Month: September 2018

This is the end of a very long week. The continuing education marathon has drained me. I got up at 730, I think. Don’t really remember. Did the usual, plus newspaper. No big. Mowed the lawn. Washed the car. I came in and sat down and feel like it’s naptime. I did not overwork today so I can only assume it was the life sucking work I did all week.

I got a text from friend Cissie and we went on a text volley for the next forty minutes. She has strong thumbs. I broke it off so I could lay down some hot riffs in the blog. I like to do a little every once in awhile during the day. More live as it were. If contemporaneous, less I have to depend on my abysmal memory. And better is the output. You’re welcome.

I think I will go to the grocery store. I have literally nothing else to do. Ya, it’s crazy. I have a difficult time being still. Even when sitting and doing something it’s tough. Mania drives me I think. It would explain a lot.

I ended up going to the grocery store. And hardware store. I wanted to go by the car dealer and look at some new cars cuz the boy might be in the market since the crash. But I skipped it. And i am glad I did which I will discuss later.

So off to the hardware store to get smoking chips for the bbq. I got to Lowe’s, found the chips, realized I had no wallet with me. I may have uttered some colorful language. Wait, I did do that. Ok. Back into car and drive back home and get my stupid wallet. I blame the wallet for not getting in my pocket. Damn wallet.

On the drive back tonLowes I decided to go to the store I bought the bbq. I need fire starters and a cover for the Q. The place is a couple miles outside of town, just off the interstate. I got there 2 minutes before they closed. I drove through the front gate prior just as they tried to close it. Not a good customer. Too bad.

Inside the store, it was all different than my last visit. I questioned where all the Green Egg stuff was and the salesman said they were no longer a dealer. Which sucks. I will now have to drive an extra twenty miles to find a dealer. Good news, this place still had inventory. And all prices have been cut drastically. I got the hickory and apple chips and fire starter at 25% discount. No bbq cover, those were all sold.

Now I went to the grocery store. Usual trip, bought the same things as usual. Never much variance in what I buy. Tri tip on sale. Veggies. Fruit. I forgot the Diet Coke which does make the trip a little more exciting. Slightly.

Home next and put away the haul. Emily has stayed behind to work on glass projects she will be selling at Tremont School Fall Festival, a school fundraiser. She spent an easy three hours on the glass items which are now in the kiln.

Got a text from the boy. He found an almost exact copy of his car on autotrader. For about what the insurance company is giving him for his. We discussed all of the things he needed to do to see if the car was worth buying. Probably spent 20 minutes discussing it. So, called the dealer. It was sold that morning. I thought, there must be more for sale. I went on Car Gurus and found an easy 10 cars for sale almost identical to his. And texted them all to him. He now has two he is looking at tomorrow. This would be an easy solution for his situation. We will see.

Now you can see why it would have been a waste if I had gone to the dealer. Except for my looking at new cars. Which I do enjoy.

I got the bbq going by 3. And spiced the ribs. And put those new wood chips to use. I think a 3 hour slow cook at 225 will be awesome. They are cooking now, been a little over 2 hours. Emily is getting the sides ready. I may go help. But I already did the hard work.

I fed the dogs. That’s hard work. Everything is done, it’s 720. Still waiting on the potatoes. I opened a bottle of well thought of sauv blanc. Putrid. I almost puked. I gave Emily a taste. Same response. I am tossing the rest of it. I opened a red blend from WA state. Very nice. And under $10. So we are having the red with dinner.

The ribs are ready. The salad is ready. But Emily’s scalloped potatoes were still crunchy. Not done. They cooked 15 mins past all else. So we ate our salads. Potatoes still not done. So we ate dinner anyway. With crunchy potatoes and decent red wine. And, the smoked racks of pork ribs. Those were fabulous. No sauce required. I did a fine job. And we have a rack of leftovers.

The dishes are washed and leftover dinner is stowed. I am sitting in the front, sadly I am watching 48 Hours aka murder porn. There is nothing on. Nothing good at least. Emily sits and plays words with friends and I blog. I would turn off the TV but she likes the noise.

I think my evening is set. Awful TV till I go to bed. Oh well. I can handle it.

I can see my day developing in front of me. 16 more hours of CE to go. 4 trips to the bathroom so far, and it’s only 915. Related? Probably.

Emily bought danishes from our very local bakery. With how my stomach is feeling, I can’t eat one. I will save it for later I hope.

The poodle is doing fine after yesterday’s marathon visit to the vet. The dog will outlive us all. In the end of time it will be the cockroaches and my poodle. The other dog is walking the razors edge. He is just old and screwed up. There is nothing to do for him. Vet gave me some trazedone to hold down his anxiety – constant pacing, shaking, panting. I gave him one at bed time. It was as if he had died. He didn’t. Just stopped moving all night. It’s a blessing.

I am trying to get ready to leave.
My tummy feels like crap. I get ready between trips to the loo. Sorry, not sure how to politely describe it. I should be out of here in 30 minutes.

Emily is joining me in Sacramento at he end of the day. We are going out to dinner at a favorite place across the street from my office. Her plans put her in Sacto early, about 430. I won’t be ready then. She can hit the mall for some light shopping to kill time. And spend money. Maybe that is why she suggested this little outing?

Still at home, seated. Hoping for a cure soon, please. Some days are just not fun. Today, so far, is that day.

I kind of got better all of a sudden. By better I mean I felt I could go get in my car and go to work and not have to stop for a bathroom break every ten minutes. Strangely I just all of a sudden improved.

So, drive to work uneventfully. I like that. Drives should be orderly and peaceful.

Office was quiet, very few calls or visitors. I could really get used to that. Only two worker bees in today which adds to the quiet.

You will never guess what I did today. Wrong. I spent the day doing more CE. Fooled you. But, I am finished!!!! I get a break for a few months. I am relieved. It’s nice to be done. I still have to finish he packet, add $120 and mail to the Board. No problem. Monday.

I had enough time in my day to prepare payroll, cut up the danish and macaroon and share with the other two and do other paperwork for a change. I had forgotten what that is like.

I had a long conversation with number one son. We had to discuss all things car wreck. He is still trying to settle on what he is doing. He may pay to fix the car. Or he may take the cash offer. He is still unsure. He is far to contemplative for his own good. I think he will end up buying a used car and junking the wrecked one. It’s just easier.

Emily called about six, she had finally arrived at the place across the street. She was in Nordstrom. I finished up and joined her. And by finishing up I mean I have to come back after dinner for an hour and finish up. Got to have my packet ready to submit.

I drove over to the mall, got my free valet parking at the restaurant and joined Emily in the mall. We lasted about ten minutes. Hen off to restaurant and a cocktail. Old Fashioned actually. We each had one. Dinner was nice. The joint was not as busy as it usually is on a Friday. Service good and food excellent. Would be nice if it was cheaper but all things considered I had a great time and a nice meal. What more can I ask for.

After dinner I did what I had said. Emily got her car and went home. I got mine out of hock and went back to the office. I had plenty to compile and copy. Write a check. All sorts of crap. Nothing fun or funny. Then I hit the road. No traffic, it’s late. So I was able to maintain speed and make good time.

Emily did not call all worried till I was five minutes out. That’s very good for her. She worries. I guess she still loves me.

She was already in bed when I can in. Every animal was too. So, I cleaned up and got my heinie ready for bed. Just needed to finish the days blog and it’s off to dreamland. Please.

Ok. Not my kind of morning, nor my kind of day. What do I mean, you say? Well, I went to bed at maybe 10:15 last night. Gotta be up and moving by 4am to get dog to vet in San Jose. Want to miss traffic and it’s tough to time it. I woke up at 230am and could not sleep. Wonderful. I should have gotten up then. Instead I stayed in bed, awake, till 4 am alarm. Great.

So how was my morning? Well, other than feeling like shit from lack of sleep, my morning was nice. I got up and showered and since I did not take last shower I did not have to squeegee the shower doors. Great. Dressed. Made breakfast for dogs and cats as usual. Ok. Made Emily’s lunch. Good. Did not make her breakfast because it would be awful in two hours when she gets up. Great. I made no coffee for same reason. Great. Packed my food. Ready to go in well under an hour. So, it was a nice morning.

Kissed Emily goodbye and got on the road. It’s not far to the clinic. But, San Jose has some of the worst commute traffic on the planet. So if I miss that, I will arrive about an hour early andnin good spirits. If I hit the traffic I will be at least an hour late and arrive angry/pissed/homicidal. I choose early.

I did make one stop on my way to SJ. Starbucks. Which is not easy while driving down the interstate at 445am. I used a tactic I learned from the boy. I opened Yelp (that’s correct, while driving) punched in Starbucks, pressed the nearby button and you get a very small map and a list of locations. You can’t use the list. Because you are driving and the list is all around you and behind you. I expanded the map which shows all the redo dot locations on the interstate and others and where your car is at. Then I poked the nearest red dot to the freeway that was in front of me far enough so it could calculate that location directions quick enough for me to make the exit. So I did that. And found a Starbucks right on the freeway with NO signage. Did not know it was there. Method is a real bonus. I got a large hi octane hot coffee and got right back on the road.

Now, I am sitting in my car in the clinic parking lot with latte at 650am while clinic opens at 730. And Latte is panting in the backseat and her poodle breath is gross (ask someone that has a poodle) and it’s 60 degrees so she must be stress panting. Poodles are one of a kind.

But my down time sitting let’s me do the blog thing. I have already drank the coffee and eaten so nowhere else to go.

Upon arriving I let stinky out of the car. She took a leak in the parking lot immediately. I managed to get her to the designated dog area for her solid business. They have bags and a can. She got back in the car, panted for a few minutes and is now quietly sleeping.

If I have any luck, please Lord, I will be outta here quick with the dog. I don’t feel lucky. When I discussed Lattes symptoms with the Doc on Monday he gave me a list of five possibilities, all horrible. Since she is 16 I kinda expect the worst. Something really bad will devastate Emily. That is the most difficult thing for me. I have had many pets go to the great beyond and you do get used to it. But I have had only the one wife, and how she reacts to this determines how I react. I don’t look forward to bad news. Fortunately, we are all still in the positive frame of mind. At least for another hour or so. Pray for the dog.

Just so everyone knows, sitting in your car waiting for something to open is on the most boring things ever list. And, it’s probanly not on top of the list. In the top five for sure.

So I sat in the car with Latte for forty minutes. And then they opened. I went in with the dog. Raj was not there yet because of traffic. And he drove from only South San Jose. I was forty minutes early and I came from Vacaville. Hardly makes sense. In spite of no Dr, the tech took Latte in for x rays. And whatever else they do in the back. I told them to bring her back healthy.

I sat. Played solitaire. And waited. Dog showed up. Laid down. Raj showed up and we went into an exam room. We discussed the dog and a few other things. And then I sat down in the lobby again. And waited.

Lattes prognosis from my text with the Ver a couple days ago was all bad. He suggested five fatal diseases or problems were likely. So when he brought me back in to the exam room I braced myself. Problem? Well, infected anal sacs, ear infection, and bronchitis. All cured with antibiotics. She is gonna live forever, I think. While there they brought all dog maintenance items up to date.

We left. Heading north, to Vacaville, not Alaska. Very fast trip. Hour and twenty.

At home I put the poodle in the backyard to do her business. Jax too. While they produced poop I cleaned up poop. Then something cool happened. I dropped my phone in dog poop. Oh joy! So I took it inside and spent 30 minutes cleaning it. Disgusting. It went in all the cracks and of course you cant clean a phone with water. It was very gross. Awful. Foul. Smelly.

I went by Tremont before work. Told Emily her dog was actually fine and really will live forever. So stop worrying.

I’m on the way to work. Smooth and easy trip. I finally got to work around 1230. And then the day begins. What do I do? CE for five hours. Maybe six. I have got to get this crap done. Tomorrow I hope. Please.

I left work around 630. Straight home. Fed dogs and cats and Rx’d he he’ll out of them. Emily arrived right then. We chatted about my day which was the exciting part of the day. And I told her the diagnosis details. Very thrilling.

I made dinner for us. And that’s the day. Besides the usual horrid television shows prior to bed. And I am damn tired, having slept only 3 1/2 hours last night, followed by a drive all morning trip. I am ready for bed.

I woke around 5. I say around five because I can’t really see my clock from across the room without my glasses on. So, I got up at one point to hit the head before this point I speak of and it was before five. You can see I keep Rolex time.

I stayed awake till the alarm went off at 630. I suppose I should read or something but I just wanna want to sleep. This is not an auspicious start to my work week. Maybe I can sleep tonight. All the way to the alarm.

Last night, for that matter all day yesterday, Latte had a cough. Now Poodles, as a rule, always have a cough. And bad breath. And Poodle attitude. But I digress. Her cough has been an issue for a year or so. But, not much. One bout a day maybe skip a couple days. Not horrible. Yesterday, constant. Or almost such. When she was asleep, no cough. I sent a video of her hacking to the vet. He said he had 5 answers – collapsing trachea, allergic bronchitis, cancer, congestive heart failure, pneumonia. Lovely. Latte is 16 years old. None of this is good. She needs a chest x Ray first. I have to hump her down to San Jose this week. Good news, she has a great appetite. Of course, Taffy had a great appetite up to the end. Not good.

I have lots of other crap going down today. May have building sold. We are on deal number three. Need agreement from 2nd holder and we are done. I have little faith. But I am riding this plane into the ground.

Next up is a conversation with the Board of Accountancy. Regulators of all things accounting in our great state. I would describe them as a pile of fetid turds, only because this is a family blog. I am trying to closenout my last license filing and they are being, well, turds. They are doing what bureaucrats do – gum up the works, halt progress, act like hitler youth, the usual. I don’t love them.

Just finished breakfast as did Emily. She is outta here. Again, I am left with the miscellaneous errand – pick up wax paper bags, sandwich size. Those are available in Sacramento at Cash and Carry which is close to my office. Emily can’t live without them.

Time for usual SSS. Love listening to the dog wheeze and hack as I sit here. At least it means she is still alive. Morbid, but true.

So, ready and off to work. It’s early so I stopped at Starbucks and got a large ice coffee. That’s the last good thing today. No more enjoyment today.

Off to office. Had an 11am appointment with a new client. Needs 6 tax returns prepared. He was here for 2 and a half hours. Yikes.

After my one and only appointment, I spent the remainder of the day doing my continuing ed. It’s due by 9/30. So it’s full blast till then. I have a lot done but I need 80 total hours and I have 50. I got a ways to go.

I worked on CE till 530. I left and ran an errand for Emily. Stopped by Cash and Carry to get wax paper sandwich bags. They had the wrong kind. So no bags.

From cash n carry I headed home. Quick and eventless trip. The best kind.

Got home, Emily was cleaning up after Latte. She had a booty explosion on the rug. Lovely. Good thing she is sick.

After that, we fixed dinner. Leftover tri tip and a salad. Leftovers. I love leftovers. They make me happy. I want them every day which is not possible. Unless I come visit you.

After dinner I spent a few hours doing CE. With a computer you can do it anywhere, unfortunately. That was my whole evening. Except I am going to try and clean the aforementioned rug a little more in detail. Then it’s bedtime.

Oh yeah, Lattes appointment is Thursday morning at 730 in San Jose. I will have to be up by 4am and leave at 5. Yuck.

Slept ok last night. By ok I mean I slept till 430. Then was awake for half hour. Then asleep. Then awake. Till 930. So I felt like poop when I got up. Em slept in till 930 as well. Crazy. But she slept all the way through. She is lucky that way. And I am not.

So nice morning moving very slow. Did the usual. Got the fat paper and took my time reading it. For no more reason than I felt like it.

We were ready to get moving by noon. Told you, slow morning. I headed out to the storage unit to drop some stuff off. Then while there, parked, engine running, air on (it’s hot) I called back a client who has been trying to get ahold of me. 30 minutes later, call done. That guy is a champion talker. Emily called and sent me up the street to the hardware store for electrical tape. Instead, I found the coolest thing, a disposable bbq. I grabbed one for the trailer. Seems perfect for camping and then I don’t need to carry a dirty bbq around. Having to carry a bbq, and charcoal and fluid is kinda a pain in the but. So a bbq that just burns up, no metal, seems a bonus. I will report back on the wonder of such a product after the first use.

So I went back to storage from the hardware store. The trailer is there and the bbq will be used when I go camping so I thought it the best place for it.

From here I went home. 17 minutes. Close but not. Emily was sweeping out the garage when I arrived. So she signaled to stop and I waited till she finished. I noticed while sitting in the car and staring into the garage that I had not set up the new shelf. Old shelf was plastic and it has already sagged a lot. Only six months. So I had purchased a metal shelf last week. So when Emily let me into the garage I parked. And then emptied the crappy plastic shelf and set up the metal shelf which is far better and worth the higher price. And I loaded it up with a lot more crap. It’s a winner.

Now we are just sitting, maybe out of chores. Except laundry. I am going to start the bbq soon and give the tri tip a 3 hour slow cook. It’s been marinating since yesterday. I will go do that.

Ok. Tri tip is on for an hour now. At about 250. I am hoping three hours is enough. I have about that much time before I want to eat dinner. That’s how I time it. If it ain’t done the temp goes up.

The two of us have been doing chores. And listening to Latte’s cough. She has had one for a couple years but today it all of a sudden intensified. And it’s bad. I see a trip to San Jose in my future. Probably this week. Our veterinarian is in San Jose. I drive the three hours one way willingly since vet and I trade services. So not having to payout $$ makes me happy. I sent vet a video of her hacking to get a diagnosis.

We have reached the point in the day where the bad TV is on. I would rather go through the day in silence. But Emily loves TV at least she likes the noise it makes. Could have gone to a movie even. Which is an improvement over TV. I’m gonna go empty the cat box.

Well that was disgusting. I could do without having to clean a cat box. We have two. One for each of our mangy, flea bitten cats. Fortunately one of them is 15 and has renal issues. Maybe it won’t be long. The other one is 5 which means I’m stuck with her for a long while. The dogs are on thin ice. All the time.

We are watching the news which is truly a waste of time. The daily news is pointless. You won’t remember what you watched five minutes later. I don’t see the attraction. So we watched the local news then national. Truly stupid, both broadcasts covered the same stories.

At least 60 Minutes was interesting. It does not qualify as terrible TV. Like the rest of crap we watch.

At 630, I pulled the tri tip off the grill. Only 3 hours cooking and it is perfect. We paired that with grilled asparagus and peppers. We opened a can of chenin blanc (client has a winery, they gave me cans) and dinner is on. An excellent meal. Emily drank most of the wine, she is not dieting. But, all in all, very good Sunday dinner. And leftover tri tip will make excellent sandwiches.

The rest of the evening was spent with bad TV. If it ain’t broke, you know? Then off to bed. I got work tomorrow.

Well, it’s finally Saturday. What’s different? Well, I don’t make lunch for Emily. Woo hoo! That’s my break. I do all the same things as on a weekday. And Emily is going to workout so I still have a time deadline too. Not much of a day off.

It’s 1030 and all is done, including the lawn mowing. Which was under 10 mins again. Emily just got home. We are going to have lunch with Marika’s landlord. Ok, Mary is an old family friend, I have known her almost as long as I have known Emily. Whoa. She was the town pharmacist in Petaluma for many years. 35. Anyhow, we are driving to her place to go out for lunch. A long drive for a meal. It’s what you do.

Drive was pleasant enough, though way to long. We got there and were reunited with our grandcat, Vlad. If I hadn’t mentioned it, Marika lives in Mary’s house so Vlad is there too. I think he was actually glad to see us. And he has become more friendly as well. I was able to rub his belly and pet him and he never growled. Not once.

We went to lunch at a pub restaurant. I was not to terribly impressed with the food though Mary and Emily seemed to like it. Of course, I m back on my diet after the baccanalian celebration last weekend. Plus I have been spotty on my diet compliance so I did not “freely” order from the menu. If you can eat what you want, you order differently. I would have.

Next stop, Sonoma Cutrer vineyards. It’s where Marika works. I am still (it’s 9pm) unsure why we drove the forty minutes. I could have waited. But drive we did. Marika seemed to be having a great at work. Getting good tips. Smiling. That was fine.

One of the best things here is we get free wine. So all they serve is free. Today is free champagne. And free Pinot. Mary had never been here before so for her all was new. So halfway through our visit Marika informed us she had to leave. There was an event in Sonoma for the winery and she was working. So she left. And we left. We probably weren’t there for an hour.

So back in the car to Petaluma. Forty minutes back. We dropped Mary off at her house in Petaluma and she got right into her car and went to her house in Bodega Bay. She prefers Bodega, so much so that Marika gets the house to herself. Free rent and a whole house to herself. Very nice.

Em and I drove back to Vacaville. One stop at my favorite Grocery store, Winco. Picked up a few essentials and home.

Got home, my stupid dog had peed in the house. I hate dogs and all pets. So we fed the little shits and the cats. I cranked up the bbq and we burned some steaks for dinner. We steamed some veggies too. Man can not live by meat alone. Though I would like to try.

We are now sitting and watching TV. Fun. It’s 935 and I am hoping we can go to bed soon.

I was in bed at 930 last night which qualifies as early for me. Don’t know why so early, may be because Emily was getting ready for bed at 915. One of the signs of advancing age. Uh oh. Seeing her get ready, I turned off the TV and got ready for bed. Finding the TV off when she exited the bathroom seemed to surprise her. I said, when I see you are getting ready for bed I presume that’s where you are going. It’s not a leap. Maybe I jumped the gun but I go to bed right after doing the evening ablutions.

Not to get to far off topic, I started out talking about going to bed early. Ben Franklins famous missive, early to bed early to rise…. We have all heard it. Seems to be bullshit. I did get up early. I woke at 509 and could not get back to sleep so I got up. And I feel like crap because of it. Franklin is a liar.

It’s Friday. Nothing special on Friday mornings. Same old poop. Speaking of which, the Cocker. The one with no nerve endings in his anus. Every morning, feed dog and put him outside immediately. Because his gloppita gloppita machine starts to go. I put the little cretin out. For ten minutes. I was rewarded when I let him in and he quietly dropped four poops around the house. He doesn’t stand still. I hate that dog sometimes. It’s one thing I will not miss when he is gone. Currently, he is back outside. Whining. Too bad, so sad. Not.

Just got my first client text of the day. The individual deadline is coming up on 10/15. And late filers always remember. I don’t remind them. They are adults. They can do the adult thing without being reminded. I am thinking these were the kids whose parents continually did things for them. I am going to text back. Appointment means $$ for me.

I wish I was in the mushroom business. Every time I do poopy patrol I get more mushrooms than poops. Today was an extreme example, three shovel scoops of mushrooms and less than one of poops. Sadly, I think there are no customers for toadstools.

Everything in the way of chores done kinda early this morning. So I used the extra time to read the newspaper. In case you want to know, nothing happened in the last 24 hours.

I showered and dressed and left for work. Drive was smooth and fast. No traffic. I live right.

I arrived the same time as my first appointment. He is an Oakland cop. The most interesting thing about him is his wives. They live in Thailand. Yes, wives. He has two. I have a hell of a time with one so I can respect him for having two. According to him the average Thai man has five wives. Yikes. He has a hell of a time deciding which would be the wife on his tax return. The other would be a dependent. He does not want to anger either. I really feel for him.

I managed to finish up his return in under two hours. He even tipped me $170!! I haven’t gotten a tip in years.

After him I had someone in the waiting area with no appointment. The same client who has been in three days his week. I finished most of the return Monday last and he could never find the time to get back in and tell me some lies to get the balance due down. Well, today was the day. We sat down and went through the return I had finished. Managed to vomit the income enough to where he had a refund. Amazing. I had just finished up, right before the summer trip, 7 way past due tax returns for him. So now he owes me $4500. No tip.

After they left I just worked. And worked. And did the office payroll. And worked some more. I called the bride late in the day to see if she wanted to come in to Sacramento for dinner. She did not answer her phone. Which is par for the course. I tried several more times before I gave up and went home. I let her choose where we eat.

We got home at about the same time. She gave me some lame excuse about work being the reason she did not answer the phone. Lame excuse. She picked a spot for dinner which was only ok. Too bad, coulda had great.

Dinner out was nice. Again, nothing too special. It was also quite quick. No matter.

We headed home. Had to stop and get some super expensive dog food. Then home.

We watched a little TV. And then bedtime.

It is 755 am. And I’m done with all morning rituals. How did that happen? I can go to work early, if I want. Even if I don’t want. It’s a shame I am not retired because then my choice would be made for me. Stay home. Of course, since I still work, and have plenty to do, I am going to the office. In spite of the three adverts on the TV this morning scaring me about retirement. Those ads are always in a “scare ‘em and give ‘em the cure” format. The scare part is the only part that is true. Someday I will retire. Because I have too.

So off to work. I have so much time I thought I should stop for coffee. By the time I got that far, I had forgotten. No coffee.

I have the two failed tires in the hatch of my car. You will remember, last week, my daughter had trouble with her car. Steering and handling compromised. She went to the Honda dealer in Sant Rosa who did maintenance and rotated tires and sent her on her way. Same problems reoccurred. Daughter went to Petaluma Honda. They forbid her from driving till she replaced her front tires. Gave her a loaner car. A different approach. They identified serious problems with the tires. So, I went to buddy Jim’s tire shop got two new ones and drove them to Petaluma. Problem solved.

Marika brought the two bad ones home for me to give to Jim. Jim may be able to get cash from the wholesaler for the defects. So that’s why I am going to Jim’s this morning. To drop off the tires. I hope it works. The tires were in horrible shape. I think defective.

Work beckoned. I responded. No traffic and I am going in a couple hours earlier. I always thought it would be busier.

I arrived early and no one said a thing. Also surprising to me. But at least I know and that is really what is important.

I have a busy day. Today is the statutory deadline for an appeals filing. I need about two hours to finish it up and mail it out. It has to be postmarked today. Client needs to appeal a 250K assessment on her audit. So I need to get the appeal filed timely.

A two hour job takes 3 to 3 1/2 hours with all the interruptions. Because there always are. I did manage to finally finish the appeal. Then it was off to all the other IRS filings I had on my desk. None had a deadline. I finished a couple. I left one for a call tomorrow to the IRS. Sometimes I have to involve the enemy.

My entire day was spent doing the above. I had intended on a late meeting with a client to finish his two returns. But he could not make the time. Of course he waited until late to tell me. Dickhead.

So now time to leave. Hey! I finally had traffic to deal with. Trip actually bogged down for five minutes. Otherwise, fast trip. I stopped at the grocers on the way home for some must have supplies. Then off to home.

Emily had just arrived when I did. She had gone to work out after work.

We have little planned for this evening. Including dinner. So we jerry rigged a salad together and voila, dinner. After dinner, bad TV. Is there any other kind?

Soon bedtime. Thank god. That way I am even closer to going back to the office.

And no commas. Although they do save lives. Which is how English teachers justify their existence.

Today is another huge day. Huge. MAGA. I have a haircut at 10. Ok, it may not seem like a big deal to you. But a haircut is not everyday. And my stylist, I need style, is the largest repository of gossip in all of Dixon. So not only will I look fantastic when done, I will also be very well informed on all matters of import in Dixon. See, huge day. Maybe even get topical material to opine upon for your entertainment. Now I have your attention.

This morning, a morning like any other, was. You expect more? Emily is sitting with me. She is wolfing down her oatmeal as always. And she says I eat fast. She does this every day. I am having coffee because I just finished my meal of PB cookies and German chocolate cake. Birthday sweepings of a sort. And now I blog. Emily just passed the empty bowl to the dogs. Like always. Helps to keep them fat. Like cake and cookies for breakfast.

Today will be a short workday. I have at least two errands to run. This morning I have to buy a dozen cupcakes for some teacher thing for Emily. Yes, I am her personal slave. Also, I have to leave early for home because we have a repairman coming to fix the shower handle. The handle, plastic, shattered because I thought it was there to turn the water on and off. It wasn’t. The valve is a bit stiff and difficult to turn which when combined with a cheap handle can be a bit problematic. My point, I have to leave by 4pm to meet the repairman. Last but not least, I have to go to the finance company and make the payoff payment on the S2000. I am sick and tired of dealing with these turds so I am just paying off the loan. At least I think I am. They find many reasons to NOT take money for payment. Not kidding. And since the loan is not in my name they may refuse payment. Again, would not be the first time. I am not looking forward to this because I have had a few wasted trips to their office. I hate them. A – L Financial is a horrible company. You have been warned. I am off to clean the shower, for the repair guy. Emily needs it clean actually. Then it’s shower and outta here.

Ok. So I learned something on my first errand this morning. I went to the Safeway Bakery to get one dozen cupcakes. Seems straightforward, doesn’t it? It’s not. I searched high and low. And high and low again. They don’t sell them individually. I can get two dozen. I can get four packs for $4 each. No. I can get a dozen minis. I can get a ten pack. But the one thing they don’t sell is one dozen. And I did ask. No reason given. I looked at the gal, smiled and said “Wal Mart”.

Nice drive to Wally World. To their bakery,which is generally considered sketch, and found that they sell 12 at a time. One dozen. Hooray for team me. I purchased said cakes of cup and dropped them off at Tremont. Walking to my car I heard a hey! behind me. I turn. Some gal I have no damn idea who it is. No voice recognition and no glasses on. I had to get close enough to touch her before I realized it was Terry K. Oops. I explained my dilemma too her – I’m blind and deaf and I do remember her having known her only twenty years. I see her daughter and husband more often than her. We brought each other up to speed on our families. Usual stuff.

I drove to work. No traffic. Gentle drive. Not sure why everyone complains about the commute. I sure don’t. I like driving.

My day, as I said was shortened. I did manage to finish the two tax returns dropped off yesterday. Client is aupposed to be in at 330 to pick up. Leaves me time to take off at 4 to get home for repairman.

I did the usual other tasks I do every day. Same old crap. At about 145 I left for the bank. I need to get a payoff check certified for the loan company I mentioned above. I got to the bank at 150. Sign on the door “closed for lunch”. Really? A bank closes for lunch. For an hour?! Not much choice, I waited the ten minutes at the door.

At exactly 2pm, two women obviously just back from lunch, come to my side of the door and unlock it. I think the boss might say be back a couple minutes early and not by skin of your teeth. No matter. I stepped up to the counter. And the teller proceeded to obliterate my transaction. 15 minutes and no cashier check. Slow, stupid, poorly trained. With an accent. She had to call for help and the help did it in 2 minutes. Morons.

I drove off to the most unpleasant loan company in America. I hate them. But, this is my last act with them. I got there very quick, again no traffic. Walked up to there bullet proof window, they need it, and handed over my check and documents. And they took them. And processed them and gave me a receipt. Without any pushback. I checked the sign on the door, ya I’m in the right place. They saved the best for last I guess. Weird.

Drove to the office. Ok, traffic sucks. Slow and stopped quite often. Five miles in 15 minutes. And it’s only 3 pm.

I got back to the office a little after 3. Back to work till client arrives. At 330 he texted and said it will be tomorrow. Cool. I left. Gotta meet the next guy. Repairman. At my house.

Again I had a fine drive. Emily called about 4, I was near home. She called to go over the remains of the day. Her days are more exciting than mine. We chatted about the worst parts of her day. I think I am a good listener. She needs to tell me everything.

I got home before 5. Repair guy here between 5 and 6. So I got the mail. Did a few chores. Like poopy. Laundry. Unpacked a box from friend Cissie – blackberry jam, some baked blackberry treats, and another birthday card! The cards never end!

Emily arrived at 545. Still no Miguel the repairman. He arrived 5 mins later. He determined what I knew, the handle was broken. Duh. The valve has failed. Duh. No one ever believes you. He left to get parts. Good luck.

So Em got changed. I have been blogging. We are now both sitting. She is doing her Words With Friends thing. I am finally caught up with my day.

So no longer caught up. Days are like that. I was sitting, enjoying the doing nothing thing. Realized. Stupid dogs and cats need feeding. While I was making the dogs food, and I do mean making, I was thinking how nice this part of the day will be when the dogs are finally gone. They are 15 and 16 so my thoughts are timely. Jax, kidney and liver problem, gets special dry and half can of special wet food. About $2.50 per meal. And his large pill from the $90 bottle and half pill from the $131 bottle. See, make food. See, better once gone. The poodle still eating regular food for fat old dogs. No more dogs after these. I also had a snack while I made there dinner. And no, I did not reach into the wrong bag and eat dog food. Though I have seen that happen.

Repairman just got back. I wonder what he would say if he knew the only reason we fixed the shower tub faucet was for the cat? She loves it when we turn it on. I would swear it’s the only water she ever drinks. He has the water running in there, I can hear it. Though he said he was shutting off the water not 5 minutes ago. I do not understand. Of course, I am sitting in the front room and only getting my info in a peripheral fashion. I await his verdict.

He’s done. It works. I did nothing. Landlord paid. I like renting.

We had dinner. I made salad and sliced up some of the Birthday Wellington you are all jealous about. It is still delicious.

After dinner I suggested we go for a walk. Surprised Emily. But I need some exercise. So walking around the neighborhood at night reinforces the fact that I have no idea where I am. The houses and streets in this neighborhood are identical and it is confusing. We walked out into the neighborhood and I was completely lost. But, I did have a nice walk around and through the park and the ‘hood. I need to go for walks more often.

We came back and had dessert. Friend Cissie had included blackberry cheesecake brownies and a blackberry pie bar. It’s nice to have friends with time to bake who care enough to share what they bake. Because I have dessert. Very nice. Delish even. Thank you Cissie.

The rest of the evening is a little TV, as usual. And some sitting in this hot house. I need to shut the doors and turn on the AC if I want to sleep well. And once it’s cool, go to bed.

Good morning. I slept an extra half an hour. Just the way it works sometimes. I slept way to well and wanted to stay in bed. But it’s a workday. And I have several appointments.

But first let’s do our duty. I let my incontinent dogs out. Both with a different version of the problem. Latte is not really incontinent. She will do her business on purpose, anywhere. On your feet if she wants. That’s just a poodle with an attitude. Whereas Jaxon wanders around dropping gifts in the house with no conscious thought. None. So he has to go out often. Especially after meals. And when outside he goes anywhere, doorway or patio or lawn. Yes, we still love the stupid dog.

So I let them in. And then feed them. Jax has a half pill in am for liver issues. And special food for his kidneys. Latte gets food for fat old dogs. Not special. In evening Jax gets a quarter pill and a huge other pill that does god knows what. Mostly these pills just remove money from my pocket.

Anyway, once fed, out go the dogs. Again. Now I can make oatmeal for Emily. And her lunch. My breakfast was some pie and PB cookies. Not the usual but i am still in post birthday mode and will be until all the food is gone.

This morning, once I finally get ready, I need to take the S2000 to the body shop to fix the lower front spoiler. Cracked straight through. Lovely. I drop that car off and Uber to the Auto Vault and pick up my Fit. Then off to the races.

I have four appointments today. Gonna be busy so now is the time to get ready.

I got to the body shop in a timely manner. The hand off of the car was fast and easy. Once done with that I pressed the Uber button on my phone, and, amazingly, there was a ride available. It’s always questionable in Dixon. Not much call for rides. I got the only one available.

The ride to Auto Vault, where my car is, in West Sacramento was quick. No traffic. My driver was nice enough, and friendly and not overly talkative.

I had called ahead so they would have my ride ready. Which they did. But they had not filled the tank like I asked. Dicks. I drove direct to the closest fuel station and yanked myself.

Off to work. I arrived at exactly the same time as my first appointment, a couple who own a restaurant and brewery. Met them at the curb. I had not seen either since April. I absolutely did not recognize the husband. He had cut his hair, shaved his beard and lost 80 pounds. A new man. Or, an old man with drastic changes.

We went inside and discussed the exciting world of their accounting system for an hour or so. Not much to it. We are trying to migrate to a new software system and pick up the system maintenance. It’s what we do. We ended the meeting with us doing the initial setup and then moving forward to maintaining. All to slow.

Next person in was my buddy Hal Brown. We had to go over all open cases esp one which is almost done. Hal had a stroke recently, which is crazy, but he came out okay. Though he is still having problems with getting his meds right. And he has lost weight. We managed to catch up on details of the deals we are working on.

He left and the next client came in. An owner of an appliance repair business. We are trying to get his last years taxes done. I also had to give him his prior ten years worth that I just finished. By just I mean before vacation. He is way behind at the moment but won’t be once he finally files those ten years. Yikes. He had arrived late and I had to leave early for an outside appointment. So it was quick. I got all his stuff together fast and can finish up tomorrow.

So I was out the door by 345. I had to meet in Dixon. Nice drive back home. My check engine light came on. So I called mechanic Dennis. I am taking it to him tomorrow. In he meantime, I dropped by my Buddy Jim’s shop to use his code reader. Plugged it in and not much help. So I checked the gas cap and oil level. I aired up the tires. I left. And the light was out. Go figure.

Then off to other appointment. Only 15 minutes.

It’s too Tuesday. Off to the carniceria. I got a call while there, and thirty minutes later it was done. My god. I skipped and other calls and ordered food. Which took forever. I ordered marinated skirt steak which, it appears, takes a long damn time to cook. Like twenty minutes instead of the usual ten.

Finally all done. Off to home. Emily still not back from workout. I fed the dogs and cats. I got the take out ready. And waited. Emily got home. Dinnertime

The skirt steak was very good. Emily had the chicken which is also good. I had four more birthday cards in the mail so I guess I got a birthday extension this year. My sons card finally arrived, late because he mailed it on Saturday. He kept asking me if it had got here. Covering his tracks because he forgot. No matter.

After dinner a little TV as usual. Bedtime is soon I can only hope.