On Saturday, I finally got the sleep my body had been craving since Monday. It was nice. I woke up intending to clean out the garage—but the only problem is, none of it’s mine. The majority of it belongs to Lola from the move, and it hasn’t been touched in over seven months.

I’d like her to tell me what she wants to keep so we can box it up and move it to the attic, and what can be donated. Right now, it’s just a messy pile.

There are two reasons I want it cleaned out. One: Noah is cleaning out his garage, and it’s inspired me to do the same. Two: I almost busted my ass last weekend trying to get to something so I could work in the yard.

I made a small breakfast and headed across town to get some special hot sauce. While I was in that area, I decided to look for sheep. I spent the better part of two hours on the north side of town, looking for and photographing sheep. That’s the area I had been missing.

Movie day! I was surprised to see the film Eddington playing in town, so of course I had to go. I love weird little indie movies—though this one featured some Oscar-winning actors. Does it still count as indie? Oh well. It was weird. Wry weird.

Set in late May 2020, during the early days of the pandemic, it begins with the divide between those who follow the mask mandate and those who don’t. That’s just the starting point. What happens next is combat-shit crazy—I’d have never seen it coming. Great film.

After the movie, I went home to see the family. They headed out to the grocery store, so I decided to take a little walk. I ended up walking over a mile by accident. It was rather nice, even if a bit warm. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve walked those trails since my divorce. I used to walk them for miles and miles during the pandemic. Walk until my shoes wore out. Watching that movie probably pushed me to walk them again on Saturday.

Sunday was a quiet morning. Yvette and I took advantage of the time while the kids were out to move boxes and bags from the garage up into the attic. The less interference, the better—prying eyes would have definitely put a damper on things. We figured that if this stuff hasn’t been missed or needed in over 7–8 months, no one’s going to notice it’s gone. We made a pretty good dent. Lord, does Lola have a lot of stuff she could probably do without.

After chores, we cleaned up and headed to Yvette’s parents’ place for lunch: Salisbury steak, potatoes, green beans, and some fantastic squash. It was a nice visit with good company. To me, it felt like we hadn’t had lunch with them in a while. I think we really hadn’t—our weekends have been so busy lately. It was nice to have a calm, low-key weekend for a change.

Turns out the hose spigot out back has a leak where the pipe connects. It was bent to hell when I moved in. My best guess is that someone wasn’t paying attention and either carelessly hit it while moving something or slammed the fence into it. I’ve been careful for seven years not to hit it, but I think time—and our lovely water—finally took its toll.

Unfortunately, the only way to fix it is by shutting off water to the entire house. So this will need to be handled quickly in the coming days. Damn bummer.

Ah, life…

I tried to do some yard work—mainly spraying weeds. My pump sprayer finally gave up, so I just poured the poison directly on the plants and tossed that piece of shit sprayer in the garbage. I wasn’t really in the mood anyway—it was hot outside.

I finished the last two episodes of Chapelwaite. What a great show to knock out in a week. We really need more miniseries—ones that actually stick to that format. Too often, a stand-alone miniseries does well, and the greedy hands that be decide to make more, source material be damned.

This show gave you just enough to make you want more, but still left you satisfied with a legit ending. Adrien Brody was great. The ending was absolutely epic. I hope more filmmakers learn from this and figure out how to properly adapt Stephen King’s short stories. His short story collections are such fertile ground.

Monday was a busy day, both at work and personally. I had two appointments to schedule for myself, and work was just crazy. I walked in and barely had time to settle before I was out the door, running around for someone. Both my work and personal phones were off the damn hook.

Amid the chaos, I managed to secure a campus plumber to come take a look at my leak. I also had my first Staff Senate meeting of the new term. I’m officially a senator again… and honestly, I’m starting to wonder why the hell I keep signing up for this. Still, I decided that this time, I’d actually participate. My first time as a senator, I barely did anything. Then, as an alternate, I was slightly more involved. But in this meeting, I voted, I made my voice heard—I spoke up. I know how this works better than most of the newbies in the room.

After work, the plumber came over and fixed the leak without any invasive damage, for a very reasonable price I must add. I told him I’ll definitely be calling again in the future.

Later, it was time to head over to Noah and Nadia’s for a little cookout. Yvette and I brought steak, pork ribeye, sausage, and chicken. I made a pasta salad. Noah’s new Blackstone grill was really nice to cook on. I want one!!! It was a great evening of good food and fun.

Pizza Hut has a $2 personal pan pizza deal on Tuesday. It sure seemed like a good idea for a cheap meal. After work I picked up some fresh wings from HEB to give us more protein with a salad for good measure to go with our carb full pizza. Yvette called it in and I went to pick it up when the time was right. It wasn’t right. The place was a total shit show. Unorganized and about a 30 min extra wait. One should expect this kind of mess on a day with such an amazing special. Oh well, the wings would be ready and I was in no hurry. I people watched and chuckled at the frustration of the patrons that were waiting longer than I.

I’ve had a bit of a medical scare over the last two months.

I’ve been bounced around between doctors, specialists, MRI techs, lab techs, and different cities trying to get to the bottom of a little mystery. That mystery was discovered when I had my spine checked out after a back injury in 2023 — a very, very small cyst was found on my pancreas.

Nothing of concern at the time, but my doctor wanted to keep an eye on it. This April, we scheduled another MRI — this time with complete 3D imaging of the pancreas. The results came in mid-June, and they weren’t great. It appeared I had a number of new growths and a narrowed duct. The growths were initially labeled as “pre-cancerous.”  Was a sleeping beast lying dormant within me? I didn’t know. I wasn’t feeling the least bit abnormal.

My primary care physician referred me to a gastroenterologist. After reviewing my results, the gastroenterologist decided that a biopsy and more advanced imaging were necessary. He referred me to one of the best doctors in the state, located in San Antonio.  In San Antonio, I underwent an EGD-EUS procedure. I won’t go into detail about that joyous experience… good times.

Anyway, the pathology report came back Monday. After a virtual meeting Wednesday with the specialist, it’s been determined that everything is benign. I have no new growths. The findings were all related to chronic pancreatitis, which likely dates back to my late 20s. There were calcifications in the head of the pancreas and a stricture in the neck — but no new growths were discovered. A heavy sigh of relief.

The doctor does not believe any further measures are necessary, aside from a follow-up in a year just to make sure nothing has changed.

It’s been a little stressful, but Wednesday was a very good day. A dark cloud has been lifted off my back.

I honestly woke up Wednesday morning around 4 AM knowing I was going to be diagnosed with cancer. I haven’t been sleeping well for the last two months, with these kinds of dark thoughts bouncing around my skull in the nocturnal hours. 

Bless Yvette for putting up with my distant ass. She has helped lift my spirits in ways she will never fully understand. I know I haven’t been the same these last few months. I’ve been stressed to levels I didn’t even know existed. Thoughts of starting this new life with my family — and having it ripped away so early — had crossed my mind. I didn’t want something to happen to me for their sake. I have a reason to live, and it is my family.

That’s been my summer.  Now onward to the good times. Fuck the dark days of summer.

It was a wonderful morning. After the good news, I just drove around to my various stops with the windows down, soaking in the good vibes carried by the cool morning air. I couldn’t get over how great I felt. It reminded me of the feeling I had when I was first released from the hospital after my diabetic ketoacidosis — like a fresh start. And thankfully, it came just in time for next week’s vacation.

Thursday was about as typical as work gets. That evening, we bought groceries to cook burgers over at Noah’s. His Blackstone is much better equipped for cooking a big batch. I had my first real experience on the grill — I was in charge of the burgers. I love that Blackstone and desperately want one of my own. We had fun. It was a nice family night.

The week was finally coming to a close — thank the heavens!!! Friday was busy, and that’s just what I needed. It’s the only way to plow through a long week. I was glad to be getting away from work for a while. I’m really looking forward to a little vacation. Whenever I found some free time, I looked up things to do in Galveston. I like to have a bit of an idea of what to expect.

After work, I went to the store to pick up things for dinner. I was grilling and making pasta. I decided to have a beer while standing outside over the heat — it was a refreshing beverage. Dinner turned out quite nice.

It was time to start packing. Yeah, I’m starting early. I feel like I might be bringing too much. We’ll have a washer and dryer, and it’s only three nights. But it’s the beach — which can easily make you need to change. Better to have too much than not enough.

Happy Friday!!! Happy National Wine & Cheese Day!!

Jalapeño

Chicken Caesar pasta salad.

Spaghetti, Italian broccolini and garlic bread.

Steak, pork ribeye, chicken breast, sausage w/ beans and pasta salad with grilled veggies.

Pizza, wings and salad.

Mango habanero chicken with red bell & onion over sticky rice.

Burgers and chips.

Cajun shrimp alfredo.

Saturday: We woke up and Yvette got ready for the drive to Dallas and back to pick up Teegan. I wish I could’ve gone with her, but my back just can’t handle those long trips anymore. I really wish there was something I could do. I need to try the spinal injections because I’m tired of this.

I had a list of things I needed to get done. At the top: oil change and yard work. We’d either been too busy or the weather hadn’t allowed for yard work lately. I also had a movie date with my mom,: Jurassic World: Rebirth.

First things first, I went to the windmill to fill up our 5-gallon water bottles, which I’m the only one who ever uses. I still don’t know why that is. They only drink bottled water… It’s wasteful and not very environmentally friendly. Haha, I can’t really talk—I go through a lot of bottled water at work.

After that, I decided to go ahead and get my oil changed. It needed to be done. While I waited, I had a pretty decent sausage and egg burrito. Gas station burritos— always a gamble. But I was hungry and needed nourishment for the day’s activities, so I took the risk. Honestly, it was better than expected.

The next thing on my long list of things to do was get Teegan’s oil changed before he got back in town. Yvette wanted me to go to Meineke because she had a coupon and wanted better service than where I usually go—Stripes. They asked if I had an appointment. Nope. It was going to be an hour wait. Good thing I brought my book. It was fine; I still had time to get things done before the mother/son movie date

I had some good conversations with the workers at Meineke. They were nice guys and even recommended I try a food truck downtown, which made me think—why the hell not? It was just me today. I figured I’d be hungry after doing the yard work anyway.

The yard work took just over two hours. That yard had gone feral with all the rain and my neglect. It was very thick, and my mower wanted to choke a few times. I also had to rake up mesquite beans. I’ve never had to do that in the seven years I’ve lived in this house. It was wild. The weather must have been just right for them to produce. I didn’t get them all, but I filled up a whole bag. It was crazy. I finished the yard in just the nick of time, it began to rain.

After cleaning up, it was time to try Mad Messy—the place the Meineke boys recommended. I went with the original, added jalapeños. It was a traditional Philly sandwich with real Cheese Whiz. I was going to get it to go, but some cop pulled a car over and blocked me in while handing out a ticket. Oh well, it was a nice enough day.

The sandwich came out, and I was immediately impressed. It looked messy and delicious. My lord, those boys did not steer me wrong. That was the best Philly I’ve had in town.

After a quick run to the store, it was time to meet my mom at the movie—Jurassic World: Rebirth. We both arrived just before 3:30. My mom grabbed a snack and a drink, and we headed to the theater. Or so we thought. Turns out, we each assumed the other had bought the ticket but neither of us had. Shit.

After the initial frustration, we managed to find seats next to each other for a showing an hour later. So, what to do in the meantime? My mom suggested cocktails at Outback Steakhouse. That worked for me.

When we finally made it to the movie, we realized—surprise—we’d accidentally bought 3D tickets in the scramble. It ended up being pretty cool. It was my mom’s first 3D movie experience, and I was happy to be part of it. The movie itself was fun, a bit of a throwback with lots of Jaws references at the beginning. Just an all-around good time.

After the movie, I went home and started making our dinner: grilled chicken, steak, veggies, and fried rice hibachi-style. Teegan was supposed to be back, but it turned out only Yvette and I would be eating. Oh well, Teegan ate later. The meal turned out great.

When Teegan did get home, he showed me his travel gifts. We opened some Pokémon cards and caught up. I really did miss the man. Sounds like he had a good time visiting his father. He also saw Jurassic World: Rebirth, so we talked about the movie—the highs and the lows. It was a nice evening

We slept in on Sunday. We had to make a trip to San Antonio, but there wasn’t a set time we needed to be there since it was just for a morning visit. We could leave at our leisure. We hung around with the kids until about 1 before finally hitting the road. I decided to do the driving since Yvette would be driving us back.

It was a nice road trip together, and we made pretty good time. Once in San Antonio, we checked into the hotel and got comfortable. We scouted out a place for dinner and decided to hit up Old Navy. Hell of a summer sale—50% off many items. I even found some beach candles for under $10.

After shopping, it was time to eat. Our first attempt was a bust. The place had a promising menu online, but when we got there, all they offered was sliders. We left. Our second try was a spot we’d noticed while shopping called Flying Saucer. We sat outside, and I had a couple of local beers. The food was amazing, and the music was memorable. Beef patty, broccolini, cilantro lime rice w/ Thai sweet spicy chili sauce. I’ll be making this at the house. Rocket Man by Elton John and Kokomo by The Beach Boys brought back a happy vibe from my youth. Things happen for a reason. Yvette and I were clearly meant to end up at that place.

Back at the hotel, we went for a quick swim before settling into the room to watch Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel. Good times. Great date night.

Business in San Antonio wrapped up around 2. We stopped by another car dealer to look at a vehicle for Teegan and grabbed some Chick-fil-A for the road. It was time to head home to the kids. The ride back was physically uncomfortable for me, but that was to be expected. Still, it was a fun little trip. We turned it into a mini vacation, and I wouldn’t trade a minute of it.

Once home, I laid down and started watching a show called Chapelwaite. It’s based on an early short story by Stephen King and stars Adrien Brody. I was curious how they’d stretch such a short story into a series—though much of the original was told through letters, so the material was there. The first two episodes were good.

Tuesday, I almost didn’t make it to work.I woke up at 5 a.m. and couldn’t get back to sleep because of the pain. Eventually, I decided I could either be in pain and bored at home, or in pain and not bored at work — so I went to work.

It turned out to be a pretty good day, despite the bloating and abdominal pain. Seth actually covered for me since I had been off on Monday, which was unexpected — especially since it was his first day back after a week’s vacation. Maybe he felt refreshed.

I made a point not to overdo it, and the day flew by.

After work, Yvette and I stopped by the post office to mail one of my eBay sales, and then we headed out to my mother’s. She made us my favorite dish — chicken divan. Total comfort food. Teegan, Yvette, and I absolutely gorged on it. It’s such a simple dish: chicken, broccoli, cheese, and a curry sauce served over rice. Yummy yum yum!

After dinner I made myself some sleepy tea to relax and I jumped right back into my show.

Hump day. Work was typical. It was also my third day without coffee, alcohol, or beef. I think I was doing okay — trying to abstain for a week. The mornings are hard, and in the evenings, I can’t really relax. We decided to go to the pool, which helped. I’m also drinking these herbal teas.

Thursday was my hearing with the appraisal district to dispute my property taxes and assessed value.

I had my evidence ready for presentation, thanks to Yvette. I arrived early for my appointment and only had to wait a short while. Once I was checked in, things moved quickly. I opted for a one-on-one meeting instead of going before a board — less intimidating.

The meeting went well and worked in my favor — my appraised value was lowered. The reason my property had been valued so much higher than my neighbors’ was because, for some reason, it had been compared to a much larger home with significantly more square footage and acreage. The appraiser I met with was also confused and spent about 15 minutes trying to figure out why it had been done that way, before finally finding a property that more closely resembled mine.

Was any of this something I should have had to catch? No. They should’ve caught it themselves. Honestly, it seems shady as hell.

I’m glad I went. Yvette convinced me: “What harm could it do to go?”

Turns out — no harm, only benefit.

Chapelwaite has really turned out to be one hell of a show. I’m genuinely impressed with what they’ve managed to do with the source material. I’m only halfway through, but so far, it’s done a great job expanding on the characters and background. It has a much stronger gothic vibe, which really adds to the atmosphere. This is exactly how a short story should be adapted for film or television.

Friday morning, we got up early for another appointment — a busy week for both of us. It’s always kind of exciting to see the town in the early hours, before most people are awake. Or at least, before I’m usually awake. I’m not out on the streets before 6 a.m. very often.

After the appointment, I made it to work about an hour and a half late — and of course, Troy had called in. Friday ended up being the busiest day I’d had all week. Shocking. How does it always happen that way? Short-handed, on a Friday, and I get slammed. Frustrating, to say the least.

After work, I picked up Yvette, and she and I went to grab snow cones. It was that kind of day — I just wanted something cold and sweet. It turned into a cute little date.

Happy Friday!

Jalapeño

Steak and chicken hibachi with fried rice and veggies cooked on the grill.

Sautéed chicken, onion and peppers over slavish rice and queso.

My mom made chicken divan for us!! One of my all time comfort foods. Love her.

Chicken breast, Mac & cheese and broccolini.

Chicken & broccoli stir-fry.

Creamy cilantro lime chicken over rice.

The rest of the weekend was super uneventful and extremely quiet without the kids. It’s crazy how much I missed the noise. Teegan was going to be away all week visiting his dad, so I knew the house would stay quiet. Not that he’s outright loud, but he definitely has his moments, especially when he’s into his video games. I think it’s funny. It’s just background noise to me now. Background noise that I missed.

Monday started off like Mondays usually do after a long holiday weekend, brutal. I was groggy and had no “want to.” But I needed to find my “want to,” since Seth was off all week and I had to fill in for him. It was either stay on top of things or let the work pile up. I was actually kind of okay with that, I’d rather be out of the office and busy than stuck at a desk watching the clock. Still, I dragged my unhappy ass through the day with great difficulty. That evening, I watched Jurassic World and just crashed.

Tuesday was a totally different experience. I slept well and felt completely rejuvenated. It’s amazing what a little sleep can do. I was still swamped, though—being short-staffed kept the pace hectic. Honestly, the whole week turned into a busy blur at work.

Thursday we got a call from university police about suspicious packages left outside the Admin building. Turned out to be a typical Amazon delivery, figures. Noah turned 23! That night, both families went out to eat, and we had a pretty good time. The after-party was at my place: cake and good conversation. I’m still not totally comfortable with having that many guests over—just my introverted nature, but it was fun once my headache subsided. (Blood sugar.)

Friday was an extremely chatty day for me on campus. I’m not sure if I was in an overtly good mood or if everyone else was. I wasn’t very busy in the morning, but I still ended up out of the office longer than I should have been because of conversations. I’m okay with that on certain days. I like my campus friends. I like when we all get lost in our individual conversations.

One thing that really bothers me is injustice—when people get away with “murder” and face no consequences. I see it firsthand, but it happens all the time around the world. Just look at our Dear Leader: a felon who is president of the United States. It blows my mind when I see bad people get by without even a slap on the wrist, simply because holding them accountable would be “difficult,” while good people are punished for much lesser offenses. The world isn’t fair.

Happy Friday!!

Jalapeño (freezer meal week)

Gorgonzola cream gnocchi with broccoli and grilled steak.

Stroganoff hamburger helper with peas.

Frozen chicken, potato and green bean meal kit with a side Caesar salad.

Frozen ravioli with a red sauce, air fried Chick-fil-A rip off nuggets topped with mozzarella cheese. I guess a fake chicken parmesan.

Yvette and lola were tired of eating out of the pantry and freezer so Yvette made chicken fried steak, potato’s and I made some green beans.

Noah’s birthday dinner. We went out to Twisted Root Burger Co. for dinner. His pick. I love the onion rings.

Chicken cooked with red enchilada sauce over sticky rice.

Yvette and I went for a movie date. It has been too long but no real romance that I know she likes watching we’re being released. She won’t see the horror and weird films I watch. Materialists was the movie. I actually suggested it. I’ve been keep my eyes peeled for a movie we can go see together. As far as romantic movies go, I liked it. Great cast. It really focused on how absurd current dating expectations have reached with online dating and match makers. I guess people just don’t meet anymore. What a terrifying aspect. I’m so glad I’m spoken for and that Yvette and I met the good old fashion way.

I really can’t say the day was a good day. A child was born into this world and taken only 10 hours later. I met this child. Touched this child. It wasn’t fair. He was a beautiful little baby and should have lived a blessed life with his great parents. The last 3 days really having me questioning my faith. What a cruel god we live under.

It’s hard for me to express my feelings. I’ve never had a child. I can’t imagine the pain the parents must feel. Carrying the child all the way to birth only to have him taken less than 10 hours. Does that time with him make the loss that much harder? Do you cherish the little time? I just don’t know. I was so sad all day.

Sunday I slept in and when I woke up Yvette needed a nap. She had had trouble sleeping and decided to get up and clean. It was a pretty mellow morning. We met my mother, brother and nephews out for lunch. It was an adventure. We were on the patio, which was hot, and the boys were not behaving at all. I mean, AT ALL. My father would have busted my ass if I’d behaved like that out in public. Different times. It also took us an hour before the food finally arrived. Only after I went and asked the manager to check on the order because a table that arrived much later than us were served their food. Magically our food arrived but not from the hands of our waitress, who was oddly not present. The food itself was fantastic. The experience was a mess. Oh well, we still had fun.

It was a short week with the 4th of July. It was a busy week. It was also a very cool week. Husky temps in the 70s??? What the fuck!! We had some unseasonable rain to boot. Over an inch. My French drain I installed by the fence seemed to have worked. I think I might need two. It’s a start. I drove around and enjoyed the weather.

The week was not only cloudy but also clouded with sadness. The looming funeral of a baby that only graced us for 8 hours. Heartbreaking. The plans were divided between family.

Thursday was just a half day but the funeral was at 10 so I went in for an hour to help out. Good thing that I did. We were short and suddenly housing realized Friday was the 4th and business would be closed around town. What if an AC went out and we don’t have enough refrigerant!! I took care of that.

After work I went home and changed and Teegan and I went to the funeral in the rain. How fitting. The service was sad and catholic. Not truly my cup of tea for personal reasons but otherwise it was good. Again, sad. Everyone held it together as best that they could.

After the ceremony it was off to the graveside service. I dropped Teegan off and headed that way. We had your typical Hollywood funeral with rain and all. It was by far the safest part. Seeing that little bitty casket and the flower arrangement with the blue Teddy Bear. It’s so cruel.

After the gravesite it was off to a family luncheon Yvette and us really set this up and we were worried it wouldn’t be enough. In the end, everything worked out. Yvette, Lola and I didn’t eat just to make sure the food was enough. A small sacrifice.

Once everything was cleaned and everyone was gone we realized we were famished. We wanted pizza. We tried three locations before we were able to satisfy that need. It seemed some local business was closing early on the 2rd. Who knew!! Oh well, lunch was what we needed. I had a beer. I needed that just as well.

After late lunch I took Yvette’s car to have the tires checked. All was good. I distracted myself a little with some sheep. Went to my mother’s. We went and bought food for dinner. I cooked and we had a nice quiet time. Yvette’s parents came over for a little while. We were all so fucking tired.

Friday morning started off wild. We all were awoken by loud thunder and the sound of our emergency alerts notifying us of flashing flooding. It wasn’t until we all got out of bed an hour later did we realize just how serious the flooding was. The north side of town had reported cases of 10+ inches of rain. Houses floated off foundations. Fire trucks completely submerged. Areas I have never seen underwater were underwater. The pictures and video coming in over social media were terrifying and amazing.

Yvette and the kids were heading o Dallas to drop off Teegan at the airport so they were worried because that was the general direction they needed to travel. I called my friend Paul the Electrician who lived north of town and was on campus call. I knew he had to commute that that stretch. He said the roads outside of town were passable. A few areas where the water was over the road about 2-3 inches. The real trouble was getting in and out of town, you had to detour. This gave Yvette some confidence, which she needed.

4th of July movie. I watched “28 Days Later” twenty-three years ago. Great film. Reenergized the Zombie horror franchise forever, even though there isn’t a single zombie in the film. In the film there are “infected”. A man made viral outbreak. Damn good film and damn scary. Here we are years later and the same writing/directing due are back for a follow up film set 28 Years Later. The movie was really good and I’m sure it wasn’t what many theater attendees were expecting. Much more family drama and coming of age. I really liked it. The group of 7 guys drinking down the aisle from me were also rather comical. First time at the movies where a group of people were actively getting drunk. Haha

After the movie I made a return for Yvette, grabbed some gas and obtained a hotdog for a late lunch. What is the 4th of July without at least one hotdog. It couldn’t be helped. I did a little grocery shopping, went and visited my mother and pretty much did nothing else but watch Independence Day on Amazon. What a damn fine movie that has aged like a fine wine. It baffles the mind that it is now almost 30 years ago when I saw this movie in a crowed theater with my family. It is a cornerstone in my movie experiences as a child. I never would have thought that I would be watching it every year for the rest of my life. Which I have, BTW.

Happy Friday!!

Jalapeño.

Grilled steak bits, shrimp and a summer pasta.

Buffalo chicken pasta.

Marinara gnocchi with broccolini.

Steak bowl.

Birria rice bowl.

Saturday we had the big ONE year party for Alaya!! Lola went to the venue early to finish setting up while we kind of did our own thing leading up to the party at 1. It’s probably a good thing that the original location were assholes and double booked. That was going to be primarily outside and it was freaking windy Saturday. Shit would have been blowing all over the place.

The part was really fun. My other mother Georgia came with my mom. She has been a part of my life since I was at least 2. Her son, my brother Samuel also came with his with a son. We had been trying to get Alaya and Alex together for a while now but something comes up. Usually one of them being asleep. Yvette’s side of the family really turned up for the party but very few of the fathers. Weird because we had expected about 30 more people. Oh well. Alaya had a damn blast. The bounce house that is now ours will be a hit for birthdays to come. The food was fantastic. It was a joyous occasion that we will all cherish even if she doesn’t remember.

After the party we let the sleepy girl see her presents. She was grifted with so much. I went to the store and my mother’s. Came home and made something with leftovers and waited for the bombs

The great US of A decided to bomb Iran. Don’t get me wrong, fuck Iran. But we don’t need another fucking WAR!! Israel isn’t a nation we need to defend. They are committing genocide. We are on the wrong side of history. I hate this administration. I never had such a distaste for politics until the orange fuck came into office. What the fuck is wrong with us!!! The rest of the world is watching and we are the fools. How is this supported. I’m embarrassed for our country. We are better than what we have let ourselves become. I hope it comes as no surprise to everyone that supports this move when our fragile economy once again takes a nose dive into the sewers. The only pockets getting filled are the assholes in charge.

Sunday we all decided it would a good time to go ahead and top off with some gas. Due to the politics of the world being completely FUBAR, gas prices will likely be on the rise after Saturdays nights bombing. Iran is already planning on cutting off 20% of the world’s gasoline. Yay, Trump. My god, the reality which we live.

After gazing up, eating breakfast and cleaning we made a trip to the pool with the little lady. She tried out one of her birthday gifts, a flotation device. She does love the water and I’m happy we have the luxury of providing her a place to swim. The pool was pretty deserted. It was windy and partly cloudy so I guess people thought it too cold. I thought it was perfect. Yvette and I really don’t get into the water so the weather conditions were ideal for us poolside loungers.

Yvette and I stopped by my mother on our way out. I’d say we just sat around a visited for about an hour. This is something I generally do everyday so it was nice to have Yvette with me. She usually has too much going on after work to join me. She asked me afterwards “ is that what you and your mom do, just sit around and talk?” Yep. Just that. Haha.

Monday oh Monday. I woke up very well rested. On the way to work a little bitty squirrel couldn’t make up its mind if it was crossing g the street or not. Back and forth this little guy made until I was right upon him. Cu-clunk. I made the mistake of looking into the damn rearview mirror. He wasn’t dead. He was flopping all over the road. It broke my heart. Why oh why did that have to happen. It’s been years since I have hit a squirrel. I hate that. Why not a clean death. I know I’m a little sensitive to animal suffering. It haunts me.

Game of Thrones. Teegan and I had the house and dinner to ourselves so we decided to start the show from the first season. We blazed through 3 episodes. I realized that the first season aired the same year I started working on campus. That was 2011. That was a life ago. Insane. So much has happened in that time. Every Sunday my ex-wife and I went to my parent’s house with a pizza and we watched the show. That was the beginning. Eventually my dad lost his mind and my mother moved. So I liked starting it over with Teegan. It was great getting to the beginning with a new life. We have a lot to watch.

I was consistently busy during the week. Contrary to what everyone thinks, summer is generally our busiest time of year. End of year spending and projects that can only be done with the students gone keeps us on our feet running. Damn shame because summer is the time of year that I feel compelled to do jack shit because of the scorching temperatures. What a bummer.

The time has finally come for my youngest brother to have to put his dog Django down. I’m heartbroken for him. The poor beautiful Django was just unable to get up and move around anymore. Quality of life was minimal and pain was very likely. What kills is the dog still has the mind to want to live on. I dread the day I have to make a similar decision. It didn’t go well. The dog was not sedated before they began to administer the meds so he howls in fear and they placed a muzzle on him. My brother was traumatized, rightfully so. I was pissed. It hurts my heart even thinking about it. I made sure to give my pups some extra love when I got home on Wednesday.

Thursday was a special day for me. I was to go see another doctor. Yay. I hate being bounced around. The thing is at least I feel fine. To be fair, after seeing the doctor I actually felt better. Pissed, but better. The anxiety subsided. For a week I had been catching myself zoning out. Worrying you might be fucked is much worse than learning you might be fucked. Most medical situations are out of one’s hands so why stress. Yvette was there with me for the appointment and I love her more than my own life for that. Mainly gained context until the next doctor in San Antonio. Fucked up back…. Haha🙄 We went for a drinks dna treat after the doctor.

Fuck Friday. Actually, Friday was AMAZING. The first truly free day I’ve had mentally. Grade A+ performance review. Zero anxiety or stress. Yvette and I had a grand ole time. Sadly, no Alaya. She went to Dallas with her momma. Quiet evening.

Happy Friday!!!

Jalapeño

Leftover chicken and rice from the party repurposed with some grilled peppers and onions topped with some queso.

Chicken fiesta salad. leftovers from the birthday party once again repurposed.

Supreme pizza lasagna and Caesar salad. It was just Teegan and I.

Chicken fried steak.

Tapatios with Fidel.

Korean BBQ chicken.

Saturday morning I was going to a Trump protest with my mom. Our first protest. I thought it was awesome that my 71 year old mother and her friend were picking me up for a protest. We were not sure what we would be encountering. It was a very pleasant surprise.

The crowd was on our side. So so many really cool people. Such a diverse crowd. You had republicans, democrats, independents. All skin color. All ages. Vietnam vets. Everyone was so amazing. The signs were great. Everyone was so nice. We all had a mutual disdain for the orange man and his policies. Anyone familiar with the current political climate knows why so many people are alarmed. He has used the military to police the people of the United States. He is unhinged at best. “Dear Leader” has amassed a fucking cult of followers. These are intellectuals. I truly don’t understand how anyone could consider his actions to be on the right side of history. That’s why the protest was needed. We had at least 300 people. I really felt proud of my little town and our voices. It will be a cherished memory with my mother, to boot. We both did something important that’s we had never done before that was sooooo far from our comfort zones.

I actually ran into some very old friends. Some of which I had not seen in over 10 years. Maybe the last time I saw them was at my ex-wife and our wedding. It was great to see them. Greg was my man back in the day. He was a therapist/bartender. The best bartender. It made my heart swell seeing him at this kind of event. happily gathering peacefully together to oppose a horrible person holding a powerful position. James was the other old friend that I saw. It also doesn’t surprise me to see him at such a gathering. Like minded people.

The rest of the day I spent with my beautiful wife. We laid around. Went shopping. Cooked. Watched a scary movie. Saturday was an amazing day.

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers. I suppose I get to celebrate? I don’t know. Alaya got back into town with her momma. I missed that baby. The kids got me a shirt that I love and I was grateful for. I didn’t even think about Father’s Day being something for me. It was a mostly mellow day. I picked up breakfast. I sprayed weeds. Shopped. Slept. It was just chill. My stomach was a little our of whack but that was my own fault. Eating an entire can of bean dip while sleep walking will leave one a little on the ill side. That night Yvette took care of dinner and she made one of my favorite of her meals, chicken enchiladas. I meal prepped for Teegan making some really yummy chicken breast. That was the weekend.

Monday was a day from hell. I was tired. It was hot. Stuck in the office time didn’t want to budge. I hate these weeks. I had a few people ask me about the protest. I told them what it was about and all the details that I could supply. They all had a different idea in their heads what it was. I guess the media portrayed it in an angry light. Typical. Nothing angry about it.

I did finally view the results of my MIR. No change in the cyst size. He does want me to go ahead and schedule a colonoscopy. Great… I was hoping to put that off for a few more years but I understand. I have never had one and they have started screening folk at a younger age. It’s a good precaution. When I actually get around to scheduling it thought… that’s another story.

I was out running errands after work on Wednesday and this number just kept calling and calling. I have a habit of not answering unknown numbers so I didn’t. I received a text from my ex wife telling me my dogs were out and someone had them. I called and they had only made it a block. The couple that had them were nice enough to walk them home and thankfully Yvette pulled into the driveway at the same time because I could t reach anyone. I guess the door to the kitchen didn’t latch and the garage was opened. They had a little unsupervised walk and thank god they stuck together and came to a stranger. I would have been devastated to come home to them missing. Thank the lord for good pedestrians.

Juneteenth! The 19th was not only an important holiday but it was Alaya’s birthday. She turned 1!!! How this little girl was already a year old went over all of our heads. In the morning she was presented with some gifts and I assume she had a pretty good day. We took her out for some steak dinner that night and we had one heck of a party. I kid, but some of us did eat steak. I love this little girl.

Friday was bumpy. The venue double booked us for Alaya’s birthday party so we basically had a day to come up with a new place to host it. What a mess. It was a messy day in general. Owen got into some cake mix that basically took an hour to clean up. He is not liked at this moment. Everything worked out. Lola procrastinated so they were busy working on the party late. I had a headache so I was pretty much cashed out. I only live here. All I know it that it will all be fine when it’s said and done. We did find a little baby deer.

Happy Friday!

Jalapeño

Chimichurri steak & shrimp.

Chicken enchiladas.

Mongolian beef noodle bowl, per Teegans request.

Hibachi on the grill, also per Teegans request.

Shrimp Po Boy. Noah and Nadia came over. I had no idea how much a mess and how damn difficult this meal was to make.

Birthday girl dinner. Chili relleno.

Stuffed salmon w/ broccoli cheese rice and peas.

Saturday marked Yvette and I being married for 6 months. What a deal. I made us some breakfast and we spent most the morning being lazy. It was already to hot outside to do much in the yard.

Bring Her Back. A horror movie I was looking forward to seeing due to the reviews stating how absolutely fucked up it was. Christ, it sure didn’t ease you in. The fucked up began about 5 minuets in and never let up. I’m talking extremely hard to watch at times. I understand why the media reported walkouts. At its core it’s a story of grief and what measures one might take to “bring her back”. What a film. It had been a long time since I walked out of a movie feeling a little in shock by what I had just watched. I satisfied.

Saturday night Yvette and I were going on a date. Taqueria Jalisco. Usually we just order a few tacos. This trip we decided upon plates. I had chicken verde enchiladas and she had chimichangas. Both fantastic. We had the house to ourselves and it was a relaxing evening.

Sunday was another lazy morning. I watered all the indoor and outdoor plants and pissed off the family of finch that are nesting in my fern. They were noisy about me watering. I’m almost certain that they will end in a tragic scenario right out of the nest. Not enough room to practice and that means something, likely my dogs, will eat them. It makes me a tad bit sad. (SPOILER: they didn’t make it.)

Teegan, Yvette my mother and I all went out for some lunch at Zero One Al House. It had been a little while. This was a Sunday tradition for years. I ended up with some tuna poke and was completely satisfied. Everyone else seemed happy with their orders. It was a fun time with good conversation.

After lunch I went tot eh car wash to vacuum out Yvette’s car. The back seat was riddled with Nerds. Little pink candy all over the place. I’m sure that was a product of Alaya. Yvette called me and said she needed a ride from her grandparents. When I arrived it was her and all the aunts. I wasn’t hot and I was grilled by them. I was also anxious. I don’t know why. We needed to run by SAM’s. On the way we made two stops to get a few more sheep. One was the bar, Blain’s, which I had not been inside of in probably 20 years. Yvette and I decided it was a good time to stop and have a beer. The place was not what I remembered. It was just a hole in the wall. Oh well, it was fun and sent me down memory lane.

After SAM’s I went to visit my mom and eventually came home for dinner. We didn’t have anything planned so I dug through the freezer and found what I needed to make a pretty damn good meal. Yvette and Lola were at the store and Teegan in his room so I ate in bed while watching my show, Silo. It was a good enough time.

Monday was a damn fine day. Work was relatively smooth and I had a full nights rest. Lots of stupid did happen but that’s just called working on a college campus.

The week went by like a blur. I was busy enough that it almost reached the point that I couldn’t tell you what day I did what. I guess that’s a good thing. We had a morning meeting that was a waste of time. I really didn’t do much of the cooking, which was weird. Yvette worked on of the many camps on the campus so I didn’t see as much of her. Plus side of that is I obtained free breakfast and leftovers to hand out to the people I work with. They seemed to appreciate it. The rain saved me having to water my grass a few days.

Some dick weed started a rumor that Yvette and I were already getting a divorce. I say rumor. It was more like someone told someone and that someone asked Yvette’s dad on campus. I think it was someone just intentionally trying to stray shit because we do t have any problems and we certainly do talk about our personally lives at work. It made me laugh and a little mad. It upset Yvette more. I just believe the people that know us know that’s it isn’t true so why care. Some people are just sad little things.

Alaya finished up her swim sessions and as a reward was gifted a little ASU shirt for her hard work. She did so good and I was so happy they had the lessons on campus where I was able to watch from afar. I’m so proud of this little girl. She is growing up way too fast.

Happy Friday!!

Jalapeño

Digging through the freezer I found some Gorgonzola gnocchi and a steak I added some broccoli and mushrooms. Turned out to be pretty fantastic.

Yvette made meatloaf, green beans and mashed potatoes.

Chicken street tacos.

Yvette made her lasagna.

Grilled tuna bowl.

Saturday morning I made some breakfast for us all. Poached eggs with hollandaise sauce over steak w sausage biscuit, hash brown & broccolini. . I got the shovel out and got to digging. After all the rain and runoff I finally decided to try and do something about it. I was tired of cleaning up all the debris off my granite landscape. I installed a French drain. If it helps I’ll add another. This hopefully is a solution to my problem for the time being.

Yvette, Alaya, Lola, Cameron & I went to go see Lilo & Stitch. One of the few Disney live action remakes I was actually looking forward to. The movie was good. Really, it was rather sad. I guess most Alaya did well. She got a little restless towards the last quarter of the film but that’s expected of a “not yet” 1 year old.

After the movie we went by the Mexican market next door and Lola picked out some fine fine steak. I’ve always wanted to try the meat market but I have never really been able to tell what anything is, haha. Little Alaya had a bit of a temperature when we got home and we gave her some baby drugs. She felt better and we started cooking. The steak was damn fantastic. I don’t have a clue what they marinade it in or for how long. It was so damn tender.

Sunday Yvette and I ran around the town. We went to a total of 3 different grocery stores before finally saying that we were done. That night Noah was bringing over all equipment to have a shrimp broil at our house. I guess he just didn’t want to do it at his own. I can get that. Yvette and I provided the shrimp.

The broil was a lot of fun. It was fucking hot. I don’t guess we finally all finished the nights love until close to midnight. Not exactly my mellow aundau

Monday night after dinner I was having an adult beverage on my back porch when I suddenly hear someone lay on a car horn quickly followed by a succession of 5 gun shots. It didn’t take long for my family to come outside. We got the dogs and went inside, locked up, and armed ourselves. It was a good enough time to get dad’s old .357 out. Fortified, I watched out the window. I counted 4 city cop cars and one state trooper. I don’t know what was going on and still am in the dark. Crazy. We live in a good neighborhood. You just never know these days.

After one really bumpy hump day I decided to got to happy hour. I had a headache that only a beer and fried mushrooms could abate. Once I get the taste of fried mushrooms with a cold beer in my noggin it’s hard to not follow through. I tried to convince Yvette to go with me but she was just far too spent and only wanted to go home. I understand that completely. I had my mushrooms and my beer and felt a little bit more stable on this fine planet called Earth. I wonder if I’d been able to have my coffee that morning it the day would have been so spotty.

It was a birthday week. My Aunt Susie. My nephew Teddy. My mothers. My own damn birthday. So many Gemini in this family. I was proud of my mother. She went out with friends for a little shopping, lunch and some wine. She said she had a really good birthday and that just makes me so happy. I had no idea what I wanted or even cared to do for my own birthday. Usually I take the day off from work but this year I decided against that. It was on a Thursday. I was told to figure out where I wanted to eat and I honestly couldn’t care. I had a family this year to celebrate with me and that was new. Yvette made me a great dinner and we just spent quality time together. I got some new Birkenstocks. It was a great birthday. I felt loved.

Friday was the day of my MRI. My birthday present to myself. I hate them. This will be my third in 2 years. They want 3D imagery of my pancreas again just to keep and eye on it. This time I took an Ativan to help relax. As noisy as the machine fucking is, I sort of dosed off a little. I was so relaxed. The next thing I know is it’s over and they are removing my IV. What a deal. Since I had not had anything to eat or drink since breakfast, my mom and I went out for lunch. A little place I’ve wanted to attend and now will again. The chips were amazing.

Happy Friday!!!

Jalapeño

Steak from the Mexican meat market with homemade guacamole, peppers, and noodles. Damn good.

Shrimp broil.

Joy dogs!!!

Pizza!!

Burger bowl.

My beautiful sweet wife made me one heck of a birthday dinner. This is what I needed. I love her so much.

Grilled chicken rice bowl.

Damn. I had to go back to work. What an awful slow day it was. It didn’t look like much people actually came to work. Those that didn’t take Friday off took Tuesday off. That’s how I would have done it. Give yourself a 3 day work week. Memorial weekend was my go to holiday when my dad was still around. You see, his birthday was always celebrated in Alpine, Tx.

After work I prepped for dinner. All the kids would be over and I really hoped that the brisket I cooked the day before would be okay reheated. If dry, BBQ sauce it up. Thank god it wasn’t dry. The meal seemed to be a hit.

Late night storms arrived and Lola went to seek shelter for her new car. I don’t blame her. I saw damage done just a few miles south from yesterday’s storm. Better safe than sorry. It’s that time of year that you never know. We have consistently had terrible hail in late May. Heck, my roof was replaced from the storm last May.

Wednesday was another day. I was tired from the storms and got a late start. I dragged my sad ass I to work. Mostly the day was uneventful. So eventually when an opportunity presented itself I took on someone else’s jog that required driving a forklift across the campus. All went smooth and I met Seth to get a pallet of paper to the print shop. The problem arose when I was trying to get back to our lot.

I was making a turn and being a little unfamiliar with just how responsive this lift was, one of the back wheels went off the sidewalk. It has been raining the last few night. That fucker sank right in. FAST. I felt it go and tried to gun it but it was too late, the opposite front end while was off the ground. I was stuck and not exactly happy. That’s what I get for volunteer work.

Seth and I tried various methods to find traction without any luck. We even added weight with paper from the print shop. We didn’t realize that the damn thing had sunken so much that it was bottomed out on the sidewalk. So we tried towing it. The strap broke. We tried again from behind and it bunged until we reached the sidewalk. Hit it like a dam.

I really didn’t want to get people involved but I had no more choice. My good friend Paul the electrician saw us and came to see what the problem was. Luckily he had the number for the main man Kimble in the garage. To my rescue he came. Seth and I went inside and waited in the AC until that came. We bullshitted. I was happy Seth stuck around. I needed the company. Kimble arrived with a backhoe. Let’s just say that did the trick. I raised the forks, he drove the bucket into them and all it took was a simple nudge. I was free. Still feeling a bit embarrassed I drove the left back. Carefully. Not to make the same mistake.

After work Yvette and I collectively agreed that both of our days warranted having a drink. Good lord. We went to a joint called Shenanigans and had a beer and some fried mushrooms. We relaxed and both discussed the BS that we had to endure. It felt good.

Thursday was a little more active because Seth took off which allowed me to do his job as well as mine. I was happy with that, especially in the morning. Nothing really of note to talk about. It was a better day than the one before.

I say nothing of note. I should mention it was my father’s 75 birthday had he still been in this place of existence. I do miss him and he weighed heavy on mind. I even found myself listen to his music. I had his drink. I made his mom’s meatballs. It’s a damn shame he wasn’t here to celebrate in person. I try not to hate the heavens for taking him away the way they did and it’s hard. He would laugh at me for such a thought and probably say something profound. Cheers, dad.

Overall the week was much cooler than it should have been. It was humid to make up for the lack of high temps. We did get 3 nice somewhat scary storms. I’m sure Lola is tired of seeking shelter for her car. If she would help me clear her stuff out of the garage she could simply park in there.

Friday was cool and gloomy. Yvette was off. Yes, she only had a 3 day week but it was a hell of a 3 day week. The day was wild for her. I suppose she really wasn’t off work but working from home. She actually did have to go in for a random meeting. It was a bummer and I’m happy my job doesn’t follow me home after hours.

Happy Friday!

Jalapeño

Brisket, chicken thigh, sausage, pasta salad, beand and street corn.

Tapatios with Spanish rice.

Noodles and meatballs with some Italian broccolini.

Korean BBQ steak.

Saturday was a damn busy day. Teegan left with Noah to San Antonio and I was left alone at home with the dogs. I didn’t know how weird an empty house would be. It was weird. The strangest thing was the empty bed. Months waking up next to someone and suddenly not. How strange that felt. I had a loneliness settle over me. I had wondered what it would be like separated from everyone. I had a lot of things I could be doing but I really didn’t know what to do. I felt a little lost. I’m sure that’s weird to everyone. They are my family and I missed them all.

Since I wasn’t cooking breakfast and I didn’t feel like making something for myself, I decided to hit up a local joint. The place has been around as long as I’ve been able to walk, Mr. T’s. I have a lot of history with this little place and I’ve seen it change over the years. Saturday was my first time in the establishment in probably 10 years. Even longer since I’ve had their breakfast. Last week I had two separate friends that don’t know each other praise the breakfast. What better time to give it a whirl.

When I was a little boy I lived fairly close to Mr. T’s. After school I’d ride my bike there and get candy or a milkshake. Delicious milkshakes. Back in the late 80s & early 90s the place was a little corner store where you could also get groceries. It was a fairly cute place. The only time I’ve ever stolen something was in the store when I was probably 10. I was with some friends and on a date I took some candy. A single atomic fireball, to be exact. It wasn’t a big loss for them but it’s stuck with me forever. I guess I’m the one that paid the price for that little boys dare.

Eventually it became more of a diner. They had burgers and sandwiches. Chicken fried steak. In high school I practically lived off the loaded cheese fries. I honed so much weight it was disgusting. Just about everyday after school I still went to Mr. T’s just like I did as a little boy, but now I ate cheese fries.

I my college days I still occasionally picked up something to go. Often a breakfast burrito to help me out of a hangover. They had the most amazing breakfast burritos. I wonder if that’s has changed.

After college the ownership changed hands and it went down hill. They began trying new things that didn’t work and they completely stepped away from the milkshakes, which pissed me off greatly at the time. I don’t even drink milkshakes anymore, but how dare they take away something I held precious’s from my youthful days. I stopped going.

I’d heard ownership had once again switched hands and the place was good again. They went back to basics but they also began trying new things. New things that fit with the old menu. They also started up a larger breakfast menu like they had in the past. So after hearing how good it was that’s how I found myself eating eggs Benedict Saturday morning. It was indeed fantastic.

After my wonderful meal I for some reason mowed my backyard. Pissed off at how much dirt in the yard, I ran off and bought $100 worth of Bermuda grass. It was impulsive but as it turns out the weather next week is favorable for such a move. Cool temps and rain. I tilled the soil and laid the sod. I hate laying sod. I told myself years ago I wouldn’t do it once I was out of the landscape business but I’ve done it a handful of times since. I was supposed to have a pallet delivered a month ago that never came. Now it’s almost too damn hot.

I get busy in the yard and lose track of time. I had a graduation party to attend for brother-in-law’s oldest daughter. I made good time if not still a little late. Who really cares, I made it. I think people were surprised to see me at a family event without Yvette with me. I feel comfortable with her family. Hell, I needed to represent our little family since everyone else was out of town.

It was an Italian buffet. Yvette made the lasagna and I must say it was the best thing served. Everything else was basically slow cooker or frozen meals. So much pasta. The cake I also had to try. I did walk in and Yvette’s dad offered me a beer. I gladly accepted one and then another. It was a good time and I was happy for the family. I don’t see them enough to really consider the nieces but they technically are by our marriage. That means I take pride in them doing well. This family is so much different than the one I had with my ex wife. They all like each other.

After the party, Yvette had some spare time to call me before the baby photo session. It was great hearing from her. Sounds like they were having a pretty good time. Nadia got herself a new ride. She needed something different with baby Niles now here. Teegan also found one that he was interested in but wasn’t able to test drive. Sounds like a good weekend. I sure did miss everyone. I was happy that they were having a good time.

I made a run to the store and grabbed some goods for Monday slow cooking. Brisket. I was running out to my moms to pick up a sprinkler head and I decided to stop and have a beer at a place I use to frequent, City Limits. I recognized one bartender that I hadn’t seen in ages but that’s about it. When was the last time I was at City? Was it when I was returning the mimosa tower after our wedding? I really think it might have been. Back in the murkier days of my divorce I found great solace there, and I must say I’m happy to have left the place and those days behind me. I was nice to see the place but I have a feeling the stigma will always remain.

At home I made myself a drink and went outside to water my new grass. Damn if it wasn’t still freaking hot outside. I was happy to go back inside and begin my dinner. I made a jalapeño chicken stir fry. A meal that the rest of the family would die trying to eat. It certainly was hot. After that I crawled into bed and turned on a show I was watching here and there. Silo. It was a rather busy long day and I was actually tired. I tried calling Yvette before turning the lights out but her phone was not really working all that well. I think it’s almost time for a new phone, sadly.

Sunday morning I woke up and made a little chorizo and egg taco for myself. I watered the yard and enjoyed some coffee. Around 11 my mother called to inform me that my brother and his friends were passing through town and that it was time to have lunch. My stomach was full and honestly not happy, but I attended anyways. I wanted to see them, stomach be damned. We went to Armenta’s and I was able to see Monte and Anna and my brother, Chris. The food was indeed excellent as always. Unfortunately for me, I was really struggling. Nevertheless, I made it through lunch and had a good time. I was not about to miss them.

I might not have a twin, and Chris might be a little younger than I, but I feel a brother bond with him that is something only first and second born brother must know. I miss him immensely. I miss my brother Keith, but our relationship is not the same as Chris and I. Keith has a family. I suppose I do too. There was a time I did not, and Chris and I had each other. Chris helped me so much during some dark days of my life. I would do anything for him or Keith if they asked. I would be lost without either of them.

I rushed home after lunch, sick as hell. Afterwards I cleaned the floors and our bathroom. The floors I wanted to be clean for Yvette so she didn’t feel compelled to clean when they got home later in the day. My lord, they needed to be cleaned. I didn’t realize how dirty they were. Who ever does. Damn 3 dogs track in so much BS.

Yvette, Lola and Alaya finally made it into town around 4 (Teegan stayed with his brother another night in San Antonio) and I suggested we go to the pool to let Alaya have some fun. After decompressing for a while we all go swim ready. Alaya had the time of her life. She is a little water dog and I’m so happy for that. Next week she actually begins swim lessons on campus. No fear of the water with this little girl. It was nice for us all to get a little wet on such a warm day. A few drinks went down and just a fan time for a little girl.

I was happy they were home. God I was happy. It was time to cook. Carne al pastor tacos w/ street corn. It was an evening mostly spent with laughs and cooking. They wanted some silly Mormon show on Netflix which I could not help get sucked into just like a damn car accident pulls y,our head to the side. I pulled away and sent back to the show I was watching, Silo. Lola eventually went out and left us with a sleeping beauty.

Memorial Day was the definition of a lazy ass day. I woke up and made omelets for 3 and started a brisket. Time to got be lazy again. I lounged around until after 1 and didn’t leave the house until 2. It turned out the cooking of the brisket could have been put off. It was Yvette’s mom’s birthday so we were all going out for dinner. Well we had dinner for tomorrow.

Yvette forgot what day it was. She had a hair appointment an hour before the birthday party. Teegan got back into town. He had a good time and we hung out until the party started. Wait a second! A storm! We were postponed!! It actually hailed. Little hail. I felt helpless with 3 cars that didn’t need to get damage. Luckily it never became sever.

Teegan and I showed up at the dinner late because of mix signals. We were told to wait because the weather was potentially dangerous. Yvette sent me a text to go seek shelter and cover the cars. No one really seemed to know what was going on. When we walked in it was a full house. All the family except Yvette. I think they had been waiting on us to order and I felt bad. Oh well. It was a good time. Teegan and I were on the very end so we kind of missed out on any real conversation. The food was great and I really do not know how the hell they get it out so damn fast.

After dinner it was time for the final episode of Teegan and my show, The Last of Us. We were both excited but sad that it would be 2026 before we could watch it again. The even sadder realization was that Teegan would be in college and we would not be watching it together. That is some bullshit right there. We really hadn’t thought of that. I guess we FaceTime. I don’t even know. Damn bummer. The episode was good but also a real bummer. Fuck.

So Memorial Day weekend. It was good. It was different. It was fast. I missed my family and then they came back and I was happy to be surrounded by them. Being the first weekend without them I now see how big a part they play in my life. I missed the noise. The drama. The love. The baby. I missed them. So yeah, Monday was nice when everyone was back. It was a nice weekend.

I hope all of you had just as good a weekend.