Category Archives: Travel

Eldercare Round 3

Holy crap, it has been one hell of a week! On Tuesday night, after my father-in-law was admitted to the hospital following multiple incidents of falling and fainting, doctors ran a bunch of tests and concluded that the culprit was leukemia, specifically CMML. The physician suggested a series of chemo treatments (to start the very next day: Wednesday, January 25), with the goal of providing two years of “good quality of life.” Say, what? Just. like. that. Life changes in a flash.

On Tuesday evening, J used his United MileagePlus points (once again… the only airline that offers non-gouging award flights on zero notice) to fly out first thing Wednesday morning. He already had a trip planned back East for February 1, but given the complexity and severity of the situation, sooner seemed better. The family delayed the chemo start one more day so they could discuss the approach further amongst themselves and seek additional clarification from the doctor. My FIL was very apprehensive about undergoing such a plan with his advanced age, but after further consultation, chemo emerged as the only true option forward.

J’s presence has been instrumental in handling meals for his mom, shuttling her to the hospital to visit dad, and keeping track of all the medical info. Similar to my experience in May 2015 when my grandfather underwent brain surgery and was laid up in the ICU, J is exhausted doing all these things that fall under the generic yet inadequate umbrella term of “caretaking.” Jesus, that term totally does not do the role justice.

Anyway, so far the chemo has gone well. J says Dad goes in and out of lucidity (supposedly very common among old folks) and he is increasingly weak, but the doctor says the post scans and blood results show the treatment is performing as expected. Good news! 

CT Scan

So mom got a CAT scan done last week, and the scan def showed differences compared with the scan she had done about 18 months ago. The physician says one area looks like a possible contusion (bruise/injury) and the other area seems like grayish matter. Not exactly sure what the term was since I’m relying what he explained to my father. My father tends to get into all kinds of details, but I’m not the greatest listener, esp when I’m sick. The bottom line is, she’s scheduled now for an MRI and they’re hoping the higher resolution imagery coupled with contrast dyes to see brain circulation will give us more information.

I’m feeling pretty frustrated and vulnerable these days. I know how important it is to maintain a positive attitude… I mean, after all those damn courses I’ve taken, I of anyone, know how critical mental toughness is. And yet, I’m just not there today.

For one thing, I’m still fighting this cold. Our friend A during our trip to Pasadena spoke about constitutions– how some people are just more prone to sickness than others no matter how well they take care of themselves. Ugh. And I’m not exactly the greatest to my body and my health.

Yesterday, our neighbors had us over for dinner. It was really sweet of them: we hadn’t seen them since the day before we said goodbye to Marty. I was annoyed that they hadn’t said anything to me after knowing that we had put him down (in fact, when they were over visiting him one last time, the mom kept offering to care for him the one day she would be home over holiday break… after we had already told her our decision). I dunno. People say we all handle death and grief and loss differently.

I was also super disappointed by people who learned of Martin’s death and said absolutely nothing. Like my former boss from the university. She dropped me an email like “thinking of you and hoping all is good.” I replied within hours that we put Martin down and then no response. I mean, are you emailing me and then not reading the reply? Did you feel bad and want to take more time to craft a sensitive response and then just forgot? Honestly, I am appalled by this kind of bullshit and yet, it’s not the first time I have encountered this. And that was like weeks ago. Still not a damn word. Whatever. SMH. People really do irk my nerves.

In other news, I put two more trips on the books for 2017. We’re headed to Cabo for John’s bday in early March. Then, we’re meeting my college friend and his gal in Nashville in May. Meanwhile, I am gearing up for N’s 40th bday bash in Big Sky, MT, where I just saw the temps were -10F last week. I know. I am ordering some serious heavy duty thermals. Granted, I have been in colder temps in my life (Harbin, China at -25F or so for the Ice Festival). But again, that was over ten years ago when I was younger and stronger and probably still of weak constitution but at least more resilient than today. 🙁

Pasadena

J and I flew into Burbank last Thursday to meet up with his former coworker and friend A. She is originally from Burbank, and she invited us to join her for the Rose Parade, an item on her bucket list. Unfortunately, she’d fallen ill a few days before and then J woke up with a sore throat the day we were to fly down… None of this foiled our plans, but it just made the experience a little less enjoyable.

A is an executive assistant/chief of staff for a tech company, so she’s a planner. And oh boy was it nice to have everything all booked and researched before we got there! I just had to get our air ticket (Companion Pass FTW) and rental car, and then as soon as we touched down, A had already researched places for lunch. What a nice change of pace!

The AirBnb she booked was super adorbs… it was a renovated garage in a very cute part of town in Pasadena. The only thing was, it was a studio (murphy bed + pullout couch) which A didn’t realize and it was very cold inside. There was a hot tub and pool but the hot tub was drained and the pool was unheated. Otherwise, it was a great place… just with the unseasonably cold weather and rain, I was basically chilled to the bone for three days.

Still, we saw all kinds of things: drove through old town Pasadena, did a drive-by to CalTech, checked out Christmas Tree Lane in a wealthy part of town (classy, not obnoxious lights), hit up Huntington Gardens and Griffith Observatory. We saw a lot in just a few short days. And I really like southern California: it’s much more artsy/creative and socio-economically diverse… meaning there are so many more venues for art (I mean, I guess Hollywood is not far) and not EVERYONE is in software/tech like people disproportionately are in Silicon Valley. Housing is still pricey but less so (I had my realtor apps open the whole time), and food is like consistently good and cheaper! That’s right: I’m planting the seed now. LA is a possibility for future places to live!

Btw, A turned us on to an incredibly delicious drink: we hit up the BevMo and made this every. single. day. The Archer’s Peppermint Patty is no fucking joke. You gotta make it!

We attended the Rose Parade our final day in LA. Pretty cool experience, and I’m glad it was on A’s bucket list, bc it’s not something we would have otherwise done. Ever. Funny though: A is so much more gregarious and vocal than J and I are. For example, with every float, she was so excited and full of compliments and positivity. J and I were just quiet– like the shit was cool for sure, but there are similarities from float to float and more top of mind for me than anything, was that I was FREEZING my ass off.

Traveling with other people, you also realize just how different we all are. Like at the airport, one agent was handling inquiries from passengers at two different gates… she was really good about managing the queue and providing customer service: She would manage expectations by saying hold on: lemme get these passengers onto their flight departing now, and then I’ll help this couple, then this group, then you. Thank you for your patience.

She was super pleasant and nice the whole time. After she helped us, J and I said thanks and walked away. But A like REALLY thanked the agent: Thanks for processing all of us and you were so pleasant managing all those simultaneous requests… you are great at what you do!

And while me relaying what A said might sound too much or insincere, it was totally natural and genuine. I really took that as a reminder that you can never really acknowledge people enough. Gratitude is a beautiful thing and I hope that I can learn to express it more often.[FAG id=7500]

Traffic and Travels

In terms of getting along with my family, things are going ok so far. But the trip is still early. No explosions as of yet. Yesterday, I took my parents out of the house: we hit up Great Falls, MD (a national park where dad was pleased to get in free with his senior parks pass that we got years ago) then I drove through DC into Alexandria then to the National Harbor, some new area by the water where there’s a huge Gaylord Resort and brand-spanking new MGM Casino. My parents tried to be good sports about the park visit, but it was in the 50s and windy that day. Btw, my father totally babies my mom. She underdressed and then he gave her his vest and his gloves and he was freezing. Dunno why they don’t just keep a shit ton of freebie fleece blankets in the trunk. The good news is they had never been to any of the places, and I think in spring, they can revisit the places with friends or out-of-town visitors.

One thing though: the traffic in this area bites. Holy fuck. It was already super bad (always a crawl) when I lived here but shit… we must have been in the car yesterday for five hours. That shit is no joke. Not sure the juice is worth the squeeze.

When we got to the National Harbor, stuff was all decorated for Christmas. It was pretty but I mean, my parents aren’t into ANYthing, so we went through that in about ten minutes. I suggested sitting at the bar and getting drinks to soak up the view along the Potomac River, but my parents don’t know how to have fun and don’t know how to enjoy anything so they didn’t want to do that. We got back in the car and drove across the street to the casino. Walked around there for a bit. Sat around in the lobby while I charged my phone. The casino had just opened on December 8, so I think they were still working out some kinks: every single restaurant was booked and not taking walk-ins ,so we ate at the food court. Then, we went home. Of course, the whole time I’m driving us around using Waze, and dad is like trying to ask me what my route is or where are we now or what county is Alexandria in, or if Arlington is better than Alexandria… dude, I haven’t lived in the Mid-Atlantic since 2003. I don’t know. I’m just trying to follow the Waze directions: I dunno where it’s taking me, I just know it’ll route me to the destination. Then he’s like doing the backseat driver thing (and yes, both of them are sitting in the backseat… that’s how Chinese parents roll) that mom did in Taiwan but he’s not as bad. But I still had to keep explaining that I’m sure his way works but Waze factors in the TRAFFIC.

By the end of the day, I am wiped and I mean, like I’ve said before: my parents aren’t impressed by anything. So my conclusion is pretty much: we should have just stayed home. My mom tried to give me some crap like they are just home bodies; it’s not that they are NOT fun people. Um, ok. But you aren’t fun even when you are at home. Homebody and not fun are two different descriptors. In your case, they BOTH apply.

So today, I made plans to have lunch with my college bud M. Thankfully, he offered to drive down from Rockville to Frederick. It was good seeing him but I dunno: people with kids are just totally different. He’s pretty high up in IBM but I think he’s the sole provider and his wife is from Tokyo, so pretty much all their vacation is spent on going back every year to Japan. And their disposable income goes towards school, piano lessons, dance lessons, etc. He says they have had bad luck with baby sitters so they don’t go out much. He doesn’t do any of his hobbies from before… Meanwhile, John and I were both not working for a bit; we traveled like 15 times in the last year… I’m not saying one way is right or wrong: I’m saying, I didn’t really share things in common regarding interests, lifestyle, and priorities. I dunno. Some days I kind of struggle with how divergent our lives are bc of the kid factor. I’m sure the same could be argued (maybe) for my friends who are single… but sheesh, at least they still seem to do stuff.

I mean, is he just sparing me the details of their “stuff” bc it’s all kid-related and I can’t relate? Or I dunno: I feel like I’m being judged as more selfish or self indulgent bc I’m not doing the responsible thing of raising a family? I dunno. Maybe I’m just sensitive bc that’s how my family views me. I’m just out there doing everything from the “me, me, me” perspective. Which is actually not even an accurate impression… Whatever, why should I give a fuck what other people think anyway.

Yesterday at the casino, I saw someone walking a beautiful young black lab. He was so shiny and sprightly– he reminded me of Marty in his younger years. And I felt so sad and empty. I mean, Marty was certainly no Lassie: he never really comforted me when I was upset or crying. But his presence in and of itself offered me comfort when I was sad or upset or disappointed with people. He always accepted and appreciated me for who I was. Even when I would get into a zone and forget to feed him dinner, he never got upset. He just came over and tried to signal to me that he needed something. Oh Marty. such a sweet and patient and forgiving dog. I miss him still.

Sometimes I think all the family holiday crap is a good distraction. But goddamn, I really would just prefer to be home doing some work and planning ahead for 2017 in the peace and quiet of the Houseboat.

Scratchy Sheets

I swear, every time I go home to Maryland, I feel like a goddamn diva. I arrive at my parents’ house and I mean, it’s the usual, so I don’t know why I even bother writing about it. All the lights in the house are on timers. I know they travel back and forth multiple times a year, but Jesus Christ, if you’re going to be home for longer than a month, can you at least turn the switch on the timer to “live outlet”?? Without fail, evening approaches and the room gets dark as fuck, I go to turn on the lamp and no response. It’s not a HUGE deal to take that extra step of feeling around in the dark for the timer on the floor, but still. Kinda annoying.

Then, I sleep in the first floor suite bc it’s warmer, but for that part of the house (Don’t worry, we’re not in some kind of Aaron Spelling mansion), dad shuts off the water heater. So, rather than turning that shit on like the day I’m coming home, he just says, use the bathroom upstairs for hot water. Lovely. I suppose the ice cold water is good for washing my face, considering my face is still inflammed. Perpetually swollen bc 1) I have RBF (resting bitch face) 2) I’m still crying every day about Marty. And whatever, I can use the bathroom upstairs but the fucking drain has some kind of clog and by the time I’m done with my five-minute shower, I am standing in like 2 inches of dirty water! Argh!!!

The final straw regarding home accommodations is the sheets. You have now idea: my parents have a humongous hall closet upstairs stuffed to the brim with linens. I get to the bedroom where I have stayed the last several years and there’s a cheap polyester quilt on top of the mattress. They didn’t even bother to put fucking fitted sheets on the mattress. For reals. Am I being a big-time diva, or is it fair to expect them to put legit sheets on the bed when their progeny flies across the country to visit. WTF. Then, the comforter is another 100% polyester POS that they don’t even stuff into a duvet cover. Instead, they just put the duvet cover and the comforter on top. Thankfully, the cover is cotton (the only thing that is), so I have that against my skin. Here’s the deal. I have super sensitive skin: I mean, I might as well have a legit medical skin condition bc I get itchy really easily and am susceptible to rashes, hives, minor bug bites (that invariably turn into welts), shingles, acne, what have you…

So this cheap polyester shit makes me itch. And, I forgot to mention that I am still recovering from flea bites all over my ankles… I suppose some kind of parting gift from Marty. You see, the whole week before his passing, I was itching like hell and we had fleas once before, so I was telling John that I suspected fleas and he just kept dismissing it all as my usual skin sensitivities. Mind you, home boy NEVER gets bitten by bugs. Until one day, he spots a black speck on his foot: oh ok, high alert: we have fleas. Yeah asshole, that’s what I have been saying… whatevs. Same shit happened when I got the shingles years ago. I kept telling him the blisters around my trunk were super itchy and painful. Oh just go take a shower. Put on some lotion. Change into new PJs. Fuck you. I went to the doctor and had to get put on super serious prescription meds. And if you read up on shingles, that shit is no games: like neurological issues. Anyway… so I ask my mom where the good sheets are, like COTTON sheets. She comes back with another polyester blend comforter. WTF??? I went upstairs to the linen closet and it’s all towels. Where are the goddamn bedding sets? Forget it. Supremely annoyed, I just sleep on the scratchy shit.

As the night progresses, my skin gets drier (from the heat) and itchier. My bug bites flare up and by 5:30am, I still haven’t slept. I rip off the comforters and take the one cotton duvet cover and essentially put it on the mattress, lie on top and then fold the other half of it over me so I’m in a cotton burrito. The whole time, I am SMH. Why does it have to be like this?

The conclusion on my diva-like behavior? I gotta take things into my own hands. I am purchasing a 100% cotton travel sack from Amazon and this shit is coming with me anytime I visit Maryland again. Fucking A. The odd thing is, for my entire childhood, my grandmother was obsessed with BVD and cotton everything. Have we learned nothing???

 

Square One

OMG, the tasks just never end. Just as I started getting comfy with my newest favorite dog sitter, turns out she’s not available for Christmas. Whatdya know, dog sitters go on vacation too. So this morning, I launched another exhaustive search, inquiring with 11 new sitters. Thankfully two are maybes: I have a call with one this evening and a meet and greet slated with another person for Monday. See? Turns out it’s a good thing I labelled everything all around the house, bc now it’ll be helpful for the newbie.

The good news is that Marty is mostly stabilized. His appetite has been good and his legs are strong enough to carry him in/out of the doggie door and on multiple walks to the park. I’ve even got the bedtime diaper routine down, such that by morning, it’s only filled with urine. Poor Marty: sometimes I hear him use the doggie door in the middle of the night… little does he know, there’s no need to venture outside just to pee in his diaper. Ah well, old habits die hard, right? But dang that thing gets heavy by morning. My poor Marty. Aging sucks boat loads.

Today the plumbing crew came to install our tankless water heater. I’ve used this plumbing company twice before, and they are always clean, neat, and just plain good. The work took most of the day and we had to shut off the water completely, but by 3:30pm, everything was done. I also managed to find a $300 federal tax rebate for our unit! It’s kinda annoying bc every time I ask contractors about energy/appliance rebates, they never know. Sure would be great if vendors tracked that sort of thing, but then again, I suppose it changes so much year to year, it’s easier to just push that responsibility onto the customer. The work did require a puncture through the roof to add a vent, and oddly enough, it rained lightly this afternoon. I’m not worried though. I’m sure the roof wound is all patched up. Next, J will be applying for a permit; after that, we’re going to scout out vanities and contractors for when we knock down the wall and move the toilet. Argh so many details. I can’t even imagine the level of project management involved for G&J’s place where they are remodeling the entire basement, like almost an extra 1000 sf! Plus, they are both working full time with an active toddler and a baby on the way. Ambitious people.

I swung by the real estate office today. Pretty much, I can’t submit any paperwork until that damn license (with the BRE number) arrives in the mail. However, I have started watching the recommended videos, and I also took the Tony Robbins’ DISC profile test (again). Yup, I actually took the test a few years ago: my results this time are different in scale/intensity but essentially the same with regards to rank/priority of the categories. In other words, I have super high D (Dominance), then next highest is I (Interactive), then low and leveled off for S (Stabilizing) and C (Cautious). Here’s a quick summary of my profile. The report is quite fascinating as it also delves into your natural vs. adaptive state (how you behave/perform under stress). Anyway, here’s a breakdown of what my scores reveal for the four categories.

Dominance: Your score shows a very high score on the ‘D’ spectrum.
· You are very decisive and a risk-taker.
· You migrate towards difficult assignments and opportunity for advancement.
· Your approach tends to be forceful and very direct.
· You are a great source of innovation and new solutions, even if radical sometimes.
· You may be perceived as somewhat egocentric by others (i.e., others who you feel are less confident than you).
· You love a good challenge, seek freedom, and look for a lot of variety.

Interactive: Your score shows a high average score on the ‘I’ spectrum.
· You tend to meet new people in a confident and appropriate manner.
· You like democratic not dictatorial relationships on the job.
· People may find you charming to meet and to converse with on a variety of topics.
· You appreciate an open-door policy with both peers and supervisors.
· You present yourself in a poised manner to both small or large groups of people.
· You prefer an environment with ample people contact.

Stabilizing: Your score shows a low average score on the ‘S’ spectrum.
· You respect the established ways, but are open to change when it is deemed necessary.
· You are comfortable acting alone to determine the best course of action.
· You prefer a faster paced environment, but one that is not frantic or chaotic.
· You can multitask fairly well.
· You are flexible enough to deal with change openly and without fear.
· You like being mobile and on the go, but you like a home base to return to from time to time.

Cautious: Your score shows a low average score on the ‘C’ spectrum.
· You are flexible enough to work with or without a lot of structure or order.
· You can easily work independently when it comes to completing tasks and assignments.
· You may be perceived as being non-committal by some when it comes to deciding on how to proceed.
· To you, rules are guidelines, not concrete.
· You prefer to act as your “own person” rather than follow the norm.
· You are persistent in trying to get a message across, even in the midst of resistance.

These are suggestions for me to be more effective: You could be more effective
by:
• Becoming more aware of your approach to others, and it’s impact on others.
• Trying not to over-react.
• Being aware that your level of aggressiveness and tenacity may be off putting to others.
• Having support staff to handle the detail work.
• Reducing your competitive edge when dealing with others who aren’t as competitive as you.
• Becoming more sensitive to the climate or the situation, and adjusting your intensity accordingly.
• Learning to follow as well as you might lead.
• Remembering to negotiate difficult matters in a real-time, face-to-face manner, rather than through electronic means.

Interestingly, I don’t even consider myself competitive, but the other items are pretty spot on. For example, I wanted to negotiate my commission split via email, but Bubbey told me I had to do it in person. Haha.

Other tasks for this week? Bubs is going to do my photoshoot for my business cards and web materials. Argh, I kinda hate pictures of myself but apparently, homebuyers and sellers want to match the name to a face to build trust. Fuck. Phil Dunphy in da house! We’ll see what I come up with.

Back to the Bubble

Seattle was a great time. On Saturday, we hit up the Boeing facility up in Everett. We attended a 90-min Future of Aviation tour. Really. cool. And I’m not even an aviation geek. But we got to see the assembly floors for the 747, 777, and 787 Dreamliner. That carbon fiber, man. It is a game changer: so much lighter and stronger than steel, aluminum, or titanium. Amazing. Seriously, air travel never ceases to blow my mind: I mean, to get hundreds of people up in the air: living, breathing, eating, shitting– and transporting them thousands of miles all over the world- it is freaking magic!! Anyway, I highly recommend the tour.

Overall, our time was spent hanging out, playing board games (three new ones!), walking around, and eating. Yes, LOTS of eating, and John insists that the food in Seattle is better than the Bay Area. Then again, we’ve always felt that Bay Area food is overrated. Among our culinary delights in Seattle:

  • an amazing beef/lamb gyro + baklava dessert from Sultan’s in the university district,
  • doughy-crusted pizza and Italian apps at Mio Posto near G&J’s house,
  • cupcakes from Trophy,
  • yummo fresh doughnuts from Daily Dozen,
  • raw oysters and seafood at Elliott’s Oyster House by the water,
  • Mexican chocolate pie (among others) from A la Mode,
  • an amazing burger (crimini mushrooms and swiss cheese) at Uneeda Burger
  • more doughnuts from Top Pot,
  • vermicelli noodles from Dong Thap noodle shop in Little Saigon

And no, that is not even the comprehensive list. As you can see, the no-gym, carbo-loading theme continued for the entire trip. As for city attractions, well, the weather was wet– intermittent sprinkling but consistent wetness/dampness. We still stopped by some parks– Kerry Park, Washington Park Arboretum, Discovery Park, and Magnolia Park but aside from a longer stroll with Baby O and his parents through the Arboretum, our outdoor time was brief. I imagine the locals are completely undeterred by the cloudy skies and perpetual moisture, but I was pretty much paralyzed without sunshine.

I think the other couple and their kid H had a good time too. We hung out less with them: I think H is maybe on a stricter schedule. I’m not exactly sure. He isn’t quite as well-traveled as Baby O, so maybe the process was just a bit more tiring for them. He’s also in a different growth/development stage where I think he’s a bit more difficult.

The funniest thing is that J and I are the only child-free couple, and yet we were exhausted. J thinks we’re still recovering from our cold (eh, maybe, kinda), but I think it’s just the exposure to constant motion/chatter that causes mental fatigue. Then again, it could be a combination of factors. I’m sure the binging and minimal exercise did not help. Anyway, I’ll have to debrief with J&J to get their thoughts on traveling with the little man. Seemed like they enjoyed the break/escape esp following a very emotionally trying and depressing week (Trumpocalypse and all).

[FAG id=7494]

Regardless, we’re happy to be back in the Bubble. Marty did well again. This new sitter, I’m telling you. I hope she’s always available until the end, bc she has been a Godsend.

What’s on tap this week? We’re heading back to the gym. Also, I’m thrilled to be getting our new tankless water heater installed tomorrow!! J & I have def been pushing our luck with the old 40-gallon. For real. There is all kinds of rust/corrosion/water ponding on the top of it (signaling it’s imminent demise), so I can’t wait to get this old sucker (dated 1998) hauled outta my house! The work should just take a day, so fingers crossed! We removed all the junk (supplies, shelving, shoes, etc.) out of the hallway washer/dryer area to make room for the plumber. He’s supposed to mount the tankless unit on the wall above the dryer, and then he’ll remove the old tank. Phase 2 for us will then involve finding a contractor to bust out part of the wall and then we’re hoping to move the master bath commode to where the water heater sat so as to make room for a larger sink/vanity. We’ll see. I haven’t even contacted any contractors or anything. That’s later. First things first. Gotta remove the exploding bomb!

Beyond that, I’m planning to hit up the kw office tomorrow and the rest of this week: I’m submitting my paperwork and kicking off my first 100 days. Woohoo!

Of course, just as I’m ramping up for real estate, I’m also getting a ton of requests for Rover for Thanksgiving. So far, I’ve turned them all down though. Mostly bc the dogs are too young (< 3 y/o) and I don’t want the added stress on Martin. Don’t worry: I’m still hustling via eBay and Craiglist. In fact, a Palo Alto techie is coming by tomorrow to buy J’s old Apple monitor! Yeehaw! More Bubbey bucks! 🙂

Hello Again

Well looks like I skipped a day already for NaBloPoMo. Oops. Our time here in Seattle has felt quite busy. On Friday, we were up early to check out all the downtown sites; unfortunately, we didn’t plan the operating hours at all. For example, we hit up the Chihuly Museum and Space Needle bc Friday was the only clear day in the forecast. When we arrived, the Chihuly place was closed, opening only at 11. So we decided to do a brisk walk downtown to Pike Place Chowder. Then, they were also closed, set to open at 11. So weird: we really expected a major city like Seattle to have more things buzzing by 9am. But our bad. We should have looked that shit up first. Anyway, after walking around tons, we scored our clam chowder and fresh doughnuts then headed back for the glass exhibits. Chihuly was decent: a very doable exhibit, though I kinda felt like having seen his work in Vegas and in Phoenix, the pieces looked very familiar. We were in and out in about 30 minutes. As for the Space Needle, the cloudiness never burned off, so we decided to skip.

For dinner, all of us met up at the Fremont Brewing company. Our old friend D, who has lived in Seattle since 2013, also came out. It was good to see him– the last time was maybe three years ago. He’s at the same company now, but he bought a house and then recently got married. Sadly, his new wife extended her trip in Japan so was unable to join us. But D seemed happy and well. I am pleased to report that all my old disappointments about that friendship are gone now. The friendship was great while it lasted; I mourned its loss years ago, but now things are fine. With my reaching out a month ago, I realized I was actually ok with everything. Life has moved on for sure.

Carbs

Since returning from Asia, J and I have not been to the gym. It’s been ten days too. First it was our colds, then the week-long jetlag, then the nasty ass carpets at home, then the leaking water heater, etc. The bullshit never ever ends. I know, all excuses. I own up to them. Some day we’ll get back on the JCC wagon. Hopefully sooner than later.

In the meantime, we are back in the air. Yup, today was our inaugural Companion pass flight, and already I fucked something up: I mis-entered J’s TSA Pre number, so then he had to go through the regular line. I know, first world problems and all. Fortunately, we still had enough time, but geez what a pain regular security is. If TSA Pre is not indicated on your boarding pass, it doesn’t matter whether you have the number or card or whatever. Tough shit. Regular security line for you. Needless to say, as soon as we got to the gate, J talked to the agent to get that shit fixed pronto.

An interesting thing happened: at the gate, I spotted the former GM of the public agency where I used to work. I immediately went up to him and his wife (I still remembered her name). He didn’t remember me, so I had to jog his memory. Funny thing though: he said he had been tinkering around on the agency website and he just couldn’t find what he was seeking. This whole time he was thinking that I was making the site more confusing and less intuitive. Nah man, it wasn’t me!! Glad I was able to clear my name, right? Anyway, it was a brief but nice little catchup. It’s cool to see retired people still active and traveling and having fun. The conversation was also a good exercise for me to revisit and relight those old connections… My new job is gonna demand that kind of thing from me far more often now…

As for the flight, it was an easy 90 minutes. I conked out and dreamed about hustling to sell houses. 🙂 After we touched down, we putzed around UW and then snuck in a quickie meal (gyro and baklava) at a local Middle Eastern food shop. Wow, a flavorful meal!

Then for dinner, we met up with our two couple friends– G&J, who are Seattlelites, and J&J, who flew in from OAK this morning. The neighborhood pizza joint hit just the spot: we had a great time catching up over yummy food. For dessert, Trophy cupcakes! Yup, clearly, the carbo loading has only just begun.

It’s Gou Time!

Since returning from overseas, I have been on the go. Big. time. John insists that this Powerpill mode was all precipitated by my father’s assertion that he works waaaay harder than I do. I’ll admit, statements like that– albeit true– do rile me up, so yes, that partially lit a fire under my ass. But aside from my father’s remarks, I’ve also been getting super antsy, you know? It’s time to get going full force. After all, I like to hustle!

Since Wednesday, I’ve been in full-on real estate networking/research mode. Then, I’ve also been trying to catch up with friends and you know, get back into the swing of home improvement, activity planning, and dealios. Real estate-wise, a decision on where I’m going to work is coming soon (after I do a tad bit more research and squeeze in some negotiating, of course).

As for my personal life, I am still floating on Cloud 9 with my Southwest Companion Pass. Shit man, I had already scored our Seattle tickets for dirt cheap, but then I called yesterday to inquire if I could refund John’s ticket (for travel credit) and instead use the Companion Pass option. Yesiree! I also learned that his travel credits can be applied towards taxes (~$11.20/flight) on the comp ticket! I know, you don’t really give a shit about the nitty gritty: long story short, we now have three trips on the books where he’s using the deal (over $500 worth!) . I’m going to get addicted to this BOGO travel arrangement big time!

What else. J and I have been talking about upgrading to a tankless water heater, so we can recover some space from the hallway and expand the master bath just a tad. We’re getting estimates from 2-3 plumbers to see what that entails. The timing is just about right too: this week, we noticed leaking/moisture on the top of our existing 40-gallon water heater (dated 1998!!). Yup, at this point we are really playing with fire. And given the last plumbing debacle, we’re kinda pushing our luck. Anyway, the project might have to break down into phases due to the urgency of getting in a new heater… we’ll see.

I’ve also been feeling rather grossed out by our dirty carpets, so I gathered numerous quotes last week for carpet cleaning. I’m planning to schedule a thorough deep cleaning on Tuesday/Wednesday, bc I need to see start seeing some sparkle around here!

Oh, and I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m participating in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month), which is basically an event/movement where bloggers post daily for this month. I’ve done it before. Blogging every day is a good habit for me since it’s essentially my therapy, which you witnessed in full view last month… Stay tuned for more.