Month: June 2019

Knew it was the Fourth of July.

I could not sleep last night. Like toss and turn till 2am. Could not drag myself up at 530 or whenever to go workout. I am worthless.

Managed to get to sleep at some point. Woke a couple times to get up. Finally out of bed just past nine. We are going on a ghost tour later this evening, our only set plans We May tour the Garden District as well today but that takes planning and Marika can’t pull the trigger. Which is why we wander around the city drinking cocktails in strange bars with bookshelf doors.

I think I may book a tour for this morning just to make us move in a direction. Makes me feel better. Like I am accomplishing something. I do need better coffee than hotel room coffee. I have not found a good cup of coffee in this city yet. And speaking of mediocre coffee, there are no Starbucks to be found anywhere. And I look. Not sure how they are kept out, but they are. No loss. But I could get an ice coffee, large, a little milk if they were here. That might be nice. All I find here are bars. That does have its place.

Kid is still getting ready. Doesn’t take her long, 20 minutes or so. Gives me a chance to sit and slog through these mental calisthenics. It is waking me up though not like a physical workout. Got to go tomorrow.

I think we are close to leaving. Probably. Yes. We have left. First, went to a coffee joint up the street in search of better coffee. Amazing how the coffee here is not very good.

The Arrow Cafe on Rampart. They sell coffee and that’s it. Almost nothing else besides a poor selection of rancid looking and prob “healthy” baked goods. The coffee, average at best. And expensive. Still searching.

Decided to walk up to the square we crossed yesterday on our way to Cafe du Monde. The central square has a grassy area surrounded by a decorative iron fence about six feet tall. Artists put their work up on the fence for crazy tourists to look at, and they hope, purchase. Not me. We cruised it. Again, nothing truly notable.

We stayed in the square till Marika said she needed to find a toilet, soon. We are so close to the hotel that’s where we went. She is working on it now. And doing a fine job. I know this because she is texting from the bathroom. TMI? I don’t know, I used to change her diapers.

We are lying around doing nothing. Thinking of things to do before we jump in a Lyft and head to our Garden District tour at two. Maybe we will just lie around. Have a snack. Hit the head a couple more times.

We decided to Lyft it to our tour. It’s 2.5 miles and it’s 100% humid today. No walking to our walk. The smartest thing we did was leave an hour and a half early. Not for worms, just to give us cruise time.

An hour early, what to do? Found a local eatery serving donuts. And sandwiches on donuts. Ok. I’m in. Only 19g carb in a glazed and double that in two slices of wheat bread. So I ordered a monte christo on a powdered glazed donut. Wow, tasty, and so good for you. I think this is a fantastic way to kill 45 minutes. And we had to walk a half mile to get there. So it’s like calorie neutral. That’s my spin. Marika and I split the sandwich cuz who needs all that food.

The walk back was twice as hot. I think the day is going that way. Only word for temp here is oppressive. 3 cheers for AC. Got back and met our guide. He is from Chicago. Has a hipster moustache. Poseur perhaps. I think so.

There is a coffee shop on the corner by our tour spot. Back 15 min early. We went for coffee. No, we went for AC and bought a bottle of water so we could use the restroom. A fine rule. Easier to just pay an attendant. This place will come in handy later.

Back at the meet up. It’s really hot and we are jockeying for shade. Our guide is a master of local history. He spent the first 15 minutes of the tour talking New Orleans history. He knows too much.

The first hour of our tour was spent in Lafayette cemetery #1. We looked at all the famous and infamous graves in The place. Learned about burials and how they are paid for and lots of arcane info I may be able to dredge up at a later date. Cool tour. Except it was hot as hell.

The cemetery is in the Garden District. Home to politicians and movie stars. Lots of famous homes from 1800 and on. All historic. We got a speech in front of each one, who owned, owns, still owns, why they live there, etc. very cool stuff.

A side note about NO weather. We are in summer. About 3 pm every day it clouds over. Then it cools. Then the heavens open and a deluge occurs. Today was no exception. The last 45 mins of the tour was a downpour of crazy proportions. Crazy. I saw a guy gathering animals in pairs. I mean it was RAINING. Wet.

So, we stayed with the group, listened and looked and got soaked. At the end, what? Remember the coffee shop? We went there and attempted a dry off. It sorta worked. I got a coffee. I used (abused?) the restroom, blogged a little, rated the tour, and evaporated as much as I could. Not enough. I am thinking of a car for hire to get back to the hotel, dry. I will need to swap out my clothes when I get there. My shirt is quite wet. And my shoes. And my underwear.

So we sat. For a time. Finally I called a Lyft. We went outside to meet him and it wasn’t raining. What to do? Dismiss the Lyft, tip the driver in cash, and walk through the garden district to see what’s up.

Walking around is still fun even without a tour guide. There is always the magic of discovery and the unexpected. And being as wet as a sponge in the sink. We found a bar that sold Po boys and went in there. The bartender, not very good bartender, put the Giants game on for me. Liking it. Cocktails were $5. Yay. We split a shrimp Po boy $17. Fuck. That is mean. It was tasty. But $17 for a sandwich? Lobster rolls in Maine don’t cost that much. We hung out in the bar for long enough to have the game end and become relaxed. That’s when we headed out, caught a Lyft back to the hotel.

I think my shoes will remain wet till l get back to Auburn. There is nothing dry in this city including my shoes. I changed clothes to dry and hung my wet clothes to, I hope, dry. We relaxed awhile until our nighttime ghost tour at 8.

We decided to leave early which turned out to be prescient since the tour guide started 20 minutes early. Tour is two hours long and goes all over the French Quarter. Supposed to be about ghosts and vampires.

Turns out, the tour is fun but it’s really all about the stories. Guide takes us to a house or business then tells a story about some crazy person and story ends with that person is. Ow haunting the house he told the story about. I admit the stories are entertaining. Guidebself admittedly made things up too. But, still entertaining.

We were not quite done after the tour. We went back to the hotel, a short walk, so Marika could use a clean toilet. Then we went out for another Po boy for our dinner. This time spicy catfish. It’s 11pm but no worries the Po boy place is open till 4am, as is most of Bourbon St. the street is an all night party with nothing but bars lining the sidewalks. And you can wander around with a drink. I had a cocktail to carry around during tonight’s tour. Bourbon St is full of drunks, thieves and whores and is fully entertaining to just walk around and people watch. And of course, quietly judge all you see. After tonight I feel much better about myself.

After the wander down a stinky and disgusting Bourbon St, we retired for the evening. It’s now 1am and about time for bed. No, time for bed.

Friday. Out the door by 915! Have a tour of the oldest, 1789, cemetery in NO. Cemetery St Louis. Tour at 1030. Kid wants beignets first. So up and go.

We walked to the world famous Cafe Du Monde, near the river. The Mississippi, for those of you keeping score. There were about a million people here when we arrived near 920. Ok, maybe only a thousand. The to go line had over 50 people in it. So we took a table. Getting a table here is a contact sport. You have to find your own then the waiter will show up. So we had to act like lions on the Serengeti searching for prey. Fortunately Marika is a aggressive hunter and it took no time at all. And all the tables were full. Amazing.

Had to wait three minutes or so for waiter to show up and clear old dishes. We ordered at same time. No menus. Hey, it’s cafe au lait and beignets only. An easy order. Took 3 more minutes for food and bev. Man do they keep it moving. And, this shit is really good. I would eat them every day except for the high carb and grease content. Million calories. That thing.

So we have successfully eaten quickly, which was our goal. We are off, table claimed immediately by another lion. He had that look of hunger. We walked north to St Louis St where the tour meet up is at. I have still not told Marika where we are going. Just for fun.

It is really hot. Like Africa hot, today. We are melting. We got to meet up and moved to the opposite side of the street to the shade. Took awhile for tour guides and guests to get there. We were off to the cemetery pretty quick once all was accounted for.

The St Louis cemetery is the oldest one in use in this country. Since 1789. A place that old has many stories. All told by our guide whose name I have forgotten. Heck, I have forgotten the stories. Cemetery has a famous voodoo priestess buried there. Actor Nicholas Cage purchased a tomb there for later use. That’s weird, he is not from there and only visited. But wants a crypt in NO? Strange.

The cemetery is behind tall walls, no air flow. And it’s real hot. At the end of the tour we went across the street to the NO visitors center. It’s air conditioned and has nice restrooms. Also a small cafe amongst other things. We hung out there for an hour. The AC was awesome.

We finally left and returned to the hotel. I have some office work to do and I’m sure Marika would like to nap.

I worked for an hour or so and she did power nap the whole time. She is an amazing napper.

We had nothing planned for the rest of the day so we figured wander around New Orleans. Which is what we did. It was close to lunch so we went in search of Po Boys. It’s an NO thing.

We managed to find, not hard, a restaurant serving authentic Po Boys. We, as is our habit, sat at the bar to have lunch. We each ordered a different sandwich, here catfish and mine oyster. And, of course a Sazerac and a modified French 75. We are sitting at a bar you know. And we sat quite awhile after we finished. Food was great and pleasant to just sit. And drink.

Once we were good and rested, and full, we decided to explore. Which means walk off into the distance and wander. Which pretty much describes what we did. We walked for miles, out of the French Quarter through other districts along the mighty Mississippi, and on. Long walk. We finally got so tired and hot we decided to head back home.

On the way back we made a pit stop at the Toulouse Dive Bar. Well named. Has the absolute coolest restroom doors in America. I didn’t check the list but cool as hell. I had to go, and was confronted by bookshelves lining the back hall. Just bookshelves. I stared awhile and found a handle amongst the books and grabbed it and pulled. The shelves parted and revealed a restroom behind. Like a secret passage to the shitter. But, way cool.

We sat in the bar, had only one cocktail, much ice water. We watched a bad Johnny Depp movie where he played Dillinger. Not very good but after our epic walkabout we were tired. So we just sat until we were ready to move. Over an hour. Perfect.

We were 3 blocks from our hotel so we sauntered back for some clean up and so Marika could nap. Actually, she just fell asleep. She doesn’t just lay on the bed ever. Always, she gets under the covers. So obviously she is gonna fall asleep. So again we sat (lied down) for a bit. And she went to sleep. I didn’t, I did some work.

After the rise and shine, Marika searched online and found a place that serves gumbo and jambalaya and red beans and rice. Acclaimed food. No swill for us. So by 830, we headed out again. For dinner.

The Gumbo house, so called, was an excellent choice for dinner. There was a very long line when we got there but they sped right through it and we were seated in no time. For a change, no cocktails I could use a rest. The dinner was very good. I had no room for dessert.

We are now back at the hotel, both too tired to go do anything. I nodded off a few times typing this. I need sleep. Maybe I will be able to get up and work out tomorrow.

Our Thursday started late. Marika did not wake up till 1030. She is just very tired. Like a sloth.

I was awake two hours prior to her. I was going to go workout but could not drag myself there. Too tired. I probably got the fatigue from Marika, she has some to spare.

We decided to go out to lunch today. Not sure why. My friend Hal has given me several suggestions, via text, all are forwarded from Yelp. There was one in particular which looked good for lunch and not to expensive. Faubourg Bistro. The place is located in the back of a bar, rents space from them. So we sat up front in the bar and had a cocktail, not to expensive and went to the back to order. They drop off at the table. No service except from the bartender. Turns out, this place is a gay bar. No problem. Seems the few diners were all straight, all the guys at the bar were not. Obviously. This is a good place for my friend Cissie. Food arrives, looks good, a loaded French fry plate and a firecracker cauliflower sandwich. We were hungry but could not finish all. Strangely, the food filled us up so full we did not eat the rest of the day. No dinner. No snacks. Must have been plenty of salt in it too cuz we were both drinking lots of water.

Next order of business, what to do. Well, we wandered all over. A little. Stayed in the French Quarter, but traveled a larger circle.

When you drink two cocktails at lunch, you need to rest. Back to the hotel.

I had a nap and Marika went downstairs to happy hour. Something she is good at.

I was asleep off and on for over an hour. It had to be the cocktails. Regardless, when I woke I joined Marika downstairs in the bar for happy hour. I had a daiquiri, a happy hour special, not very good. The hotel bar is not very good. Service is bad too. It is convenient.

Happy hour ended at 6. We were still full from lunch so no dinner.

We decided to go out. Wandered the town, did a little retail action and looked at stuff. Neither of us is a buyer, just look.

We did stop for the occasional drink on our wander through town. Don’t remember how many. That’s a bad sign.

We went back to hotel, late, and had snacks. Still full from lunch so no dinner. Eventually we fell asleep.

It isn’t but we hit town today probably around 8pm. This should be good.

So, I have hardly mentioned food on this trip. Mostly because we brought food and don’t stop for snacks or meals.

We did stop in Beatty, Arizona, mostly because there were billboards advertising “fresh jerky” about 100 miles in advance of Beatty. Sometimes you have to stop.

The jerky place had free samples. I think we each had ten or more samples. Bought a have pound of sweet and smoky as well as ghost pepper. Not hot or spicy at the time. We cruised the candy aisle. Nada. On to nuts, pound of butter toffee peanuts and pound of spicy. Yum. We ate the jerky right away in the car, leaving enough for breakfast. Next morning, we ate the balance of the jerky for breakfast. Hey, guess what was like fire the next day? Ya, the spicy jerky. We had to stop for cold water. Very painful. Not fun.

So, back to today. Woke in beautiful Wichita Falls. We feasted on eggs and sausage at the hotel. Not horrible. Into the car by 8am. And off. 650 miles to go. Usual drill, I drove 350, Marika slept, and the miles passed. East Texas is still very ugly. Though the closer to Louisiana we got, the greener and prettier the scenery. The towns still look decrepit. Don’t move here.

Nothing much exciting going on during our drive. At all. Probably a good thing. The scenery has changed, more continuous roadside business, not so many large gaps between towns as in Texas. Far more trees, larger trees.

Currently, we are 88 miles from our first destination. That would be Louis Armstrong International Airport. Drop the car there. Uber into the French Quarter and it’s cocktail time. I am looking forward to that.

For the record, we just came into Baton Rouge. I am thinking it was the rear entrance. Very industrial, and beyond urban renewal. Just bloody awful. Stopped for gas and could only imagine a scene from “Cops” played out here. The locals are very special looking. I am positive most did not finish the fifth grade. They have a look about them. The look says get in your car, lock the doors, and drive away. At least that’s what I saw. So I did.

It was nice to get to the airport and be done with the drive. Also, the quick fill up on gas was nice since Hertz charges $9.99 per gallon if u return rental short. And no gas nearby the airport. Actually very little around the airport, it’s somewhat off the beaten path and isolated. You could describe it as an oasis in the way it pops up out of nowhere as you drive to it. It’s a surprise as you get there. No signage, no warnings, saw no planes flying in or out. Weird. It’s a little like the gas station I just mentioned – old and in need of some rehab.

Using our navigation system directions, we drove fully around the airport beltway road to the rental drop off garage. Again, rundown is the only description I can give to this place. The surrounding area is rather nasty and rundown and void of most habitation. I suppose that’s good for an airport. No neighbors to complain. The drive to the rental garage was bleak and not inviting. Worn out. The roadway was the same. I am loving this. I think the best comparison is some of the 3rd world airports I have visited. Those look built and unmaintained with the occasional new building to surprise you. I am not impressed.

Finally, after 2500 miles we arrived at the rental car return garage. The structure is a three story open air parking garage. Really bad signage but we were finally able to find our destination on the top floor. Marika was driving and we did have issues inside the garage about where to park. Usually I expect parking attendants or help but none there. I parked near a Hertz sign and got out, looked around and an attendant showed up. He redirected our parking and we have arrived.

Managed to get the car unloaded. The Hertz guy directed us to where we could catch an Uber and we schlepped our load down the the stairs to the front curb and called Uber. Turns out Uber does not pick up here. Our driver, non English speaking, called. He kept telling us he was in the garage we just left. No. Uber not allowed there. I had walked back in and asked anyone I could find till I got a straight answer. Uber pick up was a mile away in another garage. I need an Uber to get to my Uber. No. We walked while the Uber waited. Driver called back and put an English speaker on the phone and she confirmed the driver was in another garage. Thanks.

We found the pickup point and our driver. Abdul spoke zero English. I think this is the root of the problem. He gets a two out of five. And his car smelled awful. Not sure why and don’t want to know.

Drive was pleasant enough, about twenty minutes long. Sun has gone down, it’s now after 9, so could not really see anything. Will have to get the full view tomorrow in the sunlight.

We arrived at the Madison Dupuy about 915 and checked in. Desk man spoke clear English and got it done quickly. Up to the room and dropped our crap. Decided to have dinner in the hotel dining room, they close at ten and we did not want to wander in the dark in a new city trying to find food. So hotel wins.

Downstairs to the Bistreaux. That’s how they pretentiously spell it. I thought bistro was French? No mind. I ordered a special Old fashioned, based on servers recommendation. I later learned she does not drink. It was ok. Marikas daiquiri was not very good. I’m not impressed. Service was very slow and came with lots of excuses on the side. Our dinner was fine, we were hungry and that helped. Second round of drinks had a slight improvement because we learned the server can’t be trusted. Also not a native English speaker. We finished up, tipped poorly, and went to the room.

I went to bed. It’s late. Marika went downstairs to make “private” phone calls to her friend Taylar and bf Sam. Would not want me to hear. I told her she could call from room because I would be asleep but kids will be kids. Her calls were about two hours long. I know this because her key would not work and I had to let her in. Kids.

Today is the day. The day we place into action that which has been only a thought.

Some months back Marika made a statement out of the blue “did you know there is a Sazerac museum in New Orleans, we should go.”

She added on, it should be a road trip there and fly back.

Road trip starts today. Me and her. New Orleans bound. No plans, just a plane reservation to get home. An adventure, which is what she likes.

Marika was late getting up, surprise, so Emily gave me a ride to Sac Airport to pick up the rental car, on her way to work. Unfortunately that’s where I have to go, no local service. So Emily dropped me off at Hertz, kiss goodbye, no tears.

Turns out Hertz let’s me pick what POS I get to drive. I am going cheap so the choices are not choice. Ended up with the best, a brand new Ford Fiesta. Kinda tells you what I had to choose from. But I do like it and the Sport mode is fun. That’s where I drive.

When I got home the kid was more ready to go. We packed up and drove off. Sadly, we drove the wrong direction for six miles and I had to backtrack once I realized. Auspicious beginning.

Our route took us over the Sierras through Reno then a turn south. We drove south through Nevada most of the day and into the evening. Hit the Arizona border while still light outside and continued on. For 12 hours. Ya. It’s alot.

A quick report on the 12 hour drive. I drove 375 miles while Marika slept. Then we switched. Marika drove the rest. Only stopped for gas. We brought food.

Final stop was the former? cesspool now known as Williams Arizona. I’m not relocating. Trust me on this. Found a room at the inn. The manager kicked the animals out (the hog was pissed!) and we needed down for the night. Oh yeah, only thing available for dinner was Carl’s. Blech. We ate there.

We got up reasonably early on Tuesday. Wash, rinse, repeat? Yes. We did the same thing. Only we added 100 miles to the total daily drive. Wow.

We tried to eat at the hotel but the buffet spread was nasty. The buffet befits the location. We drove to Starbucks on the interstate and got coffee. Ate what we brought, while driving. Economy of motion.

Our day was nice. We drove through Arizona which is pretty. We are up in elevation so lots of forest greenery. Arizona has a lot of pretty places to go, and the Grand Canyon. Which can be considered amazing. We skipped it on this trip. I can say that our drive improves when the landscape is nice.

Later in the day we crossed into New Mexico. New Mexico is sparse, mostly. Except of course in the big cities. Some areas were quite beautiful and many were not. But it was a pleasant drive again. Have I mentioned, Marika slept the first six hours in the car today.

Later in the day we passed into the panhandle of Texas. In a word, ugly. In need of urban renewal. Flat. Did I already say ugly? Yes. We passed through a few towns, all were about half abandoned and really nasty. Lots of Jesus saves signs. Lots of lawyer billboards. Not pleasant. Many stupid people available to see and talk too. And they look dumb too. This is a foreign land.

Thinking we should keep moving, we did. Made it to Wichita Falls late, about 9, and decided to seek food and rest. Rented a hotel room and went to have dinner at a highly rated, by Yelp, place. Turns out, the Backporch does not deserve the high rating. Must be locals that rate it up. I had an extra cocktail to help. It didn’t.

Back to the hotel. I had to go online and finish a tax return for a client who can’t wait a week for me to return. It was a royal pain because of a bad wifi connection. Took an hour, should be 10 mins. But done.

Now I can go to sleep.

Saturday. Not much doin. I did home chores like laundry and changing sheets. Washed a car. Usual. Early afternoon I ran errands with Marika. Hard to believe she wanted to go. Her moods have been bouncing all over hell and gone since she got home. Tears to elation. I told her, as did Emily, she could have stayed in Hawaii. We can do without emotional drama. Not fun.

Anyway, we ran errands together. Grocery, auto parts, meat shop (boneless ribeye), ice cream cake. B day tomorrow. She was upset by the cake. For the first time we did not go to baskin Robbins. There isn’t one here. We went to a local shop. And she was upset, to say the least. Of course, 23 years in a row was BRs. She may have a point.

Back home kore chores. And put crap away. You may be wondering, where is Emily? She went to work early in morning and missed all the joy of the day.

When she finally got home, we made dinner and bbq’d the ribeyes and had a fine time. Marika announced she was heading out for the evening and would be back around 1. Fine.

Now we can go to bed.

Sunday. We did not get up till 830. Prob a fatigue hangover or something. I did have a request from Marika to wake her early. She has plans. And, it’s her birthday. So I have to put up with her wishes.

Her first request, jalapeño bacon and eggs for breakfast. Good thing meat market sells that. And this is a very easy breakfast. Not so bad.

Emily went to yoga. We sat around. Marika has said we were going on a hike. She changed her mind and said let’s go to Lake Clementine and swim. Mom showed up shortly after the change and Marika had left for the lake. So we followed. By the time we got close, she had already been turned around by the ranger. Water moving too fast and was too cold to swim. End of that.

Next on the hit parade was lunch at Burger & Cream. Can’t take that away. The dining room there was full. All tables outside, full. We did manage to awkwardly squeeze into the counter. B&C serves the finest burgers, shakes, etc in Auburn. I love their food. This is where Em and I had ice cream dinner last week. That good. So, finally had a successful activity without yelling or tears. That won’t last.

We are out for mani pedis now. Hey, it’s her birthday! I am sitting in the waiting area, I am not interested in either. Though they did offer. This place has the usual insane chemical smell to it. I am sure all of these Asians will have cancer in a few years. Prob be a class action lawsuit.

We are headed home for cocktails in a few. This is taking forever and I’d rather be drinking. Soon.

On our way home we get calls. From Marikas friends. All are already at the house. No big. The doors are locked.

We arrive. There are five friends waiting, Geo, Taylar, Bella, Jutt and Craig. All lifelong friends from Dixon, here to celebrate. So it turns out I did not have to make drinks. Marika cut a watermelon in half, blended the fruit with rum, poured it back into the half melon as a bowl. Serve. It works.

We had some hors douvres and sat around. Marika decided we were eating dinner somewhere other than we had planned so I had her cancel our existing reservation. And we went elsewhere. Not sure what that was about.

We had a fine time at the Ale House, dinner was good enough. Cocktails are ok there. It is a really pleasurable evening to sit around with people you have known there entire lives and chat about things. Fun, even. All enjoyed it.

Back to home. One more thing every birthday needs. Cake. Ice cream cake, actually. Candles. Singing. You know how this works.

The kids stayed up drinking for god knows how long. We don’t, we went to bed. I’m not a kid any longer.

I go to bed. At a reasonable hour.

Someone is always graduating from somewhere. Every June. This year it’s my nephew, Owen, from high school. Since it’s in Santa Rosa at 3 on Friday, I am not going to work. Marika and I will have to leave the house by 11 to get to Dixon and pick up Emily and then get to the school in SR by 3. So no time for work. I would really rather not go. Don’t get me wrong, I love the kid but this is ruining my workday.

Emily did get up extra early and go to school but it’s a required work day. She is still going to leave early so another day of work will be needed as makeup.

Well the entire trip was screwed. Took forever. Place was packed. The private school we are heading to has what you would expect. Beautiful grounds, pristine athletic facilities, lots of people directing traffic and getting people seated. Not something we public schoolers are used to. The air of exclusivity permeates all. We managed to find parking which is amazing. We were late, sort of. Nobby told me 330 but it was as a 3 pm start. Hottest part of the day and outside. We were covered by a tent. That helps. Ceremony was completely pretentious. Completely.

It starts with procession of teachers and admin. No problem. Then students, again no issue. Then we begin. The first speaker is the principal. She spent ten minutes on why we are wonderful. They are inclusive and exclusive, and have high standards but accept the poorest (and the richest) and on and on. Amazing how wonderful they are. There education includes, kickboxing, mandarin, astrophysics, all manner of things barely available in the real world. This place is a fantasy for the well to do. It’s a bubble community so you don’t have to attend public school. Next speaker, was the trans representative of the student body. No problem, but again, seemed cliche to me. I guess this inclusion is the flavor of the day. I hear about it often in the media. It’s tiring. It’s old hat. It’s been done. Let’s find another form of personal tragedy for speaker. Next up, faculty rep speaks. He is gay and makes a big deal about it. This one is even older and more cliche. No one really wants to hear about it anymore. Let’s move on. I did note, lots of folks in the audience were from the rainbow coalition so I guess they are playing to the people that foot the bill. I don’t know.

Next up the choir sang and they were just great. I remember my high school graduation the glee club sang and band played. Only good thing that day.

Finally, we come to the awarding of diplomas. About 100 graduates so I figure 15 minutes and outta here. No. Each student, in alphabetical order (now that’s unfair) went across the stage. And, listen, the faculty spoke about that student while on stage no less than a minute. That’s right, two hours. It’s a grad version of a little league participation trophy. And they said nice things about each. That’s crap. My nephew is a total asshole. A shithead. Yet I hear from the faculty he is wonderful. Make each child feel special when they are not. What do they do when they hit the real world?

Well, now I know I will skip the next one. Nephew Alister is graduating from same fine institution of secondary learning in four years. Poor kid. Daily doses of sanctimonious crap called education. I will stick to public school.

We did have a fine party at my bro in laws house after the ceremony. Guest of honor, nephew Owen, left after about 5 minutes and did not return. Kids are so special. I felt so blessed by his lack of presence. I hope his dad was not embarrassed by the graduate disappearing. It’s like The Graduate when Ben sits on the bottom of the pool in scuba gear. There, but not.

This party was catered. So the food was really good. The wines were even better and my bro in law likes to spend lots of $$ on wine so all were expensive too. I tried every bottle that got opened and I was quite drunk by the time we left which was late. Fortunately, Emily was driving and she was sober. I fell asleep. Sadly my car was at her work in Dixon so I had to drive the last hour. The roads were empty but there was a lot of construction and repairs going on. I am surprised I didn’t run off the road.

We got home and pretty much dropped everything and just went to bed.

Marika flew in from Honolulu this morning. She arrived at 930. I was a half hour late. Oh well. I had to work out and do other very important tasks prior to going to airport. She waited.

Em and I are unsure why she came home. Mostly that’s because she doesn’t know why she came home. She has no idea what is going on in her life, she is just going.

Sunday is her 24th birthday. At that age no one seems to think she should know what she wants. I do understand. I made up my mind to move forward in life at age 25. So she takes after me. And now I know what my parents went through. I won’t be apologizing.

Back to Thursday. We went to my office from the airport. Marika was looking for work so I tossed her into the file room to do the fun work of an office. She hated it. I guess she likes cleaning toilets in the hostel more? She said my career choice was not for her. Of course, I told her, I don’t do filing. I yell at file clerks. She was not impressed.

Lunch out. Local Greek place for falafel and gyros. She had texted a few days ago requesting it. Weird request but I like Mediterranean food.

Oh I forgot!! Best day in awhile. We went to the car storage and picked up my S2000, the convertible. Been in storage for a year. Finally have a garage on the way. Time to get it. The battery was dead so they gave me a jump and off we went. I let Marika drive my convertible and me the Fit.

Turns out, a 20 minute drive did not charge the battery so I called road service and they came to restart me. They also brought a battery for the car too. And installed it.

Back at the office we worked till about 530 then went home. This time I drove the S2000, after alll it’s a long drive home. And a hell of a drive it was at top speed all the way while my daughter tried to keep up. She did very well and even passed me a couple times.

Home. Marika got a nice welcome home from mom and her dog. Jaxon has not forgotten her. Vlad, not so sure. He likes us better now. I’m still not keeping him.

Eventually, since we had nothing prepared, we decided to go out for dinner. We (Emily) decided to go to Pho King for Pho and other things Vietnamese. Emily really likes this place so we all know when to go along.

Dinner was ok. Nothing outstanding. At least I did not have to make it. Randy went along cuz that’s the kind of guy he is. He likes a free meal.

Back home. Marika went to sleep. Time change, long day, etc. Emily has one more workday tomorrow so she hit the hay too. With no one awake I went to bed too.

It’s actually Wednesday. I did not have to make Emily’s lunch today. Party in the park. Tomorrow is last day of school. No lunch to make again. Part of my summer vacay is here already.

Tuesday was dull. Usual crap. I need to find something exciting to regale y’all with. I will think on that and get back to you.

I did contact our chosen concrete guy. Let him know he got the job. He is starting next week by doing all the digging and setting forms. Concrete pour follows the next week. When I talked to him I asked about a deposit and he said give it to me when you see me. I told him I was leaving town and wouldn’t see him. He says, pay me in full when o finish the job. No big. Got to love this guy. We will soon have a garage.

Taco Tuesday was the usual. It’s a damn good thing I like the usual. When Emily gets a job up here we are going to have to find decent Mexican food local. I been going to the same Carniceria since 1990. This will be life changing.

Today, Wednesday, I had an appointment at 11. I was late so I sent them to a local bar for drinks and said I would join them. Of course that’s what they did. Eventually I got there, they were on thirds, I did not drink. We had lunch then went back to my office for business. We talked too long. 3 hour meeting. Nice to see them. They are Dixon clients so I have known both and their families for a long damn time. Long time. These types of appointment are more social than anything else.

What was the rest of the work day? Boring. Did a few things. Managed a tax return or two. Some notices from tax authorities. Forgettable shit to say the least. Exciting?! No.

I was ready to leave by 5 but got caught up in a technical issue with my software. I had contacted their support yesterday, email only, and they had emailed back much later a solution that does not work. I had already tried it. They have no phone support. That would work way too well. Company is called Bill.com. Don’t ever use them. Ever. My only warning.

So I was held up an extra 45 minutes past my exit time. Bill.com is ruining my life. I hate them. But, I sent the idiots a rather terse message so maybe in the am I will get actual help. Breath not held.

Left. Quick trip home. A good day. Spoke to Emily on the way. Her day much longer. She was still out and won’t be home for awhile. It’s 730. She is going to pickup dinner. If I had known how long she was going to be I would have made dinner.

I would usually turn on the TV by now. But the wife is out and I, for one, like the peace and quiet. At least on the outside. There is one hell of a din going on inside my skull. Which is why I don’t add too it with inane chatter.

So. I wait. For woman and food. I have time. I can be quite patient. My patience is legendary because I have none (usually).

Eventually, woman showed up with food. A pastrami burger and a spicy burger. Plus some fries. From Burger & Cream. Food is good. She probably could have gotten one sandwich cuz the two destroyed us. The place has pepper jack cheese. Ghost pepper. And they throw on jalapeños too. Good stuff.

Dinner over. Time for bad TV. Reruns of The Goldbergs. Excellent.

Ain’t much goin this Monday. I slept very poorly last night. I woke up. I woke THE HELL up at 315 am. Did not go back to sleep. Or, I should say, I took melatonin and snoozed a little bit til 530 when I didn’t get up. I stayed in bed till Emily got up at 555. But still slept very poorly. I’m tired now at 940pm. Tough to overcome. There is always tonight.

Managed to get all in order this morning. Before Emily left, though that was late. She had all she needed – lunch, coffee, etc. I am that good. In three days school is out and I have the summer off from morning duty. Bout time.

I went to work out at 715. Usual. Met with the trainer. Did a ton of reps any sets and managed to pull a muscle in my back. It’s not too exciting. As a matter of fact it’s just pain.

Went home and did my duty. Clean and shaved, the way God and Mr Gillette intended. Got dressed. I look sharp. I always look sharp.

Off to work. I love my job. Wait, hold that thought. I actually heartily dislike my job. I need to win the lottery and quit my job. That is the essence of my retirement plan. Hope it works.

Did not manage much in the way of work while at work. No energy or motivation. I pretty much just sat and stared at me computer. What fun.

I went to my Dr appointment at one. His office is blessedly close to mine. About 5 minutes. I don’t make appointments with my doctor, his office sets them and calls me. I like the system, no work on my part. Just show up. The doc and I have known each other several years and get along well. I can’t say I got much of a physical. He listened to my heart and that was it. Asked questions. Made sure to order very extensive blood tests for all known maladies. Not much else. We discussed how his Med group did not respond to my written complaints. Not at all. Much to his benefit he did not defend them. I still will prob not get the refund I am seeking. Whatever.

Back to the office just past two. I worked some till about 330 and headed home. I am meeting a landscaper whom I hope can do a clean out of my property. The weeds are six feet tall and all the rain has pushed that. Rain has also kept the help from weeding and whacking.

Melvin was there about 30 minutes late. Don’t care. I need weeding assistance in a huge way. 5 acre huge. We walked the property again and rediscussed the price as well. He is going to take over twice monthly whacking to keep this place in check. I don’t ever want to spend so much money on this crap again. Funny news, Melvin is a big Honda fan like me and loves my Type R. And strangely, just like me, he wants a corvette and has for many years. I am same way. We shared lots of ideas about cars.

Melvin stayed about 30 to 40 minutes. And now, the main event. I got the yellow tail from the fridge and got the bbq ready. Em got home a few minutes later and took care of the sides. We had an excellent feast of a meal on a Monday night. Love it? Me too. We also finished a bottle of wine. That helps.

Tottered off to bed early. Tonight we are beat.