Well, it was a pretty cool party last night.  All the old = edgy - stuff from the past seemed to have disappeared with most of the people there.  Meaning, all the judgementalism and finger-pointing and bad-mouthing must have gone away with the winds, because excepting for one person, I felt none of that there last night.

I met with my pastor yesterday for a couple of hours at the church.  I'm not going to go into the specifics of the reason we had met - it wasn't a bad thing or something negative, but it was on a personal level coming from both of us so just not going to go there on a website that anyone on earth can read.

It was a good  meeting and I was happy to have had spent the time talking and praying with him.

Anyway, today is Caleb's big sending-off party.  I'm guessing the whole thing will be a bit uncomfortable since it's my ex-pastor and his brother and their respective families throwing the party. Long time readers know oh-so-well what I went through with these people in the past, so not going to go into all of that again, either.  I'm going for my son's sake and for the potential that there may well be people from the past that I haven't seen in a decade that I might get the opportunity to meet up with.

No guarantees there and no disappointments if not.  I am half-hoping the meeting I had with my ex-pastor quite some time ago at the Starbuck's might be continued on today.  Nothing too serious, just perhaps we can at least have some kind of agreeable relationship.  Those people have been part of Caleb's life since he as born, literally.  They were there for his birth - though I was the only one that got to go into the operating room and see him removed from my ex's belly, lol.  They cut her open and I saw all of that stuff in there and I was very proud of myself that I didn't fall on the floor and pass out.  They weren't quite so sure, I had apparently turned white as a sheet seeing all the blood; guts; whatever all of that is that was in there.  I flatly said no, I am okay, I will make it through this and I did.

But they were there for him his entire life.  I'm sure he probably thinks of them as god-parents.  I certainly don't hold it against Caleb for having the kind of relationship with them, but from my end of things, I doubt I will ever see the kind of relationship we had - or I thought we had anyway - before the church fiasco/nightmare.  That whole point in time and the events that took place during that time just changed my view of them completely.  I forgive them but I don't have to be close to them.  But who knows. There are others that will be there that will also "charge" the air a bit.

But I'm still looking forward to it.  Many of them sowed into Caleb's trip - that's Christianeze for giving money to, lol - and I am happy that they helped him out. Caleb is still about $600 short but I guess he will be allowed to go, anyway, but he will still need to pay that money eventually.

So that's pretty much today.  I have done cleaning around here and normal Saturday stuff, other than that, just passing the time until it's time to go to the party.  I am one of those punctual people that always shows up early - but I am going to show up 10 to 15 minutes later than the stated start time.  On purpose, yes.  I have my reasons and I figure it's a good plan, lol.

Oh, forgot, guess I better get outside soon and get the pond filters cleaned, never-ending chore during the summer when the fish are eating a lot and - clogging up the filters with their waste, lol.  Winter is MUCH easier, they eat very little and the filters don't hardly ever clog up. The benefit of summer is the fish grow - and grow - and grow.  The big ones I wish I could put a stop to their growing, too much bigger and they are going to have to be moved to someone else's pond somewhere - but the small ones can grow several inches in a good summer season if they are fed enough.

Well, better get with it.  Got busy talking to a minister in Africa - funny the things you can do on the internet nowadays.

G'day.

ben

New ice machine finally arrived at work on Monday.  I spent the last day installing the thing.  We should have gotten one several years ago when the store opened, but for whatever reason it never happened.  Well walaah.. All the free ice I will ever need.  I can take a cooler to work with me, fill it up with ice at the end of the day and bring it home.  We go through a LOT of ice in my house, the automatic ice maker in the big refrigerator cannot keep up with the demand.

Which doesn't matter to me, I don't proclaim "free ice" to prospective tenants, if it's there, great, help yourself, if not, go buy some.  But, still, I can now bring home large quantities of ice on a daily basis as long as the machine is full.  Contractors that find out we have that machine may come in in the morning to fill up their ice chests, that's fine, they won't come in the afternoon to do so.  I had just gotten the thing running before I left yesterday, so I can't say decisively that it can put out large quantities of ice in a short period of time, but, the thing had already dumped it's first load in less than 20 minutes and was freezing it's next one when I left.

I am optimistic that the entire thing will be full when I arrive at work this morning.  It will be a new habit to get used to - taking home the ice, but one that I will readily grab onto.  The water is filtered, too, meaning the ice should have no "taste" to it at all.

Well, that was it for this morning, lol, it's time to be off to work - which has been painfully slow as of late.

G'day.

ben

I've Been Subpoenaed

The City Prosecutor just won't give it a rest.
I disagree with the man about putting the lady that owns the 3 dogs that mauled my Great Dane - Duke - on probation for 3 years.  He refused to bring it down to a maximum of 1 year.  He states that he wants "something" on the record so that if it happens again, he can get much more aggressive with prosecution.

Well I'm not out for blood.  It's a dog, he was treated, he got better, it's over. Would have those dogs attacked a human like that? I have no idea.  I can't foresee what I don't know.  A great number of dogs will attack other dogs and never consider humans as something they would like to bite into.

Granted, duke had dozens and dozens of bites all over his body. His left ear had been chomped so badly it was loaded with staples to put it together again.  I get it, it was bad.  The dog was bloody from head to toe.  There was blood all over my car seat after I had taken him to the vet.  Again, it's a dog and dogs get over it.
What I want and what is fair and reasonable is her to pay Duke's vet costs.  Pets are considered chattel, there is no getting pain and suffering for a dog.  He was in pain and he definitely suffered. He limped for days after that attack.  He wasn't feeling good and I gave him aspirins for several nights to help.  Again, it's a dog. Yes, if I would have been there, I would have probably attempted to kill all 3 of those dogs.  These are animals and I do not believe any jury on earth would find me guilty of whatever charge might be trumped against me if such were to happen.

The police? The prosecutor?  They are claiming this lady was trying to clean all the blood off of them to conceal what those dogs had done to my dog - amazing that, allegedly, those dogs were also covered with Duke's blood - when they went to her house to confront her on it.  This is their beef with this situation, though the prosecutor has said nothing about that to me, I found that out from the lady herself.  My only problem with this lady - which is substantial - is that she will give me money and then disappear for weeks.  She doesn't give me that much: after all this time I have received around $80 from her.  

Court date set for next month, I have no choice but to go.  I don't know what the judge is going to say.  I don't know what is going to happen though I am pretty sure they are going to attempt to get me to agree to all of this.  I will say no to 3 years probation.  If they won't bring it down, I will refuse and they will have to drop the case.  Let's be reasonable.

First day back at work, getting off the last subject, after being off for 9 days.  I'm going to tell you right now that I could easily get used to being able to sleep until 7am instead of having an alarm blaring in my ears at 4:30 am.  But in the job I am at now, that's not going to happen.  Whatever the case, I sat down after getting in the door - I am always the first one there - and go onto email.  Manager will be gone today, no clue who is taking his place.  Turns out, the Operations Manager.

Well for the most part, the Ops Manager and I get along pretty well.  He came in and we shot the s*** for a while before I went off to get some things done - though in terms of deliveries, unbelievably slow day.  I got back from that and..........waaaaalaaaaaah.............our new ice maker had arrived.  This is a commercial scal ice maker. Every new store is supposed to have one, ours didn't get one but now finally, after several years,  one shows up on a freight truck.  Why do I want a commercial-grade ice maker? Because, we live in the desert.  I am at hot construction sites.  I want ice at the shop for when I am outside working.  And to be quite honest: at the end of the day?  Fill up a cooler and take it home!

I emailed my pastor to discuss a bit with him about his stance on praying for people after listening to his sermon yesterday. Turns out he meant nothing of the sort.  He understood after I explained to him how that may have come off.  I am guessing he is going to re-explain all of that this at Sunday's service.

Lots more, but enough for one entry.

ben

The worst part of extended time off vacation: sitting here half awake, downing coffee, wishing it were this afternoon so I could be home, off work and not doing much of anything, lol.

Church was interesting yesterday.  Number one, they had the lights off over the congregation.  I guess people like it, I don't.  It puts me to sleep.  2, the pastor made a rather startling announcement that he had almost quit the church - ie:, the church would have folded, due to disappointment and not seeing things go the way he had hoped and then 3, gathering from his sermon, he is not interested in praying for people individually and you need to do that for yourself.

Biblically speaking, seeking the Lord is both an individual and a corporate activity.  He had, however, asked if he could pray with me about a situation last week to which I had said yes.  It just turned out that we both had things come up and didn't have time for it.  It was kind of strange hearing that coming from a pastor of a church yesterday and I am going to have to rethink whether I want to continue with this church.  No hurry on that, though, let things play out and see what happens.

I dunno sometimes.

Whatever the case, time to be off to work.

G'day.

ben

Mountains

So, Caleb and I left this morning at 9am to go to mom's property, have a little party for Caleb and a food fest and visit for a while. It will presumably be the last time Caleb and mom see each other until whenever next year.  When we arrived I was wondering what the heck all the caution tape was around the trees for?  My brother's 4-wheel drive Suzuki was in the way, had to wait for him to move his vehicle and then, getting closer, I realized my mom went all out on this affair.  She bought yellow ribbon and put it around trees and on fences and then up Luau signs all over the place plus she had Lei's for everyone.

I was helping my oldest brother do some repairs on her driveway - anything I guess to get close to him, he's just off on his on world forever I guess - but he was being cool.  Chris and Linda - my brother and his wife - basically came up this weekend to do the party, they were not otherwise going to come up to their cabin this weekend, they apparently had other plans that they had to alter to be there.  So that was really pretty cool and nice of them to go out of their way to go up there and be a part of it.

It was a huge feast. My ham and ribs plus a lot of other stuff.  I brought up so much meat there was a lot left over, both my mother and my brother have food to eat for a while, lol.  It was kind of a sentimental thing leaving there today - we did not stay overnight - just because I knew this would be the last time mom sees grandson for a year and of course life, who knows what may happen.

Caleb also dropped a bomb-shell on all of us today, something I had not heard before.  He will have no internet access on the Salvation Army compound in Hawaii.  Meaning he can't send us emails or update his Facebook wall or anything like that at all.  The SA does that on purpose, but a lot of missionary organizations really do that as well. They want you to focus on the Lord and the reason you are there, not on all the technology and junk that the worlds thrives on nowadays.  I remember going through 5 years of having very little access with the world and travelling around Mexico with NO access at all.  I did not miss TV - and I still don't, lol - Facebook and the internet did not exist at that time or if the internet did exist, it was in it's infancy, laptops and all this other stuff we have now simply weren't around.  You remember, the days when payphones were everywhere?  Yeah, that era, lol.

It is really good for them to do that with the recruits they bring over there, but for a parent, that's kinda hard to take.  So beit and such is life, but I am not going to sit here and say it isn't going to affect me.  They did tell him on the Sabbath Day he can take a bus to the library and use the internet there if he likes, otherwise, it's not a happening event.  Knowing my son?  Probably won't be hearing much from him.  It's basically write letters and send them out.  I didn't write letters when I was on the mission field but I did make phone calls here and there to talk to my mom and my dad.  Well, this is just something that we're all going to wade into and see what happens.

Going over to visit him will not happen, not the way they have it set up over there.  I mean, I have always wanted to go to Hawaii so I could go anyway and spend the day he has off with him, but other than that it just won't work out.  It's okay, though.  But on my bucket list are to go to the 2 states I have never been to: Alaska and Hawaii, and I really would like to take a cruise ship up to Alaska.  I know, seasickness. I don't really think that's that much of a problem on a giant cruise ship that isn't getting tossed around as much by the ocean.  I could be wrong, however.

I'm winding this vacation down.  It has not really been one of those relaxing type of vacations, but I didn't expect it to be.  It's been go, go, go.  The drive today up there and back wasn't really that bad excepting on the way back it was raining so hard it was hard to see the road in some places.  I'm just tired of traveling/driving and now the car has a heating issue of what the problem is I don't yet know.  Fans are working, there are no leaks, the engine is running fine as far as I can tell and so, I assume either a clogged up radiator or a faulty thermostat.  I am going to start by flushing out the cooling system and replacing the thermostat and see if that fixes it.  If it doesn't, I will either pull the radiator and have it cleaned out or I will take it into a shop to have it evaluated - does it have a blown head gasket?  It doesn't act like it does.  I have seen plenty of cars with blown head gaskets and they don't run well at all.

Start with the easy - and cheap - stuff first and go from there with it.  I have no more long drives to go on at the moment, just getting to work and back and it's not overheating type of thing, it's just the temps are getting up there, much higher than that car normally operates at and I know cars: you don't deal with them, they will deal with you.

________________________

I wrote all of that yesterday and just didn't finish.  But no sense rewriting what already happened, so there it is.  It's almost my bedtime and yes, I would love to have a few more days off. I have realized in the last 2 days that I am getting bored at work.  Yes, I keep busy, but it's the same thing every day and we have been slow for quite a while now. I think it's the slow part that is getting me bored and the fact that I rarely get a longer run. I am kept in-town with a few out-of-town runs but nothing too far out of town.  I am also realizing that this isn't my life's calling and that ministry is what gets me going.

I am also hating living in the desert.  I like tall trees and streams/water.  I don't want to live in a desert.  I really don't like it here anymore.

Whatever.  I need to get a plan and get with it.

Goodbye vacation.

Soon, goodbye to my son.

ben

9th picture down from the top.  Look closely.

San Diego

Okay, finally getting a chance to write up an entry on the trip.
First, it was 5 hours there and 5 hours back.  That's including stopping to eat and get fuel.  Lol.

My sister-in-law wanted to drive but after seeing how slow she was going to go, I opted out of that.  It would have turned into an 8 or 9 hour trip and I am allllllll about getting trips over with.  Not that I wouldn't have minded being a passenger, but adding THAT much time to a trip like that was just not in my plans.

We arrived at the hotel and I was pleasantly surprised.  The King's Inn San Diego is a very nice hotel for the price.  Not a 4 star place, obviously, but FAR better than that hell-hole down the road - Motel 6 - and only a little more per night in terms of cost.

The rooms have central AC/heat, not those window units and there was a mini-fridge.  2 Queen beds, firm but comfortable mattresses, a couple of chairs and table.  The bathroom was small but who cares.  I mean, okay, I liked that bathroom at the Marriott I stayed at last year in North Phoenix, it was a treat unto itself, but this hotel for as low as $73 per night or even lower depending on when you book and if you do it online, is definitely a keeper.  Our room had no front window, which didn't matter, because it would have "overlooked" the wall on the other side.  We were at a part of the hotel where it curves.  The window in the rear of the room was wonderful.  Nothing fancy, but it was a hillside covered in vines and various landscaping.

I did not, however, sleep that well the first night.  I have no clue, no explanation.  We got on the boat that next morning and I took a motion-sickness pill - they don't work on me but I took one anyway - and expected that I would drink several beers, which worked last time to get rid of any motion sickness.

However.  I know that's not a sentence, but it's going to have to do here.  Sea-sickness started hitting me only 2 hours into the trip and I didn't want to drink beer at 8 am.  It got worse, too, until the point that I couldn't DRINK or EAT = anything.  I did not have a pleasant trip on the ocean. But no matter, neither did anyone else.  The captain of the boat couldn't find a school of fish to save his life.  He drove that boat for a solid 4 HOURS before stopping, claiming he had found some fish.

But we only stayed there 5 minutes and away we went.  No-one caught anything.  Second stop some 30 to 40 minutes later. Same thing, 1 person out of 51 pulled a fish in.  Away we went.  This went on all day long.  I didn't drop a line in the water a single time, but Caleb was all over it every time we stopped.  He tried to catch fish and he couldn't land a single one, but that because the captain simply wasn't finding them.  In fact, most of the anglers caught nothing that day, I was on the ocean for 14 hours, 12 of them extremely seasick and I can only think of one other time when I was REALLY happy to get off a piece of machinery and onto solid ground - it was  a flight for execs on a new turbo-prop - new back then anyway - about a 30 seater - I turned white as a sheet and I literally got out of that plane and kissed the ground when we landed.

Regardless, back to the motel, that has 2 pretty decent restaurants.  Prices a bit stiff but what else is new at hotels and their prices on things.  Not to mention California.  I hadn't eaten since the evening before - there was no way I was going to eat anything on that boat, I would have just lost it all over the place.

Interesting thing, though, Caleb, on the 3 hour trip back to land after fishing, had his Bible out and a minister stopped to talked to him. They talked forever.  I was too sick to even listen to what they were saying, much less attempt to join in the conversation.  But after we got off the pier, we all stood in a circle and prayed.  It was really cool, actually, and I was already starting to feel a bit better after being on dry land.

Oh, the restaurant: Fajitas. EXCELLENT.  They were very good.

That night?  I got into bed and yes, I slept 10 hours, only getting up to go to the bathroom.

Next morning.  Seaworld.  I had to think about that for a while.  I ended up heading to the Waffle Spot restaurant and having a LOT of water - I was really dehydrated and didn't even realize it - and numerous cups of very good coffee, ordered Eggs Benedict. I decided that I would just get my mind into the idea that I am going to spend the entire day there and might as well enjoy, no matter how strung out I was from the previous day's - mal-adventure.  Not saying I won't ever go seafishing again, but I guess if I'm going to go, I better start drinking beers the second my foot hits the deck of the boat.  Tammy states emphatically the it's a proven fact that beer will stop sea-sickness.

So, we get to Sea World.  Not familiar with the place at all, I just started walking and we found the first hing and went in and started looking.  We went to ALL the shows - WELL worth the walking all over the place and the rather hurried pace when realizing the show was about to start and yes, they shut the gates and won't let anyone in after a show has started, with personnel standing there refusing entry.  Fortunately, we made it in time for all the shows and all of them were funny, very-well orchestrated and the orca whales; seals and dolphins were so well-trained.  It was amazing to watch them in action.

It was a very enjoyable day and we went to every attraction and every show there, sans the Mantra ride. I was NOT going to get on a roller coaster after what I had gone through the previous day, but I did tell Caleb he could go if he wanted to.  No thanks.  Lol.  I'm here to say that Sea World San Diego is a class act and anyone going to San Diego, if you've never been, should add it to your itinerary.

The shark exhibit was awesome.  You walk THROUGH the aquarium with solid plex-glass walls and rounded ceiling.  The sharks are swimming beside and over you.  We were quite impressed with a very large Sand Shark, I think it was, that was about 8 or 9 feet long. It was the biggest thing in that tank and it just slowly swam around in a somewhat huge circle.  This was a massive aquarium.

I dunno, I had a great time and so did Caleb and my sister-in-law at SeaWorld.  My sister-in-law did not go on the boat with us the previouis day, instead, she went on a whale-watching boat and she said she got sick as well -but throw up type of sick, like puking over the side of the ship.  The swells in the sea that day were pretty large, I will attest to that and apparently even that large ship was getting knocked around, she estimated over half the people on the boat were throwing up off the side of the ship.  It was so bad, they gave them all coupons for a free ride the next time they wanted to go.

Well, I won't be in San Diego again anytime soon for that.  My vacation is over, my money for it is gone and moving on.  Slept very well that night, too.  Like about 9 hours of good, solid sleep, the likes of which have eluded me at home for quite a long time.

So it's over, we're home and I am cooking BBQ ribs and a ham for tomorrow's affair up in the mountains.  Yup, the travelling ain't over, as we are going up to mom's property for a send-off for Caleb.  Grandma needs to see her grandson before he leaves for a year.  As expected, my middle brother isn't going to show up but my oldest brother and his wife will be there.  It'll be good regardless, though I think it a bit of bulls*** that my middle brother isn't going to show up, considering he has had ample advance notice.

But that's him, we don't talk and life goes on.

Next?  I am going to post a review on the hotel on here.  It will end up showing up somewhere on a Google search for people looking for hotels in the Mission Valley area and I want people to know that if they are on a budget yet still looking for a decent hotel in that particular area, this IS the place to go.

Going to slow cook the ham - the only way I can cook the thing and actually take it up there in a cooker to keep it warm.  I have heard slow cooked ham is quite good, I will be finding out soon enough.  I will cut the ribs into three-rib sections and probably just have to micro-nuke them up there to heat them up.  The ribs I want to take to give my mother a taste of them.  I have not had anyone ever tell me my slow-cooked ribs are somehow less than good. Most people devour them like it's Porterhouse steak.

Although I am on vacation - and only 2 days  left of it - it's been pretty busy.

Saw J.D. last night.  I was up later than normal and came out to find him on the computer.  We talked for quite a while.  He was talking about the night when I had told George to turn the freaking surround sound down.  He witnessed Mark and George getting into it, with George starting the altercation.  J.D. was surprised at the time, he stated, because they were yelling at each other. I heard nothing.  If I had, I would've been out here (here - my kitchen where my computer is also at) in a flash to deal with it.  Probably just as well I didn't hear all of that, I was already fuming from the inconsiderate nature of a person to not take into any accounting how other people might feel about turning up the sound level on a system so loud, you can't even hear the TV in your OWN ROOM.

Enough.  I have a lot to do today and not much sunlight left to do it.  Mark took care of the dogs and watered the plants once = which is all I asked him to do, however, the ponds were WELL down in water levels.  Between the plants using the water and evaporation in extreme heat, it doesn't take long for them to go down 8 to 10 inches or even more depending on how long you let them go without refilling.

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Long interlude.  Filled up the ponds, turned on the landscaping drip system, ribs coming along nicely, ham back in refrigerator.  All sites I read say it only needs 6 hours on low heat.  Sort of a juke motion.  Can't wait until I get there to put on the ham, it will be too late in the afternoon before it's done.  But I can't keep cooking it, either.  The answer?

Ummmmmmmmmmm........................

I usually wake up at 4:30 am.  I can put the thing on until we leave, turn it off, transport it up there, turn it back on for however long it needs and it will be done.  I am not even going to put it IN the cooker tonight.

Well, the idea that there is now another night's worth of stay at the hotel brings up an interesting prospect.  Shall we therefore do something that day, at least into early afternoon, before departing for home?

I was not asked about this, Caleb doesn't know neither does he care - he'll stay as long or short as we are staying - and I am just pondering.  A day at the beach? Wade out into the ocean and enjoy something I haven't done in decades?  I dunno.  I wonder what the water temp is like.  I get cold easily in water if it's too cold and I have found Pacific waters to be some pretty cold stuff.

We'll cross the bridge when we get there.  Caleb will be a go for it - I don't even have to ponder that.  Me?  Dunno.  My sister-in-law?  Probably.  Should I bring it up? Only when that morning arrives and if I feel like it.  I'm guessing a full day on the ocean and a full day at Seaworld is going to do me in, but then again, I have spent plenty of time on beaches laying on a sheet and sleeping with the sound of the surf tantalizing me and intriguing my imagination and generally causing me to feel very much at peace.

I just talked myself into.  I didn't remember that aspect of it until I just wrote that out.  I don't have to DO anything on the beach! I can just lay back and sleep! As long as the temp is good, well now then, we have a completely different scenario.

Okay, MOST of my beach-sleeping experiences have been wonderful. No, no-one has ever kicked sand in my face because if anyone did that, I would consider that an assault and I don't care HOW big that person is, I am going to "defend" myself.  I'm talking about the time when I was laying on the beach, a sheet under me and folded over top of me, sleeping away, when the sound of something strange hit my ears and slowly woke me up.

WHAT - is - THAT - SOUND?!!!  It was not natural and having had been asleep - and never exposed to the kind of sound before - well it took a minute or two - maybe it took longer and I just don't remember.  I didn't look over, which is what probably would have gotten me to figure it out sooner, until my curiosity piqued. Eventually, I was awake and yes, I did look over to see what was obviously 2 people going at it - sex - and then realized it was 2  guys.

I won't go into this further, as I was not happy about the situation, but whatever.  They didn't stay there forever, thankfully and then I was left to myself.  Why they had to choose THAT spot to do it, so close to me, I don't know.  They could have moved WELL down the beach, away from everyone if they are going to engage in such behavior in public.  Sheets be damned, that doesn't mute the sounds and certainly, GET A ROOM!

Regardless, I am now reminding myself to take a sheet with me on this trip.  If we do go to the beach, they can go in the water as long as they want - my son is a seal in disguise, he can stay in the water all day long and love every minute of it - I will do my thing and we can all be happy.  Which is not to say I won't get into the water, but again: Pacific water is MUCH colder than Atlantic water.  I have been in both dozens of times over, I can say that with authority.
______________________

That was yesterday.  I don't always post entries the same day I write them.  In fact, I have a large number of them that have never been posted and never will be.  Regardless, started this day - Saturday - out with a bang.  Here, there, over there, back there, down there - all over the place getting things done for the trip.  Walmart; hair cut; remove everything from the car and then the carwash and vacuum it all out and then Armor-All all of; the bank to deposit a tenant check and get quarter wraps.

And then? Applebee's.  I go there about once a month.  They have good food and there is a waitress that I connect with on some level.

After that, home and cleaning out a pond filter, a  couple loads of laundry and cleaning my bathroom? Time for a nap.  I'm on vacation, lol.  2 hours of that and then off to the airport to pick Caleb up.  Home and I've had enough for one day.  Well, I had thoughts of wrapping up more quarters, but have decided to dump that one on my son.  He can count out 40 quarters per wrap 13 times over and then I will take them to the bank.
That's it, besides numerous phone calls from my sister-in-law who hinted at changes to the schedule and which I determined were not in any interest that I had, at all and therefore just stated this is the way it's going to be.  People do vacations differently, that's fine, but she was no factor in this equation until this week when she stated she wanted to come.  Great, but it's my show, not to sound egotistical or otherwise - whatever adjective you'd like to insert - this is time to spend with my son.  I don't think she will be an intrusion on that, I just don't want to change the schedule excepting that since we are now staying another night, I figured we might as well go spend a half day at the beach and then drive home.

Whatever the case, my change I have saved up should be more than sufficient for eating money - but who knows, lol.

Well, off to other parts of the internet - namely - to pay some bills online.

G'day/nite.

ben

Well.  I went to Concentra this morning - industrial medicine type of place - to get my medical card renewed.
Nothing of great interest - a long wait as it always is - but when the put that machine operated blood pressure tester around my arm and the thing came up with the results, well it was shocking.  Showed my blood pressure at 157 over 94!! YIKES!  I tell this nurse no freaking way.  My blood pressure is definitely NOT that high!

Well, she says, we'll wait 20 minutes after you have calmed down a little and see

 what it's at.  They have terminology for it now, I think the nurse called it White Suit Syndrome or some junk like that.  Where it's now a proven fact that your blood pressure goes up when you come into a doctor's office.

I think it's those machines giving bad readings.

Well whatever.  Vision test, pee in the cup, all that wonderful stuff though they spared me the hernia test and I certainly wasn't going to ask them for it and then finally the doc comes in.  How's it going, brother?  Older gentleman, but very cool.  I get my blood pressure checked again: 112 over 82.  Okay, the bottom number still a bit high, but the top number at least was reading normal for me.  Thank you God!!

Done deal, another 2 years of certification, paid for by my company thank-you-very-much.

I get back to the yard to hear about the 23-year old wonder that works at our place.  He came into work - late - he still hadn't arrived by the time I left - and then, according to my manager, came in, got on the computer, did nothing, then went outside and got on the phone with a personal call for half an hour.  My manager shipped him downtown for the day, the manager down there needed him for something.  Apparently, they are going to try him out in another division and see how he works out there, cause honey, he ain't worth a s*** at our place.

Well whatever.  Friday is here.  I'm sitting in a huge recycling yard, waiting for them to unload the semi.  Last thing I think I will have to do today at work before leaving early.  I have OT and the company isn't giving out OT right now - though I completely understand, numbers are WAY down across the board at all branches in the southwest region.

I do hope business picks back up eventually, I do miss the extra dough on my paychecks.

Meanwhile, my sister-in-law decided she was going to get a third night for San Diego.  I was contemplating whether to do that or not.  Seaworld stays open until 10:00 at night, I don't really think I'm going to want to drive home after that.  In fact, I am quite sure I won't want to.  The hotel brought it's prices down 10 bucks per night, wish I would have known that was going to happen or I would have waited - but at the same time, I probably wouldn't have wanted to take the chance even if I had known.   So I am going to go ahead and get a third night as well.

Well whatever.  Weekend almost here and I am going to spend it getting junk done around the house, thoroughly cleaning out the car and just reminded myself to get an oil change on it before we leave, not to mention a nice hair cut help as well.


As for now?  I need to get offa here, they are almost done unloading the truck.

ben

So I'm going to a jobsite today.  I go to the intersection, listed as in Phoenix, where the jobsite is supposed to be at.  1st Street & Roosevelt.  I am there, no construction.  I call the foreman.  Oh, I come get you.  He calls back, where are you? I'm at 1st Street & Roosevelt.  Well how can you not see the construction going on?  There is NO construction going on here.  The man falls just short of calling me an idiot for not being able to see the construction going on, I must be at the wrong place.

NO, I am NOT.  If he had actually insulted me, I would have hung up on him and called my manager. I will not tolerate extreme insults from contractors, I don't care if they ARE our customers.

Where are you at now? he asks.  I just crossed Central avenue, heading west on Roosevelt, looking for this alleged jobsite.  Central?  He replies.  2 and 2 finally equals 4 in his mind.  What city are you in? Phoenix, I reply, just as the paperwork tells me.  We are in Tempe.

I get to the jobsite. The entrance? I could drive the truck in there, but I wouldn't make it very far and I would have to back out of it.  Not a problem, but I call the dude anyway.  Is THIS where you want the pipe?!!  Yes, he states, but instead of coming through that entrance, come around the one off of Rio Salado.  The Rio Salado entrance?  This is insanity.  There isn't any room for trucks in there!  He waves at me to pull in, so I do.  I can always back out the same way I came in.  He wants the pipe rolled off at a certain location - blocking EVERYTHING that is trying to move in there.

And it takes a while to get the pipe off of there and roll up the straps.  Meanwhile, a barrage of cement trucks are backed up, waiting for me to move out of the way.  Some of them get out of there trucks, staring at me.  I could care less.  I have been held up SO - MANY - times by cement truck drivers who refuse to move out of the way, even if they aren't pouring cement.  Many of them are just plain jerkoffs with serious attitudes.  I rarely get the opportunity to hold them up and when I do? I still do my job and get out of the way as quickly as possible, but in this case, it took a while.

Well whatever.  Later on, Susan calls me - my sister-in-law.  I was driving the semi, I took the call on the hands-free device, but that thing is a total piece of junk.  Management knows it is but they won't replace it.  Not my problem.  You can't understand anything anyone is saying most of the time if you are driving.  If you are stopped at a light sure, but trucks make noise and it interferes with this kind of hands-free device.

I finally get to call her back - after another near-impossible job-site delivery, won't go into it, just take too long, but she was asking me a lot of questions about the trip.  She got a ticket to Seaworld that has a second day for free.  I don't have those tickets, mine are just good for one day.  She was obviously wondering about us staying a 3rd day to go to Seaworld, but I don't have that kind of money.  Entrance tickets are not cheap and there isn't time to win another Ebay auction and get them here in time.  Not to mention another night at a hotel.  Talking almost another $300 which I simply cannot afford.  If I had a wife with a job or if I simply had a higher paying job, yes, but it's just not in the cards at least not from any resources I have.  God, on the other hand, has supplied for me in ways that were unfathomable in the past - through people of course - but still, I recognized it as the move of God.  So who knows.  Maybe $300 will sprout out of nowhere and we can do the third day, lol.

But I'm hardly feeling sorry for myself.  We are going to have a great time, the time spent with my son will be worth whatever it costs and I am going to miss him dearly.  He is coming back from CA on Saturday.

Well anyway.  I haven't been sleeping well and I don't really feel all the great.  Lack of exercise, at least any type of exercise that is continuous and goes on for at least 30 minutes, so today, after work, I went to one of the entrances to South Mountain Park, parked my car in the parking lot, grabbed my water bottle and off I went.  At first I was surprised no other cars in that lot - it always has cars parked there with hikers or bikers going up the trails.  Took me a few seconds to remember that it is an afternoon, it's August, it's hot and most people aren't going to be hiking in this kind of temps.

This is nothing that has ever deterred me.  Don't over-do it, keep hydrated and know your limits.  If you don't know your limits, keep it short and pay attention to what your body is telling you.  Heat can be a killer - frequently is for people going up on these mountain trails.  There were several signs at the trail-head with heat advisories.  I ignored them. I have been doing this since I was 10 years old, I am not immune to the effects of heat, but rather, I understand how to deal with it effectively.

One thing I do before I go on such treks is start drinking a LOT of water LONG before I even leave the house - or today - work - to get there.  When hiking, you continue to drink water regardless if you don't feel thirsty - I was sweating heavily but not thirsty simply because of all the water I drank earlier - but this isn't good enough.  The desert catches up to people who either don't know or just don't think about what they are doing out there.

So anyway, I was distracted.  Shortly after I pulled into that parking lot and headed out on the trail, another car came in and parked right next to mine.  I had my cellphone, call the police if I must if something happens.  I watched them all the way up the various grades of mountain trail and got off the trail to come back down to be able to continue to watch them.  No idea.  They were still there when I got back - drinking 40 ounce bottles of - whatever that skank beer crap is called.

The reason I was distracted is that I had got out of my car, with my computer and my gun in the computer bag and placed it in the trunk.  I wondered if they had seen me doing that and if they were thieves.

I need a holster.  I don't much care for going up into those mountains without protection.  There are lots of wild animals up there and I have seen them eyeing me in the past, just standing in the distance.  There are also some pretty scary looking people up there.  There are homeless people living in some small caves.  I just think it prudent to have protection with me.  But I have been hiking in the mountains for decades - though I have had several scary interactions and a couple situations I thought I might up dead or at least injured. One with an angry moma javelina and another time with a Mountain Lion that was stalking me.

I stopped at the right time.  When I got home, I could feel it. To stay out any longer in that heat would have had some consequences.

Friday's a coming.  That would be tomorrow.

G'nite.

ben

The 23 year old employee at our branch.
Why do I keep harping on this? Because it IRRITATES me.
This guy showed up yesterday at 4 am to go with a salesman to a jobsite who told him to bet there at 5 am.
What's the big deal? The deal is that he doesn't DO anything for the hour he is there, excepting to get on the internet and read the BBC. He should not have shown up an hour early to LEAVE.
But I wasn't there yesterday that early to confirm that, today, I WAS.
I drove into the parking lot behind a customer who was also pulling in at 6am.
I saw the 23 yo - kid's - car in the parking lot but assumed he had left with the salesman again.
Instead, I try opening the door with my key and its already opened.  I walk inside, the place is completely dark. He springs up out of nowhere -the kid that is.  Really weird.
I write up the customer's order before I do much of anything else and he goes out and gets the part - just one fitting.

He then proceeds to disappear.  I don't have time for this s***.  I look at the door to the warehouse bathroom, light on.  This is one of his hiding places.  He stayed in there 20 minutes and then came out and wrapped up a pallet - a 3 minute job - and then disappeared again. Meanwhile, I am working my @$$ off pulling and loading pipe, pallets, hydrants and everything else plus strapping down the load.

At some point, I had to go check.  Unbeknownst to him, I: can look through a warehouse window, through a crack in the door inside the room that it shows into and see him.  Yup, he was sitting there, screwing off on the internet again. I just got so mad, but I decided to not vent on him, I would just report it to my manager.  He sits in there another 20 minutes doing nothing, getting paid for it all the while there is plenty of work to do.

FREAK.

But, we complained yet again to the Operations Manager today about this guy and everything he - doesn't do - in terms of work - and everything he does do  in terms of hiding and many times not even hiding, just sitting in plain view, screwing off.  Like he is immune.  My manager asked him how to turn off the internet to the computer he uses - done deal.  No more BBC and all the rest of it on that computer.  If I find him on my computer, I am going to lock it down, but my computer is on the counter directly in front of the manager's office with a huge window.

My manager is asking me why I am not telling him to get to work.  This is not in the purview of my job function, I am not his manager.  I can ask him to do stuff, but telling him to get off his @$$ and get to work is simply not a co-worker's

Onto other things, such as the guy that called in to work today to complain about me.  Another driver on the road.
I was in Queen Creek - small town in the boonies - and was coming up on a lane reduction - right lane ends, merge left.  I have been down this road countless times, I get into the left lane long before you can even see this merger.  I pass a guy in a Ford pickup with Florida license plates.  Leave him well behind, only to get to a light, but I only had to slow down for traffic in front of me - note that everyone else had also gotten into the left lane because shortly after you pass through that intersection, that right lane ends.

You can see that that lane ends from at least a quarter mile.  There are the huge yellow signs that tell you to MERGE left.  This guy that I had passed and was going considerably slower than me?  Comes FLYING up beside me - but his lane had run out.  He was either going to drive off into the desert - slamming into trees and shrubs or crash into my truck, which would have done him no good, he still would have ended up in the desert.  I honked at him, slammed on my brakes to let him in though in reality, he shouldn't have even BEEN there, my anti-lock brakes going crazy.  I did the ethical and morally right thing: just shut it down even though I didn't HAVE to.  HE - KNEW - that lane was ending.  But this is the way people treat trucks and it's drivers.  After that happened, he put his arm out the window and flipped me off!

I'm stuck behind this guy for 2 miles because there is only one lane now.  Once the road stretches out to 3 lanes, he pulls over and then proceeds to write down my license plate number.  What a total, complete moron.  He almost causes an accident, flips me off and then has the gall to call my work and complain to the Operations Manager about ME.  I HATE the way the motoring public treats truck drivers.  I WISH we would all just shut down our trucks for a week and then the appreciation for our job would flow oh so nicely.
I put off buying that dash-camera, but no longer.  After my vacation and all expenses paid, I will look to see what I have left and hopefully be able to buy a dashcam for the truck. I don't care how expensive it is, though I think I can get one for about $50. I want it to have enough memory on it, though to be able to record an entire day's worth of driving.  So maybe more expensive.  I told the Ops manager that I was going to put an end to this nonsense - people calling in about us drivers - at least for me and get that thing and mount it to the dashboard.

And so it will be.

Next.  My tickets I won on Ebay for Seaworld showed up today : )  Should be a hoot!  That's it.  That's all I was waiting for.  I just need to get some quarter rolls from the bank, roll them up and get that cash.  The rest is just preparing the car and getting my stuff ready to go.  I will be doing that this weekend.

Enough.

ben

It rained yesterday and it was absolutely wonderful.
I got wet a couple of times - on purpose - and just took in the rather cool breeze/air considering the time of year it is in Phoenix.
My sister-in-law is definitely going with us at this point to San Diego - she made the same non-refundable reservations that I did and that pretty much seals the fate of both of us going and hopefully having a good time.
She definitely does not want to go out on the boat, citing the reason of it being out so long and her probably getting seasick.
Yes, I know that feeling.  I have done the pills and the patches to no avail, the only thing that works for me is alcohol.  I know, it's terrible, lol.  But I don't have to get drunk to get rid of the seasick feeling, just enough to make me feel "good" and get back to fishing.
I still have a patch left, I will use one again just to say that I at least tried something - those patches aren't exactly cheap and for them not to work?  Sucked.

Hump Day.  The work week will be over with soon enough and then I can get busy with getting ready for the trip.  I did buy a couple of new t-shirts yesterday - haven't bought any in quite a while and I usually like to have a couple of new shirts for just such trips.  My Virgin Healthmiles money came into my bank account overnight via direct deposit.  This was some of the money needed to be able to go on this trip.  I have the trip mostly paid for excepting they only took 50% deposit for the boat trip, that money will pay for the rest and also the bait/tackle fees, which is what I was counting on it for.

For whatever reason, the high is only slated to get up to 102 today.  The high in San Diego, however, will be 70, lol.

With that, time to be off to work.

G'day.

ben

It's a done deal.
I hope anyway.
2 adult tickets to Sea World San Diego - bought and paid for, expect to have them in the mail by no later than Thursday this week.
2 spots on the fishing boat - half paid for - that's what they wanted on the phone, a 50% deposit.  My name was still in their system from the last trip we took with them 2 years ago.
2 nights booked and paid for at the Kings Inn, San Diego.
I am comfortable that however the hotel turns out to be, there were enough very good reviews to make it appear to me that I will - a very non-picky hotel person though I don't like bedbugs, roaches and I like a clean room without a lot of noise (I don't consider any of that to be picky, that's pretty much the way a room should be regardless of where you are staying) - be happy with it.  I do hope so, because at the rate I got the room, the amount paid is non-refundable.
The Waffle Spot restaurant - on-property - has some excellent reviews on it including locals who love the place.  We won't be eating breakfast there, though and unfortunately, it doesn't open until 7 am according  the reviews.  Well, Wednesday morning we will be able to eat there in the morning since I doubt Seaworld opens too early and more importantly, I am probably going to want to sleep in from having had been on the ocean all day the previous day.

One twist to the adventure has popped up, though.  My sister-in-law has stated she would like to go along with us.  She doesn't want to go on the boat, she would rather go to the beach.  I actually get along pretty well with her considering she IS an in-law, lol, I just have to ask Caleb if he's cool with it.  I doubt he'll care one way or the other to be honest.  My only caveat is that she has to pay her own way - all of it.  I am on a budget and I don't have that much extra money floating around to pay for a 3rd ticket there.  She offered before I asked, though, that she has money and she would be paying her own way, including getting her own hotel room.  I'm good with that and I get along with her so if she was really serious about it, I'm sure she can go.

______________

Candid conversations.  My son was describing the perfect family for him: 3 daughters and 1 son.  He assumes to marry a Japanese lady since he is very intent on spending his life in Japan once he gets to that point.  He lamented that growing up as an only child was not-so-great.  I had no input to this discussion as far as that goes, it is what it is.  My mother refused to believe that my ex-wife was pregnant because she had had her ovaries removed.  Not quite, mother, she still has half an ovary left, I told her at the time.  She assumed we were mistaken about the pregnancy, no way could she be pregnant.  This went on for quite a long time until I had had enough of it.  Great, you don't want to be a part of our son's life, then DON'T (we had seen the pic of him on that machine and it clearly showed male "parts", we knew before he was born it was going to be a boy).  It was actually pretty sick the way she talked about it and treated us, as if we were lying to her about it for some reason.

Whatever the case, there is no "defense" for not having more children.  I wanted more, but it didn't happen.  He'll figure things out as he gets older - and experiences a few things in life.

Well whatever.  Another work week looms.  Business is slow and the situation with the kid that doesn't want to work is a bit much.  We are devising a plan to get rid of him - get him to some other division that perhaps he will fit into. Dunno, but he creates more work than he finishes with the amount of messes and other situations that he leaves behind.  I would rather not have him there at all.  It's just plain irritating.

With that, it's a g'nite and God bless you.

ben

Made a visit to Denny's.  I go there once in a great while to have the wonderful breakfast that they are so good at making.  Plain, simple, delicious.

But first, I replaced the battery in the old Buick.  The previous one was about 2-1/2 years old with a 5 year warranty.  So, I got the new battery for half price after pro-rating it.  They wanted to sell me a battery that costs $115 to replace it, I said bunk.  Old car, not worth putting that much money into it.  I've already dumped more than I have wanted to but fortunately it's gone a pretty good, long spell without having to do anything but change the brake rotors and pads on it, and that turned out to be pretty cheap.

Of course, that means NOT taking it to a brake shop!! I have no idea what they would charge to do that, but I am guessing a pretty good price tag plus they always tell you something else is wrong with your brake system and then try to instill fear into you that you might be on the verge of a catastrophic brake failure if you don't replace - whatever they are telling you.  Brakes and fear work well together for those that don't know about brake systems or how to fix that stuff yourself.

_____________________

Long interlude.  I ended up on Ebay looking for tickets to Seaworld.  I watched throughout the day as the auction had 2 people bidding against each other.  You want to get an awesome price on Ebay, you don't bid until the end, period.  You don't sit there with days or hours left to go bidding against each other.  But they were still WELL below half price on those tickets when the time was almost up on the auction.  I waited until 45 seconds left in the auction and made my bid.  I can't tell you how many times I have played that game and won with only seconds left to spare, but it gives no or little time for anyone else to make a counter-bid unless they have already had an automatic bid set up.  So, after the sport fishing is done, we are going to SeaWorld.  I hope I have some energy left to enjoy that, lol.

Yup, it's late - 11:00 pm for me, I only stayed up to try and win this auction and get the tickets here before we leave.

G'nite.

ben

So, Caleb is home.
I got a call this afternoon: "Can you come pick me up around 7:15?"
Uhhh, sure thing.  I wanted to go to the pastor's get-together at his house, I decided I would do both.
But before that happened, I took a nap.  I fell into a deep sleep and woke up a quarter after 6, 15 minutes before the party was supposed to start.
Bolted upright, but was definitely a bit out of it after coming out of a sleep like that.
Hit up the party for about 50 minutes and then and went to near downtown Phoenix - actually, the notorious intersection of Van Buren and 24th street.  Notorious - for decades now - because of the mental hospital right there on the corner and also because of the large number of hookers/prostitutes/whores (pick the word the best suits you for the kind of descriptor).  I had no idea that the Salvation Army also has a HUGE facility a block down the street from there.

I can only say that Caleb is a well-loved and like person.  He seems to have the Midas touch when it comes to affecting other people's lives and the impact he has on them.  He looked really good - healthy and in very good spirits.  It was good to see him and good to get my arms around him and get a big hug. He was having trouble getting out of there with the number of people that kept stopping him.

But no biggies.  We got home and visited a while, but it was obvious he wanted to get to his bedroom and - do whatever - I think he wants to sleep, lol.  Likely on the internet since apparently, internet access up there kept going out most of the time he was up there.

Meanwhile, I confirmed the dates to go to San Diego - he doesn't care, after he gets back from CA with the SA, he will go whenever I want to, he's all over it.  This frees me up to make the hotel reservations and book the spots on the boat.  I just haven't quite decided which day, exactly, during the week, we are going to go.

I dunno, but I'm not going to obsess over this too much.  I decided on San Diego (versus other cities with same-said sport fishing ports); use the same company; found what I hope will turn out to be a decent enough hotel and that's all I really need.

Whatever the case, I am very tired and it's time to go to bed.

G'nite.

ben

I think I found the hotel we are going to stay at.  I actually decided to just get a map up of the Mission Valley area (in San Diego) and sure enough, the names of hotels were all over it.  I thought about Howard Johnson's, but that place had some pretty bad reviews.  I just want a place that I can sleep at - without a lot of noise from everyone else around us.  I don't care that much about amenities, as long as the bed is at least semi-comfortable, I am good with it.

And so it is how I find the place.  It is listed as old and needing renovations, but most everyone that reviewed still gave it a good review.  Okay, there are always bad reviews - actually of any hotel property - and so this one has some too, but I was impressed enough with all the good reviews that I have decided this is the place.  It's much cheaper than anything else around there - save probably that hell-hole-of-a-place called Motel 6 Mission Valley.  I would rather sleep in my CAR than sleep in that rat s***-hole.

Okay, I'll just give the name and the website address: Kings Inn San Diego - http://kingsinnsandiego.com/

I went to their site and they state that they have recently renovated the rooms and I read at least one review that also confirmed this, so I'm good with it.  Give it a try. The worst that can happen? The same as happened in 2011 at that s***hole of a "hotel" - Motel 6.  I just cannot believe that Motel 6 would allow their brand name on a place as rank as that place is.  Not that Motel 6's are floating-on-the-clouds motels, but pleeeeeeeaaaaaaasssssssseeeeeeee..  I've been at a LOT of Motel 6's all over the place, all over the country in fact, this was the WORST one I have ever experienced.  I have left reviews all over the internet of that place to warn would-be guests to steer far clear of the place.

Anyway, Kings Inn price is the allure for me, that and the many good reviews.  If I could afford to stay at the Marriot down the road, I would, but that's not a happening event and I don't care about that stuff right now, my son definitely doesn't care.  In fact, at that Motel 6, the night where I didn't get ANY sleep at all, maybe an hour's worth, he slept right through all of that noise.  I still marvel to this day how anyone could sleep with all that racket going on.  That is truly the word I can use to define his ability to sleep through that: marvel.  I can only dream of being able to sleep through such racket.

Though I do remember a trip to California on a Greyhound bus with screaming kids and a LOT of racket going on, where somehow, I was able to tune out all of that noise and drift in and out of sleep.  I would sleep for 45 minutes, wake up in wonder - wondering whether the noise was still going on - and yes it was - and just go back to sleep again.  I'm one of those people that at bedtime, it has to be dark in the room and either very quiet or white noise.  I opt for white noise - all the time.  A box fan supplies that sound and ear plugs tames that sound so it is a "constant" sound.  I'm waiting to book the hotel to speak with Caleb to determine what will be the best days to go.  Leave around noon on whatever day, get there around 4:30 to 5 pm - I think - get in the room, hang out, swim, eat, whatever, prepare ourselves for the fishing adventure of the next morning.

Well, that takes the strain out of this. We will go with the same company we went with before.  I caught enough fish on that trip to make it enjoyable and worth bring home all of that.  I ate Sea Bass and whatever the name of the other fish was for several weeks.  What's left? Boat reservations.  The company's prices have gone up - by $15 per person since we went with them 2 years ago, but that's okay.

So how to pay for this.  Cashed out my healthmiles - it's only $150, but that comes close to paying for hotel.  I have at least $250 worth of change in my change bins.  That's $400.  I will put the fuel on the fuel card and pay for that next month.  $300 out of savings and that pays for this trip.  It would be cool to go to Seaworld the next day - but I don't know if I can afford another couple hundred bucks on top of everything else.  I wish I could - I won't see him for a year after he leaves - but I can't leave myself screwed for money, either.
I've been saving my change for quite a while now, though.  Like a year.  There may be more in that pile than I know.  I will find out after I task Caleb to either take it to the coin counting machine or - get penny; nickle; dime and quarter rolls and take them to the bank.  Of course there is credit on credit cards - I will have to weigh whether this is worth going into debt for.

Ahhhh, Ebay. Seaworld tickets.

G'nite.

ben

It finally came to a head last night.
I am referring to George's surround sound.
I was sitting out here attempting to watch a show on TV.
I don't watch much TV, when I do have it on, it's usually something that interests me.
George was watching a movie in his bedroom with that thing on.
He had it turned up so loud, I had to turn the volume up on my TV to
it's highest level just to be able to hear the show.
Mark came out of his room and was disgusted - he said even with headphones
on he couldn't even hear his TV.
That was it.  I went to his bedroom with the intention of politely asking him to turn
it down, substantially.
I knocked on his door.  No answer.  Second time, louder.  No answer.
3rd time I was banging on his door and he still couldn't hear it because of the volume
level of that surround sound.
THAT'S how loud it was.
I gave up, came back into the kitchen, wrote up a notice and figured to give it to him tomorrow since it
was my bed time.

I went into my bedroom, shut the door and unbelievably, could hear that freaking TV of his in MY bedroom. We are at least 50 feet apart, plus 2 closed doors.  That was enough.  I went and about beat the door down to get his attention.  I was mad, too, he finally opened the door and I said something I will have to repent of now.  "Turn that F****** thing down!".  I just walked away from him after that, I didn't want to turn a bad situation worse, though I did leave the notice.

I have no idea how this is going to play out, but I refuse to be subjected to those noise levels ever again from his surround sound system. Whether he decides to stay or leave because of it is up to him.  I have tried to give him hints and have even said something about it in the past, but it doesn't get through to him.  Well, last night was definitive, the point was succinctly made and so now we see where it goes.

Work is still slow.  TOO slow.  Like BORING slow.  Today, however, I expect to see about finding a hotel room in the San Diego area - there is a huge grouping of them not far from the dock where the sport fishing place is.  I will NOT do that Motel 6 again, not after last time and the noise levels that were in that place that kept me awake all night long.  I will find something else, probably more expensive but so beit.

Oops, time to be off to work!

G'day.

ben

Lost posts.  Posted them, they didn't come up on here. I could just go into the dashboard and find them, but what the hey, might as well just start fresh.  I think the reason why the didn't show up is that I have been doing a set of goals on Cafe World - something I haven't done in almost 8 months - and it kinda messes with the computer.  Have to clean it regularly and delete files and such. I probably won't be doing another set of goals for a while, I remembered why I quit doing them: extremely time-consuming.  Okay to do once in a while, not every freaking day.  

Anyway, Caleb is returning on the 2cd.  So mom is going all hog crazy buying food and stuff for him for his return.  She is obviously having a problem with him leaving for a full year.  I understand that, I'm having a bit of trouble with it as well.  But I wouldn't expect her to see too much of him, his friends are already Jonesing for his time when he gets back.  They all know he's going to be gone for a long time, he is a well-liked and loved person.

In fact, the month of August will be very busy for him.  I can only hope to catch some time with him as it permits.  But he is, at least, a family oriented person and likes to spend time with both mom and dad, so that's cool.  I think the rubber will meet the road at the airport, when he's leaving and it is going to hit us.  He's been gone almost 2 months now as it is, but an entire year is another thing entirely.

Regardless, I am taking the second week off in August in hopes of either going to California with him or at least being able to spend some "quality" time with him.

Work.  New kid has pushed me right up to the line.  One more little push and it's all over.  He has no clue, whatsoever.  No social skills, no social graces, doesn't understand that you can't go around talking to people just anyway you please at work.  Lacking any kind of work ethic, finding new places to hide all the time.  Yet the manager and I are both onto it.  But Friday was enough.  Besides the fact that he spent much of the day finding ways to stay out of work and not do anything, he also challenged me.  I was lifting a heavy, steel coupler and whenever I lift anything heavy, I do the weight-lifting "grunting" noise, I guess you call it.  I started doing that in high school when weight-lifting, something they teach you to do, or at least exhale forcefully, and something I just do when lifting heavier objects.  It helps.  So I did that lifting up that coupling which is when this kid proclaimed loudly: Oh come on now, that thing isn't THAT heavy, I can throw it half way across the yard!!  I dropped the thing right at his fit and told him to go ahead and throw it.

Snotty, obnoxious 23 year old b****.  I wanted to smack him upside the head.  Warned my manager if that guy continues with his s***, don't expect me to just put up with it.  I'm not looking for trouble, but this kid definitely is.  Just tired of it. After almost 3 months of watching him leave messes laying all over the place, cigarette butts on the warehouse floor, not wanting to sweep up anywhere, doing only what the manager asks and then going and hiding, plus mouthing off, I've had enough.

Whatever. It just makes going to work a task, a thing you aren't necessarily looking forward to when such bs is going on.  Management thought they had transferred over a good worker from another branch out east, but this is definitely not the case.  You don't always, really, know what kind of worker you have until they are there, working and doing their thing.  It's just unbelievable to me that this guy thinks it's cool to spend hours every day smoking cigarettes - and doing nothing while he's doing it - or attempting to hide on the forklift on various parts of the property.

K, enough of that.  It's Sunday afternoon and I have done much of nothing today besides going to church.  I haven't felt like doing anything. I didn't do much of anything yesterday, either.  In fact, now that I think of it, I have only eaten a small oatmeal cookie at church this morning today, nothing else.  Yikes.  I've been gaining weight/fat and have decided to cut back on eating/drinking altogether, but yes, I must at least eat something. 

I dunno what else.  Nothing else really.  Well lots of stuff, but I don't feel like going into it.

G'day.

ben

Thursday.  Humid and hot.  Went through yesterday attempting to keep myself from saying anything "negative" to or about anyone.  Was very difficult in the semi, though.  Getting cut off and having people then braking in front of you is maddening when you can't even let out the steam~!

New kid worker - 23 years old I think - is turning into a person that we don't even want to talk to.  If we need to find him now, we just go to the warehouse bathroom where he hangs out, doing nothing.  I don't know how such people can survive in this world.  Maybe just surviving?  Like, no motivation in life to do anything, it shows at work if that's your mindset.  But he doesn't even do the bare minimum.  He just disappears.  We are going to start firing up the furnace when he goes in there and blast him out of that room.

The manager doesn't feel it's his job to have to go finding this dude every 5 minutes to find out what he's doing and he's too busy doing his work to have time for that.

Well fun time here again, time to be off to work.

G'day.

ben