I finally took down a tree I’d been eyeballing for years — a hackberry. Nothing but a big weed, really. I just didn’t think we needed it anymore. It was messy and ugly. Sure, it once provided a bit of shade, but now everything else around it has grown enough to cover that.
The removal started with the smaller branches. I hacked them off and bagged them up. The main trunk — the beast — needed the chainsaw to come out of retirement. It got the job done, but just barely. I really need to get the blade sharpened — maybe it’s time to finally invest in a gas-powered one. I’ve held off because this little guy’s always managed to pull through, but I’ve got some bigger projects coming up, and he just isn’t up for it.
After dumping the larger portions of the tree, I took Yvette’s car to get vacuumed — lots of sand in there from the trip. I did what I could, but damn, those sand grains really settle in. Still, I think it looks good now. Definitely better than it did.
After a quick stop at the store, I made lunch for us. Yvette had already made something, but I didn’t want the pork to go to waste, so I whipped up some nachos for Teegan and me. We were both hungry, and the meal hit the spot.
That evening, everyone had something different for dinner. I don’t know what was going on — it was a busy night, and I was extremely tired.
Sunday we went over to my in-laws’ house for lunch — ribs, sausage, and mac salad. Roger and I ended up watching a Spanish grilling show that I found really entertaining. I can understand some Spanish, but what really helped was that I could still follow what was going on, even if I didn’t catch every word. I think we watched four episodes. The rattlesnake one was the best. Just ask Yvette.
The rest of the day was pretty lazy. We picked up some printed photos from the trip, and I made more nachos for the kids and Yvette — Lola and Yvette didn’t have any on Saturday. I just had leftovers; we had plenty. The day flew by, and before I knew it, it was time for bed.
I woke up actually ready to go to work — I was really surprised. I guess I felt reinvigorated. I was the first one up, made breakfast and coffee, and even had time to just chill before work. I like that. Too often, my mornings feel rushed. I don’t think the rest of the household shared the same sentiment — it was pretty clear once people started to stir.
Work started off okay. The morning was slow, so I had time to catch up. When things finally picked up, I had to adapt — it seemed someone had misplaced the equipment I needed to make the day go smoothly. It was fine though; what can you do?
Yvette worked through lunch, so I joined her at the office. I ate a smorgasbord of leftovers and made her a carb-loaded sandwich — a yummy one. I’m used to eating on my own schedule, so I was really hungry by then.
I got through the afternoon by staying busy. That wasn’t hard — this is a busy time of year when things actually happen. I ended up talking a lot. Not sure why. Maybe people just wanted to hear about our vacation.
by the time evening came around, I was exhausted. I prepped dinner — made sauce and rice — then went out for gas. After that, I finished making dinner, and that was about it for the day. Long day, especially right after vacation.
Until Dawn. The boys watched this movie on vacation, but I only caught bits and pieces. Still, it was enough to pique my interest. I finally sat down to watch it, and it turned out to be a pretty enjoyable horror film. The premise: if the characters don’t survive until dawn, they’re doomed to relive the same night over and over, each time being hunted by a different “thing.” It’s a slasher with a cool gimmick — and sometimes, that’s all I need. Nothing deep. Just fun. I’d recommend it for anyone looking for a quick, straightforward horror flick.
We got a last-minute invitation to a family birthday party Tuesday. Yvette and Lola went, but with such short notice, I decided to pass. Honestly, I didn’t want to spend the money — especially since I didn’t really have any after our vacation. The bills were milking my account dry.
I was planning to stop by my mom’s anyway, so I asked about her dinner plans. She said she was going to make an egg roll stir-fry. Perfect. It was too much food for just her, and the perfect amount for two. We had a nice dinner together — I think I stayed for about two hours.
Wednesday morning pissed me off. I had to do a job that normally requires at least two people. It’s just way more efficient, less time-consuming, and frankly, easier with help.
Anyway, right from the start, things that shouldn’t have gone wrong started going wrong. Typical. Let’s just say that after about an hour on a task that should’ve taken 20 minutes, I was definitely not a happy camper.
So, I took a sabbatical in the restroom and caught up on my social media. I honestly couldn’t care less what my coworkers were doing in my paid absence. Fuck them.
That evening in ran by Sonic. I was craving a cherry limeade. I was tired, irritated and really needed to clear my thoughts so I went to a park and sat on a swing for a little while. It was quiet and what I needed. Relaxation. Yvette was cooking so I had some time. I enjoyed the breeze through the trees. The sound of children enjoying what’s left of summer. I enjoyed watching a dragonfly dance around me looking for its dinner. I just enjoyed the spot I found immensely at that moment. I found a little peace. I needed that peace.
That evening, after dinner, I sat down in the living room and put on The Other Guys — a great cop comedy from 15 years ago. I can’t believe it’s been that long. Sometimes it feels like my life has passed by in the blink of an eye. Where have the days gone? Where has my life gone?
Fifteen years ago, my life was so much different. Not better. Not worse. Simply different. I was only twenty-nine times around the sun. Fifteen years ago, I helped move my grandmother from her home in Ballinger, TX. Fifteen years ago, I was at my brother’s bachelor party, quickly followed by my diabetes diagnosis and a stay in the hospital. I was not yet married to my first wife, Bekah, nor was I employed at the college. My dog Riley was still my best friend. My father had yet to hit his head, an injury that accelerated his dementia. I was living a different life from the one I am now. Not better. Not worse.
Anyway, what a damn good movie — it really brought back some nostalgic memories. I’ve lived a good life, and I love where I am now. I love every new door when it opens. I love Yvette and this family. What a life.
I started using THC gummies medically for my neuropathy. Buy howdy does it seem to help. I still have numbness in my left foot but the shocking pain is almost nonexistent. Hell, it might be nonexistent. I swear cannabis is a miracle plant. I’ve been dealing with this pain for 3 years trying various bullshit and only a week into taking THC I’m better off. I really wonder what my initial hesitation was. Not only does my pain seem to have alleviated, I’ve also been in a better mood and just enjoyed my days much more. What a deal.
The end of the week was finally upon us. I have to say, the morning started out great. I woke up and watered the grass — it was relaxing and productive around the house. Then came work. Work was okay. It took me a little while to coordinate with Athletics about what I was trying to do. Eventually, after tracking them down, I explained my plan and had a few “meatheads” help me accomplish the task. The rest of the morning was just slow.
That day for lunch we hit up a traveling food truck that we missed that last go round, On The Hook. Fish & chips. Alaskan cod. Damn good. Two plates ended up feeding Yvette, Teegan and myself. It was a very happy lunch for us all. It actually made my day.
Nothing much left to say. Happy Friday!!!
Jalapeño
I made BBQ pulled pork nachos with my leftover ribs.
Chicken tetrazzini with broccolini.
Buffalo chicken pasta.
Steak bowls.
Egg roll stir fry rice bowl. Made this one with y momma.
Chicken fried steak with a baked potato and salad.
The weekend before a vacation, one often tries to get things done to avoid worrying about them upon return. My first major task was going to be the yard. The yard is important—you want your home to look occupied while you’re away. A well-kept yard attracts less attention than one left in a state of neglect.
I woke up and made a light breakfast, had some coffee, and watched the Weather Channel. The forecast looked favorable for our beach excursion. I needed to buy a new pump sprayer to tackle the weeds in the yard, so I took care of that before getting started. I knew I wouldn’t want to stop in the middle of the chore to go buy one, so it was best to handle it early. The yard work took a solid two hours.
I started off mowing, which is always a damn chore. I’ll definitely be getting a self-propelled mower if this one ever dies—not that I’m wishing for that. The damn thing was the cheapest mower I could find in town, under $100, and it’s lasted me over ten years. That’s a damn good bargain. It’s required very little maintenance, too.
I had to wage war on the fucking clovers once again. The bastards looked all but dead, but the recent rains must have invigorated them, because they came back with a vengeance. I sprayed and sprayed—hopefully, this will be the end of them.
After finishing up in the yard and cleaning up, Yvette and I went to meet my mom for lunch. We went to a fairly new Mexican restaurant—well, new to most of us. My mom and I had been once before, but it was Yvette’s first time. The atmosphere was really nice, and the food was stellar. It was nice having a small lunch with my mom; it reminded me of the old days, back when Yvette and I had just started dating.
It just so happened that one of my mom and Yvette’s favorite places to shop—The Carriage—was right next door. I was willingly dragged along for a bit of shopping. Yvette just browsed, but my mom walked out with a dress.
t was a fun little afternoon. Yvette and I drove around for a while, and I showed her a mostly deserted subdivision that never really took off—only four homes in the entire area. After that, we headed back home.
I ran a few errands before our trip and, as usual, ended up at the lily garden. Typical. I was a little let down—they’ve let it grow wild, and it really needs to be trimmed back. It’s still a sight, but I’m guilty of knowing what it once looked like.
I gathered up some groceries and grilled BBQ pork ribeye, beef sausage, grilled okra, and made jalapeño slaw. Everyone seemed happy with the spread. After dinner, Yvette and I went to Baskin-Robbins for a little ice cream date, followed by a nice 30-minute drive around the lake with the top down in my mom’s little VW Bug. It was a pretty night.
Sunday, we woke up early and made breakfast—chicken and waffles, a perfect blend of sweet and spicy. With a full belly, I took Hazel for a nice long walk on campus. The morning was pleasant, with a gentle breeze. I’ve missed our walks together, and I made sure to tell Hazel that, as long as it’s not too hot, we’re bringing back our Sunday walks.
I took Yvette’s car to Sam’s and filled up the tank for the trip. While I was there, I decided to check out the beer prices—and what do you know? I saved $10 on a 30-pack. Next up was cleaning out her car. Lots of water bottles—some not even opened. You want to travel in a clean car, especially since road trips only get messier, especially with a baby on board.
I met Yvette and Lola at Walmart to look for some beach gear. While there, I got an urgent low blood sugar alert. Damn, blood sugar. Rather than alarm my compadres, I tried to use mental exercise to stay calm. I didn’t have anything to eat, and I knew it wasn’t dropping much further, so I figured if I stayed cool, I could power through until we got back home. I might have been quiet and seemed disinterested in shopping, but I definitely made it through.
During the day, Yvette found some other college kids to take my couch. I liked that couch, but Yvette had a better one in the garage that just needed some cleaning. I spent a good while scrubbing that damn couch clean. I think her couch will grow on me—it’s a nice one.
My mom said she would take care of the pups while we were gone, so I loaded them up and drove out to her house. The dogs were excited for the drive and to see their friends. I was going to miss them, but at least I knew they were in good hands.
That evening, it was last-minute trip prep. I was tired, had a beer, and went to bed a little early. I was ready to get to the beach. Butterfly dreams, please.
To start the big day on the right foot, I picked up some Minie’s donuts and kolaches—always my preferred meal before hitting the road. It was 7 AM, and so far, we were looking good. I had my jet fuel and was ready for the long drive. I was taking the lead—at least until Austin. Yay!
We had a few bumps in the road. Just outside of Austin, I got pulled over by a cop for speeding—significantly speeding. Sixty-five in a fifty. Somehow, I only got a warning. No idea how. After Austin, I was on a roll, so I just kept driving. Everyone needed the rest, and I was in the zone.
Houston traffic is absolutely the worst. We made a quick stop at Buc-ee’s to get some gas and grub. What a hell of a place—a weird little circus disguised as a truck stop, known for its strange quirks and ridiculously nice restrooms. What a fucking trip.
We finally made it to Galveston after a brutal day of driving—the most I’ve done in years. We quickly made our way to the beach and played in the water. It was warm, as the Gulf of Mexico tends to be from my experience. I’ve been spoiled by the cooler Atlantic Ocean beaches, but I have to say, the Gulf is beautiful. I think we need to make more trips here.
After playing at the beach, we headed into the main part of town and found a restaurant my brother Keith recommended—the Black Pearl Oyster Bar. I was really craving oysters. The place was pretty damn fun—not fancy, just a dive with good seafood. I think I might start to grow fond of this town.
We arrived back at our getaway and made some drinks. The boys played corn hole, and Yvette and I played too. She kicked my ass, as she tends to do. It was a relaxing evening.
There was talk about waking up for the sunrise, but I guess everyone was just too tired from the trip because we all slept in. I was the only one awake, so I decided it was a good time to read. Our own little private balcony was the perfect spot. I grabbed my book and sat down—only to have my ass fall right through the chair. Someone had broken the damn seat and just placed a cushion on top. Well, there went my peaceful reading session on the balcony.
Once people began to stir, Yvette and I made some biscuits and sausage to make little sandwiches. I fired up the golf cart and decided to check out the pool. Damn the luck—it’s closed on Tuesdays for cleaning. I took the opportunity to explore the neighborhood and found a little spot on the bay side that might be fun for Teegan and Joseph to do some fishing.
It was time to hit the beach, so we chose a spot further down the line to have a safe place to park without worrying about getting stuck in the sand again. Who wants to deal with that? The beach was nice and calm, though a bit more crowded. I was having a great time on this vacation with the family.
A nice thing about this spot was that it just so happened to have a bar and grill right on the beach—the Tipsy Turtle. I’d already looked it up before our trip, and it was also a place my brother recommended we try. The vibe was straight-up beach bar: all wooden planks and benches, plus outdoor showers to rinse the saltwater off.
The beer was nice and cold after the swim, and the food was fantastic. Might have been some of the best fish tacos I can remember having—or maybe it was just because I’d worked up such an appetite after 2-3 hours of swimming. Either way, it was a great outing. Afterwards, everyone cleaned up and took little naps.
While everyone was out, I decided to drive around the island looking for other beaches to check out. I found a really cool, isolated one, but it required a long walk—and the people there were partying. With no beach houses nearby, it didn’t seem suitable for the little lady.
Eventually, everyone woke up and we made a little trip to the beach. Everyone was pretty tired. I was the only one who got in the water. Actually, I take that back—I took Alaya in with me. Everyone else walked along the beach and played catch. The little sand crabs started coming out, and we tried to catch them. I managed to grab one. You have to be delicate with those little guys.
That’s a day’s wrap. We ordered pizza and wings locally from another spot I found and my brother recommended—Mario’s. Fantastic. A few beers outside on a cool evening, and we were all done.
Getting the boys and Yvette to the pier for the early fishing expedition at 5:30 in the morning was something else. They needed to be there by 6:30. A little panic set in when the GPS started acting wacky, but it turned out Yvette hadn’t really looked at the map to see where we were supposed to be going, so it all worked out. I wish I could handle boats, but experience has taught me I get seasick like a motherfucker. I really didn’t want to risk it—I just wanted them to have fun.
After the drive back, I made some breakfast and coffee and just enjoyed a little time to myself before the baby woke up. It wasn’t clear skies on Wednesday, but oh well—that was actually expected. I did get to see the sunrise on the way back, so that was a nice little moment.
It hit me that Wednesday was really the end of our little trip. How fast time flies. Lola and Alaya went to the Moody Gardens aquarium, and I was dropped off at the main pier to begin my walk through downtown Galveston. The first thing I noticed were the cicadas. My lord—it had been a long time since I’d heard them like this.
The walk was pretty nice, if a little hot. I guess I was out on the streets for about two hours. The historic buildings were a sight to see, as were the art and the little shops. I saw a few turtles—Galveston has turtles like San Angelo has sheep. I stopped for a beer and a place to cool off and use the restroom. When I talked to Yvette, they had already docked, so I started walking toward the harbor. Turns out, I had no idea I’d walked across the entire damn island.
Once I met up with Yvette, we needed to find ice for the shark they caught out on the boat. Lola and Alaya joined us, and we all went to a Cuban restaurant called Habano’s Cuban Cafe. I ordered the Picadillo. Yvette had been excited for me to try some authentic Cuban food, and I’m happy to say I was impressed. The kids’ father is of Cuban descent, so they’re pretty familiar with the cuisine. I’ve had a little here and there and always enjoyed it.
We went back to the house, and I lounged around. Yvette did some laundry, Lola took a brief nap, and the boys went fishing a little longer. Eventually, we all got together for one final outing at the beach.
Teegan cooked up some of his fresh fish, and damn, was it amazing. While everyone got cleaned up, I took an order to pick up some carryout—an eclectic mix: burger, mahi tacos, green chicken enchiladas, and chicken strips. I think after a long day doing our own thing, some basic food just appealed to everyone. We went to a Mexican restaurant called Venados Cantina, a place we’d driven by so many times and was always packed. It was amazing.
We took some family pictures that I’m really proud of. We ate and enjoyed our last night in Galveston. Reflecting on the trip, it was a blast—I couldn’t have asked for more on a first family vacation. My biggest regret is that Noah wasn’t with us. All good things had to come to an end. Galveston is a fun town—laid back, great food, and beautiful beaches. We lucked out with some damn fine weather. Seriously, what an amazing time I had.
Thursday, I woke up to thunder and rain. On our final morning, we really just needed to load up the car. Cleaning and packing had mostly been taken care of the night before, leaving us with minimal things to do. I made eggs and enjoyed my final breakfast and coffee on the patio before we hit the road—the long road.
On the way out of town, we had to stop for souvenir shopping. I guess that’s something most families do? It’s not really my thing, but it definitely ate up some time trying to get out of town. As long as the kids had fun, that’s what mattered. I was just ready to knock out this dreadful drive back. My back was already starting to cramp—and we hadn’t even made it out of Galveston yet.
By the way—fuck Houston traffic. Good lord. It took us over an hour to get through that beast. We saw some reckless-ass driving. I swear we witnessed a car chase. I don’t know what it was about, but one car was clearly trying to get the hell away from another, and they were driving like absolute maniacs. It was honestly scary. Houston Hades, for sure.
Once we got out of that mess, we exited in Columbus to grab a quick bite—Whataburger! Some much-needed fuel for the empty tank. After that, it was back on the road. Next stop: Austin.
In Austin, we stopped by the mall—my favorite place in the world. Malls. I was tired, and my back was killing me. Unfortunately, I was all out of pain meds. What I really needed was some Aleve and a Red Bull. The mall did have one thing going for it: solid people-watching. Teegan was set on picking up some stuff for back to school, and I get it—there are a lot of stores we don’t have back home. I’ve never been one for fashion or worrying about how I look, so most of it was way over my head.
So I sought out a Red Bull and found myself a little spot in the food court to nurse some life back into my exhausted soul. It’s a happening mall with a lot going on. Damn shame I wasn’t hungry—some of the food actually sounded pretty good. I decided I’ll just wait until we got home to eat something, though what that something would be is anyone’s guess. I sure survived. . Still, damn shame the trip had to end.
What amazed me most about the mall—once boredom forced me to actually look around—was that only one store caught my eye: a rock and crystal shop. I guess I’m either totally out of touch or I just really hate malls that much. Honestly, I wanted to leave the second I stepped through the doors. Not exactly a high point of the vacation. It was definitely a test of my patience—and my sanity.
After the mall, I didn’t stop once—I just wanted to get off the road as soon as possible. I hate driving at night. I managed to avoid the curvy roads in the dark, but then I had to contend with the sun blasting me in the eyes. I know they had fun shopping, but damn, that delay really made the drive home feel that much harder.
Around 10:30, we finally made it back home. I found some food in the freezer, and Lola grabbed a frozen pizza for her and the kids. I was still wired from the drive. Noah and his friend John came over for a bit—I really wish he could’ve come along on the trip. We talked for a while, and eventually everyone but me went to bed. I couldn’t sleep. Probably a mix of caffeine and getting home so late. Like I said—wired.
It was a damn good trip. I was happy—but also a little sad—to be home. I’m glad everyone had a good summer vacation. Wait a minute… I might be home, but I’m still on vacation! What a deal!
I slept in Friday until 9:30 and still woke up tired. My mom dropped off my babies, Hazel and Owen. Good dogs—I missed them. She gave me a ride to pick up my car from the mechanic. Ouch. Damn mechanics. From here on out, I’m going to baby that car.
I came home and made everyone some basic omelets—sausage, green chilis, and cheese. Yvette’s tire pressure light came on while we were driving back, so I took the car to get it checked. Just what we figured—the sensor was the problem. She has a recall on it, and this wasn’t the first time we’ve dealt with this.
Since I was still on vacation, I figured I should go see a movie—a comedy. A true comedy. The Naked Gun. Liam Neeson is a favorite of mine, and I loved the originals. I grew up with those movies, and if anyone could fill those big shoes, I couldn’t think of a better choice. The movie itself was fucking GREAT! I was just happy to laugh at something stupid. Pamela Anderson surprised me—she was pretty hilarious. Don’t get me wrong, it had its cheesy moments, but so did the old ones. It was a short, sweet movie that I thoroughly enjoyed every one of its 85 minutes.
I started some pork ribs before the movie to slow cook, and that was our evening—a good, simple meal with minimal work involved. I had no idea how many people might show up, so I bought almost eight pounds of ribs. Cooking felt good—I was glad to be back home doing that. I was still tired, but that’s expected after a long trip like ours.
Happy Friday!!
Galveston Sea Turtles:
Jalapeño
Bbq pork ribeye, grilled okra & spicy slaw.
Made a vanilla waffle with some spicy chicken nuggets. Yummy.
Tapatio’s & Fidel.
Grilled tuna sandwich w/ onion rings.
Pizza and wings.
Noodles and chicken from the fridge after a LONG day traveling.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bike round up.
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.
Mexican steak from the market with rice and veggies.
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.
En Fuego 