Five on Friday #222

EINS - Random Shit

The day before classes started (so Tuesday), I had a crisis about what I would actually DO with my computer science degree. I mean, full on CRISIS.  What started it was a tempting tech writer position in my LinkedIn inbox (which I never check).  Actually, what started it was this Women in Cybersecurity conference in March, since I signed onto LinkedIn to add that I was a member of the WiCyS group on my profile page, then I saw the message, and then I was like, hrm I should look up computer science jobs.. and then I did and was like, but I can't do any of these jobs.

So that's where we are in life.

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I finally purchased my flights for Denver this week.  I won't be pocketing much of that stipend I'm getting for going, which is a bummer.  I'm still hoping I can talk to someone at work about the conference and see if I can get some expenses paid.  Fingers crossed.

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Teh German started his new job on Monday and we're still dealing with that situation I've been vague about for a month.  I swear that once it is all worked out I will stop being vague about it.

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After waiting (im)patiently all week, Teh German and I received the email we've been waiting for that was the breeze that blew the dark cloud from over our heads.

So here's the situation I've been vague about for the last month.

Teh German landed a new job in December.  When he told the German company he worked for that he was quitting without fulfilling his contractually obligated 60 day termination notice (yes, that's exactly the same reaction everyone else had to that statement too), they set out to make an example of him (per the CHS CEO).  What could have been worked out prior to Christmas stretched halfway into January, causing quite a bit of stress in our lives.

We talked to so.many.people about this situation, from my company's HR/recruitment team to legal professionals from other states to people who logic-ed out the situation the same way I and everyone else did: SC is an at-will employment state and Teh German's contract was for an unspecified length of time, thus making him an at-will employee.

Because Teh German was breaking his employment contract, the company decided to threaten him with "consequences" that they would never specify, despite us point blank asking what said consequences would be.  Threats from "German law is higher precedence than US/SC law" (incorrect) to "owing $50,000 in loss for the company" (wtf?) to "having to pay for an external trainer to come and train someone to move into his position" (wut?) to "having to pay for someone to go to training" (despite 2 someone else's having already been to the training).  There was no straight answer and I was relieved when they finally hired a local lawyer to move forward.  And then we hired a lawyer too because there are few things that freak me out more than when I second-guess myself about things I was extremely confident about... like Teh German being an at-will employee, and anything related to legalities.

Fun fact, in SC, if you've signed any type of employment contract, you are NOT an at-will employee.  This is less of a fun type of fact, considering the situation.  BUT, everything I'd read online said that it was NOT worth it for a company to sue an employee for not fulfilling a termination notice.  THAT fact, I was confident about.  I also pointed out to Teh German that it makes even less sense to hold the quality manager against his will since that person could do considerable damage to the company, if they chose (not that Teh German would ever do this because he's a better person than me).

Despite my confidence, and everyone else's advice of the situation, the lawyer we hired point blank said that Teh German was definitely breaking the contract and was in the wrong, which clarified on that at-will situation that had been a grey area.  Even after hiring the lawyer, the following/this week was stressful.  The attorney had to respond to the letter they send Teh German saying that his notice wasn't accepted, which was delivered on Monday.  Since we're dealing with German time and east coast time, that was another complication.  When we had met with our attorney last week, Teh German explained the situation, offered to give up his remaining vacation days, and offered to train the person that was taking his job on Saturdays.

For the last week and half, we've been in a weird state of trying not to worry that they would actually fulfill their statement of making Teh German an example for other employees trying to quit without fulfilling their contract.  We have been worried about legal things with this situation stretching on for months to years.  Not only would it cost THEM a lot of money, but also us in trying to fight them.  I prayed that it wouldn't be worth it for them.  PRRRAAAYYYED and prayed and prayed and prayed and send up positive vibes and only discussed the situation with limited individuals as to not jinx us (because I'm not superstitious, but I'm a little-stitious, you know).

Our attorney spoke with their attorney and our attorney presented some facts that their attorney was not aware of: 1- Someone else had already completed the training, they just didn't have hands-on experience, 2- Teh German had trained the person replacing him for 3 days prior to his last day, 3- Teh German had offered to NOT take his post-Christmas scheduled vacation to train the person replacing him but he had been told to take his vacation.

When she got back to us, she explained that at most, the German company would want him to pay for training his replacement which was $3000-5000, not chunk change, but an actual number that was manageable, considering the threats that had been floated.  We didn't really agree with this since 2 coworkers had already been through the training, but we were willing to fork over the cash to wash our hands of the situation.

Finally, Thursday (yesterday), we received an email from our attorney that the company had agreed to Teh German's suggestion of giving up his remaining vacation days and coming in for 4 Saturdays to train his replacement.  Even better, they are going to PAY HIM to train this person.  These days will help us recoup the lawyer fees we paid, which is irony at it's finest.

There are not sufficient words to describe my relief.  Actually, I was mildly-relieved when they finally gave a solid number of dollars that we could be liable for.  Getting the news that they agreed to Teh German's suggestion of Saturday training and us not owing money is like a cool breeze on a spring day, blowing the clouds that have been hanging over us since mid-December away.

Teh German refused to celebrate after he got the new job, knowing that there would be complications with the German company.  He barely even let himself be excited or happy about it.  Then add on the frustration of dealing with an organization that is outright bullying you?  It was everything in him to actually show up to work last week when things were at their worst and I do not blame him.

I'm super proud of the fact that he kept showing up and doing his job as he had always done, well past the point that I would have walked out of the building with two birds blazing on each hand while yelling at everyone to suck my dick.  Teh German is well known for his asshole-ish-ness, so for him to hold his head high and not let their bullying provoke any reactions from him is crazy impressive to me.

His new job seems to be providing a challenge that he was looking for and he now works on a team which wasn't the case at the German company.  He has already provided positive impact on ways of doing things that will make processes more simple and save time, thus saving money.  I know there will be struggles eventually, but after emerging from the dreary cloud over us for the last month, I'm going to take this win and run with it.

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It's not a secret that Trump is my least favorite president.  Also not a secret is that I'm a huge Elizabeth Warren and/or Andrew Yang fan.  Obviously, no candidate will meet all my various opinions, but I was interested after Ali posted the Washington Post "Which Democrat candidate do you agree with most?" quiz.

If that is difficult to read, I will embarrassingly admit that the candidate that I had the most same views with was Steyer, which is semi-hilarious because the only reason I know of this dude is because 1- he spoke the least at the democratic debate that I watched last year, 2- Teh PT Kid (and Teh PT Husband) HATES this guy because of all his ads on all things media related.

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I have only FOUR classes this semester and one of them is research, so it kinda doesn't count, but it does because I will have to do things for it, even if we only meet once a week.  I'm not used to having this light of a load.  Ironically, already this semester I've heard of 2 classes I wish I could take, siiiiigh.

Classes this semester are:
-Databases, my lone computer science class with PITA Professor
-Statistics
-German
-Data science research

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It has been incredibly warm in all of the classrooms on campus this week.  It was so warm in our Stats classroom that we opened the windows, but then the HVAC outside kicked on and it was so loud we had to close the windows.  At which point the instructor said, it's too hot in here to learn, so we'll just go over the syllabus and start lectures next Tuesday.

We all looked around at each other like, "Is this really happening?"  It was.  We were finished with class at 0830.  I spent the time until my German class being productive.  I took some Megan Time (aka, I went to the bathroom), stopped by Starbucks for a treat, called and made a VA appointment, had my labs sent from the OB-GYN to the VA clinic, and checked the internets for things.

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Meri and Pax cuteness:

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A coworker's boyfriend had flowers delivered to her at work, a huge bouquet of lilies.  Guess what I'm allergic to?  Lilies.  Fun.  Soooo, I told my boss that I was going home to telework because I didn't want to make it awkward.  NBD.

I get home and the guy pressure washing the house was blocking the entire driveway, so I parked on the street.  When I got inside, I realized the internet wasn't working.  I reset the router.  I reset the modem then the router.  I flipped individual breakers.  I flipped the breaker for the ENTIRE HOUSE.  I went outside and inspected the cable box on the outside of the house.  I gave up.  I used my phone as a mobile hotspot to check my email and make sure I hadn't missed anything.

Since the pressure washing guy was gone, I decided to move Willow to the garage... and the garage door wouldn't open.  Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.  So I backed Willow into the driveway at least and tried to troubleshoot again.  I finally located the GFCI outlet that was tripped in the garage and reset it.  Nothing.  I unplugged one item and tried to reset it, nothing.  I unplugged the other item and tried to reset it, nothing.  I got the step stool and unplugged the stuff in the ceiling outlet and reset it, nothing.  Then I texted Teh German about the situation, completely out of ideas of how to fix it.  I explained that I was trying to fix it prior to him coming home so he wouldn't have to be frustrated over it, he said I'd done everything he would have done.  I even sent him a snap of me resetting the GFCI outlet.  He said it was NBD and I opted for a nap because I had overwhelmed myself.

When Teh German got home, he went into the garage and did exactly the same thing I did and it fucking worked.  The internet came up, the garage door opened.  Part of me was annoyed, but most of me was just relieved that it was fixed.  I had him show me exactly what he had done and it was exactly what I had done, so I didn't feel bad.  We have no idea why he fixed it, but we were both glad.  Also, fuck home ownership.

Diablo.

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The actual temperature was 79°F.  It's January.  Fuck.this.shit.

The most accurate weather meme I've ever seen:

This is accurate, as I currently have flowers that are sprouting from the ground!

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Citadel things.

Last first day of the semester!

114 days.

Found this on a whiteboard in one of my classrooms.
It's not wrong.
(It's worth clicking on to actually read it.)

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If you are ever in Charleston, you NEED to visit Park Circle Creamery and get the Lemon Crunch flavor.  I know I talked shit about this place a few months ago because I was never able to get service there, but I finally broke down on Wednesday and hiked down.

OMFG.  A FRESHLY MADE waffle cone with lemon ice cream?  Be still my heart.  I could eat that shiz for the rest of my lifeeeeeeee.

ZWEI - Money Shit

-KFC for lunch
-Coworker's going away lunch
-Power bill
-Shave oil
-Flight to Denver for the WiCyS conference
-Textbook rental
-Starbucks treat
-Groceries
-Pill splitter
-Groot planters as a pick-me-up for Teh Bestie
-Dog sustenance

DREI - From My Phone Shit

Cadbury mini eggs are LYFFFEEE

Some of you might call these paper towels, but after Navy bootcamp, these will FOREVER be called "Brownies".

When your dogs are DEMANDING a walk.

Skrimp fried rice.
I linked the print version so you don't have to read her life's story.

For years I avoided these samples at race expos and then I tried it once and now I'm addicted to it for my minimal shaving needs.  I bought 4 bottles since they were a clearance bundle because of messed up labels.  Mmmmkay.

Celebratory beverage for personal victories against bullies and for the coworker's going away.

We all know who the asshole is that refuses to pick up their paper towels off the floor when they miss the trashcan.
Still, she refuses to correct this.
So.much.rage.

Ordered new Goodr sunglasses because they are cheap and also I might have scratched up the lenses of my newest pair..
Yes, already.  Ugh.  Even though they are cheap, I am now vowing to treat them better.
These are my Ursula gafas through since they have purple tentacles on the arms.

VIER - From the Internet Shit

As someone who fought with opening a damn cereal bag yesterday, I yelled outloud:
If you're not gonna make this fucking bag ziploc, at least make it easy to open, Jesus Christ!

I need to watch this movie.

This the meme that made me need to watch the movie.
Please also know, I am Kat Stratford.  I was in 1999 when this movie came out and still am in 2020.

Cam is 100% my fave.

This has happened more than once this week with Matilda. /shrug

FÜNF - Things that made me happy this week

1. The last semester of school starting.
2. German class.  I wasn't able to keep up 100%, but I don't think that was expected, but we talked about the history of the German language and if you're a long time Gentle Reader, you might recall that History of Languages is my JAMMMMM.
3. New Company hoodie, even if it is too big.
4. "Cold" weather after over a week of temps in the mid-to-high 70s. FUCK THAT SHIT.  IT IS WINTER DAMMIT.
5. Going to bed without Teh German.  Like, not really, but I'm insisting on taking care of myself and going to bed at MY bedtime and not waiting for Teh German to finish his scrolling/chores/Teh German Time and turning off the lights and going to sleep.  His loss.
6. Accomplishing dog walks all week, even at the cost of running, which I cannot seem to talk myself into doing.  IDK why.  I need some serious motivation though.
7. Birthday celebration plans.  I need to make some calls, buttttttt here's a hint: a rage room.
8. A surprise donut from Duck Donuts as a treat for bringing a coworker to the airport Thursday afternoon.
9. Open windows to cool the house down.  
10. BISON FILET for dinner tonight and celebrating Teh German's new job, FINALLY, since things with the German company are handled, we are allowed to be happy/excited about the new job.

Happy Friday, Gentle Readers.

Five on Friday #221

EINS - Random Shit

I have a confession... and I haven't told anyone this.
Teh Ginger posted something recently about rejoining the military based on current events and I actually looked up the age limits of the different branches.

I don't know what this actually means, but the fact that I even researched this is moderately significant.  I'm not sure if I would ever give up the DD-214 life, or if the military would even accept me again (with all my broke ass pieces), but I wonder how much I would actually consider it.

I did actualize that if I ever joined the military again, I'd only go in as an officer.  So there's that.

No matter how you look at it, the fact that I even entertained the idea is horrifying.

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So I'm in the Facebook group for the Ragnar 31 day challenge and some of these people who wake up at 0-dark-thirty and do their workouts with a full face of makeup have me conflicted.  Like, WHY and WUT at the same time.  So confusing.  I am definitely judging those people.

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I'm curious about other's opinions on singing the National Anthem while it is being performed at a sporting event/etc.  I'm torn.  Part of me always wants to sing along, part of me is like, "be respectful bitches!"  Teh Bestie and I were discussing this after she attended a Red Wings game in Toronto where the Canadians sang their national anthem with the singer.

I think I would be ok with it, if only because it would mean that there would be no more embellished version of the US National Anthem, which annoys me to the absolute max.

Opinions of the Gentle Readers?

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When I was putting away the Christmas decorations, I changed out the fuses in my Baggins tree since the lights had went out and the tree wasn't lit up for most of Christmas, but I knew it was there, so fine.  Thankfully, the lights work again with new fuses which means next year, the Baggins tree is back in business!

PS.  For clarification purposes, the Baggins tree is my accidental "in memory of Phil" tree.  The only decorations are some silver/blue balls, a purple feather boa, and Phil's tags. 💙

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My unpopular opinion(s):
1- I am not a fan of student loan debt forgiveness.  Yes, I do not disagree that college is expensive, but you can make the choice to go to a school that costs $20k per semester or $5k per semester or even less!  There are affordable ways to get attain higher education, says the old lady using her GI Bill to pay for a 2nd bachelor's degree.  I will admit that I was mostly debt free after graduating from NCSU because I received a SHIT TON of financial aid because Teh Mom was unemployed and I used her info for my FAFSA while I was in college because she was unemployed, whereas Teh Dad was employed and prob made too much for me to get as much in scholarships.  Yes, I know how lucky I am.  That said, I also busted my ass and applied for every fucking scholarship known to man as a senior in high school.  I watched the big scholarships get granted to those with parents who could afford to send them to school, while I ended up with a single $250 scholarship from the Rotary club or something.

2- I am not a fan of universal basic income.  Nope, nope, nope.  There are already too many people freeloading off the system as it is and I feel like this $1k per month that is being "promised" is less of an economic stimulant and more of a way to get votes from lower classes.

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I often make fun of Teh German for being an ostrich and sticking his head in the sand about stuff, but that is EXACTLY my reaction to this Iran/Trump stuff right now.  I'm in a good place, after some serious struggles over the last few months and I'm not ready to burst the bubble yet.

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Goodreads Users,
There's a way to compare your stats with your friends stats!  I didn't know until this week and now I want to compare myself with EVERYONE I know.

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Coworker walks by my desk and sees a plate with half a brownie and a spoon on it.
Coworker: Are you eating a brownie with a SPOON?
Me: No, I ate some rice with it though.  You know I'm not that much of a lady to eat a brownie with a spoon!
*Laughter*

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So here's what I've been vaguely talking about for the last few weeks.

Teh German got a new job (Yay for 2019 redeeming itself and its super suck).  Insanely proud of him for dealing with a very annoying application process (that required a super stupid aptitude test), going through his first American (read: in English) interview process, and getting the job.

There is some underlying issues associated with this change that are, now, mostly out of our control and we are trying to mitigate it, but at this point, my "come what may" attitude has taken over my entire life and that's where we are now.

Come.what.fucking.may.
But seriously, I'm think I'm going to ask Teh German for a birthday trip to a "break shit" place because I need to fucking take out some rage on some shit (without having to clean it up or repair any damages that happen).

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Due to the stresses of Teh German's job situation (the most stressful parts haven't been detailed here because I do actually keep some things private, WUUUT?), I feel like 99% of my Christmas break from school has been spent stressing about the situation and I've been mostly unable to relax the entire time, which fucking sucks

School starts again on Wednesday and I'm spiraling in a way that requires Xanax and I'm sighing so much I'm annoying myself.  I want to just cry it out, but I'm not sad or that upset, so tears come and I'm left with sighing and reminding myself every 2 minutes to relax my body and remove my tongue from the roof of my mouth to relax my jaw (for real, you'd think my tongue was attached to the roof of my mouth based on how often I have to mentally will myself to hold my tongue down to relax).

ZWEI - Money Shit

-Raleigh adventures
-Dog sitter
-3-pack of Rock 'n' Roll races (ALL THE MEDALS WILL BE MINE!)
-gas
-Hurricanes hoodie (AND I AM NOT SORRY)
-groceries
-utility bill
-Charlie Post Classic 15k (they are giving a medal this year and this keeps me half marathon trained, stop your fucking judgement/laughter)
-Dog toes cut off and necessary vaccinations for boarding the dogs
-New running shoes (which I was planning on buying, I just hadn't found the ones I wanted yet)
-internet bill
-desk stand for my desk
-New Goodr sunglasses (this is stress shopping at it's finest)

DREI - From My Phone Shit

I miss these things from my state on the regular.
Who the fuck cares if there's a womens/mens restroom?
Just do your fucking business and don't make a mess and move the fuck on.

Teh German was on the board!
(bottom left)

Anybody else use this ghetto method of holding back the curtains when necessary?

ALL THE CRITTER EMOJIS.
3 dogs, 1 cat, 1 grasshopper.
Goofy is a dog, right?  Close enough.

Doggy toe (nail) cut off day,

I don't care about the Marvel series.
I DO care about Captain Marvel.
IDK why, but she's my jam.  Maybe it's her RBF?

When you rock the noise cancelling headphone OVER the earbuds for being able to listen to your laptop AND phone at the same time... and to block out the noise because of a headache.

When does a joke become a dad joke?
When it's full groan.

This Moose loves his booby scritches.

When your Bestie gets you.

VIER - From the Internet Shit

I had to download some new motivation stuff on the work computer for this post.  It's a mix up from my normal MHN quotes.  But 100% applicable to what we have going on right now.

FÜNF - Things that made me happy this week

1. ROUTINE.  I thrive on routine and not knowing what fucking day of the week it was, was causing great chaos in my life.
2. The means to take care of business when we have to.  Even if it's difficult, even if it's unfamiliar.
3. A new lint ball
4. The cleaner coming.
5. Unexpected calls on difficult days from unexpected persons to check on things.
6. Finally making the Jim & Nick's cheddar biscuits that I've had in the pantry for way too long.
7. Hoodies.
8. When I was shaking the salad to stir it and the lid popped off the bowl and I was showered by lettuce and everyone (Husband, Bestie, Teh Chief Smartass) saw it happen and we all got a good laugh out of the lettuce on my face and in my hair and on my shirt.
9. 5 dogs in the house.  It's chaos, but Meri and Dash playing is so fucking adorable it makes my heart melt.
10. THE BESTIE BEING IN TOWN!

Happy Friday, Gentle Readers.

Weekend Review {01/06}

I'm writing this post for the 2nd time.  It was completely written and I forgot to hit Publish and I closed the tab and then had to reopen it and I accidentally clicked the wrong thing and then hit Alt+z too many times and my ENTIRE POST was GONE into the Internet ether for forever.  I'm rage typing this, if you think you hear something in the background, it's me... rage typing.  Fucking technology.

WEDNESDAY

We spent NYE at a Neighbor's house with the GLCK.  In a change of pace, Teh German and I weren't fighting on NYE and it was delightful.  That selfie contains non-forced smiles!  Crazy, I know.

By 0030, we were home and in bed like the old asses we are.  #NotSorry

We were moving by 9ish on Wednesday morning.  With the assistance of an alarm/reminder, I remembered to set out the breakfast bread to thaw before we left for the NYE gathering on Tuesday night.  I left it in the microwave all night to rise and when I got up popped that bad boy in the oven for breakfast.  It wasn't disappointing.

After breakfast and scrolling time, I finally got motivated and took the beasts for a walk and then came home and gave both of them a bath.  We were at Teh PT House for New Year's dinner by 2:30.  All the food was delicious and I ate waaaayyy too much with zero regrets.  Around 6:30, I finally headed home to feed the beasts and take care of house things.  I put sheets on the guest bed for the dog sitter, did the laundry, pulled out the suitcases and started packing.  When Teh German came home, I was puzzling.  Nothing else eventful happened and eventually it was bedtime.

THURSDAY

I woke up and pumped out 5 very difficult miles before work.  The only good part of the run was this gorgeous sunrise.

I got home and the dogs were being extra annoying so I put them outside while I sat at the island for 5ish minutes to cool down in peace.  During that time, Pax decided to show his true asshole colors and pass the time by digging in the yard.  Remember that one time, the day before, when I gave both dogs a bath?  Yep, Pax made sure that was nullified.  Dickhead.  To get back at him, like the spiteful bitch mom I am, I had Teh German give Pax a rinse in the shower since wiping off his tail and feet hadn't really done much.

When I left for work, Teh German was extremely confused and had no idea where I was going.  #VacationBrain.  I stayed at work until lunch time then headed home for lunch and to leave for Raleigh.  Teh German was, of course, not even close to ready.  I ate lunch and finished packing and waited around while Teh German finished showering, packing, and then came downstairs to eat lunch.  Siiiiiigh.

Between the shit run and Pax and work things and just the day overall, I knew without a doubt that I'd be napping in the car because I was in such a mood.  I was able to sleep through Willow's incessant beeping, which tells you how tired I was.

We made it to Raleigh shortly after 5:30.  We stayed with Teh Advising Sister.  After some socializing we headed to Beasley's for dinner.

Chicken and waffles, beets, pimento mac and cheese

Then we headed to Bittersweet for dessert.

A take on "smores"
The round thing is house made marshmallow and I ate as much of it as I could since it was delicious.
Inside the ring was ground graham crackers
There was also chocolate and 3 scoops of ice cream.
#HEAVEN

Dirty Santa = gin + hot chocolate
Wasn't really my jam.  Peppermint schnapps/vodka is way better in hot chocolate.

Because I forgot my phone, I had zero concept of what time it was, despite wearing my watch (which I had forgotten to put on after my shower, so I wasn't wearing it during work, which is why in my brain, I wasn't wearing my watch either), I deemed it time to go and Teh Advising Sister announced that it was only 7:30.  Well, we were all yawning at 7:30, so home we went. 

We watched an epsisode, per my request, of The Righteous Gemstones, which was ok.  Teh German and Teh Advising Sister got a glimpse of my true fucked-up-ness when I cackled when the person was ran over.  They were like, WTF Megan, that isn't even funny... Maybe they haven't watched the part of Meet Joe Black where Brad Pitt gets hit by a van enough.... As someone who would rewind that part and rewatch it over and over and over for the cackles, I've seen it a few times.

We couldn't hang for much longer, so we finally went to bed by 10ish.

FRIDAY

We had a slow start on Friday and went to Big Bob's for breakfast.  It was a greasy spoon country diner type of restaurant with huge portions.  Food was pretty good.  After breakfast, we headed to Adventure Landing, only to find out that the go karts weren't running since the track was wet.  We did get in a game of laser tag with a group of kids, but it was rough because we'd eaten so much and running from/being chased by kids with a full stomach was more of a challenge than we expected.

We only did one game of laser tag and walked around the arcade area and decided to just save our activity passes for another visit when we could do the go karts.

For an alternative plan, we headed to a few Raleigh breweries.  The first stop was Compass Rose because they were open at noon and because we weren't that far.

Next up was Funguys Brewing, which was my favorite because they had a smoothie beer that was cherry lime flavored and it was delicious.

Next stop was Clouds Brewing.  I appreciated how all their beers were named with a cloud theme.  The photo is yellow because the lights were weird.  Teh Advising Sister met us here after she got off work.  She informed me that on the other side of the bar were several pour-yourself-taps.  I acquired a bracelet from a server and set about trying a few more beers.

Next up was The Pit for dinner.  The appetizer was on fucking point and if you've never had pimento cheese balls, please remedy that ASAP.  I now consider pimento cheese balls a mozzarella cheese replacement henceforth.  Unfortunately, my meat was super dry, but everything else was good.

Pimento cheese balls, wings, deviled eggs, country egg rolls

Pulled pork, brussel sprouts, potato salad

After dinner, we popped into a chocolate factory for a dessert truffle then on to Crank Arm Brewery for pregame-ing beers.

A little later than I wanted, we left Crank Arm and headed to the PNC Arena for the highlight of our Raleigh trip, the Carolina Hurricanes vs Washington Capitals game.  I had hemmed and hawed about driving to the arena and having to pay $30 for parking (because wtff) but ultimately decided just to pay the parking fee for everyone's mental stability.

We hit some pretty bad traffic trying to get to the arena, which was stressful since we thought we were going to be late.  In a fortunate turn of events, when we pulled up to pay for parking, the lady standing (in the downpour) said her machine was broken and to just go ahead.  I did not inform her that I had cash, but MMMKKKKAAYY!!! Thank you, goodbye, I love you!

We parked quickly, at the end of Carter-Finley that is furthest from the Arena (because I'm a moron), and then did the 500 meter puddle avoidance dash to the arena in the rain.  We made it to our seats with a few minutes to spare before the players came out, like a Christmas miracle.

Absolutely necessary selfie with Ovechkin before the National Anthem.

Before the first period ended, I hiked (yes it hiking when you go from the ice to the first level, kthx) to the bathroom and made sure to stop and grab 2 beers for Teh German and I before returning to our seats.  This was selfish because I wanted to try the beer that was special made by R&D Brewing for the Hurricanes (it's called Storm Brew and that's not the name I voted for, kthx).

As expected, Ovechkin did some box time.

The Caps got a well-earned win over the Canes.  There was some strife towards the end of the game and I have an embarrassing confession...  In true "Megan emasculates her significant other" form, I fulfilled my own stereotype at the game.  There was a group of drunk individuals behind us who kept heckling the Caps players in the penalty box.  There were security guards at the boxes soon after the game started and I'm not sure if that's standard or if it was because the drunk groups, since the security person wasn't there the entire game.  Anyways, these drunk assholes were super getting on my nerves.  Maybe that's part of sitting near the penalty boxes, but it's not my jam.  Anyways... continuing on..

At one point, the Caps scored and Teh German was cheering and one of the drunk guys behind us started talking shit to him.  I saw Teh German's face flash in a weird way, from cheering and having fun to I will fucking kill you.. and before I knew what was happening, I stood up and told the asshole he needed to shut the fuck up.  He was like, "But you're wearing a Canes jersey!"  I said, "Yes, yes I am, SHUT THE FUCK UP."

It was pretty eerie in our section for a few minutes after that.  I will say that the drunk group piped down... but within a few minutes, I realized what I'd done and apologized to Teh German who responded, "I can fight my own battles."  Days later, I still feel guilty about not keeping my mouth shut, but I also know that in that moment, I wasn't sure how intoxicated Teh German was after plenty of day drinking nor did I know what the drunk guy would actually do, especially if emboldened by his group of drunk friends.

I think the Caps win helped smooth things over, but only by default and it was slightly tainted after that.  When the game ended, we waited until the crowd cleared out and we were kicked out by the arena ushers.  On the way out, I stopped at the team store and bought a new hoodie (because I'm an addict, ok, gosh).  Thankfully, it had stopped raining for our trek back to Willow.  Since we were parked at the end of the parking lot, it was easy-peasy to get out of the parking lot and on the road.

When we got back home, we socialized with Teh Advising Sister for a short bit, then headed to bed.

SATURDAY

Saturday morning was a slow start.  We did eventually get ready and made coffee and headed to Taste for breakfast.  It was a solid life choice.

The breakfast burrito with short rib and hashbrown cakes.

After brunch, we headed back to Charleston.  No naps this time.. and the ride felt like it took half my life.  There are few places more boring to drive than on I-95 within 100 miles of Florence.  Ugh.

When we got home, I had Teh German stop at Lowe's first so we could return the unused backsplash tiles and we picked up a few items that we needed for other projects.  We made it home by 6:30 and fed the beasts and while Teh German relaxed (he did drive, I'm not upset), I took down the upstairs Christmas things, put the spare sheets in the first-child-room dresser since it's mostly empty except for White Elephant gifts, hung a window on the wall that has been waiting to be hung since the wedding, and reorganized the first-child-room closet.

I have another confession.  I have a blanket/comforter addiction.  Granted, some of them are dog comforters from when the dogs used to spend their days in their crates/for the car, but there are 3 comforters for human use.. and that's with all the beds currently having a comforter on them!  Did I mention we live in Charleston, SC where it doesn't get cold?  Facts.

So my first thought was, yay new dog comforters, but then I'm like, but I already have dog comforters!  It's hard to be me, Gentle Readers.

So I managed to organize the blankets, make space for the Christmas tree, put the suitcases near the door (since that's the most frequently used item in the closet), return the crappy drawer thing to the closet (that was holding Christmas stuff) and put quilts in it, and ensure general organization was established.  I like to have the closet set up to where it can still be used by guests if they want to use it for hanging clothes or putting their suitcases in there so the dogs don't get into their stuff.

I also organized the guest room closet... while the dogs looked on in confusion about why they weren't getting post-trip "I missed you so much I need to smother you with my love" snuggles.

With all of that done, I can't remember what I did, but I do remember something light for dinner (cereal?) and then either puzzle or Modern Family, I can't remember.

SUNDAY

I didn't want to sleep in too much on Sunday, but I did.  Oops.  I got up and had breakfast, then we set about the task of storing Christmas.  Since I'm the under-stairs-storage troll (aka, I played under our double wide for many, many years, slamming my head on the beams and the bottom of the floor on the regular to train for this, so it's fine) I pulled out all the containers and Teh German handled taking down the tree and I handled the rest of the decorations.  I made sure to do several sweeps of the house to ensure that ALL decorations were gathered and stored.

AT THE SAME TIME.. while I was in the storage, I was hunting for the flags that were flown for me while I was in GTMO.  I knew they were in the house, but I didn't know which tote they were in.  I looked through almost all of them with no success.  I went so far as to ask Teh German if he knew where they were or if he'd seen them (which I knew he would have no idea since I'm the storage troll, kthx) and then I was so desperate I called Teh Bestie to ask if she remembered where I put them.  She remembered seeing them, but not where I put them.  Then, right after I hung up with her, I looked in the box of conch shells from GTMO that I need to go through and get rid of... AND THERE THEY FUCKING WERE.  Siiiiiigh.  WHYYYY, Megan, WHY?!

I delivered the flags to the office, along with all my old uniform pieces because I figured if I had the flags out, I should also try to put together the shadow box that was with one of the flag frames that I've had since.... idk when I bought them.  Long enough that they were super dusty.  Oops.

Once we managed to get all the Christmas decorations back into the under-stairs-storage, I went to the office to put the flags in the frames... andddd the flags were too fucking big for the frames.  The frames were for 3x5 flags and the flags that were flown are 4x6... because why wouldn't they be?

Nonetheless, I had all my uniform stuff out so I set about trying to figure out what I want my "I love me" box to look like.  I'm missing several things I'd like to have because when I got out of the Navy I gave all of my applicable/currently worn uniforms to Ms. Reflective and donated all but one of my DCUs to Bands for Arms since the uniforms were no longer in service.  Because I don't have access to the uniform shop anymore, I messaged Ms. Reflective and asked for her assistance with ordering and/or acquiring the missing uniform pieces that I was looking for.  She directed me to some websites for ordering certain name tapes and said that she'd acquire the rest of the stuff for me.  As for forever, she's the bestest.

The beginnings of a shadow box.

After getting items ordered/sending Ms. Reflective my list, Teh German and I put the tree in first-child-room closet for storage (rather than fighting it every time I need something from the under-stairs-storage) and then it was time for productivity outside the house.

I wanted to return some textbooks, but of course, the store was closed.  Next, I went to Old Navy for a return, then to Michael's to return the wrong size flag boxes (with all the dust on them, oops), then to Sam's to pick up the grocery order, and an impromptu trip into Walmart to look for any remaining 2020 stuff to use for graduation, but it was a fail since I'd waited too late.

I did pick up some new curtains for the dining room to replace the red ones that no one really likes.

When I got home, I forgot about the groceries in Willow, oops, and took the beasts on a walk and started dinner.  Dinner was sausage/kale/chickpea/black bean/carrot soup.  Teh German said it was tasteless, but I could actually taste the individual ingredients, which was nice, so he can deal.

After dinner, I set about finalizing my first task of the day: hanging my diploma frame.  You see, that's what started the flag hunt.  To hang my Citadel diploma frame meant moving my Bahrain end of tour poster, which reminded me to look for the flags for the shadow box while I was in the under-stairs-storage.

The thing that made buying my diploma frame most worth it?  The baby level and double sided foam tape they included with the mounting stuffs.  I'm gonna use the shit out of that level.

And then there were TWO!
123(ish) days until the diploma wall is complete!

After cleaning my desk off, I took care of pre-bedtime chores, started the laundry, and got ready for bed since Monday was back to work/real life for Teh German and I.

_______________________________________________

Overall, a pretty solid "no travel" holiday break.  I am considering Caps penalty box tickets Teh German's early birthday present.  Additionally, we spent the day at breweries, so that kinda solidifies the "birthday" weekend objective, lol. 

I'm probably the only one, but I'm glad to be back at work and getting back into my regular routine, even if it's just for a week and a half before school starts back and a new routine goes into effect.  I do so much better when I have a routine.

This week holds activities and guests!
At some point, I'm going to the Chiro.  I needs it.  BAD.  My neck is locked and my upper back is hurting so bad, despite my attempts to have good posture.
The cleaner will come on Wednesday, praise Allah, since it's been 3 weeks and I've used the vacuum so many times since she came.
Teh Bestie and Matilda are coming for the Charleston Marathon (I'm doing the half, kthx).  This was the biggest motivator for getting the closets organized.  The guest bed sheets will be changed on Thurs before Teh Bestie and Teh Chief Smartass arrive with the pups.  First-Child-Room is always ready (if you said that in the military way, I'm proud of you).
Friday, I finally have an appointment to get my fucked up finger checked out by an orthopedic doc.
Friday is also race expo, so that will be a fun scheduling challenge.

No new updates on the vague-news front.  Lots of drama continuing to go on with that situation.  I will be so glad when that fucking dumpster fire is no longer applicable in our lives.  I will say that Teh German will be starting a new job on 13th, so YAY!

Friday's post is in the works, so fingers crossed I get it posted before the craziness of racecation/race weekend starts!

PS.  Happy 2020!