Thunder of Wade

I was in a cranky mood yesterday as my day finished up and I was dreading the pool. And of course, there were only two lanes for lap swimming. I was upset with myself while I was swimming because I found myself trying to rationalize my way out of my full swim. And upset because I wasn’t doing a good job at rationalizing. I got joined by a woman who wanted to share the lane and my mood suddenly improved. I was forced to share and cooperate and it’s tough to go wrong when your afternoon suddenly turns into an episode of sesame street. We were soon joined by a third person and the complexities of keeping the three of us from running into each other scrubbed away the rest of my bad mood. I finished my mile and had a slight jaunt to my step as I made my way back to my car.

Last evening, I finished up the game Dishonored. I played the “low chaos” track – which is tough to do when your character is an assassin  – and though I enjoyed the game I thought the ending was weak. I’m going play through it again as a “high chaos” character and see just how much damage I can do.

Recently, I bought my cat a container of cat grass. It sprouted and last night it was tall enough for him to eat. Thunder(cat) was a little unsure at first, but then he tore into that like it was the best thing ever. I’ve got a strict “no-nip” policy in my house, but the grass seems okay.

In the news recently was word that the City of Akron has been the victim of a cyber-attack. I called the number today and couldn’t get through to check to see if I would be affected. I saw on their website that they were having a city attorney at a few locations around town to provide the list of names and answer questions. The hours weren’t exactly convenient – 10 am to 3 pm – but I made some time at lunch to go there and wait in line. It finally got to my turn and my name wasn’t on the list. I considered showing the attorney how to search more quickly through the list – but decided the attorney vs. geek battle needed a few checks and balances. So, relieved, I headed back to work – though I feel really bad for the 5,000+ other names that were on that list.

After work, swim again. When I was done and nearly dressed, I stopped before I put on my socks. I spent a couple seconds – which, for an android, is nearly an eternity – trying to decide if I really needed to put my shoes and socks on. It was a beautiful day, the campus was nearly empty, and the idea of barefeet just seemed right. So, I tucked my socks in my shoes and walked nearly the length of the campus barefoot; carrying my shoes. Not the most professional thing to do – even if I didn’t go in any buildings – but also not the weirdest thing I’ve seen on campus.

Finally, the last of the balloons from my birthday back in January are starting to fade out. There were two blue ones that hung on longer than any others, but they have started to drift and one even tried to sneak outside. I’ll deflate these the rest of the way soon and most likely save them – it was one of the best birthdays I’ve had in a long time.

Went out to dinner on Friday with some friends to a Mexican restaurant in the area. This one is known for cheap and really good food – and for helping celebrate birthdays by slamming a sombrero on someone’s head and smashing a pie in their face. One of my friends was having a birthday this weekend and he told us in no uncertain terms that he would not allow that. And would, in fact, walk out if someone tried it. We kept an eye on the kitchen in case the word slipped out and though there were a couple other groups that got “sung at”, we escaped unscathed and had a nice dinner.

Afterwards, the crew went back to my place to hang out and have some dessert. I fixed some cheesecake in cupcake cups with raspberries and chocolate sauce. Turned out pretty good.

On Saturday, I got a little sun and then went to a game night with some friends. The food was awesome and the company was good. I spent a chunk of the time entertaining – and being entertained – by the kids. My job was to set up the blocks for an angry birds board game and the kids would then knock them over. Sometimes this was with the included catapult, but usually it was by them kicking the board as they went past on some other adventure. It was a lesson in futility. After we did that for a bit, a few of the adults played Mahjong. I watched and decided that – once again – they were making up rules as they went along.

That evening, with a little help from a friend, I thoroughly finished Lego Batman 2. I managed to complete the game to 100% (all gold bricks found, all characters unlocked, etc.) on my own, but needed some to play along with me to get the co-op achievement. Once we played one level, I had all the achievements and was named a “Complete Hero”. It did a world of good for my OCD.

On Sunday, I went to give blood in the afternoon. The technician that did the history was bordering on rude. She kept going over questions of my identity like I was trying to hide something. It was odd and annoying. She almost snapped at me when I asked her to repeat a question and I wondered what I’d done to get on her bad side – but after seeing her interact with the rest of the crew I realized she might not have a good side.

The tech that handled my donation was much better. I was once again complimented on my veins and had no problems with my double-red donation. And as a bonus, I got a Best Buy gift card for $5.00. Which won’t actually buy any thing at the store – perhaps a candy bar and soda – but will help with an eventual game purchase.

That evening, another dinner out for my friend’s official birthday celebration. The server was amazing and we told her so – and I then I asked to see a manager to pass along the compliment. He was surprised and pleased at our praise – and paid for dessert. Unexpected, but very nice.

So, a busy weekend with a lot of really good food and great weather.

Last Saturday, I headed south to visit my Mom for mother’s day. My sister and her family were there as well and Dad fixed chicken on the grill. We played some games, hung out with my nieces, and generally had a nice time. I made Mom a vase that my niece can fill with flowers/weeds. 🙂

On Sunday, I celebrated another mother’s day with another mother – though this time the plan was to go to Golden Coral. At 11:00am. On a Sunday. On Mother’s Day.

I was prepared for the worst, but we did okay. The food was pretty good and the crowds were intense but manageable. I ate too much, but it was worth it.  We also had an in-depth discussion on the merits of bacon.

After the buffet, I decided I needed to mow my yard. I started out with a jacket and a stocking cap, then it got too hot for the hat. Then too hot for the jacket. Then it got cold again. Then it freaking started to snow. Then rain. Then sunshine. All this while I was mowing – and I have a small yard.

The randomly cold weather has hit me hardest at night. I just can’t seem to get comfortable when I’m trying to sleep. Thunder(cat) has been trying to help in his way, but instead of keeping my feet warm, he prefers to, essentially, sleep on my crotch.

Now, I’m really on the fence about this. He’s really warm and the purring sounds really nice. And as he settles in, the purring settles down too and I know he’s comfortable.

But, he’s easily startled and he’s got some wicked claws that he’s not afraid to use. So, my crotch is maybe not the best place for him.

In other cat related news, I got him a small toy goose. In less than a day he had ripped open the back of the goose like a deranged avian spinal surgeon. I went ahead and removed the stuffing guts and he seems okay with that.

Finally, my neighbor. She’s got a really nice and well maintained house and a yard that she maintains with precision and grace. She’s also a fan of the color blue and she’s painted the shutters, garage door, lamps, etc. in a particular shade.

I saw some pink plastic flamingos in the store and decided to prank her immaculate yard. But before I did that, I spray painted them blue to match her house. So, it was still a prank – but a good-natured one.

I snuck over to her house around 11 at night, planted the newly blue flamingos in her yard, then snuck home. The next day, I waited for the reaction on facebook.

She had no idea it was me – totally random.  I confessed later that day and she gave me a hug and said it was great. She took them down to mow, but put them back up. We’ll see how long they last.

Oh, and in other random news, I shaved off my mustache. It was a nice experiment in facial hair, but it didn’t really work for me.   Nobody really liked it, I think – except for Mom.  🙂   There’s a photo on Facebook, if you’re interested.

This has been a few weeks ago, but it’s a good story. I was in Walmart getting some groceries and I heard a guy calling out “Marco!” to which his son dutifully replied, “Polo”.

“No,” the guy said, “It doesn’t work if you say it since you’re right here,”

He called out Marco a couple more times and when he was a couple aisles over, I shouted out, “Polo!”

I heard a laughed response and then, “I don’t think that was your mother,”

With the nice weather over the weekend, I finally got to bust out the flip-flops. One of my friends noted a band-aid on my foot and asked what happened. I replied simply, “Thunder(cat)”

He was quiet for a moment, then said, “That cat is going to kill you one of these days,”

“I know,” I replied, “But it will be with love,”

I also commented that my reaction time is down and healing factor is up in the time since I’ve had a cat, but I admit I may be justifying his behavior. He’s just a great cat and while I wish he was a little less violent, I understand that he’s a cat and that’s just how he rolls.

Finally, I had a run in with some mixed nuts. No, I wasn’t at work (ba-dum-DUM – thank you, I’m here all week), I was actually eating some planters mixed nuts from a can. Now, I have a problem with nuts in general and the problem is that I always eat far too many in one sitting.

That happened to me over the weekend and my stomach and…well… basically all of my internal anatomy feel like they have been tied in knots. I had a rough night, a rougher morning, and I’m still feeling like death warmed over this afternoon. We’ve got the last of our interviews to conduct this afternoon – the only reason I’m here today – and then I’m going home and back to bed. Or perhaps the hallway between the bathroom and my bedroom. The carpet is softer in the hallway that in the bathroom, but I suspect proximity may be a factor.

I’m also going to throw out the rest of that can of nuts. It’s clear I have a problem and I need to take strong action.

I headed to the pool today to get caught up on my mileage – I had missed a few days in the past weeks and wanted to get a few laps in. The pool was divided in half and it looked like the far end was set up for some kind of senior citizen swim meet – just based on the apparent age ranges I saw. I was just about to get into the lap lanes when a guy I recognized from the pool came over. Here’s the conversation:

“Hey,” he says, “I’ve seen you swim, you should be over there competing,”

“Ummm…,” I reply, “I don’t think I’m old enough,”

“How old are you?” he asks.

“Forty,” I tell him.

“Well, when you turn fifty, you should think about competing,”

“Okay,” I reply, and because I’m polite, “Thank you”

So, I apparently look like I’m well into my fifties and I swim well enough to compete at a senior citizen’s level. Thanks, jerk.

As a consolation, I’m in waaaay better shape than that guy and I’m faster that him on the crawl. But still.

I did a mile and a half in the pool, but I didn’t feel strong or fast or powerful. I just felt kinda… senior.

In better news… we had our second interviewee come in to meet with the group at work. He sounded like he knew his stuff and was interesting – and managed to keep things on track even as some of my colleagues meandered. Which is no small feat. We were at an oval conference table and as it turned out he was seated next to me and everyone else was on the other side of the table. During the interview I noticed myself unconsciously mimicking his body language. I would force myself to de-synch, and then find myself with the same posture and position again. And we share a first name. I don’t really know what the rest of the crew thought about him, but apparently I was sold.

Finally, the other day I was playing a video game at home and took a break while the next area was loading to say hello to my cat. He was by the window and I leaded over and said hello and told him he was a good cat. I also realized he didn’t smell very fresh and then said,

“You’re kind of a stinky cat too,”

In a split second, striking like lightning (ironically, given his name), Thunder(cat) lashed out with his paw – claw extended – and scratched me hard enough to draw blood.

I leaped back, stunned, then when to the bathroom to clean the wound and get a band-aid.

Now, this may have been a coincidence and he may just be a random Little Furry Bastard. Or he understood what I was saying and retaliated. If it’s the later, well, lesson learned on my part.

The Ladies from New York got a new TV for the younger’s room. I stopped by there after work on Friday and got it set up for them. Only took a few minutes – took longer to unbox than to set up – and they appreciated that I stopped by.

Friday evening I got a text from one of my friends. He sent it to multiple people and it came through as a multimedia message – which my dumb phone couldn’t handle. So, the message was blank. That was the last straw for me and I decided to upgrade to a smart phone. (It wasn’t the only reason, but it was the latest reason). I went to my local Verizon wireless dealer with a phone in mind and some features on my list.

The guy that was helping me didn’t use the words “Bro” or “Dude”, but I could tell he reeeeeeeally wanted to. He did, however, drop the F-Bomb. This was in reference to another customer that called in and talked to the other guy in the store – which turned out to be “bro’s” manager. Now, I really don’t care about swearing and couldn’t care less what he said – I just wanted a phone and then on with my life. I suspect that others might not have welcomed his overly casual approach, though. He was doing the full-on sales job, until he found out what I did for a living. He said, “Oh, you probably know more about this than I do,”

I don’t – at least, not about cell phones – but I was fine with letting him think so. We got the phone picked out (Galaxy S 3 – the one I wanted was discontinued) and went through the setup. At the end, he showed me the log-in process for his system and asked my professional opinion about why they made him do a 3 step log-in instead of a card swipe. I explained that overhead for the physical card system – plus the dangers of having the card stolen and mis-used – would be cost prohibitive. That made sense to him and I was finally on my way. A really odd buying experience, but mostly painless.  Oh, and one of the databases was Access.  I mean, really?

In that same plaza is a Great Clips and I decided that I needed to get my haircut. They were having a special – and I knew this from the person in a gorilla costume standing out front with a sign. There were also notes all over the mirrors and on the walls. While I was getting my haircut – and in front of a so marked mirror – I jokingly asked how much the haircut was. The stylist – totally serious – told me the price. I explained that I knew that and that the gorilla had told me. She said it was her son in that costume – which made me once again glad I have the job that I do.

A fresh haircut and I was on my way home. I played with the phone for a bit, but the day was too nice to spend inside.

1. Mowed, raked, and trimmed the yard.
2. Took down my compost barrier
3. Swept and organized the garage.
4. Washed my car.

I got cleaned up and met up with friends to go to dinner. We didn’t know if the restaurant had call ahead seating, but I used my new phone and found the number – and called. Worked perfectly. Finally felt like one of the “cool kids” with my phone.

After dinner we played some card games until it got late. I crashed pretty hard, the day had been a long one.

On Sunday, I went into work for about 3 hours. We’ve got a time sensitive project that was approaching a deadline and since it was raining, I figured I’d give it a little of my time. After I got done, went and bought some patio furniture. I wanted chairs that were reasonably comfortable, but not so comfortable as to encourage people to stay too long.

Sunday evening I worked on some origami flowers for one of my colleagues. Her husband passed away a few weeks ago and I thought some flowers might brighten her Monday. While I was working on them at the kitchen table, Thunder(cat) curled up in the other chair. I was barefoot and I stretched out my foot to rest on his chair.

This proved to be a mistake. Teeth and claws dug in and I resisted the urge to pull away since that would make it worse. I scolded him until he let go and I wisely did not attempt that again. He’s less of a pet and more like a really fun and dangerous room-mate. And not a very mature room-mate either – last night he climbed up onto my bed and farted next to my head – then jumped down again. Nice. Thank you, Thunder(cat).

Little furry bastard.

So, that was my action packed weekend.

I got a notice from my mortgage company that my payments would be going up based on the changes in the escrow account. I could either let this increase my monthly payment to cover the shortage – or I could pay the lump sum. They couldn’t explain why it was going up, but it was so that’s the way it goes. Annoying. I wrote a check last night and dropped it in the mail today. I think I should get some kind of gold star for always paying my mortgage early, but that seems to go unnoticed at the bank.

Next, I was in Sears the other day and they were having a final clearance on winter items. Though I’m not usually much of a bargain hunter, this was too good of a deal to pass up. I got a warm coat for $9.99, two thermal shirts and a pair of gloves for $1.99 each. I was considering a new coat as the winter was winding up – whenever THAT IS in Ohio – and I really like that style of shirt. And the gloves matched the coat, sort of. I wasn’t exactly thrift shopping, but it was a really good deal.

Finally, we keep the office where we work pretty dim as far as lighting goes. And the employees are pretty dim too! (Ba-dum-bum – thank you, I’m here all week). I’ve got a hanging lamp over my desk instead of the fluorescents to help curtail migraines and since this wouldn’t be enough to keep a plant alive, I’ve amassed a nice collection of fake plants.

I decided to add to this by making a terrarium with some miniature trees and fake foliage. I don’t have a really good camera or webcam, but a sort of panorama shot from above does the trick. I considered leaving a space open in the middle for a mini-zombie or a flying saucer, but I had enough trees to fill it all in. Besides, that would have made it a terror-arium and I’d have to explain the pun all the time.

I co-hosted game night for some friends on Saturday. Ended up being 18 people – including my cat (who was remarkably okay with the mass of people). We played games, ate pizza and chicken, and some of the younger guests did some coloring. And the after-party clean up only took about 1/2 an hour. Which was kinda of amazing. It was fun, but I was stressing about the event for several days beforehand. Now that my house and I have been initiated, I think I’ll worry less about the next time it comes around to me. Big thanks to Jim for co-hosting and helping me keep things on track.

On Sunday, I helped two of my friends move their family to a new and much bigger house. The bulk had already been done, but there were still beds and furniture to move. It took a good part of the morning, up and down stairs, but we got everything they wanted to move for the day loaded up. Then it was on to the new house to help unload. One of the last things I did was help set up the “big girl bed” for one of their daughters so she could get a much needed nap. Kind of a nice way to know that I helped them really settle in.

On an unrelated note, I was in Sears recently and some guy’s voice came over the loud speaker (emphasis on “loud”) and proclaimed that in 2 minutes they would be giving away super sharp paring knives in the housewares department to everyone over the age of 21. I know what he said because he was loud and repeated himself in a slooow and boooring monononotone. Two minutes later, he was back on the air to let us know we needed to head on over to housewares to get our free super sharp paring knives. Instead, we left before everyone in Sears was armed.

Finally, the recent “heatwave” had me in a springtime mood and I got out and mowed my yard and did some weeding. I didn’t switch out the storm windows for screens, but I did wash and put away the comforter on my bed. A sheet is usually just enough for me from spring to fall.

And that was a mistake. The cold came back and the last couple nights have been really uncomfortable. Do I turn up the heat? No, haven’t done that all winter. Do I get the comforter back out? No, I washed it and have it put away – feels like admitting defeat to get it back out.

Instead, I’ve bundled up before going to bed and generally not sleeping well. I thought my stubborn-ness would be enough to keep me warm, but it’s not working. Thunder(cat) has been trying to help, but I can’t get him to sleep on my always cold feet. He either gets right up next to my head and purrs loud enough to wake the dead or he snuggles in at the crook of my arm. Which is nice, but “My arms aren’t cold, Thunder(cat)!” He doesn’t care because he’s a cat.

If it gets cold again tonight, I’m getting the comforter back out – which means that tomorrow night should be a heat wave.

Eh, life in Ohio.

Busy day at work, then off to the doctor. I amazed the people in the waiting room with some origami, then did the weight and blood pressure thing with a super cool and nice nurse. Top notch. The doctor came in and asked me some questions, then they had me do the BP again – laying down, sitting, and standing. Then they did an EKG. It took far longer to get set up than to actually run and I joked with the nurse about the sticky sensors and chest hair. She said she hoped they would stick without having to shave patches of my chest – they did.   The doctor came back in after the test was done and said everything looked fine.

So:

I have a little fluid in my ear. Might be an ear infection or may just be residual pool water.
My BP, pulse, and EKG were fine.
No other symptoms except a headache that won’t away. The doc prescribed an allergy med to see if that helps and an dizziness medication called Antivert (which sounds like a fictional Star Trek particle)

He also said I should get blood work so I went down the hall for that. The tech sat me down and folded down the arm of the chair on one side so I could rest my arm. She drew the blood and even though I’ve given blood tons of times, this time made me dizzy. She looked at me and asked if I was okay. I told her “No, not really. I came in for dizziness and just had a wave of it again,”

She hopped up, folded down the other arm of the chair (so I didn’t fall out) and told me to just take a moment. She left small room and then came right back with a cold can of coke for me. It was the nicest thing anyone had done for me all day and even though she was just doing her job, it was very kind. I drank some of the sugary soda and did feel better. She gave me a smile and sent me on my way.

Next stop was the pharmacy and that did not go as well. I had wandered around for a bit after turning in my Rx, then headed back to the counter. The pharmacist announced my last name as she put the meds in the “ready to go” basket (I just made up that name). The techs didn’t hear her or were too busy. I stood there, waiting, when my phone rang. It was an automated message from the pharmacy that I was standing in to tell me that my Rx was ready. Which I already knew and I had been waiting on. The message told me I could stop by and pick it up at my convenience.

In my head, I shouted back at the computer: “I’m standing right here, dumbass!”

But of course I didn’t say it out loud. One of the techs wandered over and then finished the transaction – and I was on my way again.

I’m better, I guess, this evening. Very tired, not 100%, and still slightly wobbly in the head. I’ll start the meds tomorrow and see how it goes. I’m guessing it’s a minor ear infection or allergies (though I’m otherwise fine) or some kind of perfect storm of too much exercise and caffeine and not enough food.

I’ll keep track of this and the doc said he would call if the blood work showed anything – and that I should come back next week if I’m not better.

I’ve some issues with my blog recently, hence the lack of posts. Couple newsworthy items:

1. My cat is awesome. I had some people over and demonstrated how he comes when I call “Thunder(cat)! Hooooooooo!”  He’s still a Little Furry Bastard at times, but he’s MY Little Furry Bastard.

2. I’m hosting a game night this Saturday. First time I’ve hosted a party at my house and planning the food and entertainment – and getting all the cleaning done – is going to occupy much of the rest of my week.

3. I’ve had some recent issues with dizziness recently. Over the past few months, I’ve had a few dizzy spells – usually after a fast swim. They would pass quickly and I didn’t think anything of it.

Yesterday, I got a little dizzy at work. It was near the end of the day and it was 80 degrees in the office. Figured I’d feel better after my swim. In the pool, I stopped at the shallow end and was panting after a fast lap – and got a little dizzy for a moment. Figured I needed to slow down and regulate my breathing a bit. After the swim, I got dizzy while I was rinsing my goggles.

(I just accidentally typed “googles” there.  Geek!)

Figured I had just worn myself out – though it lasted a little longer than previous ones.

Now, at this point, someone who is not an adult male would have started to see a pattern. But, even with all this evidence, I pretty much just dismissed it all.

Went out to eat last night and got massively dizzy after ordering my food. To the point where I would have fallen over had I tried to stand up. It got slightly better, but I was still somewhat dizzy for the rest of my meal. Never passed out, but not from lack of trying. By the time I was done and had to go to the bathroom, I was mobile and able to walk a straight line. I got a ride home and was pretty much recovered before bed – though I could feel myself putting forth more effort to stay balanced.

This morning, I called and got an appointment to see my doctor today. I’m feeling much better – but it’s worth checking out. I’m guessing it was too much caffeine and too much effort in the pool along with overheating in the office – but I thought I had enough to eat and I stayed pretty well hydrated yesterday. There’s also a lingering, low-level, headache that won’t quite go away. So, ever so slightly worried and a trip to the doctor is a good idea.

I’ll update after my doctor visit this afternoon.  Until then, plenty of water, sugary snacks, a fan on full blast, and hopefully a quiet day at work.