RAVE: Took the new skates for a spin and they're everything I hoped they'd be. RANT: Had the worst fall I've ever had skating. No idea how I did it, but I went to slow down and next thing I know, my feet went out from under me and I landed HARD on my lower back. Bruised the shit out of my sacrum. Thankfully I didn't land on my tailbone as I'm sure I would've broken it. Also pretty sure I mildly sprained my wrist. RANT: FINALLY hired a new body tech. Why is this a rant? Because he fucking no-showed on his first day.
Rant: One dog threw up because she ate too fast and the other threw up because he didn't eat at all. Ravish... he has a "tell" and I was able to put him outside before it landed on the carpet. Again.
Rave: We took our daughter to Disney on Ice yesterday and left our son at home. I don't think I've seen our kid's mind blown like this before. When Elsa got up on the podium right by our seat and waved at my daughter, her mouth dropped and she started shaking (my daughter, not Elsa). My wife and I were cracking up because she just didn't know how to process it.
I’m pretty good at making stuff. I’m not a professional tradie’s equivalent but I’m ok. assembling a really simple ikea step ladder - last one was a bit prone to feeling unstable. Decided to add a bit of glue and construction adhesive to lock it together a bit more. I was a bit tired. I didn’t do a dry fit because I was in a hurry and stupid. I think I fucked up the orientation on every single part. I managed to split a couple of pieces and I have no idea how. It’s now together out of pure spite and I think the glue and repairs to my fuckups outweigh what ikea shipped me. I’ve also noticed that the feet are canted except I’ve got them on backwards so I’m gonna have to relevel the feet on the fucking thing as well. Too stubborn to just throw the fucking thing in the trash and give up. Fucking ikea.
Rave: We’ve had to keep the news under wraps until now, but a semi-local ( about an hour away ) brewery has brewed and named a new beer after our band, using our logo and all. Rave: The rest of the group knew how excited I am, so they let me write and release the announcement on social media. My hands were shaking with excitement as I typed it and I was actually at a loss for words for a moment. Rave: My next book will be in beta-readers’ hands this week. I am fully on track to have this thing published by June unless feedback consistently says it sucks. Then I’ll postpone and rewrite it. But just being at this stage is an accomplishment, so yeah, fuck it… rave.
RAVE: I just got a new job working for the county, and it's at least a 60% raise, plus benefits (of which I currently have none)! RANT: I'm starting a new job. That means a new boss(es) and co-workers to get to know/ get used to. RANT: The job posting was misleading; I thought that I was going to be working on trucks for the county (All diesel F350s; a fucking cake-walk for me), but it turns out that I'm going to be working on off-road equipment (cranes, bulldozers, back-hoes, etc.), and it's ALL going to be "field work," ie: wherever it happens to break down... There's a reason why I stopped doing road-service calls when I was working on my own. RAVE: They are providing all the tools, and a truck. Fuck it. If I don't have the right tool, it's their fault.
RAVE: My second book just went out to two of my three beta readers. I'm taking a few days off and then I have to write the author's notes, etc. and then get in contact with the cover artist. Should be on track for a June release. This one took a lot out of me. It was really hard to write under the gun. People asking when the next one comes out is awesome, don't get me wrong, but it put a lot of pressure on me. This one could be the last, or, I do have a loose outline for a third. And I left myself a "back door" of sorts to pick up the story for the third and final book, should I decide to. But I'm not announcing anything about it ( except here I guess ).
RANT: A close family friend form back home had a brain tumor removed a month ago. Thought things were going well, but he was found unresponsive on Friday morning and passed away this weekend. So that blows.
Rant: Today is off to a fantastic start. Another employee of mine joined the Great Resignation to pursue what he thinks is his dream job. He’s a good guy and I wish him the best but things are going to be hell until we can get more people in here. On top of that, I accidentally closed the bathroom door on our cat’s tail and chaos ensued. Clumps of fur flying around, a frightened and angry 21 pound cat pelting through the house knocking shit over and getting blood on the baseboard- yes there was blood- and me trying to reach him behind the furnace to see if he’s okay. I hope you’re all having a better morning than I am.
Continued:. He got news yesterday that he had a choice. He could live 2 months if he basically stayed in the hospital and suffered, but they could make him live that long. Or, he can go home with hospice, a big bottle of powerful pain meds and live two weeks, probably suffer less. I thought about it a lot last night. If he goes home, I'm not going to see him. If he has 2 weeks, I want him to spend every minute of it with his three kids, wife and grandchild. I won't take any of their time they have left with him. I wouldn't want anyone distracting me from my wife and son if I had so short a time left with them. He lives in Montana now, It's a 4,200 mile round trip, I can't just drop by and see him. If he chooses 2 months, I'll go, I won't feel like I'm taking as much from those that are so dear to him. But I don't think he will make that choice.
I wanted to send this via rep, but my response was too long: if y'all are/ were really close, then I think you should go see him, no matter what his choice is. It's the last time you will EVER see him. I am so thankful that I got out of prison when I did, because my dad died less than a year later; I'd never have been able to live with myself if he'd died while I was locked up. If MY brother dies, I just want to know where he will be burried, so I can dip a whole can of snuff to spit on his grave. Anyway, to stay on topic: RAVE: I started up my dad's 1066 International Harvester today. It hasn't run since shortly after his death, which was in 2017. I was really scared that the engine was going to be locked, but it fired up in about a second, just like nothing ever happened. RANT: The diesel that was in the tank didn't really smell quite right to me, so I drained it all out... Almost FORTY GALLONS OF IT. Better safe than sorry; I'd hate to replace the fuel pump and injectors on this thing while trying to move it to my new place. I replaced the fuel filters as well. RANT: Yeah, I started it up, but about ten seconds later I had to shut it down because of a massive oil leak; it turns out that the pressure line for the turbo rusted through. Whatever, it's under my voodoo. Pictures will be posted in the automotive board soon.
RANT: I had a friend commit suicide yesterday. @malisbad and I both knew him quite well. He was on a family vacation with his 2 kids and ex-wife. Dude had made tens/hundreds of millions of dollars with his company being acquired (the same one I worked for, he was co-founder/owner). We had plans to hang out for a few weeks this summer, with me parking my Airstream in his driveway while we played in his newly setup woodworking shop. Never mind the fishing trip that was planned to kick it off. None of that will happen now. Mental health issues fucking suck.
Rave: It's been a couple of months now since leaving the military and the last week I spent being paid to hang out in a National Park camping in the middle of nowhere has vindicated my decision and all the extra stress and anxiety that came with it. Life is pretty good right now.
RAVE: New tech started on Wednesday RANT: Fired him this morning. When are people going to learn that this is not a "fake it until you make it" industry.
Rave: Our band's "mini-tour" is over, and thank God. Eight out of the last teen weekends I've had to be on the road someplace and to know that the next few weekends are all mine is glorious. I had a good time for the most part and we did a lot of amazing things. Returned to three cities we haven't been to in nearly a decade, released the first single off of our upcoming album with a music video, and had a frickin beer named after us this past weekend. But the snow is melting, the grass looks the slightest bit greener, and I don't want to be driving off somewhere when there's work to do here.
RAVE: Going to look at puppies tomorrow afternoon. Have my eye on a really sweet looking german shepherd puppy. Can't think of a better way to spend a Friday afternoon skipping work.
RAVE: I spent half an hour in a pen with 18 puppies. It was glorious. RAVE: I then picked out my new puppy... and she picked me as well... a small, all-black, female, that I get to pick up in 1.5 weeks. RANT: Hands were too full of puppies so I forgot to take any pics. I'm waiting for one to be sent to me.
Rant: before lockdown, my health went to shit. Lock down made it super hard to get help. Rant: was already a bit far. Weight skyrocketed from fuuucked meds and side effects. Hit 340lbs. Looked pretty rough. Rave: got surgery. Worked like a champion. Body fat down to 15-16%, holding at 170-175lbs. Look pretty hood. Rave: keeping protein level up with a shitload of collagen either had side effects, or genetics finally hood at something - fuck all skin damage from losing 175lbs in 15 months: Rave: losing weight helped with chronic pain problems that needed the meds that caused the weight gain. Comfortably swim a 15m KM now, can do pull-ups for reps for the first time since highschool. Rave: losing that kind of weight makes cock look WAY bigger. Rave: after a shitload of boring fucking cardio I can finally lift again. Rant: still no evidence for diagnosis of chronic pain - just a lot of exclusions and a maybe based on exclusions. Rant: my farts are heinous and of a volume I’ve previously never experienced. Rant: overwhelming and unbelievable fatigue is fucking ruining me for the last month. Turns out I’m anemic. No fucking idea why. My folate is at the low end of normal but my bloods are all good. Rave: my previously high blood pressure is now perfect. My previously pretty good heart rate is now bonkers low. Rant: apparently a low heart rate is called Bradycardia and isn’t actually fucking ideal either. Rant: Doctor and Nutritionalist despite being generally excellent have mo meaningful diagnosis for cause of anemia band looking at my blood tests and diet data they both have a surprised pikachu face that I’m massively anemic and fall asleep standing up if I sleep less than 14 hours a day. Rave: Doctor has prescribed high density calories such as ice cream, donut holes, thick shakes and shit to try and sort out anemia. Rant: I have really bad reflux since the operation and eating that shit isn’t actually fun anymore.