I still sometimes type 19- at the beginning of the date before remembering we're in the 2000s. Three times this week, in fact. Oops.
Anyway, last night we went to Taco Cabana for dinner, and K-- and N-- met us there. D-- and I had to skip out early so I could get him to the airport for a business trip. He's spending today and tomorrow in Denver, learning how to Microsoft a Microsoft in the Microsofting Microsoft. I dunno. I don't pay attention when he talks.
After I dropped him off, T-- and AB were still at church, so I busted out the Rock Band and started working on my form. I read through a couple articles yesterday with advice either from real drummers on how to play Rock Band, or advice on how to become a real drummer (or at least start the process) using Rock Band. Either way, I learned how to stand on the bass drum pedal without killing my foot, and that was important.
I also went ahead and started playing through the solo game on Medium difficulty. I had gotten "good enough" at the Easy difficulty, and I figured moving up sooner would just make me learn faster. Then I spent some time regretting that decision, and then before the end of the night I was actually keeping up with some of the complicated mixture of high hat, bass drum, and tempo snare stuff that they were throwing at me.
And actually by "end of the night" there, I really mean, "by the time T-- and AB got home, and K-- and N-- dropped by with them," which was only about 40 minutes later. So that's pretty good. Of course, AB crawled up into my lap in the middle of some song by The Clash and just wrecked my score and got me booed offstage, but she was adorable doing it, so what's there to complain about? After she went to bed I got four stars on it.
T-- and I played for a while, but she called it quits a little before ten so I went ahead and played through the rest of the second tier of songs (the Amsterdam set, I think it was), and I've got 4 stars on all of the 12-16 songs I've played so far on Medium. I think that's pretty good. By the end of the night I was doing way better than I had at the beginning, too. So that's awesome.
Also, that's my whole night. I went to bed around 11, and then woke up and came to work.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Journal Entry: August 27, 2008
Big news, I guess, is the car. I talked with my dad last night about his experiences with such problems, and he recommended I take it in to a tire shop. He said if it was an alignment problem or a damaged strut (which it turned out to be), tire shops due those jobs in such high volume that normal mechanics can't compete. And if it was something more serious, the tire shop would readily refer me.
As I said, though, it turned out to be a bent strut -- as well as severe alignment problems from the impact. It's going to run me about $300, which is a kick in the pants, but it's about as good as I could have hoped for as of the moment I felt the lady slam into the passenger side of my car. So I'm considering myself fortunate, paying the bill, and going on with my life.
After work yesterday I went for a haircut, then Dad called me on my drive home from there. I got off the phone with him right around the time AB showed up in the living room dressed as a dragon (as you may have read about elsewhere), which was pretty damn adorable.
Then D-- came over and we spent an hour or so scrolling through the songs in Rock Band's Music Store. The vast majority of them run $2 a song, and once you've got them downloaded you can play them in the game -- not just in free play type things, but also in the Set Lists you set up to progress through the game, so it makes a pleasant break from the game's initial set of songs, which you find yourself playing over and over and over again.
I found "Still Alive" with GlaDOS available as a free download, and that just made my night (although I think K-- is the only one I know who would understand why, and that fact saddens me deeply). Then, as I said, D-- and T-- and I went through all the songs in the list, and picked out the Must Haves and the Pretty Goods and passed on all the That Sounds Exactly Like Twisted Sister But Not Quite As Goods.
The Must Haves alone came out to about $60 worth. I'd sent D-- an email yesterday saying, "This game is going to get expensive." That was in reference to the drum throne (stool) and drum pad silencers that I had found, not to mention the $300 replacement drum kit. Adding in downloadable content just makes it worse.
We'll probably grab a bunch of those pretty soon, though. Because, as I said, the core songs get old pretty quick, and it turns out there's some pretty nice material available for purchase. D-- sent me the setlist for Rock Band 2, though, and it just blows the first one away. It's got a heavy Classic Rock bent, whereas the first is much more Punk and Metal.
Anyway, the plan was to do our music selection while AB was awake, then break out the instruments once she went down, but the first part of that ended up taking nearly an hour longer than we'd intended. That was okay, though -- we just added an hour to our evening. We ended up playing until 11:00, but we got our band a private jet and a sound guy, so that's pretty cool. T-- also finally tried playing guitar, and in spite of a rocky start she improved rapidly, and actually had a lot more fun than she thought she would.
Then there was Aerosmith, but we will not talk of it.
This morning I had PT at 8:00, and T-- took the car up to the tire place while I was there, and then I picked her up afterward and dropped her at home before I headed to work. That's my day.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
As I said, though, it turned out to be a bent strut -- as well as severe alignment problems from the impact. It's going to run me about $300, which is a kick in the pants, but it's about as good as I could have hoped for as of the moment I felt the lady slam into the passenger side of my car. So I'm considering myself fortunate, paying the bill, and going on with my life.
After work yesterday I went for a haircut, then Dad called me on my drive home from there. I got off the phone with him right around the time AB showed up in the living room dressed as a dragon (as you may have read about elsewhere), which was pretty damn adorable.
Then D-- came over and we spent an hour or so scrolling through the songs in Rock Band's Music Store. The vast majority of them run $2 a song, and once you've got them downloaded you can play them in the game -- not just in free play type things, but also in the Set Lists you set up to progress through the game, so it makes a pleasant break from the game's initial set of songs, which you find yourself playing over and over and over again.
I found "Still Alive" with GlaDOS available as a free download, and that just made my night (although I think K-- is the only one I know who would understand why, and that fact saddens me deeply). Then, as I said, D-- and T-- and I went through all the songs in the list, and picked out the Must Haves and the Pretty Goods and passed on all the That Sounds Exactly Like Twisted Sister But Not Quite As Goods.
The Must Haves alone came out to about $60 worth. I'd sent D-- an email yesterday saying, "This game is going to get expensive." That was in reference to the drum throne (stool) and drum pad silencers that I had found, not to mention the $300 replacement drum kit. Adding in downloadable content just makes it worse.
We'll probably grab a bunch of those pretty soon, though. Because, as I said, the core songs get old pretty quick, and it turns out there's some pretty nice material available for purchase. D-- sent me the setlist for Rock Band 2, though, and it just blows the first one away. It's got a heavy Classic Rock bent, whereas the first is much more Punk and Metal.
Anyway, the plan was to do our music selection while AB was awake, then break out the instruments once she went down, but the first part of that ended up taking nearly an hour longer than we'd intended. That was okay, though -- we just added an hour to our evening. We ended up playing until 11:00, but we got our band a private jet and a sound guy, so that's pretty cool. T-- also finally tried playing guitar, and in spite of a rocky start she improved rapidly, and actually had a lot more fun than she thought she would.
Then there was Aerosmith, but we will not talk of it.
This morning I had PT at 8:00, and T-- took the car up to the tire place while I was there, and then I picked her up afterward and dropped her at home before I headed to work. That's my day.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Journal Entry: August 26, 2008
It's been a while since I last posted, so I can't promise to get all the details right on this....
Still, Friday night D-- and I went over to K-- and N--'s to watch the Cowboys game. The third preseason game is often called the dress rehearsal for the season, so most teams put in their starting line for most of the game, to see how they work together. It's also the first time in preseason that the team actually watches any tape of the opponents in preparation, and that they cater their plays directly to the opposing team. So we knew going in that it was going to be a good one.
And it was. With the exception of a Romo-thrown interception into the endzone that led to a strong drive by the Texans, the Cowboys starters dominated throughout the first half, on both offense and defense. When Romo et al. came off the field, the Cowboys were up 20-10, and those 10 came off an opening kickoff return that put them in range for the field goal, and then the interception and ensuing drive.
Anyway, if you don't care about football, sorry about all that. It was an exciting game, though. This weekend they'll be sitting all the starters to guarantee they're fresh for the season opener, so that one won't even be worth watching. On the other hand, the Sooners have their opening game this weekend, so there will definitely be some football on.
After the game Friday night, 'round about 10:30, I suggested we go catch a late showing of Tropic Thunder and D-- was down, so we ended up at AMC in the mall until two in the morning. So worth it. Fantastic movie. It's like a modernization of Three Amigos. Hilarious -- wildly inappropriate, but hilarious.
I got home at 2:30 and found T-- still awake, chatting with Julie, who was in town for a wedding shower. We stayed up and talked for a while, mostly about the movie. I finally went to bed and just crashed.
Saturday I didn't get up until lunch time. We took Julie to our bagel place, which is becoming a Saturday tradition (lunch at the bagel place, that is -- not taking Julie there). Afterward, T-- and Julie headed to the shower, and I went over to B-- and E--'s to hang out with B-- while I had a few hours free. We watched Three Amigos and talked, and before I knew it four hours were gone.
We met my little sister and her family for dinner at Friday's, then met D-- at the house around 8:00, and he and I played Civ while we watched the Vikings' preseason game. I promise not to do a play-by-play on that one, but it was almost as much fun as the Cowboys game.
We got kinda caught up in the Civ game. Last time we'd played, before D-- headed out of town for work all last week, we'd won that game, so we started a new one Saturday evening. After 8:00. By the time we quit, we had tanks -- just to give you an idea how long we played. Ugh.
Fun, though. I got to bed late and did not feel like waking up for church, but I did anyway. T-- and I stopped at a garage sale on the way there, then sat through a sermon about running in such a way as to win, and I worked on a short story set in the SK universe.
Afterward we went over to K-- and N--'s place for lunch. Her parents were there, and among them they made up steaks and hamburgers and we brought hotdogs that K-- threw on the grill, and there were all manner of sides and cheesecake and strawberry shortcake for dessert. It was a fantastic lunch. Everyone was pleased.
D-- was there, too, but he was running a little late because he'd stopped on the way there to pick up Guitar Hero, so we had our afternoon's entertainment provided. After lunch we guys got to work setting up the equipment for the game, got all the instruments put together and went to play it, and discovered that there was no game disc in the box. Ugh. So D-- had to drive all the way back across town to the store where he'd gotten it to pick up a game disc (luckily they didn't make us break the instruments back down), but when he got back (around 2:00) we set up a band and started rocking.
T-- hung around to see what the game was like, but after our first song she took AB home, because the baby was badly in need of a nap. D-- offered to drive me home, so we could play a couple more songs. Three hours later, T-- called to ask me what time I planned to be home. It's an addictive game, and easily the best of the rhythm games I've seen so far. The cooperative aspect of it, working together as a group toward a goal, is just awesome. Powerful, and fun.
We all took turns on all the instruments, although I don't think D-- tried the drums. The drums were easily the most popular instrument, though. They're addictive, and nowhere near as difficult to use as everyone assumes they will be.
Anyway, after T-- called we played one more song, then packed everything up and headed home. We had pizza for supper, then when AB went down D-- and I brought in the instruments to rock out with T-- some. We set up a new band on my XBox, and this time we took the time to go through character creation and customize our characters. D-- had read that that was one of the big features of the game, and it really was a fun process. When T-- complained that she didn't like her outfit, we decided to play some gigs, make some money, and then let her check out the in-game store to find something better to wear. Once she started looking through the options, D-- and I had to check out ours, too, and we spent the rest of the evening alternating between playing gigs and shopping for clothes. Heh. We played until about 10:30, when pragmatism forced us to call it quits.
Yesterday morning I went back to the physical therapist, and she said she was seeing real progress. I could tell, too. I haven't taken any of my back medication for four days, and while it's pretty painful at times, it's manageable, and getting a little better every day. On Friday she gave me my stretches to do at home, and I find them helpful every time I do them.
Then over lunch on Monday I was in a minor car accident. I was turning into a parking lot, through a line of cars waiting at a red light, when the lady waiting in line decided to pull forward into the gap and slammed into my right tire. It sounded horrible, but to all appearances there was no damage other than scraped paint on my car or hers (and basically all of the paint was on my tire, scraped off of her bumper). Once I was on my way back to work, I called T-- to let her know about it and I was in the middle of saying, "There's no real damage done," when I noticed my steering wheel was at a 15 degree angle to the left, while I was driving straight. Ugh. So, at the very least, I'd destroyed my alignment, though it's quite possible I've done real damage to the axle. Ugh, ugh, ugh.
Anyway, I tried not to let it bother me, and the car is driving fine. Just...bah. I don't know when I'll have a chance to get it in to a mechanic, but we were supposed to drive to Houston this weekend, and all the time I'm spending not thinking about it is just making matters worse and worse.
When I got home from work I was feeling pretty worn out after a long day, so we scrapped our plans to go to the gym. Instead I lazed on the couch for a while, then T-- made supper and we went for a walk in the neighborhood. We got home right at AB's bedtime, and while T-- put her to bed, I got the instruments back out and T-- sang for me while I drummed. The plan was to play through a song or two, then she was going to go paint while I continued practicing the drums.
The game's addictive, though! Did I mention that? We played until 10:30, when once again pragmatism forced us to quit.
That's my weekend (and the start of this week). It's been a fun one. I'm looking forward to getting better at the drums. They say this is one of the few rhythm games that can really teach you real-life skills, as the game version of drumming is pretty close to the real world equivalent (as opposed to, say, guitar playing, or even the quality-insensitive singing). So yay.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Still, Friday night D-- and I went over to K-- and N--'s to watch the Cowboys game. The third preseason game is often called the dress rehearsal for the season, so most teams put in their starting line for most of the game, to see how they work together. It's also the first time in preseason that the team actually watches any tape of the opponents in preparation, and that they cater their plays directly to the opposing team. So we knew going in that it was going to be a good one.
And it was. With the exception of a Romo-thrown interception into the endzone that led to a strong drive by the Texans, the Cowboys starters dominated throughout the first half, on both offense and defense. When Romo et al. came off the field, the Cowboys were up 20-10, and those 10 came off an opening kickoff return that put them in range for the field goal, and then the interception and ensuing drive.
Anyway, if you don't care about football, sorry about all that. It was an exciting game, though. This weekend they'll be sitting all the starters to guarantee they're fresh for the season opener, so that one won't even be worth watching. On the other hand, the Sooners have their opening game this weekend, so there will definitely be some football on.
After the game Friday night, 'round about 10:30, I suggested we go catch a late showing of Tropic Thunder and D-- was down, so we ended up at AMC in the mall until two in the morning. So worth it. Fantastic movie. It's like a modernization of Three Amigos. Hilarious -- wildly inappropriate, but hilarious.
I got home at 2:30 and found T-- still awake, chatting with Julie, who was in town for a wedding shower. We stayed up and talked for a while, mostly about the movie. I finally went to bed and just crashed.
Saturday I didn't get up until lunch time. We took Julie to our bagel place, which is becoming a Saturday tradition (lunch at the bagel place, that is -- not taking Julie there). Afterward, T-- and Julie headed to the shower, and I went over to B-- and E--'s to hang out with B-- while I had a few hours free. We watched Three Amigos and talked, and before I knew it four hours were gone.
We met my little sister and her family for dinner at Friday's, then met D-- at the house around 8:00, and he and I played Civ while we watched the Vikings' preseason game. I promise not to do a play-by-play on that one, but it was almost as much fun as the Cowboys game.
We got kinda caught up in the Civ game. Last time we'd played, before D-- headed out of town for work all last week, we'd won that game, so we started a new one Saturday evening. After 8:00. By the time we quit, we had tanks -- just to give you an idea how long we played. Ugh.
Fun, though. I got to bed late and did not feel like waking up for church, but I did anyway. T-- and I stopped at a garage sale on the way there, then sat through a sermon about running in such a way as to win, and I worked on a short story set in the SK universe.
Afterward we went over to K-- and N--'s place for lunch. Her parents were there, and among them they made up steaks and hamburgers and we brought hotdogs that K-- threw on the grill, and there were all manner of sides and cheesecake and strawberry shortcake for dessert. It was a fantastic lunch. Everyone was pleased.
D-- was there, too, but he was running a little late because he'd stopped on the way there to pick up Guitar Hero, so we had our afternoon's entertainment provided. After lunch we guys got to work setting up the equipment for the game, got all the instruments put together and went to play it, and discovered that there was no game disc in the box. Ugh. So D-- had to drive all the way back across town to the store where he'd gotten it to pick up a game disc (luckily they didn't make us break the instruments back down), but when he got back (around 2:00) we set up a band and started rocking.
T-- hung around to see what the game was like, but after our first song she took AB home, because the baby was badly in need of a nap. D-- offered to drive me home, so we could play a couple more songs. Three hours later, T-- called to ask me what time I planned to be home. It's an addictive game, and easily the best of the rhythm games I've seen so far. The cooperative aspect of it, working together as a group toward a goal, is just awesome. Powerful, and fun.
We all took turns on all the instruments, although I don't think D-- tried the drums. The drums were easily the most popular instrument, though. They're addictive, and nowhere near as difficult to use as everyone assumes they will be.
Anyway, after T-- called we played one more song, then packed everything up and headed home. We had pizza for supper, then when AB went down D-- and I brought in the instruments to rock out with T-- some. We set up a new band on my XBox, and this time we took the time to go through character creation and customize our characters. D-- had read that that was one of the big features of the game, and it really was a fun process. When T-- complained that she didn't like her outfit, we decided to play some gigs, make some money, and then let her check out the in-game store to find something better to wear. Once she started looking through the options, D-- and I had to check out ours, too, and we spent the rest of the evening alternating between playing gigs and shopping for clothes. Heh. We played until about 10:30, when pragmatism forced us to call it quits.
Yesterday morning I went back to the physical therapist, and she said she was seeing real progress. I could tell, too. I haven't taken any of my back medication for four days, and while it's pretty painful at times, it's manageable, and getting a little better every day. On Friday she gave me my stretches to do at home, and I find them helpful every time I do them.
Then over lunch on Monday I was in a minor car accident. I was turning into a parking lot, through a line of cars waiting at a red light, when the lady waiting in line decided to pull forward into the gap and slammed into my right tire. It sounded horrible, but to all appearances there was no damage other than scraped paint on my car or hers (and basically all of the paint was on my tire, scraped off of her bumper). Once I was on my way back to work, I called T-- to let her know about it and I was in the middle of saying, "There's no real damage done," when I noticed my steering wheel was at a 15 degree angle to the left, while I was driving straight. Ugh. So, at the very least, I'd destroyed my alignment, though it's quite possible I've done real damage to the axle. Ugh, ugh, ugh.
Anyway, I tried not to let it bother me, and the car is driving fine. Just...bah. I don't know when I'll have a chance to get it in to a mechanic, but we were supposed to drive to Houston this weekend, and all the time I'm spending not thinking about it is just making matters worse and worse.
When I got home from work I was feeling pretty worn out after a long day, so we scrapped our plans to go to the gym. Instead I lazed on the couch for a while, then T-- made supper and we went for a walk in the neighborhood. We got home right at AB's bedtime, and while T-- put her to bed, I got the instruments back out and T-- sang for me while I drummed. The plan was to play through a song or two, then she was going to go paint while I continued practicing the drums.
The game's addictive, though! Did I mention that? We played until 10:30, when once again pragmatism forced us to quit.
That's my weekend (and the start of this week). It's been a fun one. I'm looking forward to getting better at the drums. They say this is one of the few rhythm games that can really teach you real-life skills, as the game version of drumming is pretty close to the real world equivalent (as opposed to, say, guitar playing, or even the quality-insensitive singing). So yay.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Journal Entry: August 22, 2008
Last night was a bit of a strange one.
Yesterday, during the day, we cooked up a plan for a Pogue Family Writer's Convention, which will be taking place in Branson in October. So, first thing after I got home, I got to explain to T-- that I was going off to Missouri for a weekend and she wasn't invited. Fun.
Then I spent half an hour or so playing with AB, before T-- took her along and went to the monthly church picnic. As I really hate having anxiety attacks on schoolnights, I elected to skip it.
I tried to get in touch with D--, and it turned out he did get in at a reasonable hour, but he already had dinner plans. I tried contacting B--, since I knew he was stuck at home with a baby and might want some company, but I got no answer and he never called me back. So, when I finally gave up on all of them, I went out to get myself a sandwich around 7:30. I went to Subway first, but they proved incompetent, so after a ten minute wait (behind one other customer), and no sign they'd be getting to me anytime soon, I walked out and went to Jersey Mike's. Their club is awesome.
Around the time I finished eating, T-- got home with the baby, and we said goodnight to her, then T-- watched me play a demo I'd downloaded of a new game called Too Human. I read good reviews of it earlier in the week and passed those along to K-- and D-- in the hopes of getting some multiplayer going. Anyway, it seemed prudent to check out the demo before dropping $50 for it, so I did, and I absolutely enjoyed it. It's easily a game that can keep me interested until Spore comes out.
In other news, I got my report back from the doctor for my blood work last week, and I get to cut down on fats and sugars in my diet, and come back in three months for another test. Yay! Also, I got a raise at work, in addition to the cost-of-living increase, so that's welcome news.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Yesterday, during the day, we cooked up a plan for a Pogue Family Writer's Convention, which will be taking place in Branson in October. So, first thing after I got home, I got to explain to T-- that I was going off to Missouri for a weekend and she wasn't invited. Fun.
Then I spent half an hour or so playing with AB, before T-- took her along and went to the monthly church picnic. As I really hate having anxiety attacks on schoolnights, I elected to skip it.
I tried to get in touch with D--, and it turned out he did get in at a reasonable hour, but he already had dinner plans. I tried contacting B--, since I knew he was stuck at home with a baby and might want some company, but I got no answer and he never called me back. So, when I finally gave up on all of them, I went out to get myself a sandwich around 7:30. I went to Subway first, but they proved incompetent, so after a ten minute wait (behind one other customer), and no sign they'd be getting to me anytime soon, I walked out and went to Jersey Mike's. Their club is awesome.
Around the time I finished eating, T-- got home with the baby, and we said goodnight to her, then T-- watched me play a demo I'd downloaded of a new game called Too Human. I read good reviews of it earlier in the week and passed those along to K-- and D-- in the hopes of getting some multiplayer going. Anyway, it seemed prudent to check out the demo before dropping $50 for it, so I did, and I absolutely enjoyed it. It's easily a game that can keep me interested until Spore comes out.
In other news, I got my report back from the doctor for my blood work last week, and I get to cut down on fats and sugars in my diet, and come back in three months for another test. Yay! Also, I got a raise at work, in addition to the cost-of-living increase, so that's welcome news.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Journal Entry: August 21, 2008
I just finished reading my little sister's novel. It, like my older sister's and Dad's, was much better than I ever expected. I feel a little bit less special every day....
I forgot to post yesterday, so I need to go back to Tuesday night, when T-- was in Tulsa for work. She stayed the night, so I was on my own for an evening. D-- was (and still is) out of town on business. Luckily, after spending all day watching my baby, N-- invited me over for dinner, so I didn't have to find a way to take care of myself.
We had meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner, and watermelon for dessert. It was delicious, and N-- sent the leftovers home with me for a delicious lunch on Wednesday, too. Afterward I hung out for a little while, but eventually had to rush AB home because she was in need of a diaper change and I'd left her bag at home.
After she went to bed, I watched Old School and worked on my markup of my sister's novel. B-- called, too -- a situation I'd arranged beforehand, when I learned he, too, was stuck at home watching a baby, so we couldn't really get together. Anyway, we talked for half an hour or so, and it was good to catch up. I hope to get over there sometime soon.
Wednesday morning I stayed home to watch AB until T-- got back from Tulsa, right around lunch time. As soon as she got in, I had my leftovers, and then headed up to work. Afterward, we met K-- and N-- (along with N--'s parents) at Jason's Deli for dinner. Then T-- dropped me off at home while the rest of them went to church.
I spent an hour and a half working on my stricken computer, but I gained almost nothing. Alas. It needs money, and I'm not in a spending mood. I only have nineteen days before it needs to be operational, though, so I had better get in gear.
Anyway, when T-- got home I gave up on the computer repair, kissed AB goodnight, and then got back to work on my sister's novel. It's a powerful story with engaging characters. I'm impressed.
That took me to bedtime and, as I said, I finished it up over lunch today. I also finished reading The Cat Who Went Bananas, which puts me quite near the end of that series.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
I forgot to post yesterday, so I need to go back to Tuesday night, when T-- was in Tulsa for work. She stayed the night, so I was on my own for an evening. D-- was (and still is) out of town on business. Luckily, after spending all day watching my baby, N-- invited me over for dinner, so I didn't have to find a way to take care of myself.
We had meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner, and watermelon for dessert. It was delicious, and N-- sent the leftovers home with me for a delicious lunch on Wednesday, too. Afterward I hung out for a little while, but eventually had to rush AB home because she was in need of a diaper change and I'd left her bag at home.
After she went to bed, I watched Old School and worked on my markup of my sister's novel. B-- called, too -- a situation I'd arranged beforehand, when I learned he, too, was stuck at home watching a baby, so we couldn't really get together. Anyway, we talked for half an hour or so, and it was good to catch up. I hope to get over there sometime soon.
Wednesday morning I stayed home to watch AB until T-- got back from Tulsa, right around lunch time. As soon as she got in, I had my leftovers, and then headed up to work. Afterward, we met K-- and N-- (along with N--'s parents) at Jason's Deli for dinner. Then T-- dropped me off at home while the rest of them went to church.
I spent an hour and a half working on my stricken computer, but I gained almost nothing. Alas. It needs money, and I'm not in a spending mood. I only have nineteen days before it needs to be operational, though, so I had better get in gear.
Anyway, when T-- got home I gave up on the computer repair, kissed AB goodnight, and then got back to work on my sister's novel. It's a powerful story with engaging characters. I'm impressed.
That took me to bedtime and, as I said, I finished it up over lunch today. I also finished reading The Cat Who Went Bananas, which puts me quite near the end of that series.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Journal Entry: August 19, 2008
My life feels...weird when I'm not addictively playing a video game.
I suppose I should get to that point with my writing, where I'm sitting up all evening at home working on Sleeping Kings while I watch CSI with T--, or whatever, but that takes a lot more focus. For me, video games are about winding down, after a day spent dealing with people at work.
Anyway, that's all old discussion. Yesterday I went to the gym after work, and spent 45 minutes on the treadmill. My physical therapist said I could do anything that wasn't directly painful, so I may go ahead and start working on strength training again, sooner than I'd intended. I don't want to do anything to slow my recovery (because it's already been a ridiculous percent of forever), but 45 minutes on the treadmill is dull. I'm not jogging, even. I get up to a 4 mph walk, but that's just enough to make my feet hurt without really feeling challenging.
So, yeah. I'll go back to arm and chest workouts, anyway. I might do them sitting instead of standing, but at least I'm doing something.
And that's probably way more than you wanted to know about my infrequent workouts, but it's what's on my mind. After the gym last night, we played with AB for a while, and T-- made some fantastic quesadillas, and then we watched The Wedding Singer. Neither of us had seen it in a while, and my computer's recent demise rather limited our options, so there ya go.
It was pretty fun. I enjoyed it, although I can probably go another eight years before watching it again. No big deal.
After that I turned on an episode of New Adventures of Old Christine, because it was the only thing new on the TiVo (and, as it happened, a rerun we both remembered), and did some chores while we chuckled at the jokes. Then I went to bed early, but couldn't sleep because I'd had a nap right after work. I stayed in bed, though, because what else was there to do? I'm sure I drifted off well before midnight.
And then I came into work on time today, and T-- went to Tulsa for work, and N-- is watching my baby even as we speak. Thank the Lord for good friends. I mean that.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
I suppose I should get to that point with my writing, where I'm sitting up all evening at home working on Sleeping Kings while I watch CSI with T--, or whatever, but that takes a lot more focus. For me, video games are about winding down, after a day spent dealing with people at work.
Anyway, that's all old discussion. Yesterday I went to the gym after work, and spent 45 minutes on the treadmill. My physical therapist said I could do anything that wasn't directly painful, so I may go ahead and start working on strength training again, sooner than I'd intended. I don't want to do anything to slow my recovery (because it's already been a ridiculous percent of forever), but 45 minutes on the treadmill is dull. I'm not jogging, even. I get up to a 4 mph walk, but that's just enough to make my feet hurt without really feeling challenging.
So, yeah. I'll go back to arm and chest workouts, anyway. I might do them sitting instead of standing, but at least I'm doing something.
And that's probably way more than you wanted to know about my infrequent workouts, but it's what's on my mind. After the gym last night, we played with AB for a while, and T-- made some fantastic quesadillas, and then we watched The Wedding Singer. Neither of us had seen it in a while, and my computer's recent demise rather limited our options, so there ya go.
It was pretty fun. I enjoyed it, although I can probably go another eight years before watching it again. No big deal.
After that I turned on an episode of New Adventures of Old Christine, because it was the only thing new on the TiVo (and, as it happened, a rerun we both remembered), and did some chores while we chuckled at the jokes. Then I went to bed early, but couldn't sleep because I'd had a nap right after work. I stayed in bed, though, because what else was there to do? I'm sure I drifted off well before midnight.
And then I came into work on time today, and T-- went to Tulsa for work, and N-- is watching my baby even as we speak. Thank the Lord for good friends. I mean that.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Journal Entry: August 18, 2008
Thursday night I made my triumphal return to the gym. It was unimpressive. I spent forty-five minutes on the treadmill, then went home.
One thing of note: there was no one there for childcare, even though we were within the regular childcare hours, so Brian -- K-- and N--'s trainer -- stepped in and spent the time watching AB. It was pretty funny.
Afterward we met D-- at the house for dinner -- he brought BWW, because it was Thursday -- and we watched Get Smart and played Civ.
Friday night, T-- went to dinner with her friend Rebecca, and left me to watch AB. We had some fun together. We had dinner, and played for a while, then went out for snowcones, but she was asleep by the time we got home, so she didn't get any. Poor thing.
Then T-- got home from her dinner date (at a bar downtown), and a short while later D-- called and offered to bring us some liquor of our choice, so we requested wine coolers and rum, and he brought sangria and rum, but that was close enough. We drank, and then we watched Get Smart and played Civ.
Saturday morning I'd intended to go to the gym, but K-- was busy with work and AB went down for a nap right around the time I got ready, so I decided to stay home. An hour or so later, T-- and I walked AB up to the bagel restaurant around the corner, and D-- met us there for lunch. It was good. Afterward...well, watched Get Smart and played Civ for most of the afternoon and evening.
We took a break at 5:00 to drive out to the Huddlestons' place for dinner. We ate burgers and watched Austin Powers and then had ice cream. Then we came home around 8:30 to put AB to bed, and afterward got back to the Civving. Around 2:30 I annihilated my nemesis (the Dutch) about two turns before D-- won the game with a Cultural Victory. Then he went home, and I finally went to bed.
Sunday morning I woke up in time for church, then T-- and I met D-- at Mazzio's for a lunch buffet. Afterward, I crashed on the couch for a couple hours during AB's nap, and T-- ran out to do some grocery shopping.
We'd recorded Saturday night's Cowboys preseason game, and invited K-- and N-- (along with N--'s parents), and D-- and B-- and E--, to come watch it with us. T-- also made a turkey for dinner, and N-- brought some fantastic mac and cheese (and K-- brought some scruptious liquor), so we had a fine feast before we started the game.
There was no Civving. For real.
Then this morning I had to wake up early (or, rather, on time) to make it to an appointment with a physical therapist. That went well. The therapist thinks three to four weeks, two sessions a week, should be enough. She said no more than six weeks. I also have permission to keep going to the gym, as long as I don't do anything that causes pain. Pretty much matches my intentions, so fair enough.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
One thing of note: there was no one there for childcare, even though we were within the regular childcare hours, so Brian -- K-- and N--'s trainer -- stepped in and spent the time watching AB. It was pretty funny.
Afterward we met D-- at the house for dinner -- he brought BWW, because it was Thursday -- and we watched Get Smart and played Civ.
Friday night, T-- went to dinner with her friend Rebecca, and left me to watch AB. We had some fun together. We had dinner, and played for a while, then went out for snowcones, but she was asleep by the time we got home, so she didn't get any. Poor thing.
Then T-- got home from her dinner date (at a bar downtown), and a short while later D-- called and offered to bring us some liquor of our choice, so we requested wine coolers and rum, and he brought sangria and rum, but that was close enough. We drank, and then we watched Get Smart and played Civ.
Saturday morning I'd intended to go to the gym, but K-- was busy with work and AB went down for a nap right around the time I got ready, so I decided to stay home. An hour or so later, T-- and I walked AB up to the bagel restaurant around the corner, and D-- met us there for lunch. It was good. Afterward...well, watched Get Smart and played Civ for most of the afternoon and evening.
We took a break at 5:00 to drive out to the Huddlestons' place for dinner. We ate burgers and watched Austin Powers and then had ice cream. Then we came home around 8:30 to put AB to bed, and afterward got back to the Civving. Around 2:30 I annihilated my nemesis (the Dutch) about two turns before D-- won the game with a Cultural Victory. Then he went home, and I finally went to bed.
Sunday morning I woke up in time for church, then T-- and I met D-- at Mazzio's for a lunch buffet. Afterward, I crashed on the couch for a couple hours during AB's nap, and T-- ran out to do some grocery shopping.
We'd recorded Saturday night's Cowboys preseason game, and invited K-- and N-- (along with N--'s parents), and D-- and B-- and E--, to come watch it with us. T-- also made a turkey for dinner, and N-- brought some fantastic mac and cheese (and K-- brought some scruptious liquor), so we had a fine feast before we started the game.
There was no Civving. For real.
Then this morning I had to wake up early (or, rather, on time) to make it to an appointment with a physical therapist. That went well. The therapist thinks three to four weeks, two sessions a week, should be enough. She said no more than six weeks. I also have permission to keep going to the gym, as long as I don't do anything that causes pain. Pretty much matches my intentions, so fair enough.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Journal Entry: August 14, 2008
Yesterday was Wednesday, but it didn't feel anything like a Wednesday.
After work, I stopped by the chiropractor, got caught in traffic behind an accident, grabbed a snow cone (that was more snow than syrup, grr), and then waited in a long line at the pharmacist to pick up a refill of the medication that I hate. All told, it was after 6:00 by the time I got home.
Then I learned AB was still sick, and she and T-- had had a pretty rough day together. T-- asked me to watch AB during church (because we didn't want to toss her in with all the other kids in Bible Class), but at the last minute T-- decided to skip church, too, and we all went to On the Border for some delicious Mexican food.
When we got home, AB went to bed and T-- and I watched some Boston Legal. It was a fun night.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
After work, I stopped by the chiropractor, got caught in traffic behind an accident, grabbed a snow cone (that was more snow than syrup, grr), and then waited in a long line at the pharmacist to pick up a refill of the medication that I hate. All told, it was after 6:00 by the time I got home.
Then I learned AB was still sick, and she and T-- had had a pretty rough day together. T-- asked me to watch AB during church (because we didn't want to toss her in with all the other kids in Bible Class), but at the last minute T-- decided to skip church, too, and we all went to On the Border for some delicious Mexican food.
When we got home, AB went to bed and T-- and I watched some Boston Legal. It was a fun night.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Journal Entry: August 13, 2008
Yesterday after work, I was still hurting too bad to go back to the gym, and AB was still sick anyway. We don't much want to take her up to childcare when she's not feeling well.
Anyway, I decided to stay home, and when I called D-- to check on his schedule, he said he had enough stuff to take care of that he wouldn't be coming over (so no Civ). So I played with AB for a while, and T-- ran up to McDonald's to grab us some dinner, and then we ended up watching Boston Legal for most of the night. I messed around some with Civ, making up a mod based on Sleeping Kings so I can play the game as Josh or Nate or Sarah (instead of Benjamin Franklin or Hannibal or something boring like that).
One of the things they added in Civ 4 was unique units for each civilization, so the Germans have the Panzer (which replaces the basic Tank) and the Americans have the NAVY Seal (which replaces the basic Marine) and so forth. Then in the latest expansion, Beyond the Sword, they took that one step further and added unqiue buildings (so for the Americans, the Mall replaces the Supermarket, and so on). Well, anyway, when I made my new Leaders I also had to make a new civilization to associate them with. I called it Sleeping Kings, and just borrowed most of the features of the Americans, but I decided to go ahead and make a unique unit and building.
I gave them a unit called "Hiz-Ammat Cultist" which looks like an Islamic Missionary (an actual unit in the game) and can travel freely through enemy territory, but has the ability to sabotage building production and destroy buildings in enemy cities, undetected. Pretty appropriate, I thought. Then I went ahead and replaced the Hospital with a Sanctuary Hospital that is slightly more effective than a regular one and also reduces War Weariness. That last part only makes sense if you've read Sarah's story, but really, who besides T-- and N-- reads this blog?
I guess to those two it doesn't make sense either, because they don't play the game. Anyway, the point is I had a lot of fun with Civ last night without actually playing it any. Which is, all by itself, pretty lame, but you know what? Shut up.
Went to bed around 10:00, and still woke up late this morning. Stupid medication.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Anyway, I decided to stay home, and when I called D-- to check on his schedule, he said he had enough stuff to take care of that he wouldn't be coming over (so no Civ). So I played with AB for a while, and T-- ran up to McDonald's to grab us some dinner, and then we ended up watching Boston Legal for most of the night. I messed around some with Civ, making up a mod based on Sleeping Kings so I can play the game as Josh or Nate or Sarah (instead of Benjamin Franklin or Hannibal or something boring like that).
One of the things they added in Civ 4 was unique units for each civilization, so the Germans have the Panzer (which replaces the basic Tank) and the Americans have the NAVY Seal (which replaces the basic Marine) and so forth. Then in the latest expansion, Beyond the Sword, they took that one step further and added unqiue buildings (so for the Americans, the Mall replaces the Supermarket, and so on). Well, anyway, when I made my new Leaders I also had to make a new civilization to associate them with. I called it Sleeping Kings, and just borrowed most of the features of the Americans, but I decided to go ahead and make a unique unit and building.
I gave them a unit called "Hiz-Ammat Cultist" which looks like an Islamic Missionary (an actual unit in the game) and can travel freely through enemy territory, but has the ability to sabotage building production and destroy buildings in enemy cities, undetected. Pretty appropriate, I thought. Then I went ahead and replaced the Hospital with a Sanctuary Hospital that is slightly more effective than a regular one and also reduces War Weariness. That last part only makes sense if you've read Sarah's story, but really, who besides T-- and N-- reads this blog?
I guess to those two it doesn't make sense either, because they don't play the game. Anyway, the point is I had a lot of fun with Civ last night without actually playing it any. Which is, all by itself, pretty lame, but you know what? Shut up.
Went to bed around 10:00, and still woke up late this morning. Stupid medication.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Journal Entry: August 12, 2008
Yesterday I got home from work to find AB burning up. It was terrible. She had a huge fever, and she hates getting her temperature taken (which is pretty odd, as it's a fairly casual process with modern baby thermometers).
Anyway, we canceled our plans for the gym, because she was in no shape to go. I was pretty glad of it myself, because I spent all day yesterday walking crooked, so half an hour on the treadmill sounded like too much of a challenge.
Instead we ate leftovers and watched Sesame Street with AB. D-- came over and we played Civ for most of the evening, too. It was a quiet one, but fun.
Then this morning I had an annual physical. While I was there I requested physical therapy and they filed the paperwork, so now I'm waiting to hear back from the clinic to schedule the actual sessions. I couldn't do blood work because I'd had a protein shake for breakfast, but everything else looked perfect. So at least there's that. If I can just get past the backache, I'll be in pretty good shape.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Anyway, we canceled our plans for the gym, because she was in no shape to go. I was pretty glad of it myself, because I spent all day yesterday walking crooked, so half an hour on the treadmill sounded like too much of a challenge.
Instead we ate leftovers and watched Sesame Street with AB. D-- came over and we played Civ for most of the evening, too. It was a quiet one, but fun.
Then this morning I had an annual physical. While I was there I requested physical therapy and they filed the paperwork, so now I'm waiting to hear back from the clinic to schedule the actual sessions. I couldn't do blood work because I'd had a protein shake for breakfast, but everything else looked perfect. So at least there's that. If I can just get past the backache, I'll be in pretty good shape.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Journal Entry: August 11, 2008
Holy cow, it's August 11.
Anyway, I just spent a weekend being sick. I premonited it in my post last Thursday, and it got way worse before it got better.
Actually, before I headed home from work Thursday I decided to drop by my boss's office and let him know I might not make it in on Friday, and on the way I got a case of the chills so bad that I could barely walk. That was probably the worst part of the weekend -- the chills.
Anyway, I got through that conversation (and he was pretty understanding, since I was standing with teeth chattering like maracas), then I went out to the car and drove home without turning on the air conditioner, and was still shivering when I went into the house.
T-- made a delicious casserole for supper (that I was barely able to eat, because I was feeling queasy), and D-- came over, and we watched TV -- me curled up on the couch under a blanket, while everyone else wished the A/C were a little stronger.
I took some medicine -- ibuprofen for the fever (and my back pain, which made the shivers excruciating), and Zicam (and later pure zinc tablets, per N--'s suggestion) to shorten the duration of the virus. I've got to say, that seems to have worked. Oh, and I took a couple benadryl to try to keep the queasiness down. That it would make me drowsy just seemed like a plus.
I couldn't sleep, though. I didn't sleep. My fever raged all night. I was burning up -- I felt like I was on fire -- and that was just constant, pretty much from the time I got in my car after work on. But, on top of that, I would go through cold spells where I shivered as though I were having seizures, and that was even worse. So, during the night, I went through cycles. I would feel so hot that I threw off the covers and the blankets, and it would take 10 minutes or so until I started shivering. Then I'd pile the blankets back on and spend 10 minutes or so regaining my core temperature, until the shivering stopped. At that point I had about 10 minutes of rest before I got so hot I had to throw the blankets off again.
I got up every two hours, through the night. Each time, I took whatever medication I could (as doses were constantly expiring). Finally, after I got up at 5:10, my fever must have broken because I went back to bed, piled on the covers, and before I stopped shivering I fell asleep and didn't get up until 1:00.
So, yeah, I skipped work Friday. I felt a little queasy again when I woke up Friday, but other than that it was just a headache and a sore throat, so I took some painkiller and got through it. I tried to drink lots of fluids, but I didn't eat much at all. On Friday I had a bowl of watermelon, a small box of cereal, and a single cup of soup. That was it, as far as calories went (and that was pushing it). Friday wasn't much fun.
We did get tired of being boring sometime Friday evening and T-- pulled up a website she'd heard about a while back -- rifftrax.com -- which is a site where the guys from Mystery Science Theater 3000 sell mp3s that you can play while you watch newer movies, and they sync up to create the ol' MST3K effect. We got one for Willy Wonka and then realized it was for the old one (and we only have the new one), so I ordered that from blockbuster and then we got another track for Harry Potter and watched that for the rest of the night. It was surprisingly good quality, and well worth the $4 pricetag.
My fever came back, complete with the agonizing chills, right about an hour into that movie, so I piled on blankets to try to make it through, and when I finally gave up and went to bed I had a similar experience to the night before, but it ended much earlier this time. I still slept until almost noon on Sunday, and woke up feeling better than I had in days. Had a turkey sandwich for lunch, and then D-- and I played Civ for about an hour before heading over to K-- and N--'s to watch the first Cowboys preseason game, and then T-- and I went shopping while D-- watched AB, and then we all watched the first 12 episodes of the original series of Get Smart while D-- and I played Civ. That was a fun night.
I'm over my cold, now, to all appearances, but my back is hurting me worse than ever. Tomorrow I go in to see my doctor for a follow-up, so I'm going to request physical therapy. From what I've heard, it'll pretty much fix my problem. I just have to make the time commitment. And deal with another stranger. Fun.
Oh! Last night I went to bed fever-free, but still couldn't get to sleep. I tossed and turned for a while, and then finally just got up, frustrated, and stormed to my office to write down the lines that had been plaguing me. Julie asked me over a year ago if I would write a poem for her wedding, and I've been kind of guilt-tripping myself for months now to just get it done, but it always seemed like I had plenty of time, so I never put a moment's real thought into it. Then, last night, the entire poem sprang fully-formed into my head, so I just had to go write it down.
I'm not convinced it's what they want, but it should be enough to start with. It's enough to be proud of, I think. Anyway, that's my big accomplishment for the weekend.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Anyway, I just spent a weekend being sick. I premonited it in my post last Thursday, and it got way worse before it got better.
Actually, before I headed home from work Thursday I decided to drop by my boss's office and let him know I might not make it in on Friday, and on the way I got a case of the chills so bad that I could barely walk. That was probably the worst part of the weekend -- the chills.
Anyway, I got through that conversation (and he was pretty understanding, since I was standing with teeth chattering like maracas), then I went out to the car and drove home without turning on the air conditioner, and was still shivering when I went into the house.
T-- made a delicious casserole for supper (that I was barely able to eat, because I was feeling queasy), and D-- came over, and we watched TV -- me curled up on the couch under a blanket, while everyone else wished the A/C were a little stronger.
I took some medicine -- ibuprofen for the fever (and my back pain, which made the shivers excruciating), and Zicam (and later pure zinc tablets, per N--'s suggestion) to shorten the duration of the virus. I've got to say, that seems to have worked. Oh, and I took a couple benadryl to try to keep the queasiness down. That it would make me drowsy just seemed like a plus.
I couldn't sleep, though. I didn't sleep. My fever raged all night. I was burning up -- I felt like I was on fire -- and that was just constant, pretty much from the time I got in my car after work on. But, on top of that, I would go through cold spells where I shivered as though I were having seizures, and that was even worse. So, during the night, I went through cycles. I would feel so hot that I threw off the covers and the blankets, and it would take 10 minutes or so until I started shivering. Then I'd pile the blankets back on and spend 10 minutes or so regaining my core temperature, until the shivering stopped. At that point I had about 10 minutes of rest before I got so hot I had to throw the blankets off again.
I got up every two hours, through the night. Each time, I took whatever medication I could (as doses were constantly expiring). Finally, after I got up at 5:10, my fever must have broken because I went back to bed, piled on the covers, and before I stopped shivering I fell asleep and didn't get up until 1:00.
So, yeah, I skipped work Friday. I felt a little queasy again when I woke up Friday, but other than that it was just a headache and a sore throat, so I took some painkiller and got through it. I tried to drink lots of fluids, but I didn't eat much at all. On Friday I had a bowl of watermelon, a small box of cereal, and a single cup of soup. That was it, as far as calories went (and that was pushing it). Friday wasn't much fun.
We did get tired of being boring sometime Friday evening and T-- pulled up a website she'd heard about a while back -- rifftrax.com -- which is a site where the guys from Mystery Science Theater 3000 sell mp3s that you can play while you watch newer movies, and they sync up to create the ol' MST3K effect. We got one for Willy Wonka and then realized it was for the old one (and we only have the new one), so I ordered that from blockbuster and then we got another track for Harry Potter and watched that for the rest of the night. It was surprisingly good quality, and well worth the $4 pricetag.
My fever came back, complete with the agonizing chills, right about an hour into that movie, so I piled on blankets to try to make it through, and when I finally gave up and went to bed I had a similar experience to the night before, but it ended much earlier this time. I still slept until almost noon on Sunday, and woke up feeling better than I had in days. Had a turkey sandwich for lunch, and then D-- and I played Civ for about an hour before heading over to K-- and N--'s to watch the first Cowboys preseason game, and then T-- and I went shopping while D-- watched AB, and then we all watched the first 12 episodes of the original series of Get Smart while D-- and I played Civ. That was a fun night.
I'm over my cold, now, to all appearances, but my back is hurting me worse than ever. Tomorrow I go in to see my doctor for a follow-up, so I'm going to request physical therapy. From what I've heard, it'll pretty much fix my problem. I just have to make the time commitment. And deal with another stranger. Fun.
Oh! Last night I went to bed fever-free, but still couldn't get to sleep. I tossed and turned for a while, and then finally just got up, frustrated, and stormed to my office to write down the lines that had been plaguing me. Julie asked me over a year ago if I would write a poem for her wedding, and I've been kind of guilt-tripping myself for months now to just get it done, but it always seemed like I had plenty of time, so I never put a moment's real thought into it. Then, last night, the entire poem sprang fully-formed into my head, so I just had to go write it down.
I'm not convinced it's what they want, but it should be enough to start with. It's enough to be proud of, I think. Anyway, that's my big accomplishment for the weekend.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Journal Entry: August 7, 2008
There are those making a big deal about tomorrow being 8-8-08. I think it's sad that, back in 6 and 7 and 8 A.D., they didn't yet know that it was 6 and 7 and 8 A. D. But, then, if you think about it, there was a year 666 and a 777 and -- I haven't checked my facts on Wikipedia, but I imagine they were using a modern calendar system by then, so they knew it. Just imagine the fruitcakes wigging out, all year long....
Must've been a hell of a New Year's party, too.
Anyway. Yesterday after work we got together for Wednesday night dinner at Taco Cabana. D-- rode with us, and K-- and N-- joined us once she finished a poorly-scheduled trip to the dentist. They were still able to eat with us, though, and N-- even made it to church on time, with T--.
D-- and I went back to the house and played Civ, which occupied us for the rest of the evening. When T-- got home, she put AB in bed and then made a quick trip to Wal-Mart, then we watched a couple episodes of Boston Legal. It was a fun evening.
I was late getting up again this morning (even without my pain medication), but I just couldn't get out of bed. Upon further consideration...I'm concerned I'm coming down with something. Something streppy. I've got a major headache, I haven't checked my temperature but I feel feverish, I have a stuffy nose and a really sore throat. I'm hoping it's just a bad allergy attack -- I'll take some benadryl when I get home tonight, out of sheer optimism -- but it feels worse than that.
Ugh. I could do with it, though. I was planning to go back to the gym tonight, for the first time in three weeks, but if I still feel like this when 5:00 rolls around, I'm going home and taking a nap.
Yeah, it's another whiney post. Sorry about that. In more positive news, my mom decided to read my novel Taming Fire to her students this year as part of their reading program. I just sent her my most recent copy last night. We had talked about it a little a couple months ago and I'd been hoping to get a rewrite in before the time came, but I've been unproductive this summer. Alas. It happens. She's happy with it as-is, though, so the plan moves forward. I'll let you know how that goes.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Must've been a hell of a New Year's party, too.
Anyway. Yesterday after work we got together for Wednesday night dinner at Taco Cabana. D-- rode with us, and K-- and N-- joined us once she finished a poorly-scheduled trip to the dentist. They were still able to eat with us, though, and N-- even made it to church on time, with T--.
D-- and I went back to the house and played Civ, which occupied us for the rest of the evening. When T-- got home, she put AB in bed and then made a quick trip to Wal-Mart, then we watched a couple episodes of Boston Legal. It was a fun evening.
I was late getting up again this morning (even without my pain medication), but I just couldn't get out of bed. Upon further consideration...I'm concerned I'm coming down with something. Something streppy. I've got a major headache, I haven't checked my temperature but I feel feverish, I have a stuffy nose and a really sore throat. I'm hoping it's just a bad allergy attack -- I'll take some benadryl when I get home tonight, out of sheer optimism -- but it feels worse than that.
Ugh. I could do with it, though. I was planning to go back to the gym tonight, for the first time in three weeks, but if I still feel like this when 5:00 rolls around, I'm going home and taking a nap.
Yeah, it's another whiney post. Sorry about that. In more positive news, my mom decided to read my novel Taming Fire to her students this year as part of their reading program. I just sent her my most recent copy last night. We had talked about it a little a couple months ago and I'd been hoping to get a rewrite in before the time came, but I've been unproductive this summer. Alas. It happens. She's happy with it as-is, though, so the plan moves forward. I'll let you know how that goes.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Journal Entry: August 6, 2008
Something funny.
I subscribe to a handful of news feeds just to get a quick overview of what's going on in the world, and there was a story this morning with the headline:
"Mauritania forces stage coup after officers sacked."
I also, just to keep a hand in, subscribe to a French news feed that pulls from some of the same sources, and today it carried a French version of that story. Its headline read:
"Putsch en Mauritanie apres le limogeage de militaires."
Now, yeah, "limogeage" is a pretty funny word, but that's not what I'm getting at here. I just found it interesting that we have this word in English, "coup," which is extraordinarily French, but everyone knows it. But, in France (where "coup" means "cut" and is much more versatile and commonplace than military coups are), the same event is called a "putsch," which isn't a very French word at all (it looks Yiddish to me).
Anyway, I found it funny. "Putsch." Silly Frenchies.
Umm... T-- is in Tulsa on business. She went up yesterday afternoon while I was still at work, and then stayed the night. As a result, I had to go pick up AB from the babysitter's after work, and this particular babysitter lives in...Egypt. A long way away. Anyway, I've been doing a markup on my little sister's novel, and she happened to be free for the afternoon (husbandless and kidless), so she met me at the house after work then rode out there with me, and we talked about her book the whole way.
We had McDonalds for dinner, and then I played with AB for a while before putting her to bed. She was in an incredibly good mood. Around 8:00 I sent my sister home because I was expecting D-- for some Civ, but he was at a schmoozing sort of event for work and it was going profitably, so he stayed at that until 9-ish. I had already made arrangements to come into work a little late this morning, so D-- brought his laptop over anyway, and we played until midnight-ish.
Then this morning N-- came over to watch AB until T-- gets home (we expect her in around 2:00 or 3:00). I made it to work about 9:00, and now it's already almost lunchtime. Awesome.
Ah. As I said, I had intended to sleep late (thus the late-night Civving), but I woke up half an hour before my alarm clock went off this morning. For the last week I've been virtually unable to wake up at all, groggy well into the afternoon, and yet this morning I jumped out of bed before the alarm clock went off. Now, admittedly the alarm clock was still set for an hour and a half later than its norm, but still. I give the credit to going off my medication. With any luck my pain will stay manageable (and I'll actually get better), and I can stay off the stuff. It would be nice.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
I subscribe to a handful of news feeds just to get a quick overview of what's going on in the world, and there was a story this morning with the headline:
"Mauritania forces stage coup after officers sacked."
I also, just to keep a hand in, subscribe to a French news feed that pulls from some of the same sources, and today it carried a French version of that story. Its headline read:
"Putsch en Mauritanie apres le limogeage de militaires."
Now, yeah, "limogeage" is a pretty funny word, but that's not what I'm getting at here. I just found it interesting that we have this word in English, "coup," which is extraordinarily French, but everyone knows it. But, in France (where "coup" means "cut" and is much more versatile and commonplace than military coups are), the same event is called a "putsch," which isn't a very French word at all (it looks Yiddish to me).
Anyway, I found it funny. "Putsch." Silly Frenchies.
Umm... T-- is in Tulsa on business. She went up yesterday afternoon while I was still at work, and then stayed the night. As a result, I had to go pick up AB from the babysitter's after work, and this particular babysitter lives in...Egypt. A long way away. Anyway, I've been doing a markup on my little sister's novel, and she happened to be free for the afternoon (husbandless and kidless), so she met me at the house after work then rode out there with me, and we talked about her book the whole way.
We had McDonalds for dinner, and then I played with AB for a while before putting her to bed. She was in an incredibly good mood. Around 8:00 I sent my sister home because I was expecting D-- for some Civ, but he was at a schmoozing sort of event for work and it was going profitably, so he stayed at that until 9-ish. I had already made arrangements to come into work a little late this morning, so D-- brought his laptop over anyway, and we played until midnight-ish.
Then this morning N-- came over to watch AB until T-- gets home (we expect her in around 2:00 or 3:00). I made it to work about 9:00, and now it's already almost lunchtime. Awesome.
Ah. As I said, I had intended to sleep late (thus the late-night Civving), but I woke up half an hour before my alarm clock went off this morning. For the last week I've been virtually unable to wake up at all, groggy well into the afternoon, and yet this morning I jumped out of bed before the alarm clock went off. Now, admittedly the alarm clock was still set for an hour and a half later than its norm, but still. I give the credit to going off my medication. With any luck my pain will stay manageable (and I'll actually get better), and I can stay off the stuff. It would be nice.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Journal Entry: August 5, 2008
I didn't mention it in the weekend wrapup, but Sunday morning I wrote some on my Sleeping Kings story. I did a page sometime last week, too (which may have made it into the blog -- I don't feel motivated to do the necessary research).
Anyway, yesterday over lunch (and sitting in the waiting room at the chiropractor's office), I finished up the new chapter I'm injecting into the middle of the already-finished-in-longhand novel, and then went ahead and typed it up, so now I can resume typing up the rest of my draft, and that will give me a finished draft of Golden Age. I think it's going to be about 30 pages short, and I don't know yet how I'm going to fix that, but I need to just get it down on paper first. And I'm now a major step closer to that goal.
So that's exciting. After work, I played with AB some and T-- made some really delicious chicken parmesan with pasta, and then D-- came over and we played Civ until way too late. That was my whole evening, really.
Anyway, yesterday over lunch (and sitting in the waiting room at the chiropractor's office), I finished up the new chapter I'm injecting into the middle of the already-finished-in-longhand novel, and then went ahead and typed it up, so now I can resume typing up the rest of my draft, and that will give me a finished draft of Golden Age. I think it's going to be about 30 pages short, and I don't know yet how I'm going to fix that, but I need to just get it down on paper first. And I'm now a major step closer to that goal.
So that's exciting. After work, I played with AB some and T-- made some really delicious chicken parmesan with pasta, and then D-- came over and we played Civ until way too late. That was my whole evening, really.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Journal Entry: August 4, 2008
Friday evening was interesting. I got home from work early enough for T-- to get to her crop on time, but she was concerned because Granddad hadn't made it in yet (he and Mom and Dad were coming in for my niece's birthday). With her permission, I went and grabbed a snowcone (which I'd skipped in a generous sacrifice to allow her to get to the crop on time), while she waited for Granddad.
By the time I got back, friends and family were already on their way to the crop, so T-- went on up to meet them. Shortly after I got a call from Granddad saying he was in Yukon (so, about a half hour away), and I gave him directions. Turned out he'd been caught behind a major accident and lost nearly two hours on his drive.
Jeff came over with his girls (and I had AB), and Dad came, so among us we had quite a party going. At Dad's request I made up cheese dip and salsa, and he picked up a couple of Little Caesar's pizzas, and we talked and ate for several hours while the girls happily trashed the house. D-- came over, a little later, and joined in the conversation (and the dinner).
Around 9:30 Jeff decided the girls needed to get to bed (AB had already been asleep for an hour), so he drove Dad home, and D-- left at the same time. Granddad and I sat up talking for another hour or so, then I started cleaning up the house for T--, and he headed to bed. When T-- got in a little after midnight, I was playing Civ on the couch. She showed me her pages (six in one night!), then we headed to bed.
Saturday morning I slept in and T-- made some amazing cinnamon rolls. My sister called to postpone the birthday lunch by half an hour, so I took advantage of the time to run a few errands. I got some refills on one of my back medications, deposited a check, and picked up T--'s other birthday present. Then I went home and picked up Granddad and the girls, and we headed north to Ted's Cafe Escondido (my sister's favorite Mexican place).
Lunch was fun. I spent most of it talking to Dad and my sister about their writing projects, becasue I was down at that end of the table. Afterward, we took Granddad back home, and Mom and Dad came to spend a little time with us before heading back. When Granddad found out they were leaving so soon, he decided to head home, too, so they could drive the first half of the trip together.
D-- came over while they were there, and we had some fun talking, but too soon they left. Then D-- and I finished our most recent game of Civ, which took five or six hours. His Mom showed up at some point while we were playing, and expressed her shock and dismay that we could spend so much time just playing video games. Whatever.
Sunday morning, we went to church with K-- and N--, then headed to Souper Salad for lunch. Afterward, K-- and N-- went home to take naps, and I went home to edit my little sister's novel. I got through the second chapter. Editing creative works, I've found, I can do about 10 pages an hour. That means this book is going to take me about 27 hours of work. Yeesh. When you factor in Dad's and Heather's this year (not to mention my own stuff), that's a lot of editing work in my free time.
A little after 5:00 we headed to Edmond. First we checked on the car at the mechanics, to see if there was any way we could drive it home (nope -- they had it behind a locked gate to make sure they got paid), then we went up to K-- and N--'s and rode with them to our Small Groups meeting.
It was packed. The little house was full to bursting. Dinner was hamburgers and chili dogs, with all the best chips and cake with homemade ice cream for dessert. It looked wonderful, but I was feeling awful, so I didn't eat anything. Actually, all I really had to eat yesterday was a packet of jellybeans. Ugh.
After dinner, we had a devo and lesson, and it was 9:30 before we got home. I did the dishes and T-- took care of some business stuff, and then we went to bed. That was my weekend.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
By the time I got back, friends and family were already on their way to the crop, so T-- went on up to meet them. Shortly after I got a call from Granddad saying he was in Yukon (so, about a half hour away), and I gave him directions. Turned out he'd been caught behind a major accident and lost nearly two hours on his drive.
Jeff came over with his girls (and I had AB), and Dad came, so among us we had quite a party going. At Dad's request I made up cheese dip and salsa, and he picked up a couple of Little Caesar's pizzas, and we talked and ate for several hours while the girls happily trashed the house. D-- came over, a little later, and joined in the conversation (and the dinner).
Around 9:30 Jeff decided the girls needed to get to bed (AB had already been asleep for an hour), so he drove Dad home, and D-- left at the same time. Granddad and I sat up talking for another hour or so, then I started cleaning up the house for T--, and he headed to bed. When T-- got in a little after midnight, I was playing Civ on the couch. She showed me her pages (six in one night!), then we headed to bed.
Saturday morning I slept in and T-- made some amazing cinnamon rolls. My sister called to postpone the birthday lunch by half an hour, so I took advantage of the time to run a few errands. I got some refills on one of my back medications, deposited a check, and picked up T--'s other birthday present. Then I went home and picked up Granddad and the girls, and we headed north to Ted's Cafe Escondido (my sister's favorite Mexican place).
Lunch was fun. I spent most of it talking to Dad and my sister about their writing projects, becasue I was down at that end of the table. Afterward, we took Granddad back home, and Mom and Dad came to spend a little time with us before heading back. When Granddad found out they were leaving so soon, he decided to head home, too, so they could drive the first half of the trip together.
D-- came over while they were there, and we had some fun talking, but too soon they left. Then D-- and I finished our most recent game of Civ, which took five or six hours. His Mom showed up at some point while we were playing, and expressed her shock and dismay that we could spend so much time just playing video games. Whatever.
Sunday morning, we went to church with K-- and N--, then headed to Souper Salad for lunch. Afterward, K-- and N-- went home to take naps, and I went home to edit my little sister's novel. I got through the second chapter. Editing creative works, I've found, I can do about 10 pages an hour. That means this book is going to take me about 27 hours of work. Yeesh. When you factor in Dad's and Heather's this year (not to mention my own stuff), that's a lot of editing work in my free time.
A little after 5:00 we headed to Edmond. First we checked on the car at the mechanics, to see if there was any way we could drive it home (nope -- they had it behind a locked gate to make sure they got paid), then we went up to K-- and N--'s and rode with them to our Small Groups meeting.
It was packed. The little house was full to bursting. Dinner was hamburgers and chili dogs, with all the best chips and cake with homemade ice cream for dessert. It looked wonderful, but I was feeling awful, so I didn't eat anything. Actually, all I really had to eat yesterday was a packet of jellybeans. Ugh.
After dinner, we had a devo and lesson, and it was 9:30 before we got home. I did the dishes and T-- took care of some business stuff, and then we went to bed. That was my weekend.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Journal Entry: August 1, 2008
Yesterday D--'s mom came into town and took us out to dinner, as she likes to do. My car was dead (as I may have mentioned), so D-- ended up picking me up from work, and I just left the Saturn there. We got to the house where D--'s mom was already playing with AB, and after some discussion settled on Poblano's for dinner.
We all had margaritas with dinner (well, all but AB), and they were not small. I had the chicken tamales, which were fantastic. I highly recommend them. The sides there are lame, though. Just get them a la carte.
Anyway, after dinner we went back to the house and showed D--'s mom an episode of Boston Legal, and then...well, everyone was pretty lethargic all evening, so after the one show D-- and his mom left, and T-- and I did a few chores around the house and then headed to bed ridiculously early.
I was still late getting up this morning. That was irritating. T-- took me in to work, and the plan was to try to start the car around noon, and if it still didn't work, try to figure out how to get a tow truck past security and onto the Aeronautical Center.
Before I got around to that, I had a call from my doctor's office saying they'd received my MRI results, and it was not a ruptured disk (something he'd feared it was). So that's good news. It also meant they didn't have a specific suggestion. They asked how I was feeling with and without medication, and asked if I wanted to start Physical Therapy right away. I told them to give me a week, and I'm going to go back to my chiropractor. I saw him for a week and felt like it was making a big difference, so I want to give him a chance to finish the job.
Either way, I'm going back to my doctor in about a week for a physical, so we can revisit the issue at that time, if necessary.
Anyway, at lunch I tried the car and had no luck. Then I spent twenty minutes on the phone with AAA trying to get a tow truck out here, only to finally learn the 800-number dispatcher had put me in touch with the Kansas office, and they would have to transfer me to the Oklahoma office to start over. I waited on hold during that transfer for nearly ten minutes, then gave up.
My social anxiety was something of a bother here, but I managed to muster the courage to ask a couple of my coworkers (who were playing chess in the break room) if they had any experience push-starting a car, and if so, if they would be willing to help me out. Incredibly generous fellows that they are, they immediately did, and the car started on the first try (and thank the Lord for that).
So I took the car up to the shop, and it's already been positively diagnosed as the starter, which is going to run me right at $500 to replace, but they can have it done this afternoon. At least there's that.
Tonight we've got family coming in, and it should be an interesting weekend. I'll tell you all about it on Monday.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
We all had margaritas with dinner (well, all but AB), and they were not small. I had the chicken tamales, which were fantastic. I highly recommend them. The sides there are lame, though. Just get them a la carte.
Anyway, after dinner we went back to the house and showed D--'s mom an episode of Boston Legal, and then...well, everyone was pretty lethargic all evening, so after the one show D-- and his mom left, and T-- and I did a few chores around the house and then headed to bed ridiculously early.
I was still late getting up this morning. That was irritating. T-- took me in to work, and the plan was to try to start the car around noon, and if it still didn't work, try to figure out how to get a tow truck past security and onto the Aeronautical Center.
Before I got around to that, I had a call from my doctor's office saying they'd received my MRI results, and it was not a ruptured disk (something he'd feared it was). So that's good news. It also meant they didn't have a specific suggestion. They asked how I was feeling with and without medication, and asked if I wanted to start Physical Therapy right away. I told them to give me a week, and I'm going to go back to my chiropractor. I saw him for a week and felt like it was making a big difference, so I want to give him a chance to finish the job.
Either way, I'm going back to my doctor in about a week for a physical, so we can revisit the issue at that time, if necessary.
Anyway, at lunch I tried the car and had no luck. Then I spent twenty minutes on the phone with AAA trying to get a tow truck out here, only to finally learn the 800-number dispatcher had put me in touch with the Kansas office, and they would have to transfer me to the Oklahoma office to start over. I waited on hold during that transfer for nearly ten minutes, then gave up.
My social anxiety was something of a bother here, but I managed to muster the courage to ask a couple of my coworkers (who were playing chess in the break room) if they had any experience push-starting a car, and if so, if they would be willing to help me out. Incredibly generous fellows that they are, they immediately did, and the car started on the first try (and thank the Lord for that).
So I took the car up to the shop, and it's already been positively diagnosed as the starter, which is going to run me right at $500 to replace, but they can have it done this afternoon. At least there's that.
Tonight we've got family coming in, and it should be an interesting weekend. I'll tell you all about it on Monday.
Other than that, it's just things and stuff.
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