Smelling the flowers

I found some tools to help with debt payoff. Mostly these tools give you a way to track the paydown, or let you decide upon a method, such as debt-snowball vs debt avalanche, and some offer a visual to see your progress in the way of graphs.

With a King Midas focus I was anxious to get to payday and have my scheduled payments fire off. I checked my bank account several times during the day yesterday, but none of the transactions were showing until today. I updated my spreadsheets and did some calculations; I have paid off $6,350.24 in credit card debt since 1/4/2018. :D It's worth noting that was a more dramatic payoff rate than what I'll be able to manage for the rest of the year, because I applied my tax return towards this debt.
 
Snow! We got dumped on last night and we're expecting another inch today. Big, fat flakes are floating past my window.

B is cooking dinner for us tonight. That's great, but I kind of was set on going out some place. Oh, well. It'll save money and that's great, plus it gives us more time for just the three of us.

I got a text from Franki this morning asking if I want to come down to her place Thursday. I said yes, but I really, really hate to be the one to drive. As I'm sure she also feels like. My first thought was that I'd get there so late after working and then commuting, but I start work 30 minutes early on Thursdays because we have the boys, so I'll get to her place around 6-6:15 pm so not so bad after all. And then close to an hour home afterwards through construction, which will suck big time. Le sigh.

Yesterday Franki told me that someone contacted her via OKC. She said she's troubled by the fact that the lady's wife never wants to meet her "friends". That can definitely be a red flag. I don't know if that'll be enough to end things before they even meet, but I wouldn't be surprised. It doesn't take a lot for her to say no thanks, move along.
 
This week has been challenging. Monday was especially challenging. My car didn't recognize my key fob, so it wouldn't start until I went through a number of steps. Eventually it started and I was on my way to work almost on time. When I got to my parking garage the door was barricaded and had a sign saying it was closed, which meant that I had to park in another garage to the tune of $18 for the day. Later in the day, software on my laptop was corrupted when I attempted to run an update and our help desk guy acted like it wasn't his problem to solve. I ended up using remote desktop to connect to a box that I will be replacing my laptop with in the very near future, so I was able to get back to work. However, this meant spending two days working through the issues of setting up localhost and IIS on the new computer because my laptop is Windows 7 and the new machine is Windows 10. I'm still sorting shit out and I'm sure it'll continue for some time.

Last night right before bed I checked on an order from JCPenney that I thought should have arrived and discovered that it was shipped to an address I haven't lived at for three years and had been delivered the day before. This was a stupid-expensive duvet and pillow shams that I got on sale for $236 (reg $560). I was freaking out big time and trying not to show it! First off I shocked myself when I ordered the damn thing, because that's a lot of money. And then to mess up the shipping address, OMG.

I initiated a Live chat and was advised that I'd have to work with UPS to get the package back. I didn't tell Bond about what had happened, because I was worried that he'd be upset and that neither one of us would get any sleep. This morning I didn't leave as soon as he did, so I could make a call to UPS. After hanging on the phone for eons I was able to speak to an agent who basically said that the shipper (JCP) would have to send a return label to the address and then the receiver would have to initiate them picking up the package. Um, yeah like that's going to happen. So I drove to my old address and rung the doorbell. The girl who answered confirmed my name and told me that she had taken the package to the office and it was probably still there. I could have kissed her I was so relieved. The office wasn't open yet, but I could see someone through the glass, so I knocked and she came to the door. They had the package and she gave it to me. Whew! I'll have to tell Bond tonight when I get home from seeing Franki. He will figure out that it wasn't delivered to our house because he has notifications set up for deliveries and our mail.

I think I have figured out what happened. When I was going through the shopping cart steps I removed the two old addresses I lived at before moving in with Bond. I don't believe it ever routed me back to a place where I could see the shipping and billing addresses. My billing address was correct. When I got to work I logged onto JCP and the address they delivered it to wasn't listed in my addresses. So, evidently it defaulted to the old address, allowed me to delete it, and never forced me to designate another address.

I'm just relieved I was able to get the package.

I went to lunch with a coworker to day and we did justice to bitching about the boss. I swear the guy spends his time on his personal things instead of working, because he certainly doesn't know what the fuck is happening. I keep thinking that after nearly two years he'll get up to speed, but it just isn't happening. He asks for documentation we've already given him over and over. He has no concept of requirements for projects, and on and on. I miss my old boss.
 
I was Facebook surfing this morning and saw that a friend was interested in an event in her area for an art class on alcohol ink. I had never heard of alcohol art before, so off I went to Pinterest. O.M.Gee! I love it. I'm contemplating driving 4.5 hours to join her on the 6th of April for a class. I checked the calendar and it's a kids-free weekend. Maybe Bond would go with me, and we could spend the night and hang with her and her beau that weekend. We've talked about visiting, but it hasn't happened yet.

My grandson's family has a flu virus going through them, and although he hasn't shown symptoms we've postponed his visit until next weekend. I really don't care to take a knowing risk of bringing a virus into the house, especially the flu.

B is coming over tonight with her kids. S3 has a school event until 9 PM, so Bond will need to leave to pick him up and S3 is sad he'll miss out on seeing them and he's sad that my GS won't be here this weekend.

I seriously need to do some batch cooking this weekend. We've been out of fat bombs and other keto staples and it's been a difficult week as a result. Plus, it would be nice to have some treats in the house for the kids.

Franki invited me to her house on the 31st. She has two other friends coming. I am friends with one of the ladies and I haven't seen her in a long time, so it would be nice to see her. We're going to a pop-up lesbian bar night on the 29th. I'm sure I'll do the 31st, too, but I'm worried about running out of spoons. It seems that the older I get the less I want to wander out and do, especially without Bond.
 
One week from today I'll be waking up in San Francisco. I have to figure out how to get from the airport to the hotel Wednesday night. I'll probably do that on the spot, rather than book ahead. I'm fairly confident I'll take a shuttle, but I can always take a cab or Uber if I'm not comfortable with that when I get there. Telling myself I have options helps calm my nerves.

Bond will be busy during the day on Thursday with meetings and the conference, so I'll have the day to wander around by myself. He'll be free that evening (I think), so our joint sightseeing will begin then. We head back on Sunday and need to be at the airport at noon, so we'll have to pack in as much as possible between Thursday night and Sunday morning.

Bond's never seen Lombard Street or Alcatraz. At a minimum I want to take him to Lombard Street. I want to ride the cable cars, visit Fisherman's Wharf, the Ferry Building Marketplace, and Chinatown. I'll probably visit museums on Thursday. The SF MoMA and several other museums are within walking distance of the hotel, plus a number of scenic, historic places. It's an easy city to occupy oneself, solo or otherwise.

Our hotel is situated much better than when we went to Seattle for his conference last year. We weren't actually in Seattle proper, and there wasn't a lot around us. I ended up at a mall the day I wandered out on my own. Ugh. I'd really like to go back to Seattle someday and have an actual vacation where we have a car so we can visit the tide pools and the rainforest, go to La Push, and along the coast.

Yesterday my daughter asked me to buy her a Kreg Jig (again) because she has an opportunity to sell some woodworking items. I bought her a small one (including a pocket hole screw kit) last year and when she went to jail for back child support it was stolen. My heart sank when I read her request. I am trying so hard to pay off my debt and that was a big ask. In the end I bought her a really nice Kreg Jig that should meet all of her needs on that front. I told her to guard it like it was her precious. I hope she does! I also ponied up some money for her living needs. I doubt she'll have enough to buy the wood and paint that she mentioned with what I sent her, so I am expecting to be hit up again for more money in the near future. It's hard to not help her when she asks, because this skill could be her salvation - a new occupation and a boost to her confidence. I hope she doesn't get sidetracked and loose her vision (again).

My youngest son has been job hunting like a beast. He has been offered two jobs and would work them simultaneously. The first is a part-time (25 hrs/week) forklift job. The other is a job as a team leader supervising a manufacturing line with a team of 13 people. They had told him to expect to hear back from them next week, possibly this Friday at the earliest. After his interview Wednesday night they called his recruiter's manager on her personal phone and said that they want him now before anyone else takes him. Holy cow!

As he was texting me with all this news, he got a call about another job, and this one is a BFD! It's a job as a manufacturing process engineer at a papermill that is just across the border in Michigan. He has an interview set for Monday. Both the HR rep (who was on vacation) and the mill manager separately emailed his recruiter to say they are interested. That's a good sign and he's excited.

I'm so proud of him. I find it amazing that this young man is being sought after so strongly for supervisory jobs in manufacturing when he is freshly out of college with a degree in Environmental Sciences and has no experience in that setting. He does have supervisory experience from the National Guard and he emphasized that strongly in his resume and cover letter. But mostly he has a personality that people gravitate toward. When he was a child people would tell me that he would go far and it seems they were right.

Bond and B had a lunch date yesterday. I believe it was a sexy times date and not much food was eaten. I've managed to keep my emotions under control and my mouth shut. That's a first! Big star for me!
 
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Bond just sent me a message asking if we were going to my hometown on Easter weekend. He needs to know, because a friend is asking if he's available to cat sit. I'm excited. Weeks ago I had suggested we visit my family when he was trying to decide if we'd take the kids on Easter Sunday or not (they'll be gone most of the previous week with their mother visiting her family in Indiana). I didn't think he was seriously considering it, so I had put it out of my mind. If we go up north, then I will have to bow out of Franki's thing on the 31st.

Wednesday and Thursday nights this week S3 and I have been watching Masterchef Jr. Edition. Actually last night everyone except S1 watched it. I love Masterchef, especially the kids edition. I love how supportive the kids are of one another. The kids love the show, too. Makes it so much fun to watch it with them. Often we all pile on our big bed to watch it. Just a pile of peeps. S3 announced that he'd like to learn how to cook. Well, I actually planted the seed, but once it was planted and he had time to think about it, he said he'd like to learn how - especially steaks and lamb chops. We're going to make it happen. S2 is more of a baker, so we're picking up flour for him.
 
We woke early (for us) this morning, so Bond could get off to the airport on time. I'm going to miss him, but I'm excited to have a night to myself followed by a date night with B, and then be off to San Francisco, too.

I did a lot of cooking over the weekend, attempting to empty the refrigerator of perishables that would expire before we get back on the 25th. My grandson was with us for the weekend. Friday night Bond and I attempted to go to an early screening via gofobo, but they gave out too many free tickets and the theatre was full, so we came back home and watched The Great Wall. On Saturday I took some time away from the household chores that usually consume my time and took him and S3 to Sky Zone, a trampoline gym that they love. Saturday night the triad had a birthday party to attend. B and her kids spent the night at our house. It was a lot of fun to have everyone there. Yesterday we delivered kids to their respective other homes in the late afternoon and enjoyed the quiet while we packed Bond's bags.

Three of out of five team members are gone from work today. I'm really getting peeved at the newest member, as she is still on probation and has been absent quite often since starting. But the biggest negative of the day is that the one other person on my team is now chatting me up relentlessly because I'm his only outlet due to everyone else being gone today. Ugh. I hate having him waste my time and he really misses cues of dismissal. I didn't sleep well last night and my eyes feel grainy. I was so tempted to take the day off. Good thing I didn't, because I am the third backup for a job that needs to run twice on the Monday following payday, so I'm up.

I want to go home and bask in the quiet and solitude of an empty house. :D

Non-sequitur: I want to grow mushrooms. A year ago one of Golden's GFs gave us some spores that Bond was supposed to inoculate a fresh log with and never did, so I finally tossed the mass in the trash. I'm wondering if she'd be willing to give us another starter set. We wouldn't necessarily have to grown them in a log. We have so much basement space; I'm fairly positive we could create a growing habitat that would be favorable down there. I need to research it more fully.

Franki and I talked on the phone last night. This past year, or actually probably longer, she has been learning about being a beekeeper. She bought her beehive kit in January when they were on sale. She's been taking classes to learn what she can to prepare. She was uncertain the seller bee colony she was going to go with, so she asked some questions at the class she went to on Saturday. Her suspicions were confirmed that what he is saying is a NUC isn't an actual NUC (nucleus colony). She contacted him via email to say she would like to cancel her order, and asked for her deposit back. Even if he denies the refund, which was only $25, she wants to go with another provider because she'll get an actual NUC.

She met a lady (OKC person) for coffee/lunch yesterday. She said she's nice. She also shared that this person started talking about BDSM and didn't really have a discussion with her about it, but more or less talked at her about BDSM. OMG, that made me laugh that someone thinks they need to school Franki on BDSM. She's so meek that I'm sure the lady would never guess at the vast experience Franki has in BDSM.

I asked if she gave her her profile name, which she did. That made me chuckle. I wish I could be a fly on the wall when the lady looks through Franki's pictures on there. She has some of the most amazing photographs of her being tied and suspended, being suspended on hooks through the flesh on her back, pegging a man, wearing gas masks, and a number of other things. Franki is stunningly beautiful. People don't expect stuff like this from her as she's quiet and diminutive. Still waters run deep and all that.

So, as much as I'd like for Franki to find another girlfriend, one who can be there for her on all levels more than I can be, I find I have a dislike of this person already. It's totally unfounded and unfair and I'm sure it'll evaporate if I ever meet her in person or learn more about her over time if they pursue a relationship.
 
Today's the day I fly to San Francisco. :) I'm not accomplishing a heck of a lot at work today. I have a tired brain and my eyes feel like they are filled with grains of sand. Yesterday afternoon I indulged in a second Bullet Proof Coffee (BPC) which resulted in not being tired at a decent hour. I finally nodded off around 12:45 am. Sunday night I barely slept as I was ready to jump out of bed bright and early to get Bond off to the airport. Sometimes I hate my brain.

I played hooky from work yesterday. It was glorious. I needed time to get ready for the trip, especially because I didn't want to shortchange date night with B. I went to the mall to find an outfit or two and stumbled into a Yellow Dot 80% off sale, combined with a Goodwill event, and then I decided to get the store credit card. All total I spent $125 and saved $579. I was so excited. Normally I can't find a freaking thing on the Yellow Dot sales, but this time they were hauling out rack after rack of clothing and I hit the jackpot. Partway through shopping I had to pee. By the time I checked out I was desperate. I put bag #1 into the cart, then bag #2 and headed to the cart corral in the mens department where I came in and rushed out to my car. I had two thoughts, first, I couldn't wait to message Bond and B to tell them what a deal I had gotten, and secondly, I needed to get home to pee! Two roads later, and about 50% of the way home, I was feeling smug that I had gotten two large bags of clothes for $125, when I looked over at the booty on the seat and discovered there was only one bag! OMG. All I could guess was that in my urgency I left one of the bags in the cart. Just as I was about to do a U-turn I spotted a police car, so I went up to an apartment complex and turned around in their drive and headed back as quickly as possible to the mall. Of course, I got behind a person who was in no hurry whatsoever who sat at the red light in the right turn lane instead of continuing through after stopping and waiting for an opportunity. Time crawled as I pictured my bag leaving with some fortunate shopper. My luck held though and the bag was sitting in the cart exactly where I had abandoned it ten minutes earlier. I need a keeper. That's all I can say.

I woke yesterday to a message from Josh asking me to call him when I got a chance. I messaged back letting him know that I was home for the day and to call me when it was convenient. My first thought was that he was going to ask if they could live with us when they move to WI until they can get on their feet. I have been dreading the possibility that he'll ask this. He called before I left to go shopping and we talked for quite a while. He was not asking to move in, but instead he was letting me know that things had gone awry with the plan on several fronts and he was making a new plan.

The issues: he learned on message boards that although heavy equipment schools will certify you, that employers expect you to work your way up to operator by starting at the laborer level. With his hip issue, that kind of heavy work is beyond what his body is capable of doing. He was also concerned about being away from home for work, because of the baby. Their lease is through December, so that was another concern. And finally, something was messed up with his GI Bill paperwork and that was why he wasn't getting notices.

His new plan is quite different. He is considering going to a technical college for Associate in IT-Network Administration. I couldn't be more surprised, but I think it's a great choice. Twitch has this degree and is making over $100k/year now. If he had gotten his certifications he would have advanced his career quicker. He'd like to go to the college in Madison, as both he and his GF still want to move to Wisconsin. This will give him more time to get things in order. The baby will be older which will make it easier to find childcare.

In the afternoon my youngest son called to fill me in on how his job interview at the papermill went. He arrived thinking he was applying for manufacturing process engineer, but instead it was for an environmental position that he thought was out of his reach. He was so excited. He is trying to keep himself from becoming too excited, because it will be crushing if he isn't hired. Instead he is trying to keep the mindset that if nothing else comes of it that he'll have benefited from the interviewing experience and it's left him feeling that he can find a fantastic job in his field some place.

After listening to how the interview went and what great ideas he had for the position, I would be surprised if he isn't a leading contender. He reported back later that the sweet, little old lady recruiter called him to say she had spoken to the HR person and her impression was that she thought there was an 80% chance he had it. This recruiter lady is his biggest fan. She has totally fallen under his spell. She told him that in 35 years she's never had someone she has liked as much as him.

Exciting times for my boys! :D

My DD messaged for more money. Sigh. I have sent her $180 in the past 6 days now. She said she has started painting for a contractor, but hasn't made it to payday yet. I really hope she keeps this job.

B picked me up at 7:30 this morning and dropped me off at work. She'll pick me up at 4:00pm and shuttle me to the airport. I'm a lucky girl! It was fun to be able to see her before my day started and it felt great to be taken care of like that.

Someone asked B last night if anyone ever told her that she looks like Katy Perry. Why hadn't I realized this before? Hey world, my girlfriend looks like Katy Perry! :)
 
I should mention that the youngest did get the other two jobs that he'll work simultaneously, the forklift job and team leader one supervising a manufacturing line with a team of 13 people.
 
The trip was good. My flight was delayed leaving O'hare, so I didn't arrive in San Francisco until 1:00am, which was 3:00am to my body. Bond came down to the lobby to meet me and we went to sleep as quickly as possible.

Thursday morning we met with his boss and his report for breakfast and then they were off to the conference. Bond had several meetings, so he didn't really get to the conference for much of the day. I busied myself with sightseeing. I visited the SF MoMA, then met up with Bond for lunch. After lunch I returned to the hotel for a bit to rest as my short four hours of sleep were wearing thin. Afterwards I climbed some pretty impressive hills to get to a catheradel and a park before Bond joined me in ChinaTown.

We met with his coworkers for dinner that night. The next morning Bond went to presentation and I wandered down to the convention center shortly before he finished. I blew some time in a bookstore across the way and found a book for B's daughter for her birthday. Now I just need to remember that I have it when her birthday rolls around next Fall.

Bond's report and his boss were leaving after 11:00, so he his report's badge so I could get into the conference. We wandered through the vendor's booths and I got to see a lot of neat things. We came home with a lot of t-shirts for everyone.

In the afternoon we took an Uber to Fisherman's' Wharf and spent the rest of the day wandering the piers and eating dinner. We watched some street performers, and picked up some gifts, before taking a taxi back to the hotel.

Saturday we walked all the way to Fisherman's Wharf via Russian Hill. I really wanted Bond to see Lombard Street, so that was our goal. We decided we'd find a breakfast place on the way rather than eat at the hotel ($38 for the buffet!) and that proved challenging. It was pretty difficult to eat low carb in San Francisco. The cafe we stopped in was unwilling to serve me a breakfast sandwich sans bread. Seriously.

I told the girl at the counter, "Fine. I'll throw the bread away myself," and that's what I did.

After we ate, we visited the cable car museum across the street. That was fascinating. And then we walked up hills that would challenge a billy goat. And finally we arrived at Lombard Street and it was great. :)

We were hungry before too long, because breakfast was rather skimpy. We bought some cheese and deli-style ham from a CVS and ate it sitting on a concrete amphitheatre facing the bay. The wind was cutting, but the view was great. We spent the day wandering the shops, ate a mid-afternoon meal at an Argentinean food truck, finished up buying gifts for the kids, and returned to the hotel. We ate a late dinner at Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot. Bond had eaten there twice prior, so he knew what to order and quantities. Thank goodness. We shared a table with a young couple on a first date. They ordered way too much and when they were done they had left full platters of meat and bowls of greens that they never touched, but had to be thrown away.

Each night we visited the top floor of the Hilton tower to see the cityscape from the 46th floor. The Golden Gate Bridge was easy to see from that height.

Sunday we did a little walkabout near our hotel before heading to the airport at noon. But before that we were in a pretty heavy messaging conversation with B. She was feeling left out over the trip and our upcoming trip to visit my parents this coming weekend. She said that it was feeling more like swinging than a triad. We didn't invite her to SF, because she had told us multiple times that she won't leave the kids with their dad again and she's shot us down every time we've suggested trips to Chicago or wherever. The whole up north visit to my parents' isn't something I enjoy doing, so I don't think of inviting others. But we should have asked and let her decide. Not being asked feels crappy. Lesson learned. We talked about it last night when she was over. We talked about things we'd like to do this year together, both with and without kids. I hope we can all do better.

This morning B messaged about a convo she had with a friend yesterday about sometimes having to let something go in order to make room for something new and that it really has her thinking this morning. Immediately I thought, "Oh! She's breaking up with us." I sent a message to Bond saying so, but he doesn't think that's what she is leading up to. I asked her what she is thinking of letting go of, but she hasn't answered. I hope I am wrong.

Thursday night Franki and I are going to a lesbian popup bar. This will be our second time and we enjoyed it very much last time. We're both looking forward to it. :)
 
I was wrong! :) She was referring to a relationship she was interested in starting. Her lady interest isn't willing to carve time out for B even moderately so, and B has decided that she wants what she wants, and being so far down on someone's priorities isn't where she wants to land.
 
Crossed communication: Monday night, Bond said to B, "We're going out on Tuesday, but what are you doing Wednesday?" He was trying to add another date night. Somehow that got twisted up in B's mind and she thought we moved date night to Wednesday. When I heard him ask I had a nagging thought that it was going to lead to exactly that. Tuesday was a very busy day for both Bond and me, so neither one of us said anything about the evening and B never brought it up either. Usually on date night we talk about where we should go for dinner, but this time we were silent. B had sent a picture of coupons for a hamburger joint, and I had thumbs upped it, but we never discussed it.

When I sent her a text saying we were on our way she asked where to. She was already out with a friend at the polycocktail/sex geekdom meetup, but invited us there. Bond was kind of upset that she assumed and made other plans. I think that's kind of crazy to be upset about it. He calmed down during the ride. We had fun. The friend she was with was wearing an adorable dress with a lot of cleavage and I complimented her on how cute it was and how summery she looked, and on her lovely cleavage. This lady, let's call her JC, is a social worker and she owns her own business and has employees and the whole ball of wax. I think she's really nice. She and B have done crafts/art together and they are planning something at an art place that JC knows about where you can rent time, and they are going to include me. They invited us to follow them to a cool hipster bar we like, but wasn't all that close to where the meetup was. We declined and headed home in favor of an early night.

So, last night we had date night. B arrived at our house and as we made cocktails she told me how obtuse she can be and what an idiot. So, at the end of her night with JC, when B was dropping JC off, JC asked her if she'd like to come and for some cuddles. B's reaction, was puzzlement and she said, "No, it's late. I just want to go home to bed."

She made amends the next morning and I think all is good. I can't remember exactly what she told me she said, but I thought it was good.

I'm excited for her. She says that she'd be interested in exploring a relationship with JC. She hadn't known she was bi, so it never entered her mind. But she said it should have, because JC had laid her hand on her leg and other touches during the night. It would be so nice for B to have someone stable and loving in her life. Fingers crossed! :)
 
Easter was nice. Too much work, but still nice. Bond's wife dropped the kids off around 12:30 and B arrive with her kids about an hour later. I made chicken wings, and ham. Crazy combo, but we had them and Bond wanted both. Well, he wanted ham, and I was making wings for the kids' sake, so we made both. B brough veggies and cookies and ice cream for ice cream sandwiches for the kids.

It was nice to have the kids even if for just the day. We filled plastic eggs with candy before they got there and they had fun finding them.

I had a convo with Bond's wife about Z going to college. She wants him to go to a two-year first and then transfer to a state university. She's worried a big campus will be too much for him. Crazy pants. We got onto the subject because his ACT scores came back. He scored a 33 composite. Several things he got 100%, but then on the writing he only scored 4 out of 12 possible and that lowered his overall. Bond and I were talking this morning and he mentioned that the founders of the company he works for went to Whitewater. I just looked it up online and wow, looks great and is rather close. Smaller campus, too. Seems like a great option.

We had planned on going north to visit my family, but B was having feels about being left, so we rescheduled the trip for the 13th, and we're taking her, her kids, and Bond's kids. We rented a house through airbnb for Friday and Saturday nights. Should be a blast.
 
My youngest son started his new job on Monday. They were not thrilled when he let them know that he has five weeks of training starting on the 5th, but they seemed to accept it. He learned that they have rolled three jobs into one, so in addition to the environmental aspect of the job, he'll also be responsible for safety, and the process engineer role - which is the job he thought he was interviewing for. He said that his office is large and quite nice, but every surface is covered in stacks of paperwork left by his predecessor. He has his work cut out for him that's for sure. He said that he'll have training on every job in the mill which will help him evaluate the safety and process aspects. If he survives, this will all look very impressive on a resume.

My baby granddaughter got her first tooth this past weekend. :) No one is safe now, I bet. Seeing as their plans to move to Wisconsin have been postponed, we're going to go see them sometime this year. I'm unsure when, but it'll need to be before fall when Bond gets too busy to leave.

B has decided to sell her house and move back into Madison proper. I really don't know what she'll be able to find in her price range. I suspect she'll need to be out a bit further from the downtown than what she prefers. She's also open to buying a duplex so she'd have rental income. Fingers crossed this all works out for her.

We've been a bunch of sickies this week. Bond and I had a stomach virus and B has a cold. We postponed date night to tonight, as B and I were both feeling pretty ishy last night. I'm still concerned about catching her cold, because of our planned visit on the 13th-14th to my parents'. I really don't want to pass a cold onto my mother.

This Saturday night we're going to L & L. Franki is coming and spending the night. She'll actually be at our house in the early afternoon, because she has accreditation training in town in the morning. Wil is coming, too. We're going to have a big slumber party. I believe B plans on staying over also.

Wil would like to see the kids when he's here, even though it's not our weekend to have them. He sent an email about this to Bond and Naya. Naya then tells/asks Bond that she'll come over to our house with the boys so he can see them. WTF! I protested. She can have Wil come to her house for fuck's sake. Ridiculous. It's like her house is hallowed ground and now that she's not dating him he cannot cross the threshold. If there was a history of any type of abuse that would make sense, but there is none and Wil is the most mild mannered person you'd ever meet. Heck, she'll sit at our house for 3-4 hours visiting with him each month when he is down. She's just so self-absorbed and selfish. It doesn't occur to her that we don't care to have her bring the kids to the house for 3 hours. It'll be really hard to extricate them when she wants to leave. Now she's thinking that they should go out to eat instead of him coming over to her house. WTF!
 
Saturday night we did the thing, the fetish night at a gay bar. It happens the first Saturday of every month, but we rarely go and it had been close to a year since the last time we went. Wil, Franki, B, Bond and me all strutted our freak flags. It was fun-ish.

I am so disgusted with my body these days and feel terrible in it. I need to get serious about losing weight. Why is losing 12-15 pounds so hard? Anyway, feeling shitty with my physical appearance really douses my enthusiasm for going out. My fetish clothes don't look as nice and right now I have this freaky, awful hairstyle. Everyone else had a fun time, so that's great.

We left that venue at 11 pm. I think Franki would have liked to have stayed longer. She loves to dance; an adorable, little, dancing machine. :) We stopped for a drink at a hip bar before heading home. I was more than ready to head for home. I cannot do late nights anymore. Gee, this getting old is not for the weak.

We pulled out meat sticks, hard salami, and mocha fluff to satisfy the munchies (brought on due the influence of B) before heading to bed. I think it was close to 2:00 am. :eek: Franki and I took our bedroom. Bond and B took the big guest bedroom, and Wil was in the twin bedroom. Everyone reported sleeping well, although B woke up hungover. She has now decided that regardless of how well she hydrates beforehand, she cannot tolerate alcohol. Tonight we have Polycocktails and her new plan is to attempt a social gathering sans alcohol.

Sunday morning we put out a bunch of breakfast foods and made coffee. Around 11:00 am Naya sent a message to Bond that they would be on their way in 5 minutes. He asked her where she was heading and she said to our house. He diverted her to meeting Wil for breakfast at Pancake Cafe instead. WTF?! I thought we had cleared that up last week. Seriously, she is incredibly self-centered. She stopped by after they ate, but asked first, because S2 wanted to pick something up. By then our other guests were gone and we were somewhat dressed, so it wasn't that big of a deal. She didn't stay long. It still blows my mind that she thinks she can arrange social times for Wil and the boys and her at our house when it's not our weekend to have the boys. I said something to Wil about her not being willing to entertain in her own house, and he said, "There be dragons." Made me laugh.

So, having company and going out Saturday night totally destroyed my energy level. Still feeling it today. We were the perfect case of lazy the entire day. We even put off shopping for our upcoming trip up north until some other night this week. We finished watching Westworld. Had late afternoon sex. Showered. Ate this and that and watched more TV. Here's the thing with being lazy, it encourages you to be even lazier. The less I do, the less I want to do. This morning we folded laundry, unloaded the dishwasher and reloaded it, because yesterday we couldn't be bothered to expend any energy.

And now I'm at work, obviously not working. My coworker and I are meeting our old boss for lunch, to bitch about the new boss. Old boss doesn't know that's what is coming her way, but we need her perspective. Turns out it's the new boss' birthday today. Makes me feel like a heel to be speaking bad of him on his birthday, but we're coming up on two years of him working here and he still doesn't have his shit together and in fact, it seems things are unraveling more and more.

And now, I'm going to get busy here, whether I feel like it or not.
 
Facebook fed me memories from two years ago today of my youngest son being awarded his trophy for second place in the National Guard Soldier of the Year competition. He's presently at Ft. McCoy for schooling, so I wonder if he was there for this year's competition. I would think it would be something to see.

Yesterday was my grandson's birthday. It is hard to believe he's 12 already. My daughter had a hard time yesterday, because it's been so long since she's seen him. She had me send him a Happy Birthday message, which I passed onto him. He responded, "Okay." She is torn up about not being part of his life and sent me a message asking me to go for grandparents' rights. I haven't shared with her that I usually have him one weekend a month. I will need to talk to her when I see her this weekend and let her know that I see him, but that doesn't mean she'll be able to see him. I asked his father and stepmother about this last week, because I wanted to bring him with us to see my family this coming weekend and I got a very full reply. It sounds like they have the court behind them now to block her from being part of his life, based on her drug use. But the most important information I got from the exchange was that my grandson doesn't want to see her. It's too hurtful for him and until he feels differently, I'll honor that. Now I have to convey that to her and hope she doesn't go off the deep end.

We're trying to figure out what to bring with for meals this weekend. We rented an entire house, which means we'll have a kitchen. B said she is making a pork roast in the crock pot. I'm considering making some keto pizza crusts tonight or tomorrow night for Friday night. I can freeze them and then add toppings and bake them there. For the kids we can buy frozen pizzas once we get up there and make keto pizza for Bond and me. I think B will eat regular pizza, but she may eat the keto, who knows. It would make for an easy meal after traveling.

I'm hoping my family will come hang out with us. I'd rather not attempt to take everyone to my parents' house. I can feel the anxiety from just thinking about it. My sister said she has a meeting on Saturday, but she'll be free after 2:00pm, and is interested in hanging out. My old BFF sent me a text saying she and her BF were going to be in town and asked if we were going to be too, so we're all going to get together. It's rather remarkable that we're both going to be home for the weekend. I haven't been there since last summer!

I ordered a purse from the Amazon on Sunday and it arrived yesterday. I love it. I had a super small purse that wore out and the one I replaced it with was less than stellar. Sunday while slothing I Googled "the perfect small purse" and found one on modCloth that looked promising. I then went to Amazon and did the same search and found the same purse for less ($11) and Prime shipping. It's so perfect for my needs. I'm thrilled. Who would think you could get a leather purse for $11!

I don't know about you, but I'm super happy that Paul Ryan won't seek re-election. But I am cautious, because I don't want this Koch puppet to make a presidential bid. I'm also rather stoked about the FBI Michael Cohen raid. And then there was this today, A Congressman's Profanity Laced Tirade in a Safeway Grocery Store, to bouy my spirits further.
 
Yesterday I wasted some work time thinking about what-ifs. What-if Bond and I get married...where would we do this? Would we get married in front of friends and family followed by a reception? Would we do a destination wedding with a reception upon our return? Would we host the party at our house? Rent a venue?

I did some searches for wedding/reception venues in our city and have fallen in love with the idea of using the Madison Children's Museum. I found pictures and info on their website and Pinterest. It would absolutely fit us and our friends and family. And then I stumbled upon the idea of using board games and toys as centerpieces, which would really fit the venue. I love this idea so much, the venue and the games.

I made a list of possible games:
Hungry Hungry Hippo
Jenga
Rock' em Sock' em Robots
Operation
Connect 4
Kerplunk
Trouble
Perfection
Mouse Trap
Battleship
Checkers
Sorry
Life
Tic Tac Toe

My second best idea: have the wedding on the same date as the city's fireworks which is the last Saturday in June. That one is iffy, because it seems like every year they say it's not going to happen due to the cost, and then some business or businesses throw some money together and it happens.
 
We're back from the super fun snow apocalypse! Holy cow, Batman, talk about a late spring snow storm! And it was worse in Central and Eastern Wisconsin than it was where we were. I think we got 8-10" compared to their +25". The drive home yesterday was hellacious. I'm so glad I wasn't driving. There were too many of us to take one vehicle and I felt bad for B and Bond, but I wasn't about to volunteer to drive. Some dumbass almost hit us. I feel I can judge his intelligence and call him a dumbass, because he never slowed down to a speed warranted by the conditions. He nearly sideswiped us, then madly fishtailed next to us, nearly losing it, before continuing on at a high rate of speed. There were vehicles, including semis, in the ditch all the way back. Two-hundred and twenty miles of crappy roads.

The house we rented was cute and worked really well for us. We are thinking of renting it again in August. We'll need to jump on it if we're going to do it, because it's booked solid for the summer, other than two weeks in August.

I'm toying with the idea of buying a home to rent out via Airbnb or other services like that. It's a resort area, so summertime would pretty much guarantee solid bookings and depending on the price of the property that may be enough to cover the mortgage. I'd have to find someone to clean it between bookings and to handle maintenance things and that could become a pain in the ass. I found the sweetest cabin with a deep porch on two sides. The interior windows open onto the porch like French doors. The porch is so deep that they have two twin beds on one end of the porch for sleeping during the hot months. It's only 3-season, though, so I'm unsure about it. It was built in 1915 and has been owned by one family for 95 years. It looks like something right out of On Golden Pond. I'm so tempted to pull equity out of the house I own with Twitch for a down payment on this place. Its location is supreme, too. Want, want, want! It's not likely to happen, though.

It was so nice to get back home into our large house after being in a small one with so many people. It would have felt tight with just the 7 of us, and then we added in my parents and sister and brother-in-law, and my BFF for a while on Saturday.
 
Wisconsin is dealing with the huge snow dump we received over the weekend. Some areas received 25"-28" of snow. The birds are in peril because of lower than normal temperatures and snow cover that is starving them. We have birdseed in the feeders, and last night Bond tossed out an apple that a bunny and then a possum nommed on. Both the bunny and the possum attempted to take the apple over the small fence around the rose garden where the apple landed, but were foiled by the fence. It was pretty entertaining watching them attempt to get past the fence with their large payload, especially the possum. The bunny was more timid about the whole enterprise, but the possum was bold as brass and did one attempt after another until he finally settled down to eat it inside the garden.

This morning B shared a post from the Raptor Education Group and we got some ideas from it. I scattered frozen blueberries in several areas for the Robins. I plan to continue doing this for the next few days until the snow melts. Temperatures should reach near 60F by Sunday, so thankfully we don't have many more days until the danger is past. That being said, we're expecting another snow storm between now and then.

I was so tired last night that I went to bed before Bond. I hate doing that, because I enjoy falling asleep with him but last night I was too tired to stay awake. And I woke up tired. Sigh. I'd have loved to have taken today as a vacation day and just toodled around the house putting everything in order. I'm not sure when I'm going to find the time to get things in place before tomorrow morning when the cleaners will be there. It's not really possible for them to clean if things are out of place. Right now we have two piles of mail, a bag full of board games, and bags of outerwear on one of the islands. :/

I absolutely have to clean the fish tanks this weekend. I really want to get rid of the fish and snails. The enjoyment from them is gone and now they are just a chore.

Saturday we are having a 'crappy dinner party' called "Party like it's Summertime". We're supplying the burgers and hotdogs and guests are instructed to swing by a deli or grab something from their pantry to contribute. I expected a low turnout, but so far we have 18 coming and 13 maybes. I'm glad this party is a crappy dinner party, because I really couldn't put the amount of time and energy into a party like I typically do this week. Can't give it if I don't have it to give, right?

B wants to do a dance party, where we will remove the living room furniture and crank the music, and we need to have our 'kids before 9' party that we've been promising people. The kids party will be in the summer for sure. I want to be able to turn them loose outdoors. I'm not sure when to have the dance party. We're going away for the weekend of my birthday in mid-May, so that kind of nixes May for parties, imo. I don't bounce back from travel as well as I used to. I also don't want to start hosting parties on a monthly basis, because people get tired of that. Small dinner parties are nice in the summer months. They aren't much work and we can use the patio. They're more intimate and we can spend more time with our guests.
 
Last night was date night with B, and we discussed dates for our Kids Before 9 party. Initially we were leaning towards June 7th, but B contacted Ginger to see if he has his daughter that Saturday and he does not. His Saturdays are opposite ours, so we'll never match up, which means we will need to swap weekends with Bond's ex. B and WP alternate Friday/Saturdays, so it's very easy for them to swap. Bond's ex is easy to work with, too, so I'm sure it won't be a problem but we'll need to confirm with her before going forward.
 
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