Sunday I awake with a massive head ache. One of those that you feel behind your eyes. When you movie your head too suddenly and it feels like your brain is crashing against your skull. The antibiotics seemed to have been working. I was finally feeling well from whatever gunk I’d had, so this was alarming. As the day progressed I began getting the chills and body aches. Not cool. Eventually I had a fever. Outlook not so good. I text my boss letting him know I was going to get COVID tested again in the morning. It’s my week to be all over campus and the last thing I want is to spread the virus.
Monday morning was a real b****. I woke at 2:44am freezing, aching and with fever. I took a handful of pills and covered up. The fever broke around 5 and I was burning up and sticky. I needed to shed my cloths. Managed to sleep for a little while, had some wild freaking dreams. Once showered and dressed it was off to get the nose swab again. I did not want to be doing this again. The swab itself was no less uncomfortable but the process was much quicker. 5 min tops. They said results anywhere from 24-48 hours.
Our house is laid out perfectly for quarantine. I would have the back and Bekah the front. I even have access to outdoors. Bekah spent the day cleaning her half. If I was to venture to that side I would mask up and sanitize. The real bummer, aside from the periodical fever/aches/ chills was that daytime TV is such a f***ing bore. Or just flat out depressing. No one laying in bed feeling like s*** needs to be watching the movie Zero Dark Thirty.
At 3:35 I received the call stating that I was indeed positive. Typical. I have been trying to do everything in my power to avoid this. Been safe have not eaten out or traveled since March. Here I end up getting it from work. I should discuss hazard pay when I contact HR tomorrow. To say the least, it’s frustrating. As Leroy would say, this is f***ing bulls***.
I might as well document, what else can I do. I need distractions. I’m not a person to sit still. Tuesday morning was horrible. Little sleep. I was either freezing or burning up and sweating. The chills came with violent convulsions. Don’t think I’ve ever had those. Which made it a little tricky to breath. And the fever dreams I had. About 3 hours of sleep. It was scary. It seems worse during the wee hours. My fever broke around 9:30 am and I made it 8 hours before it returned.
Wednesday morning. I woke up around midnight with a throbbing headache. It was so loud. As if a riot we’re going on inside my head. I was also burning up. I stripped off the sheets and all but my boxers. Tossing and turning and idea finally came through all the noise. A cold rag. Put a cold rag on my head and maybe the headache will abate. With rag on head I counted sheep for I don’t know how long. Just trying to focus on something. Eventually a melody found itself through the noise and I focused on it. It was from a Nintendo game I played often as a boy. The Legend of Zelda, to be specific. Eventually I faded. I awoke again and it was past 4. I felt rested and was able to fall back to sleep until 6.
I guess a bunch of music nerds must also conclude it’s a pretty riotous tune.
Bamlanivimab. An experimental treatment for Covid positives. My PCP got me on the list for infusion treatment. 8:30 I made my way to the hospital and began the process. I made a bloody mess. All over the floor and chair. I always have problems with IVs. They had to redo mine. It was a little weird being around all the sick people that you’ve been trying to avoid for a year and then you remember you are now one of them. I tried to sleep but really just listened to music. The drip took about 3 hours. Friends reruns. Ross cheated on Rachel. What a jerk. I guess they were on break. Hey, it helped pass the time in the plague ward.
I think making these entries is helping me keep up with what day it is. Wednesday was certainly the worst. After treatment I was spent. The entire day I was laying down. Unable to sleep. The chills wouldn’t go away in a house set at 72 and my bones hurt. Yes, my f***ing bones hurt. Good luck getting comfortable with that. I had also finally developed a cough that threatened to not stop once it began so I spent much of my day taking shallow breaths. The only time I felt good was in a hot shower, which I probably took 5.
Another night. I was in bed before 6. At some point I faded. I slept in hour intervals. 3 AM I awoke soaking wet and had to change cloths. All I have to say is that as sporadic my sleep was, at least I was getting it for the first night in 3. I had to change cloths again in the morning.
The next morning I felt like a new man. I was afraid to jinx myself even thinking I might be on the mend. I had energy, no chill or aches, no pounding head, no f***ing bones that hurt. I was actually thinking about food. What day was it? I really couldn’t remember. It felt like Tuesday when it was actually Thursday. The insanity.
One thing I enjoyed doing to combats the boredom was play old Nintendo games. Specifically, Mario Bros. It took me a little while to warm up to but like riding a bike it all came back to me. How much fun I had playing these games as a kid. Kind of brings me back to a simpler more magical time. A time where I didn’t have to worry about virus and other adult bulls***. A little Mario felt good for the soul.
Friday marked 24 hours without a fever, but my throat tickle was worse. I was not out of the woods. I was tired again. Overall though, a million bucks over how I felt Mon-Wed.
I’ll end this blog by simply saying: F*** this week!!!
Jalapeño: Nothing really to write home about this week. Maybe the first 2 meals and the I got sick.
I had MLK Day off so I went walking. Might have been ill advised because it was very windy and slightly chilly. The following day I woke up stuffy. My allergies always hit me this time of year. It’s clockwork. 2020 early February I had the same thing. Often they develop into a sinus infection. I’m so used to the way it feels I know the difference between it and some viral infection, but when you show ANY signs of COVID symptoms you are chastised for being in public. No one wants you in the work space. I feel the same. Stay away!!!
When I walked into the office the first thing I told my coworkers was that I’m a little snotty but otherwise feel great. Seasonal allergies. They have worked with me long enough to know this. Well, all but, let’s call her “Janine”. I call her this because she reminds me slightly of the original “Ghostbusters”. That’s not a bad thing. Being that she is a germaphobe on a normal day, COVID days have dialed her to 11. Poor girl. To ease her mind I made a point to wear my mask in the office. I put it on when people arrive anyways, but working with this small group it’s not generally practiced all through the day. The mask is to protect others so it’s the least I could do. I must also add that during these times a certain paranoia overcomes you. I was second guessing myself. What if I did have COVID!!! I guess that’s natural. I recalled back in March how a slight tickle of the throat had me concerned. It’s good to be aware of things and also know the difference. So for my coworker well being, I wore a mask.
I had a 3 day week and it’s was gloomy and glorious. We ended up with .7 an inch. So being stuck in the office was a real drag. I would have liked to have been able to get out in it. Janine had her fair share, which ended up giving her the sniffles. When we were together in the office we all were in a heavy joking mood. I don’t know if it was the weather, but everyone seemed spirited. I do mean all of us. Not every day do we all just hang out. Not much was going on either.
That’s why it was such a bummer Thursday to discover one of us had welcomed COVID into our midst. We all received an email informing us of the unfortunate situation. We were to go home & then we were not to go home. Conflicting responses from HR. That’s another story all together.
Our little group almost made it a entire f***ing year without the nasty little b***** penetrating our walls. So uncertain what next, we all go home and play “wait & see”. At least I had Friday off and could get away from everyone for a long weekend. Which I went full circle and walked in the wind again, sure to flare up the allergies again and bring concern to those around me that I truly do indeed have COVID. Oh what a life. Cant even sneeze without getting a death glare.
So here I am, just kind of waiting to see. I hope none of us get.
Song of the Week: How To Disappear Completely by Radiohead. Perfect for the gloomy days.
Jalapeño
International hot & spicy foods day. I made some Asian jalapeño chicken stir fry with some sriracha green beans.
Breakfast casserole. Threw whatever I could find into this. Spicy breakfast sausage, diced potato, jalapeño, onion and red bell. Top with eggs and cheese. Basically no different that a crust free quiche.
BBQ steak bits w/ slaw & grilled corn.
Teriyaki chicken.
Egg roll in a bowl. Lord. What can I say. I love egg rolls. They have carbs. This was the perfect meal. It took maybe 20 min. Wonton strips and sweet chili sauce topped it off.
Not my chicken tortilla soup.
BBQ burger. BBQ sauce on a burger patty? Why not. I pickled some quick red onions, topped burger w/ Canadian bacon and cheddar cheese.
Cocktail of the Week: Hot Toddy. Perfect for my condition.
So in my region of Texas it’s a rare thing to get measurable snow. We get ice maybe 1-2 times a year. On January 10th we got snowfall. Again!! If you don’t recall, 2020 capped off with snow on New Years Eve. So you can only imagine how jubilant everyone was when they woke up Sunday morning to see flurries and snow sticking on the ground. This just doesn’t happen here. One snow storm maybe every 5 years, but twice in such a short time apart. Now that’s something. It brought out the kid in many adults that generally just don’t know how to have fun anymore.
I went walking across the campus. In flip flops, torn jeans, beanie. Basically, I looked like a bum. A lady approached me and asked if I might need help. I assured her I was fine. When she was satisfied I was indeed fine she walked away. I stood in that moment genuinely curious why I was approached by this stranger inquiring if I needed help. Later it was brought to my attention that perhaps it was my attire. The look of a homeless man. I think the flip flops sealed it. She was concerned.
I made a snow man. A pathetic one. I was inspired to make a snow Angel. The inner child in me came forward and took over. I looked around and saw family’s building snow people. Sliding down hills. Snow ball fights. It was a beautiful moment and I was touched by the kindness and shared delights. Little things like that reinstate my faith in humanity. Very much needed from time to time.
Once back home I put on The Hateful 8. Great film for a snowy day. It played in the background on & off for about 4 hours while I did things in the kitchen. A break between task I made a real snow man. The pathetic on that I made on campus was going to cut it. After watching kids make them on campus I now remembered you roll the snow. That’s how little we get. I forgot that. Bekah and I struggled to make one 11 days prior. I felt like a fool. Couldn’t find buttons so I used jalapeño for eyes and nose.
Monday work was canceled due to the weather. That’s another thing about Texas snow, we get work delays or cancelations when ice & snow falls. Drivers just don’t know what to do. So Monday I mostly kept indoors with the dogs and cat. The sun tried and failed to fully come out. Three days of gloom. Talk about bliss. It was a nice unexpected 3 day weekend.
When the week begins at such a high elevation the rest of it can only disappoint or not compare at all. At least I wasn’t stuck in the office. It was a looooooong short week.
Song of the Week: The National – The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness
Jalapeño
So Saturday I made beef pho for the first time in years. I was reluctant because we can now get such good pho in town why bother making my own. It turned out great, as ever. I learned how to make this before it was so readily available.
Brunch was something different. This is a Japanese meal. Omurice. Basically an omelet stuffed with fried rice topped with ketchup. I was afraid of the ketchup. Ketchup and eggs sounded like blasphemy. It surprised me by really complementing the meal. I will not knock it again. I had leftover rice so it was also the side
Chicken chili for dinner. Pretty basic.
Snow day brunch!! I had a steak leftover from the pho that I made and I wanted chorizo potato. How about make them both.
Leftover chicken chili. Better the next day.
Skillet chicken divan. This was more a chicken curry than what I usually make.
Salisbury steak w/peas, scalloped potatoes and a sriracha soy golden mushroom gravy. I added Pearl mushrooms to the peas since I had them on hand. The gravy turned out excellent. It’s been at least a year since I’ve made this dish. As you can see, cutting out the carbs has become a problem. One night I’m consistent the next I’m not.
Green chicken. Jalapeño, canned hatch peppers and green enchilada sauce. Seasoned well with a fried egg on top. See, no big carbs. This is how I need to be eating.
Bekah was gone for the night so I once again made pizza. Pepperoni, jalapeño, sun dried tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms & black olives. Garnished with a bit of fresh basil.
Cocktail of the Week: Dogfish Head 90. I have not had this in years. It went right to my head. Delicious and satisfactory.
First day back to work in 17 days was a real struggle. It was a Monday X 100. I felt like I had forgotten certain aspects of my job. How many different f***ing passwords do I have!!!
It’s been rather nice seeing everyone again. I talked to some people longer than I’ve ever talked to them before. Lots of Chatty Cathy, myself included. Just a lot of catch up. Everyone feeling rejuvenated. Still in chill mode because the kids don’t return until the 25th. Lots of time to ease into the spring semester.
I ate some good breakfast. Friends kept buying. Burritos, breakfast croissants & f***ing donuts. I don’t eat this kind of breakfast but maybe once a week. My breakfast are pathetic. Precooked breakfast sausage. Spongy. Turkey. Not even the good stuff. I would like to get used to this but my belly doesn’t need it. I’ll get fat.
We had a little plumbing scare. I f***ing hate plumbing problems. No one wants to call a plumber. For some reason I always feel embarrassed, like I did something wrong. Plumbers always have a tint of judgement in the ways that they look at you. Who can blame them!! How much literal s*** do they put up with on a daily basis! Anyways, the tubs backed up and water came from under the toilets. Something wasn’t right. Stayed with my mother one night and the next day it was fine, but still we needed a plumber. I told Bekah it was tampons. It was a long weekend for her. A lot went down in a short amount of time. She said I’m silly, she has always flushed them. Turns out it was tampons. I was right. At least it was a quick fix. It could have been worse. My life will probably be worse for even writing about this. I’m sure murder will be in the eyes of my spouse upon her reading this. Pray for me please!!
Wednesday. I’d be a failure if I failed (haha) to mention the capital being stormed by a bunch of nut jobs. I mean, that happened. Historically significant. I was in disbelief. Not a good way to start 2021. People died. Democracy failed. America was already a f***ing joke and this happens. The Republican Party is going to be set back years. I’m embarrassed. Also, the pundits opinions. Oh I had to make a drink. What a world, what a world.
Let me preface this by saying the Christmas spirit has been void of me this year. I’m usually way ahead of the game. This year, I’m a husk. And empty tamale. It wasn’t until Christmas Eve I felt anything close to what I normally feel. I felt sadness at this realization. The holiday was almost over and I finally felt something. I stood in my kitchen looking at my lights outside and suddenly wished they would stay on for months. Waves of sadness washed over me. Soooo. I miss my father. I miss a lot of things. This year killed my joy.
Monday was the first day of winter. The solstice. It started out at 33. It reached 74 degrees. I was bundled up. Then I stripped and was in summer attire. Typical Texas. Bipolar weather.
I got up early and enjoyed the need not to rush to work. I sipped my coffee rather than inhale it. Once I felt ready, I dressed and went for a burrito. Yvette was still stuck on campus and I thought a burrito and company might make the morning fly by. After that visit I wanted to try and attack Target. Alas, they open early and it was already a war zone. I’ll attempt to breach the doors again. That left me in limbo so I decided to walk. About halfway along the trails I was hot. It had heated up and my pants were too warm. I changed. I read my book. I chilled. Had a rather relaxing Monday.
Tuesday started off with burritos and pow-wow to make up for last Fridays blunder. Always a good time and full of laughter. Pretty nice start to the day. Next it was off to Target for an early attack. I was pleasantly surprised to find it dead before 9. I got what I needed and felt the breathing room to browse. I still managed to walk out with only the one item.
The campus decided to close at noon so I saved 4 vacation hours. It also meant I could finally walk the campus without a mask and the worry of golf cart guys stopping me to talk. I don’t like my flow interrupted and 20 min conversations tend to do that. I also walked the trails again. I was complaining about the warm weather but it’s working well towards my health in December.
Wednesday I was errand boy. Last min grocery runs. Last min liquor runs. Things I’d already taken care of for myself. I did manage to get a campus walk in somewhere between all that. Around 4 o’clock my middle brother arrived so I went to my moms and hung out till dark. Once back at the house Bekah and I loaded up the dogs and went for a drive looking at Christmas lights. It’s a tradition. Lots of lights this season. After that we watched Eyes Wide Shut, which my brother argues is a Christmas movie. Hmmmmmmm???
Christmas Eve!!! Turned on the Hallmark Channel on SiriusXM for some Christmas tunes and made myself some coffee & eggs. I had 2 things that I needed to do. A quick run to HEB for a gift sack ($1.08 later) and a stocking stuffer trip to PetSmart for the dogs and cat. After these small task were taken care I read my book for a little while and got a nice long 4 mile walk in. It was so quiet and relaxing.
The evening rolled around and Bekah & I went to my mothers for dinner and a movie. Lots of insults. Lots of fun. Drinks and banter. That’s what we seem to do best. Watched Elf, Christmas Vacation & Krampus. Great evening. Don’t let the fire burn out.
Merry Christmas!!!! The doggies and cat had some stuffed stockings. They were so happy and thankful.
We spent the day at my moms. Made the traditional chocolate & biscuits. Opened presents and Connie came over. I went for a walk to get some steps in. Got lost in the neighborhood and ended up walking 3 miles. It was nice. A little warm. Kept Christmas movies on all day. I saw them googling how to cook a prime rib. This beast better turn out right for the amount of money that went into it. Whooooo’s roast beef!!! Cracks me up. Holly jolly good time.
I had to escape for a little bit to feed the dogs and bring them another present. Love everyone, but me being who I am I needed a break to recharge! People don’t understand me. The doggies were happy.
I went back to my mothers. Dana arrived. It’s always a pleasure seeing her. She makes me smile. As is on par for our holiday gathering, dinner was taking longer than usual. I told them we needed to start the prime rib earlier. Holding up every other dish that needs to be placed in the oven. Eventually we eat. Just more time to laugh and have fun. Long day. I was exhausted. What a Merry Christmas!!!
Jalapeño
Southwest eggs Benedict w/ chorizo & queso. Queso on eggs seemed weird but it wasn’t. The yoke and cheese together were decadent. Throw in a little Sparkling Almond.
Steak bites w/ pearl onions, mushrooms & red wine gravy. The gravy turned out so yummy.
WTF man!! Why haven’t I ever made a Philly cheesesteak. I don’t know!! So since I’m trying, trying real hard to do away with carbs, I made a breadless version. I don’t think I’ve ever had provolone cheese before. It turned out really good. I’ll make this again.
More beef. BBQ steak bites with some spicy slaw. I used a BBQ dry rub. It really didn’t need the sauce but I’m a sucker for sauce. Bekah didn’t use any. I don’t know why I’ve not made this before. I make BBQ everything else. Well, not fish. Maybe next?
Salmon and broccoli cheese. The salmon was nice but the broccoli was the real star. I think I honestly just got the salmon to have something to eat with the broccoli.
Tradition calls for tamales, queso & guacamole w/ some beans. After having tamales for breakfast I thought I’d just go ahead a fry up and egg. It was so good how it compliments the meal.
Christmas lunch tradition, chocolate & biscuits. this is a recipe from my fathers southern side of the family. A secret. It’s a real chore for a diabetic. Not to mention it’s so filling. Once a year is enough for me.
Let’s give a BIG f*** you to the year 2020. F*** COVID!! F*** the politics!! F*** most of you!! (Just kidding, I love each of you!) Don’t let the door hit you on your a** on the way out. Good riddance. See ya, bye bye. I don’t think you will be missed. You will certainly be remembered. Hard to forget, really. Such a weird f***ing year. The joint trauma which we have all endured. Lots of “do you remember when” conversations for years to come. Such a duplicitous year.
The Good the Bad & the Ugly:
Coronavirus, s*** is real!! Yes, that is from a Cardi B song. How do I know this? Bekah, of course. But yeah. I remember the early days where I was making fun of my youngest brother who was freaking out way back when over the virus. D*** fool bought 20 pounds of rice & beans. I held it as sort of a joke. And the an Tom Hanks got the virus!!!! I was wrong, the s*** is real. Still, some truly gifted people seem to disagree with that statement. Place the facts in front of them and they will continue to argue otherwise. It became politicized, which was about one the stupidest thing I have witnessed humanity do. I’ve seen a lot of stupid things, but that just about takes the cake. The numbers are rising. We are not out of this yet, vaccine or not.
I hate this image.
Politics. F*** all the politics. I had to say it again. I just about wanted to bury my head in the sand I was so tired of hearing everyone’s opinions and how their opinions were the only right opinion anyone should have. I just wanted the f***ing election to be dead & done with. I had just about had it with everyone. When did politics become my side or your side? Are we not all the same?
Civil unrest. What a year for protest, don’t you think? When everyone is supposed to be isolating themselves, here us Americans are taking to the streets to make our voice heard to a class of people that don’t want to listen and really don’t care.. Great idea, don’t you think.
Getting sent home from work for 2 months with pay. I was one of the lucky ones. Lots of people lost jobs. Due to a pre-existing condition I was told to not come back to work “until further notice.” What a weird time that was. I felt very isolated and alone. I’m an introvert. That time should have been amazing, but it really wasn’t. I missed the daily structure and I missed my campus family whom I see every week. The campus basically just shut down. It was weird and even a little scary at first. When I did go back to work it was kind of nice, but most of the campus was still working from home. It just wasn’t the same. Lots of time for self reflection.
The mask. What can be said of them? At first it was a little weird getting used to wearing and seeing everyone walking around in them. But it didn’t take that long to get sort of used to them. I don’t understand all the no mask wearing mouth breathing mother***er’s that just plain refuse to wear them. It’s selfish childlike behavior. When I see one in the stores I give them the stink eye. I can’t help myself.
Wear your mask!!
Hand sanitizer was the new gold. At first it was a hard to find commodity. I had a source that hooked me up.
Priceless commodity.
Also, don’t f***ing touch your face!!!!
This year took Sean Connery from us. That still hurts. I grew up on all the old Bond movies & Indiana Jones. His passing sort of felt like the passing of a grandparent. One of my all-time favorites. Bond. Indiana Jones. The Untouchables. The Rock. Highlander. Rising Sun. Finding Forrester. The Hunt for Red October. Just Cause. All movies that I grew up watching. Real bummer to have him gone even though he retired from acting 20 years ago.
I can watch this movie whenever it’s on and it still doesn’t get old.
Some terms I have heard too many times this year. Flatten the curve. Yeah, that worked. Social distancing. This term always bothered me. It should have always been “spatial distancing”. We always needed to remain social, especially during these times of isolation. I get why they choose the term though, even though I think it’s wrong. I’m still practicing it. Am I the only one??? What about global pandemic. I thought this would be a term which I only heard in the movies, not one that applied to my way to life. I wish it had remained that way. I always thought it had an ominous vibe to it. No one wants to live during a global pandemic. My favorite must be “under quarantine”. I’ve been under it twice now. Had my brain stabbed. I won’t forget that cloudy rainy day. EVER!! Good times. For some reason back in March & April, quarantine was a word I had trouble spelling. Heck, how often did you use quarantine in your everyday speech? It’s pretty regular now, and I certainly don’t need autocorrect to help me type it out. Thanks, 2020.
Pink hair. Sheesh. And I like cotton candy.
The toilet paper wars? What a moment that was. People were really put to it. Can you imagine? I was lucky. Most of my friends were lucky as well. For those of you that were not, I am sorry. I don’t know what you went through. You know that the world has fallen upon hard times when you start seeing public service announcements informing people what not to flush down a toilet. People were wreaking their plumbing. What a time to be alive.
What about those long a** lines trying to get into the stores? As inconvenient as they were, we probably should still be enforcing limiting shoppers. The numbers are so high and it’s just business as usual. Blows my mind.
Cheetos guy. I will not forget the trip to HEB back when things first went crazy and seeing a guy who had literally filled his shopping cart full of Cheetos. There were none left on the shelf. What a thing to hoard.
F***ing hoarders. It was really weird what you couldn’t find in the stores. Soy Sauce? What the heck. Eggs. Ravioli. Pizza sauce. Mac & Cheese. Meats. All paper goods. There are still items that I can’t find in the stores and it has been 9 months. A guy that works on campus had a cart full of chocolate milk for f*** sake!
When everything was originally shut down and only “essential” personnel were working, we equated those people to the level of being “heroes”. Naturally your nurses and medical professionals, but also grocery store & post office employees. While the majority of the country was on a very “lax” for of shutdown these individuals were still out in it making sure things ran as they needed. I’m sure the average bag boy never considered himself to be a “hero” before the pandemic.
Didn’t Australia burn at the start of the year? Was that this same f***ing year? Good lord, I think it was. Oh wait, America also had a never-ending wildfire season. Oof.
Also, record breaking hurricane season. Yikes!!! Oof…
Exercise. I have lost 18 pounds since mid-March. I was walking a lot. There were 2 days back in April where I reached 11 ½ miles a day. I’m still getting my steps in but it’s not as exciting as walking the neighborhood or on campus. I walk laps throughout the warehouse. I am now averaging between 4-5 miles a day. This is something I plan to keep up with.
One my walks I really enjoyed watching the ducks along the river. One day I actually brought some corn for them to eat. Did you know that you are not supposed to feed ducks bread? It’s a fact that most people don’t seem to know. It’s not good for them. It’s the equivalent of us humans eating nothing but candy all day. Anyway, bring the peas or corn because they love it. It was a real delight and comforting sight to see them gobbling up their treats. The geese on the other hand. I got cardio in one afternoon when a big f***er attacked my a**. I’m sure it was a comical sight.
D*** Heads!!
I spent a lot of time at the Lilly park. It was kind of a sanctuary when I was feeling anxious and blue.
I guess I should also mention tightrope kid. Back in March when I was sent home and spending my time walking the campus, one day I noticed a student walking on a tightrope that he had set up between some trees. That’s not something you see every day. He became a fixture of my walks and one day he was gone. Months went by without me seeing him and then when August rolled around, he was at it again. Oddly, it kind of made my day.
The stimulus checks. I kind of feel it wasn’t fair that we received them since we were still working. But hey, I can’t argue with $2,400 in the bank account. I should frame the letter from the president, right?
Chalk art. That was a lot of fun and I saw some really creative drawings. That was a time when some of the best of humanity was at show. On my walks it was a real treat admiring the chalk art. Before everything became toxic and politicized. Like all good things, it had to end.
On the note of tenderness, what about the bears in peoples yards? It was a real pleasure walking through the neighborhoods and spotting a pear in a tree or in someone window.
I’m on a good vibe roll, so let’s bring up the Easter crosses. This was the first of many holidays that were disrupted by the COVID. Really, because we are all stupid Americans, it was the only holiday that was canceled. All the ones to come people ignored good common sense and found a way to gather. Anyway, the crosses in yards was a fun way for people to join together. Eggs in windows were also fun.
Birthday parades became the thing. Since kids couldn’t celebrate people put yard cards out and encouraged people to drive by and honk and wave. Jamie really got into this. She and her husband built a canon to launch confetti & colored powder. Heck, she and other friends even got together and gave me, a 39 year old, a glow stick parade. I should have seen it coming, but I didn’t. What a surprise. Lot of fun. A real treat.
Speaking of friends, I made one during the pandemic, Yvette. I suppose we would have likely become pals anyway, but the group text kind of sped up the process. The text was nice because it kind of kept us social in none social times. I’ve got a good group on campus. Got lucky.
Something I missed but was still pretty cool was the Blue Angel flyby. They arrived early, but it was a nice idea.
One memory I hold fondly over the last few months was the first successful SpaceX human launch into outer space. It was a suspenseful exciting time to be alive. It felt all the more important with everything else that was going on in the world. It felt like we were all united.
You might think it typical that I mention this as a highlight of the year, but when the bars all closed down they had to come up with some strategy to stay afloat. What that meant was BOOZE delivery!!! It was rather satisfying to not have to leave your house for hooch. Viola, I have liquor on my doorstep. Also, drive-through beers. Nice. I miss that. Bring that back!!! But really, I miss the bars. I know that they are open again but I can’t bring myself to go. I miss my bartender friends. I miss the great conversation. Bekah and I no longer do the late night, but at least once a week we would be perched on a barstool snacking and chatting. I miss that more than I miss the hooch delivery.
Speaking of booze, I bet a good amount of us took to the bottle more than usual. I’m guilty of it. All the bulls*** going on in the world a little distraction didn’t hurt. I wonder what world liquor sales looked like.
Lots of carry out this year. Haven’t eaten inside a restaurant since March.
Before the new normal, Bekah & I would go out for lunch both Saturday and Sunday. Well, not anymore. Since we couldn’t do this we got creative on Sunday and made it a brunch day. Pretty much since March we have been experimenting on different brunch ideas. It has been a lot of fun and has gotten me outside of my comfort zone in the kitchen. We are still going strong with it so it might be a lasting tradition.
Completely related to the above is that we are saving a good portion of our paychecks by not going out for lunch and drinks. I don’t know if we will go back to the way we were. It’s been almost a year since I’ve eaten inside a restaurant. Time will tell.
Lots of FaceTime. Especially with the Slovak. We would see each other a couple times a year. Since March it has become a Saturday tradition. FaceTime drinks. There have been a couple instances where the drinks went down and crazy things happen. Good times. Or hell….
On the subject of technology, I’m now hooked on TikTok. I swore I wouldn’t sign up for that and now I’m viewing it off and on all day.
Not something that I have the patience for, but Bekah really got into doing puzzles. It was fun watching her make progress. She is a puzzle queen. This gave me an excuse to visit with Jody on campus. She was also doing puzzles so we would trade her for something new. For a while it was hard to find puzzles in stores. Everyone was stuck home trying to keep their sanity intact and puzzles seemed a nice avenue.
2020. The year I suddenly like Chicherrones. I’ve been appalled by these things all my life. I think part of it was conditioning by my mother. I was told that they were bad for you at a very young age and I suppose that stuck. Not to mention that the ones that I tried when I was young tasted like paper. Maybe they have come a long ways? Bekah, on one of her diets, brought some into our house. I was horrified. She somehow convinced me to try one. Guess what, I really liked it. Since then I have had more in the last month than I have had in my entire life. I have 5 different varieties of bags at the house. Making up for missed time?
Most of the human race would not be listing this as a positive in a year full of negatives, but being the weather geek that I am we had one HECK of a hail storm. It was totally wild. I have never seen such large hail stones fall for such a duration of time. I stood on my back porch in awe. Lots of roof & vehicle damage around town. Ours, only 2 years old, seems to have been spared. We had one roofer look at it and in 2 min say it all needed to be replaced. Uh, I think I will wait for the insurance dude. What a heck of a storm though. Jeeze.
I finally got to meet my new nephew Patrick. He came into the world right before everything began to shut down and travel was ill advised. I still think it’s ill advised, but I’m happy I was able to see him when the family came. He is so cute and so funny. I can tell he is going to be so different from my other nephew Teddy. The 2 times I’ve shared with him have been some of the highlights of the year. No doubt.
We had a pretty successful semester on campus. Sure, we had some students and employees catch the virus but overall I think we did well. It was a different experience. For one, everyone was working behind sneeze shields. My office became the hub for sanitizer somehow. That was a thing passed down on us by Risk Management. It meant that we manufactured all the chemical wipes. I pretty much kept my hands clean of that and my boss never once complained. If a department needed supplies, they had to come get supplies. We knew if we made the mistake of bringing people the supplies it would become a part time job of its self. Most people were cool with this. A couple we not. Tuff s***. Another thing different was the lack of events. I’m used to so much life on campus but you can’t really do that during a pandemic.
The year ended with the vaccine finally getting distributed. Bekah got it due to being in the health care industry. She is the guinee pig. I know many of people are uncertain if they should take it due to how quickly it was produce. I get that. Initially I was reluctant. I’m not worried about being microchipped. That’s just silly. I’ve had other vaccines. I get the flu shot each year. Whatever side effect that may come of this can’t be as bad as catching COVID. Am I right?
The time truly did fly by. 10 months of living with COVID. What a year. 2020
In true 2020 fashion the year ended with a winter storm. Sleet, snow & drizzle. Since I didn’t need to go anywhere this was a pleasant surprise. A good cap of for a hell of a year.
So it seem a lot of good did take place this year. Does it outweigh the bad? That’s hard to say really. A lot of it was due to cause and effect. Without that bad I wouldn’t have gotten most of the good. But what good things would have transpired had COVID never happened? In an alternative reality that very life is being lived out. It is what it is.
BTW, I didn’t get the virus nor did any family members.
Songs that helped me get through the year that are new to me:
Wow. That got a little long. I guess it’s a playlist.
Jalapeño
Filipino Chicken Adobo. Connie made this meal for us. My lord was it good. I wasn’t sure what to expect initially. I mean, I liked everything being thrown together but I wasn’t sure how they would blend. Happy I was.
Last brunch of 2020. Let’s go with something decadent and fancy as all kinds of f***. Prime rib hash!!! Roasted a potato with onions and fresh thyme. Added the diced prime rib and some spinach. Topped with a fried egg. Best leftover ever.
Animal style bunless burger. In-N-Out Burger rip-off. The trick is to add mustard into the ground beef when you and mixing it. Also, caramelized onions and Thousand Island dressing. Real treat.
Last family gathering of the year. I wanted something simple & easy so I made skillet King Ranch chicken. It was warm and delicious. Start with a southwestern salad. The family liked it. See you guys in 2021.
The last grilled meal of the year!! Grilled fried rice and veggies w/ teriyaki steak, chicken & shrimp. A real b**** of a meal. I basically cooked 5 meals at once on the same dang griddle. Start with the veggies. Add the rice. Mix together. Scramble and egg. Start the chicken. Follow with the steak. Finish with shrimp. Things move fast. Bekah said it was perfect.
Taco pasta. Funny, this came up on my Facebook memories a year ago. I said it was great and I would do it again soon. A year later here I am making it again. It was good.
New Year’s Eve lunch!! Chicken soft tacos. Cooked in fresh squeezed lime juice.
I made pizza!!!! The final new of the year. Had to be something comforting during a year of s***.
My final week before the holiday begins. 17 days of freedom. Words cannot express how excited I am. No idea what I’ll do, but I’m away from boring work. I decided to make it a small one by taking both Monday & Friday off. Great decision. I could really get used to working a 3 day week. Would it be frowned upon to make a habit of this?
Once again, a rather un-exciting week w/ very little going on. Monday I was all over the town shopping & running errands. The town was nuts though. Does no one work anymore!!! Over all it was a good day. I felt accomplished. I was certainly more productive off work than I had been at work the past 2 weeks.
Tues-Thursday. Work. Nothing. I was in and out of the office. It was really cold and sunny. I do not like cold sunny days. It should be cloudy and cold. Also, the wind. I do detest the wind. Cold and cuts to the bone. Also, the dirt in the air. Gross. My nostrils said heck no!! I felt like I was in Lubbock, TX again. The wind and dirt was the bane of my existence.
The work week ended with a little spa treatment on Thursday. Paraffin wax for our dry cracked hands. Yes, that’s how universally dead the campus has been. 4 of us had time to wax our hands. Jamie brought a paraffin bath kit. Yes, she has one of those… I’d never even heard of it. It was a rather weird sensation, have wax and plastic bags on my hands. I felt sort of cripple. I couldn’t use my hands. While Yvette was functioning just like normal. Usual motor movements. Clearly, not her first rodeo. Peeling it off felt like shedding. Afterwords I could tell the difference, my hands felt soft. The things ladies do. Pretty sure the Dean was thinking the same thing.
So Friday rolled around and I was supposed to get a beeto (burrito). I rolled out of bed and got dressed. Waited. Never heard anything. Oh. He forgot it was his week. “Eyes rolled”…
Morning started off nice and gloomy, but a little windy. I ran errands, read my book & lounged around. Had more coffee than I’m accustomed to. Took at trip to Target and wasn’t brave enough to go inside. The parking lot was freaking FULL. I just couldn’t. I chickened out.
It was time for the trails. I walked for an hour. It was nice to do that and I look forward to the walks while I’m off for the next 17 days. Walking around work just isn’t the same.
That pretty much sums up my week. So exciting.
Unicorn snot!!!
Jalapeño
Huevos rancheros pizza. I have been wanting to make a breakfast pizza for months not and I always chickened out. I was intimidated by the idea. Wasn’t sure what steps to take. Had different ideas and couldn’t settle on one. What do I use for the sauce. What protein to use with the eggs. I was so indecisive. I finally settled on it. Just make it already. I layered with spicy tomato sauce, refried beans, chorizo & jalapeño topped with cheddar cheese. Now how do I keep the eggs from going all over the place? How about onion rings? Crack the egg into the rings and it stays firmly in place. So I baked for 15 min. Wasn’t sure how baked eggs would be but they surprised me by not being runny. The yokes had a custard like texture. Garnished with fresh jalapeño, avocado & cilantro. We were all very impressed. It was amazing.
Made some caldo de pollo. It was a cold night. I think we were both happy with this.
Bibigo steak! I grilled some jalapeño, onion & carrots to go with it. Bekah made some sticky rice and I made some sriracha broccoli.
Soy glazed beef tenderloin w/ miso ginger sautéed asparagus. Basically how I make my tuna but with steak. Which is better, I don’t know.
Bekah’s chicken & veggies. It’s been a LONG times since she has made this meal. Always a favorite of mine I was excited to have. Of course it was great. The picture certainly doesn’t do it justice. That’s a mixture of chicken, tomato’s, mushrooms, asparagus, yellow squash & spinach. Seasonings and cheese. Love it.
Sweet & sour chicken. That’s 3 Asian inspired meals in one week. I was ordered not to make it 4 on Friday.
Spaghetti squash & grilled meatballs w/ spicy marinara sauce. Grilling the meatballs… that was the f***ing trick. What a treat.
Again, a rather uneventful week. I suppose I could complain about the unseasonably warm weather, but I’m kind of enjoying being outside. I want it to feel like December, but this is also nice. I took my time cruising the campus on the golf cart. Why not? Nothing was happening. After last week being stuck like a fly in a spider web, I was staying out of there as much as I could.
I conformed to the neighborhood. I put a little Christmas tree at my curb. I was going to do it until I saw some on my street. WTH, it’s kind of fun. If it’s a new tradition I will welcome it. This year more so than any, new traditions that life the spirit are all so welcome. Maybe next year I’ll “spruce” it up a little bit. No pun intended.
It might look better than the campus tree. This thing was pretty the last few years but they decided to “upgrade” to a 20 footer. I just don’t like it. Can’t get behind it. Eye sore. No no.
I also thought our office could use a little bit of holiday cheer so I found a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. I’ll only be in the office for another 4 days but my coworkers can enjoy it for another 8 days. Now that I have it I’ll decorate the office every year. It plays Linus & Lucy but I didn’t put the batteries in. I can see that being abused.
Speaking of work. Ever since we got back from the Thanksgiving holiday the cleaning crew has been driving me insane. It’s like blitzkrieg at 8AM. I just can’t take it. 3 people show up and mop, vacuum, and generally crowd our tight office space. It’s too much commotion too early. None of us like it. I immediately fall into a bad mood. I told my boss that I’d just start taking vacation and show up at 8:30 once they have all left.
Exciting week, right?
Jalapeño
Chorizo potato egg tacos. I was cooking the potatoes just fine and when my back was turned someone added the raw chorizo. I cook these separate and add them together for a reason. The end product was good but not exactly the texture I was going for. Nothing that I’d share with a friend.
Comfort food. Mac & cheese, green beans and grilled chicken. Simple and to the point.
Red enchilada chicken with a sunny side up egg. All I cooked was the egg, Bekah did the rest.
Skirt steak fajita with bells and onion. Pico, ranchero sauce and queso. Delish.
Bunless burgers, classic style.
Tikka Masala. Bekah pointed out that’s it had been a while since I’ve cooked this. Easy and delicious.
Chick-fil-A nugget tray & Domino’s pizza. Bekah had company so this was it.
Down with the pumpkins. Sad day. My favorite seasonal decor. I got my worth out of them. They have been making me happy since September. It’s still a little sad to have them down.
I have a pumpkin problem..
I was off Monday and Bekah stayed home sick so we put up all the Christmas decor. I realize I have so much more fall and I need to work on my Christmas. It was fun decorating. A tradition that we do it together. I wish she had felt better and was able to enjoy it more.
December cheese advent. A treat everyday. I wanted a wine advent? A whisky advent. But this will have to do.
No students until January 25th. Staff working in skeleton shifts. It’s going to be a long December. I had one of the most boring weeks. Perpetual boredom. I did… nothing. I spent more time browsing the web & on my phone than I did doing anything work related. I mean, I vanished for over an hour one day and no one even missed me. WHY ARE WE HERE!!!! I think because many people are “working” from home makes it all the worst. I feel like a prisoner. Am I a little jealous? Maybe a bit at times.
Really not much to talk about. Clearly nothing eventful transpired. If the rest of the month is this boring maybe I’ll take it all off.
Song of the Week:
Jalapeño
I got a good idea from another foodie that I know. Tamales and fried eggs. I picked up some chicken tamales, made a green sauce and fried up some eggs. Don’t forget the beans. What a treat this was.
Teriyaki chicken over sticky rice. This meal was extra extra spicy.
Chick-fil-A rip off nuggets and scalloped potatoes. Comfort meal all the way. I even had some Chick-fil-A Polynesian sauce.
My own orange chicken stir-fry. The little time it takes to make the sauce is SO worth it.
Broccoli cheese chicken soup. This turned out to be a delicious meal on a cold night. Pure comfort food.
Queso burger. I wanted Velveeta. Eating a block of melted cheese sounded great. Well, I was out of f***ing chips!!! I just made a beef patty mixed with jalapeño, onion & cilantro. Cover with melted gold. Super duper dinner!!!
I grew up on science fiction that doesn’t mean I want to live in it.
A two day week. What a joke. The campus was a ghost town. I tried to spend time visiting with the friends I had that were still around. Why are we here? No one is doing anything. Again, what a joke. I spent most my time driving around trying to find things to do.
Wednesday I had to myself. I managed to sleep in till 9ish Went for a walk. Decided I needed some new sunglasses so I went for a quick shopping trip. Store was packed. Went for another walk. Middle brother came in so went to visit. Have some drinks. I cooked. It was a nice evening.
I crawled through this as a child. Common find in the mornings.
Thanksgiving. Bekah & I couldn’t do our usual tradition where we go to a diner and drink coffee and have breakfast. The place closed. D*** you 2020!!!! So we made our own at the house. We vegged for a couple hours before we went to my mothers. It was a small gathering this year. 4 of us. We didn’t hold back on the spread though. Somethings are hard to dial back. Especially when you are accustomed to large family gatherings. Besides, Friday my youngest brother, his wife and 2 kids would be in. Leftovers will be consumed? It was a nice quiet Thanksgiving. We visited. Watched the Cowboys once again lose a game. Good times.
That evening it was Thanksgiving pt. 2. Half my family didn’t get a proper Thanksgiving spread. I honestly don’t care for leftover Thanksgiving. Too much carbs and I’m sick of it after the first meal. I made myself a carb free tortilla pizza to tide me over.
Friday. I was a couch potato. Good thing, I had to wait for a delivery. I hate it, waiting. They give you a window of 4 hours and it never fails that the delivery arrives at the end of that window. Motherf***ers!!! At least I had a book to read and was able to pass the time. I don’t sit still well. Dune.
It was great seeing everyone. The kids are getting so big. Teddy wanted to look for ghost. I hid in a closet behind cloths and made spooky noises. He also cracks up at fart sounds. Typical boy. Patrick is really moving around. This is only my second time to be around the little guy. D*** pandemic… It’s hard to believe that I have not left this town in almost a year. That’s depressing. I kind of believe 2021 won’t see me traveling much either. I was one vacation in Florida in April that was planned and booked before the country was put on lockdown. I’m both excited and afraid of that experience.
Song of the Week:
Jalapeño
Broccoli, onion, jalapeño chicken & cheese. Comfort food at its best.
Fajita steak. I cut the skirt steak against the grain which is a pain in the a** but the payoff is well worth it. Made a marinade with beer and spices, sitting in the fridge for 48 hours. Red & green bell peppers, red onion & jalapeños. Pico and a ranchero sauce. This was by far the best steak fajita that I’ve ever made. I have a tendency to buy the preseasoned from HEB. Not any more.
I cooked the pre-Thanksgiving dinner. It was chicken, onion, jalapeño, yellow squash & red enchilada sauce. I’ve made this ice before as an experiment. This time we added white rice and some street corn off the side. The dish blended very well. The family was impressed. Hey, it’s easy.
For 9 years Bekah and I have had a tradition where we have breakfast at BoBo Kitchen Thanksgiving morning. Since they have closed I guess we will be starting something new. Chorizo jalapeño onion cheese omelette. Still have ranchero sauce to use. Refried beans. Yummy. Not the same as a BoBo dinning experience, but what is?
En Fuego 