July 28, 2017

Last night's outing was a Seinfeld episode. We really didn't accomplish anything other than hanging out, which should have been the purpose anyway. Nam met us at our house and we got game ready. The rain came and stayed for a bit so we went and got Hugo's tacos across the street. Kaci met us there. I got my vegetable burrito with no cheese. It was good, but bland at the same time. Since we couldn't really play volleyball anymore, I went home to change into non-sporty clothes. I forgot to change out of my flip flops, which was fine. Nam and I headed over to Kong's only to find that Paul and Kaci were not there yet. We wanted to get two waters and a milkshake with no alcohol, but the waiter felt insulted and left. He never came back to wait on us. His response was "no alcohol?" We couldn't understand why the milkshakes were $14 until he explained how the shakes have alcohol in them. They were for adults. We sat there for another 10 minutes and said screw this...let's go get Bambu che. As we were leaving, I ran into Paul and Kaci. They were driving into the parking lot. I told them I would go get che and come back. Nam and I got che. He couldn't stick around to eat it at Bambu so he took it to go. I went back to Kong's as I slurped my che away. They changed the location to Bleu Garten so I met them there. Cody met us at Bleu Garten as well. We hung out there and had some mini donuts. Since Kaci now wants pretzels, we went to Fassler Hall. We ordered pretzels and played Jenga. After about a couple games, we stopped. Cody didn't stop talking. Jordan arrived without his car, which means he's in it for a long night. Paul and I left them and got some "Hot and Ready" on the way home. I passed on the pizza as usual and went straight to bed. Last night's purpose was to play sand volleyball but the thunderstorms killed it.

July 27, 2017

This Trump guy is getting crazier and crazier by the minute. He will not let up with his idiotic tweets. He keeps bashing people and bullying them to get them on his side. This is definitely a sign of weakness. He keeps throwing shade at others and he can't keep his own house in check. You get all these people saying different things. No one is united in his team. The new communications director is another shit show. Every day there is something new. Let's not talk about politics while speaking to the boy scouts? Well, you actually did and you spoke about it throughout your whole speech. You talked about topics that the boy scouts have nothing to do with, especially the 2016 election when most boys were not old enough to even vote. His method of communicating is to get his audience riled up. The listeners get distracted and not focus on what is at hand...which is his inability to lead a team of competent people.

July 25, 2017

July 24, 2017

When given a choice, never eat outside at a restaurant. If it is nice and warm out, don't do it. The flies will get to your food before you will. It really is annoying. We didn't learn our lesson on Friday night. We did it again at another place on Sunday for brunch. The patio looked nice and cozy. Well, we fought flies the entire time we ate. On Saturday, I baked three different things for a diaper party. On Sunday, it was nonstop from morning to night. After church, we had brunch at Aurora. Then it was off to Sam's to pick up some things. After that, it was some Bravo TV time at Blain and Tess's before going to an Open House in Crown Heights. After that, we saw "Girls Trip" and rushed home to dinner at Heather and Robert's. They couldn't get their HBO to work so we ended up watching GOT at our place. Lucky for all of us, we live across the street from each other. After watching the season opener of "Insecure", I was knocked out. I couldn't get up early this morning. Instead of a leaking condensation pipe, our sump pump is not working. Water is filled up to the rim in the watering hole. It's never ending! Everyone hates my driving even when I think I'm being extra cautious. Does everyone really have a phone charger in their car at all times? I don't have one in my car and people freaked out. I have one in the car if I'm driving to Tulsa or something. Other than that, my phone is somewhat fully charged.

July 21, 2017

As I got into my car this morning, I realized that something was on my shorts. I put my hand on my lap and felt this sting on my finger. I looked down and saw a bee or a bee-like insect flying around. Keep in mind, I was already driving at this point and it was completely dark. I looked down and the insect was gone but the sting was getting crazier and crazier. I turned on the car lights and noticed that it was sitting on the window (ready to get out). I slowly lowered the car window and pushed it out with my Swell bottle. It left the car. I then googled "how to get rid of a bee sting". The internet says to first remove the sting and then put some skin cream on top of the sting. I got to the gym and started to push out whatever was in my skin. It looked like I pushed out something and the poisonous sensation started going away. I think this was my first bee sting ever. I don't remember the last time I had some stupid bug bite me.

July 20, 2017

People do love to small talk here in Oklahoma. They also greet you if you are the only two people walking toward one another on a quiet sidewalk. I dropped off my car this morning at Pat's Tires for an oil change and for them to fix the piece underneath my car. The place offers shuttle service in the downtown area. There were three other people in the shuttle van. We were all dropping off our cars to get serviced. People said hello and hi how are you. Next thing you know, it was just this lady and me and we continued talking about stuff. She moved from Chicago years ago. She first lived in Deep Deuce, then moved up north to Edmond. She hated Edmond. She and her husband now live in Mesta Park, which they love. They are close to where all the action is. They said they lived in Edmond way too long. They don't have kids so all that tax money to the Edmond schools was a waste of money. She knew about Linwood Place and how it's the perfect location on the west side. She said as long as we stay between Hefner Parkway and Broadway Extension below 50th street, we are living in a happening area. I really do like being close to 23rd Street because anything further north from it is like suburbia. We talked about living in old homes and how they have their charm, but they also present structural problems. Her house was built in 1905. I thought my house was old. She said Mesta Park was the first residential neighborhood in Oklahoma City, followed by Heritage Hills, the Plaza District, and Linwood Place. The three neighborhoods were platted around the same time with Mesta Park being the first true residential area of Oklahoma City. So there is your history lesson for today!

July 17, 2017

I need to watch the premiere again because there was too much chatter going on at the screening party. I did appreciate the GOT-themed foods and drinks, plus the festive decorations and costumes; however, I need to watch it again without distractions from Steve. Speaking of which, poor guy...he went downhill pretty fast. I'm glad he got home safely thanks to Ms. Marci. The opening scene was pretty cool and so was the last scene. It was an awesome homecoming for the true queen. The bedpans were the funniest. The guy needs to do what he needs to do to get to those books in the restricted area. Would I go all out to get secrets to kill the white walkers? Perhaps! Oh and there are now giant zombies! It makes a lot of sense since they never really burned these giants. The young lady continues to speak up against other men in the banquet hall. Jon Snow retains his role as king of the north. IT's crazy how they are splitting the last season over a course of two summers. I bet there will be prequels and movies after the series is over with.

July 14, 2017

The US President is our very own Manchurian Candidate. He, his family, and administration cannot seem to get away from all that Russia foolishness. There is no full disclosure on his connections and ties to the rest of the world. The only way to see it all is to see his personal tax returns. This will show how he is still connected to business interests elsewhere. It's all about that bottom line and the wealthy with this administration. I enjoy my cardio in the morning for the past couple of weeks. The treadmill is smack between Wimbledon coverage and Morning Joe. I switch between the two screens. I still need to get those wireless headphones that Blain let me borrow for the marathon relay. The headphones stayed in place and did not disrupt my running at all. We are coming down to the second week of our vegan diet. It has been going well. I do feel a bit more "cleansed". The only chips I can eat are the ones with no seasoning other than salt or vinegar. Gosh, I sure do miss my Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream. We still have an unopened bag in the pantry. It has an August expiration date. I'm sure we will find someone who will eat them. Sorry, Taylor...I cannot eliminate any more food from my already limited options. I cannot give up sugar and carbs. What am I left to eat?...almonds? I had to run to Crest to pick up butter to make the GOT sugar cookies. The cookie cutters were a waste of money. I barely got to use a couple of them. The dough stuck in the cookie cutter. It was a big mess. After a few tries, I decided to go with circles and squares. We can then draw on top of those shapes. I even threw in some stars. I have no idea how stars are related to GOT. I should have made some eggs for the dragon babies. I didn't even think of that until after I saw some GOT cookie inspirations. Hang in there, KNT! You'll certainly get over this hump. It's already Friday and the weekend is almost here.

July 13, 2017

Melania is trying to be Jackie arriving in Paris with her big sunglasses on and her hair did. Chile please...you'll always be known as the lady who slept your way to the top. You better maintain that beautiful look and your flawless skin or he will dump you to the side for a younger wife. I doubt you will be his third and last wife. In other news, I managed to fix the leak in our cellar. The condensation pipe was leaking due to a loose connection between two pipes. I tried the plumber putty but that didn't work. I went back to Lowe's and picked up plumber primer and plumber cement. Both were needed to seal off the pipes. I viewed a tutorial on YouTube first before picking up the primer and cement. They also said to wipe down the pipes before applying the primer and cement, which I did. I followed instructions including holding the pipes in after applying the cement. I also turned off the a/c before applying the primer and cement. This ensures the pipes stay dry while I fix the leak. I watered the lawn and raked the leaves as I waited for the cement to dry. The house was too hot to be inside considering the a/c needed to remain off. After over an hour of working outside, I checked on the pipes. The cement appeared to be dry and in place. I turned on the a/c and went back down to the cellar to see any leaks. I didn't see any leaks but there was a bit of moisture on the bottom of the pipe. I left the pipes alone and finished for the night. This morning before heading to work, I went back down to the cellar to check on the pipes. The puddle of water disappeared and the pipe no longer leaked. The dripping is now at the end of the pipe where it feeds into the water drain hole. I think the problem is solved...until the next leak. It's a never ending cycle with this house. Ted, the neighbor behind us, showed me the two bullets he picked up a few weeks ago on the street. This is the same day that he and another neighbor heard shots on a random afternoon. We compared bullets and found them to be the same. It looks like the same guy or guys continue to fire shots up in the air. It's crazy!

July 12, 2017

This Trump family is something else. After the daughter sits in with other leaders of the world, the son finally comes clean with wanting to get dirty information about Clinton to help his Dad's campaign. This is quite normal in a campaign, but to agree to meet with a foreigner for the information is outrageous. These people will go very far to get what they want and it does not matter if it means betraying the American people. Yes, let's make America great again by partnering with the enemy and lying to the American people. The dad continues to deny any Russian connection but the son's meeting with a Russian lawyer is clearly a connection that was never disclosed until a reporter found it. The son-in-law was also at the meeting and so was the campaign manager at that time. The dad now knows about the email thread after his son disclosed it on Twitter? Give me a break! The dad continues to lie just like the rest of the administration. They cannot keep their stories the same. It was never Crooked Hilary...it has always been Crooked Trump and his idiots surrounding him. Let's bankrupt this country like he has with his own companies.

July 11, 2017

July 10, 2017

"Baby Driver" sort of reminded me of "Guardians of the Galaxy" in that the lead character is dependent on his iPod to function. He thrives in listening to the oldies due to his mom's passing. Jim made it through the trailers and about 30 minutes into the movie. He had to leave right after that. After the movie, Paul and I went crazy on snacking at the house. We each had two peanut butter sandwiches and a bowl of instant ramen. Talk about loading up carbs the night before for the marathon! I wanted to work out this morning, but was interrupted by possible gunshots right in our backyard at around 2am. Three gunshots woke us up. It might have been firecrackers, but the cops showed up within five minutes. The neighbor behind us called 911. The cops surveyed the street and the back area. They did not find anything. They asked if we thought they were gunshots and how many we heard. About six different cops showed up. I was impressed with their fast response. I don't think we figured out what happened. The only thing I can think of is something may have gone down in the house next to us. The house is currently vacant with renters moving out about a couple months ago. The owner has been cleaning it and getting it ready for possibly putting it on the market or renting it out again. Another idea would be someone climbing into our cellar and shooting himself or herself? I highly doubt this theory. Whatever it was, it woke us and the neighbors up.

July 7, 2017

I certainly enjoy this three day work week. It was tough coming back to work on Wednesday, but today is not so bad. Five o'clock will be here before we know it. I ordered some Game of Thrones cookie cutters for the premiere party next Sunday. Instead of buying a Jon Snow cloak, I bought the cookie cutters instead. The cookies will be my contribution for the party. We really need to get better on the decorating. These cookies will be super detailed. We need to be meticulous with every squeeze from the piping bags. I also need to get the color mixing right too. Suzanne is definitely making us step up to the challenge. Indira suggested we watch Okja so I watched it last night on Netflix. It's so good! The vegan diet is certainly in line with the Okja movie. It really does make you think twice about consuming animals. Were we carnivores to begin with or were we only consuming plants back in the day? I actually do feel "lighter" all this week if that makes any sense. I don't feel bloated. However, I do feel tired from time to time, but I think it's less than before. It's only been a few days so it may just be in my head at this point.

July 5, 2017

I'm back at the office today after being out for almost a week. I couldn't even wake up for the gym this morning even though I slept at a reasonable time last night and I had my gym gear packed and ready to go. I told myself I would at least run around the neighborhood after work but we will see about that. It's definitely up for discussion... in my head. Today I don't really need to be in the office. I can do what I need to do remotely but the policy is to be physically in the office. Guess who was already at the office when I showed up? Hilaire! This was probably the first time she beat me to the office. She is starting her 24-day challenge. The last time she did it, she lost 10 pounds. I think she stays clear of carbs, sugar, and Dr. Pepper. The drive back from San Antonio wasn't so bad. We had two stops along the way. The first stop was a restroom break and a gas fillup. The second stop was lunch in Fort Worth, which was very close to Julie's house. She could literally see me waving at her from the restaurant. The vegan friendly diet started yesterday, but Paul messed up by eating a turkey jerky. He claimed that there was no other snack in the house. I brought the fried tofu with me to work for today's lunch. It was great to help Chang and Stephen move into their big ass house. I think they should just rope off half of their house and not even furnish it. We finally got to visit with Taylor and JC. Their neighborhood is super nice and their house is just as charming. I like how they already filled out their home with furniture and decor. Kaiser was a mess though. He was circling the foyer as we were leaving. He knew there would be an escape route when we left the house. Well, he sure did take advantage of the front door and ran off. It was hilarious, but I could see how it can get frustrating for Taylor and JC. The Alamo was pretty cool and I like the margaritas to-go. The strong drink really kicked in after lunch. I have no idea why it took so long for the drink to kick in. Overall, San Antonio is a very nice place. I can see the high quality of life in San Antonio. There is hot, sunny weather year round and plenty of retail and restaurant options for everyone.