Work before play

We had a regular work week, or at least that was the plan. Hubbs didn't feel well on Monday so he stayed home with the cat. Ace loved it. Thankfully he was better by Tuesday. 

He still doesn't understand why im obsessed with him. Lol.

Wednesday and Thursday were business as usual. Did I have a slight case of vacation-it's? Maaaaybe. Did I see RED on Wed when I realized I've been asking someone to do something since Aug 2024 and he STILL hasn't done it? Abso-friggin-lutley. Did I briefly consider a voodoo doll or generational curse? Yep, sure did. More people should be REALLY happy I'm a Catholic and won't actually curse them into the 4th generation. I just love when someone decides that my stuff isn't "priority" and therefore they don't have to do it. Sigh... he damages my calm. Otherwise, I'm working on another grant. Woot.

Thurs and Fri we had all-day webinars for Joint Commission stuffs. So. Fun. I got caught in a verification loop that threw me into a homicidal tail spin, so that was fun. Ultimately i was able to get into the webinar and i think only a couple people noticed my slightly inappropriate password. I was more than ready for Friday. 

Then on Friday I found out that in order for me to apply for the grant, I no longer could use the usernames and passwords for the 2 sites that I had used before. Nor could I use the username, password, and email that I already had for other parts of the system. I had to request the SAME access to the SAME system with a DIFFERENT email, password, and security question. So now I have 2 log ins for the SAME GOVERNMENT WEBSITE. One is only to apply for grants, the other one is to manage the grants. MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. The system already allows for requesting access to other 'apps' but not the one for submitting applications. WHY?!?!? The rage... it BURNS.

This has led to some introspection. Why am I sooooo rage-y? I think it's not perimenopause. I think it's being 100% DONE with the BS of our entire system. Between no repercussions for the disgusting atrocities on the Epstein list, 62 MILLION views of the rape site, and the general experience of being a woman in this world, I. Want. It. All. To. BURN. I want everyone who was a part of the trafficking and cover ups to be prosecuted. I want all the viewers of the rape site to be rounded up and castrated. I want the gov to care more about healthcare for all, feeding the hungry, free higher education, and investing in our people than they do about waging war. I want people to be educated, to be able to get sick and NOT have to declare bankruptcy, to be able to care for their family members without being screwed for the rest of their life. I have RAGE because institutional poverty shouldn't be a thing. No one should die because they can't afford to go to the doctor. No one in this country should go hungry, and I HATE that this is still a thing. I. Am. FULL. of. RAGE. 

Oh, on top of that. Did you know that I have 3 authentication apps on my phone for getting access to 7 different online systems in order to do my job? So I can't go back to a dumb phone if I want to keep my job. Also, my personal email now has to be linked to at least one system to apply for grants. So, work-life balance is KAPUT. Not only do I have work email and texting on my phone, I can't access certain websites without the authenticators on my phone. I say if I need a smartphone to do my job, then my job should provide the damn phone. Work phone, personal phone. Work email, personal email. No cross contamination! Sigh... I was meant to live in a cabin, growing food, and hunting. Not being in an office, cut off from the sun, dealing with petty BS. (To be fair, I recognize when I'm being petty. And I'm less petty than I could be, so that's a thing.)

The usual stupid stupids, on top of the state of the country/world, and my decreased capacity for tolerating ALL OF IT leads to... RAGE. SIGH. 

Anyway, on the happier note... hubbs and I are celebrating 2nd anniversary, which apparently is cotton. So he got me...

Shark heating pad. And I got him...

Tickle me Godzilla!!! Lol... he shakes. 

Also, hubby has wanted me to get into Japanese books. I have been resistant because I doubt my ability to read from right to left. So what does the Madman do? He finds the book at geek out that I'd LOVE and CHALLENGES me... then, he says I'm right and I couldn't do it. So that awakens my spite. He got my spite, AND my competitiveness going. So, I got the damn book. 

I'm gonna learn to read the wrong way around. Sigh. Also there may have been booze involved.

I do love me a black pearl margarita.

Anyway, we are going away for our anniversary on Saturday. Very much looking forward to it. Will update when we get back. Much love, all. 

I HAVE SO MANY TOMATOES!!!

Work and DETHKLOK!!

The work week was a weird one. I spent Monday in Arlington at a conference, so hubbs and I met up at an Indian place we like for a date night. After we wandered Costco and got a few things. Tuesday I had to go back but only for about an hour, so we met up for a full-on Costco date (dinner at the food court, then shopping). We got a bit more that time. Then hubbs went to clean out the fiat and I went home. Wednesday and Thursday were normal work days for me. Friday I took off because we had to drive down to San Antonio to meet up with friends to see Amon Amarth and.... DETHKLOK!! Hehe.

Breakfast of a Southbound Texan! Hehe. So good!!

Air bnb had a CANOPY BED!!!

Snacks for ALL! 

Dinner taco truck

I had the quesadilla, hubbs had 5 mini birria tacos. They were SO GOOD!!!

Trying to pay for parking while D and W got the wheelchair situation sorted out.

C won the parking standoff. Lol. Too many people trying to use their data.

Castle Rat was the opener. Very good band, entertaining stage presence, and the plauge doctor didn't take his mask off once. 

Amon Amarth was INCREDIBLE.

... as always, I mean, they always put on an amazing show.

Obligatory grumpy face selfie

He couldn't stay grumpy in the face of my relentless smile.

DETHKLOK!!! They stayed almost unseen as the videos played behind them, maintaining the illusion of the animated band.

Facebones even made a couple appearances!

the coffee jingle!! The episode that made me love them!!

at the end we saw the real people 😁

Saturday we got up and checked out of the air bnb, met up with bestie for brunch, and then headed north again. We stopped in west again for more yummies. Ended up with a bunch of sausage rolls with cheese and kolaches. Then headed home to the kitty cat. We were both SUPER sore still. We walked over 11,000 steps on Friday. EXHAUSTED. Hubbs and I relaxed with the kitty for a while, then he had to get some sleep since he works on Sunday. 

I got up on Sunday and checked my plants cuz, why not, and...

Miney has a friend! We have a random egg.

Eenie and Sheri are also looking good, and pricklepuss obs didn't wake up to detour the momma bird. Lol.

Today I'm gonna head to Mass, then meet up with a friend for ice cream, then relax with the hubby. Hugs all, have a fabulous day!!

Out on the Ranch

A nice week out in the country. Just a hop, skip, and a jump from work. 😁

Little lambs

Queso likes her bottle

Big ol longhorns 

Gotta love when a pic looks like a painting.

Someone had an itch!

Snuggly pupper

Sweet and spicy kitty. She's fuzzy and SHARP!

But sooooo cute!!!

Obligatory peacock pic

Snuggle butts

Cutie pie

I have renamed this one The Mad Pooper.u Tuesday night he stopped sleeping thru the night, instead needing multiple trips outside and he STILL had accidents tue and wed nights. So I've written his owners a story about it all. It's called "The Sad Tale of Wheeler, the Mad Pooper." He is the reason for my sleep deprivation.

Found this poor guy SOAKING wet on thurs evening. Dried him off and tried feeding, no luck. So I locked him in with his momma, hopefully she'll get him to nurse. Sigh... unfortunately it was all for naught. Poor thing passed away that night.

It seems like time is different out here. Maybe it's because my routine has been hijacked. Maybe it's because I don't have a mental list of stuff I have to do with the apt. Maybe it's because I have to get up early every AM for feeding/letting the indoor dogs run around for an hour before i have to lock them in for work. I don't know why (for sure) but a day and a half out here felt more like 3 days. It's weird, but in a good way. It's fun hanging with the puppers, but I do miss my hubby and cat. It's been REALLY nice seeing hubbs in the evenings.

I also a few d'oh moments I'd like to share with you. We have a miniso in burleson. I was surprised how much it was like daiso. It took me WAY longer than it should have to realize it's a mini version of daiso. It's LITERALLY in the name. My "ranch boots" are officially kaput as I had VERY wet feet one dewy morning. I've ordered actual rain boots (finally) and just in time for LOTS of rain (per the forecast). I also need new ballet flats as I tend to run my shoes into the ground. Bringing workout stuff does NOT ensure you will in fact work out and the infinity hoop causes pain in my Achilles tendon of all places. I decided to take the week off to heal. Unfortunately I've been waking up hungry all week, which is weird for me. I keep hearing my trainer and hubbs both saying "you're gaining muscle, you're gonna need more food." My phone made a noise on Wednesday and my immediate response was "Oh HELL no" and back to vibrate only. 

Easter was tougher this year. I don't know if it's because I was solo at the ranch or just missing what used to be my norm (Easter with gma and gpa) but the loneliness hit. Missing all my people and wishing we lived closer together. Need to look into this teleportation technology... if it can get that one dude to waffle house it can get my bestie and family to me!

In other news, I DESPISE having to download new apps because SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE decided to make one obsolete. Samsung messages have been replaced by Google messages. Sigh. (And don't come at me with "get an iphone" I swear y'all are a cult.) Also stop offering for AI to help me write. I don't like this... I don't like this at all. I may be a crotchety old woman when it comes to tech, but I don't trust it, I don't like the data centers, I think nothing really good can come of it, and I think "removing human error" translates to "removing humans" which is terrifying. I just don't like when technology tries to be better than humans. 

Friday my friend A came out for margs and mayhem. I finally broke my Easter fast with a margarita. 😁 Then my hubby was able to come and visit me on Saturday. We went to baked for breakfast and then wandered the square for a bit before taking hubbs back to the ranch and then going to HH for lunch. 

Breakfast: blueberry Danish, bear claw, and a goat cheese/mushroom Danish. 

Lunch: lawsuit dip

Loaded potato skins

Brisket tacos

Dessert. Chocolate chip cookie and ice cream. Then hubbs went home to finish getting ready for the week and I went back out to the ranch.

Last cuddles with the Harley this time. He was pouting earlier when I was cuddling wheeler. Lol

Sunday I needed to be home to give the person-eating couch away. So first was mass at gbury, then back to the ranch to play with the pups, then home to give away the couch. It's gonna be another weird week work-wise, but it's also gonna be nice to be home. I miss my hubby and our cat.

Back to Normal

After all the car drama, it's back to the usual. For a week, any way. We had work and home time, which was very nice. I'm enjoying having hubby home in the evenings. He doesn't enjoy the commute, but otherwise he has also been enjoying being home.

Saturday I went out to the ranch. Got a right telling off by the new indoor pup, wheeler. 

He was NOT thrilled his people were gone. Eventually he calmed down. 

He has the BEST angry face, tho. 

Harley sits with me on the couch, wheeler mean mugged me until he decided to go lay on the ottoman.

Still unhappy, but resigned to his fate.

Sweet kitty gets wet foods.

So many sheep's!

Cuties.

Queso was hungry

The new lambs. Only a week old!

Sunday was mass at St Francis Cabrini, then Mexican food for margaritas! That's right, I got to have margs for the first time since... really national marg day. Lol. Cuz I made that exception before I gave up hard booze. Learned my lesson... give up a specific kind of booze, not all booze. Letting myself have beer and wine was good for my (and others) mental health. 

I went to Mass in Granbury today, and got to see some of my CRHP sisters, which was quite nice. Then I went to Kroger to get dinner (pizza and ceaser salad) and went back the ranch to cook! Talked to dad for a bit, and now I'm gonna enjoy. 

Main course

Supplemental salad and leftover carrot cake. 

Happy Easter, everyone!! Hugs and love from the whole ranch!