Month: January 2018

Too early to get out of bed. I have a tax update seminar this morning. Up extra early so I can get everything done I need to do. You know my drill, it’s feed cats, feed dogs, coffee me, coffee her, feed me, feed her. Added benefit this am, I loaded Emilys car. Enjoyed it so much, I accidentally loaded an extra bag. Haha. Managed to depart early, 720. Good thing, it was raining and the roads were slow. I arrived at 820. Ran into an old friend, Chris. Works for the FTB. His son worked in my firm for awhile and now is a casino accountant. That sounds cool. We chatted for awhile then I ran to find a seat. Place was packed. A thousand poor lost souls in a hotel conference room. Early and miserable. Gal next to me was sick. Lovely. Keep it at home loser. Seminar lasts 8 hours with no time off for good behavior. So no incentive to be good.

As always the day was long though not boring. A lot of information is packed in and you need to pay attention. Mostly my ears pricked up for the effect of tax reform on current law. It’s why everyone is here really. First big change in thirty years makes a tax guy take notice. Otherwise, the old law is old law. Blah.

I skipped the rubber chicken lunch as I always do. I really don’t want to eat with a bunch of accountants and discuss taxes. Boring. Food is bad as well. I should give my lunch ticket to a homeless person. That would be fun. And funny. I spent my lunch hour at the office which happens to be across the street from the hotel. I can have real food and make a few calls.

After noon more of the same. Till 5. Back to the office for an hour of work. Went home. Rainy slow drive. Couple accidents.

Usual at home. We are cleaning up the house tonight for a third buyer. He says he is putting in an offer (3rd one!!) so we want the place to look nice. Full price offer would be the bomb. Maybe a two month rent back. That could help.

Had dinner, could not watch TV because when it rains we lose the DirecTV signal. So I read a book. Which I prefer. Then bed.

The day is really gloomy his morning. Looks like a horrible, very bad day. It’s cold too. And yesterday was really nice. I guess you could say today is winter.

I am sitting at the table with Marika. She came home for a visit. She has a bad cold and just wanted some company. We are discussing dogs and what kind she might one day get. It’s a long, detailed, discussion. There are so many good and bad points to each breed. Then you really have to match personalities with the dog. That’s a tough one. I say just get a Frenchie. Friendly, happy nice doggie. Only a few negative health issues. Like a short life and breathing problems. No one is perfect. She wants small size, like her cocker and not needy like every dog I have ever had. Hey, I said it was tough.

I am also sitting here waiting for my carpet guy. He is coming out today to inspect my garage apartment and give me an opinion on the animal damage to the carpeting. I just called him and he is quite late. Won’t be here till 2. His initial eta was 10am. I do hate waiting on service providers. It’s like the cable company when they say we will be there between 8 and 5. Like I have all day for them.

Emily ran off to the store. Needed some cleaning supplies and a few other things. She’s been gone for an hour. Can’t figure what takes so long but I know if I had been able to go the time would not seem so long. Perspective.

Laundry is going too. It’s sunday. At least I dont have to share the machines with a roommate any more. That’s a little easier. I have all the piles lined up and all I need do is keep the line moving. Since it’s all I really have to do today, that’s not so difficult. Well, not the only thing. I do have more Christmas to put away. But that’s a between laundry loads task.

So I put away the few Christmas boxes. Got all into the pod. Without assistance. I don’t expect any. Marika was surprised I had done it without her while she was taking a bath. But I need something to do while I sit and wait for the carpet guy and wait for Emily to get home.

Marika and I did a house walk through so she could pick out the furniture she wants. We are moving and getting rid of a lot of what we have. My nephew Dennis is so excited, he has already picked out and measured a few pieces. He is coming next Sunday to take his haul.

Carpet guy called, forgot his blacklight, had to go home to get it. We need that so we can ascertain the extent of the damage. He did finally get here around 2. So he scoped all floor areas and lower walls for urine. Did the stairs and stairwell. Even the human bathroom. What did he find? Pee, of course. Which you would expect from a house full of cats. Some dog pee in the front room. Not a huge surprise to anyone. Trisha had said, when she first arrived, that her dog Wally peed everywhere. But, and it’s a big one, the carpet guy said he can clean it all no problem. So no carpet to replace and no drywall to cut out and repair. A win for everyone. Of course, the whole place is filthy and I need to get that done. But still, far less expensive damage than I thought. The pee damage could have been much worse and probably would be if she had stayed longer. All in all, good news.

Tomorrow our real estate agent gets back from a 10 day trip to Hawaii. So we finally get to find out about the offers. This should be exciting. We could be moving in a matter of a month or two. Wow. I am hoping for a full price offer. Then its a done deal. I spoke to one of the agents in her office and she is interested in buying my house. When it rains…

We are sitting and chatting while the cookies cook and the soup stews. I just dispensed some medicinal tequila to Marika for her cold. Emily swears by a shot of tequila to treat the common cold. I say, if you want a drink, have a drink, no need to make an excuse. Some people have a need to justify there behavior. Makes them feel better about themselves. Weak self image I guess. But I feel better. Emily and I had a shot of Rye. And neither of us is sick.

The cookies are a Christmas gift from my daughter. She could not bake them at Christmas because we did not have a working oven. We had a propane problem over the holiday. Our tenant would not let us use hers. Go figure. So no cookies then. But tonight I got two dozen molasses cookies from Marika. And now I can fill my new cookie jar.

While we wait for dinner we decided to watch some trash TV. But, the girls picked the Golden Globes instead. More garbage TV than trash, in my view. The awards seem pointless. How many Movie/TV awards show do you really need? It’s like there are two Super Bowls and different teams can win with the same score. Makes no sense. But I’m stuck watching it.

Next up is dinner. We get the chicken soup Emily made for Marika. Plus cheesy bread balls. And salad. Gotta have the veggies. The soup smells fantastic. Cookies for dessert!

Well dinner was awesome. The soup was very satisfying though Ali had to add salt. I might have put some hot sauce in it too but it did not really need it. Taffy loved the cheese balls but it was too difficult to feed her soup without a big mess. And, the cookie dessert was just as I expected, beyond the best.

We have just finished packing up Marika’s food and supplies. When the kids come home, we load them up with victuals for the coming days. And weeks. She has one of Emilys famous rhubarb cakes, a couple containers of soup from tonight, a new smoke alarm, a few containers of OJ, chips, this bucket of food and sundry items, and a few pair of leggings formerly belonging to mom. Oh yeah, and all the cat food that Trisha threw out. Like I said, we load her up. Now I have to load the car.

We have been watching the globes for an hour or more. Had some ice cream, Taffy shared with me. Then we got out the king size Connect Four and I managed to lose several in a row to the ladies. Which is not a problem. I don’t pay attention and that is deadly in Connect Four. We only play for fun so no matter. We are filling our time with fun and interesting activities.

So the Globes are being shown twice in a row. Why? Who the hell knows. I had a hard enough time watching less than half the show one time. It’s not that entertaining. I switched over to America’s Funniest Videos. Much better. AFV is always funny enough and usually better than what vet else is on. Probably why it’s been on the air over twenty years. It’s innocuous, safe, friendly, and funny. Sometimes riotously funny (not every week) but funny. They always pick the wrong video for the nights winner. I can’t figure that out. And tonight is no exception. Winner not funny. No sense in that.

Marika has to leave tonight. Probably now, she has to be at work at 9am tomorrow. If she spent the night she would have to get up extra early. So she usually leaves late in the evening on days like today. Both Emily and I are getting up early tomorrow so we would have little time for her in the morning. So it makes sense to leave now. Though it is sad when she leaves.

Little girl has gone home. And we are headed to bed. Emilys vacay is over as of tomorrow. That’s really sad.

Last night Taffy, our terminal dog, was having an extremely hard time walking. Her back legs not working properly. This is a bad sign and was the original reason we took her to the vet in November. She ended up with surgery, and then, after biopsy, the vet gave her a death sentence. Well, we were both quietly very worried last night when we went to bed. We both dread the day we have to euthanize her. You can’t be fully ready mentally for that. The finality of it only comes at the end. Well, I woke this morning and went to the kennel, and she is “fine”. As if last nights problems never happened. I let them out for their constitutional and went upstairs. Emily had that look on her face, and I said she seems fine. Obviously, Emily was thinking what I had been. Which was the worst. So, looks like we get one more day. And from where I sit it’s beautiful, warm and sunny. Saturday.

Today is the first day of massive clean up in the garage apartment. As I mentioned yesterday, our tenant moved out. She had eight cats and two dogs in her 1000 sq ft apartment. Yes, Emily’s first look yesterday found a wide range of pet damage. Lots of spots, both large and small, with urine damage. By the door especially. Lack of care and attention shown by tenant. Dogs will indicate a need by standing at the door, an attentive owner trying to train them should be paying attention. Also many cat poops on the rug. Anyway, I am hoping my carpet guy can pull off a miracle and save the carpeting. I will have him blacklight the floor and walls to ascertain what we are up against. Our tenant is moving into another garage apartment with all these cats. I understand there is an enclosed yard for the dog, which will help. I am not sure what you do for the cats.

I have a strange feeling most of my day will be spent on the above. Not a fun day but I need to get it done. We are selling the house, and if I am able, I would like to pass the problem on to the next owners. Of course, they may decide to reduce their offer due to the damage which is still a cost. I just need to get it solved cheaply.

Just got a call from my lovely bride. She had gone to yoga early this morning. She likes to call after she is done. But, she is staying in Vacaville to go to Target. Does Target have a Siren call? Needs something and Target sells lots of somethings. Next stop, Off Fifth, because she needs a pair of sunglasses. Hers are all in her car. Which is in Sacramento. At the Mercedes dealer. Getting fixed. Her car shut off completely on the freeway the other night. Non responsive brakes and steering. She was ok. She shut off and was able to restart. Still scary. It’s under warranty. She got it into dealer on Friday. They provided a loaner. Diagnosis? Bad circuit board of some sort. If the part is in this country, done on Tuesday. If part in Germany, done in a week. Loaner is free. Pain in the ass.

So I guess Emily won’t be home till noon. In time for lunch if we have anything. Probably have to go back to Vacaville for groceries. I am going to go shower and start cleaning. What fun.

So Emily got home earlier than I thought. She resisted the Siren call. I did not get a chance to start cleaning. Instead I took down our plastic Christmas tree and bagged it up. No small feat, the damn thing weighs over 100 lbs and is quite bulky. I needed Emilys help carrying the two tree bags to the pod. We had a few more Christmas tree boxes to put away still, not heavy and not too much of a problem.

We had to go back to Vacaville to finish the shopping. First stop, Batteries and More. I used to make fun of this place when it first came to town. Seemed really stupid. Then I went once for one thing. I am now a dedicated customer and cheerleader for the place. They are awesome. I went in today for a battery for my Roomba (another thing I wholeheartedly recommmend). The guy that helped me, Junior, said he had the battery but wasn’t sure he could have to done by today. So I left the Roomba and my number and left. I was at my next stop, Target (heard the call), I got a call from Junior. It was done. They replaced the battery and installed it. They only charge for the battery. What a deal. Told him I would pick up on my way out of town.

We finished our target shopping, many and sundry items. Went to Grocery Outlet, picked up a whole bunch of groceries we could not live without, all at low prices. A fine selection of off brands and close outs. Then off to pick up Roomba. And head home. Roomba is in the dock getting juiced as we speak.

Got home and spent way too much time putting away all the groceries. Emily packed up all the wrapping paper in the new containers from Target. We both managed to finish. While working I made a trip to the garbage can. I found that Trisha before moving had thrown out a case and a half of canned cat food. And a bag of dog food. Both were the expensive kind. I grabbed it all. Repurposed is the word. I can’t figure out why anyone with an entire moving van at her disposal would throw out food like that. It’s crazy. But, my cats and dogs win I guess.

About 6 we decided to start dinner. I decided to make Mai Tais. Everyone needs a pre dinner Mai Tai. I use Trader Vic’s original recipe, modified. And, I must say, mine are better than the Trader. I was in Emeryville at the Trader Vic’s restaurant twice this holiday season. And I ordered the signature Mai Tai, and mine are better. Sorry Trader. Emilys 2nd Mai Tai has muddled pineapple in it. I don’t recommend too much screwing with the original but I admit the drink is tasty.
Not much more sauce by look but damn good. And I love the glasses. Which I got for myself for Christmas. Double Old Fashion with a bamboo motif carved into the glass. A must have. Perfect size, perfect look.

Dinner is cooking. A pasta dish. Here is a look at the sauce
Yes, those are meatballs. Yummy. On pasta. Salad of course. No wine, Emily is two cocktails into it already. I would like wine. I would not like Emily on wine TOO. If you know what I mean.
Added spinach too.

And cheese

And cheesy bread balls

I am now stuffed. I need no more food till breakfast. Well satisfied by the bean spinach meatball pasta spicy combo. And bread balls. There’s enough for seconds, come on by.

And it’s only 730. Wow. Early enough to have an evening. Still. This is crazy. Was it like this always, before the holiday season? I can’t remember. So we are now watching usual TV. Atlanta is beating the Rams. Other crap on other channels. I am not the biggest fan of television. Yet I watch it still. I must be an idiot. But its very comfortable here in the living room. Fire is warm, and all the animals are sitting here with us TV on and neither of us watching it. I’m blogging and not sure what Emily is doing on her phone.

We need to have dessert I think. Soon, after dinner settles. We bought a few things and have eclairs from last night. Add in ice cream and perfect. Or at least if not perfect it has ice cream. Then a little more bad TV and its bedtime. So it is.

I got up at 7. Earlier than I had to. I wanted to go work out before the big ay. Today is move out day for our tenant, Trisha. Her mom, Cissie, is here to help. The movers are coming at 830. It’s a big day.

So I went off to work out. Had a decent time, worked hard. Last day of the week is upper body work which is not the killer that my lower body workout is. Still tough and it hurts.

Got back home around 845. The movers had blocked the driveway since the truck did not fit. They blocked me out and Emily in. No problem, they’re gonna be gone early. That’s what Cissie claims at least.

I had a shower and got ready for work. I went out and checked on the pack and move progress. I must say, Trisha was in a supremely foul mood. What fun for Mom. And she has to drive with her all the way to Tacoma. Thats only like 12 hours trapped together. I feel sorry for Cissie. Oh yeah, 8 cats and two dogs in the car too. I left the two of them for packing and left. Atmosphere was too tense for me.

Emily told me they finally left at 2 pm. They filled both garbage cans too. Not a big deal, but annoying. Funny thing, Trisha put an old fish tank and a cat litter box, cover d, out at the curb. Both were actually taken by someone. That’s funny.

So off to work. For the second day in a row, and third this week, I met client Frank in the parking lot as I pulled in. He had more forms to sign and notarize. The forms have been endless and even Frank is wondering when they will end. I get requests from everyone for information on this deal and Frank pays for that. His deal should be finalized by next week. Then no more forms to sign.

The balance of the day was the usual Friday. Employee payday, take deposit to the bank and try to clean up a weeks worth of mess. In between, calls, emails and some work. I had one appointment which ran over long. But they did pay off their AR while here.

Drive home was entirely normal and uneventful. I can’t even remember the drive three hours later. That’s probably a blessing.

Met Emily at home, we both arrived at the same time. We went out to dinner at Punjabi Dhaba a local Indian restaurant. Food is excellent here. They have a varied menu but on Friday they have the buffet. Which is what both of us picked. With buffet, I get a little bit of everything plus dessert. I think it’s the best deal. And I love Indian food too. Our whole family loves Indian food. The place runs Bollywood films on the wide screen all during dinner. Bollywood movies are fabulous productions and very entertaining. I only watch them when I am here. Where else could I find them?

We ran to the store on our way home. Emily wanted ice cream and other desserts. And ibuprofen. I already had rice pudding and some other Indian dessert. So this is all on Emily. We managed to get three dessert items. And forgot the ibuprofen. You can see where Emilys head was at.

Back home Emily had some ice cream. The other desserts will need to wait. I am stuffed from dinner. So we sat and watched TV. Emily laid on the floor wih Taffy. Taffy is not doing very well all of a sudden and is having trouble walking. We know the day is coming but I still selfishly want her to hang on. She is the best dog we have.

We are now watching TV. The star of this show reminds me of our now former tenant in some ways. I don’t know why. Emily doesn’t think so. Whatever.

Almost time for bed. Yay. I am ready to fully sleep in, I hope. Got to clean up our in the garage apartment. It is disgustingly filthy. Will need to evaluate the clean up and get an action plan in place. I want to minimize the cost of cleaning up the pet damage. I am hoping to save the carpeting. We will see tomorrow.

Remember that movie a few years back? Started Kathy Bates and James Caan. Bates won an Oscar. Caan was an author, his car went off the road in snow, Bates found him and kept him captive in her house. Pivotal scene, she had him tied in bed and broke his ankles with a sledge hammer to keep him from running away?

Well, personally, I got that beat. I woke up at 330 am and could not get back to sleep. And I mean awake. I was awake. Not the bullshit people tell you how they got no sleep but really slept fine. Maybe woke up a lot but got sleep. This kind of crap? I was awake. It happens to me infrequently but it is purely miserable. I have gone as long as four days unable to sleep. I don’t mean partial, drowsing, r sting, no. I lie down n bed awake. Or getbup. Or try to read. I said it: misery. I think if I could be guaranteed a good nights sleep the rest of my life, I would let Kathy Bates break my ankles with a sledge hammer. Don’t believe me? Ask me on the third or fourth night in a row.

Ended up getting out of bed at 7. Made breakfast and coffee for me and Emily. Then off to work out. Regular workout today, no specific area. I am still sore as hell from yesterdays visit to the gym. And I’m doing an upper body tomorrow. That hurts too. But, someday, when I am a lean, mean, fighting machine, it will all be worthwhile. Then all will envy me, which is truly the best part.

Got to work by 1130, same time as Frank. He was back for more notarized signatures. He brought his brother in law, Ron. Ron had to sign docs as grantor. Ron also deals in refurbed espresso machines. We had a nice discussion about them and what I might want type I might want to get. Smart guy. Frank will be back tomorrow to sign more docs. He is keeping a strong front on with all these continuing requests for signature and such.

I worked a full day. More tax program set up, and admin work. No actual get paid work done. Sadly. I left the office about 6. Emily not getting home till 715. Cissie was there to pick up her daughter, Trisha and move her to Tacoma. They load up and leave Friday am. Kinda crazy.

Emily came home with salad and steak for our dinner. From the Buckhorn. Always a good meal.

After dinner I drove Cissie to Wal Mart to buy more boxes. I guess they need a lot more than they thought.

Cissie keeps acting like she is never coming back to California. I give her 3 months.

That’s her hiding from the camera as we sit here. Butt head.

That’s her a couple months ago. Still a butt head.

We are sitting and chatting, it’s almost beside bye. I want to go to bed. I only slept till 330 last night. So I am going to bed.

It’s Wednesday and I am going to work. It’s a short week so I am not staying home today. Btw, its 845pm and I’m just getter by started here. I may shorten my swing, if you know what I mean.

I am incredibly sore from yesterdays lower boat workout. I could have worked out today and I think that probably would have helped. Too late. My legs hurt like hell. And I use the lightest weights. Coach knows torture.

Today at work, nothing fun happened. I did get all my year end tax software downloaded. So at least I’m ready for all the crapola to arrive. Just live this time of year. Sadly, this was the highlight of my day. Once on my hard drive I was able to proforma (transfer) the 2016 client date to the new 2017 program. Are you on the edge of your seat? Personally I have trouble staying awake.

We (Em and I) had a meeting with our architect and contractor at 5. We were both late. They talked about a lot of things. Mostly, we need to get a variance for our project. Would involve approval of lots of people including our neighbor. Architect is not sure we would get all approvals needed. Kinda sad if we didn’t. Emily thought the meeting was a downer. I don’t feel that way. I think it will all work out for the best. Then we build the house we want. Go team.

We drove home after the meeting. Got home about 8. Still have leftovers so we were well fed. The dogs were well fed too. Especially Taffy. Since she received her death sentence we have been loading her up with treats and feeding her from the table. Anything. Spoiling is the daily order. The other two, no. They aren’t dying. So I can’t feel sorry for them.

The TV is not working. Whenever it rains the signal goes out. DirectTV is shit.

I am going to bed.

It’s Tuesday, January 2nd, 2018. Yikes. It’s the first official workday of the new year. I just received my first work text moments ago. It’s the dawn before the storm.

Years ago I loved this time of year. The work just piled in and I was up to my ears in it. It was what I had worked for all my adult life, a successful work life, a successful practice. Now, I see the error of my ways. What you wish for and work hard to obtain will most likely come true.

Growing up and throughout my school years, everyone seemed pointed at a goal. It always centered on making a good living. Everyone had dreams akin to that. I do not denigrate dreams, I now believe we should try to get our kids to aim at happiness and fulfillment as the goal and let what we do for a living fall into second place. Perhaps third. Why? Because work success does not lead to happiness. It can lead to a lot of money and assets but neither makes you happy. What money buys does not lead to mental stability. All you have and all you acquire must be taken care of. It’s just more work to do. In my job I see it every day. I help people attain their financial and job related goals. None of them gets happier or more contented. Many attain riches and those are the few who really understand what I speak of.

I don’t have the answers. For instance, I would love to sell my accounting practice and do something else. Anything else. But, my employees are scared. My wife, who is very supportive of my crazy thought, is worried. I can tell. Everyone wants a safety net for themselves and those around them. I think a leap of faith is all you need. I believe if I make a decision and move in that direction, I will be happier. Make a choice, then work like hell to make it the correct choice. And this time, don’t focus on the money.

I went to work out before I went out to work. Today is lower body. That means I will be in pain all day and unable to walk down stairs. I definitely am aware I worked out. It hurts just to sit here and eat dinner. Yikes. I hope it translates into fitness.

I got home about 11 and cleaned up. The locksmith, Bob, called and was on his way. So though I was ready to leave for work, I didn’t. I waited for Bob. He did show up timely, with his able assistant, daughter Emily. They are changing all the house entry door locks. Tenant is leaving and we ar moving so it seems a good time for it. I have known Bob forever. About 22 years. I have known his daughter a little longer. She was a friend of my daughter. I do like being able to do business with friends. I will miss that nice I move. I may actually have to make new friends. That’s scary.

My Emily got home from her appointment about about the time I was leaving. Had to finally get going.

Drive was the usual not much. Slow pace, steady and no problems.

Everyone was in. By everyone I mean 3 out of 5. But I did talk to one of the no shows. So all back to normal. No more holidays or good times. Sucks.

Spent my day talking to clients and doing the usual administrative work. I need a new line of work. Maybe street cleaning. That would be nice. No phone, no one to see, only paperwork is cleaning it up. I am getting jealous.

Still trying to finish client Franks tax plan. I need only obtain an EIN for the trust and we can fund. Then everyone gets paid. Of course, the IRS system for online EINs is backed up from here to Cleveland. So, I can’t finish. It is completely f…ed up. Where is the Justice?

I did manage to get the monthly billings done. So I will get paid. That’s the only good part of my job, and it’s not that good.

Off to home by 6. Tonight is Tuesday which means Taco Tuesday!! I got to the Carniceria by 645. Sad news, they were out of damn near everything. I was told no three times before they had something. Then I just asked what do you have? And that was my choice. Amazing. They did provide a lame excuse for being out of everything. Dinner was still very good.

Time for bad TV. Watching Ellen’s Game Show. Premise is inane. But people like Ellen so they like the show I think. Oh well.

Just got a call from Chris Parker, my cousin. Late night call from relatives are not known to be good news. And it’s not. My dad’s cousin Jake Compton died. I knew Jake, he was an interesting guy. Had plenty of quirks. Liked driving a truck, but only stick shift. Was a hoarder, of sorts. He saved every newspaper he received. He never cleaned his bathroom. He had diabetes and macular degeneration. He was my dads last cousin. My dad is probably the last of his generation in his family. I am not sure I would want to be last. But you aren’t given a choice. Not sure how my dad is going to be. Probably quite sanguine about it, I am sure. He liked his cousin, they have known each other 80 years, but if not related they may have not been friends. It doesn’t matter now.

Back to bad TV. More Ellen game show. Life, if you can call it that, goes on. At least bedtime will save me. 35 minutes from now.

That was a slow 35 mins I will never get back. Bedtime

Emily got up this morning and went to yoga. I gave some serious thought to working out and then I didn’t. Maybe Tuesday to Friday. I would think it crowded at the gym wih the new year resolution crowd. I already workout 3 or 4 days a week. No resolution (excuse) needed. Or should I say no special resolution like “this year I’m gonna…” whatever. If you want to start something that’s good for you, start now. Immediately. Why wait for the calendar? People are funny but not in a humorous fashion.

My new year resolution, number one, take a shower and get dressed. Wait, let’s go crazy, I will shave too. The excitement and anticipation are palpable. Don’t you agree? Well, off the pot and on to the day.

Just got a call from Marika. She lost her iPhone while out last night. In answer to your question, yes she was drunk. On New Year’s Eve. Rather pedestrian I think. I used the find friends app to get a location. She thinks its in the Uber. Wait, she just called, in the couch cushions. Amazing. So much like me. I lost my phone once. Turned up in a different pocket. Of the pants I was wearing. And I was sober.

Btw, I forgot to shave. Another New Years resolution blown. In record time, I must say.

Emily came home about midday. We went to Vacaville for some minor items we need. Then Emily decided we should get lunch. For some unknown and strange reason she picked Chili’s. Now, twenty years ago, when Chili’s was actually a decent place to eat, we went there quite often. It was also Michaels favorite restaurant. It was fun and lively. They had pictures all over the wall and cool props decorating the dining room. And the food was good. Fast forward to today. After a decline the place is no longer lively or fun. I had to wait 30 minutes for lunch after I sat down. They are understaffed. The food was ok and priced ok. They have also stripped the inside of the restaurant so it is almost completely free of any decoration at all. I read in the business pages it’s going down. I know why. Please don’t make me go back. It’s too sad.

After eating we headed home. Not much to do here. I finished all my chores yesterday. Remember the leaves. I am trying hard to forget. It’s working. So instead I went through the monthly bills and also reconciled our joint checking. I know, the excitement is electric! Hey, I’m not always the bon vivant you are used too. Sometimes you have to do the boring things. So sorry. I am now semi watching the news. So is Emily
She is watching through her eyelids. The news is pointless and boring, like every other day. Emily likes to watch it.

I am on to the laundry next. Even though it’s Monday, it’s really more of a Sunday in spirit. Do laundry is our Sunday chore. Fortunately very little laundry to do. But the damn bath mats are soaked and no matter how many time I do a spin only cycle, there are still wet. After the third spin they went to the dryer. Now do clothes which are easier. I hope.

I went back to watching lousy TV. Emily suggested we make nachos for dinner. So I went into the kitchen to see what we had. Turns out, a lot. I had carnitas which Michael had made and beans from last week. A jar of jalapeños and several packages of shredded cheese. Found olives in the pantry and had a large bag of corn chips. Off to the races and into the oven. We also had leftover mole enchiladas as a side dish. Dinner almost made itself. Of course it needed help from me. I did say almost.

Dinner was fantastic as I am sure you suspect. A fine meal had by all. Both of us ate too much which is a sure sign it was good. The chips were not crunchy enough for me, but I blame the cook.

After dinner was more bad TV and laundry. Our life is thrilling! I expect it to be like this the rest of the evening until nine when two episodes of Last Man Standing come on. Then its laundry and good TV. It’s getting closer all the time.

Well, half hour into good TV and its finally bedtime.