Caleb is flying off to New Zealand on the 29th. This means that if I want to see him before he leaves, I will have to fly over to Phoenix before then. 

Airfare purchased, flying over the week before he leaves.  Round trip $119.  Not bad, but the day of the departure will be interesting. Go to work, get off, drive home, say goodbye to dog and landlords, head to Dallas and fly off to Phoenix.  3 hours from work to Dallas plus the stop at home at 30 minutes.  I could stay home longer and visit, for the flight doesn't leave until 10:45 pm but I want to show up early for any possible problems. 

Besides, I like airports, airplanes and the whole atmosphere.  I am considering getting a passport, finding whatever flights I can to anywhere worldwide and making a trip here and there just to go.  Or even just flights around the country.  You can find some pretty low priced airfare to numerous places. But, a pickup truck and a trailer and my 4 wheelers up to the nearest high coutry is just as intriguing.  

Well, anyway, airfare taken care of, parking near airport including free shuttle also a done deal, landlords will take care of the Addler, I am now working on finding travel from airport to mom's house.  She will let me use one of her vehicles while there, but - she is not confident in heavy traffic.  I have to find my own way out to her.  Bus system isn't operating that late, a shuttle is likely my best option. I know a large number of people there but I don't want to ask anyone to come drive me out there at that late of an hour.  Hmm, I could post that on my Facebook wall and see if there are any bites - but I think mom will not be happy that she couldn't do it and has to see that there.  I think I will find my own way.

Anyway, mom's 80 years old and so, good idea to go visit. Still in pretty good health, things can change rapidly in life.  I am going to try to make it out there again sometime later this year to see her.  But take a whole week off.  I'm taking 3 days off work this time around, didn't want to spend too much vacation hours this early in the year.  My new manager is making a good attempt to change his old ways and I am still responding accordingly.  So, when I came to his office today to get that written into the giant calendar behind his desk, he stopped the vendor that was visiting and took the time to write it up there and was very amenable. The stories about him making threats and assaulting one of salesmen are true - but - he has changed his ways, at least apparently.  Time will tell, but I am not hoping for his failure, I am hoping for his success.  Yes, please do thrive in your new position. 

Please do not try to make my or anyone else's life miserable  Have a new outlook on life, it's not worth it to just look at everything jaded and find no pleasures in the basic things in life.  Please.  Try. Please.

I didn't say any of that to him, of course, but those are my thoughts.  He didn't try to oppose it, in fact, when he heard me talking about seeing my son before going to New Zealand he want into a thing a flight over there. Isn't that a long flight?  Well, yes, now that you say it, it is.  It was his way, I am guessing and hoping, of trying to bridge the gaps, be a nicer person and treat employees more like family than like - what? Your worst enemy?  Never figured that out.  

So I'm psyched anyway.  Just looking at my vacation hours though.  I want some time available for this summer.  That is providing I am even still working there this summer.  I am trying to remain optimistic on the matter.  Well I have ideas for summer. Like having a pickup truck and having means to transport at least one 4 wheeler to nearest mountains - which are allegedly in Arkansas - and taking a week camping adventure with the dog and a tent.  Alone or not alone, I don't really care.  I need the mountains.  I grew up in a mountainous area, moved to a desert at the age of 10. Took frequent trips to mountains at that age and then when I had a driver's license, took almost weekly trips up north into the mountains. It isn't something that just goes away.  

So, changing the subject, I show up to work this morning.  I didn't know what I was doing.  I never do.  I am handed tickets and that is that.  Go here, go there.  Well, I go about my business but come to a point where I need to get into the "shed" they call it.  It is not a shed.  It's a metal building approximately 80 feet by 50. That's a lot of square footage to call a building a shed, but, that's Louisiana.  No-one has opened the bay doors which I thought odd, but I needed to get in there to get the banding machine out - someone mishandled a bundle of pipe - which happens quite frequently there - and broke the banding that keeps it together.  I tried and tried my key to get in there.  It would partially turn but not open the door. The driver that is now not a driver because of his last truck crash said he had tried as well. Well, I thought, get some WD-40 and see what happens.

Nothing. Well, after half of everyone trying with their own keys, everyone gives up.  I did not.  The subject comes up about the hole at the top of the building in the back.  I did not bring up the subject, but I had thought about it  The warehouse dude says well a small man would have to get through there.  This all passes and I'm stuck.  Can't band the pipe, gotta get in there. I go around and look at that hole, it's up there alright and no way to get a forklift there to lift a person up. Well, I put a 2 foot tall fitting there which just got my hands on the edge of it.  I pulled myself up there -- and I ain't saying it was easy for I am not in the shape I was 20 years ago - grunted and pulled and etc got up through that hole, onto a high shelf inside the building, climbed down some poles and walaah.  There was a group of people trying to get in and here I am opening the main bay door. Warehouse manager looking at me in bewilderment.  How you get up there? I just climbed.

You know, it was a liberating moment. I can still do that stuff.  Not as easy as in days of "old" but I got up there without any help. Umm, well, you know when you get to a certain point it's a point-of-no-return thing.  You ain't going back down the way you came up, you are gonna fall and it isn't going to be pretty. Which gets adrenaline pumping which helps you out nicely, lololol.  

Well that's enough for now.  

Well ain't that just fancy.
New manager calls for a meeting yesterday morning - Monday mind you - at 7:30 am.  What came out of his mouth was totally unexpected.  We are going to be cutting back hours to 8 for everyone ..... blah blah blah.  I just listened for quite a while until he got to the: " If ANYONE has a PROBLEM with THIS, I want to know about it RIGHT NOW".  You see, my mind instantaneously went through a whole realm of things when he first started talking and making his announcement and I had already made all of my conclusions long before he was done with his monologue.

I spoke up instantly. Yeah, I have a problem with it.  Remember, this is the dictator that everyone is afraid of, that won't say much of anything to because of his reputation.  I could care less about his reputation and if he's going to treat me like a pile of dog****, I will find myself a new place of employment.  I simply said: so, you are cutting our pay?  This set him off.  Of course.  I don't care about that, either. He's talking cutting my pay by over a grand a month, I'm not going to keep silent.  I will fight for my pay until I either get it or am forced to move on.

He set off.  Well what do you want to do, Ben? OBVIOUSLY inferring that I should just quit and leave.  I'll have nothing to do with that at HIS intonations, I will talk to his management about this situation - as I already did anyway before he became manager - before I quit.  I didn't reply to him, I just looked him in the eye.  He then repeated 7 times "I don't want to argue with you", notwithstanding the fact that I was saying nothing to him.  I remained firm after all his attempts to intimidate me.  Once he started figuring out I wasn't bowing to him, he then attempted to try to talk to me on a "little bit" lower level. I simply told him I came out here taking a huge pay cut, the hours I have were compensation for it, it was agreed to, that's that.  Well, you have a 50 hour situation? No.  Do you have a contract? No.  I have a verbal agreement with Matthew (Matthew won't lie, he's a bonafide Christian and he will own up to whatever he said to me before I moved out here).  50 hours per week .

Not that I want to work 50 hours per week for 8 hours pay, but that's  what I agreed to so I could come out here, marry a woman that ....well we need not go there ....and that's that.  He toned down after I applied logic to his emotion - this individual is run by emotion.  At work, I am run by dollar signs.  If I am not going to make a minimum amount, goodbye.  Taking away 40 plus hours per month of OT is not going to work - at all.

So let's fast forward to todayI went into the "ex-manager's" office and got into a conversation with him about what this man had stated the day before.  He immediately said yeah, he didn't understand the situation with what you came over here in but we are going to have a conversation about that today.  Okay.  Fairly short conversation, I turned around and - tried to leave.  The new manager, I dunno if he was eavesdropping (and I don't care) came barreling around the corner, said to me and the other driver that showed up to go back into the office, we are going to have a conversation about what "he" said.  He being the other manager.

Then we had it out.  I'm not going to back down to some extremely self-centered, high-minded dictator who thinks the world of himself and in love with the sound of his own voice try to stand there and intimidate me, which is exactly what he tried  to do..  Several times he tried to stop me after asking me a question so that I would answer the way he wanted me to answer.  No, I would just come back and answer in my own word.

Well, he says, I'm sensing some friction here between us. No s*** Sherlock, I wonder why.  I was prepared to lose my job yesterday. I truly didn't care. They aren't paying me NEAR enough money to put up with that kind of garbage, an authoritarian who thinks he can just speak a word and we all come running and bowing.  Not my style, I don't @$$ kiss, just ain't going there.  We went back and forth, I wasn't holding anything back, I tried to keep any hint of anger or angst out of it, but it really came down to money and hours.  I'm not going to take a thousand dollar per month pay cut, period.

I'm not going into the details of his ridiculous words because it just isn't worth it.  I expressed myself quite nicely and now it is all in their hands.  Cut my hours, don't cut my hours, raise my pay, don't raise my pay.  They don't seem to act very fast about anything. This dude is the good ole' boy idealogy.  A lot of people there have been working together for 20, 25 years.  The "newbies" - which is me and the other driver, not including the new temporary driver, - are pretty much left out, likely not to get any favors excepting my old manager was pretty good to us and this feeling not likely to subside any time soon.

Well whatever. It's now Wednesday morning - time to be off to the wonder land of work!

I absent-mindedly put my debit card in a bag with stuff in it I got at a store and left it in there.  And threw it out.  And yes, it ended up in the landfill before I realized my mistake. Fortunately, Chase bank now has card makers at many of it's locations.  You need only go in, prove who you are and they make you a new debit card right then and there. Amazingly better than the "old" days of having to wait days for it to arrive in the mail and having to try and deal with daily life without it.  Meaning, go to the bank and carry cash around with you.

I don't much care to carry around cash, excepting maybe 20 bucks and that only because some places in Louisiana either don't take debit cards or you have to spend a minimum amount to use it.

Anyway, while I was at the bank, I was speaking with a very distinguished and very smartly dressed bank officer that was telling me all about the mountains around here, after we got into a discussion about it.  What mountains? I asked politely.  Well, Texas has mountains! You have to drive a good distance but they are here.  Better, though, she says, there are plenty of mountains in Arkansas with hiking and 4 wheeling trails and only 2 hours away. I'm going to check with online 4 wheeler clubs to find some suggestions/advice on that particular subject.

Meanwhile, my desire to take Addler to the large doggy park remain altered. It is shut down for repairs and there is no statement as to when they are going to reopen it.  Caddo State Park is 16 miles away and I am considering taking him there instead.  I don't know if there is anywhere where I can let him run free, though and it is a risky proposition.  I have never let him do that and I don't know if he'll take off or come back when I call him?  I've had other Danes take off on me in the past and trust me, it's no picnic trying to catch up with them.  In fact, you don't catch up with them until they get distracted and stop running and start sniffing.

Monday marks the day of the new manager taking over.  So far, I remain unimpressed.  He's a helicopter hovinering, micro-managing mess.  But, who knows.  Maybe he will surprise all of us. The real trouble maker now is the warehouse manager, but apparently he's being put in his place.  Who knows.  The man is an antique that needs to retire and do something fun with his life besides coming to work and being miserable all day long.

Anyway, I got back to the yard yesterday around 3:45 pm.  Long day of driving.  I was informed there was a run to a town about 60 minute drive and I needed to take it.  No biggies, I wanted some OT anyway.  Well, more OT than I have been getting.  I'm trying to save up some emergency funds here. Anyway, it took forever.  Get the truck loaded, trying to get a hold of the contractor, going to a vendor to get more of  the product - we didn't have enough - getting down there, getting unloaded, getting back.  It was 7:45.  Well, I'm driving home - I mean I am 3 miles from the house when I get a call.  Where are you right now? My manager, a water main break in a town and they have to have materials to fix it, houses with no running water.  Ummm, I'm almost home.  Back and forth I just offered to go back if he couldn't find anyone else.  Well, 30 seconds - literally 30 seconds - later he calls me and asks if I will?  To make some points, I got back on the Interstate, drove all the way back, spent 30 minutes getting the customer what he needed and then drove all the way back to the house.  It was around 10:00 pm by the time I got home from work, put in a 15 hour day and was totally exhausted.

Went to church today - which was good and then helped set up for a women's meeting that is going to happen today at 6.  I then finally remembered about the doggy park and it turns out it is directly across the street/loop from the church.  They have a small dog enclosure - which is very small, not even worth taking a dog into - and then there's the large dog enclosre.  It's HUGE.  I mean, a dog could run wild and free in that place.  My goal was to find out what hours it's opened and closed - no sign at all saying that.  Instead, there was a sign saying it's closed for fence repairs.

Well, the gates weren't locked up, I could have gone in there if I had wanted to.  But, I didn't have Addler with me and I just wanted to check it out before heading home.  Iwill definitely be taking him there sometine in the future - though realistically that's a Saturday or Sunday thing considering a 35 minute drive each way.  Addler gets plenty of exercise in the back yard running all over  the place with the other dogs and on walks - though I haven't been walking him since I got sick.  I'm still coughing all over the place and I won't do any kind of strenuous activity that I don't have to until it's gone.

Valerie - on a different note - was complaining to my landlady about my decision to take my other 4 wheeler back. Did you say anything to him about what I said?  No, the landlady said.  Well I heard some of it, actually, but I had already made my decision long before that, I just was having trouble really solidifying that decision in my mind. The thing that made me go ahead and finally say it  is time.  A lot of time has passed since we have been divorced and I didn't want to  let it go on forever.  As for her statements about me - all complete lies or volumous exaggerations - I am looking into seeing what the early termination fee is for getting the Dish Network shut off  over there.  It should be getting down there by now as there is only 6 months left on the contract.  I would like to get out of it, get their equipment out of her house and back to them and wash my hands of it.

Work. Friday was the bi-annual physical inventory.  Meaning counting everything on the property which is no smalll undertaking.  We got it all done on Friday and then came back Saturday to do second and third counts.  Stuff that is showing we have in the system but is missing.  Which is always a lot there because of their  poor accounting practices, something I noticed the day I started working there.  But, I am not responsible for having to rectify all of that at inventory time and I have nothing to do with the bad practices that lead to it, so I don't care one way or the other.

The new manager starts tomorrow.  The man seems to be going out  of his way to come across as something different than what his reputation - truthful reputation - has him pegged as.  We''ll see.  That's all I'm saying about it right now, I'll see.

Caleb is back in Phoenix.  He announced on FB that he is going to New Zealand in a month.  Well that wasn't shocking, but idea that he isn't really communicating with me is a bit disturbing.  I just came out and asked him if there is a problem? Nope, he says, just trying to raise money to get to New Zealand with some obvious hints that he would like dear old dad to help out. He has $700 of it, he needs about $400 more for the airfare.  I might help him out with $100 or so, but I think if God is really in it, then he needs to have some faith in God that He will supply the need.  I'm trying to determine a date to go back and visit mom and see Caleb before he leaves.  I really need a definitive leave date so I can make plans. Seems the further out  you try to get airfare, the better deals you can find.

Life at the house I'm living in is going pretty well, actually. Addler is slowly coming around.  What I mean by that is he is starting to act like a Great Dane more and more.  He was lacking in many attributes of Danes when I first got him - which doesn't mean I wouldn't want him if he didn't start showing them - but he wasn't a house dog at all and I conclude that to be the reason.  Yesterday, I woke him up out of an apparent deep sleep and he growled  at me, but he immediately put his ears down, jumped out of bed and came over and put his head on my legs.  As if to say I'm sorry! Lol, apology accepted.  He is doing much better around the baby as well. No growling there at all now.  I still don't want him around the boy unsupervised and neither do my landlords.  They DO trust him around the kid, but it's the potential for accidental injury that is  of concern for all of us.

I was going to try to mostly take it easy this weekend and try to get  past this sickness, but work brought me in for 3 hours yesterday and church took about 3 hours today as well.  I would have left work after 2 hours, but I was informed that a contractor wanted their materials early on Monday and that I would need to load the truck on Saturday.  And church - I helped set up for the lady's meeting so time spent there went on much longer than normal.  I'm taking it easy now, but it's already 3:35.  I don't really feel like I've gotten much rest this weekend and I am intent on watching the NFL games today, one of which is in progress right now.  Broncos - v - Patriots.  I hope the Patriots win only because the Broncos beat the Steelers last week putting us out of the playoffs.  It's a close game right now.

I'm keeping my eyes open for any companies that have need for CDL drivers that are local runs, home every night, no or little weekend work and good benefits.  No desperation here, just looking.  No applications put in, either.  I don't think there are many like that out there and I don't know where the economy is headed.  The Dow tanked quite a lot this week and my 401k went down a couple of thousand, but it must have made some kind of comeback because mine came back up a grand.  If there's one good reason I want more money it's my retirement.  I'm putting in around $700 per month but it's not enough.  I'm too far behind and I have a lot of catching up to do. I would like to be able to double that if I could.  I also need to be able to save cash for emergencies.  I depleted my savings account back down to $100 and it's going to take time to get it back up again.  I need reserves in case something goes wrong at the house, something goes wrong with the car, dog or me.  I wouldn't mind getting another vehicle as well.  401k loan is almost paid off, I will at least have access to money when it is - only takes a few days to get a check - but I would rather not touch it again if I can avoid it.

Enough for now. Halftime and I am sleepy. Nap time.

Well isn't that fancy.  She ignored 2 emails and then blocked me on the third one.  Thank you AOL for sending me a rejected email delivery telling me exactly why it was rejected - she had my email sent to spam.  That was 15 minutes ago.  I immediately sent her a text message. Either agree to me coming and getting my 4 wheeler or I will file a motion in the divorce court - for the 4 wheeler is specifically stated as my property in the paperwork - and you can explain to a judge why you are refusing to give my property back.

Well isn't that sweet. She wrote back a - nasty for her - version of a text.  So, I went further with it. My shop vac, pellet rifle, battery charger, missing pair of roller blades, drain snake and a $100 check she gave me which I didn't cash because she was broke when she took charge over the phone I bought for Nathan.  Really, if she wants to get nasty, I can go there for I am not happy about a lot of things, but I can deal with it. The idea, though, that she would completely ignore my emails about my 4 wheeler was crossing the line.

Let's dance. After hearing what she has said to my landlady, what she said to me in that text message was completey false.  But it's whatever. Just give me my 4 wheeler back - wouldn't mind my battery charger too since 4 wheelers sometimes have dead batteries - but it's whatever.

Getting a bit fired up. All she had to do was agree to my getting the 4 wheeler, instead, she chose to ignore 2 emails and then spam block me on the one today.  This is childishness, but not unexpected from her.

Well, I've got lung congestion and I have no idea whether I will go to work tomorrow or not.  I do know that I have the truck loaded with pipe, I pulled the fittings for the order on Friday but didn't get them shrink wrapped.  It was past 5 pm and I just wanted to get the pulling stuff over with for Monday morning.  I'll see about whether I am going to work or not in the morning, but at this point, as crappy as I'm feeling, I'm still thinking I am going to go.

I thinkI accidentally deleted an entry while I was fooling around with trying to get the Great Dane entry right.  Oh well!

I have been thinking about this one for a while now and finally decided that I did enough for her and their family, I want my ATV back.  So, I wrote her a one line message politely asking her for it back.  No reply, so the next day I wrote her a 3 sentence paragraph - still polite- but getting a little more firm.  It doesn't belong to her, she has no legal claim to it, it's written right into the divorce orders as my property before we got married.

But, once I brought that up to my landlady she went off.  Valerie's been in 3 times this week and I have been trying to avoid her at all costs!  In where she works, that is. Val has an account there that she has been trying to finish off and get over with.  Well what's up?....I don't bring her name up around here anymore as I have put her out of my head and heart and am moving forward.  Well, she says Ben this and Ben that and all this about you all the time.  Really? lol, I had to laugh because she apparently thinks all of that is going to get back to me and then I'm going to what - get mad or something? She divorced me, it's over, I don't care anymore, I realy don't.

She had started hanging with her ex husband before we officially got divorced anyway.  Did I get mad about that? No.  I asked her about it, but that was all.  Her description of their interaction was likely false, but again, I don't care.  In fact, I actually told her, now that I think about it, that if she was really seeking God's will, she really had no good reason to divorce him in the first place.  The dude really seems pretty cool. I guess he doesn't always treat the kids right, but from what I have seen and heard, he has tempered that down quite a lot since they got divorced.  He makes 135k per year at a very kick back job that entails doing nothing more than watching computer screens and making sure the plant is running smoothly.  From a financial standpoint, she would do herself well to get back with him.  However, she is the endless victim - she has literally been victimized by everyone she has ever met including her own children and her best friends.

That is NO exaggeration, either.  I have literally sat there and listened to her complaining and going on about every single person that was ever important to her.

Whatever the case, I think I said in a pervious post that I have temporarily stopped looking for a lady, but in case that was the entry I deleted, saying it again.  It is just too much energy and time spent sending endless messages and getting much of nothing back. Many of these people have these accounts on these dating sites and they never check their messages.  I know because I had a premium membership to POF and it shows whether they've even been online, much less if they've actually seen or read the message.  I am in no hurry to make the same mistake as this last catastrophe.  I don't need another suicidal person, such as the lady that was over here 2 weekends ago who showed great interest in me - but - kept going off about how life sucked and how suicidal she is and if she didn't have a young daugher, she would have offed herself a long time ago.

I can sympathize with such people, I can talk to them about it, but having another relationship with a suicidal person? No thanks.  Everything is bad, according to them, there is nothing good in life.

Anyway, I have come down yet again with another reespiratory illness and it isn't pleasant.  I put off doing much of anything yesterday and today will be a nothing day as well excepting to watch the Steelers hopefully beat the Denver Broncos.  Not sure about that one, the Broncos are a force to be reckoned with this year and that should be an interesting game to watch.  One of our key players is out for injury - and that from a player that hit him hard after the fact.  I do hope they fined that idiot.

Anyway, my landlady bought a car just before I moved in here - getting rid of her pickup - and now decided she doesn't like the car and is getting another pickup. I can understand totally.  I really want out of my car and back into a pickup truck, but.....a decent truck is expensive, my car won't get much in trade in value and the payments will be high and likely 5 years.  I thought about taking out a 401k loan and getting a vehicle through that method, but then I hurt my retirement by taking out money that otherwise could be earning interest and dividends.

Of course, as time plows forward, more economists are jumping on the recession bandwagon saying it isn't if, it's when and likely worse than what occurred in 2008.  I'm really trying to hold out buying another vehicle, but I am severely limited by not having a pickup.  Hauling things to the house, hauling my 4 wheelers to an area where you can ride and ride and not worry about neighbors calling the police (which I don't do anyway, not worth the risk).  I've given some consideration to putting a hitch on my car but that's expensive because not only do you have to install a hitch, you really have to also beef up the rear suspension with airbags or extra springs.  For an old car, I don't know that the expense would be worth it.  So, I just sit here and contemplate it, but at the moment, doing nothing about it because it's truly wonderful not having those monthly payments and much higher insurance premiums.

Work is unchanged. We are being warned of a "firestorm" coming when the new manager takes over the beginning of February.  I will not stick around for an abusive manager.  I'll file a complaint with corporate if it is really as bad as several that know the man say it's going to be and if that gets nowhere, I'll be forced to start looking for new employment.  Some contractors who have known him for over 20 years love him and some of them say he's a total jerk.  I've given up on the raise, we obviously aren't going to get it.  That's another bridge I need to cross.  Stay or look for a new job? I've been looking.  There area several opportunities out there, but, you start at the bottom of the totem pole and have to work your way back up in terms of benefits such as vacation time.  It's a tough decision.  I'm putting it off to see what this new manager is going to be like.  He could be the tipping point to just say the heck with this, time to move on.   Just that I'm 51 years old and starting over at a new company isn't all that hot of a prospect for me. The only other thing I can do is go back to school - but - that costs money and though I would love to be doing something else, it would take at least 2 years to get a bachelor's degree.  It is an intriguing thought, though, one that I have also seriously considered, but then again, I have no idea what I would want to actually do.

Well that's enough for one entry. : )

You Might Be A Great Dane Owner When.....

When you wake up to a giant snout licking your face.

 When you get home the first thing you do is see your doggy rofl.

 When you have a separate bed for your dog that is at least the same size as your bed.

 When you walk him down the street and you know you are going to be stopped at least once with the usual question.

When you have more pics of your Dane in your phone than anything or anyone else.

You find out your private conversations with your Dane are public knowledge - and they quote back to you what you say to your dog.

 When it's time to go to bed and the dog looks at you with longing eyes, pleeeeaaaasssseeeeee let me sleep with you?

 When you go to buy dog food and your usual purchase is 2 or more 50 pound bags of food and people are giving you the crazy look.

When dinner becomes a publicly traded commodity - with your Dane.

When sitting in your Lazy Boy and the dog comes up to you and his head is higher up than yours!

When you go to Tractor Supply and buy a flat shovel - to clean up your Dane's cow sized poop
.
When you go to the bathroom and - the Dane is trying to stuff himself through the door to be with you - in the bathroom while you are doing your thing. No, I don't allow THAT! LOL

When you're walking down the street with your Dane/s and people come out on their porch and start a long distance shouting conversation with you. "What kind of dog is that?" being yelled at you from a minimum of 100 to over 300 feet away.

Or do it like Jeff Foxworthy and rednecks:

YOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUU..... MIGHT BE.....A DANE OWNER.................when you're walking the dog down the main street and people stop in the middle of traffic to take photos of the dog!

YOOOOOUUUUU.......MIGHT.....be a Dane owner if you take him to the vet and he REFUSES to get on the scale no matter how many people are trying. "Uhhhh, sir, we have to have his weight to determine how much heart worm medicine to give him" "Well what do you want me to do, the dog is sitting down like a donkey, he won't budge!" "Can you pick him up? We can weigh you both and then weigh you and then subtract the weight". Have you EVER picked up a 150 pound dog? That doesn't want to be picked up? I found out that day how much overweight I am!

 YOUUUUUUU...MIGHT....Be an Dane owner if the roast you just pulled out of the oven and have resting on the kitchen counter mysteriously disappears. Everyone is looking at everyone else? Huh? What happened to the roast? And thennnnnn.... you look at a giant dog.....licking it's chops with the MOST pathetic look you have ever seen on anyone or any dog!

YOOUUUUUUU..... MIGHT>>> Be a Dane owner if when you pull up to a drive thru window and the window in the back is open - of course - the Dane's head is sticking out the window and the worker at the window inncoently looks out to recieve the payment and gasps - either in horror, disbelief or delight - when they see the dog. Amplify that by a thousand if you have 2 or more Danes in the car! And I'm sorry, but I can't avoid the nasty stuff.....

YOOOOOUUUUUUU.....MIIIIIIGGGGGGHHHHHTTT....BE A DANE OWNER....if you wake up in the middle of the night and have the most foul smell you have ever smelled curling your nostrils. You get up, you already know what happened, you just have to find it. You walk into the bathroom cause it ain't in your bedroom and find out the dog has diarhea. That after you just stepped in it in your bare feet while walking into the bathroom. You look at the floor, the walls, the toilet, the shower and everything else - covered with it. It is 2 am and you spend almost 2 solid hours cleaning up the mess. You look at your Dane with sympathy - and then realize he could do it all over againt - OUT! Get thee thither!

And on a little more sober note, when your dog brings great joy to a person that is depressed, going through hard times and the encounter they have with your dog gives them at least a moment of brevity and a glimpse back to when times were better. I could go on...and on...and on..it's the fun and wonder of being a Dane owner!

You Might Be A Great Dane Owner If......

 When you wake up to a giant snout licking your face.
 When you get home the first thing you do is see your doggy rofl.
 When you have a separate bed for your dog that is at least the same size as your bed.
 When you walk him down the street and you know you are going to be stopped at least once with the usual question. 

When you have more pics of your Dane in your phone than anything or anyone else.You find out your private conversations with your Dane are public knowledge - and they quote back to you what you say to your dog.

 When it's time to go to bed and the dog looks at you with longing eyes, pleeeeaaaasssseeeeee let me sleep with you?

 When you go to buy dog food and your usual purchase is 2 or more 50 pound bags of food and people are giving you the crazy look. 

When dinner becomes a publicly traded commodity - with your Dane. 

When sitting in your Lazy Boy and the dog comes up to you and his head is higher up than yours! 

When you go to Tractor Supply and buy a flat shovel - to clean up your Dane's cow sized poop.

When you go to the bathroom and - the Dane is trying to stuff himself through the door to be with you - in the bathroom while you are doing your thing. No, I don't allow THAT! LOL 

When you're walking down the street with your Dane/s and people come out on their porch and start a long distance shouting conversation with you. "What kind of dog is that?" being yelled at you from a minimum of 100 to over 300 feet away.

Or do it like Jeff Foxworthy and rednecks: YOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUU..... MIGHT BE.....A DANE OWNER.................when you're walking the dog down the main street and people stop in the middle of traffic to take photos of the dog! 

YOOOOOUUUUU.......MIGHT.....be a Dane owner if you take him to the vet and he REFUSES to get on the scale no matter how many people are trying. "Uhhhh, sir, we have to have his weight to determine how much heart worm medicine to give him" "Well what do you want me to do, the dog is sitting down like a donkey, he won't budge!" "Can you pick him up? We can weigh you both and then weigh you and then subtract the weight". Have you EVER picked up a 150 pound dog? That doesn't want to be picked up? I found out that day how much overweight I am!

 YOUUUUUUU...MIGHT....Be an Dane owner if the roast you just pulled out of the oven and have resting on the kitchen counter mysteriously disappears. Everyone is looking at everyone else? Huh? What happened to the roast? And thennnnnn.... you look at a giant dog.....licking it's chops with the MOST pathetic look you have ever seen on anyone or any dog! 

YOOUUUUUUU..... MIGHT>>> Be a Dane owner if when you pull up to a drive thru window and the window in the back is open - of course - the Dane's head is sticking out the window and the worker at the window inncoently looks out to recieve the payment and gasps - either in horror, disbelief or delight - when they see the dog. Amplify that by a thousand if you have 2 or more Danes in the car! And I'm sorry, but I can't avoid the nasty stuff.....

YOOOOOUUUUUUU.....MIIIIIIGGGGGGHHHHHTTT....BE A DANE OWNER....if you wake up in the middle of the night and have the most foul smell you have ever smelled curling your nostrils. You get up, you already know what happened, you just have to find it. You walk into the bathroom cause it ain't in your bedroom and find out the dog has diarhea. That after you just stepped in it in your bare feet while walking into the bathroom. You look at the floor, the walls, the toilet, the shower and everything else - covered with it. It is 2 am and you spend almost 2 solid hours cleaning up the mess. You look at your Dane with sympathy - and then realize he could do it all over againt - OUT! Get thee thither! 

And on a little more sober note, when your dog brings great joy to a person that is depressed, going through hard times and the encounter they have with your dog gives them at least a moment of brevity and a glimpse back to when times were better. I could go on...and on...and on..it's the fun and wonder of being a Dane owner!

Posting will be limited on here since there isn't that much going on.  I coudl talk about issues of the day that interest me, but I find it more engaging to do that in groups where both like-minded and opposing minded people gather to debate.  Which is usually quite entertaining because many of them usually have no clue what they are talking about, but speak with emotion so that they would sound to the uninformed as IF they know what they are talking about through their limited powers of persuasion.  When someone like me comes along with facts and hands them - facts without the emotion - they go off the deep end. They cannot come back with a logical response and so, they have to revert to getting angry and letting loose with expletives and all kinds of non-endearing rhetoric.
BTW, anyone that wants to engage in such groups, I have links to several of them. I don't take it too seriously though.  It's a lot of race stuff and groups full of blacks and a few whites, whites always being attacked and ganged up on.  Thick-skinned type of thing.

Onto things of current interest.

Addler is doing well, though he has started to try to chew on things he shouldn't be chewing on.  I am very much aware of the puppyhood phase of his growth right now - which if you looked at the dog you would wonder how an animal that big could still be considered a puppy, but he's only 13 months old and in Danedom, that is still a puppy status and still very much growing to do. He is now at 128 pounds, I would be a little surprised if he doesn't reach mid 150's to 160's range.

I have him on almost constant supervision when he is in my room in the house, for I do nto want that dog chewing up things he shouldn't be. Thankfully I am there at the moment it happens and I can tell him NO firmly but still being nice cause the dog is too loveable, lol, he gets the message.  Oh, I can't chew on socks, shoes or blankets.  No damage done yet excepting a hole in a pair of tennis shoes. I have my $350 cowboy boots out of dog range, I did that form the git go knowing a Dane's propensity for chewing things when they are puppies.

New Year's Eve was home, but I was part of the festivities here.  They have close friends - they being my landlords - that come over frequently.  They brought copious amounts of alcohol.  Again and as usual, I had a few drinks but nothing even remotely close to being called drunk.  Not into that.  But it was fun, even if the guys were completely bombed out of their minds by the time it was over, they weren't acting stupid. If you get drunk and you act stupid while being in that condition, I likely won't want to be anywhere near you, for I am repulsed by that stupid kind of behavior.

I went to church tonight (Saturday) instead of tomorrow morning because I was asked to show up to help serve Communion.  They just recently started a Saturday evening service versus 3 services on Sunday morning (church has grown well beyond it's ability to seat everyone that would potentially show up at one service only).  I won't turn down an opportunity to serve in the church, even if it is short- lived. However, they informed us that next week, the Hospitality workers need more people and the leaders are going to have a short meeting after service.  I likely will show up to that to see if I can fit anything into my schedule.  Hospitality is all kinds of stuff. Setting up and tearing down for special events; visiting families with dinnner/food and helping them out with certainly functions to ease the load in cases of a tragedy (death) or someone in the hospital.  Stuff like that.  I used to do quite a lot of that in various churches, I would like to get involved in that capacity again.

Actually, the message was soooo good I may go back tomorrow as well.  I need to get myself motivated and out of this funk.  I'm sitting around trying to find a lady on dating sites and so far it's just a bunch of people that are doing nothing more than looking for sex partners.  To each his/her own, I'm into relationships.  Maybe if I just get far more involved in church I'll meet someone there? Who knows, but I am setting goals for myself - note that that is not New Year's resolutions - goals I can deal with for they don't necessarily HAVE to be done in a certain time frame excepting those kinds of things that once you start them you really have to keep with it until it's done.

This week, I am headed to Planet Fitness and force myself back into at least  3 day per week workout regiment.  There are just things that I have gotten out because of my situation with Val and her demand to have all of my time and nothing "extracirricular".  I don't really think that working out is a frivolous waste of time.  I don't really WANT to do it, either, I just have the need to lose about 20 pound right now.  I was shocked at the vet's off the other day.  Addler would NOT get on the scale and I ended up having to pick the dog up, weigh both of us and then put him down and weigh me and then subtract.  I'm at 214 pounds which is quite unnacceptable.  My eating habits are to blame - not eating enough throughout the day, starting too late in the day to eat and ending too early.  Metabolism killer.  The dog is at 128 pounds and growing.

My car is still running well - albeit numerous minor problems - I'm just trying to wait it out and save some money up.  I really do not want to take out another 401k loan.  I'm killing it by doing that even though the last loan was taken out of dire necessity.  I"ve gotten through quite a lot now without taking out loans, but I never really get ahead.  Save up a grand and have to spend it on this and that. The obvious necessity - to me anyway - is more money and I still have yet to hear back about that.  But, the holidays are over and this coming week I will ask yet again about it.

I can't think of much else.  Caleb is still in Portland so going to Phoenix is on hold til' he goes back.  My living situation remains very good - at least as far as I can tell. I dunno, I don't really think these people would just throw me out, but this is life and in life, you just never know what is going to happen.  We all get along well with each other is what I can say about it.  I spend almost equal amounts of time out "there" in their living space visiting with them and hibernating in here, my bedroom, chilling out. Addler is hilarious.  I'll have to get a video of him playing with his squeaky toy.  He throws it in the air, jumps across the room to get it, picks it up, throws it back across the room, the dog is incredibly goofy! And quite entertaining, lol.  And very clingy now.  Ever since visiting Fin and Bethany, he has been far more inclined to follow me all over the place than before we went there.  Which there is nothing wrong with that, not what I'm saying, actually he's acting much more characteristic of a Dane that wants to do nothing but follow his humans around all over the place and be involved in every single thing his humans are doing.

______________________________________

That was yesterday.  I'm considering taking Addler to a very long walking trail that appears from the overview to be in well wooded area. I am trying to find a place to take him where I can take him off of the leash and let him run. There is also a large and small dog park near the beginning of the trail.  Just not sure if I want to drive clear over there today. Kinda started looking into the a little late, it's already 1 pm, would have rather found this earlier and already had it done and over with.  There is a dog park here where I am living but it has restrictive hours.

______________________________________

More time passed. I decided to simply take Addler on a nice long walk around the various neighborhoods here. This is an older community with older houses.  Some of them are beautiful and nicely maintained, others are dilapidated and falling apart - and finding this all lumped together on any given street.  I was looking at other people's landscaping ideas, but there wasn't much going on.  Green here doesn't really work, lots of natural greenery. What is needed is the bright, bold colors of flowers or flowering plants and trees.  There was one house that had a nice floral arrangement in front of their house - it was pretty nice looking actually, but that was really the only one I saw out of hundreds of houses. Amazing more people aren't into landscaping here.

Well enough for this entry.

Here it is Christmas Day and I am here all alone, excepting for my pooch, Addler.  The folks here apparently had a change of mind and are spending the entire day at a friend's house not far away.  Considering it's 3:16 pm, I am decidely not going to cook that roast today.  They are likely eating over there and I am not going to cook that big of a feast just for myself.  It will go back into the refrigerator and cook it tomorrow or Sunday.

However, if I had known this, I would have changed my plans considerably.  I'm not necessarily wanting to spend Christmas alone.  I'm not feeling sorry for myself nor having a pity party, I'm just a people oriented person and Christmas is my favorite holiday of the entire year, it kinda sucks that I am sitting home, alone.  John Wayne movies on all day, though, that's a plus.

I'm seriously considering treating myself and pup to a La Quinta Inn overnight stay.  Yup, they take any size dog.  I know this because I have a friend that breeds Danes and she stays at La Quinta all the time, including taking a Dane to the pool!  I don't think she lets it swim, just you usually cannot leave a dog in a room unattended.  I haven't decided.

Meanwhile, I found a doggy park both here where I live and a much larger one in Longview.  I really want to get Addler off the leash onto a large plot of land where he can run freely.  No longer living on 36 acres, which I do miss but certainly not the "company" that went along with it, he is a very active dog and I would like to give him opportunity to have some free running range - that is fenced.  When I figure I can trust him to come back to me without having to chase him, then I can just take him out to public land where he can run as free as the wind.

__________________________________________________

8 hours later. lol
They came home.  Are you still going to make dinner?  Umm, well I thought you
guys would have already eaten.  It will be 7 to 8 before we eat. We'll be up. lol
Okay.  I got everything out and prepared a pretty darn good meal if I do say so myself.
After that, I went out on the front porch to enjoy beautiful weather.  That's when I was invited
over to the next door neighbor's - the Sheriff's house.  Okay, I could use some company in the
midst of gentlemen.  Sure enough, there were 3 of them out there and they were all very cool
people.

I sat out there for 3 hours cutting the bull with them and laughing it up, ended up being a
much better day in the socialization department than I could have imagined.  Well actually it was longer than that cause' it's past midnight, wayyyy past my bedtime!  No biggies, don't have to get up early tomorrow and allegedly rain's a coming.

I learned quite a bit about law enforcement social life, never really been exposed to that before.  They were smoking expensive cigars and drinking high dollar liquor.  I had a few drinks, but I stopped after a couple.  I don't need or want to drink all night long. They were drinking and drinking and drinking, but they weren't drunk.  They must drink a lot ot have that kind of tolerance.  I'm not judging them, I was happy to be in the company of some cool people having good conversation.  I just guess I didn't expect to see that.

Well, Turned into a very pleasant day.  I still like the idea of spending a day/night at La Quinta though : )

The Night before Christmas.
Not a lot going on here.
Got up late, went to several stores, got my haircut and came home.
Was messing around with Addler and the other dogs when the next
door neighbor kids come up to the fence.  Addler was getting agitated
by one of the puppies that simply won't leave him alone - until he deals
with it.  The puppy attacks him, bites him and that's when Addler digs
into the dog.  I mean, gets on top of it, pounds his paw down on it, flings
it to the ground and lets it know who's boss.  The puppy decided to try to
bite him anyway, which is when Addler - gave it right back to him.  No blood drawn, but I am not going to fault him for defending himself against a stupid dog that doesn't seem
to understand that Addler is at least 5 times bigger than the puppy and the puppy
needs to stop.

The puppy - it's not a small, it's about 50 pounds now - started howling carrying on
in fear and went whimpering off.

I gave Addler a cowhide chew bone which is when he went crazy!  I don't know WHAT
gets into that dog's mind! He started jumping and throwing it around, picking it up, jumping
- we're talking at least 5 feet up in the air - playing with this chew bone.

One of the kids came over the fence which is when Addler started misbehaving.  He has this
habit of "biting" a person's arm - taking it into his mouth and applying a little pressure to it.
It's not even close to drawing blood but it definitely got that kid running for his life!  He jumped
up on the 4 wheeler - but I got a hold of Addler by then and got it stopped.  I like messing around
with the dog but some things I just can't allow him to do for if he does it to someone else, they
are going to be terrified.  He's definitely a rough houser - when I came up to him today he jumped
up, hit me square in the chest with his right paw and just about knocked me on my @$$.

I like playing around with dogs, but I have to think about what would happen if he did that to
someone else.

Then the kids started asking to ride the 4 wheeler.  Don't care, really, but you need parent's
permission.  Dad is a county sheriff, if he says it's okay to ride around the neighborhood on a
4 wheeler then I have no problem with it. They already let them do it on a smaller one, but still.
Well, it turned into it's own event.  Neighborhood kids came over, landlady had asked them to kill
the squirrels - the dogs just bark and bark and bark at them - so, I guess for riding the 4 wheeler
they decided to take care of the squirrel population. Turns out the neighborhood kids are avid,
experienced and good hunters, having had killed both deer and pigs, but also kill squirrels.

They skin them and get the meat off of them, freeze it and wait until they have enough to feed
the entire family a meal of squirrel meat, proclaiming it tastes just like chicken.  I kinda have
a problem with just killing animals to kill them, but if they actually eat them, another story entirely.
It is an interesting place, out here.  Those kids are going hunting tonight.  Out in someone's property.
They get dropped off there and spend the entire night out there waiting on pigs.  The property owner
doesn't want the pigs around, just the deer.  They're pretty destructive animals, farmers hate them - pigs that is.

Well, after all of that was over with, I decided to try and make a cheese dip recipe I found on AllRecipes.com.  The ingredients looked like it wold make an excellent dish, however, it turned out mediocre at best.  Just not that good for what was in it.  Yes, I can follow a recipe and yes I made it exactly as the directions said to, it just didn't taste that good.  A large waste of Monterrey Jack, cream cheese and other ingredients. Oh well.  Some recipes turn out great, others you remember very well so you don't ever make it again!

Ate it anyway - well enough to satisfy my desire for some cheese dip anyway - the rest is going into
'the trash can.  Oh, and I tried to get Addler in to the vet today, but, they were closed.  His right eye is tomato red and has been for a while. I want to get whatever is needed to get that done and over with.

And then I was asked a question today. The landlady sees Valerie twice a week at her work.  That relationship has cooled considerably since the divorce.  What messages is Valerie talking about? she asks me.  No clue, what are you talking about?  She says she has gotten messages since you got divorced about something you are doing.  Ummm, not from me.  I don't talk to her at all. She is spreading some more poison about me, which isn't unexpected.  I have no connection with her at all at this point, whatever messages she is saying she is receiving? Probably total BS just designed to try and continue to get my landlady to evict me.  It's whatever.

I then got a Facebook message from a lady I have known since the 80's asking if I were going to be seeing Val for Christmas? Ummm, no, we are divorced.  Ohhh, she replies, I didn't know, she blocked me on Facebook and I don't know what's going on.  Well, she blocked just about everyone on Facebook that has anything to do with me and asked her friends and family to unfriend/block me as well.  Another non-surprising move on her part.  Which is why I have decided against giving Nathan the 4 wheeler.  I'm not giving a thousand dollars worth of a motorized toy to a person I can't even talk to.  It is still perplexing to me that her best friend still hasn't unfriended/blocked me.  I continue to "like" things on her Facebook wall to see if she just forgot.  But Val wouldn't have let her forget.  I have no idea.  Just strange to me.

So, tomorrow - a few hours from now - is Christmas and first time I'll not be spending it with any loved ones in quite a long time  I could have gone home, though, I just didn't want to go until Caleb returns from Portland.  I will have used up a large amount of vacation hours after this week's vacation and time I took last month off, so, need to keep some available to see him.  But, Wanna Get Away fare, round trip from Dallas to Phoenix - $81.  I doubt that will last long but I can't just make plans to go back without having a definitive return date for Caleb.

Vacation to Mississippi draws to a close.  A big shout out and thanks to Fin and Bethany for showing exceedingly wonderful hospitality and generosity for alowing me the privilege of staying in their home wiht my newest beloved dog, Addler. IL acquired Addler froma loving family about 5 to 6 weeks ago, he was an outside only dog.  For having only been with me for the short  time he has, I think he is doing a very good job of adapting and getting used to my ways of doing things.  His behavior on this trip was mostly very well behaved.  He hada  few lapses, but nothing too serious.

Anyway, it was nice, once again, to get away from the entire geographical region that encompasses all the memories of Valerie, her kids and everything else that went on there.  Not that I spend much time dwelling on that anyway, but getting away from there is good for the soul and heart.
I still have no sense of direction as to what to do next, I'm sorta waiting on word from work about pay raise and/or promotion, which would be an automatic pay raise.  I'm not necessariy holding out hopes to high, for it's been quite a while since I made the initial request and the GM had completely forgotten about it.  Which, frankly pissed me off at first.

Make a decision either way and give it to me.  But now, they are hoping to get the fired driver back on the payroll.  If they can do that, they won't care whether I stay or go.  He was the one released when he failed a drug test and came back positive for THC.  That's what's in marijuana that mmakes you high.  Automatic termination in our company, corporate policy.  He showed up last week with some paperwork in hand.  I didn't know our company allowed re=hire after that kind of termination, but apparently he believes so.  I am not interested in things reverting back to the way they were when he was there.  I got along well with the dude, no doubt, but he was doing things that weren't really all that great.  It was clsoing time at 4 to him, sit aorund for an hour until 5 and do nothing.

Anyway, I also got to meet Tammy - a long time internet friend started wayyyy back when when a blogging site called Journalspace existed and a bunch of us got to know each other.  Even after it crashed and went away forever, I was able to keep informed on the thigns she was doing and her kids and everything that was going on in her life.  It was pretty cool, really to finaly get to see her and catch up on old times.  She gave a standing invitation to come down and visit them and go out on their boat on the ocean for some sea fishing.  It just totally escaped me how relatively close Florida is to Mississippi even though I have driven I-10 countless times, but nothing recently.

There is a window of opportunity right now unlike any other anyone has seen in quite a long time to take a road trip for the extremely low price of fuel.  I saw it for $1.54 per gallon heading out of Mississippi today.  That opportunity is just how much longer will gas prices be this low? A month? 3 months? A year? I saw a story saying htat gas prices will likely not go back up significantly for at least 2 years.  But, "they" were completely wrong about forecasts of 5, 6 and even 7 dollar per gallon fuel that we would be experiencing right now if they had been right.  Regardless, even though I'm not the biggest fan of driving anymore, anything under a day's drive is fair game as far as I'm concerned.

Well, another 2 or so more hours and this trip will be done, be at home, Addler get to play with his friends.  I'm pretty glad that I still have 4 more days off after today before going back to work.  As for other things, I have almost convinced myself at this point that giving Nathan that 4 wheeler is not such a great idea.  I can imagine how I will feel giving away a grand worth of machinery to a person I can't even write letters to, much less text or message online.  How many people would give away something like that to someone they know but can't even have a short discussion with?  Probably not many.  Not a single person I have brought this subject up to has stated that it would be a good idea to give him teh thing, either.  So, I am going to write her after I get back and situated and let her know I am going to make plans to come and get it.  I probably won't feel too good about the 'getting it' part, but after I get it home I will be good with it.  I have no place to  use them, actually, but they are worth money and I can sell them either for or near what I paid for them. Speaking of which, the next door neighbor's son got sideswiped by a vehicle last week. No, the kid should not have been driving it on the street, at the same time, hit and run is a pretty serious offense.  I don't know what happened to the kid, his dad is a Sheriff, lol, but the driver of that vehicle frequently comes speeding through there - 45 at least in a 25 zone.  That individual lost their license because of it.

Anyway, my next vehicle is very likely going to be a truck so I may just keep them until I can haul them to the nearest place with riding trails.

Well enough for this entry.

Just a quick entry.
I had opportunity to sit down with my current manager
(versus the new one coming in whenever that is going to officially take place)
and have a "discussion".  I'm not going to sit around work and have all of these
issues unfolding before my eyes and not have anything to say about it.  First off is the
temperament - that's what I called it and though that is normally an adjective to describe
the state of a dog's or other animal's ability to get along with who or whatever - I thought
the word very fitting for the dude coming in.

Because that guy has a short fuse (this was told to me twice in the last few days by a few
people), gets angry easily, has a mouth and will yell at workers.  He AIN'T yelling at me,
not without consequences.  My manager replied saying yes, and we are talking to him about
that.  He used to be a heavy drinker but no more and he has calmed down quite a lot since
the days of his anger fits.

That did very little to reassure me and I brought up the fact that every time I say hi to the man,
he completely and utterly ignores me, and yes, he definitely hears me.  Turns his head, stares
at me and moves on.  My manager to a look on his face.  Well, he's going to HAVE to be good
with EVERYONE, he states and I can only hope that I at least got it in the mix that this guy is
a potential problem so don't be shocked if it comes back to them after these changes are officially
implemented that this kind of behavior has started to occur.

Several people indicated they would not work for him - but usually that is all talk and no action.
Especially a couple of them that would have no other job prospects if they were to try and leave.
I have a MUCH different situation, I could easily find a new job today - that would be just anyhing
I could find type of job of course, if I wanted to.  Finding a better job would take more time as I
would have to search them all out in this area and find the good ones and apply.

The second thing was the money situation.  I brought that up to him again and he said he was going
to lunch today with the general manager and he would talk to him about it.  I want to get this done
and over with - one way or the other - before the "new" manager takes over. He then went into asking
me what my goals are with the company?  Would you like to take the warehouse manager';s position when Tony retires? Of course.

Well time's up. More later when I find out more info.

Well, that was interesting.
We had a meeting at work after the day was done.
The things that were rumored - were brought out as fact.
A salesman is moving to Baton Rouge to be branch manager.
My manager is taking his position. The complete, total and all around
jerkoff purchasing officer is going to take my manager's position.
I VERY much dislike this man.  His history preceeds him.  He has
no personality.  He does not return gesstures of hi and how ya doing?
He looks at you funny but says nothing back.

The man has a temper, for one thing.  I absolutely do NOT tolerate
managers raising their voice at me or yelling.  But then again, neither does
corporate policy. Which doesn't mean anything, really. They may not condone
it but nothing would be done about it.  I am sitting here thinking of starting to
put in applications.  For the other thing that totally irked me today? The
General Manager.  Have you come to a decision on the money request?  He
looks at me blankly.  Remember we discussed a raise 2 months ago?  He had
to think about it.  Obviously, he had completely forgotten about the entire thing.

Which I find offensive.  But it's whatever.  I give up benefits to go work somewhere
else but I get more money if nothing else.  I was going to wait until after the New Year but with today's revelations I have changed my mind. Time to start looking now. This new manager has a huge chip on his shoulder and is an angry person.  He is a brown noser and two-faced - puts on a good show for his management peers but has nothing but sourness for everyone else and that, in my mind, doesn't bode well for a potential manager/employee relationship. I'm really trying to attempt to see how this could actually work out.  But he's also a micro-manager and I detest that.  I'm good with management doing what they are supposed to do, I do NOT need or WANT a pesron looking over my shoulder.

Well, whatever.  Spent a great deal of time perusing pictures and going through profiles on Plenty Of Fish. Lots of potentials, but lots of ladies that don't seem to get on to their profiles too much.  I paid for a month of it, so I'm going to try it for a month and if it doesn't pan out, moving on to Match.com.
I am so distracted by work right now.

It's Christmas time and I'm sitting here with all of this going on, freshly divorced.  Oh well.  My doggy loves me : )

How to give your dog antibiotics pills

I am writing this particular entry for those that are having a hard time getting their dogs to take whatever pills you are wanting them to take (and I would like to insert here to NEVER give your dog Tylenol/aceteminophine or aspirin for pain, only give them ibuprofen).  Mine is the easiet, most effective way to get it done and is over with in a few seconds.

There are sites all OVER the internet that tell you to hide pills in their dog food, rolled up in a piece of cheese, hidden in meat, whatever.  Dogs have a very keen sense of smell, they can smell that thing in there and more often than not either won't eat what you are attempting to hide the pill in or will "remove" the pill and then eat the treat.

The following works, every single time, without fail:  Get a hold of the dog's snout (from the top), pull up and open his mouth.  Put the pill on your fingertips and stick it as far back in his mouth as you can get it.  Then, with one finger only, push the pill all the way to the back of his mouth.  Let go of his snout, lift his head up a little and massage his throat gently.  The dog has no choice but to swallow the pill.  Actually, if you get the pill far enough in the back of his mouth, you need not do anything else, he won't be able to eject it with his tongue.

If he is able to spit it out, then you simply did not get it far enough back. I doubt I am the only person to ever have done this, but I developed this method on my own after having had enough of spending far too much time trying to trick the dog into eating pills.  This method literally only takes seconds once you get the hang of it and works every single time.

So I signed up for POF - Plenty Of Fish.

I went through hundreds of pics of ladies in this area and found maybe a dozen that stood out to me.  The amazing thing was the pics themselves.  People posting pics of their dogs (instead of themselves, not with their dog), people posting pics of entire groups of people (so who is the person that wants to date?), pics with  2 or 3 people in it (which one is the candidate?), pics with the lady hugging or touching a guy (wth, why do I want to date a person that has another guy in the pic?) and then there were pics of ladies that frank? Looked like men.  

Well, anyway.  I'll try that one for a month and if nothing comes of it, I'll try Match.com and I just remembered about Christianmingle.  They're all 30 something per month for one month and price goes down for more than one month.  

The dude here had advice for me: just go to bars and meet up with women and have one night stands, you'll find someone eventually. Rofl.  Okaaaaaay. I thought that funny.  I'm not a night club person, never have been never will be.  Picking up women at bars just not very tasteful in my mind and I am not into one night stands.  But I didn't say all of that to him, I just smiled.  

Oh, and I forgot the large number of pics with women who were actually frowning! WTH.  That'll really get the men attracted to you, have a nice, big scowl on your face. If life is THAT bad, you can be rest assured I want absolutely nothing to do with you, I just got DONE with a person like that!  NO THANKS!  I don't know what these people are thinking putting up pics like that.  Just unhappy? Hopeless that they will ever find someone?  I don't get it.  

Well it's Sunday, it's raining and I have to get ready to drive the 40 miles to church.  I haven't even attempted to start looking for a church over here and I am not convinced yet that I really should.  I need to go over to that city anyway and get into Sam's club and buy some more dog food. This animal is going through a lot of food!  I new he would, but not this much.  He's still growing is the deal, puppy - though you wouldn't look at a dog this big and your first thought being "puppy". lol.  She still hasn't revoked my Sam's club membership, though I expect she will - Val that is.  If she does I will just get my own membership.  The dog food I am buying is apparently only available at Sam's club in this area.  At least, my extensive searching has found no other stores that sell it.  And buying dog food online is not a good idea, they charge more for it and shipping.  

Well I best get to getting ready or I am not going to make it on time.

The weekend is here.  It is a very nice day outside, I'm amazed how nice the weather is
considering it's well into December.  Last year at this time, it was freeeeezing cold here
and not too much fun at work.

Speaking of work, the other driver and I were informed by our manager that the pay
raise is up in the air between the new general manger and my company's headquarters.
But I know this isn't true.  It is completely up to the discretion of the GM as to who gets
paid what according to cap limits on the particular position as set forth by corporate.
And I also know there are no cap limits for a truck driver.  I would have been making
around $24 per hour right now with the raise I would have gotten - which would have
been substantially more than the one I got over here this year, at least double.

The new driver has finally gotten enough people pissed off that he is likely going to be
let go after the New Year.  I don't disagree with that assessment. Number 1, it is impossible
to get another driver before then - even temp drivers have to go through our company's
extensive screening process and number 2, well, just a little heartless to do that at Christmastime.

Work has been irritating me though.  I clean up the pipe yard, others come in and trash it. This has been going on for a while to the point I took some pics of the alleged yard man who unloaded a pipe truck and just dumped the pipe where it doesn't belong, on top of other pipe that is different diameter or even totally different type of pipe - and left it that way.  In other words, someone HAS to come behind him and put the pipe away where it belongs, instead of him just putting it where it belongs as he is unloading the truck.  I have unloaded thousands of trucks, I know it can be done! lol.  I sent the pics to my manager, but I know it's a losing battle. He texted back thanks for showing me this, but nothing was done about it.  The manager has been working there since he was 17 - he's in his 30's now.  The yard man has been there for somewhere around 20 years.  My manager has too much emotional content involved with that yard man - the driver who wrecked the truck and did $12,000 worth of damage to the truck and over 100k of damage (totaled vehicles) to vehicles he smashed.

As per the raise and/or promotion, I just want an answer. It's been what, 2 months? Ridiculous.

I've done no Christmas shopping.  I am just buying for mom, my son and the people I am living with. I mean, I blocked my middle brother on FB.  He has no desire to have a relationship with me, unfriended me a couple of years ago and has never wanted to "re-friend", I am fed up with it. I would rather not see his posts on my mom's wall.  My oldest brother doesn't do Facebook or any other social media - I actually don't blame him - he has no desire to be with family but once per year.  Yup, once per year. He does see mom when she's up at her property though. He has a cabin down the dirt road about - 7 miles? away.  It is a uniquely strange situation to have a family that doesn't want to see each other.  I have given up on it.  And I don't feel compelled to buy Christmas presents for people that want nothing to do  with me.

So, when I take my week off for Christmas? What?  lol.  I have no plans, whatsoever. I am feeling highly umotivated. Last year I spent it with Val and 6 of her kids.  Well actually, all but 1 showed up during that day.  Now I have no-one to share it with but these folks.  As for finding a lady friend, that is likely not going to happen that fast. In fact, I am still attempting to decide which online dating service I want to try.  They all cost money and I have no idea which of them might have better results than others.  They are likely all the same, with a lot of desperate people wanting instant families and instant fathers to take care of their children and - pay for them.  They may not admit that, but it becomes quickly understood that is really all they want once you realize that they don't CARE if there is a magnetic attraction or even love, just please pay for my kids, thanks.

I had been living a life on hold because of the divorce, but the divorce is over, the damage is not undone.  I have much more to deal with internally than I initially thought.  It was so easy for her to just tune me out of her life like flipping a light switch. It is  perplexing thought that likely will stay with me the rest of my life.  Yet, that is still not going to stop me from searching.  I have a large number of people responding to my POF ad (plenty of fish) but you have to pay to see the messges.

That's it. I think I will go outside and replace the headlight bulb on my car and then go out somewhere and just relax at a restaurant or something.

It was the most involved, intricate scam I have ever been on the receiving end of.
That - being - this "lady" that we were going to go on a date on Sunday. These scammers
are using tactics that go beyond the stupid stuff that is totally obvious now.  Apparently
they have figured out we are not all dumb.  It is hard to imagine texting with a person
every day for a week or however long for extended periods to find out that they aren't
who they say they are.  The alarm bells started ringing when I asked if I could call her
and she said - she had dropped her phone in water. The phone could text, but couldn't make
calls.

Anything can happen when water enters a phone, but I had a feeling about it.  I didn't ignore
it, either.  There were small clues all along - but what happened today finally busted it open.
She said all the nice, kind words and said sadly, I cannot pay my internet bill.  I knew what was
coming before "she" (at this point, I am guessing likely a guy). "She" added to the list.  I can't
pay my phone bill.  Ohhh? How much is it going to cost you?  Well I need your help.  I am
going to lose my access to the phone if you can't help.  And on and on.

It was the Western Union game - Western Union is the bank of thieves, they can get their money
and get away with it.  Unless I personally know someone, I won't deal with Western Union.  I
tested it with "her".  When I said I would send the money to her name in her town, she replied
back that she didn't have ID and would have me send it to a "trusted friend".  Ooookay. Kept
playing.  Name of a person in San Antonio - same state but certainly not down the street and around
the corner.  I then decided to check "her" phone number.  Prefix in Minnesota.  Then checked the phone number itself.  A complaint registered on a website but no comment to say what it was.

So, she has a broken phone that won't make phone calls. A prefix from Minnesota, a friend in San Antonio to collect her money.  So what, her friend is going to drive hundreds of miles to give it to her? I then offered to bring it to her.  "She"  is a 2 hour drive away.  I don't much care about distance if it's the right person - as long as it doesn't have to be an airplane flight away, I have determined. She couldn't have me coming to see her, she allegedly can't make calls and she doesn't "like" using another person's phone to talk (I said fine, just use someone else's phone to talk to me).  I then pretended that my Western Union account wasn't working and I would have to go to Walmart and do a money gram. And since you don't have ID, I will just the pasword option - I did this with a person I know very well in Mexico not 2 months ago.  Instead of showing ID, you give them the exact passwords that the sender submits and that's it.

She didn't reply for a while and then said I didn't love her and yada yada. I had her number and I finally called her out on it in no uncertain terms and not actually too nice about it, either, considering she was willing to toy with my emotions to try to bilk money out of me.  She completely disappeared.

I actually busted out laughing while driving the semi up I-49 today when I realized what was going on.  I haven't met this person IN person yet, there were no strings attached to my heart.

Ohhh, dangit. I'm very tired and it's 15 minutes past my bedtime. Take this up this weekend.  

I walked into the courtroom - 15 minutes early allegedly - sat down and 2 minutes later the judge called her up to the bench and proclaimed I must not be there.  Apparently they had had this discussion and were waiting  Naomi had informed me that it was at 11:15, but obviously it was supposed to start at 11.  She - Val -- had an extremely fake smile plastered on her face.  I said nothing to her.  I didn't go there to get into it with her, I went to make sure that no shenanigans were going to be pulled. Not that I expected it, but you never know.  The judge recited legaleze, we agreed, he declared the marriage terminated and that was that.

I am now, officially, a divorced man, yet again. Easy divroce, no conflict, no disagreements on property, no children to deal with.  I was only gone an hour and got divorced, went to the gas station, went to the bank, another store, KFC for lunch and home.

When I walked out of the courtroom, she called my name - I was and am in no mood to talk to her - handed me an envelope with the 4 wheeler title - she has the other one for it's still over there and I haven't made up my mind about it - and then asked if I had made up my mind - which I have not.  When do you expect to? Soon. Okay, thank you and that was it.  And I assume that to BE it for the rest of our lives.  I really wanted to visit Duke's grave one last time before all of this was over with, but, too late.

I have no feelings of "freedom" like I did the first marriage.  A bit sad, actually.  Giving up as much as I did and doing what I did to marry her wasn't exactly a small thing for me.  She dismissed it - asking me what I gave up, as if nothing.

Whatever the case and not delving into that again, I have numerous decisions to make.  Stay, go.  Find a new job.  Start dating again or not.  Live here where I'm at if I do decide to stay or get my own place and rent out rooms.

I'm going to wait on any job decisions until after the New Year.  I likely going to start looking around for someone to start a relationship with.  Not positive on that one, just thinking about it.  Staying here is cool as long as they are cool with me being here, actually.  I'm just not sure I will want to stay in this region with what has happened.  I don't know how my thinking is going to be whenever I go into Longview now that we are officially divorced and thinking about all the memories - mostly bad unfortunately - and what occurred.

So, nothing has to be decided today.  They are home today as well.  Dude was told to stay home today for lack of work, she came home after finding out she has laringitis.  Don't actually remmeber how to spell that word, but if I recall correctly, it is highly contagious.  I don't realy need to be getting sick again now that I am finally just about done with the last garbage.

3 hours from now, I presume I will be a twice divorced man.
The daughter filed for a court hearing on Monday and got the
hearing scheduled for today.  How do you get a court date that fast?
And how do you get away with giving such short notice?  I was informed
that I didn't have to show up.  Lol, nice try.  Perhaps the judge will just
sign off on the paperwork - or perhaps not.  It's the tangent and possibility
of perhaps not that makes me show up to court, which is scheduled at 11:15 am.
It is also about a mile and a half away from where I live.  I took the day off
work to go deal with this, yes.  I want to hear the judge say whatever he/she
has to say about it.  If nothing, great, but I am not going to just leave it to
chance.  Not to mention she will have to be there and will be the first time
seeing her since she filed.  Yes, she ended this relationship over the internet
and I want to be there, in person, for her to have to see me even if the last
time.  Ending a marriage over the relationship?  That's just totally lame.

Other than that, everything else going as it has been. Still no word on raise or
promotion and keep forgetting to ask when I see the manager, but rest assured
I will be asking this week.  New driver still not doing very well - he knows how
to drive but he doesn't want to do anything else.  He wants us to help him pull
orders and load the truck. Well, loading trucks?  You better have that one down
yourself, bud, this isn't elemenatary school and we aren't your supervisors.  I
don't mind helping him learn, but he continues to talk as if he has never heard
any of it before, even though we have repeatedly tried to show him how to do
things.  After a while, it just plain gets old.

Addler - new pup - is doing good but he is showing some signs of aggression.
Mostly directed at one particular dog that they have here.  That dog pushes it, though,
quite a lot, nipping at him and growling.  Addler responds in kind - putting his huge
mouth around the dog's neck but not biting and growling back.  He then smacks the
dog with his giant paw and basically toys with it. I'm not a real fan of that kind of
behavior.  I think getting him neutered will help take care of this kind of stuff - I
just am going to wait until next month or even the one after to do it.  It's $300 for
the procedure.

Well the 3 hours has turned into 40 minutes.  I am only 5 minutes from the courthouse.
Nope, no parking issues, been by there dozens of times, there is ample public parking
across the street.  It's just go through the metal detector, go to 2cd story, go in the court
room, wait for judge, listen to judge, get this over with.

So, trying to find airfare home for or near Christmas - daunting.  I'm not going to spend a fortune.  If that's the case, I'll wait til' after Christmas and visit home when prices come down.  I was reading about potential cyber deals for tomorrow - Cyber Monday - if you are looking for anything cheaper than normal, please search the internet tomorrow.  You can find amazing deals.  Cheaper prices, free shipping, one day only stuff.  An article I read said that airlines don't typically advertise those kinds of fares in advance, you have to go to their sites and check on that day or sign up for their newsletter.

I don't have to be there on Christmas day to be happy.  I can be here on Christmas day and think nothing of not being home with family. The reason is simple: my family is stupid dysfunctional. The only one that really wants to see me is mom and she is quite content to see me whenever I can come.  My son is still in Portland and has not stated a return date. He is apparently liking it there very much.  Maybe he will just stay there indefinitely, who knows.  He's on an adventure in life and though he isn't really learning anything for any kind of career - I did the same thing at his age and I have absolutely no regrets.  I take that back. He has done he gen-ed courses and was studying to learn Japanese. I don't know if he's going to finish.

I did recently have an internet college student encourage me to take some online classes.  I have only considered it thus far.  If I can find classes that don't cost a fortune, yes.  But if they want 30 40 50k, they can stuff it.  How is online worth the same or even more than going to a brick and mortar building and having access to teachers in person? They will give you all kinds of answers - I have been through this process of trying to find an online college - but their answers are lame.  No buildings to pay for, upkeep, taxes, electricity, water, etc.  Well they have a home building, I guess, where their computers are located, but nothing near as grandiose as a college.  I jsut refuse to pay premium rates and get into loans for online courses.

The other option is community colleges.  Allegedly they are pretty cheap in this area - I can attest that in the Phoenix area, they are not. But then again, Phoenix and surrounding cities are college towns.  ASU is the biggest but there are a LOT more colleges there.

That is a tangent I didn't even think of going into here.  My head is still wrapped around going over to her place today.  I'm glad I haven't been over there in months now, It would have been much harder to unravel my mind and heart from all of that if  for whatever reason I had to go over there.  I don't - actually - miss her that much.  I'm not sorry to say that, not after all I've been through.  But she has a beautiful, gorgeous property.  Not anything even remotely close to being a good reason to stay in a very toxic and bad relationship, but still.  That's a property I could never afford - though property out in the wild blue yonder in the middle of nothing ness is definitely affordable.  Don't underestimate the profession I am in.  Drivers can live literally anywhere if they are OTR and can take the truck home with them.  Not interest in OTR, but could do regional.  I'm definitely not married to my current company, not at the pay scale I am at.

This has been a strange day.  It has also been raining, non-stop, all day long. I didn't care about that over there, though.  I didn't make my co-worker get out of his vehicle over there.  He wasn't dressed for the occasion, lol. He had his two young kids with him.  He has custody of them. The mom is a lunatic.  I mean, to the point of having to be hauled off to jail last weekend because she showed up to see the kids and went off on Terrance's mom.  The kid's shoes out in front of her house. I had never seen that before and it dawned on me that all of those shoes are shoes that I bought for those kids. They weren't near my stuff that was left out there.  I am perplexed by that.  Did they somehow think I wanted their shoes back?

I don't know, but we are now entering the final stage of the divorce.  It will be scheduled for a short hearing before the judge. But it's not really a hearing. The judge looks over the paperwork and - signs off on it.  The daughter eluded to me not having to show up.  Umm, no, I'll be there, thanks.  A judge has no restraints by a piece of paper worked up by consenting adults.  He/she may look at the thing and have questions.  Or, she/val could bring up something to change in the paperwork and if I"m not there? Default judgement.  I don't leave things like that up to chance.  I politely told the daughter - Naomi - that I will be there, please let me know when it is, thanks.  I don't really ever want to see Val again after the things that she has done, but I will endure it for a short period of time to ensure that nothing happens that I can't object to.

________________________________________

Sunday evening now. Started this post yesterday.  I have all kinds of thoughts running through my mind.

I spent the day cleaning - well not all day, but a lot of it.  My room, laundry, their kitchen. They had people over last night and there was a great deal of aftermath. I don't complain about it, but I wanted to cook this morning so I cleaned the entire mess up while cooking  - after cleaning off a space - and got that all done. I'm old enough to be dads to most everyone that shows up here. Which doesn't bother me, I'm just saying, it is a generational gap and though I can relate with much of it - I cannot relate with all of it. Anime for one thing.  This is Japanese version of adult cartoons.

Anyway, I still have this vision of her place when I came down the driveway and saw it for the first time in quite a while. And yes, it is DOWN a driveway.  You come up a long driveway, through a horse ranch and then over the top and back down again.  It is a very secluded place.  Anyway, those 2 4 wheelers were sitting in the grassy area in the driveway circle, faced directly at - me I guess - as I drove in. If I weren't at the mercy of the dude coming behind me to pull them out of there, I would have taken the time to visit with the cows and then go down and spend a few final moments at Duke's grave.  

There are other ways in there, that place is so far from her house and out of sight - completely out of sight that I could visit it coming from the undeveloped land beside it.  Why would you want to do that?  If you aren't a dog lover and haven't had a dog has been in your family for an extended period of time, you won't understand it. If you have, you might or might not. Duke was such a gentle spirit. I've had a lot of dogs and very good ones, but Duke was very special to me.  And others as well.  Val's babysitter that was watching the kids during the summer has numerous photos of him posted on her Facebook wall.  She explained to me that he kept her company during lonely nights - kids off to bed, Val in her room, I'm thrown out, she's a 20 something downstairs, alone, dog keeping her company.  I suspect she loved Duke as much as I did from her description of it and after seeing pics of her and him after he passed. I had no idea.

Oops, past my  bedtime. I was just getting started, actualy.  Really, I was.  Oh well.