An open book journey of Christopher William Klein
Greetings: The month of June passed by too quickly. It was like the blink of an eye, and it was gone, and it was not productive at all. Political tensions have everyone on edge, and we're entering the month of independence. I hope things will calm down. But I don't see that happening soon. All that I can do is concentrate on myself and go from there.
..void that comment...
I think I did well today, but I cannot be sure because I am not tracking my account this week. At least not until tomorrow. The day was sweltering, but that was only after serious thunderstorms this morning. They rocked the sky and shook the earth. I very much enjoyed it. But the people today were extra. I did not hear that the big beautiful bill passed, until people wanted to talk about it. They are angry and they are annoyed, and I'm the one who gets to listen to it. I had a encounter with a very interesting young lady from one of the temples, and I will not go into the details, but it was an interesting interaction that I was very happy to be rid of when she was out of the car. I am getting to the point where I have no patience with shenanigans.
The personal side of the day was very disappointing. Yesterday I had such drive to get things done. I even came home and did half of the back lawn until I ran out of juice for the mower. Today, I could barely get up out of my chair to get a cup of coffee. I was physically and mentally exhausted once I got home from work.
On a positive note, Willow found a very rare item at the Salvation Army. It looks like a vintage accessory cabinet covered in maps. It is a very unique find. The cabinet is very heavy and I helped her get it out of the car and into the house. I checked the design, and it looks like it's handmade and in very good condition. Good for her. Now all she has to do is figure out where to put it.
When I got home from work today, I just sat down and stared. I have a lot of things that I want to get done, and I'm trying to do a round Robin every day, but today I was not feeling it at all. I am hoping this is a temporary condition and I will bounce back tomorrow. I am hoping that a lot of it was caused by the negative emotions of the riders today and that will pass quickly. OK, because of the cause it may not pass quickly, but at least people will come to terms with the issues. That would be nice. Because of the exhaustion, the only thing I did in the evening other than watch stargate, was to do one of my lessons and tune my guitar.
..or am I fooling myself?...
The big thing about this week is that I have not been tracking my income. During the weeks that I do not track my income, I do better. This week is no exception. I am probably rolling about $70 ahead, so I should be able to shift to Lyft tomorrow around lunchtime. This will allow me to put more money in the Kitty for the week and finally flesh out that plan. I've been pushing hard this week and finished up with almost no time left.
In the morning, I could do some project stuff before I left for work, and that was a good start to the day. The camera in the car is giving me a hard time because the sticky stuff holding it to the windshield is breaking down. I have to try to find my Velcro so that I can put it back into place this weekend. That is just one more thing On the list of things to do.
On the list of things that is weird or unusual, is my passport. I expected to receive a response from the government in the middle of August. I received an e-mail today that it has been processed and approved and should be received back at the house by the 7th or 8th of this month. I have never heard of a passport processing that quickly. But I will not question it because sometimes you just have to say thank you and move on.
Laura and Willow were out shopping this afternoon and suggested that I stop and get Chinese on the way home. I took their suggestion and got my first lunch meal from Asian star. It was pretty good. When I hit the house after work, I got my tests back from my recent visit to the doctor and they were annoying. Basically, they said that I will face lethargica, and the ongoing tiredness. That has been true for a while, but being told that that's the way it's going to be bolstered me. I dove into the backyard and got the mowing completed and then, just for fun, I took care of the weed whacking all around the yard. But then it was getting too hot, and it was time to get inside.
To end the day, a few people have been bugging me to give artificial intelligence in music a try. I took one poem from my poetry book and dropped it into an AI generator and hit go. I am surprised at the output. It came out pretty well. Because I do not hold my commercial license to the software, I will not post it in this blog which could be considered a commercial venture, but if you are really curious, you can find it on my Facebook timeline under July 2nd. I will not make a habit out of using the software, but I can honestly say that if you write decent stories, the software can easily put it to music.
..or not?...
I continue to push through the week and I believe I am doing OK. I have contemplated a plan, but it would be very difficult to put into motion. Right now, things are at an equilibrium, but they slipped backwards here and there. I could not push forward and get ahead, and even though we were slipping behind a little, it was not much. I could run today and stay right on target for the week, and I even got a little ahead, but not much. I am thinking that something needs to give, but I'm not sure what. Aside from running the ride share today, I did a bit of a thorough analysis into forklift training and certification, but that seems to be all over the scope and I can't figure out what is needed and what is extra.
My personal drive is bottoming out again. When that happens, I tend to get Moody. Granted, part of it is the political situation, and I admit this. I could probably put in a rant box, but I just don't have the energy to do so. It is very difficult to look at the world right now and believe that these are the people that have the foundation of freedom. Because that's not what I'm seeing. I trudged through the day both before work and after work and I just felt defeated.
..but to what end?...
Today is Friday and a holiday period it is the 4th of July. I started the day right on target to hit my goal without a problem. I was ready for disappointment, and that disappointment never came. I pushed through and hit the goal with three hours to spare, and it was time to go home. Considering that it is Independence Day, I was not surprised that much of the conversation was about the state of the union. I was able to maintain myself professionally without getting involved in the conversation too heavily. I will have to say this though, there are very few that are in the middle ground. Almost every rider had an opinion, and they were at one end of the scale or the other. And the most interesting rider I had was the first run of the day and he was a father with two big trash bags of fireworks, headed to see his children.
I was home early because I started out early, and I fully intended to take advantage of the day. One of the most significant points was to get the Spark looked at and yet the engine issues resolved. That would have been a brilliant plan except that I forgot it was a holiday and Firestone was closed today. On an interesting point, I got to Firestone only to find out that I was not the only one surprised they were closed. There was an extremely well dressed woman who was supposed to be picking up her car and she was on the phone screaming and yelling. And there were a couple of other people sitting in the parking lot, waiting.
With the realization that I could not get the car taken care of today, I was back at the house and I used today to relax. I have a lot on my plate for tomorrow, and I am feeling a bit under the weather. There is a lot that I could have completed, but it was extremely hot and I chose. To do nothing. I hope I do not regret this.
..But here is a good day...
One of the things that I like most about the weekends is that at least one day, all I have to do is paperwork. This week, I had everything in order, so it took less than 30 minutes to get all of the spreadsheets updated and the information verified and entered. Tomorrow, all that I will have to do is prepare for the week to come and make my lunches. It was a very good way to start the day.
When I say that today is completely different, I mean I started strongly and never stopped, at least not until the afternoon. It was a very good and productive day. Before the sun came up, I was able to get everything updated, including e-mail and the blogs, and I knocked a significant number of items off of my weekly list. Of course, I had to add a few as well. But that is OK. Then the sun came up, and it was time to get into motion.
The first thing on the list was heading to Firestone and getting the Spark taken care of. Judging from my first interactions, I calculated it was going to be a horrible day. I went to the normal Firestone, and that was immediately met with problems. Not only did they not have a diagnostic technician on site in the morning, they were unsure. When they could get one to even look at the car I admit that I became combative, but every time I go to this place, there seems to be a different issue and it is usually related to the employees. I hobbled the car over to the Firestone at Austin Peay. The day turned around. Not only did they have a diagnostic technician available, but there was only one car ahead of the Spark. Because of the engine code and rough running, I figured they would run the gambit of the seven most potential items that could cause the problem. It took them less than an hour to diagnose the issue and it was a cracked intake. It took them about an hour to find the part and another hour to get it installed. The price was reasonable and the car is running fine. This is a situation that has been weighing on the entire household heavily for a while.. It is resolved.
Other than the car, there were some interesting developments. I continued working on the garage and the data transfers, and Willow asked me to help her build a table. She did all the measuring, and I did the cutting. It came out pretty good. In return for me cutting her wood, Willow made me a batch of pizza dough and I put together pizzas for lunch. I think they came out pretty well and I'm going to try the same recipe on Stromboli, but probably not anytime soon. I did not get out into the yard today, but I did get my air filter installed and that is another thing that has been weighing on my list for a couple of weeks. My air conditioning has been getting weaker, and now I know why. The filter was completely clogged.
Willow's birthday is coming up, and she has asked for a piece of art. She has a very eclectic taste, and I have something in mind that I think she will like. But I held the conversation with her and she pointed out that she has creative works from her mother and her brother, but nothing from me. I thought about it, and that is very true. It makes me very sad, but I'm going to resolve the issue this year. I had Laura order me a different type of oil paint from Amazon. The brand is Paul Rubens, which I have heard of, but the significance are the colors. You will have to wait to see what they are when I get the project done. But they are definitely non-traditional.
After all of that was said and done, it was time to sit down and relax for a couple of hours. I am still not feeling well, and it is hot as hell today. So I sat down and watched a funny movie until it was time to go to bed. Tomorrow is another day.
..the devil borrowed a cup of ice...
Work for today was prepping for tomorrow. Before I went to bed, I had my morning set up and I had my sandwiches made. I used up the rest of my lunch meat so I am set until Wednesday, but after that it is by the grace of the gods that I get lunch. I've double checked everything and I'm good to go for the week. I have to try and run a bit high this week, so I probably will not be able to run Lyft for the personal account. I'm taking the family to a concert next week so I will lose a day's work and I have to make up for it. Bring on the new week, I am ready for it.
I let my mind wander to a very dark place today and this is what I saw during meditation. A demon controlling mankind like a puppet.
It is just your average Sunday, and I had a lot to do today. Thankfully, I was able to hit the ground running. Before the sun came up, I spent the entire morning, after meditation and exercise, getting the rest of the files off of the CD-ROMs and updating the items that I had lost. There were a few tricky ones, but everything is up to date now including my guitar lessons and my art lessons. There were a lot of holes in both of those sets, but I managed to retrieve everything.
Once the sun came up, it was another story. 1st I took care of the pool. The chemicals are all updated and everything is looking good. Then I attacked the wood pile and I cleared about half of it. That project's going to take quite a while, I believe. While I was back in that part of the yard, I started cutting out a giant branch that fell, but that's going to require a lot of work also. So I split that up into a multi day project and then I attacked the front lawn. It was still very early, so the grass was a bit wet, but the mower went through without a problem. I had to stop now and then to clear out the ejector, but other than that it was good.
After I did the lawn I was exhausted because of the heat. I updated my social media and double checked my e-mail and then it was time to relax. A better way to relax than with meditation. During my meditation I got an image in my head, and when I came out of that meditation, I fired up the 3D software and Photoshop. I was right, there are lighting effects that are pretty awesome in Photoshop. I got to play with the histogram on this one. When I first started the image, the wire frame model with the skin on it was quite pale. Now she's not.
At around lunchtime, it was time for my pizza and then I got to spend the rest of the day relaxing and getting ready to go to bed. I did take the time to clean off the VR, so all that is left is games that I play. We checked the incoming games for the month, and there was nothing interesting.
..NO!!!...
I believe I've gotten the Uber app mad at me. I decided not to take a very early ride out to Oxford, mainly because it would have an income of around $10.00 an hour, given the pricing. I believe the app penalized me because I had one good ride followed by terrible rides. I worked a total of 11 hours and earned approximately $9 per hour. That is before expenses. It was a very bad day. I am hoping that the rest of the week is better.
I started the day Moody, and it declined from there. Work was both annoying and depressing, and by the time I got home, I did not want to do anything. I forced myself to grab the leaf blower and clear off the sidewalk, and then I worked on the novel for a bit. But my heart was not in it. I reset the bookmark back to the beginning of where I started the edit for today, and I will do it again once I am out of this mood. I took the time to look up information such as when the websites expire, what I need to do to renew my fishing license, and where I can obtain my DOT physical. All of these things are an uphill battle, and I am just drained. I know it's just a mood, but I feel like laying down my arms and letting the world wash over me for a while. However, I'm not going to do that, because I know this is a temporary mood and it will pass. It might not be tomorrow or the next day, but it will improve.
..With Hell sprinkles...
Days like today are fascinating. It was another day of little, tiny runs, which required a lot of travel to get to. It was very unsatisfying, and I was not even coming close to creeping up on my goal, let alone making up for what was already missing for the week. I was about to pack it in for the day, and I was headed home when the big one hit. A rehabilitation run from Bartlett to Dickson, TN. It was a 5-hour round trip for about 300 miles. The money on these is not great, but it was able to put me back in the black for the week. Unfortunately, it also means that I got home about 5 hours or six hours later than I intended, and that's going to throw the rest of the week off.
I handled my morning routine before leaving the house with my usual efficiency. That means that I hit everything with the sledgehammer and hoped that it would fit into place. I have a list of tasks that I need to complete, most of which I aim to finish by the weekend. I need to get my DOT physical, pay the Ancient account, and inspect the brakes on Laura's car, at the very least. But today tossed me for a bit of a loop. Putting in an extra six hours at work is difficult, but I managed to do it. By the time I got home, I was utterly exhausted, but things are turning around at least for now. This weekend is a concert, and next week marks my anniversary of leaving US Xpress. When I left, I made a promise to a friend that I would not rock the boat for a year. I know that they figured that I would cast off the annoyance in that amount of time, but they did not realize that I am a big cat, and I never forget. I wrote down everything that was on my mind and how I felt that I had been wronged, and it's time to put together a special podcast that exposes that company for what it is. I would never go back to them, either in a management position or a driver position. But I feel a significant amount of negative emotion because of the way I was treated. Verbalizing it may help me come to terms with it.
..and I have the blues...
It is midweek, and this week has been a pendulum, swinging back and forth and trying to drive me crazy. On Monday, I ended the day $80 down. Yesterday, I turned it around, and I was $50 up. Today it took a swing backwards, and now I am even. I have not had this volatile of a week in a very long time. I have no idea what the rest of the week brings, and I'm not sure I want to see it.
As I put in the work section of this entry, this week has been very frustrating. I am pushing through, but I am ready for this to be over. My passport finally came, but I don't have my birth certificate back yet. That isn't very pleasant. I'm trying my best to tread water, but that's about all I'm getting. I'm not making any forward momentum, and I slide back more than I advance. I need to buckle in and address this very soon.
..is winding down...
At the very least, I can say that today held the center, and I think that is OK. There was some frustration with a run first thing this morning that was supposed to go to Missouri. The mistake on the part of Uber cost me almost $300. I've reached this point in the week, and since I'm neither ahead nor behind, I can take it. So far, the week itself has been frustrating, and I am looking forward to the weekend. There's just one more day to go. Next week is going to be a bit of a challenge because I have an extra day off, and I still have not decided how I'm going to handle that. So many things to worry about, and I don't want to worry about any of them. At least not right now.
When I returned to the house today I was exhausted. I did the dinner thing and sat down and watched one of my shows and then got into bed early so that I can start out early tomorrow morning. I am very much ready to get this week over with and have done with it. I have an extensive list for the weekend, but that is something that I can worry about later. If I can get into motion nice and early tomorrow, maybe I can make things happen. I helped Willow assemble her bike and then the day was done.
..but there is another one next week...
Everything this week has been touch and go. First, I was down, and then I was up, and then I was in the middle. I hit all aspects of the spectrum this week, and it wasn't enjoyable. I was ready to pack it in for the week and finish about $50 down when I got a run request from a regular. She and her husband usually run about $60.00 across four or five stops. And that is precisely what happened today. It put me over the top and ended the week balanced.
I want to point out that there is a serious problem with the Uber algorithm that assigns runs. This is the third or fourth time I've accepted a very large pre-assignment, only to lose it because the algorithm puts me out of the area right before the run. On Wednesday, I had a reservation request in Collierville, and I was given a short run to Millington right before the request window opened. I could have made both, and it would have been an excellent day, but the application pulled the ride off of me before I made it to Millington. I understand that there are priority runs in the application now, but I don't think they should be assigned at the driver's detriment. That is only my opinion.
I returned to the house at a decent time today, so I updated my software early. There is a new, head-only system model. It was a fundamental wire frame, and as you can see from the image, it is highly detailed. Once I wrapped the skin around it, it required very little modification other than the added fire filters. There's a full-body version of it, but it will not be available until next week.
There is quite a bit to unpack today, but I will do my best to keep things separated-first, the standard stuff. I rolled pretty well and met my goal before heading home. I was a bit concerned about this because of the way the week has run, but everything turned out OK. The only problem was that the week was exhausting. By the time I hit the house, a little before noon, I was utterly spent. I have a significant list of things that I need to get done before our little adventure this weekend, but I could do little more than sit on my rear end and stare off into space. Since I couldn't do things like mowing the lawn or anything else that required a lot of energy, I concentrated on getting the stuff done that I could do sitting at my desk.
The one thing that you will notice first of all is that I downloaded my new models for my 3D software and Photoshop, and I popped one of them in to see what it could do. The new wire frame model, as well as the new fire filters, are excellent. The entire image process above took less than an hour. I will deep dive into the rest of the assets later, but this was a good test.
I put together my checklist for the weekend, and as I suspected, there is quite a bit to get done. Tomorrow I have to run a few errands and get some stuff done at the house. But it should be fine. I finished the music video project, which was significant. That means that all that remains of the data sorting project is the personal photos and the audiobooks. Most of the audiobooks are already done, and I need to check them.
On a personal note, I received a voicemail from Melody saying that she was going to be in town at the beginning of August and would like a meeting. I deleted the voicemail. I am not going to get drawn into that drama in any way. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and taking a day off before I break into the weekend and the things that I have to get done.
..the only constant...
Because we have made it back to the weekend, today was a simple bookkeeping day. I entered and double-checked the numbers for the week, and I was above my goal, but only barely. I did some work on the business plan, but I didn't make significant progress. Sometimes the wheels turn slowly.
I am going to take today for what it was. The day that I was rock solid and pushed through everything I had to do, with some minor exceptions. I was able to get my errands run and even did a few for Laura. I took care of the pool, the car, and even the lawn. I did not get the backyard done, but that can wait for a week. I got all my outstanding bills paid, updated all my emails and socials, and even snuck in a nap. I'm going to count this as a perfect day. My headache is gone, and my mood is even tolerable. Not terrible.
However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, I have to do something about money. We slipped a bit behind in the past couple of months, and I have to make up that. I have a plan that I'm going to put into motion, but it's going to be a bit rough. It may take a week or two to adjust, but if I can do this, we can begin to get ahead again. We shall see what the future brings.
..at least for the ladies...
The key to today was making sure that everything is ready for next week. This is because it is going to be a very tight week at work, as I will be missing Monday. I'm not sure how that's going to affect things, but with the concert this evening, three hours from home, it's going to make for a tight week ahead.
The morning zoomed by, and we were on the road by 11 AM. It was a three-hour trip to Franklin, Tennessee, and we were in the hotel in the middle of the afternoon. We jumped over to the mall, next door to the hotel, and wandered around for a while before getting dinner at the food court. I had a Philly cheese steak that was decent. Not precisely a Philly cheese steak, but close. Then it was time to drop the ladies off to see their Bug Hunter concert. While they were at the concert, I meditated and went to the gym. It was a relaxing evening, and I managed to stay awake to pick the ladies up. That's a bigger deal than it sounds, because I was exhausted. Unfortunately, even being exhausted did not provide a good night's sleep.
..jiggety, jig...
This was an extra day off for me because I had to drive back from Franklin, TN. I probably could have gone to work today, but it was not in my best interest to work tired. I hit the bed early so I can start bright and on time tomorrow.
It is Monday, and I should have been at work today, but we had to drive back from Franklin, Tennessee. It was a decent ride, and there weren't any problems along the way, which made life a bit easier. I wanted to go over and get my DOT physical today, but that was not in the cards. I spent the day relaxing and preparing to return to work tomorrow, trying to play catch-up. The week hasn't even started, and I'm already tired.
..push it real good...
Being Tuesday, and the first day back at work, I was pretty impressed with the day. Everything fell into line perfectly for most of the day. I pushed through as hard as I could, and I made $50 more than my normal goal, which is my new goal. All things considered, it was a perfect day. Everybody was respectful and, for the most part, quiet. I could use more days like this.
The primary goal for today was to work, but I was able to complete my morning routine efficiently before leaving. Once I got home, I was a bit tired, but I still had enough energy left to accomplish a few things from my list. With my new schedule, I will be trying to play catch-up, so I will have minimal personal time for the foreseeable future. That means I have to spend a little time each day nibbling away at the things on my list. One of the most significant things on my list is painting a picture for Willow as a birthday gift in August. That deadline is creeping up on me, and I finally have a plan on precisely what to do. I'm not sure if she'll like it or not, but she's already told me that she'll still appreciate it even if she doesn't like it, because of the effort. What a good kid.
..or bad?...
When I reflect on today, I'm not sure how to take it. From a financial perspective, I am both up and down at the same time. I am a little ahead of where I should be considering that this is the second day of the week, but I am short of my new goal. I had to spend about 3 hours getting my DOT physical. It should not have taken that long, but there was an influx of drivers from a local company who all needed their physicals completed. Thankfully, there was a lovely nurse who realized that I was not with that company and pulled me out of the line to complete my physical. I passed, since I'm not ranting about it. That means I'm good for another year. The drawback of having to go in person was that it took about 45 minutes to get there, combined with the three hours in line, which means I'm missing four hours from work. But it's done with for another year, so I will take it.
Being in the doctor's office for more than three hours drains the life right out of me. Thankfully, the physical went well, and I was able to squeeze in a few more rides before it became too much. I headed back to the house, followed my afternoon routine, and got into bed early so that I could get started first thing in the morning. The week is winding down, but since I'm working this weekend, that doesn't mean much.
..is in the middle of the road...
I pushed through the day, even though I wasn't feeling it. I'm up for the week, but only from a day-to-day perspective. I still need to do some cleanup before I can finish for the week. That means that I'll probably be working on Saturday. I don't think I'll push through and do the full 7 days because I'm exhausted. You can't jump into things like that, but it gets easier each day and each week, so we shall see what happens next week. As long as I hit my goal for the week, I think I will be fine.
The highlight for the day is that my music video project is complete. The entire collection has been cataloged and moved to permanent storage. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you consider that this project started almost 25 years ago, it's important to me. I now have a permanent archive of 1,030 music videos, spanning from 1970 to the present year. They date back to Black Sabbath. It makes me feel accomplished.
Speaking of accomplishments, I finally decided on a design for Willow's birthday present. I'm not sure if she'll like it or not, but I'm hoping she does. Either way, because I make it instead of buying it, I know that she will appreciate it. Now I just have to get to work on it, and that requires finding time. Unfortunately, time is a luxury right now. I'm so tired when I get home that I can't concentrate on something as simple as oil painting. I have to set aside a day to take care of it, but I need to do that while I'm working on the other things. It is all a big chess match.
..But what can you do?...
I pushed along as hard as I was able, but it was not quite enough. I was trying to push to get enough in the kitty so that I could take the weekend off. But that did not happen. Even with some pretty good rides, I still fell short at the end of the day. There are rumors of a new company entering the area, and I have investigated them. Right now, they are not in competition. But they soon could be. Currently, they primarily operate in the catering sector. It's something I'll have to keep an eye on.
Even with pushing hard, I could not give myself the weekend off. However, that's okay because I came home, relaxed for a little while, and went to bed very early, so I could get out of the house by midnight. I've started planning for Willow's birthday present, and I think I've an excellent idea that I'll put into motion this weekend.
..Yeah, that is what it feels like...
I started out at midnight. I set a goal, and I mostly met it. I did not want to leave the household account short this week, even with the day off, so I worked on the weekend. The big difference was that I left at midnight, which significantly changed the types of riders I was carrying. Out of about 12 rides, all but two of them were in the adult industry. They were strippers and hookers. The other two rides consisted of three people traveling from a nightclub to a hotel, and two socialite males engaging in conversation about how they were distraught that they had to make their own sandwiches. It turns out that one of them had to make their own Turkey sandwich because one of the housekeepers' husbands died, and it was very inconvenient. I don't know if this was some game they were playing or if it was reality. But I will tell you this: if this were reality and this were the future, the world would be doomed. They seemed offended entirely that they had to take an Uber and be so inconvenienced by the untimely death of a human being. I want to tell myself that nobody is this shallow, and it was all a game or a joke, but I'm not too sure. Anyway, it made for an exciting morning.
It may be a hectic week, but today went pretty well. I drove Uber from midnight until about 6:00 AM and then hit the house to relax before I started my day. I followed my morning routine, which included exercise and meditation, and then took a nap while the ladies ran out to do some errands. Then it was time to kick it.
I had to set my priorities properly, and the first thing that I did was the front lawn. I completed the entire front yard and part of the back before the battery ran out. I did the edging and then worked on the Kia. I changed out the engine air filter and cleaned the battery terminals. These have been on my list for weeks, and I have finally completed them. However, I had to wait for the battery to charge before I could finish up the lawn.
It was hot, and I didn't want to sit around, so I decided to run out to the Salvation Army and Goodwill, just for fun. At the Salvation Army, I was trying on a pair of shoes with 7-inch heels when a woman asked me if I would do her a favor and walk in them to win a bet against her husband. The shoes were too small, but we found another pair that was the same height but a better size, and they took a stroll around the area. She had bet her husband that a man, being myself, could walk in heels that high. He bet against her, and because he lost, he had to put on a wedding dress. It was a fun little diversion. Unfortunately, the only thing that I found at the Salvation Army was an iced tea container. Not a terrible find, but I was hoping for a little more. I scooted over to Goodwill and had better luck there. I am now the proud owner of a new kneeling chair, an art storage rack, and a new set of nails. It got me out of a mood that I was starting to get into, and I headed home.
Back at the house, the battery was charged, and I was able to make quick work of the rest of the backyard. Then it was time for a nice swim and planning for tomorrow. I want to work on Willow's birthday present first thing in the morning, and I have a couple of other things on my list for the rest of the weekend. I was in bed early after eating chicken con pollo and watching some Stargate.
..and preparing...
Because I worked an extra day this week, my timing is off. It took about an hour to balance the books for the week, and the only other thing that I had to do today was prepare for next week. But I've had no rest, and it's like running in mud. I'm crossing my fingers that this week will be successful, productive, and go by quickly.
Due to the extended week last week and the potential for another extended week ahead, I made the conscious decision to use today to relax and recuperate. There are many more things that I could have accomplished, but I chose instead to sit like a bump on a log. I had prepared the canvas for Willow's birthday present, but I had to wait for the liquid white. Then, when I was going through things, I found out that I had liquid white, but it was too late to start the project. I'm going to put that on the agenda for my next day off and get that taken care of.
..Lilith protect me...
It was an uphill trudge. The rides were consistent, but the dollar amounts were low. I am trying very hard to get ahead, but so far, at the beginning of the week, that is not in the cards. People were very talkative today, but the conversation was mostly about being mentally tired of the world. I can relate to that. It wasn't easy just to smile and nod while people randomly rambled on. I worked the full 12 hours and then headed home.
It did not help that I was significantly under the weather today. I have body aches and my head is killing me, but I am not in a position where I can call out of work. However, even if I did, it probably wouldn't help because I would still feel the same, except the day would not pass as quickly. After all, time is relative. I pushed through a 12-hour day and then headed home to stare off into space. I have a lot that I want to get done, and I have started my nibble list, but today, I am not in the mood. Tomorrow is another day.
..but far from out...
I am just barely staying ahead of the curve, but at least I am not running behind. Yesterday, I was able to shore up the numbers for last week, and we should be doing well in that regard. I was able to catch up to the low goal, but barely. Today I was able to ride past that goal, and I am a little bit ahead of the low goal, but nowhere near the high goal. I don't know what the rest of the week will bring, but we shall see.
On an interesting note, today seemed to be the day for adult entertainment. Early in the morning, I was carrying professional ladies who were on their way home, and as the sun broke the horizon, I picked up an adult entertainer who had boots that were to die for, a voice like an angel, and the 5:00 shadow. They were fascinating. What was more interesting is that I took them to one of the Victorian homes here in Memphis, and they were more than willing to brag that it was purchased through their adult entertainment activities. Maybe I am in the wrong job. I can rock some heels.
I pushed through the day with minor problems, except that I am still not feeling well. I am sure that this has something to do with sinuses, but it refuses to give up the ghost. Typically, this kind of issue resolves itself within about 72 hours. That means that I should start feeling better tomorrow. And that would be nice. I continue to push through, but I cannot get started on my nibble list until I'm feeling better. I got back to the house right on time, ate dinner, relaxed, and called it an early night.
I should probably put this in a rant bubble, but I won't. Things are out of control, but then again, they have been out of control for a very long time. People are getting numb to the ways of the world. I am sure that this is the intent because once you have beaten somebody into submission, you can do pretty much anything that you want. I have no idea how this is going to play out, and that is new territory for me because I cannot see the end game. It could just be that I am not feeling well, okay, but we'll see what tomorrow brings. And I do not mean the literal tomorrow, I'm talking about the near future. Of course, it doesn't help that Ozzy Osbourne passed away today. I was never a diehard fan, but I respected Ozzy as both a musician and a showman. It is a sad day for music.
..but it is pushing back...
Today was just a day. It was neither a good day nor a bad day. The rides were steady and decent, but there were too many lulls to make it a fully profitable venture. I would get a burst of highly profitable runs followed by about half an hour or 45 minutes of sitting. It seemed to cycle this way, and moving to different areas did not alleviate the issue. I have never seen the system act this way before, so I wonder if it is intentional or a fluke. But the people were OK, and aside from the heat, it was just a mediocre day.
I pushed through the day and ran until I was out of time, and then it was time to head home. We are almost out of leftovers, so I decided to be a little creative and fried up some onions, added a spicy chicken Patty, some cheddar cheese, and tomato sauce, and called it a sandwich. Unfortunately, it was so stuffed that I could not pick it up so I had to eat it with a knife and fork. But it was pretty good.
The choice I made for my list today was to fix the back screen, but it appears to have been relocated, and I couldn't find it. Instead of working on the screen, I focused on the novel and am almost done with Chapter 5. I very much need to keep that in the forefront of my mind. Reading it, it is pretty good. I've been unable to find a legitimate proofreader, so I am stuck on my own. However, that's okay, because when it is done, it will be all the more fulfilling.
One of the most significant issues with my current work approach is my mood. For instance, after work, I stopped and picked up my medication, and for the life of me, I cannot remember what I did with it. Hopefully, it will turn up. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. When I work this way, my focus is on the job and everything else falls to the wayside. When this happens, I become very snappy. I can feel it happening already. It's just little things, but if I do not concentrate, I could easily go off on something that I shouldn't. I need release, and I have no way to get it right now. I was able to let off a little pressure over the weekend by hitting the Salvation Army and Goodwill. I picked up my new art rack and a chair, and they pacified me for a bit. I am still setting up the art rack, and the chair is a bit of an adjustment, so I can only use it for a short time at the moment. It is a kneeling chair, and I'm not used to sitting in that position, so I have to adjust to it.
We are over the hump and headed toward the weekend, but as things stand right now, I'll have to work Saturday morning. At this rate, I'll have to put in a full day on Saturday, which is not ideal. But I will do what I have to do and we will move on.
..in many ways...
I may not be able to get ahead, but I am not falling behind, so I think I'll consider things as okay for now. I took a little time off during the day to make some personal phone calls, but they had nothing to do with business. I am currently on the line, but that means I will have to work an extra day this week to meet the new goal. Most of the day, I was stuck in the Olive Branch and Southaven area. I even moved myself out of those areas and got pushed back into them. Unless I have a fabulous day tomorrow, I will be working Saturday.
Self-reflection can be a beneficial or detrimental thing, depending on what that reflection reveals. I am notorious for being overly critical of myself. Sometimes, I can see the devil where no devil exists. But not this time.
OK, that was a bit traumatic. But so is the situation. Recently, I had a conversation with the family about topics such as wills and end-of-life planning. These are never good conversations, but it's not something that I fear, other than making sure that my loved ones are taken care of. There has been something hanging over my head for a very long time, and it directly relates to how my property would be distributed in the event of my untimely death. Specifically, the vultures that could circle and make life difficult for my loved ones. However, I'll try to explain this as simply as possible and move beyond it. When I was young, I made some mistakes. But three of those mistakes were resolved today. Shelley McLeod of Augusta, ME, did not bear a child with my genetic history. My army buddy, Scott, said that she did. He was lying. I was able to confirm today that the child, Emily Kinnie, born to Shelley, was born 13 months after I left Maine. That closes that chapter of my life permanently. Melody Mulligan/Klein, born to Margaret Klein, was born 15 months after I ran away. I have no idea what that scam was supposed to be, but I will have nothing to do with Melody, ever. However, the most surprising aspect of all this is the twins, born to Christine Hand after I left Wildwood in the late 1980s. I received confirmation today from La Vida adoption agency that my genetic profile did not match the children when they were born. I was supposedly informed of this, and it is a matter of public record.
None of this sounds like a huge deal, but it has been surprisingly heavy on my soul. I have watched way too many Netflix dramas about the child that turns up when dad is on his deathbed, and it has been a realistic fear of mine. I never realized exactly how much of a fear it was until I started deep diving into all of this. And the bonus comes from Ancestry.com. There were a total of 38 people in the group who claimed to be directly related to me through my father. I finally went in and looked at the genetic profiles there, and not one of them is over an 80% match. I knew that dad was sterile, but when I got the message from that group last year, it made me think. Now that the weight is off my shoulders from all perspectives. I am unsure what to do with the energy. I also did not realize precisely how much this was bothering me. Perhaps, with a little bit of luck, my mood will improve.
In other news, and I mean actual news, Hulk Hogan died today. That is very sad because it is the third death in two days, and trouble always comes in three. Hopefully, that is the end of it, and it won't be a set of three.
I still have to put in two more days of work this week, even though I was trying to get ahead. I have a lot of items on my big list, but I'm making progress by nibbling away at it. I'm back to working on the novel at least five days a week, and I'm trying to knock out a few other tasks while expanding my work hours. I don't know how long I'll be able to do this, but I'm going to give it my best effort. This weekend, I have to sit down and take care of Willow's painting. I am looking forward to that.
..but not quite...
I pushed as hard as I could, but in the end, I didn't make it. I was hoping to push through and gain an advantage today so that I can take tomorrow off. That did not happen. The riders were surprisingly quiet, and I received some decent assignments, but in the end, it wasn't enough.
Because it is Friday and I have to double back, and there was very little in the way of personal life today. Before work, since I was running a bit late, I did not get anything done. When I got home, I had a quick meal and then went to bed so I could start nice and early tomorrow.
..but not quite there...
I started at midnight and ran as long as I could, getting close to the goal I had set, but I did not quite make it. For the first week under the new goal system, I'm going to count this as a win, because with Monday, I should be pretty close to what I was looking for. I'm not quite going to hit it, but I gave it my best effort. I was home in time to reset and start my Saturday.
I've become too spoiled and accustomed to having Saturdays off. I put in about 7 hours of work in the morning and then headed home to reset. I finished watching Picard while I ate my breakfast and planned out my day. It was a little too early to take care of the lawn, so I chose to take a nap instead. While I was doing that, the ladies ran out to the new Burlington, and I got to relax - the time to push through. I knocked out the lawn quickly and started on my lists.
One of the top items on my list for this weekend is to finish the painting for Willow's birthday. I have that scheduled for first thing tomorrow morning. Today, I went through and started checking off items on the list. I got the screen back into the kitchen window, and that took a hell of a lot longer than I thought it was going to. I took care of the lawn, started cleaning the garage again, and created a list of tasks to complete in the coming week. We shall see how things turn out. Once I had all of that done, I sat down and worked on the novel.
..but not to dream...
One of the benefits of having a day off is that the only thing that needs to be done is record-keeping. And that is how I started the day today. I have updated the spreadsheet and confirmed that I did not reach the big goal, but I did reach the smaller goal so that I will take it. I took the time to set up for tomorrow and the rest of the week, and I have my sandwiches made for the first three days. I have pastrami this week, and it will be good.
I very much like the quality of the stuff that has been coming down recently. This is a basic Eve wireframe with some very rudimentary skins and wraps. The horns are stock images, and so is the hair. But the ambient nature of the dark look is a new filter. I like it.
The theme for today was creativity. I wanted to ensure that I finished Willow's painting today, but when I woke up, I wasn't in a creative mood. I completed my updates for my 3D software and Photoshop, and they fired it all up. I was exploring the new filters and assets, and I came up with the above image. It was just enough to get me kick-started for the rest of the day.
Once I was done playing with the digital stuff, I spent a little time preparing to do the oil painting. I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do, but I needed something to reference. I used a Bob Ross video to get the idea into my head. I watched it once and then turned it off, and I didn't examine the techniques that Bob uses. I just needed the foundation for the painting. In the end, it came out pretty well. If I remember, I will post it here after Willow's birthday.
Once the painting was done, it was time to move on to the following creative item. Willow was home today, so I wanted not to be rude and make lots of noise. So I broke back into the novel. I'm not sure what it is about Chapter 5. I am having a lot of problems reconciling this chapter. I made some mistakes in the original draft, and I'm trying to fix them, but every time I fix one thing, three more break. I may have to cut off to a short story for a day or two, because this is getting frustrating. I still don't have a proofreader, and everybody who has volunteered has turned out to be somewhat unreliable. I guess this is the way it is. Sometimes you have to go it alone. But I spent a few hours on chapter 5, and then I decided to call it a day.
The timing could not have been more perfect. Just as I shut down the novel, Willow told me that she was feeling better and she was going to go out with Allie. That means that I had the house to myself for a while, and it was time to get creative musically. 1st, I hit the drums, and with the new amplifier, they sounded pretty good. However, it will require some serious practice. Then I tuned the guitar and played a little ditty. It was fun. Next, it was sax time. The saxophone was, by far, the most enjoyable. I just noodled for about 1/2 an hour instead of going for structure, but it was just what I needed. Finally, it was time for the violin. It was OK, and I finally got clean notes out, which is what I've been working on. Unfortunately, my bow is slowly and painfully deteriorating. It is time to replace it, and I will get around to that sooner or later. But I had my own personal jam session with myself, and it was a lot of fun. I do want to get out the bass and check out how it operates. But that can wait for another time.
And now we will end the day on a positive note. The last thing I had to do for the day was head out and get some supplies for the week, which required a trip to Murphy's. I met a little shining soul. I usually keep some serious Shields up out in public, and today was no exception. But this young lady, Amy, walked right through those Shields as if they were nothing. In a 5-minute conversation, I discovered that she is homeless and living in a tent near the Expressway, yet she carries a positive aspect of life, regardless of her situation. I am so accustomed to seeing negative people that the positive ones take me by surprise. It is good to know that there are still some old hippies in the world.
..and no fun at all...
There was an excellent start to the week this time, with several rides that were worth a lot of income. I pushed as hard as I could and wound up $50 up for the day. There was a small blast across the app that some changes were coming, but they did not mention what those changes were going to be. We are just going to have to wait and see. I did have time to skip away from work and take care of some personal issues and still roll ahead.
The personal side of life is annoying right now. As I mentioned in today's blog post, I took about two hours off and went to the doctor. I have an ear infection, and it is making me miserable. I am going to try to go to the doctor tomorrow if things do not improve by morning. I would like to have a lovely week.
..but the ships are anchored....
Today worked out much better than planned, even if it was not intentional. I took a reservation that had been available for quite a while, and I couldn't figure out why nobody wanted to take it. It was an easy roll from Memphis to Tunica, Mississippi. The only problem is that it was at 2:00 PM, which is usually the time I log out for the day at the latest. Since I started on time, I had to extend my day. That gave me the time to go to the doctor. The ride to Tunica was quite lovely, and the lady and I held a pretty interesting conversation. We even broke the rules and discussed a little bit of politics and religion, but positively. I very much enjoy the company of educated people while driving.
In the middle of the day, I took two hours off and went to the doctor, and she identified that I do have a mild inner ear infection. That's going to be handled with medication, but it's going to take a couple of days. For right now, any time I eat something, the left side of my face puffs up, and it is pretty uncomfortable. But look at it this way, I will have to skip a few meals, and maybe I can lose some weight. Don't get me wrong, I am not unhealthy, I have a few extra pounds that could go. Unfortunately, I am not that vain that I am worried about it. Aside from taking the time off for the doctor, it was just working and then going home, even though I got home very late.
..and try again....
The only thing that I can say about today is that it was mundane. I pushed through and stayed ahead of my goal for the week, but only barely. Everyone was quiet and subdued, but at least the rides were steady. It was a full 12-hour shift, and I was fine with it.
My jaw continues to be burdensome today, but I was able to push through without too many issues. The pain made it difficult to eat and even to sleep. But I treated today like any other and just pushed through until tomorrow.
..of the month, that is....
When you look up annoyance in the dictionary, you will find today. I had more than 20 rides, but they were all very short distances with long travel times. Each time I would try to reset into a different area, I would get pushed back into the city. I worked a full shift, but not only did I not get ahead, I slipped a little behind. I hope that this is not a trend because this is unsustainable.
I have no idea what happened to July. It seems like just yesterday that I was driving and watching the fireworks on the 4th of July. But now the month is over, and we are headed into August. I am feeling a bit better today, but I am far from healed. As we push toward the end of the week, I'm finding myself increasingly on edge. Between the constant pain in my jaw and the lower-than-expected income from work, I am feeling a bit frustrated. I have a lot on my plate for this weekend, and I'm hoping that I feel better so that I can get some of it done.