Beyond the Black Rainbow” & “Mandy” are bit amazing and not like anything else out there. He has a very audio visual style. This one is just fun and funny. Creepy good time. The legend Peter Weller is fantastic. Highly recommended for a nice trip.

Tuesday I woke up at 4am with a headache that never subsided throughout the day. Allergies and sleep induced. It made for a rather long day. The highlight was that the wedding invitations arrived. Yay!!!! they looked great. Now just need to slap the addresses down.

“The Ring”. I love this movie. The atmosphere it spot on and it truly has some upsetting visuals for a movie that is only PG13. This movie was one of those early 2000 horror films and you can just tell when watching it. But this one is good, with a good story and good cast. It brings back good times. I remember old TVs with static and how after seeing this movie waking up to static was kind of creepy. Do kids these days know what that is?

Wednesday I woke up early very well slept and went to our morning meeting. Active shooter training. What to do. My goodness. Oh well, it was 30 min pains BS. The majority of the day was mundane. When it was all over I came home and carved a pumpkin. What a chore that can be.

“Land of the Dead”. George Romero. Might not be his classic zombie movie like “Night of the Living Dead” or “Dawn of the Dead” but it was still good fun. More comedy involved but also social injustice.

Happy Halloween!! It was such a good day. I guess I wanted a few more hours of it because I awoke 1 hour before my alarm thinking I was running late. I wasn’t. Oh well. I cleaned the floors. Work was fun. I decided to bring candy to people across the campus. They seemed happy. I saw lots of neat outfits. I love how many students dressed up this year. I kept saying “have a nice weekend” forgetting it was only Thursday and not Friday. It was my Friday.

After work is was time to dress up and prepare for the trick or treat. The kids and the baby came over and we had pizza and handed out candy. Just had a fun time. It was the engagement anniversary, after all. What a day. My favorite time of year. I’m happy to spend it with this family that I love. I will say as fun and scary as my costume might be, it was uncomfortable.

Now it’s time for the true Halloween movie, “ Trick ‘r Treat”. I make a good point to watch this every Halloween night. It’s just a good collection of stories all centered on a single Halloween night and loosely connected to each other. Some really good horror. I’m glad it’s developed a cult fallowing.

I had Friday off. I slept in till 8 and made some breakfast for myself and brought some to Yvette up at work. Bacon egg street tacos. After hanging out with her and her daughter I ran around town knocking out errands that are normally much harder to take care of on a weekend. My lord, I just picked up $1,057 in pharmaceuticals for only $110. How do people survive without insurance. A sadness washed over me. I finished up all my BS for the day, brought some lunch to Yvette and decided to treat myself to a movie. “Smile 2”.

“Smile 2”. Goodness this one kicks of with a bang and didn’t slow down. It truly scared the crap out of me. Some really big creeps. Unnerving. I thought the first one was good but this sequel did it right and surpassed in all the right ways. I was really wishing that I wasn’t I. The theatre all alone. Haha. I usually can handle that but not really with this movie. I highly recommend to all my horror fans out there. It’s not for the faint of heart. A good post Halloween. I really wished Yvette had been with me. Jesus if I didn’t jump. Lord.It also makes you cringe. You have to feel sorry for the girl. She thinks she is going insane and so does everyone around her. That’s just what the demon does. A parasitic demon. It’s hard to know what’s real and what’s in the protagonist head. Crazy film. A real trip. I was on the edge of my seat.

After the movie I made a trip to HEB for some wine and Italian green beans. Oh yeah, my mom made a meal. So I cooked for her, Yvette and Teegan. Lola and the baby joined us. We decided to watch the first “Smile”. It was a nice evening.

Hope everyone had a happy Friday!

Jalapeño.

Breakfast Mac & Cheese. Bacon, egg and green onions.

Menudo.

Poppers and a ham and cheese omelette.

What to do with my pulled pork? Cuban sandwich with spicy slaw.

Pulled pork street tacos. Cabbage, pickled onion, cilantro, green sauce and La crema. Spanish rice was a last min side.

Gumbo. Chicken, beef sausage, tomato’s and okra. Rice and a roux. Best Seasoning. Good stuff.

Korean BBQ pork ribs with some seaweed salad. Yummy.

Papa John’s pumpkin pizza.

Mom’s fake lasagna, Italian green beans and garlic bread. The lasagna gets its name from using egg noodles, mix of sour cream, cream cheese and cottage cheese with a marinara meat sauce. Really a comfort meal and always better the following day.

Saturday I woke up around 7 and made some coffee, opened the doors and let the cool breeze in. Nice to have screen doors. I played some Zelda and made a breakfast burger with chorizo and beef. It was nice.

I decided it was time for work. I cleaned up after all the dogs I currently have and dove right in to the main task at hand, trim the tall hedges. The last 2 years I’ve had a spotter on the ladder. Not now. I had to learn to do this on my own. Yes, it’s always wise to have someone around when you are on a ladder but sometimes it’s silly. It took me 15-20 min. I don’t want to burden someone for that time. The job was an accomplishment.

I brought Yvette and Tee some burritos and hung out for a little bit. The little lady was 4 months. How crazy. I got to play with her for a little while. Her smile will melt your heart. Went back home and sprayed the clover in my yard. While doing that my phone buzzed and I was having a major diabetic low. 49. I had a real Dr Pepper and some skittles. I think the new device might actually be set up correctly. The reason I had the low is because it was giving me calculated insulin and I also gave myself some insulin so they collided. On the old device it would have been okay but I guess not with this. Heck, this might be a good thing.

I went and helped my mom move some medical equipment and stopped back by Yvette’s to see her and the sweet baby before I went to a baby shower for 2 friends. The baby shower was at a bar they both work at near my work. It was a rather nice turn out with some really good food. I was happy for them. They had a guess the date raffle. I decided what the hell. Why not. 50/50. The baby shower wasn’t bad. I watched some Texas Tech football. I don’t get to see college ball often. I was happy to see them supported because lord knows they need it. I hope they work out but I really want the best for the child.

That evening I cooked a little and just chilled with all the dogs.

Sunday Sunday. The weekend just doesn’t last long enough. I made some breakfast and cooked some sausage jalapeño poppers outside while I drank my coffee. It was a pretty morning. I brought the remaining poppers over to Yvette’s. Her, Lola, the baby and I packed up and went to my friend/brother Samuel’s garage sale. When I got there he made it clear that none of the stuff for sale was his, it was all his wife’s, and that he “hates doing this kind of shit”. Haha. We looked around, he was able to see the baby. He has a baby of his own I wanted the little girl to meet but the child was sleeping. The babies are only 2 months apart. Oh well, they will get another time.

After the garage sale I went home to clean up before meeting everyone at Yvette’s parents for lunch. Her dad made steak, fries, Texas toast and salad. What a treat. Steak for lunch!! Her parents are truly amazing. It’s just special that they cook these big lunches for everyone on Sundays. I am a very lucky guy.

So this new control device for my insulin pump that I set up late Friday. IT FUCKING WORK!!! I initially had some issues with it. I gave myself insulin before a meal like I did with the old one. Well a few hours later I crashed hard with a low. I mentioned this before. After just rolling with the device and trusting that it might be smart enough to take the reins I was pleasantly surprised to find out it kind of was. I didn’t need to take insulin like I had been. It was in control. I was 80% in range over the weekend. That is impressive. What did it do differently in the setup I do not even know. It’s working and I’m happy.

Monday I was stuck in the office. Not an eventful day at all. I made it through work, barely. After work Yvette and I went to The Mall and I found some shoes for the wedding. I wanted her approval. She liked. I opted for the pair that was most comfortable over the pair I liked better visually. Who cares, right? I went to my mother’s afterwards to see how she is progressing. She is better everyday I see her. I know she wants her dogs back but I think she understands that me keeping them is for the best until she recovers a little longer. If anything else, she is getting to sleep. That’s fantastic for recovery.

The short horror Monday was “Graveyard Rats”. Grave robbers. A rather amusing film. I suppose I have no reason to fear rats as they have never been in my life aside from horror films. I’m sure they are rotten creatures. These rats are also grave robbers. Or is the guy crazy. Questions. Well, he wasn’t crazy. Something more was happening under his graveyard. Bad things. Greed is a sin. Giant rats be the least of the worries. A terrifying claustrophobic tale. I liked it.

Tuesday was “Lot 36”.the lead is a total racist asshole. The story is good. What is it that is kept for years in a storage unit? What might one uncover? Lord only knows. You might find something best left alone. Secrets not needed to be found. I will say that the acting was top notch.i love tales of ancient evil and Satan. The occult. Creepy stuff.

Wednesday Yvette’s dad had his second heart surgery in a damn year. They don’t do it right the first go round back in December. Incompetent fuckers. I went and saw him after he came out and had a little lunch while Yvette vented about the service that was provided. I can’t believe our medical options in this town. This was another reminder that procedures such as these are best sought elsewhere. Not in this town.

One of my favorite homecoming events happened after work, the Blue & Gold bash. The kids just have fun with it. If you have been following me all these years you will know what it’s all about. Just a fun tradition. Lord, how many years have I been to this now? 5-6. I don’t even know. I was solo today like I was in the past but the joy was still strong.

That night it was another short horror. “The Murmuring”. It was a tale of loss. It was horror but more a sad horror rather than a scary one. A ghost story. What happens to a couple when a child is lost. Are they always haunted. Ghost stories are the best. Usually very grounded in human loss. Life is full of ghost. Everyone’s. Whether they know it or not. I believe in ghost. I’ve witnessed some things. The most believable horror.

Friday Eve. I swear the weeks that I’m stuck in the office are just one long day. It’s hard for me to differentiate one from another. It’s so repetitive. Nothing of worth happens at work. Nothing stands out. It’s just wake up, repeat. Wake up, repeat. Isn’t that monotonous. I did have a good day though.

“Dreams in the Witch House”. And H.P. Lovecraft story I love and has been adapted at least twice. This one was a little different. My personal opinion is it’s shit. I didn’t have fun watching this on. I know the book and I know better adaptations. Oh well.

Friday. Work went by. Lunch was busy. Yvette and I voted and picked up some poor woman that fell down and couldn’t get up. I made a meal for my mom and us. It was fun and everyone was happy I didn’t make it hot. I went to the homecoming bonfire. It was fun. Yvette and Teegan didn’t care to go which is fine. I’m a pyro. I went home and had a glass of wine and that was my evening. Happy Friday!!!

Jalapeño

Chorizo egg breakfast burger with tots. .

Orange beef. This was a first time for me that worked well. I had leftover steak from the night before I needed to cook. Orange sauce, peppers and onion. Tasty.

Chorizo egg and bean tostadas with some jalapeño poppers.

Rosemary chicken thigh with squash, onion, peppers, Parmesan cheese and rice with Italian rice. It was an experiment that turned out really good.

Cheese ravioli with a meat sauce. A simple Monday meal.

Hot spicy meatball ramen.

Hoisin steak with seaweed salad and crab Rangoon.

Mushroom asparagus risotto with some steak.

Tex-Mex chicken and squash casserole. I made dinner for my mom, Yvette and Teegan.

Saturday I woke up early and did a lot of shit. I came home to find the roofers already at my house. They were going to start Monday!! That’s okay. I can adapt. Yvette and I went and picked out some shingles we liked. The baby tagged along for some errands and had some smiles on her face while doing so. It was fun.

Ram Jam 2024 pt 2. We all got together for family weekend and hit the tailgating. Yvette, Lola and the little one. Talk about some damn good food. It’s always fun. Bummer we missed out on a really cool free shirt. It was family weekend so it was busy. I left full and happy, no less. Dunkin’ was around and posed for a picture. He was looking good and very photogenic. The stoic beast.

We came back to my house and Yvette was the translators between the roofer and I. Thank god. We worked out some business and went to Sam’s to get the kids some water and food and came back home for popcorn, pickles, s’moors and a little alcohol. It was time to watch a Halloween movie. What a great day!

“Beetlejuice”. What a classic. What can I really say about this movie that hasn’t been said. I really wanted to watched it again after recently watching the sequel with my mother a few weeks ago. This one just kick that’s ass. Yes, it was good but damn. I think the Maitlands were missed. They kept it grounded while nothing like that existed in the sequel. Such a great movie. Micheal Keaton. Jesus. What a man. What a move. 1988.

Sunday morning the roofers arrived just around 8:30. They were getting right on top of it, literally. Yvette slept in some and I made breakfast. Chorizo biscuits and gravy with fried eggs. I wouldn’t say it was a masterpiece but it hit the spot okay. We lounged around for a while listening to the roofer work away. We left at 12:30 to go have a press of a lunch at her parents. Meatloaf, barbacoa, pinto beans, green beans, mac and cheese, the works. It was a fun two hours.

I kind of fiddled around for the next few hours. I was trying to wait out the roofers. Home Depot for a new screw driver and a head lamp. Best Buy, Academy, CiCi Pizza, Pet Mart…. I just roamed for a bit. Finally made my way to finish up with a little shopping. I didn’t need much. A new toothbrush, according to Yvette. She was probably correct.

The roofers left about 5 and I headed out to my mom’s. The last time I’d see her before the knee is replaced. My youngest brother and middle nephew were also around. It was good seeing them. It’s weird how much time has passed since I have. Patrick was the only boy and he was being so good and having his best life. We went for dinner and had a drink. It was a nice evening. I’m glad my mom had a good fun weekend before her surgery to help take her mind off the anxiety kick. Love my family.

“Prince of Darkness”. A movie that I’ve seen100 times. I’ve written about it here. The movie my cousins made me watch at a very young age while they were babysitting. Scared me. I love to revisit old scars I had to watch it. God. It’s a comfort movie at this stage in life. Damn near 40 years later. It’s a dark creepy film that will always hold a spot in my heart. Maybe I’ll require a viewing upon my death. Haha. Anyway, I watched in bed after the long weekend. I have to get Yvette to see this with me.

Monday was more roofing and just a day at work. When all was over I picked up my mother dogs for the dog sitting I was doing and Yvette and I went and talked to our venue lease lady. We needed more detail on the location and how her end would work. We got a good amount of info yet I still feel like something more is needed which we have not touched on. I guess that’s the looming date. It will be here soon. Crazy.

It was hazels birthday. Somehow this bitch has turned 9 on me. I can’t really believe it because wow Todd’s time fly. 9 years ago my ex wife found her and I’ve loved “almost” every moment of her. She can be a real turd but it joy that she brings me. I just wish she wasn’t so old. She had an egg, ham and cheese dinner. Her favorite.

I love horror shorts. Sometimes that’s all you need. A quick rush without any fat. “The Outside” was a nice little creeper. Social commentary on what lengths women will go to in order to fit in. The sacrifice made to looked “beautiful”. To become the “new me”. It’s really a rather sad tale and fairly unnerving, which might be why I liked it. Dan Stevens of Downtown Abby fame has really etched a name for himself in the horror genre over the last decade.

Tuesday work was a blur. My mom had her knee replacement surgery and I was anxious about it but I was very busy. I was in the office maybe 2 hours and the rest of the time I was out doing business. Why so busy, fuck if I know. Glad it wasn’t Monday. The surgery went well and the doctor was happy. Talking to her she seemed just her usual self. High lights were being out of the office and seeing a little lady after work. She is just perfect. So happy my mom has this knee behind her.

Another short horror. “The Autopsy”. I liked it. Kind of a cool story. I liked the acting and I enjoyed the twist.

Wednesday. The roofer finished and my house was mostly quiet, sans dogs. My mom and brother made it back into town. I went to see her and my brother and I went to grab a quick meal. She has a bit of work ahead of her before she recovers but I know she can do it. I’m so happy this she is back and I can’t wait to see her in less pain once it’s all said and done. It was a really long day.

Oh my lord in heaven! I woke up at 6:30 on Thursday under my blanket and chilly. It was 46 degrees outside!! Yay!!! I actually put on a long sleeve shirt for the first time this fall. I am so happy it’s cooling down.

It was an interesting day. My pump control decided to tell me to fuck off and die. Just stopped working. No one in town had one so I had to contact the manufacturer. Lucky for me it will be free. Unlucky for me it will take 1-2 business days. I don’t have what I had in the past to sustain off so what a real treat. At least I can see my levels.

My neighbor and friend Klingemann had his little goodbye party. I hate going to these types of things but I assured him I would be there and of course I would. I’ve always liked the man and had it not been for a certain person I’m sure I’d have seen much more of him in the last few years. I wish him well. He is going on to a beautiful land and I’ll visit someday. I’ll hit him up.

The evening it was dinner at my mother’s. Yvette and Teegan came over. My brother cooked and we all had fun with wine and conversation. He knocks it out the park with his Italian meals. I suppose it’s because he doesn’t get to eat it much since his girlfriend doesn’t like marinara sauce. When he does make it he makes it with heart. It was a nice evening.

One thing I can’t shake that I witnessed during the week was the student and the dog in the UC food court. The students dog pooped all over the floor and the student was aware but just continued to go order food. I notified people of the mess and when they gathered to clean it the student just laughed and did nothing. She didn’t even bother cleaning up after her dog. What utter trash. Kids these days. Sometimes working on a campus really makes me worry about the future of our species.

For Friday night horror I went with a family film, “Goosebumps”. It was a fun ride. Jack Black was great as the author of the books. I liked it because it brings back all the classic monsters. See, I read these when I was a little boy. I grew up with these scary beast. The movie did a good job of brining my childhood fears to life in a good humorous way. The little girl liked it until she say the big ugly dog, the werewolf. She didn’t like the pooch. I honestly didn’t even think about the movie being at all scary. I wonder if that’s how my dad was life. Haha. Look at me now.

Happy Friday!!!

Jalapeño

Eggs and avacado toast with bacon.

Chorizo biscuits and gravy with a sunny side egg.

Chicken enchilada bake with a salad. Oh, and a fried egg.

Tapatios!!

Dinner at Chilis with my brother Chris. We both enjoy this place. It’s really one of the few chain restaurants that I can easily find an enjoyable meal that satisfies. For me it was a bunless mushroom Swiss burger with a side of mashed potato’s with a cold beer.

My brother made some delicious chicken Parmesan with spaghetti squash.

Beef Bulgolgi with kimchi and pot stickers. Yvette and the little lady joined me.

Saturday morning I woke up early and left the house to fill up propane and my water bottles. After that I got out the pole saw AGAIN and proceeded to cut some really big branches out of another oak. This time I was focusing on my back yard. I’m trying to take care of as much as I can on my own. So far I’m doing a pretty good job, it just takes work. My electric chainsaw is great but it does have its limitations. Anyways, I created a big mess I’ll have to clean up. Most of the clean up I decided could wait till Sunday. It was getting late and I didn’t want to dump branches.

I made Yvette and I some breakfast and I hung out with her and the little girl before I ran away to run errands. It was a busy morning and I decided to relax by going to the movie. I went and saw a horror movie called “Speak No Evil”. It’s a remake of a much darker European film that I saw a few years back so I wasn’t going in blind. I wanted Yvette to see it with me even though horror isn’t her thing. At least she wouldn’t already know the twist but she ended up babysitter for the day. The movie was pretty good. I really like just about anything James McAvoy is in and he hit the ball out the park. He can play unhinged really well. The movie was good. I’d say it was awkward. It’s hard to explain. I guess that awkwardness between people who were raised different and shared different ideas on how things should be done. One should always trust their gut.

After the movie I finished up a few errands and went to Yvette’s. We decided to go get banana splits with the baby girl. Yvette’s old son and his girlfriend thought that sounded good and tagged along. It was fun. The girl did just fine, as always. I definitely ate more banana split than I needed but oh well. Can let the diabetes take all the fun pleasures out of life. Yes, my blood sugar did sky rocket but at this point in time I know what I need to do to get this back on track. It was a fun outing and I’m glad everyone came.

Longlegs. A horror file I’ve been wanting to watch since the summer. My sister-in-law didn’t like it but I wasn’t sure she knew what she was getting and the hype was very high. I’ve seen this directors movies before and knew what to expect and I also didn’t go in thinking it would be flat out scary. Creepy, but not scary. Previews and movie hype kill good films sometimes. I actually enjoyed the slow atmospheric vibe. It was mostly serial killer detective work with a nice subtle hint of supernatural. In this case, psychics. Well, that’s not going to spoil anything. Devil worshipers are also involved. I enjoyed it. Nic Cage was in it so what’s not to enjoy.

Sunday I slept in till 8 and had some coffee before starting my day working in the yard. I got the chainsaw going and proceeded to clean up yesterday’s tree branch mess. It took me two dump loads. I still had a lot of leaves to gather and just patio clean up. My lord was I sore. Working the pole saw the day before was more taxing than I thought. It was a busy day of chores and cooking. I cleaned and meal prepped both breakfast and lunch for the early portion of the week. I also seared some boneless pork ribs and threw them into a slow cooker to have for dinner. I really didn’t finish everything until around 4 when I went to Yvette’s and fell asleep for a quick cat nap before she went to her parent for The Cowboys, pizza and wings. I was a sleep boy and went home to see how my dinner was coming along.

For my Salinger night horror (I know, I’m skipping the Cowboys) is decided to go with a movie based upon a series of books I read at the ripe age of 7-8. The illustrations were amazing. See, I was born a horror fan. “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark”. Some of you might remember these. They sold them in my elementary school during book club week. I bought and still own all three volumes. The choices they went with for the movie made sense. Teenagers messing around find a book and start reading the stories and they end up happening in on grotesque way or another. Log course it’s set in the times of drive up theaters, as all horror films should. Btw, I hate scarecrows. The film was great the way it was adapted. I love a good horror anthology, which this was a nice take on. Scarecrows,ghost, gouls, spiders etc. God I love this time of year.

Monday was a real freaking Monday. It started off with my transmitter adhesive coming off while drying from the shower. That’s never happened. Those suckers are hard to pull off and usually hurt like hell. Like usual I went to go pick up Yvette on my way to work. Oops. Last night when I was half awake talking to her I guess she mentioned she didn’t need a ride. I made it all the way to her house before I was aware of this. Yep. What a hell of a start, and I hadn’t even made it to work yet. Yikes.

Work was needy people. Lots of them. My brain wanted to melt. I kept some at bay but it was still hurting my head. I can’t help you if you lost something I gave you. It’s no longer my problem. Oh, so you say I didn’t give you it? But I have proof that I’d did. That’s what I felt with. Just a lot of bullshit. I was actually exhausted after work. I was gearing up for a horror movie but ended up on the phone with Yvette for almost 2 hours. That was a rather perfect way to wine down my evening. I slept like a rock.

Tuesday evening I watched “Alligator”. This 80s film that road the waves of Jaws success. I’d heard of it for years and I finally watched it. It was shit but well made shit. The acting was good and the humor was perfect. The late Robert Foster. I regret never have watched it. It was just fun. The gore was also top notch. I mean, a mutant alligator in the sewers of Chicago. Mutated because of a pharmaceutical waste dump. What fun.

After work on Wednesday Yvette and I went to happy hour for a drink and a snack. We were both tired from the long day. That relaxation down I went and played with the little girl and gave her some dinner. She was such a sweetie. Upon leaving Yvette’s I met up with her father and some roofers that he knows to take fixing my roof from that late May hail storm. He was using the same folks he has used twice. We set up a date for them to start on Friday. What a long day. I wanted to pick up dinner but I needed to cook.

“Messiah of Evil”. This horror film came out in 1973 and somehow I’ve missed it all my life. I read that it’s getting a re-emergence now that it’s available to the streaming world. It was just another forgotten VHS. I decided to give it a try Wednesday night. Lots of neon lighting.its about a daughter that goes looking for her missing father in some isolated beach town. The people are weird. Weird things seem to be going on. I like these type of movies. Isolation. Being cut off. This had it with a bit of cosmic dread. Good time. A theatre scene might actually have fucked me up when it comes to wanting to see a movie in an empty theater. Yikes.

This week I decided to use nothing but canned meats for my weekly protein. Canned chili, pot roast, salmon and tuna. Let’s just say you can make much more versatile meals with that guideline as opposed to the hot dogs I used the week before. The tuna and salmon were a real treat. It was fun.

It was a good busy week. Friday Yvette and I joined my mom and her oldest friend and her husband for dinner. It was fun and we had a. Couple drinks and some good food. I went back to Yvette’s house for a little while and hung out with the baby. I was tired and went home to crash out. Happy Friday!

Jalapeño

Saturday brunch. Chorizo eggs with cream cheese bacon wrapped peppers. Yvette had been wanting poppers.

BBQ burger, grilled onions/peppers topped with cheese and fried garlic onions served with a homemade spicy potato salad.

Chicken & waffle w/ hash browns.

Braised BiBiGo pork. I started this at around noon by searing the meat on the grill and then I threw it in a slow cooker with some broth and carrots and let it cook for 5 hours. Served with rice and broccoli.

Chili baked potato with onion rings. Canned chili. This is canned weak. 😂

A little pot roast with mashed potato and green beans.

Salmon stuffed bell peppers with cheesy squash.

Easy tuna fettuccini with lemon juice, butter, asparagus, parsley and peppers.

Guess what? Saturday I slept in till 8:30. A real rare feet for me these days. I made a small breakfast and decided to do some yard work. This means I cut more branches. I’m sort of over branch cutting but I have more to go another day. I ran some errands and eventually met up with my mom at a local plant nursery to look around. They have some really fun stuff.

We had a little late lunch at one of our favorite locations. They have updated the menu since our last visit and we both felt compelled to try something new. I was very excited to see ahi tuna poke bowl on the menu. I love poke and I’ve always loved this places ahi tuna. We both had a beverage and enjoyed our lunch. It nice spending time with her.

I finally made it to the art museum. When did they start charging $10 a person? Good to know. They had some good exhibits but honestly I wasn’t as impressed as I have been. ASU had one promoting our institutes art professors. Some of them were good but many felt very familiar. Still, I’m very proud of them all.

I kind of roamed around downtown for a little bit after the museum. I happened upon a little jam session and found a friend of mine. He and his girlfriend asked if I wanted to get a beer so we walked to a local brewery where I had a beer with them. They talked about how excited they were to attend the wedding and asked me if we could all get together sometime. Yvette and I used to see them regularly at brunch but we haven’t been in a while. The beer was good and the company was great. I left and went shopping. The rest of the day was blah. I missed Yvette. Funny how you miss someone when you don’t see them like you are use to seeing them. I could have gone to a chili cook off. I didn’t. I hear it made the local news. That sounds like a hard time. I do like chili but not that much. Sounds stinky. After making a snack dinner I talked to Yvette on the phone for over 2 hours and eventually crashed out.

Sunday I woke up with low blood sugar. By device was having a little bit of a fit. I had some issues with it all day. I made a fair breakfast and decorated for Halloween. It was spooky season. I know it’s goofy to wait until October but that’s what I do. I have my fall decor and my Halloween decor. They go together but the Halloween stuff waits and it goes away come November. That’s turkey time. I love my fall.

Had lunch at Yvette’s parents again. It’s becoming a regular norm for me. Her dad made burgers for everyone. We stuck around for a good 3 hours or so and talked wedding ideas and just general BS. I left and started some chicken thighs for lunch meal prep in the oven before heading over to my mother’s. I watched a little bit of the Sunday football game. The Chiefs won after a neck and neck game. Still kicking ass. After this I went home to Yvette’s and hung for a bit while Teegan gave the doggie a bath. I went home and made us some fish tacos and we just hung out the rest of the night.

So the week begins and I’m the office man. Yay!!!! It actually was a rather great Monday for various reasons. I woke up in a good mood and it carried throughout the day. My lunch turned out good and Yvette and I were happy we had something for the week that we can toy around with. My biggest surprise was how fast the day went. I was off work and it was already getting dark before I knew it. With my show Shogun done I need to find something else to watch. 🤔

Tuesday I had a magnificent triumph over a foe in this Zelda game. I originally encountered this villain by accident 4-5 months ago. Try as I did to beat him, it was in vain. His skills were too much for me. Tuesday I finally had the confidence and resources to attempt battle again. It was a success!! I was thrilled to have bested this unholy abomination, the dreaded Phantom Ganon. His appearance was a great unexpected surprise.

So because it’s October it’s time for me to kick off the Halloween horror. I started with a not so great film that came out in 2007 and was a remake from a much greater 1986 film both titled The Hitcher. My intention was to watch them back to back. What a great way to do a double feature.

The remake is fun and rather stupid. Sean Bean, one of my all time favorite actors, was having a damn good time as the unstoppable bad ass killer. Truly the only reason to watch this one, unless you just want mindless thrills because some of the stunts Sean’s Beans character pulls off are so unbelievable. The man truly has luck on his side. He might as well have super powers.

Rutger Hauer is the original villain. What a creepy sonofabitch. My god. Why hadn’t I seen this before. The story is mostly the same with some moments being exactly, as one would expect. This one leaves out any comedy and goes straight for the throat. Instead of a couple on the road it’s a solo young man. He actually picks up a hitchhiker rather than drives by one and sees later at a gestation on the road. This is its age: the 80s horror that I like. The ending is.. brutal. The remake hits a little happier note. Not the 80s version. Classic 80s music. Just a good B horror movie. I loved it. It’s a dark film.

Thursday was the new version of ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King. This novel has been adapted twice to television with this being the first film. Sadly because Hollywood studios as dumb fucks, this went straight to streaming services. I would have paid to see it. As far as the movie goes, I liked it. I liked the actors, they were all respectable. I liked the budget. I liked that it was actually a little creepy. The others were more or less cheesy. Everyone holds the original in high regards yet they have not seen it in years or even realize it was made for TV. This one condenses much of the in town drama from the book and goes straight for the vampires. They address they by stating the next scene is a week later and so on. Listen, I love Stephen King books but they are bloated. Its takes a filmmaker some work to make his work into something that needs to be 2 hours. I’m happy to finally have a film version of this novel I can watch and enjoy without spending 6 hours or more. Hope everyone else that can watch it will enjoy it. Shame it’s not in theaters. Assholes.

This week I decided to challenge myself. I want to save money for the big day so let’s see what frugal meals I can cook. This week it was hot dogs. Not a single damn bun. I know this sounds disgusting and likely will gross some out, but I know a good meal can be had from just a hot dog. I was rather excited when I came up with a menu for the week featuring the dogs. I’d incorporate pasta, rice and potato’s with hot dogs and make a meal. I only did this Monday-Thursday. I wasn’t going to subject Yvette and Teegan to my hot dog experiment.

Happy Friday!!!

Jalapeño

I just made a little snack tray. A charcuterie board, per se.

Biscuit, chicken and gravy with some tots.

Fish tacos. I finally made them for Yvette. The sauce was perfect, for it had been marinading for 3 days. We enjoyed.

A Hawaiian dish made with hot dogs and a ginger soy sauce over sushi rice.

Hot dog pasta with mushrooms, black olives and pepperoncini peppers.

Persian hot dog & potato skillet.

Mac n Cheese w/ hot dogs & broccoli.

Gyro with lemon rice and Greek salad.

Saturday I woke up, made breakfast and spent the next 2 1/2 hours working in my yard. Yay! After really busting my ads off, I chilled a bit and played Zelda. Made a quick run to HEB and decided I’d go see the lilies since today was Lily Fest. I missed the party but that’s generally how I like it. I saw the lilies and decided to just make a day out of being on the river. I walked for a good 3 hours taking the various sights in. It was a little hot but I still had a nice time. That was, until a gang of geese decided to stand ground and force me off the path. Bastards. I’ve had my run in with these assholes before and they mean business. 2 are bad enough but 8 would maul me alive. I was in sandals and stood no chance. Some people watching the stand off yelled down at me “Its not worth it!!” I simply replied that I know this. Not my first rodeo with these bastards. Likely not my last.

I saw my mom and we talked wedding. We are going to go look for my outfit tomorrow. Yvette trust her eye. I’m excited about the Christmas theme. What’s not beautiful about Christmas decor? I took a little stroll through her neighborhood and watched some “The Haunting of Hill House” with her. It really placed me in the spooky movie mood. When I finish my show I believe that’s what I shall do. I had a mellow evening. I was pretty tired from the yard and being outside in the sun walking for hours. It felt great to relax. I cooked and sat outside with Yvette on the phone.

Sunday always arrive too damn early. Why oh why? I woke up and made a big breakfast before I started to paint another room, this one being Teegan’s. It all went smoothly until I tried to replace the air vent. All my vents in the house were easy to replace but this one. Of course it wouldn’t be easy. Bummer. After all the work I cleaned up and went to Yvette’s parents for lunch. He made the works. Pork ribs, pork chops, chicken legs and thighs, sausage, beans and potato salad. It was a real treat. I left extremely full.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice! My mom and I had a movie date. I grew up with the first movie because of her. It was only fitting we go see the sequel together. Of course I wasn’t expecting it to come even close to the greatness what was the first movie but I was going into it knowing this. I just wanted it to be fun. In that, it succeeded. I laughed. Seeing the crew back together again was fun. The throwback to some missing folks from the first film were also nice and fun. It brought on the feels and Micheal Keaton was fantastic, as always. It was like he was putting a glove back on. The character fit perfectly. It was a little bloated for a film under two hours and a subplot could have been trimmed but oh well, the good parts outshined any flaws. It made us both happy. We need to go to the movies together more often.

After the movie I went suit shopping for my wedding attire. After trying to be sold something that I really didn’t want I finally led the salesman to something that I was more interested it. More a blazer. Something i could wear with various pants and not just a full suit. I don’t want to wear anything similar to what I wore in my first wedding. No way. I felt immense pressure abate having complete this task.

It was the first day of fall. A front actually blew in. It was all so welcome. I sat outside and listed to some thunder and a very very light rain. I hope this is a sign. I want to walk my dogs again. It was getting too hot. I love brisk mornings.

Monday was nice and gloomy. A very refreshing day. I found my rainy day album and drove around town paying for shit. It was fairly busy and I was in a fine mood. I feed off this weather. After work I made some free chicken curry for Yvette and I. We had a rare Monday date night and what better a day could it have been. Complications arose from her constant calls but we had fun til the end. It was a good night. A rather fantastic Monday.

The ring is here! It arrived a week early and I was so excited to go pick it up. What a beautiful piece of jewelry that I can’t wait to place upon Yvette’s finger in marriage. It’s going to look so damn good with her engagement ring. The height of my day, and it was generally a damn good day already.

Shogun. I had to take a little break due to just not having the time. What a show. One of the better that I’ve seen in a while. I’m very happy it raked in so many awards and I completely understand why it did. I understand they are going to make another season but this one is really a stand alone. It was meant as a stand alone. I do love a miniseries. I grew up watching them. Man, this show has a few heartbreaking moments.

Thursday. Well, I worked for 6 hours and took off with Yvette. We had the day planned ahead for Teegan’s football but since he is no longer in the program…. What the hell, why not take off anyway. Work through lunch and leave at 2. What a deal.

We went back to my place for a little bit to let the dogs out and eventually remembered it was taco day at The Pit Bar-B-Que. I’ve been going without her and it was time for her to finally taste what I was talking about. Unfortunately for her first time we had to deal with a young girl working the register that really didn’t want to be working. Oh well, the food was once again amazing and we split the lunch because it was enough for 2. I was full but not bloated like I usually am when I eat it all on my own.

After that, wedding shenanigans. On the way we stopped by an embroidery shop to have a shirt done. It was me testing the waters. If it comes out good I’ll have more done. That done we made it to the mall to help her get an idea for my wedding band. I found one that I’m excited to wear. We went and looked at ties and shoes and all sorts of fun stuff. Next on the agenda was talk to the florist for some ideas. Sounds like what we are wanting will work out. It’s simple with our Christmas theme. I’m getting very very excited.

The Cowboys played a Thursday night game. I guess I had it on in the background. Why not. I didn’t want to start my show. I was tired. It was a good day. Here is a baby picture.

Finally Friday arrives. Honestly, the week went by rather quickly. My Friday was pretty basic. I kept myself busy and tried to get to 5. Yvette and I had a nice little lunch outside again. I love these cool days when that’s even possible. I brought salads and she had a sandwich that we split. It was nice. Her day was much more exciting than mine. My lord she has to deal with drama and crazy sometimes. I wish I could expand more but I’m really not a liberty to say more. Let’s just say it was a wild ride for her.

I didn’t have the Friday night that I was hoping for but I’m learning more and more how to be flexible. I can reverted back to watching my show but I was too tired for that and it was late. Treat the night like it’s just another week work night. What the hell can you do? We were both tired anyways.

Jalapeño

Szechuan beef. I have had this Szechuan peppercorn my brother gave me back in 2023 after the SDRE concert we went to in Austin. I finally put it to use. I’ll incorporate it in more dishes.

Full English Breakfast.

Comfort food. I ate enough on Sunday. Air fry chicken with some mac n cheese.

Good weather for green chicken curry with Yvette. We had a Monday date night.

Spicy ghost pepper burger bowl. That was one hot meal.

Ground beef street tacos.

Beef, mushroom and spinach fettuccine alfredo.

Fish tacos were on the menu but Yvette didn’t join so I’m pushing them off till tomorrow. They will taste even better tomorrow. The tacos can marinate and the sauce and really take on all its many flavors. I want her to only have the best. I just called in some regular crispy tacos. I didn’t know what I wanted to eat.

Saturday was busy. Yvette and I had a consultation with a possible catering business for our wedding reception. I think everything sounds good and I have high hopes. After that we did some shopping and I met my 1:30 appointment. A very important appointment. I still had a little time before the tailgating so I cleaned my car inside and out.

The tailgating was actually a lot of fun. The first of the season. I really enjoyed it last year and I had high hopes this go around. A little hot outside but at least I have my alumni pass so we can find a cool spot inside.Yvette, Lola and the little angel came along for the fun. She was such a good girl. We walked around a little, sampled a lot a free food and tooled advantage of that pass to sit inside and have free alcohol. Well, Yvette and I did. Her old student worker met us and I was able to get her inside for some beer and RnR. Over all a good time. Walked away with 2 more new shirts I’ll wear on campus. I always tell people if they want college apparel attend the tailgating. You can walk away with 1-2 shits each time. If not more.

Yvette and I had a little date night. Home cooked meal. Movies and popcorn. It didn’t happen but it was still a great evening. Well, the home cooked meal happened but we had the little girl and her momma. It was just as good a night if not better. Different kind of good. It was a good day. Buys day. Very full.

Sunday I woke up with extremely high blood sugar. I over corrected and it crashed hard. I got it to a manageable level and went to go eat lunch with my mom, Yvette, T, Lola & the baby girl. I was in a state of confusion. So weird. Probably should not have driven but this wasn’t my first rodeo. I couldn’t even see through the fog in my head to focus on how many of us were needing seats. I played sociable as well as I could. I guess I overdid it and my blood sugar sky rocketed. That makes for some fun mood swings, left me tell you. For the most part I’m just use to my diabetes. It’s days like Sunday when I hate it. I can’t think clear, my head hurts, my mood sucks and I’m lethargic. I planned on do a lot on my Sunday but my motivation was squished. Even so, I still accomplished a lot.

Sunday was Owens birthday. The goofy boy is 6 and he still acts like a puppy, for better or worse. I’ve sure did get some chicken heads for his big day. I got him when I moved into the house because of the extra room and Hazel always needed a brother. It’s been a wild ride with ups and down. The little bastard eats everything and it has almost killed him a few times. The thing is, he is a good boy. Rarely does he get in trouble. He brings me more joy than grief. Happy birthday Owen!!!

We had a few late Sunday showers. Surprised because nothing was forecast. I chilled. I tried to chill. My head just hurt all day. It wasn’t the Sunday I wanted but it was the one I got and had to make do with. I needed something stronger than Tylenol. By the end of the day my blood was high again. The rollercoaster ride. It happens. I hate when it does.

Monday after a Cowboy’s football game can be hit or miss. It certainly going to be a sad turnout if they lost the Sunday before. Boy did they ever. They got smeared in shit on that field so the parking lot was empty. I assume everyone had a few drinks too many to overcome the sadness which is the general feeling I get from most Cowboy’s fans. I do not care and honestly find the sadness amusing.

The day was relatively slow and that was good because we were short manned. I had a staff senate meeting I intended on attending but went virtual because of the lack on hands. Oh boy, I’m glad that I did. A long winded member sure wanted to hear himself talk. After work I trimmed Yvette’s ally to keep code enforcement off he ass. I’m always happy to help. Those guys are jerks. More Shogun on the TV that night. I guess I’m not alone in thinking the show is great, it won an incredible amount of Emmy awards the night before.

This week held our first all hands on deck morning meeting in a few months. Well, at least for me. I missed the one in July because I had COVID. Just the usual bullshit. Burritos in lieu of pay. Not great burritos either. Pretty funny that it coincided with the “build your own burrito” bar that was happening across the campus. Not a coincidence at all. Cheap bastards already were making burrito fixings so why not make us some. Ours were pathetic in comparison. The burrito bar was actually good stuff. They even had hot sauce, which ours was noticeably lacking. It’s a sin to serve burritos without hot sauce in the great state of Texas. My burrito consisted of egg, chorizo, cheese and a healthy dollop of hot sauce. I was surprised hot happy I was with it.

Once again I had a lunch to myself and it just happened to fall on my loved Thursday special so I treated myself. I came back to The Pit Bar-B-Que and got my tacos. A real treat. Next weekend Yvette and I will have to go.

One of my favorite bands released their new album. Cursive. I’ve been following them for a little over20 years now and have seen them on multiple occasions. To say I was excited would have been an understatement. I preordered the vinyl months and months ago to insure I received a limited colored version. The album, like so much of their material, is not digestible upon first listen. They have a complexity that really unfolds with multiple listens. About a week in and I was still experiencing new sounds. The vinyl itself was stunning to the eyes.

Friday finally arrived. I just powered through the damn week. As a whole, I guess it was okay. My back has been bitching and moaning since Monday but by Friday it was finally starting to quiet itself. The day was weird at work. Not so busy morning and a super busy afternoon. I was rushed to get things done and we were short handed again. I completed my part. I pissed off someone that wanted a trip to Lowe’s to buy some shit but that wasn’t my job and I was plenty busy. My coworker should have jumped in but it’s not my place to say anything.

That night I cooked for just Yvette and I. It was a rare alone moment. We will have more with high school football. Tee love going to those games. Dinner was good but she fled early, unfortunately. Oh well. It wasn’t meant to happen. Ah, life. We started “A Fish Called Wanda” and I finished it. One of my absolute favorites growing up. Classic and still holds up 40 years later. I was a little sad our evening didn’t turn out how we wished but what can you do. I ate popcorn and watched a good film. Once we are living together these life differences will not be such a problem. We can pause and go on under the same roof. As it is, we make do.

Happy Friday!

Jalapeño

Surf and turf with baked potato and asparagus.

Lemony chicken asparagus stir-fry.

It was Monday and I decided I didn’t want to put much effort into dinner. I had a potato and some sloppy Joe mix. Air-fry that potato and heat that SJ. Top with cheese, onion, jalapeño and sour cream. Simple filling meal on a long fucking Monday.

Pork tenderloin w/roasted Brussels.

Leftover pork. I made a chow mien.

Yvette invited me over for dinner and she made her lovely chicken tetrazzini with a side salad. Yummy.

Yvette and I had a surprise Friday date night. Chicken thighs made with a green chili cream sauce, peppers, onion, corn and mushrooms over a bed of rice garnished with cilantro.

Saturday I woke up and made Yvette and I breakfast and proceeded to tackle my yard. It went feral with all the rain. It wasn’t quite dried out making it a damn chore but it had to be done. Took me a while. After that we went to go see the little girl. Her mom and her had the most amazing gift for us. I kind of wanted to cry.

I spent the rest of the day running around. Groceries, woke, leisure, etc. A run to the post office to mail off another eBay sale. I’m spending more time there for my personal business than I am work related these days. I really wish I had started this earlier. I got rid of some stuff that was surely worth more than I got. I should have done eBay. I did stop by the Lilies. I feel like they need to be thinned out. Ever since the main man who cared for them for over 30 years passed away they just are not the same. Still beautiful, but as a man that has spent years of his life admiring the park, I can see the difference.

It was a beautiful damn day and evening. I grilled some Korean steak for Yvette and I and later the kids and baby came over for some s’mores. I ate entirely too much for a diabetic but it had been years since I really had any. The little girl was fascinated by all the lights in the yard. She was all smiles. I really look forward to doing this more in the future.

Sunday I woke up early and did some things around the house. I ran some errands, bought my first pumpkin and decided to paint the address on my curbs. I had some lunch with my mother and walked my doggies. This weather is perfect dog walking weather. I did some meal prepping and made some more cheesecake. I’m hooked on this low carb cheese cake. Maybe to hooked. Worried I’ll burn myself out. It was a chill evening. I listened to some Pearl Jam and ate my dinner outside. I enjoyed the temperature.

The dreaded office week. I am not a stationary person. Heck, I was out and about all weekend. The one thing I welcomed about Monday morning was the morning temperature being in the 50s. 56 to be exact. Forecast shows that to be the norm for the week. What a joy!

Of course a Monday morning couldn’t be without a bump in the road. My week in which I rely upon my computer to work would be the week my computer dies. The RAM burned up. The actual tower began making all sorts of weird noises that I was unaware it could even make. It was a beautiful disaster. IT promptly came over and assessed the problem. It was a few hours later that they replace some parts and hopefully resolved said issues. Hopefully. The ticket was left open. Oh well, back to work I was.

Yvette was having her own Monday. A water leak and waiting for a plumber that never showed up. Damn plumbers and going on their own made up time. I hate waiting all day for a technician to arrive. Especially when I’m wasting my own time off for a no show.

At work we had a first. We have a loading dock that isn’t ever used. A couple of us were in the office talking about something. I can’t remember because what happened next erased that meaningless conversation for my mind. Some guy backed a golf cart right off the damn dock. The crash was so loud we all ran out to see the from two tires of a cart in the air. The occupant still in said vehicle. We got him out and he claimed to be okay. I think it was adrenaline kicking in. The cart…. What to do. We managed to get under it with a life. That was when a canister of compressed nitrogen came falling out and hissing at us. You don’t want that. Explosion was possible had it been any of the other compressed gasses the guys use. All in all it wasn’t a complete disaster. The cart drove away with what appear to be minor damage and only pride appeared to be hurt. I know we will being having the safety guy fall on this like flies on shit.

At the end of work I heard the news that James Earl Jones had passed away. What a sad moment. The voice of Darth Vader. He was part of so many of the movies that I grew up with. To say I was sad is an understatement. “Coming to America”, “Field of Dreams”, “The Lion King“ and three Tom Clancy film adaptations. I loved that role. His passing in Clear and Present Danger made me tear up as a 14 year old boy. We must also remember his part in The Simpsons Halloween special “Treehouse of Horror”. His rendition of Poe’s The Raven still stands, in my mind, as the best. That was October 1990 and my love for both The Simpsons & Halloween always anticipated their seasonal special. His voice was already larger than life to that 9 year old boy. He was a legend. Passed at the ripe young age of 93. He will be missed. RIP.

I woke up cold Tuesday. What the hell, it was 53 degrees. Yay!!! Tuesday was not eventful. Tuesday was boring. I was missing picking up Yvette in the mornings. Two days in a row. I made another eBay sale. I guess that’s good. It steady. It’s not work yet. I don’t want it to be work. I like it as a hobby that happens to also make me money. I don’t mind going to the post office when I know it means money for me.

I set up arrangements to meet with some catering crew for the wedding reception. I’m certainly glad that I did because they only do one wedding a weekend. What if our date was already booked? Yikes. Even if we decide to not go with them at least we are in the books and they can be a fall back. I honestly have high hopes for them. I’ve liked what I’ve had catered for other occasions. It’s nice to be staking steps forward. I mean, I did ring shopping this last weekend. It’s all so exciting.

I made the mistake of topping my evening off with the Presidentisl debate. Christ. I truly hate Trump. I don’t like either, but that man is a sybaritic sycophantic constipated asshole. I hate his voice. I will cry if I hear it another 4 years. The amount of vitriol continuously coming out of his mouth is enough to make me want to puke. Look, I’m no democrat. I usually don’t vote because I don’t see the point or care one way or another anymore. Call me disillusioned, if you must. I just can’t in good conscience not vote against this terrible human being again. I’d regret it. I didn’t vote in the first election which he ran, or his run for reelection. Like hell I’ll not vote again. I like to believe I have a faith. I don’t go to worship, but god has always been in my life. I’m sickened that this horrible person says he is looking out for good Christian values. I have a hard time believing he would even be allowed through the Pearly Gates into heaven. In all likelihood, if you believe in that sort of thing, it’s more likely he would be cast down into the depths of hell. What a practiced liar.

No Yvette again Wednesday morning. She secretly doesn’t like me anymore. Just kidding. She has been busy. Life. I’m afraid I’m going to get into the groove of not picking her up. If it happens it happens. What can I do. I even made breakfast for us both for the week and I’m eating it all. Bummer.

At work I had to deal with 2 hours of complete stupid. I was really going above and beyond to help. I had AP, Counseling Service and Psychology bouncing me around like a ping pong ball. AP wanted to pay and invoice, CS didn’t get the item to be payed, Psych had the item. I went through great hoops tracking the item down and fixing the situation caused my a coworker only to make many steps to get back to where I started. The item was where it needed to be all along but these assholes were not talking to each other. When I got that final email I said aloud “you have to be fucking kidding me!!” The story works better in person. It was so stupid I really couldn’t even be mad.

It was 9/11. Crazy how many years have passed since that terrible world changing day. It blows my mind that that’s being taught in the history books like the Vietnam War was taught to me. Now that makes me feel old. I am old. I was only 20 on that day. Now I’m 43. A lot of years have passed. A lot of people have been born. Thinking about time passing makes me want to start writing about my “olden days” and how much different it was. If not for me, for the kids. It will shock.

That evening I went to HEB Yvette and had a good old time. It’s fun having someone to shop for groceries with that likes shopping. After that I went home and cooked, played Zelda and started my show again. I’m really enjoying it. I had forgotten how much I like shows with subtitles. You really are forced to pay attention which makes for a much more enriching experience. It was a nice evening that made up for an annoying day.

Long week. I began to forget what day it was by Thursday. Thursday for lunch I had a run to the Post Office to mail off three email sells that I had yesterday. I’ve never had 3 in one day. What a thing! After spending too much time waiting in line I decided to treat myself for lunch. I went to The Pit Bar-B-Que. I’d been dying to try the Thursday lunch special, street tacos with choice of meat with a cheese and cilantro lime crema. I went with brisket and added jalapeño and some hot sauce. Side of jalapeño cream corn and a drink. Really good amount of food for the price. I think I could feed two. I was floored by how great the brisket and crema went together. I will hit this Thursday special again with Yvette. A real treat. I ate too much…. The bloat…. The struggle….

After work it was more curb painting. I did Yvette’s driveway. I think it turned good. Maybe I should pick this up as a weekend hobby/job? I don’t know. For now I Just have one more to do, my mom’s. I might actually want to do more once I’m finished with hers. Who can say.

Friday the 13th. Such an ominous day for so many people but I’ve always loved it. It’s a damn good day. I’ve always created them with a sense of excitement. Maybe it is the spooky love I have. I love the scary movies network TV would have on Friday the 13 when I was a kid. Something to get excited about. Those days are long long gone. So sad. I’ve never really liked the franchise movies based around the days. Always kind of sucked and I thought an inferior and overrated horror. I love what it did for horror and how it basically made a holiday out of every Friday the 13 for us horror crazies.

So Friday was a boring ass day at work and I just wanted to get off. I cooked for Yvette and Tee. We watched “The Fall Guy” & “Lucy”. I was bound and determined to watch one of the many Friday the 13th movies. I have all these years only managed to see the first one. None of the other 12. After doing some research online I settled on part 4. Multiple websites declared it to be the best. It was yet to be determined. The best of a pile of garbage is still garbage.

I guess as far as slasher films go, with a classic character, it was okay. I will never understand the appeal of slasher and I certainly think Jason is a bit of a joke. I understand the influence he has had on horror through the years and I certainly appreciate that. I like movies inspired. I guess this was okay. Certainly better than the first one. I enjoyed it for what it was. 80’s horror. Dumb people doing dumb things. Incredible force of violence. Sex. Gratuitous nudity. Good kills. Stupid. Just what I grew up with. I love 80’s horror. It was fun. Agree with the internet.

Happy Friday the 13th!!!!

Jalapeño

Pesto mushrooms and sunny side eggs over toast. Delicious. Never thought about pesto eggs. Try it.

Korean bibigo bbq with kimchi and sticky rice with Yvette.

Beef Stroganoff over sticky rice. Leftovers done right. I added whole peppercorns.

Air fryer chicken nuggets with mango habanero sauce, pineapple, jalapeño and cheese over a bed of sticky rice. It was actually really good.

Cheese ravioli with a meat sauce.

Breaded orange chicken w/ rice.

Green Chicken Curry. This was a first time for me. Curry paste & coconut milk. Bamboo shoots, red bell and snap peas. Over rice. Garnished with red jalapeño and Thai basil.

Steak street tacos with Tee and Yvette. Yvette made Fideo.

Tuesday after the long weekend was once again rainy and gloomy. I loved it. One thing I didn’t want was to be stuck at work. This rain better hold up until after work so I can really enjoy it. It’s insane home much rain we have had in such a short amount of time. I mean, we went months without any real significant rainfall so this was amazing and beautiful. I was in such a good mood. Home watching a movie with Yvette on the couch would have been nice, but I make do with work.

I really didn’t have much work to do. I went to the police to pick up the campus lost & found. Nothing exciting this month. I kind of like the flag art they had on the wall pictured below. The rest of the day was what you would expect on a rainy day. Not many people coming in needing me to buy anything. Only a few runs. That’s okay. I’ve never seen our little pond reach the banks like it did. Our gator was almost able to escape.

It seems there was a casualty on campus Wednesday morning. Poor Dominic the ram. He lost his head. I could just feel the people on campus mourn the loss. I had to confirm the rumors to be true. I had just seen him the week prior, which makes it ever more devastating. You really just don’t know what will be the last time you see someone. Sadly I discovered that he had indeed perished. What was assumed to be the work of a malicious individual looked to be a product of age and weather related demise. He was, in fact, without a head. Dead. What will they do with his remains. Surely sooner than later they will dispose of them. It’s such a traumatizing sight to bare eyes upon. The devastation the campus will feel when news spreads.

I started the show Shogun. I’ve wanted to watch it for a long while but never had Hulu, which it streams on. The show is mostly in Japanese with subtitles. So far I’m very into it. Great actors. Hiroyuki Sanada is always great. He certainly needs more of an American audience. His should be an established name. IRS set in the 17th century Japan with a few English actors thrown around speaking English. Like

I must admit, I was kind of excited about Thursday night football. I don’t watch much NFL but with the weather nice, football just added to the fall vibe. I was looking forward to it all day. The Ravens vs. The Chiefs. I like Patrick Mahomes, him being a Texas Tech player back in the day. Yes, I went to TTU for a few years and I still consider myself a Red Raider. I really didn’t care about who won the game, I was just excited for a game. Background noise. First real game of the season. All the excitement from everyone around me at work must have rubbed off. Haha. Who knows. I ended up watching the entire game. The Chiefs win. It wasn’t a simple victory. They had a good challenge. They won by a toe. It was a fun game. A good even game. It made me happy. What is happening to me?

I woke up from some great sleep and wanted to get things done. Sadly, I didn’t have much at work to do. Typical Friday. We did our best to combat the boredom. I mean, you can only do so much. I generally bring my Nintendo Switch to work with me on Fridays. The afternoons, usually after 4, it’s a life saver. Probably frowned upon but everyone else is either online shopping or watching YouTube videos so I do not feel so bad.

Tick tock tick tock. The day went on like a snail after work. One saving grace, Dominic’s body was removed. The poor bastard was just in indention in the ground. What a memory. These new student have not been here long enough to even miss him. The days are sad.

That night I cooked for Yvette and Tee. I made beef stroganoff and peas. Simple delicious meal. Turned out really good. You want to know something else? I watched more football. Watched the Packers vs Eagles. Yep. I must have a fever. I don’t know. Fall fever. Let’s see how much longer this last. It was a fun evening. I hope you all had a good week.

Happy Friday!

Jalapeño

Spicy chicken broccoli stir fry.

Steak fajita rice bowel. Yes, I’m on a bowel kick.

Pesto ravioli with peas, spinach, sun dried tomatoes and sausage.

Beef stroganoff with peas.