The World is a Funny Place

I was happy to discover this morning that Apple has a sense of humor. And not just from epically cheesy jokes that Siri delivers on command. When you're plugged into your car, via Apple CarPlay, the current version has a feature where it tries to guess where you're heading and show the recommended driving route and ETA, even if you haven't plugged a destination into Apple Maps. So in the mornings, it generally assumes that I'm heading to work, and tries to nudge me in the direction it wants me to go.

Now, this morning - a delightfully raining day by the way - my phone decided I should take I-80 west all the way into West Sacramento, and then pickup US-50 heading east back into Sacramento. Well, that seemed rather unnecessary and long. I always take I-80 to I-5 south after dropping Connor off at school. So I decided to go rogue and go my own way.

And then I discovered that the I-5 was a parking lot. Damn me and my cursed arrogance! I should know better than to go against my phone's wishes. But Apple lost no time in updating it's recommended course.

It said I should just go home. 

Well played, Apple, well played.

So our printer at work is a little under the weather right now, producing a faint line along the width of every page it spits out. The mechanical equivalent of a stuffy nose. Something somewhere inside it needs to be cleaned. It needs to blow its nose, as it were. So of course, we file a work order through our IRT department for service. They responded right away with - and I am not making this up - asking us to UNPLUG IT AND PLUG IT BACK IN to see if that fixes the problem.

I'm not sure who is the greater fool, the person who suggested that, or me for actually trying it. I mean, in my defense, I kind of had to. They need to try every solution in order, to eventually eliminate the nonexistent problems and find the actual problem. I wrote and told them that I did it, and, yes, the problem still persists. 

They wrote right back and said they would "escalate this ticket to our Escalation Team". Well. That's great! I'll just sit here in my office and bang my head against the wall for awhile.

In other news, Sac State recently announced that our football team is joining the MAC conference, a move that costs $18 million in registration, fees, and bribes to bring us to a conference whose teams are conveniently located 2000 miles away. And we have to apparently pay $150,000 to fly each of those teams out here for our home games. This makes complete sense. I mean, every department here is suffering from staffing shortages to the point where we can't get anything done because there's no one to do any of the actual work needed to make things happen. And we're not allowed to rehire positions that have been vacated. But hey, we'll have a football team that will be the butt of all jokes when Sac State takes on Ball State for the annual Ball-Sac bowl.

Yeah, I just can't take all of this funny being thrown at me today. Maybe I should just go home. Apple is very wise.

Christmas Came and Went

Twas the night after Christmas...wait, how the heck did that happen? Every year there's such a buildup to the holiday season, with stores carrying merchandise before Halloween. And it seems there's so much time. And then you blink and - poof! - Christmas is over. No more holiday music on the radio station. The neighborhood yard inflatables have all collapsed in apparent drunken stupors from too much eggnog. The lights are slowly being turned off and taken down. And we're barreling unceremoniously towards the end of the year.

The Christmas season is my favorite time of year, but it's followed by the worst time of year. When the cheer suddenly starts dying away just as the days start becoming a little bit longer. And before you know it, it's all gone and forgotten. And the neighborhoods all look so...naked.

And this is the first year in which I did not have Connor at all, for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. That's never happened before. I mean I guess it's fair, I had him all of last season while we were on a cruise to Hawaii. But in a way it's almost like Christmas hasn't happened yet. At least, my tree still has presents under it. Quite a lot actually...maybe I should unwrap and store a few. Most of what I got him was practical things I would eventually get anyway. Like clothes. And soccer cleats.

And my lights and decor will stay up at least through the weekend. On Sunday I'll get a little throwback celebration to remember the season by. Lived vicariously through a 12 year old, but still.

I bought myself a present for Christmas. New glasses. As seen in the picture here. Ho Ho Ho. Well, it had been four years since I last had my eyes checked and got new glasses. It was time.

And the holiday WAS nice after all. Spent Christmas Eve with a dinner at my girlfriend's house in Lincoln, and Christmas morning at my parents (mimosas!), and Christmas afternoon at my brother's house (wine!). And I took my dad today to see a movie (Song Sung Blue, which, despite the impression of the previews, was not in fact a biography of Neil Diamond). So yes, it was a nice holiday. It just flew by in the blink of an eye.

And we got a nice winter storm this Christmas, complete with lightning and thunder as we drove home from my brother's house. And rain, rain, rain. But I didn't lose power - my camping lantern was charged and ready to go - and there wasn't much flooding here.

Well, I suppose there's always next year. But I'm not going to think about that yet. Not going to think about the New Year yet, even though it may prove to be a year of great change. For now, I still have a little bit of Christmas to go.

I'm Still Here

Yes, I'm still here. It's been so long, so many days and months have passed by. I sit now at my computer at my desk, in the bedroom of my condo in North Natomas. Another long day of soccer has concluded. One tie, one loss. My feet are sore from the travels. Connor is playing Roblox with friends online down the hall. 

He says, "Hey Garen, you know what would be sad?" But never finishes the thought. Kids get so easily distracted.

I just finished reading The Book Thief. The latest novel to pass before my eyes. I had watched the movie before, several years in the past. It was good. Thought provoking. Emotional. A story about an infamous time in the history of humanity, one that some people fear is at risk of repeating itself now. A time of Germany, in the era of World War II. With authoritarian government and the persecution of certain groups of people whose only crime was that they existed.

The book is better. Isn't it always though?

It's about a girl, torn from one life and put into another, who has to live through such terrible times and see such terrible things unfolding. And yet finds beauty in words, which she comes to hate at the end as they seem to be nothing but a representation of the evil known as man. And then her world explodes. The story is told from the point of death - the spirit who collects the souls of those who are no more. His final thought, as narrator of the story, is this: "I am haunted by humans". I hope that doesn't ruin the ending for anyone.

The girl, too, begins to write, and not just read. She writes the story of her life. Her autobiography. It saves her life, quite literally. But of course it reminds me of this blog here, the story - sort of - of my life. More of a list of random observations and a narrative of some things that have happened, here and there. An exercise in writing and preserving one's own history. Much more clumsy than her story, but I suppose it works. 

And so now, here I write again. I see I never put a picture to the last entry, from Christmas Eve, which was posted from my phone as were sailing around the Hawaiian Islands. Gently rolling. Up and down. Our last big adventure, before the holidays ended once more and school and work and soccer resumed. I guess I will go put a picture to it now. And maybe find one for this one. But which one?

I have, just last week, turned 50. Not a lot of pomp and circumstance to celebrate the milestone. I went to San Francisco with a woman I've been seeing. It was a fun day. A picture from that day would be nice. It was spring break from Sac State. That's over now too. And Connor's comes up soon, and once again our holidays are separated. 

I am no longer in my upper-mid-forties. It hasn't truly sunk in yet. I suppose that's because I've never quite felt my age. Well, sometimes, I do feel old. But mostly I feel so much younger than I am. I wonder how long that will last. 

Well, anyways, I'm still here.

You should read The Book Thief. You really should.

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

'Twas the Night Before Christmas, and all through the cruise ship, most creatures were stirring. Including me and Connor. I mean hey, we're on vacation and it's only 9pm.

It really doesn't feel like Christmas Eve, but it is! Here we are! I mean we've been on a cruise ship bobbing up and down across the Pacific Ocean since December 18, so what do we know? The days all blur together when you're at sea.

One of the guest performers made a joke tonight that if you don't celebrate the holidays, then Happy Taco Tuesday. For a second I thought, it's not Tuesday, it's Monday. But no, it is Tuesday.

That's how screwed up we are.

But it IS Christmas Eve and Santa came to the ship and took a photo with everyone individually and every kid got a wrapped present (a little 8" plushie of a snow leopard). So that was a nice touch. With cookies and milk and hot cocoa as a bonus.

I mean it was a slightly disorganized mess of people and lines of people but they got through everyone and I still made the 7:30pm show. So kudos for that. I'd hate to have to stay up to catch the 9.30pm show…

But now it's time for the children (and me) to be nestled all snug in our beds. And tomorrow morning we'll be in our third Hawaiian port of call, Nawiliwili!

Also it will be Christmas. And apparently, Wednesday.

Just One Night

So again I see some number of months have passed since I last posted on here. Honestly I think I need someone to prod me with a stick, saying, "write...write...write". Or something. But I don't want to dwell too much on the past and neglect the accomplishment of the last week. We finally went and did something I've been threatening to do for a number of years: we went camping.

Not like the camping we used to do as a kid, when we'd take off for a whole week and subject ourselves to pit toilets and washing up by using water from a bucket that was heated over the fire in a big black kettle. No, no, nothing like that. Well, the pit toilets were the same.  But this was just one night, and we didn't bother to wash up. A quick little getaway to satisfy the guilt of not having done it the last few years, although every year Connor has stated that he wanted to go camping.

So this was just a quick getaway to the Indian Springs campground, a little place up off of I-80, about 10 miles east of Blue Canyon. One of those random places I've never been to and never heard of, save by seeing the little signs on the freeway that indicate that there's camping at the next exit. I always wondered what camping was like at those places when I was younger, whenever I saw those little pictures of tents along the road. And, well, now I know. And it was pretty there! Sure, you could constantly hear the dull roar of traffic from the freeway not 200 yards away. But it was full of trees and, in short order, became full of memories.

A more pictorial account can be found here.

Oddly enough, the first critter we saw was a fairly long snake, slithering up along the driver's side of my car in our campsite. I don't believe I'd ever seen a snake whilst camping, not that I can recall anyway. On the bike trails along the American River, sure. But never camping. Usually it's mostly birds and squirrels. And we saw those, too. No bears or deer or anything like that.

And we did all of the camping things - cooking dinner on the old propane camp stove from the 1980s (burgers and Mac & cheese), roasting marshmallows on the fire for s'mores after it got dark. Well, as it was starting to get darker, anyway. It gets dark too late. Who can wait up that long?? It's past my bedtime. And we pitched a tent and played card games and read and slept in sleeping bags and urinated on trees. You know, all the normal 'guy' stuff. I'm happy to report that I wasn't particularly sore after sleeping on the ground again. That was a concern I had had in advance. Granted, my sleeping bag was on top of another sleeping bag which was on top of a blanket which was on top of another blanket, but I'm calling it a victory still. And yes, I brought pillows from home.

The next morning we made pancakes and packed up and left early to do a little hike before heading home. In the end, it was probably good that it was just one night, because frankly if we stayed another night, Connor would have been bored out of his mind. Though I suspect he would have loved another night of doing s'mores. 

In the end, I'm glad we finally fitted this into our lives. Every summer, time just seems to fly by and get filled up with all manner of other distractions. As if our lives were a Pac Man and time was nothing more than those little white pellets getting gobbled up. Blip blip blip. What with only having Connor every other week, and my work and his soccer and the musical I conduct each year...well the summers are just too short and end too quickly.

They're also too hot, but that's another story for another time.

It's About Time

It's been pointed out to me recently that it's been over two months since my last post on here. So, here I am, guilt posting at 9:30pm on a Thursday evening. Welcome back! I guess that so much has happened in the last two months that I could go on and on in an epic post verging on the precipice of short story status. Except my befuddled brain doesn't remember most of what happened in the last two months. Not off the top of my head, anyway. But that's why God invented photographs!

This one was taken at Marshall Gold Discovery State Park on March 30. I don't quite remember if that is the exact proper name of the park, and I'm too lazy to look it up right now, so I'm going to assume it's correct as stated.

Anyways, Connor had a field trip with his school here earlier this semester, so we took a day trip right before my birthday to go explore and have him show me around. I think, really, he just wanted to go gold panning again. And we did that, but we also walked around and saw different exhibits, the blacksmith shop (where he got to go behind the lines and work a bit one on one with the blacksmith), the historic church and Marshall's cabin, and had a nice sit down picnic lunch. And Connor got to sit in the exact same bench where he had lunch with his school mates. Fun times.

And then before that, of course, I took a spring break trip to Vegas. Did I really not blog about that? What a slacker. I guess I last wrote in anticipation of this trip. It was a good trip! A chance to get reacquainted with the party capitol I had been been so long in visiting. Not that I'm any sort of party person. I mean really, Vegas is almost wasted on me. Almost. But I had a good time, sampled drinks and food at varying establishments, visited a plethora of resort hotels and saw a couple of shows along the way, including a comedy club and a *gasp* topless cabaret show. And I even visited the infamous neon sign museum which is way, way off the strip beyond the Fremont Street Experience even. An explorer, I am. But it was fun, and I wouldn't mind going back again soon, just to get away and see some more shows. And eat and drink and eat and drink.

Oh and also...I think I lost about $40 in the slots. Such is life.

Did I do anything else these past two months? I admit I've now sunken to the level of being too lazy to check my pictures even. Well they're always there, ready for the picking at any time. Mostly I've been busy with work and soccer. April is the month for concerts at Sac State, and this year hasn't disappointed, with about 42 concerts and two festivals, including four tomorrow with the second festival happening this Saturday. I imagine it's about time to start seriously thinking about summer plans. Not doing a big cruise this summer, instead saving it for the winter (Christmas and New Year's in Hawaii!). But a camping trip, some day hikes, trips to the Aquatic Center when it gets too hot t tolerate, these are all things that are a good bet for this summer.

Oh and I'll be waving a stick at a bunch of thespians in the Light Opera Theatre of Sacramento's production of Ruddigore in August. More on that later. Already planning future posts!

And of course with Connor, he'll be busy doing soccer as well. That....never ends.

But with only a few weeks of school left, time should start to open up more so I can find more time to write here! Or binge watch Cougartown, which is what I'm secretly doing while typing this. I mean it doesn't have to be that show, it's just an example... 

Well hey, whatever comes up in the next few weeks or months, at least this post is finally here. 

 

Party Time?

So I heard the best quote on a show I've been watching this evening on Hulu: "We're at the age where the best part about going out is going home." Oh. My. God. That's so true! I mean I was never the going out type of person, it was never my vibe. No clubs. No parties. No loud stuffy spaces where it's hard to breathe and harder to talk. And yes, it is SO nice to get home after being out. Introverts live for the next opportunity to unwind and decompress.

And this picture wasn't me going out, it was an early morning walk on the way to work in a light smattering of rain. I'm at home now of course, relaxing on my bed. It's after 7pm after all. Another day done! I just threw this picture in here because it was the last picture I took of myself.

But in the spirit of the booming club scene that's bombarding me on the TV right now, I booked for myself a little pre-birthday present: a trip to Vegas! I haven't been to Vegas in...13 years? I think. It's been awhile anyway. I'm sure it will be unrecognizable since places like that seem to change so much. Actually the Super Bowl last weekend took place there...and I didn't recognize the prominent sites they were showing on TV. I get to play tourist and take lots of pictures with my phone!

I haven't even been on an airplane since 2017. Even that will be an adventure. Good thing it's just a short, rather ordinary flight. So yes, I'm going to Sin City so I can...probably go to be bed by 10pm and wake up early and enjoy a morning walk while taking in the architectural sites of the posh resorts. But I'll also probably take in a comedy show. And maybe...a Vegas-style cabaret show. Ooooh. That's about as much partying as I can take - a regulated, ticketed, 90-minute sit-in-your-seat-and-have-a-laugh-with-a-drink-or-two type of event.

And, sure, I might put $20 into a slot machine along the way. Who knows? Maybe I'll win big. Or at least enough to cover a meal or two.

But hey, it's Vegas. Anything can happen, right? Well, technically I suppose it's true...but I know myself. All too well. I'm predictable! But hey, it will be a nice getaway next month. And it's nice to treat yourself a little once in awhile. To mix things up. Enjoy a change of pace. This will be during Sac State's spring break, and honestly I've never been one to go out on spring breaks either. But I don't have Connor that well, which isn't always the case, and there's no really events happening at work that week, so...sometimes the stars just align. 

And airfare was on sale, $107 after fees round trip. Not bad, not bad. Yeah...I had to talk myself into it. But it's booked! It's happening! Two nights at the Circus Circus on the Strip. And I am looking forward to it. My own personal party!

The Super Bowl

Well, today was Super Bowl Sunday, the day where Americans across the planet go ape-shit watching abnormally oversized grow men chase a little brown oblong ball up and down a grass field while trying to knock the crap out of one another in the most sportsman-like way possible. This year there was the added bonus of an implied drinking game - which I'm sure millions engaged in - wherein you were required to take a drink every time Taylor Swift was shown on TV. Fortunately this only led to people getting drunk towards the end of the game, which was ultimately won in overtime by the Kansas City Swifties. I might have made up that drinking game part. But it wouldn't surprise me if it was a thing.

Fortunately I am immune to most of this societal ritual, save the over ingesting of food and beverages and the dutiful watching of the famous Super Bowl commercials, which this year featured an enormous amount of celebrity cameos. Good job, dunking donuts and Matt Damon. And also State Farm and Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. And Daniel Levy and homes.com. And so many more. Those were the true Super Bowl highlights! 

This was only the second NFL game I watched this season, the first being the playoff game two weeks ago when the 49ers won to get them into the Super Bowl.

In any case, it was a good sporting event, and at least entertaining. I wish I could say the same for the halftime show, which as in other recent years was a hyped live mini-concert featuring some famous artist (Usher) whom I...don't listen to. It's OK, the shows aren't made for people like me. They don't grab me, they mostly bore me, and I neither recognize nor understand any of the songs. I mean honestly, I couldn't name one song that was performed, or tell you what any of them was about. I'm not even entirely sure how many songs were performed. There were some other folks performing too...whom I also don't know. I think Alicia Keys was one of them. I'll just go back to listening to my music on my iPhone and ignore Billboard. Anyways.

I'm too old and too removed from the popular culture of today's society to be able to appreciate any of this. But I suppose that's okay. There comes a time when us old folks have to waddle aside and make room for the younger generations. I think that time came some years ago...

And yes, I save a crap ton of money by not investing in the live attendance of these types of events. For any sport, really. I mean I saw that Ticketmaster had some resale tickets available for today's even in the $6000 range. Who would blow money like that? That's more than the cost of taking my son on a 16-day Hawaiian cruise, which we're doing at the end of this year. So, one person attending a four-hour game or two people going on a 16-day cruise which includes all the food you care to eat and is cheaper. It's no contest.

And tomorrow morning we have to get back to the reality of our daily lives, and all of this will be forgotten until next season, when everyone starts talking about what happened last season. And like most things in our lives, it just keeps repeating over and over again. Feeling fulfilled, anyone? Maybe you should forget professional sports and book a cruise. 

Another Pilgrimage

So I went out today on another pilgrimage to San Francisco, the first one this year. Actually the first in awhile; the last one was...the end of August. Months ago! I don't usually go that long without visiting my soul city, but in my defense, I had a lot of car issues towards the end of last year. Yeah, I'm going with that. Excuses excuses. In any case, this was my new car's first road trip, its first time out of the central valley. Had to stretch its legs...er...tires? Well, whatever. 

It was also my first trip anywhere in...quite some time. I guess I've been laying pretty low since last summer. 

And it was a nice trip; I actually walked through some of areas of the Prresidio which I'm sure I've never been to before. It's sometimes hard to find places I've never been in San Francisco, at least places that I'd find interesting to see. I didn't even make it to Ghirardelli Square, or anywhere near Fisherman's Wharf or the Embarcadero really. But that's okay, there will be another trip again. Hopefully when it's just a tad warmer. I mean it wasn't that cold, and certainly warmer than Sacramento, and fortunately there was no fog obscuring views. 

Although I didn't make it to my normal go-to places for refreshments and and libations, I did have a ginormous burrito and a bottle of beer (Modelo) at El Rancho Grande, after visiting Amoeba Records and I followed that up with a milkshake from the Ben & Jerry's at Haight & Ashbury. And bookending these stops were lovely walks through various city neighborhoods. I do appreciate the architecture there, the old victorians and ornate decor that you just don't find in newer built areas. Sometimes it's just nice to hit the pavement and take a look around.

But this isn't all I've done in the New Year (and it hasn't escaped mw that this is my first post since Christmas Eve) Yes, in a monstrous feat of advance planning, I've booked a cruise for the end of this year which will visit the Hawaiian Islands and go over both Christmas and New Year's. 16 days! It will be the longest trip I've yet taken, and the longest Connor has taken as well. Should be exciting, and a bit new, as we've never been out of town for the whole Christmas week before. The closest was when we took that New Year's cruise at the mid of of 2016, which departed on December 30. For this one, we'll actually be in Hawaii on Christmas Day and in Ensenada on New Year's Day. Fun times!

And in other news, and fast forwarding back to today, I received a retroactive bill from the County of Sacramento for sewer charges, dating back to November 2021. I had thought the HOA fees paid this, and since the county never billed me, it seemed a good assumption. But now they've caught up to their "inadvertent" omission of charging me money to flush my toilets. I did have some advance notice of this, as they sent a letter - which arrived the day after Christmas, Merry Christmas to me! - alerting me to the fact that I would be receiving a bill sometime after the new year. So I have to add that to my new car payments now. Sigh. Money comes and money goes.

At least tomorrow is Saturday, and with nothing on the calendar, I can rest up from today's 11 miles of walking, and...try not to spend any more money on anything....

Twas the Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the flat,

not a creature was stirring except me and the cat.

The stockings were hung from the kitchen bar counter with care,

in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

Connor was nestled all snug in his bed,

while visions of Geometry Dash danced in his head.

And me in my PJ pants ready to go,

had just hopped in bed to watch a new show.

And that's because I just finished my parental duties, on this Christmas Eve. The duties of the Santa! I wasn't actually expecting to have Connor here this evening, but as things go...well he's here still and fallen asleep now. But I was prepared, as it's always wise to be around the holidays. As I learned the hard way two years ago.

And I suppose, as things go, it's been a fine holiday thus far. Lights were hung, presents were bought and wrapped, and many have already been opened. I mean really, we had to improvise a bit as Covid seems to be lingering around the family and threatening our ability to gather. 

So tomorrow it may well be just the old folks and me sharing a pizza for our Christmas dinner, but hey, I haven't had pizza in awhile and that sounds pretty good about right now. Connor and I did visit them this morning so he could get his gifts from them and we could delight in danishes, cinnamon rolls, and imbibe our traditional holiday mimosas. 

Perhaps tomorrow night I'll go walk the Rockmont Circle lights one more time, just to hang onto that Christmas spirit a little longer. It seems like such a build up every year, and then in a blink of an eye it's all over. Whoosh! There it goes. Well such is life, I suppose. 

But tonight all least all is calm and serene, and a little bit of magic still stirs in the air. I'm not sure how long the little guy will continue to believe the old fat guy in the bright red suit. This could be the last year, who knows. Though he seems more inclined to believe in the tooth fairy. Perhaps because there's cold hard cash involved in that one. In any case, tomorrow morning should be a delight, as he awakes and discovers that we had a...visitor last night, And he ate our cookies and drank our milk and left a present or two to boot! Ok ok, it was a bike. He left a bike. And some candy canes and Robux in the stocking. 

 

The Spirit of the Season

So I took a walk around the infamous Rockmont Circle yesterday, famed for its holiday decor. I had actually driven around it, playing chauffeur to my parents, at the beginning of the week. And truth be told...I checked it out on Thanksgiving weekend as well. Though not everything was up then. Not by a long shot. 

So yes, this was a repeat visit. But honestly, you can go many times and still not catch the details of everything. And this time someone had a snow machine set up. Walking in a winter wonderland. All told, the residents there have really outdone themselves this year.  It certainly helps one get in the holiday spirit, and at least to feel nostalgic a bit, for days of our past. Not sure what it is about all those twinkling lights that does it, but it just somehow transports you somewhere back into an innocent and carefree past.

And yes, I'll freely admit now that I've been committing the sin of a middle aged woman and watching Hallmark Christmas movies on Hulu. Just a few anyway. And yes, they live up to their ridicule of being quickly produced and heavily formulaic sentimental romps. I mean, how many movies can you have where the story line involves a cute, young female from a bustling city who is lost in life and love and finds herself sent for whatever reason to a small town in the middle of nowhere that is drenched in holiday cheer and has one love lost male who gets conveniently thrust into her life. That's...pretty much the story line of most of them. With mild variations.

But anyway, it's nine days till Christmas, and all through the house, only the cat and I are stirring. Connor come back tomorrow, and next week is the last week of school for him before the holidays. Their last day is the 21st! Talk about cutting it close. And good thing I've actually finished all my holiday shopping, and completed all the wrapping. Ready for the big day! And ready to close out 2023.

My car saga has now concluded. I unceremoniously said goodbye to my old Niro, my faithful and efficient companion for the last five years before it suddenly had a mental breakdown. For all I know it's still in the shop. I traded it in towards. new 2023 Kia Sportage while it was still awaiting a new computer for its hybrid system. And it was somewhat sad to see it go, but even sadder to now be saddled with car payments again. But such is life. And I like the new car, I do, I just wish it didn't cost so much. Sign of the times I guess. Life works out though, it always does. This picture of the new car was taken in the back lot of the dealership, just after its arrival the evening before and before my second test drive. And so, it ultimately came home with me.

And so life marches on, the year draws to a close, and a new year is just waiting to be unwrapped and explored. Though at the moment I have made no plans for the new year, no trips are booked. I haven't even really seriously thought about it. It's basically an unwritten book at this point. I guess we'll see what comes of it. But for the next two weeks anyway, I'll sit back and relax and enjoy the holidays. And I guess, watch some more Hallmark movies. 

The Saga Continues

So the saga of my car troubles continues, like an ill-conceived sequel to an only mildly-successful feature film. It's been in the shop now since November 16, a full three weeks as of today. And no, this is not my new car pictured here, this is my new rental. A 2024 Kia Seltos SX. Top of the line model with all the bells and whistles no less.

I actually got my car back, albeit briefly, last Thursday, November 30. It ran fine. For one day. On the way home from work I stopped by the drive thru of our lovely local Del Taco for some late evening sustenance, and it died. In the drive thru. Same issue as before. Fortunately I was able to get it restarted after a minute, so I could get it out of the drive thru, and the potheads behind me could satisfy their drug-induced munchie cravings. Because let's face it, who goes to Del Taco at 8pm on a Thursday evening? I mean, besides me.

So we towed it back to the dealer the next morning, after it disgracefully sat alone in the practically abandoned parking lot of the Walmart Shopping Center. And there at the dealer it sits still. The one advantage for me is, since their initial repair was unsuccessful, Kia was then required to supply me with a rental car, at their expense. So there's that anyway. And I got an update, last Friday evening, that they started a "techline case with Kia" on it. See, apparently, they aren't really allowed to work on it until the engineers in whatever super secret undisclosed location they are sequestered at give them advice and guidance on how to proceed. 

Yes, and the gods in their ivory tower spoke to my technician, on the following Tuesday morning following their long weekend break, and they decreed that the technician shall "check connections to the HPCU for any loose, bent, backed out, damaged, corroded, or moisture-contaminated terminals." The English translation, or rather interpretation is, "We don't know what's wrong, why don't you look and see if anything looks broken on it.". And lo, the technician followed the Good Advice, and he hath come up with...nothing. Apparently. Because now, they want to order a whole new HPCU Reservoir Unit, which again is just a fancy term for "computer". They are just awaiting approval to order it. And life goes on.

Oh well, at least today is like a winter break day at work, since the faculty are on a one-day strike and all classes were effectively cancelled. More fun times.

Happy Thanksgiving

Well here we are on the eve of Thanksgiving, on the front edge of a long weekend holiday. I cannot say for certain what the weekend may hold, since I still do not have my car; for the past week it has been at the service department of its original dealer in Roseville, mostly awaiting its turn to be seen by the one mechanic apparently employed there who can hook it up to a computer and discover (hopefully) what went wrong. All they can say at this point is that there is some sort of power fault in the hybrid system. That's what the "initial" error codes disclosed for the one brief time it was apparently plugged into a diagnostic computer. I mean, come on, I could have told them that. That's basically what the big scary flashing light on the center console dash means, and the fact that it loses drive power after a couple of minutes provides enough empirical data to back that claim up.

So I sit now at home, my car shopping dreams on hold, while being thankful that my dad's 2014 CR-V is still fully functional and able to be borrowed by me for the purposes of getting back and forth to work and stores and my son's playdates and so on. I think his car must have spent significant time on display in a museum somewhere, for though it is nearly ten years old it only has 21,000 miles on it. Well, a few hundred more now. My car, half his car's age, just passed the 70,000 mark, before it had its midlife crisis a week ago. 

And despite this picture's appearance, I am not now drinking cocoa, for this picture was not taken today nor even this week, but way back on November 2. It was the most recent photo I'd taken of myself, that I saw fit to save and not immediately delete anyway. I'm still working on improving my selfie taking skills...In any case this was a yummy cup of cocoa, down in midtown Sacramento. And it signified, more or less, the start of the winter weather season. Which is to say that the temperatures dropped below 50 degrees, my arbitrary target line for when it becomes just cold enough to justify buying hot chocolate at Starbucks. 

I did make some cocoa today, at work, from instant powder and microwaved water. It, too, was good. And some hours later, and completely unrelated to cocoa, a random mental homeless guy wandered into my office and plopped himself down on my couch. He said he needed to sit for a bit and "consider (his) options." If that's not disconcerting, I don't know what is. He also said he doesn't like his name, and wants to change it before he is "booked". He thought his new name should be OG. I'm...not sure what that means.

But after drinking one of my Capri Suns, which he referred to as a "juice box", and giggling to himself whilst lost deep in thought, the police arrived and called him by name (Daniel) and escorted him away. And now I suppose I should be thankful that I not only have a place to live, but I still have my mental faculties. For the time being anyway. I'm not getting any younger you know. It does put things in perspective as I reflect on my poor little Niro resting up on its own little spa retreat vacation at the Roseville Kia Service Center. And despite this, I still have transportation at my disposal. Thank goodness for supportive family! 

And tomorrow we'll start the morning in our own privileged way drinking mimosas and eating cream-cheese coffee cake while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. And later, wine and sparkling cider and probably more food than anyone should ingest at my brother's house. And the thing I'm most thankful for, my son, is here with me to enjoy the holiday. We just went for one of our infamous "night walks" around the property. So, yeah, it's a pretty good Thanksgiving after all.

I Think My Car Is Mad At Me

So, I think my car is mad at me. It knew, somehow, that its life with me was potentially coming to an end. Not through any fault of its own. I'm simply...outgrowing it. My son is outgrowing it. His soccer gear is outgrowing it. And when we end up taking two of his teammates and their gear to games - well, we're a little squished in like sardines. I mean, it works, it's not an insurmountable situation, but I've seriously been contemplating getting something a little bigger. With a little more room to breathe. And store stuff. And I've had this little car for over five years now. So maybe, it's time to think of saying goodbye...

My little Niro is not amused at this.

It certainly must have had its suspicions when I stopped by Stockton Kia last Sunday and test drove a new car. And when I then placed my little Niro right next to the new car, and it was unceremoniously poked and prodded in order to theoretically estimate its trade-in value. My car must have picked up on those signals. How could it not?

So then, today, Tuesday, whilst driving down Fulton Ave (on my way to another dealership to look at another car, no less), my Niro decided it had had enough. All of a sudden, and without warning, multiple lights flashed on the display and the car lost power. After pushing it off to the side of the road bit and turning it off and frantically checking the owner's manual to decipher the lit up hieroglyphics on my dashboard, it was clear the car had had a hybrid system malfunction. Which is a slightly nicer way of saying "total system breakdown". Or perhaps an "automotive nervous breakdown"?

And yet...there was a glimmer of hope. The car was not without power, and it actually restarted after resting a minute. And so I drove off, but immediately made the turn towards home. I thought to myself, if it just gets me home, we can talk it over and come to an understanding. Two minutes later it died again. So I pushed over to the side of the road again and switched gears, now thinking of looking for a tow.

First I called the dealership though, for some advice, but they would only say that their tow lot was full and they couldn't get her in till next Tuesday, and oh yes I'd have to arrange to get it there as well. Didn't they used to offer roadside assistance?? Perhaps it was too close to closing time to call with such problems. 

Well, anyways, I tried the restart method and made my way through traffic a little further down the road, like a football player rushing down the field on first down, trying to see how far he can get before he's stopped. Reaching for that next first down. In that manner I made progress - gains in yardage - through...six or seven downs. Yeah, okay, it would have been a turnover in an actual game, and I was nowhere close enough to attempt a field goal. So, about a mile east of Northgate Avenue on West El Camino, I finally threw in the towel and decided to call for a tow. It took awhile to find one who would answer the phone and not be inconveniently too far away or getting ready to close. But eventually the contact was made, the deed was done, and after a wait of about 25 minutes a friendly driver from River City Towing arrived and quickly had me on my way. For the pleasant little fee of $252.

Well played, car, well played. I get it. And now I'm sitting at home contemplating my next strategic play. It's halftime, and I can still come out strong in the second half! 

Fall!

Well here it is, October, the psychological start of fall. And Mother Nature got on board, dropping temperatures into the 70s and even giving us a little rain this past weekend. Of course She is still subject to Her mood swings, as the current forecast touts temperatures in the 90s later this week. 

But still, it's October! Fall!

I started getting my Halloween decorations out over the weekend. Actually, I got almost all of them out. There isn't a whole bunch, really. And yet I've added more this year, including two, 5-foot skeletons to adorn the front porch. And a Haunted Mansion themed tablecloth and lantern for inside. So, slowly but surely, I'm becoming more festive. 

This little glowing jack was actually an acquisition from last year, and follows the current trend of timer-based LED light up decor for the holidays. Six hours on, 18 hours off. Repeat. Until the batteries die. I already have two lanterns, including the afore-mentioned one, with electric candles featuring the same schedule. And it's nice, creating an atmosphere around the holidays, and especially one you don't have to physically turn on and off each night. It's something I was determined to do - create a more festive atmosphere - at least little by little, when I moved out of that cramped, sad, little apartment and into my new condo. Call it a certain pride of ownership, to decorate your castle each holiday season. 

And I like how it's coming together. Oh, to be richer, so that I could really go hog wild! But it's fine, just a little something new to look at each year. Slow and steady, Of course now, today, I'm thinking I need to get some more of those skeleton-laced 3-foot tall decorative plastic fences I had gotten last year...and I do have a 20% off coupon for Spirit (they've been giving those out like candy). So maybe...just a little bit more for this year...

And then one month from now, I can take it all down and get ready for the Christmas decor...same mental approach, but cheerier and more colorful. But in the meantime, hooray for October and hooray for fall!

Of Donuts and Dating

Donut! Stopped by Safeway downtown on my way to work this morning - just to pick up this little gem. it had been many days since I had a donut. Well, okay, it had been two. Two days. But still! I had to celebrate National Donut Day. Which was...June 2 (had to look that one up). But still! Sometimes you just need to give yourself a treat.

So it's Wednesday, Hump Day, in the second week of classes of the fall semester. Feels like we're already a month into the semester. It's been the usual business of locker and key checkouts, and scheduling changes and so on.

Recently I put a profile back up on the Facebook Dating site, having been absent from there for several months. I don't get a lot of hits there. I've heard from various women that they tend to get a lot of hits. Sometimes dozens every day. I can't imagine being that inundated with electronic messages from strangers desperately reaching out into the virtual world grasping for some personal attention. But yet here we are, and that's the world we live in it seems. Still easier yet somehow harder than the old days when I grew up, before internet and cell phones and all of this technology that brings us closer together while simultaneously strangling us with an abundance of external stimuli.

I've dated a few people here and there over the years, nothing over a few months in duration, and the most recent being just shy of two months. Nothing has really worked out, and that's okay. Not everyone will be an ideal match. You meet people, get to know them, try dating, have some good times...and after a time realize you're not the most ideal match. So you move on and keep your eyes (and your phone's browser) open to see who might come through the revolving door next. I've come to believe that I'm looking for something more casual at this stage in my life. Not casual in the sense that I want to date a lot of different people (who has time for that?). But casual in the sense that I'm not convinced I'm ready to give up all of my free time - and the autonomy of my life - to any person. Except perhaps my son, he'll always be number one.

Of course maybe it's just I haven't found the right person yet, maybe the right person will inspire me to want to give up my free time more. Certainly the ones I've dated in years past were not quite the right person, for I was not inspired. Not enough. Is that why we keep trying, looking for "the one"?

But on the other hand, it's nice sometimes to be able to come home after a long day at work and not have anyone to answer to. Well, except the cat. And my son, every other week anyway.

As I sit here at work pondering such things, and having long since finished the afore-mentioned donut, I've suddenly had an epiphany. Right now, I miss that donut more than I miss any of those I've dated and lost. Is that sad?

The Eve of Everything

Alas, here I find myself on the eve of a new semester's beginning at Sac State, the start of my 25th year on staff. Also the eve of my mother's 75th birthday. Quite a milestone! And the eve after the day of my return to San Francisco, after a long hiatus, an absence of what felt like many months after my most recent past of fairly regular visits. Indeed it had been just over four months since my last visit. Too long, too long. I am also near the end of August, having not written here since the beginning of July, and I suppose it's close enough now to call it the virtual eve of September, the long awaited month of Fall and cooler temperatures. 

It seems like the current place I am in is at the crossroads of many eves.

But I have not been entirely idle, not with my son starting competitive soccer this summer and I conducting the comic operas of Gilbert & Sullivan, specifically Trial by Jury and The Sorcerer. The first time in seven years I had conducted anything! And before all that even, with what must seem like an annual pilgrimage over the rollicking seas of the Pacific Ocean to Alaska, as discussed in my previous post. And even a little overnight stay in Santa Cruz, just me and the boy, playing in the surf and collecting seashells and riding the rides of the Boardwalk.

Yes, it's been a somewhat full yet invigorating summer. And it comes to an end, now, as the old routine of work and school comes into full force this week. 

And this picture is from yesterday's sojourn to San Francisco, specifically from the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, a place I had not visited in many years. And while I am not a tea drinker per se (at all, really), it certain seemed apropos to engage in such activity when one is in such a serene and fantastically exotic location as this. And so I drank. Jasmine tea, to be precise. 

And Strawberry Hill was visited and Land's End, with Mile Rock Beach and the ocean lapping at the shore in a constant hypnotic drone. Peaceful. And lunch was had at the Sea Breeze Cafe just south of the windmills of Golden Gate Park. And all of this in the delightful company of one of my oldest and dearest of all friends. Such good times!

I did not go to Ghirardelli. Or anywhere on or even near the Embarcadero. I didn't even consume one single adult beverage. Too much to do and see, and too little time! I guess I'll have to go back again...

But no, I do need to retire so I can do this sort of thing more often. Who wants to pay off my mortgage? I've been trying to coerce the Publishers' Clearing House to handle this small detail for me, but they seem disinclined to select mine as the winning number of any of their sweepstakes. 

So, back to work I go. Year 25! It seems like only yesterday I was a young, bright eyed, enthusiastic youth having recently graduated from college and embarking on this new journey of adulthood.  Or a youth in relative terms anyway; I'm still a youth compared to some and yet so much older than the students I see every day wandering the halls. I mean of course, I've aged a whole quarter of a century and they have remained as young as they ever were! I suppose I should now get to sleep, though it is only just after 9:00pm, yet I find myself tired after a long weekend of frolicking about. 

The Cruise Is Over

Ah, the eve of July 1st, when the fireworks begin in earnest within the narrow subdivisions of our cozy little neighborhood. Time to forget what sleep at a reasonable hour is, whilst the cat learns again about irrational fear. Hopefully they'll stop before midnight tonight...

And we are back from our yearly cruise to the Great North. It was marred somewhat by Connor's taking ill after the first full day, and again on the last two days before returning to our home port in San Francicsco. Bookend illnesses! At least he tested negative for Covid, there's that small comfort anyway. But unfortunately the poor chap spent a good chunk of our vacation hunkered down in our little interior stateroom watching old episodes of Bob's Burgers on the TV and sipping from the little plastic shotglass cup of children's ibuprofen. So much lost time at the ping pong table! And the kids club!

But aside from that it was really a lovely trip, as my YouTube video will attest to. We were blessed with the clearest, sunniest weather anyone could wish for. It was almost...too sunny. But we had some adventures, built some new memories, explored some new land (on bikes no less) - all in all it was a productive use of our summer time. 

We finally got close enough to see Dawes Glacier! That was a rare treat indeed. Thanks global warming!

Though cruises are expensive times to be sitting in your stateroom nursing a child's cold. Maybe we need to transition a bit to doing more land based vacations, where crowds of people are far more dissipated and germs do not run as rampant. I don't know. Maybe we need to do another cruise just to prove we can do it and stay healthy (Connor came home with Covid from last year's trip). 

Well, next week we'll do a little overnight trip to Santa Cruz, perhaps that will make up for some of the lost time. Have to use up some free Boardwalk passes, which I'm sure my little buddy will enjoy.

And of course returning to the real world after sailing through forests and mountains and ice means getting back to work and all of the real-world tasks I temporarily left behind. Mostly for me that means doing score study of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas I'll be conducting towards the end of this month and into the first half of August. Trial by Jury and The Sorcerer. And of course Connor is starting on his new soccer adventure of his competitive team here in Natomas, and before we know it it will be time to get back to school!

Is it ever not busy?

And just to add a little cherry on top, I got a jury notice for standby service the week of July 17. Sure, why not? Add one more thing on to the pile. But really it's not so busy right now, at this very moment, despite all these things. Not really. I found some time today to go for some walks and even a bike ride, to do some shopping and some reading and to watch some TV, and I reviewed my scores a bit and filled out a post-cruise survey (yeah, that took an hour and a half out of my day). And here I am writing a blog post, the first in two months. So it was a productive day today, Saturday, the first of July. A good start for the month!

I mean really, I'd rather be back on the cruise though. No matter how much you see, no matter how much you experience, you always leave wishing you had found time to do a little more. To eat a little more. To drink a little more. To explore a little more. To just sit and watch the world float peacefully by a little more. The trips go by so quick and there's never enough time. 

But alas, the cruise is over! And reality must step back in.

The End Is Nigh

Soda tastes better from a cup. As opposed to the can or bottle from whence it came. I don't know if this is some sort of divine design, or just a mental fabrication of my own. A psychological trick of sorts. Or maybe it just needs to breathe, like a fine wine. In any case, pour it in a glass or mug and sip it slowly! It's just. Better. 

Yes, I'm using phrases now like "from whence it came", inspired entirely by my most recent leisurely reading of Tolkien's The Simarillion.

I don't drink soda very often anymore, but as the temperatures heat up and business is booming at work, sometimes a refreshing bubbly is just what the mid-afternoon needs. And there was a single can of Dr. Pepper in my fridge, having sat there for untold months, just waiting to be consumed.

So I drank it. From a ceramic coffee mug displaying the old state seal as the symbol of the University, back in the days before CSUS had an identity crisis and became Sacramento State. And yes, as I finished the last drop, all was well with the day.

Here's a sand dollar. It's from Ocean Beach, on the western most edge of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, just south of the Cliff House and Land's End. I went to the coast again last weekend, this time with a new girl (pronounced "woman") I've been seeing, one from a past long ago. For an adventure. And good times. And soaking in the cool ocean air, and the majestic sound of the waves beating tirelessly on the sand. There's lots of sand dollars there, so much so that even with the known fact that a majority of sand dollars found on the beach will be broken, cracked, damaged in some way - you can still find a good handful of them intact and unspoiled. I flung this one, much like a frisbee, allowing it to be free to find its own destiny. It plopped on the moist sand near the edge of the grasping waves, where perhaps it still sits, or else it has likely been drawn back to the sea. From whence it came.

I'll admit, one of the highlights of that trip was finding the gravesite of the ashes of Wyatt Earp, famous lawman of the late 19th century, further immortalized in the late 20th century in the movie Tombstone. Yes, I have gazed upon the burial site of Kurt Russell! But what an interesting character Mr. Earp must have been! The life he lead and the stories he inspired are truly things of legend. And the quote on his tombstone: "...That nothing's so sacred as honor, and nothing so loyal as love!" Ponder that one awhile.

And yes, the end is nigh now for the spring semester at Sac State, with just two more weeks and seventeen concerts to go. Plus a music festival and several other outside group events. We will have had 91 concerts this semester by the time it's all done. 91! I'm not sure if that's a record actually, but boy, here at the end of April it certainly feels like a lot. And it is, it is. And this weekend: two outside group orchestras will take the stage. More work for yours truly. Work work work.

I'm ready for the semester to be over now. 

Birthday Come and Gone

It's early morning, April 1, and my birthday has come and gone. Actual birthdays seem more surreal or at least the concept is more abstract these days, partly because of our long history of celebrating them on the nearest weekend where the family is all free, regardless of the actual date of the celebration. (Hence we celebrated my birthday two weeks ago). And partly because I never quite feel like celebrating my birthday, per se. Not that it's any sort of Peter Pan Syndrome or anything, but I really don't want to get older. I've had enough of aging, the body slowly wearing out, greying, and all the other fun things that naturally come with aging. I don't want to get older anymore. 

Of course, it beats the alternative.

So the State of California saw fit, several years back, to make my birthday a state holiday. Apparently my birthday also corresponds with the birthday of labor leader and civil rights activist, Cesar Chavez. That's okay, he can share it with me. But frankly I was more excited, as I often am, about having a day off from work than about having another birthday, than about ticking off one more year of existence on this rock. Making another trip around the sun, as my father would say.

I followed the best course of action I could think of: I went to Chili's for margaritas. And they've brought back the Margarita of the Month, after a brief hiatus in January, for some unknown reason. Good for them. Good for me. And now I've entered the first day after clicking over to year 48 of my life, I can't help but wonder: what is this month's margarita?? Inquiring minds want to know.

And of course I did what I typically tend to do when I have days off, aside from taking the kid to school (K-12 schools don't see fit to honor Mr. Chavez, or me, by taking this holiday). I ran errands, did some shopping, caught up on laundry, and did my usual walkabout. Steps! It's a rare treat to get over 15,000 on a weekday of a week in which I have my son.

And now here it is, Saturday morning, the weekend just opening up before me, full of possibilities. I'll probably do little, but read and play Minecraft, and walk some more. That is, after the kid's 9:00am soccer game. Oh and also, after needing to stop by work to reset the stage for tonight's guest artist concert. Who plans concerts on a holiday weekend?? Apparently we do. Or I do, at least - I'm the one who coordinates the schedule, so I suppose it's fair to say I keep shooting myself in the foot, as it were, with that one. And yes, it's April, one of the busiest months of the year. 38 concerts this month, plus festivals and other outside group events taking place at Sac State. Sigh. This month is going to be rough. As it always is. 

But for now, here's to the dawning weekend! The sun has risen and it's nearing 7:00am. The boy should be up soon, and it will be time for breakfast soon. And the day will go on. And oh yeah, it was my birthday yesterday. Did I mention that? Well anyways, birthdays come and birthdays go, and if not for the frequent pinging of my Facebook app from people wishing me well yesterday, it probably would have gone by with but little thought from me. 

Just another day in the week, right?