Owen almost went to the vet again because he refused to eat or drink over the weekend. I finally was able to get him to eat some canned food. I need to mix dry and wet to get him back on dry. Poor dog. I just want him normal again. He needs some weight and they can’t just keep cutting him.

Wednesday we had our big morning meeting. The VP’s were all there to give us a presentation strategic enrollment management “SEM”. it was about word for word the same presentation that I heard from them at Staff Senate. What a boring 30 min of my life. Actually since I have heard it twice now that makes it an hour of my life.

After all the BIG wigs vacated some service awards were given out. After that a bomb was dropped. Or executive director said “ I know that word has likely gotten around but we lost Randy yesterday”. Lost him?? What does that mean? He found another job? I knew he was stressed and unhappy. No. He meant that he died yesterday. I was shocked. No explanation as to what happened. We all at first assumed suicide, but surely he would selfishly leave his 2 daughters alone without a parent. His wife passed a few years ago. Turns out it was his heart that gave out on him. Only 48 years old. I really liked Randy and considered him a friend. Our entire office was bummed out the rest of the day. Those poor kids. 9 & 15 years old without a parent. It’s so damn sad. Breaks my heart.

Finally Friday rolled around. It also warmed up. Quite frankly I’m over the cold. Yay sun. Happy Friday!!

Jalapeño

Yvette made chicken tetrazzini.

Beef w/ broccoli over sticky rice.

Cheese tortellini with Alfredo and bacon crumbles. A side of peas. I’m liking my peas.

Sweet spicy chicken with rice and veggies. Good lord this was great.

Crock pot Spicy chicken over rice. Fantastic meal.

I had a lot of leftover chicken so I decided to make chicken spaghetti. I have to say this was a driest for me and I was excited.

Date night had to be put off. Yvette needed to be with the kiddo. I didn’t really want to cook all out so I just started the oven and threw in a potato. I had some taco meat so I had taco baked potato with some chips and queso.

Saturday. Yvette and I went on a pizza date. Mediterranean. We also had some wings and good lord can she strip the meat off those bones.

Sunday Yvette and her youngest went out for our lunch date. We went to Twisted Root for onion rings and burgers. The wait was insane but it was still a lot of fun with the company. After the lunch on the way out he gave me a hug.

Monday was absolute hell. Tuesday things got better. Mid week was better. I was busy and that’s usually pretty damn good. Still learning this new system we have for work. The other guys seemed to appreciate my little walk through which I made.

National Margarita Day was Thursday. 2 years ago I was too dense to realize that Yvette wanted to have margaritas on this day. 2 years later I’m righting that wrong. We went and had our drink and the kids joined for some nachos. It was a fun time and the drinks were tasty. I’m happy we did that.

Owen was up and down all week. Either his old self or throwing up all over my house. I am so worried about the little goofy bastard. Plus the expense. I just don’t know what to do. Why is he still throwing up like that. At what point can they not do anything for him. Friday the vet gave me some meds to help with his nausea. Hopefully it gets him through the weekend. I don’t want to return to the vet Monday. I mean, Thursday he finally had his fucking staples removed. Please lord give him a break.

All in all it was a week of highs and lows. I’m so happy Friday arrived. Happy Friday!!!

Jalapeño

Mongolian beef.

Homemade tomato bisque soup with a grilled cheese sandwich.

Spicy ginger chicken over rice.

Teriyaki chicken lettuce wraps.

Korean BBQ steak, kimchi and rice.

Red chicken enchilada chicken over sticky rice topped with a fried egg.

Tex-Mex chicken squash casserole. My brother came into town so it was dinner at my mother’s. I made the queso. Yvette went with us. It was a good time.

For Super Bowl Sunday I made another pizzas and Buffalo chicken dip. My mom made sweat dip. She was going to watch the game alone so I joined her. Had to pass on Yvette’s parents party. Plus, I kind of still felt the last effects of that damn cold I had. Just don’t want to kick it.

The game with her was a lot of fun. We munched and somehow drank 2 bottles of with. Big mistake mixing white wine and red wine. That’s just a rule not to break. It was fun though. We laughed at the commercials and enjoyed the tight game. To our surprise and disappointment the game went into overtime. I have not seen that at a Super Bowl. I guess that tells you how close the teams were. It started bad for Kansas City but son the end they took the title again. I was very pleased. Once the game was over my tired ass went home.

Some Monday we went live with our new system at work. I spent a few house on Friday training but it was really just baptism by fire. I got ahold of it pretty quick but also kept noticing bugs here and there. I eventually made a training manual with pictures and walk through for my coworkers. We will get the hand of this. Silly to start something without any prior knowledge. The university way.

Valentine’s Day. It was a lot of fun. Yvette and I went to an event inside the University Center where they were selling stuffed animals that you stuff yourself. Her daughter really wanted a highland cow. We found her one and I also bought Yvette a Ram so she would have one on her desk. I stuffed it and delivered it. An early Valentine’s Day present.

I had to miss lunch in order to run some last min errand. I really want us to have a dessert after our dinner. In the rush of trying to prepare for the night I got home with some groceries but not the cake. Damn me. So I set up the house and rushed back to the store. I didn’t have time to drop it off at home so I put it in the work fridge Guess what? In the excitement for the night I left work without it. Damnit. What a fail. At least we have it for later.

I had the house decorated with hearts and balloons. LED flicker candles. The works. I started dinner and she came over. We exchanged gift and we had a nice dinner. Everything was perfect. Afterwards we watch a very strange romance. This was our second Valentine’s together. I’m a lucky man. Here’s to many more to come.

Owen gave me a couple of scares agin this week. Had to bring him to the vet Tuesday and they gave him a shot to help with nausea. Friday morning he was sick again so I once again had a planned vet visit. He was fine at lunch and seemed fine after work. I sure hope we make it through the weekend okay. I hate having a sick dog.

Jalapeño

Sloppy Joe’s like I had as a kid.

Super Bowl Sunday I made another pizza, and dips.

Sloppy Joe stuffed sweet potato and broccoli.

Chicken verde over sticky rice served with beans.

Valentine’s Day with Yvette. Carne asada steak with two cheese enchiladas, beans and Yvette’s famous Spanish rice. The best rice ever. I topped it all off with some diced tomato, cabbage and a cumin sour cream concoction. The meal was nice. The steak had been marinating since Monday in beer, lime, salt & pepper. Tender is the word.

For some reason I just wanted something simple. Since I had left over rice I was going have sausage and. Eans over sticky rice. It was good. Nothing fancy.

Hoisin steak with kimchi and rice. It was going to be date night but her youngest would be alone, which I completely respect and understand.

I just want to sleep. It’s still a recovery because this bug is lingering like a SOB. Damn compromised immune system. I just don’t kick shit like I once did. Friday I was still feeling under the weather. It was also a gloomy week which didn’t help the sleepiness. Yeah

For a sleepy week I was busy as fuck. All over town and burning up my credit card. I don’t recall home many transactions I had that were over a thousand bucks. Crazy week for purchases.

Owen had 6 in of his intestines removed. They had to go back in. I’m really watching what he eats. Poor fool. Surgery twice in a week. Expensive dog. Most expensive but damn is he not my child.

I cheated and had a cookie on Friday. It’s not often I’m offered homemade cookies. Also, not ones this good. I was just being polite. But I tried it and could not resist myself. I ate the whole damn thing. I took extra insulin in preparation for the high blood sugar, which I sure did have. I started beeping but it was worth it.

Happy Friday.

Jalapeño

Ramdom. Steak and ramen.

Fettuccini noodles with meatballs and creamy red sauce.

Bratwurst, sauerkraut, smashed potato w/ pickle and jalapeño. The mustard made it.

Chicken fajita street tacos.

National Pizza Day!! I made pizza for Yvette & my mom. We had a salad as a starter. Lots of wine. I didn’t get a picture of the finished pizza because we got into it so quick. It was tasty. I had a great evening.

Over the weekend starting Saturday morning my sweet do started throwing up. He threw up all weekend. So much. My house was like the Exorcist. it was fucking terrible. I lost track. I just washed my sheets and guess what, that same day they got the vomit treatment. I had to keep him in closed in the bathroom to contain the vomit to one space.

Monday came and he went to the vets. They hooked him on an IV to rehydrate. X-rays showed a blockage. I knew he ate something. This isn’t my first rodeo with him. He was to have surgery. The good thing is that by the end of the day they had removed the blockage. They had to do 4 incisions. Poor guy. At least he made it. Poor puppy. He will be home soon, I hope.

Well soon turned into 5 o’clock Tuesday. Another long day at work waiting to hear from the vet if he could go home. When I picked him up after work he was so happy. They showed me what they removed from him. It was in triple bags and I could still smell it. It was certainly a toy from the little I could see. Hopefully he has a quick recovery. Poor bastard gets the staples removed in 10 days and will be taking lots of meds.

We had our monthly morning meeting Wednesday. Lots of bullshit. Pointless. My allergies are active or I’m getting a sinus infection. I know the signs. I contacted my doctor for some quick meds just in case. He suggested I take a COVID test. Damn. I didn’t even think about that. I worried the rest of the afternoon. Did I have it? The third time I had COVID it was just like a mild cold. When I got home I took that damn test. Love that. So much fun. Results were negative. Thank the lord. It did sort of end our date night though. I don’t blame Yvette for bailing.

Friday started at 4:30. I took a second COVID test. Negative. I just finished the week with a nasty bug. Damn. Sucks. Screws up my plans. Hate going into the weekend sick. Initially I was going to do a half day and see how some extra rest did me. That’s about all you can do. I’m took a full sick day. I think everyone was pissed I was at work yesterday. I’ve taken two Covid test and both negative but feeling like shit is feeling like shit. Fucks my weekend plans. I’m on antibiotics as of yesterday. Sore throats and sinus pressure are the worst. .Pee!

I slept on the couch most the day. Happy Friday. What a week.

Jalapeño

Saturday breakfast with Yvette. Scrambled eggs, bacon and cinnamon waffles.

Chicken fajita, beans.

Chicken Parmesan

Salisbury steak, peas and potato’s.

Yvette made tacos.

Stuffed salmon w/broccoli cheese rice.

Lasagna rolls.

No date night due to illness. Steak and beans.

I was stuck in the office. I really don’t have much to say about the week. I was introduced to Mona at physical therapy. A device they gave said name to because it makes patients moan. Fuck Mona. I do not want to see her again.

It was foggy most of the mornings this week. And pretty gloomy. We did have a couple warm sunny days. Actually, maybe just one. It was such a dragging week, Friday could not come fast enough.

Happy Friday!!

Jalapeño.

Carne guisada street tacos.

Guisada queso smothered burritos.

Date night. Filet w/ balsamic reducing & blue cheese, baked potato, asparagus and some wine butter mushers.

Saturday started out rough. I was up until 4:20 am and woke up around 8:40 to feed my dogs. I had a message from Yvette but accidentally hit my phones update which sent it to update mode. It stalled. I had to wait for AT&T to open at 10 so they could unlock the damn thing. I really had wanted to go back to sleep after feeding the dogs. Alas, I was fucked. They fixed it quickly but I had to wait.

After that I went to Yvette’s to have migas. Next we were going to go eat lunch at 2 but something came up. Just as well, I was afforded a little more sleep. We had the quinceanera to attend that night so I needed what I could get.

It was beautiful and heart warming. The girl had special needs but she had such a great time. I have never seen a little girl so happy and free. It brought tears to my eyes. What a night. My second quinceaners. Good times.

Afterwards we went to grab some wing from Zero One Ale House. I really had t had much to eat. Most the servings were very high on the carb side and since we missed lunch I only had breakfast holding me over. The wings were good and we had a good old time. After that we went back to my house and talked about and eventually both crashed out. It was a great day over all. I met family and I experienced new things. Though it started out crappy, it was an over all win. Cheers!!!

Saturday started early and then I took a nice little nap. The grocery store was a mess. We have a cold spell coming this weekend and Texas has PTSD after the last time temps reached the single digits. I lost power for 3 days and my house reached 48 degrees. I don’t see that happening.

It sure did get cold. We even had some unexpected snow. I can handle cold but I don’t like single digits cold. I was over it by mid week. My drain line in the kitchen somehow froze up on me. I couldn’t do my dishes. It finally warmed back up to the 70’s by Thursday and by Friday it was cold again. 40’s. West Texas keeping us on our toes.

My back and neuropathy were really screaming this week. I’m too young to feel this old. I lost a lot of sleep waking up in pain and unable to find a way to sleep. Physical Therapy hurt but come Friday I was moving easier. I dread the sessions but they seem to help. Still have a long way to go.

For unknown reasons, Friday was my busiest work day. I was out and about all over the town. I was burning money left and right. It made the day sure fly by. Yvette and I had some yummy Thai food for lunch. Perfect for the cold ass weather.

Date night was great. I made some chicken thigh bulgolgi and we started watching the first season of The White Lotus. Yvette had not seen it. We had dinner on the couch. It had been a while since had one of these nights. We both fell asleep on the couch for a little while. Oh well. Great night with the woman I love.

Happy Friday!!!

Jalapeño.

Sunday lunch with my mother.

Tuesday’s and Wednesday I had green chili stew. Ground beef, potato’s, onion and jalapeño. HEB has a green chili sauce which I used with chicken broth. Yummy.

Chicken Cordon Bleu with bacon wrapped asparagus and spicy Mac n cheese.

Date night stir-fry chicken thighs. “Not pictured”

The campus will be alive again next week when classes begin again. I’m trying to enjoy the dead silence for one last week. It gets relaxing for a little while with the students and most faculty all away. The less traffic in the mornings is absolutely amazing. The less people walking down the sidewalks for my golf car cruise is also great. I get to go full speed. All of that is soon to end.

We got rain. We got wind. We got cold. We got sun and warm. It was a week in weather.

Physical therapy killed me. I’d missed it the last two week so my last session was before Christmas. It’s like they took it out on me for missing. We did exercise that we had never done before. It was also in the morning, which I’m not accustomed to. That took its own role on me. It made for a very long day without lunch.

That evening after work I was cooking for Yvette, her dad and her youngest boy. I was somewhat nervous about cooking for her dad for the first time. I made tuna steaks, steamed broccoli, sushi rice w/ a reduced sweet soy sauce. All turned out really well.

Friday was the birthday girls big day. It was a special birthday. Lola was turning 19 and she had on hell of a birthday surprise gift. It began at my house and moved to Cheddars for food. What a heck of a week. I was ready for the long weekend.

The dinner was a fuck up. The waitress screwed up drinks and the food. It was still a memorable time and we made the most of it. I liked my food, minus the pasta. Happy birthday!!!

Happy Friday!!!

Jalapeño

Chicken tetrazzini. Yvette, of course. Reason to marry her number 500. So good. Not pictured. Gone in minutes with seconds.

Cheese Manicotti, spaghetti and garlic bread.

Street tacos thanks to Yvette.

Tuna steak w/ sushi rice and steamed broccoli. I was trying to accomplish a healthy meal for Yvette’s father. Not pictured.

Happy birthday dinner!! We went to Cheddars. 🤔

Tuesday was a trip. I was exhausted from Friday – Monday. Doesn’t look like that’s not going to continue to be the case. It was a roller coaster ride. Back to work Wednesday and I have been tired all week. Hope all was good for everyone.

Jalapeño

Chorizo potato breakfast hash. Post Christmas. I was tired and quickly feel back to sleep. I didn’t even try to.

Even more chorizo potato hash.