Day 1223

Friday, May 20, 2016

The principal returned and generated his typical crazy whirlwind for all to react and take cover.  We weathered the silliness as best we could and ended the day intact.  Windy outside and cold.  I went to Varinsky early in the a.m. to wrap up a focus group.  I'll return Sunday for the next one, a mini.  Came home and did my bills, then watched Look Who's Back on Netflix, which was surprisingly funny.

Day 1222

Thursday, May 19, 2016

A very calm, enjoy day at work, our last before the principal returns.  Worked another three hours at Varinsky in the evening.  Nothing but work today, and a little research on Barcelona.

Day 1221

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

I slept in this morning, knowing the day would be a long grind.  After work, I drove to Saint Mary's with Alice's car to Austin's dorm, where we loaded up the car and headed to In and Out Burger in Alameda.  We were home by 9:15 and unpacked.  I went right to sleep around 10:15 or so. 

Day 1220

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Work, talked to Chris Tuesday night, and spent some time going over our itinerary for our upcoming trip.  It's only a week away.  Wow! 

Day 1219

Monday, May 16, 2016

A week and a few days and we're in Europe.  Lots to prepare for.  I really enjoy working with my coworkers.  I will miss them.  Today we had pizza in the conference room and went through a short book meeting.  My timing couldn't be better for moving on.  So many things are off at this place.  I really can't explain it.  I'll have to write about it in a short story.  The level of disorder and chaos is stunning. 

After work, I worked another 2.5 hours for Howard and his second focus group of the month.  I came home at 8:30.  The Warriors lost tonight, which is stunning.  They were ahead by 11 or so at the half.  The Thunder are tough and on a roll. 

Day 1218

Sunday, May 15, 2016

I worked six hours today, then spent the evening at Glenn and Amy's for a racquetball social.  The evening was gorgeous.  Lots of food and wonderful bonding.  The group is so much fun. 

Day 1217

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Alice upgraded to Comcast this morning and now has super fast internet.  Very nice.  Goodbye AT&T.  We watched Mad Max Fury Road on HBO.  Dazzling entertainment from start to finish.  Truly inspiring, sick, twisted and oddly meaningful.  So much creativity.  Wow!

Day 1216

Friday, May 13, 2016

Work, peaceful in a strange way, with the principal in Nebraska, then Florida.  So much left to do.

Day 1215

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Woke up at 5 and had my Skype conference with Elizabeth.  I know what to do with the manuscript and will have yet another revision to get all the details properly aligned.  I have some legacy ideas that are no longer relevant to the story, so I'll remove those and bring in some of the elements that might have more play.  This afternoon while driving home, I heard this crazy jingle for 5-hour energy and it was oddly reminiscent of the cookies Jimmy has to combat.  If they can sell and push an increase in energy, why not sell an increase in being nice. 

The work day was enjoyable with the principal in the midwest and then in Florida.  I had lunch with a coworker and we talked career planning and what the future holds. 

Worked another two hours for Howard after work.  Lots of work before the cruise.  No time for writing.  Hmm.

Day 1214

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

In preparing the principal for his 8-day business trip, today was nonstop activity.  Once I was home, the day was done, even though I did manage to spend a few hours going over the edits I was given.  I went to bed early at around 9:45.

Day 1213

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Tough day at the office as I told the principal I was moving on.  He was very sad.  Devastated even.  It was hard to see, but this is the right move to familiar surroundings with cool software programs and a larger office environment.  I'm really a systems guy through and through. 

Day 1212

Monday, May 9, 2016

Up at 4:30, racquetball until 6:50, then shower, groceries, getting ready for work, out the door at 8:45, then a full day of peace and quiet with the principal giving a expert witness depo in Pasadena.  I received my offer letter today after filling out a background check and application.  It's official.  My first day is Monday, June 13, 2016, after our cruise. 

Day 1211

Sunday, May 8, 2016

I woke up at 6 and completed our applications for Global Entry.  That took longer than I wanted but it was nice to have it done.  I think it will be worth it in coming trips abroad. 

Alice and I had a yummy cast iron pancake that she made this morning...

...then we watched Friday's latest Real Time with Bill Maher before I had to go. 

I worked 8 hours today, entering the latest focus group data for Chad.  It was quiet and kind of nice getting in an extra day's work that can take care of an evening's worth of eating in Barcelona.  I listened to Trump's Spokane speech that he gave yesterday.  I listened to the entire 70-minute speech.  He has a severe personality disorder.  The Republican party is done.  I don't know how they survive this.  Fear not...as disliked as Hillary Clinton may be, Donald Trump will not be the next president of the United States.  Not possible.  He's not stable enough.  It's really sad that the Republican party has chosen him, but it speaks to the utter weakness of the entire field.  What a time we live in.

I finished at 8 and came home.  It hasn't been the most restful weekend and I still have so much left to do.  Hmm.

Day 1210

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Alice and I had a great time with Richard and Lisa as the reopening of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.  The expanded the museum to include a new wing and it's great.  We had so much fun.  We walked around the museum for four hours, then had dinner in the city.  What a treat!

Day 1209

Friday, May 6, 2016

It was a great day at work because the principals were gone, off to a conference in Pasadena while my co-workers and I caught up on our work and ordered lunch at Touch of Soul.  It was delicious.  I had the added pleasure of learning after lunch that I had been chosen as the new document specialist at Hanson Bridgett in the city.  This is a perfect job for me and I couldn't be happier!  The staff is wonderful and the firm has all the latest and greatest software programs.  I'll get to create my position on my own terms and work with IT and another document specialist named Mario.  Alice is only a block away at Cooley!  It's all coming together. 

Alice and I celebrated at Mijori with lots of sushi!

Day 1208

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Work was peaceful until 11 when the principal arrived and began creating chaos, this time obsessing about payment from a firm to the point where he wasn't doing himself any favors.  No word yet on the job.  If I don't get it, I'll have to apply to other positions because I just don't enjoy being here, though I do really like my co-workers.  I'm treating it like a temp job.  After 3:30, all was quiet again and I actually felt caught up.

I came home and began breaking down the edits to Zombie Cookies.  I have about 2 months of edits to make, maybe less.

Day 1207

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Spent most of the day pouring over all the edit Elizabeth Law made to Zombie Cookies.  Wow.  Such smart comments.  Really thorough.  She's the real deal.  Now I need another extra month just to make these changes. 

Day 1206

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

One month after the deadline, I finally received my edits of Zombie Cookies from Elizabeth Law.  Wow!  These were monster edits, breathtaking in their thoroughness and brilliance.  I was blown away at how stunning and insightful her suggestions were.  What a gift.  I knew from the start she was the right editor for me.

I actually received her edits just before my weekly FaceTime conversation with Chris.  He was just as curious as I was about Elizabeth's comments, so we actually read her notes together.  We were both profoundly impressed.  She possesses an amazing gift and truly exceptional skill set, and lucky for me that I was aware enough to realize the incredible value of her services.  If I'm able to meet the bar she has set in addressing what needs to be revised and developed, I'm convinced my editorial investment will pay for itself many times over.  That's the plan, anyway!  I'm a much better writer when I know what I need to do, and at this level, that's what she has given me! 

Day 1205

Monday, May 2, 2016

Some tough racquetball in the morning, followed by another long day at work.  After work, I was able to research our trip for an hour or so before my eyes gave up and it was time for bed.  I went to bed early, around 9 or so.

Day 1204

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Woke up at 6 and took care of a few tasks, including catching up in my hardcopy journal.  Alice got up around 7 and we took care of a few things around the house before I left the city at 10:15.  We dropped Alice's Ooma (she never uses her phone anymore) and signed her up with Xfinity.  I'll need to do some cable wiring next week and get her modem and router at Amazon.com.

Back in Oakland, I made a few calls, caught up on my email and then went over to Howard's to watch the Warriors game and play some backgammon with him.  He's still in a fair amount of pain from the knee surgery he went through several weeks ago.  The Warriors looked good and easily took care of business, handily beating the Trailblazers,who trailed the entire game.

In the afternoon I talked with mom, Jill, Kevin and Alice.  I tidied up and made phone calls to help Cheryl with the jury recruitment for a focus group that's taking place in LA on Friday.  I'll work all day Sunday to get the information in.

To bed at 10:05.

Day 1203

Saturday, April 30, 2016

I was with Alice all day.  We went to Irving St., bought vegetable, then went to Patrick and Soren's for dinner.  Punn was there as well.  We played ping pong and cribbage.  Lots of fun.  A very enjoyable evening. 

Day 1202

Friday, April 29, 2016

I'm caught up with a lot of stuff at work and it was a fairly quiet day, so it was nice to take it easy and go half speed for a change.  At home, I read some articles and cleaned up my email.  

Day 1201

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Another day of work.  I hope I get the new job.  It's a much better fit for me. 

Day 1200

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

I had my second interview at Hanson Bridgett today.  I met three potential coworkers, Mario, Tanya and Danielle.  They were all very pleasant and described their work environment in glowing terms.  I think I'd really fit in, and it would be nice to work in the city again.  It's been 20+ years since I've worked in the city.  My interview lasted so much longer than I'd anticipated.  I was gone nearly three hours, a very extended lunch.  We'll see what happens. 

Day 1199

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Up at 6 and organized for a bit before work.  Read during lunch, catching up on books on my kindle.  A month left before Barcelona and Rome...I'm back into La Strav after several weeks without writing, such is the full-time state of my working life.  Nothing kills my writing worse than a full-time job, that's for sure, and next week will be even worse with extra work from Varinsky.  At least I'm paying off bills and taking care of the cruise.  I'll receive my Zombie Cookie edits from Elizabeth on Sunday May 1.  I'm looking forward to talking with her afterward. 

Donald Trump swept today's primaries, so it's Clinton vs. Trump.  I'm hopeful for the biggest landslide in my lifetime. 

Day 1198

Monday, April 25, 2016

Racquetball in the a.m., which was good and competitive, but for the rest of the day my mental state was super hazy and lacking all sense of focus. It was strange.  I didn't care for it.  At home afterward, I had dinner, cleaned up, then called it a night and went to bed early.

Day 1197

Sunday, April 24, 2016

I drove to Alice's around 8:45 and spent all day with her.  We had lunch at West Portal and bought fruit and vegetables.  It was so windy today.  In the afternoon, I researched Milan.  During our cruise, we dock in Genoa, which is a great town to visit, but Alice wants to see Milan, which is 90 minutes away, so we're taking an excursion there by bus, allowing us enough time to see the Duomo di Milano, the Milan Mall, and maybe La Scala.

  

 

That's about all the time we'll have, though it would be fun to visit Milan's Chinatown.  This will be a busy tour day for us.

Day 1196

Saturday, April 23, 1196

I stayed home and cleaned, read and rested in preparation for my Crocker Fundraiser Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament that happened tonight at Mark Slater's house.  I was the dealer for the 10th year!  Wow!  I can't believe it's been that long.  We played a moderate cash game afterward.  Lots of fun, but man was I exhausted afterward.  Standing and dealing for three hours straight is brutal.  Home by 1 and to bed at 1:15.

Day 1195

Friday, April 22, 2016

I didn't play racquetball this morning because I went to bed very late last night.  I had energy at work, which was a good thing because work was non-stop busy.  This place is too busy for my taste and we're short-staffed.  I don't see that changing anytime soon.  Hmmm.  Home, dinner, reading, rest. 

Day 1194

Thursday, April 21, 2016

After work, I played poker at Mark S.'s monthly table and finally, finally! has some cards to work with.  I had Aces once, Kings twice, Jacks, Tens, Nines, Eights, a flush that hit, a straight that hit, and won four times the buy-in for the first time in months.  It was actually nice being the table captain for a few hands.  Maybe this means my cold streak has come to an end.  We'll see.  I'm usually so unlucky at Mark's table.

I deal Saturday night at his annual Crocker fundraiser.  Should be fun!

Day 1193

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Racquetball in the morning and another day of forgettable work.  Hmm.  Howard has three focus groups in May so it's only going to get busier for me until the cruise in late-May. 

Day 1192

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

This day flew by.  Nothing but work and the daily grind. Ugh!

Day 1191

Monday, April 18, 2016

No racquetball today, but woke up at 5:30 and took care of a few chores for two hours.  Work was long and tiring.  No writing today, but read Chris's novel for two hours before bed.  Very good!

Day 1190

Sunday, April 17, 2016

I was still sore after yesterday's tournament, so I stayed at Alice's and read most of the day, in particular my Barcelona books, planning events for our trip in 41 days.  Alice is eager to try the delicious food.  I can't wait to walk the streets and enjoy the fabulous weather.  It should be a great time.  I drove Austin home in the evening.

Day 1189

Saturday, April 16, 2016

We had our doubles tournament at the club this morning and I played with Kirk, which was a lot of fun.  We were hot and cold all morning and ended up losing in the playoffs to Joel and Victor.  Mike Lippitt and Stevie Rojas ended up winning the tournament in a tight match against Tyrone and Tiger.  Lunch afterward was fantastic as always!

Day 1188

Friday, April 15, 2016

I played an hour of racquetball in preparation for tomorrow's tournament, then went to work, which was again very busy.  After dinner, I went over to Lisa's and we chatted for an hour or so.  It was great catching up.  Bed at 10.

Day 1187

Thursday, April 14, 2016

A long day of work and not much else today.

Day 1186

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Racquetball, work, dinner, rest. That was about all that happened today.  Hmm. 

Day 1185

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Another busy day at work.  I've been reading Best American Short Stories 2014, which are great. 

Day 1184

Monday, April 11, 2016

Racquetball in the a.m., then work all day, then home, dinner, sleep.  I was hoping to get a few chores in before bed, but I fell asleep on the couch and didn't wake up until 9:45.  So much for getting anything done today.  Oh well.

Day 1183

Sunday, April 10, 2016

I read all day and took care of ticket reservations for our activities in Barcelona, which is six weeks away.  A very relaxing day that lasted until 9, when I drove home to Oakland and went right bed.

Day 1182

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Alice spent a few hours working for Michael and David in the Marina, so I hung out at a coffee shop and read Data and Goliath, about security and privacy.  Good book.  I met Alice for lunch at Michael and David's and had a wonderful conversation with them.  They'd picked up sandwiches and soup at Green's which was delicious.

After lunch, we walked around Chestnut Street, then went home for a few hours.  At five, we visited Bill and Vicky.  Wayman, Elaine, Nathan and Jerilin were there as well.  We had dinner at R&G, then came back to Bill and Vicky's and hung out for a couple of hours, watching the Warrior game and relaxing.  I didn't go to bed until 11.

In the afternoon I called Nicole and wished her a happy birthday.  She's 31 today.  She actually gave me a wonderful gift in announcing she was pregnant. I'm so thrilled for her.  She will be an extraordinary mom.  We had a really nice 45-minute talk about everything.  I like how everything's come full-circle with Nicole.

Day 1181

Friday, April 8, 2016

Racquetball, then breakfast with the gang at Rolling Dunes.  Neil and Rossana joined us.  Worked all day, then came home, slept for an hour, packed up and headed to Alice's by 8:30.  We had chicken wings.  I fell asleep around 9:15.  I'm dead tired by Friday night.

Day 1180

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Worked all day, then had Judge Neil over.  Took him out to Star Pizza where we caught up, discussed films and the election, then continued our talk at home until 10.  Bed soon after.

Day 1179

Wednesday, April 6, 2015

Racquetball in the am, then home for breakfast, a trip to Starbucks where I met Margaret, then off to work for nine hours.  The day was productive and calm, nice.  After work, I had nothing at home for dinner and was hungry for a burger, so I called the Youngs and invited them for hamburgers at FlipSide.  So good, and so fantastic to hang out with my favorite Bay Area family for 90 minutes.  Pure happiness.  I came home, talked with Chris for an hour, then Alice for a few minutes, then went to bed around 10:30.

Day 1178

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

The end of a four-day stretch that allowed me to focus on connecting all the document management systems together so that they're working properly.  Everything's working right, finally.  This will save time and energy.  Home where I read, wrapping up Vivaldi's Virgins.  I'll get back into La Strav this week.

Day 1177

Monday, April 4, 2016

Racquetball at 5, work from 9-5:30, then home where I continued reading the books I haven't finished.  So much going on right now and new possibilities opening up.  I like that and like the mark I've already made at my new place on Powell Street. The software systems are finally being integrated.  Nice.

Day 1176

Sunday, April 3, 2016

A day of rest.  Alice and I slept in until 9.  Then I had breakfast, washed both our cars, pulled some weeds, then had lunch and watched an episode of Foyle's War with Alice, episode 3, season 1.

I also watched a new HBO documentary on the Iraq War.  I'd like to write a history of the second Iraq War for kids one day, part of my Bad Uncle's History of America series.  The Iraq War would be a good place to start.  My angle would be the intensive opposition to the war prior to our invasion.  Still to this day, I am shocked that such a horrible idea came to fruition.  It's truly one of the greatest unforced errors this country has ever made.  The domino effect has been been so demonically demonstrated than by those neocons intent on turning the Middle East into a democratic reflection of us.  A true disaster if ever there was one.  We broke that country and that region.

Almost through Vivaldi's Virgins.  Very good book.  I'm enjoying it.  Another long week begins tomorrow.

Day 1175

Saturday, April 2, 2016

Up at 6, read a few chapters of Vivaldi's Virgins and went out for coffee with Alice.  I just love being with Alice.  I've never met anyone I love being with as much as her.  She makes me so happy.  We bought groceries on Irving, then came home for a few hours.  We saw Zootopia 3-D at 11:10 in Daly City.

Afterward, we went for Korean food at a local Korean market.  Then we went home where I took a very long, very enjoyable nap.  Alice's parents came over for dinner.  After dinner, we went to the Apple Store and Alice's dad bought a new iPad Air 2.  Very thin and light.  Nice screen!

We came home and watched a documentary on Mike Nichols. 

Later on, we watched an episode of Foyle's War. 

Day 1174

Friday, April 1, 2016

Racquetball, work, a load of laundry after work and Alice's by 9 p.m.  I crashed early.