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7:10a - I got up around 5:30a and let Kira out. She was having another one of those "fits" with her back legs kicking as she tries to walk. I think it is from flea bites and itching... at least I hope so. It kind of starting to worry me. I should know something better when I have given her a good flea bath (which I need to do soon). I let her stay outside while I went back to bed for a bit longer. Then I had some kind of strange dream in which someone who I don't know was calling me on some kind of speaker phone from Orlando City Hall. The girl's voice was familiar, but I couldn't place it. After thinking about it for a while, I think it was the voice of Erica M. (one of my regular callers here at work). Then my alarm went off and after one snooze break, I dragged myself up.
I got my PrideFest Parade site uploaded this morning (I think; I haven't tested it yet).
8:17a - I am at the bus stop right on time again.
9:13a - Just stepping off the elevator.
9:41a - Again, having my fruit and cottage cheese breakfast. It is very refreshing. I have to go out in the field today and replace a VT terminal in Mallinckrodt Tower and a barcode gun at the Center for Advanced Medicine.
11:20a - Just finished installing my first barcode device in the Film Library. It was easy.
11:33a - Arrived back at the office. I am pooped, but the excursion was invigorating.
2:46p - I am in better spirits today... but SO BORED!!
4:48p - I noticed that I am in the current issue of "Wave Length" (the MIR Computer Section bimonthly publication) in recognition of my 4-year anniversary. I also received an invitation to attend an anniversary luncheon at the Eric P. Neuman Education Center on Wednesday, July 14th.
5:51p - Finally time to go! Just half a day of work left....
I stopped by to check out the progress on the "new house" tonight. I ended up getting chewed out by Tad (per Mike) that he is "concerned" about the state of our landscaping and how it will reflect on his property in the future. I tried to maintain a calm exterior, but I am incensed (and forwarned) by this. Skip and I have disucussed this at some length and we are thinking the this move may NOT be to our interest.
11:22p - My old computer (the server) "died" today. I have spent all evening trying to get me & Skip back to "functional" again. Between this and the comments from Tad, I am just friggin' disgusted. I don't think we want to move any longer. We will live with the damn cockroaches before we move in to a Nazia compound!
11:46p - Just ate... leftovers over rice. Tasty actually. Now... I am going to give K dog a flea bath.
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5:40p - I slept bad last night. I am sure glad I did not have to work today! I still got up around 8:30a. The weather has been nasty today. Stormy. It is still a bit cloudy out, but it looks much better. We may walk to the store shortly. I have been on the computer most of the day 6:10p - Just made a hamburger patty and some creamed potatoes with carrots. It has to cool down some before I can eat it though. I am so hungry I will scald myself! 6:24p - Off to eat. 6:35p - Wow... that stuff was tastier than I expected! Pretty good stuff. Now I am so sleepy though. 10:30p - Marty & JR left just a little while ago. They picked up the current collection of cans. |
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8:46a - It's storming out. When I got up earlier, it was nice and sunny, promising a fair day. Now it is so dark I had to turn on the light. You can see the doppler rader map to the left. I am in Cahokia; I've mark my approximate location with a yellow X. 3:51p 84° F - I went back to bed around noon and slept until about 3:30p. I just got up and am of to the store. We are getting ready to start up the grill. The weather is much nicer now. Radar show a clear sky for miles. We only received 0.56" of rain today. Errr... a minor amendment. Right after I made my comments about the weather, my WeatherBug started chirping with a tornado watch alert! |
4:26p - I just got back from Q-Mart. I have a lot to do to get ready to grill! Skip is way ahead of me. Kira just got a spanking; she got into the trash while I was gone and had styrofoam and plastic chewed up all over the kitchen/livingroom. <grrrr!> 5:09p - I have all my chicken & port chunked up to go on shish-ka-bobs, and one green bell pepper. Skip already cut up the pineapple and onion. I made a marinade of hickory BBQ sauce, mustard, white wine, sugar, garlic & onion power and sugar. |
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7:09a - Yesterday's meal was delicious! We didn't make any side dish, just the ka-bobs. However, I don't think I had even finished eating when the power went out. Of course, I have candles all over the place, so it did not affect us to badly, but it last longer than I expected. I finally went to bed and woke up around 2am with all the lights in the house on and candles burning everywhere! Skip was snoring away on the sofa. I blew out candles, turned off lights and went back to bed, but I couldn't sleep. I tossed & turned until dawn started to break, then I dozed off a few times. But every time I would fall asleep, I felt like I was falling... literally. A dizzy, spinning sensation that would wake me up again in a near panic. I finally just got up. Maybe I will go back to bed later. I am on vacation for the rest of the week, so I guess I can do what I want!
12:15p - I have not accomplished much today. I think I will take a shower and go to Wal-Mart where I will see if I can buy a weed eater. That front yard is looking bad, to the point it is getting embarrassing.
2:08p - I managed to get *something* done at least. I took the reflector pans which I bought on Saturday, and which were the wrong kind, back to Wal-Mart and got a refund. I also picked up a cordless Black & Decker weed eater. I had intended on getting a gas powered one, but then I got to thinking about it. I don't really have any place to keep it, except on the patio. I already have the lawn mower setting out there. It wont be long before I have a small "shop" in the back yard and no way to keep it safe. Since I don't want to keep a gas powered machine in the house, I decided to go with the cordless. I hope it does well.
9:47p - I used the weed eater a little, and then I walked over to Block Buster and rented some movies. Stopped by KFC on the way back. Watched most of "The Last Samurai" with Skip. Now I am going to bed. I am so sleepy...
7:28a - I got a much better night's sleep last night. I feel much better this morning. I just need more sleep lately it seems. Kira has been outside... its a beautiful morning! I am looking at radar and see no clouds over Missouri or Illinois... hardly a cloud over the entire USA when I back out to the National radar level. There appears to be a small storm in lower Oklahoma, lapping over into Texas... and that's about it. It nice and sunny this morning, but only 64°F. Looks like it will be a beautiful day!
8:37a - I decided to go to Cahokia Mounds today! There is a bus from Emerson Park that goes out there (#7). In a rush to get ready now though.
9:50a - I missed the 9:18 bus and will have to catch the 10:18, but that's okay. I was very hungry and had a chance to scarf down some of my leftovers from KFC.
10:06a - Time to go! This should be interesting...
7:52p - I had a GREAT time visiting Cahokia Mounds today. More on this later... took 215 pictures today!
I spent most of this evening cleaning up and organizing the photos I took today. I went outside later and used the weed eater to clear up a little bit more of the mess in the front yard. Later, I cooked some butter beans with pork steak chunks in it. I came out quite tasty!
8:27a - I got up about 6:00a this morning! Couldn't sleep. My stomach was doing horrible things (probably a direct result of the butter bean last night <grimace>).
I spent the day doing about nothing... sitting here at home. I started to watch one of the movie/DVD I rented called "The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra," but I couldn't get into it. Later, I walked with Kira back to the video store and dropped it in the deposit box. We then walked over to Rally's for a good ol' hamburger, fries and shake. Of course, Rally's is NOT "pedestrian friendly." One has to walk up to the drive-thru window on foot. They didn't take my order at the speaker-box thing; instead the just waved at me to come on up to the window. This was, in my opinion, quite stupid. I placed my order at the window, so all the cars behind me had to wait and I had to stand out in the sweltering heat. (Kira just lay down... she was getting tired).
I came home and watched the movie "Timeline" based on Michael Crichton's book. I was prepared to be disappointed, but not THAT disappointed! The movie barely follow the most general outline of the book. They changed things all around until it was barely recognizable. I know a certain amount of change is unavoidable when making a movie from a book, but this was beyond reason.
Tonight I worked diligently on getting my site for my Cahokia Mounds Visit designed and uploaded. It is one of my better designs I think!
FRIDAY
- JULY 9, 2004
Happy Birthday to Charlotte Midkiff!
(in
Orlando)
I slept in until nearly 11:00a today. I felt really rotten. Again, I did very little other than work on my web site all day. I did make it over to Wal-Mart and got a new shower curtain rod. The other one is collapsing in the middle and keeps falling down. If fell this morning and freaked Kira out!
Skylar called this evening. He is supposed to be coming over, but I will wait and see. I am not going to run clean up the house this time since he is notorious for not showing up.
It's late and Skylar never showed (yet?). Skip and I ordered pizza.
12:46p - I got up about 7:00a this morning feeling like I was going to die. Felt really bad. That pizza left me with awful indigestion, but I was ready for it and had a bottle of the pink stuff sitting next to my bed. I let Kira out then stumbled back to bed and didn't get up until about 11:00a. Then I started doing dishes. I got part way done with the dishes and fixed some soup, watch some TV, and the other dishes are still soaking. I feel better after having some soup.
12:55p - I discovered that I did not take my pills last night! I could have sworn I did, but they're still in the container. I took a half of one of the atenalol for the blood pressure. I hope that will be adequate until I get back on schedule. That may be why I felt so horribly sick this morning!
Skip and I spent the afternoon at the History Museum. First we stopped by Talayna's and had a meal. He had the Chicken Parmagiano and I had the Egg Plant Parmagiano (and a diet Pepsi). The museum as not as interesting has it has been in times past. I thought we were going to see "the mummy" ... but it is located at the Art Museum. I have been to the St. Louis History Museum about four times now, but I haven't been to the Art Museum in about four years.
On our way back we stopped at Union Station, and 2-3 draft beers while waiting for the next train. We got home a little before 8:00pm. Skip went over to Schnucks, and I went on home ahead of him. When I got home, Kira did not greet me in her usual enthusiastic way at the door. I was immediately concerned and called for her. She did not come. With a feeling of subdued panic I checked throughout that house and ... NO KIRA! I checked the backyard, and there she was! I had left her outside this entire time! She must have been panicked about it too, since she had torn up the the bottom of the screen door (which was already only taped together with duct tape), and had scratched up the base of the inner door. I was so upset with myself. I do not remember letting her outside! It was hot all day to. Poor thing. She acted *different* all evening.
I slept in late again. It was another HOT day with a "heat advisory" in effect until 5:00p. Skip and I went over to the hardware store. I bought some filler for the scratched up panel on the back door. We looked at new screen doors, but we are not sure we can replace it. Skip mowed and weed-eated the front lawn. Around 5:30p I got a pork shoulder roast in the oven, and I tried making that "Patriotic Jello Pie." It did not come out looking all that great, but we have yet to taste it. I went back to Schnuck's and got some jello, fruit, mixed greens; and got my fruit bowls prepared for the week, with jello over them. (I am on a jello kick now). I finally ate supper after 10:00p and got to bed.
7:47A - I have to hurry! Back to work this morning. Slept well, feel great! Another 'heat advisory' from 1:00p to 7:00p to day. I am glad I work indoors!
I got home this evening and spent until about 8:30p getting a couple of weeks of pills sorted out for the next two weeks.
I had so many strange dreams again last night, but I slept fairly sound. Kira was panting all night and she did not seem to be getting any sleep. I worry about her so much (which makes it hard for me to sleep).
The temperature is 89°F with the heat index at 95°F ... we are still under a "heat advisory."
I noticed an unopened envelope in the living room this morning. It was from Code Enforcement. I opened it and it was a note from the Code Enforement people to "please trim around your bushes." It was dated July 1st, with a comply date of July 6th. Yet the envelope was post marked July 7th! Besides which, we already took caer of the weeds. I was finally able to get a weedeater and the lawn is all mowed and our weeds are trimmed, etc. These people neither care nor understand that both of us work 12 hour days and if the weather is bad on the weekends (which it was for a while), AND we don't have a weedeater, there is going to be a delay in getting this done. What a nuisance.
3:18p - This has been such a hectic day!
I talked to DB about getting one of the "free" left over computers from work. We're supposed to do this tomorrow.
7:38a - More wild dreams! One dream dealt with getting up for work. I got up and Skip was still here (he is normally gone by the time I get up). I asked what was wrong and he said to look in his room. I complied and there was a bedding area under his bed with bloody cat prints on it. Then I saw another cat which looked like Barnabas' mother (Ozzy), and Barnabas... and kittens everywhere! Some of them were apparently older than others though. I can't figured out how that worked! In another dream, I was some folk hero and had an other brother (also some kind of hero). We were fight a bad guy who was some kind of demon. The Demon Dude cut my "brother's" throat with his sword, but he was not down for the count. Then big white termite bugs started pouring from the mouth of its Chinese style demonic mask, and huge African lions started coming up the hill behind me. Meanwhile, I am watching the fight, confident that the Demon Dude doesn't have a chance and whistling encouragement to my brother with his sliced throat and encroaching critters. Then my darn alarm went off and woke me before I learned what it was he was going to do to get out of that situation! Not only was the dream totally WEIRD... it was a cliff-hanger!
7:50a - I took my shower early this morning. Need to let Kira back in, get my clothes sorted ... and hopefully wake up. We are no longer under the "heat advisory" and the temperature is only 75°F this morning. Much better than yesterday!
8:12a - The bus ran late this morning. I saw it pass by still outbound, so I walked over to Schnucks and picked up some doughnuts for the office.
8:23a - Here comes the bus around the corner.
This book I am reading, "Waiting for the Galactic Bus" (by Parke Goodwin) is strange. It was a struggle at first, but I think it is starting to get interesting.
11:04a - LZ is back to work... but at the ERC committee setup
We had the ERC luncheon today. I was pleasantly surprised to have Dr. Jost, the Chairman of Mallinckrodt sit next to me! Then he gave a brief speech after we ate. Finally, lots were drawn for a couple of nice prizes. I didn't win one of course!
This afternoon has been a continuation of the hectic week of this week. Call after call (most of them related to the same Lotus Notes issues).
DB is running late and won't be able to get the computer for me today. He will do it on Saturday instead.
I talked to Cheryl and will be going over to her place tomorrow to work on their PC.
I over slept this morning.
10:49a - I just got chewed out and getting a written reprimand for being 30 minutes late. I don't remember the last time I was late. I didn't realize it was this big of a problem. I will have to go to HR on this one.
11:44a - No I am going to feel bummed out all day. I hate being put in this awkward position. I am goint to have to go talk to people in personnel. My sup is so "by the book" ... and that is often a very inflexible position (despite talk of flexibility and such).
11:50a - This has been a slow day so far, compared to the last 3 days.
5:53p - I am writing a letter to Mike K. about what happened with Tad. Also getting one of the "lottery" pc's to take home tonight!
5:54p - Cheryl J. should be picking me up shortly. I am going to her house to work on their computer tonight.
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Worked on Cheryl's computer most diligently, but it has serious problems! I think I could have gotten it working... actually I *did* get it working, but when I tried to add the drivers to support the modem & ethernet card, somthing messed up. I think it is going to be loaded again. At least they paid me some money, but I almost feel bad taking it. I was at least able to save some of their documents by going into DOS command mode and manually copying the files over to a floppy. (Felt like "the old days" doing all that!). Chris was kind enought to run me by both Wal-mart for milk and some cat food for Skip, and then stopped by BP where I picked up some beer. I did not get home until about 11pm. I had a few beers, caught up most of my email and journal, and by then it was nearly 1:00am! |
I discussed the letter to Mike with Skip tonight and he does not favor sending it at this time. He had some valid points. It was cathartic to write the lette at any rate.
12:48a - I must be off to bed. I feel like I have only been home a short ... and I guess that is true! Less than two hours.
7:21a - I am so tired this morning, but at least I did not fall back asleep like yesterday! It is dark and over case this morning. The temperature has dropped dramatically to 68°F now. The wind is a mild SE at 1 mph. Radar shows a good deal of precipitation toward the west. I better have my umbrella in reach I thnk. The weekend is forecast with losts of "partly cloudy" and temperatures ranging between the 60's and 80's. Actually, that might be good for some of the yard work I would like to get done.
It was sprinkling very lightly on my way to the bus stop this morning. It looks like it may be this way for the entire day.
10:18a - BS handed me an envelope, which I assume contains my "written reprimand" for being 30 minutes late yesterday. I haven't even opened it; it is just going to stress me out. Next week I will get Dr. P to fill out the FMLA papers which I have sitting here on my desk, and this will give me leave to use up to 12 weeks of time to take off. I hate to play these games, but if this is what they want me to do then I will do it.
10:23a - We just learned that we finally have a go-live date for the new ACD (telephone system), which will be on July 28th.
11:24a - I just got out of my meeting with BS. It turns out the envelope she handed me earlier was not the "reprimand" ... it was a wages & salary type memo from HR. Anyway, she went through the expected commentary, and then presented me with my "written reprimand" .... yada yada.... This is such a pain.... very aggravating.
12:04p - I am getting hungry. I ate supper at the Jost's place much earlier than I am accustomed to, and then I ate only some fruit & jello for breakfast (no cottage cheese). I did not bring a lunch with me today, so I think I may walk down to Hon's Wok (the Chinese place next to the Cat Clinic) for lunch today. Lisa has gone to lunch already.
2:00p - I went to Hon's and had their General Tso's chicken. Of course, now I am sleepy. I am so stressed out by all these petty and bothersome incidents here lately. With Tad attacking us and (almost beyond doubt) calling Code Enforcement, my on-going health issues with side effects from medicine, and now another bout of management getting on my case. I always seem to have issues with attendance or something right about the time my evaluation is due. Strange....
4:02p - Only two hours left. I am so ready for a weekend! This place is becoming depressing.
5:48p - FINALLY! Time to go!! This has been a dismal week.
I got the 80Gb hard drive installed in the new computer, but it is not working.
I was awakened by the doorbell (which I have setting in my room) DING-DONGING me into stark lucidity early this morning, around 7 or 8am. I threw on some clothes and ran to the door... and it was the Cahokia Police. Apparently my neighbors were AGAIN burglarized last night!
I got lawn fertilizer out on the front lawn this morning, trimmed the rose bushes, pulled some of the grass growing up in the bushes, and sprayed grass killer.
I finally took the DVD's I had rented back to Block Buster today. I am probably going to owe about $50 in late fees! More than the DVD's would cost! That sucks! Skip and I went over to the Chinses Buffet for lunch today around 11:30, but they did not open until 12 noon, so we went next door to the Dollar Store. I picked up some new reflector pans for the stove (they are cheaper her than at Wal-mart). I picked up a few other items, and the we went back to the Chinese place to eat. I was ravenous and it was actually pretty good. From there we went on over to Wal-mart.
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Skip went ballistic on the vines, bushes, weeds, and trees overgrowing the fence in the backyard. It probably saved the fence, but now we have a huge pile of yard debris that I don't know what to do with! I guess we will burn it, but I am not comfortable with doing that. I got the new PC installed and on-line today, but not set up as the "server" yet. The 80Gb hard drive is working great and I performed a quick-format on the C: (2Gb) and D: (6Gb) partitions. Got Office and NAV loaded and its working like a charm. Tomorrow I will try to get it set up as the "server" on the network. |
I slept late today. Didn't do to much. I did get up and did some cleaning on the patio, put the remainder of the lawn fertilizer in the back yard, and then sprayed out back with insecticide. Later, Skip and I walked over to Wal-mart and Schnucks in the late afternoon. We picked up some stuff to make shish-ka-bobs again. We made a LOT of them tonight!
I tried to get the new pc set up as server tonight, but I only succeeded in diconneting all the pc's! Damn... this sucks. I called tech service, but they were of no help.
I got up early this morning. Since the computer was not on-line, I ended up getting ready quicker that usual and left the house a bit early. That was a lucky thing! As it turned out, the bus ran 2-3 minutes EARLY! He got there just after I arrived to the bus stop.
BS is on vacation today. The phones are not as hectic as they often are on a Monday (so far). I am writing a letter to Blake this morning, telling him we plan on remaining in the house.
11:54a - The email to Blake was just sent.
Lunch (leftover shishkabobs) was tasty! I finished the book "Waiting for the Galactic Bus" while at lunch. It was "okay" but not easy to read. I like the plot/theme, but the style of writing was very disjointed and confusing in places.
5:49p - Time to go... and I have a headache...
This evening just absoloutyely SUCKED! I rushed to catch the 6:01p train as I do every evening, but it did not run until 6:06. We arrived at 5th&Mo at exactly 6:24p, which is when the Cahokia bus is supposed to leave. It was already gone! So I took the train back down to Union Station where I had a couple of cocktails at Kreiger's and then went down to catch a train BACK to 5th&Mo. I had JUST missed the train! I then missed the 7:24p bus!! I tried calling a cab, but they could not get anyone there until after 8:30pm! AAaaggh! This was ridiculous. So, I (again) took the train back to Missouri and got off at LaClede's Landing and went the Hannegan's where I had a couple more cocktails to pass the time. The next bus did not run to Cahokia until after 9:00pm. I was not sure when, so I called Skip and got the Metro phone number. I called, but... they were closed! I caught the train BACK to 5th&Mo and ... wow... was I lucky! The Cahokia bus was just pulling in!
I got home about 9:45p, fed Kira, and put some rice on with left over shish-ka-bobs. Then I went to my computer and called tech support. I had the new computer back on line (as server!) by about 10:30p. I had my main computer on line at about 10:51p and Skip got back on a little after 11:00p.
I caught up a lot of email and then went to get my food. AAAGGGHH!!! IT WAS NOT PLUGGED IN!!!
12:10a - I have spent the time since I check my food, which was NOT cooked, until now catching up my journal from Saturday morning. I am now going to go see if my food is ready. I SHOULD be in bed already. This evening has really be awful, except for getting my computers back on line.
12:30a - I scarfed down some food and am now off to bed as soon as I let K-dog out for a bit. I am SOOooo tired! Tomorrow is likely to be very bad.
7:19a - I had to take my meds late last night and, as expected, I had an extremely heavy bombardment of dreams. I can't remember any of them specifically now, but it takes too much mental energy to recall them.
7:24a - We have another HEAT ADVISORY going into effect tomorrow with temperatures forecast to be in the 90's.
8:16a - Arrived at the bus stop. I was concerned since bus ran at this time (early) yesterday.
8:20a - Here comes the bus (on his "normal" schedule).
9:03a - I sat at 5th&Mo waiting for a train... here it comes now. FINALLY! I already called the office and told them I could be late. Meanwhile, I sat here at 5th&Mo and watch FIVE east-bound trains go by!
3:50p - As usual... another hectic day. LZ and I have been burning CD's for two days now. I have probably over 100 NAV CD's on my desk completed now.
5:33p - Wow... sure have made a lot of CD's! I got permission from BS to leave about 15 minutes early until this problem with the train schedule is resolved. I am not sure what happened, but there was something about a pole falling on the tracks.
I was getting nervous about the train, but it got there in time and I got to 5th&Mo in time. I walked home and ran into Richie in front of our neighbors. I chatted with him a bit and kinda explained our position with Tad and his attitude toward toward us 20 days ago, how we were both seriously offended, and why we therefore decided not to subject ourselves to further such treatment. Then I showed him some of the work we've done around the yard, including the massive prune-fest that Skip hosted all on his own this weekend! He was more than a little inebriated, but still I think he was impressed. Considering that we both work 12 hours per day, I think we manage pretty damn good!
I got the free utility called MM-Exporter loaded on my system tonight (to back up my DreamWeaver site definitions). I also loaded the new Yahoo IM. (Not sure I am happy with it though, since it does not let me use my Kira Skin that I have had for years!).
I am finishing off the shish-ka-bobs FINALLY tonight! This time I have removed all the pineapple chunks (ate them as I went) and chopped the meat & veggies up into smaller bites. Then I added that to some macaroni and poured Alfredo Sauce over the resulting concoction. I came out pretty good!
7:45a - As usual, my night was filled with dreams, Kira was scratching fleas and panting, and I generally did not get enough sleep. It was not as bad as some nights though.
8:08a - Left the
house for work.
8:14 - Arrived at the bus.
8:17 - Bus arrived
I began reading "The Way of the Priest." This is a story that deals with my alleged ancestors, the Ani-Kutani. I am hoping it is not another "evil Kutani" story. So far the story has not dealt a lot with the Kutani, per sé, but it has been captivating.
9:07 - Stepped of elevator... the work day begins.
10:58a - We have about 120 NAV CDs prepared.
11:58a - hmmmm... I might be getting a DVD burner. I am willing to pay, but might not have to.
Wow! ... DB brought me a DVD burner! A Sony 4x all-format!
12:26p - Almost time for lunch... and I am HUNGRY!
5:00p - Skip came by to borrow some money from me while ago. He got his contact lenses yesterday and they are really bothering him. I guess it will take him a while to get used to them.
5:45p - Time to go. DVD-burner in hand!! :)
OOPS! ... I set it down and had to run back to the office to get it (the DVD burner and my book, which was in the same plastic bag).
11:54p - I made an interesting dish of pork, potatoes, cauliflower, cherry tomato, onion, bell pepper, cheese flavourings and other seasonings. It came out very tasty! Of course, I have more for lunch tomorrow.
THURSDAY
- JULY 22, 2004
Happy Birthday to "Joe"
of Talayna's Italian Restaurant!
7:17a - In last night's cavalcade of dreams, I dreamt I was an Ani-Kutani priest! Obviously I am being influenced by the book I am reading. Then again, I supposedly descended from the Ani-Kutani, so maybe there is something else going on? Anyway, in one of these dreams, I had turned into a butterfly! ... and I was actually marveling at how I could "taste" through my feet... what a mind boggling dream that was!
8:17a - Running <pant> for <pant> the bus! Almost missed it! It's the same "early" bus driver.
9:29a - Time to start another day at work. Money goes in the bank tonight and I still have money in my wallet. Didn't have to touch my savings once this pay period!
3:24a - I got my DVD burner installed here at the office. Now...to get it installed at home. Skip came by this morning and borrowed my camera to take pictures of "equipment neglect." He is on the war path for custodians and their supervisors who do not take proper care of equipment. Good for him! He brought the camera back a little while ago and I printed off the pictures for him (8 total). He's right... "neglect" is barely adequate to describe what he showed me.
4:39p - I am going to have to reboot for the 4th or 5th time today!
5:31p - Just got through bringing Dr. Hutter's "loaner" PC up from downstairs. That was a bit strenuous and it is still suffocatingly HOT outside!
7:52p - 77°F - Storming outside big time!
FRIDAY
- JULY 23, 2004
Birthday
wishes to actor Ronny Cox
I felt awful this morning, but managed to get myself up and off to work. I woke up this morning hearing some banging noises coming from the bathroom and figured it was Skip taking a shower. When I got up, I noticed the shower curtain was opened from the right side. Very unusual. Then I notice the channel locks laying on the back of the toilet. I knew something was up. It only took a moment before I noticed the shower massager was removed and the old, plain shower head was installed. I found out later that the shower massage thing had broken.
I talked to DB, DL and PS about the PC I received not having a sound card. PS said he would be pulling some PC's next week and will give me another WITH a sound card. Cool!
I left at 2:30p and walked down to Cha Yoon for lunch. I had eaten some bagels & cheese earlier, so I was not real hungry, but I planned it that way. I still managed to spend of $15.00 on a small lunch! Then I walked on down to Dr. P's office. I was about to fall asleep in the waiting room, but they finally called me in. My appointment was at 3:45, but I did not see the Dr. until about 4:30.
So... I am going to change the BP meds completely over to the new stuff (he gave me some free samples). Maybe that will help with the constant fatigue. The medicine, which for my own privacy I will simply call "S" I will continue to take until I use up what I have, then he is going to switch me over to a new medicine, and it will be a one-per-day dosage. We will see how all that works in a couple of months.
My cholesterol was, as usual, well within the acceptable range, and my tri-glycerides slightly elevated, but still within the "normal" range. However, my Glucose levels were elevated and so Dr. P is running a test to be sure I do not a mild case of diabetes. The strangest, most unexpected result of my tests was that my testasterone level is very low. I am going to be using a "gel" that one rubs on the skin to adjust this hormone imbalance. He assures me that this should make me feel more energetic and less tired. I am looking forward this... I am so tired of being tired!
I stopped at LZ on the way home. Dan was the bartender again. Had some screwdrivers and relaxed for a few minutes, then head for the MetroLink. The train was crowded with Cardinals fans (again!). I caught my usual bus home, with Erline driving
SATURDAY
- JULY 24, 2004
Festival of Nations
I got up real early this morning, around 6:00a, and began working on downloading Esperanto MP3 files, and buring them to CD. Made a decent lable for them too. I got dressed, got the CD's made and labeled and off to catch the bus which ran at 12:26p. Skip had left earlier to go to Soulard Market where he was buying some more spices for me.
I finished reading my book, "The Way of the Priest" on the bus ride. It ended a bit abruptly; there are sequels planned.
1:03p - I am waiting on the platform at 5th&Mo... Skip's train just pulled in. I gave him another $20 for his expenses on the spices. My train arrived a few minutes later and it was AGAIN jam-packed with fans on their way to a Cardinals game (I am getting SO TIRED of baseball fans! grrrr!).
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1:40p - I found the Esperanto table with relative ease, but before getting involved, I went to get a bite to eat. I had some food from the Chinese booth. They had a special of all you could put on your plate for $5... not bad! I got a decent meal and scarfed it down. I was famished, since all I had eaten all day was a small brothy bowl of shallots & egg soup. On my excursion for food, I took the one and only picture that I took all day (not like me at all!). Jeff and I worked for the next 3 hours handing out "free samples" of a word in Esperanto, postal lessons, refrigerator magnets, brochures... while answering questions and enlightening people to the existence and perserverance of Esperanto in the world. There were some interesting and interested people. I could not "sell" my CD's (I had intended the proceeds to go to the club's coffers), so I gave them away to a select few who seemed especially interested. |
It would have been better if the weather wasn't turning foul. It kept sprinkling rain off & on and once our billboard blew over and fell on some people (and their dog)! We had to lay a table on the feet of the billboard to keep it upright (that worked well), but things were still getting wet.
We closed up about 30 minutes early, due to the weather, and Jeff gave me a ride down to the MetroLink station. We listened to one of my left-over CD's on the way. I especially like the song "La Virbovo kaj La Luno." It has a very Mexican "fiesta" sound to it.
I stopped for a couple of beers at 5th&Mo while waiting for the bus home. I was so tired when I got home that I just went right to bed! I napped for about an hour and felt much better.
Diana M. called me later, but I miss her call.
I ended up sitting up until about 2:00a
12:14p - I just called Wal-mart. The pharmacy closes at 4pm and the DO have the "AndroGel" on hand. I will go get that today!
Diana called back this morning and we chatted for a few minutes
1:30p - Richie just came by and picked up the invoice that I typed up for Tad. Funny... Tad doesn't seem to want to face me now. He sends Richie to pick up the invoice.
1:33p - 59°F - Need to prepare shopping list and go to the store. I can't believe it is so cool... IN JULY! Diana, who is up North in Washington, says they are having record high temperatures and it is about 100° up there. What strange weather!
6:56p - I am bushed! I have been quite busy this afternoon. I went to Wal-Mart and picked up the AndroGel, plus about $50 or more in vitamins & supplements. I also got a a new show massage hose thing for the shower. I got the massager installed, got a beef roast in the oven, and some butternut squash cut up and simmering on the stove. I got fruit cut up including red & yellow watermelon, a cantelope, and some grapes. They are now in the new little containers I bought for this purpose today. I also filled some smaller containers with cottage cheese for the week. Now I have dye in my hair, touching up my roots and will head to the shower in about 5 minutes. Kira will be going with me because she is due for another flea bath. Then I will apply the Androgel and see if I feel any different!
7:07 - 60°F - Three minutes left before I wash this glop out of my hair. Kira's collars are off... she is getting a bath too!
8:51 - 60°F - The temperature has remained amazingly steady about 60° all afternoon! I have supper done, but now I am not too hungry. I made a big pot of gravy from the squash broth and roast drippings. I cooked potatoes and carrots with the roast.
11:54p - Off to bed now. Back to work tomorrow. I hope I sleep well, and I hope I am not trashed in the morning! At lest I now have all the FMLA papers filled out.
12:03a - I just updated the financial balance sheet. Now... off to bed!
I felt fairly decent today. I would like to think it is because of the AnroGel. Don't know. I got my FMLA papers submitted to HR this morning, but JP has to make sure it is "permitted" and "done right" since she is not all that acquainted with such cases that involve longer and/or intermittent condition like mine.
PS brought me a PC as promised! It has a sound card. I will probably get it home this Friday when I have another trip to the Jost's planned.
I got LZ's birthday flyer done for her daughter's birthday bowling party.
Tomorrow we begin the new ACD telephone system! This should be exciting! I am so glad the system is FINALLY being implemented. I have been stressing the need for it since I arrived here. Of coruse, I will get no credit for it, but ... whatever! As long as we get it up & running. I am almost to the point (professionally) that was 6 years ago... (okay... wishful thinking... but some factors are closer!).
I got off the bus tonight and walked over to Q-Mart. Richie drove by and honked (that means he has a new car).
I was debating if I had the energy to mow the front yard, but when I got home, Skip was already mowing! That was good. So, I got the garbage out and raked the grass in the front yard down to the road. My back was hurting so badly by this time that I had to go in and rest. I could barely sit down due to the pain. (More arthritis? Am I really getting so old and decrepit?!).
However, once rested, I did get some stuff out of the fridge that was sitting for too long. Some of it was good and I ziplocked & froze it for JR. Other stuff had to be flushed. I later washed out all the containers (after putting up the stuff currently in the rack). So... my evening was not a toal waste.
TUESDAY
- JULY 27, 2004
ACD
Goes Live!
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Happy
TWENTIETH Birthday to Calais M. Selfridge! My Number One Niece 1984 |
12:05a - I have STILL not had supper! ... gotta go get my food now.
12:29a - I just spent 15 minutes wasting my time trying to contact some a-holes who keep leaving messages on my phone from "Cytel Corp." They left a semi-threatening message with no name used. I wanted to tell them off. Nobody answered. I am so sick of the phone spam! I can't even check the phone to see what time it is because the MESSAGE WAITING light is ALWAYS on! I am so frelling tired of this "Michale Rhodes" calling several times per day and leaving a message... but NEVER addressing anyone in particular! GRrrrr! Our country has really gone to seed in this regard.
1:14a - OFF TO BED! WAY TOO LATE!!!
7:22a - I could have stayed in bed a lot longer. I had dreams again all night. Bothersome dreams, but I can't remember anything specific. It was like passing through a mob of angry people. I can't remember any of the faces, but I am left feeling drained an and apprehensive.
7:26a - I need to be alert, though, since we are going live with the new ACD system this morning!
I started reading a new book this morning... or rather and old one. It is one of the ones my sister Darlene sent last year by Greg Bear called, "Darwin's Radio."
The ACD system is up & running. It was a bit chaotic, and there are still some kinks to work out, but overall it seems to be working fine.
I was very tired all day (of course!). When I got home this evening, I spent about 2 hours sorting pills out for the next 5 weeks. What a tedious task! However, this time I wrote down a list of everything I take including name, quantity, dosage and if morning and/or evening.
For supper I got kind of crazy and made this GIANT sized sandwich. I am taking a little over a third of it to work for lunch (but it is going to be TOO much).
I called Calisa to night. They are moving again at the end of August. I wished Calais a Happy Birthday; it's hard to believe she could be 20 years old! Calisa told me about Mitch's grandmother, Lenora, passing away while they were on their trip to Oklahoma. I realize who she is now, I met her. She was the lady next door to Mitch's Dad, who had all the Native American statues and what-nots. 'lisa say they sold the bunch for just $50, but the guy brought them back. I have offered to buy them and will pay for shipping. She was of NA acestry and I remember that it was very apparent when I met her.
I made it to bed before midnight, but I really meant to be in bed before 11pm. I had no beer though, so hopefully I will be a bit perkier tomorrow!
7:39a - The temperature was in the low 50's this morning! ...and here it is, in the middle of summer. Everyone all over the world seems to be commenting on the odd weather we are having this year. It is 63°F at the moment (that would be 17°C).
7:42a - Must be off to shower. I have been calling it to close here lately and this new morning bus driver is very much on time, or even early!
8:17a - Made it
to the bus stop on time, but I was rushing.
8:30a - Still at the bus stop. There are 6 of us waiting and
the bus should have been here at 9:18. I am calling MetroLink to find
out what's going on.
8:35a - Found out that the bus was delayed by an accident. Don't
know how late he will be. I wonder if the bus was actually in an accident,
or if he was only delayed by one?
8:43a - The bus passed by on the other side of the road. That
usually means 12-13 minutes before he gets to the other end and turns
around.
8:56a - The bus arrived! Finally. I asked the driver what happened
and he said someone rear-ended him. Once again does not have the A/C
on. I got up and opened a window and several other people did the same.
9:17a - Arrived at MetroLink and ... here comes the train! That's
good. No waiting. I am already going to be late for work. I hope I don't
get in trouble for this! There is nothing I can do.
10:11a - I got to work about 9:40. Kinks are still being worked out of the ACD system, but it seems to be working fine.
4:22p - I feel much more energetic today than usual. Maybe because of the hormone stuff, maybe the new BP medicine I am taking now, maybe because I had no beer last night... whatver.
4:45p - Just got back from seeing JP in HR. She needed me to fill out the "date" section of the paperwork. Per her direction, I simply stated, "Unknown due to nature of illness" and initialed. So... now all the paperwork is officially submitted and I have myself covered and protected to the best of my ability!
Dr. Levitt called with problems/concerns about TeleRad just as I was getting ready to leave. This escalated and I ended up missing my train home! I got to the MetroLink just as the train was pulling out. So, I took the next train Westbound and went to Talanyna's where I had a pitcher of beer. I called Jack and chatted with him.
I caught the 6:57p train at Forest Park and got back to 5th&Mo in plenty of time. (I used the port-to-lett there for the first time ever). Chatted with some a Mexican lady (who did not speak English) for a bit. She was from Guadalajara.
Talked with Chuck a bit after getting home (we finaly connected!).
Eating more leftover super-sandwich for supper!
I felt awful this morning. Maybe because I took my meds later than normal last night? Don't know. Diarrhea and nausea. Almost threw up in the kitchen; I had to hold on to the wall and gasp for air of a moment. This was before I even took my morning meds. This threw me off schedule.
8:03a - Just getting
out of the shower! OMG! Gotta rush!!
8:17a - Just made it to the bus stop. There sure are a lot of
people waiting today; people I have not seen before. I am feeling much
better now.
8:19a - The bus arrives.
8:37a - We just pulled in to 5th&Mo; I see the 8:36 train
pulling out. I will (as usual) catch the 8:46 train. It's a nice morning.
Not too hot.
9:13a - Stepping off the elevator at work. On my normal schedule.
10:20a - Starting to feel queasy again, but at least I have some food in my stomach.
I handed in my "Employee Self Evaluation" this morning. It was not due until tomorrow.
4:18p - Had lunch at Hon's Wok today (the usual, 'General Tso's Chicken). Now I am struggling to keep my eyes open!
4:56p - One hour left... still sleepy.
5:21p - My email is empty; the helpdesk email is empty; my Applix "bucket" only has one item in it (pending call back); backup is done; my "closed call" report is done...
5:29p - ...all the billing links have been run. I am about ready to get out of here!
5:45p - Finally time to shut down. I don't want to miss my train again tonight!
I kept getting awakened last night by Kira barking at thunder. It rained all night. It was raining this morning. I had to wear one of my little 87 cent rain slickers, but I still got a bit wet. Then the bus did not arrive until nearly 8:30a! I thought I had missed it.
4:43p - This has been a busy day, even with Lisa and Jeff both working. I am so tired today, and I still have to go to Cheryl's and work on their PC to night.
5:07p - I finally got Terminix Scheduled to come on next Tuesday afternoon (between 3:00-5:00pm) to take care of the bug problem. We were sort of hoping to get a one-time treatment, but this would really be ineffectual. The bugs would be back in no time and at $255 per treatment, it was just not going to be cost effective. This treatment will be $145 with quarterly treatments of $85. However, there are unlimited call-backs allow in between the quarterly visits. THE BUGS ARE GONNA DIE!!
5:50p - Almost time to leave... Cheryl should be picking me up shortly. I wish I could call this off, I am so tired....
Progress was fantastic on Cheryl's machine. This time I booted the machine up with the cable modem connect. When I loaded the operating system, the software picked up the modem and set everything up automatically... DOH! I should have done that last time! I got her Parental Controls and AntiVirus loaded, plus gave both her and her son Zach email addresses and set them up to POP their email to their local OutLook Express.
I got home around 11pm. I brought the PC with the sound card in it that PS got for me. I will deal with it later. Too exhausted to night. I had 5 beers left in the fridge, and drank one. That was enough. I went to bed. I lay in bed and watched the tail end of the StarGate Atlantis, and then the beginning of Andromeda... and turned the TV off.
I slept in until about 9:30a. I got up, let Kira out and immediately jumped in the shower (after taking my pills). Applied my hormone gunk, shaved, and ... I feel wonderful this morning! It's not raining and looks like it will be a beautiful day out!
I tried to install my Haupauge WinTV card and the new sound card in my "server" PC, but I had no luck. Well... no *good* luck. I finally got everything back to
10:43a - Just got my bills/change enter into WheresGeorge. I have now entered in 1,344 bills totalling $9,241. Unfortunately, I dropped from 144th position in Illinois and now rank 161 in the state. I was in the 103rd position and just about broke the 100 barrier, but I seem to have slipped down the ladder. Oh well... its not like I actually gain anything out of this! (Other than amusement).
10:13p - I did a little yard work this morning. I swept off the sidewalk, then I used the water hose and cleaned the driveway of grass clippings. I tried to get some house work done, but did not get too far. I did pull the vent from the kitchen floor and paint it. I walked to Q-Mart and bought a mop, go the carpets out to shake them down, did some laundry, put some carpet fresh down... but never really seemed to achieve much. Marty finally came by as Skip and I were walking back from Q-Mart. JR got his cans and I had some more frozen food for him. They gave me a ride over to Block Buster on the way out where I dropped off a movie for Skip, then the dropped me off at Schnucks. So for today, all I have had to eat was some sausage & onion gravy this morning. I have now made a bowl of mashed potatoes, and I have a pork roast in the overn. I injected it with the last of the Créole Butter which I mixed with a peppery Mesquite Marinade. The roast is still in the oven. It's going to be a late meal!
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Charlotte
Midkiff
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