SATURDAY NIGHT'S AWRIGHT

For Asian...
Shredded carrots , baby shrimp , sweet onion , peanuts and shoots in canola oil and hoison sauce...
And then throw in some pork tenderloin in hoison and garlic with minced onion... Throw it all in a bowel with some udon rice noodles and toss it around some...
Then get in the pool...
Put your arm around a succulent...I love this picture , I get to see the real thing everyday...


Theo joined us on the porch tonight - jamming out to Testament and Exodus.
I know :P

I THINK ABOUT WRITING THE EPIC SONG ALL THE TIME

I've been making up songs since I was 10 and writing them down or ticking them away to memory since I was 12.
In 39 years I think I've written a few decent ones - some from my 20's I still play - but mostly they have been turds.
I have never even come close to writing the epic song.
In case you're confused about what makes an epic...here's my top 5 , in no particular order...
Cortez the killer...NY & Crazy Horse
Dragonfly...Clutch
Kashmir...Led Zeppelin
Naked as we came...Iron & Wine
Space station # 5...Montrose...
Completely arbitrary and off the cuff and would probably be different ( With the exception of Cortez ) every 2 hours...too many songs , limited storage.
So I try to write the epic song...it has to be out there...hidden in something I see or do or come across in my everyday life.
Maybe someday...

SOMETHING SIMPLE AND A LITTLE WHITE TRASHY

A friend of mine told me years ago that his mom would make chili cheese dogs in the oven...



It's been so hot these last couple of days that I am just drained when I get home and the thought of throwing together something so easy was appealing to me , plus , we really like chili cheese dogs.



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How hot you ask ? A steady stream of sweat running off the brim off my cap for most of the day - or to be blunt , hot like 2 rats fucking inside a wool sock in August.
Speaking of rats...I found a dead one in a skimmer yesterday. I initially thought it was a baby possum and felt sad for it until I realized it was a rat and then I was like...awesome! Another dead fucking rat. There can never be enough dead rats as far as I'm concerned.
I got it out of the skimmer with the end of my brush and tried to carry it away by it's tail , but the skin came off and all I was left with was rat tail skin between my thumb and index finger...eeewwww.
Bon Appetite'...

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A FEW MILES CAN MAKE

I was at the hoighty toity HEB in Westlake Hills on my way home from work this afternoon to get something for dinner. At my neighborhood HEB...the third world as we like to call it , I can get big packages of pork carnitas really cheap. At this HEB , there was none in sight , but I got a package of oddly cut pork tenderloin for under 6 bucks...7 meal for 2 size pieces...amazing. Just because the cut was less than pleasing to the eye , the top end of pork cuts for cheap.
I got some jonagold apple (big , juicy reds),some 1416 sweet onion and some honeydew melon chunks and busted out the kabob skewers once again and sparked up the grill.








... turns out a very nice combination of flavors...
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ON A WORK RELATED NOTE...

Some customers provide their own chemicals because they think they are saving money. One of my customers who does this was out of chlorine tablets today and I left a note on my door hanger that they needed to get some.
That customer called me this evening and asked where the previous pool guy was ,asked when they should get the tabs , welcomed me and said that the pool looks great and I was doing a great job. Wow...It made me smile. The drowned , bloated toad I found in their skimmer earlier today did not.
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THE GRRLS TOOK ME FOR MY NIGHTLY DRAG....



The creek by the house...Soon to be ruined by another development...unless it can bounce back again.

MEXICAN / ITALIAN INFLUENCED CHICKEN FRIED STEAK AND LYONAISED RUSSETTS


Cutlets....:)
Taters and onions....:) And drenched in butter brown gravy...BOO - YAA !

While I wasn't looking

I consider the squash experiment a success now that I have harvested 3 lovely squash off the plants. I may not get much more than that given that squash borers moved in while I was busy setting up my home office and not paying attention. I'll try another BT injection on the yellow squash vines, but one of the patty-pan plants is beyond hope. Actually, none of the patty pan plants are doing well, even without squash borers because their mound is now shaded most of the day. On my existing yellow squash plants I can easily tell the difference in how much sun each one gets during the day. The plant that sees shade earlier in the day is half the size of the of the one in the most sun and this more shaded plant has yet to produce any squash, though it may be that it's just growing much slower and hasn't reached maturity.

The shade pattern in our front yard has definately changed from when I first mapped it out about five years ago. I hadn't thought about how much the neighbor's trees have grown since then and so at first I was surprised. Then it hit me and I said, "Duh!" I'm wondering though, if the shade might actually be an advantage in a few more weeks when things really heat up around here. Only way to find out is to try and, as I've mention before, seeds are cheap.

I'm sending Rob out later today for black plastic to put down on the grassy area that I was unable to weed because the bermuda grass has a very tight hold on the area. A month covered in the heat might do the trick even though the roots go very deep. And there are still things that can be planted here at the end of July including, much to my surprise, carrots! I would have thought July and August were WAY too hot for carrots to take hold. We have an old rubbermaid tub that I'm thinking about using for a raised bed (after cutting the bottom out) which would be the perfect height for carrots.

I'm very glad I started gardening again this year. I been having a rough time and no matter how down I might be feeling, I can walk out, look at my squash plants and get a smile on my face. And that's even when the plants aren't doing well. It appears that gardening is good for the soul.

I KNOW A PLACE...



I love the woods at dawn...

NEW INK...

The itch got the best of me today so I went and got something I've been thinking about for some time...Some praying hands.
In bones! He did a fantastic job. Told me the neck was sensitive and I could "tap out" if I needed a break. I almost fell asleep.Tap out...Please.
I think I've graduated to "very scary looking" status...HA!

Two firsts

First day working at home went pretty good technology-wise. I did have a problem with calls dropping in the early morning, but then it cleared up. Phone quality could be better, but it's no worse than it is at the office. The dogs were not happy about being locked up in the bedroom this morning and there was much whining and complaining from the Grrrls, but they setteled down after lunch (nap time, I suspect.)

Back to back calls all day isn't much different at home than it is in the office - it's still exhausting, but lunch time is a huge improvement and not having to drive to and from the office is a big plus. It was very hot outside today and since I have no air-conditioning in my car and the driver's window doesn't roll down, I got to avoid the usual baked-potato syndrome on the way home.

The other first is shown below - first squash from the garden!

ONE MINUTE THE SUN IS SHINING AND IT'S ALMOST 100 DEGREES , THEN IT'S PISSING DOOM

Thanks Dallas - Fort Worth. I'm currently surrounded by 3 very jumpy dogs . It seems none of the pack likes thunder and lightning very much.
The pools I cleaned today are fucked , the pools on my route tomorrow are fucked as well.
Oh well.
I was at a "vacation clean" on my last stop today...what a nightmare. Not really , but it was suffering from a serious case of mustard algae . I lit it up and treated , but this rain will likely undo most of my efforts. It's a shame to have so much money that you can pay someone to make sure you come home from your vacation to a clean pool , only to have mother nature put you in your place.
I hope you didn't go to Vegas.
I could go on to bore you with how the security gate at the back of this "vacation clean" spit me out at an HEB or , how I shopped there and saw my electrician buddy George . Or maybe the amazing walk the Grrrls and I had , the night sky perforated with lightning on our way home.Or how Layla loves to have a bath...
But no...I cooked some more amazing shit.

I'm making carne guisada enchiladas with scallions , beef tips and green chiles with sour cream and cheese enchiladas with queso and scallions...
The beef , in 2 table spoons of canola oil with the magic carne guisada seasoning....
...add scallions and chiles and cook on a low heat until it cries "Sangro de Christo"! or until tender.
Mix up the cheese enchi junk...monterey jack sauce and scallions.Cheese enchiladas are fucking boring to me...
Until you do this to them...smack that bitch up with some queso !
The guisada enchis are a bit more complex , M/J cheese and sour cream just so across the top...
And here you have it...
I just accidently stepped on Theo's foot and he didn't wig out . Thunder is mightier than me...go figure :P

Overnight office space

I start working from home tomorrow, but I'm not exactly prepared since it wasn't supposed to happen for another month. I've been promised that I could work from home for well over a year and when I was told this morning to start tomorrow, well, I just couldn't say, "No, not right now." There are a couple of problems. My desktop needs a hard drive and I haven't been able to replace it due to budget issues. I also have to work on Saturdays (Sundays as well if I want enough hours to pay the bills) and I can't exactly ban Rob from the main part of the house on his days off. We have an extra bedroom that we don't use for anything other than storage and I had planned on working in that room to set up an office in a couple of weeks. But a couple of weeks isn't tomorrow so I've had to jury-rig a temporary solution for tomorrow which involves working at my regular desk in the main part of the house using my laptop. My ancient laptop really isn't up to the task, but if I'm careful I should be able to make it work. Rob will be out of the house cleaning pools most of the day and I can shut the dogs up in our bedroom (they shouldn't mind too much - they can snooze on our bed all day.) I've also cleared a spot in the extra bedroom where I can set up a makeshift desk for Saturday and Sunday, but I'm too pooped tonight to finish that - have to move in a table, move the router and run cables. I'll do that tomorrow night to be ready for Saturday. But despite the mad scramble, I still say WOO-HOO! Working from home at last!

Layla : "Zilker Park really rules
"! Irene: "Shut up bitch"...
Ping Pong!

I found the grounds crew graveyard tonight...some really interesting stuff in the middle of a clearing , in the middle of the woods...
On my way home ( driving on Bluebonnet ) I got a really strong karma vibe and realized I was headed to Mark's old place - in a pool truck - like I had done so many times before. It's funny how memories stay with you...this is a good one.
I'm not a fan of most of the bicyclists in Austin...they are generally shitty arrogant people...but this dude adds to the mix with a chinese character tattoo on his calf...I'm not fluent in chinese , but I think this translates to "dick head".

BELLA (OR...YOU COULDN'T ASK FOR A COOLER JOB)

So I roll up on my second stop at 8:15...it's that big ass neighborhood pool and there's this black lab in the picnic area. Of course we become fast friends and a 40 minute stop turned into an hour and a half cause we were playing fetch with a giant water frisbee , and after she destroyed that, a kick board, and then a noodle and finally a stick.
I called the number on her tag but it was disconnected , so I called the vet tag number and my boss...I got a current address from my boss and Annabelle google mapped it and I took Bella home.
What a wonderful way to start the day...playing with a very exuberant lab.
Her parents were happy to see her.
Oh , yeah , she got my scrambled eggs and barbacoa in the bargain.

SHOW ME YOUR TRUE FEELINGS...OR YER GENITALS :p



As you can see from the previous post , I hung out with some friends of mine today. Let me be clear about these friends , I have known them for over 30 years and they have always been in the same place...a constant in a life full of chaos.
Before I get all maudlin let me say that we ( the we being me and bill - the white guys ) turned on the inner net tubes and shared the great Jon LaJoie with our hispanic friends...Carlos had comments...lot's of them...most of them starting with "you white guys", but then he yelled "GENITALIA" all afternoon and blamed me for cursing him....Very fucking funny. I shouldn't have made fun of his indian knick knack...which I have to say are all over the house...he must be serious.
I could rattle on and on but let me just say that that I love these guys and I feel very lucky to be able to call then friends.
Really.

POOL TIME

I took the grrrls swimming today...they didn't like it...time will tell...:)









It's nice to have good friends who like doggies...

LAZY DAY

I went to help a friend out around noon , but it turns out I can't do anything for them until Sunday...so , back at it on Sunday.
I came home and watched the movie " Once were warriors " ... powerful stuff. I haven't watched this movie in years and it's funny how I remember identifying with the male leads anger before and this time I related more to the redemption end regarding his wife. Regardless , a very powerful film . I recommend it .
In keeping with my stuff on a stick habit , I present to you turkey breast cutlets with sweet onion and granny smith apple. Dusted with cajun all spice , coarse black pepper and minced onion. doused in extra virgin olive oil and Louisiana hot sauce. Hoo Wee!


The remaining turtles have been outside for about a month now and they are thriving.
And our Beta is still alive...

I just love my grrrls.They get a late night walk to the Galindo playground.

PEOPLE CAN BE SO FUCKED UP

I arrive at one of my regular stops yesterday , and I'm 10 minutes into the service and the Mrs. of the house comes into the back yard announcing "Why are you here" ?! I respond , "You are a regular Thursday stop". She responds with . " Oh the office always forgets , the landscapers are coming today and I told them to have you come tomorrow". So I left. I called the shop and there was no record of this woman calling anyone.
Flash forward to my revisit today...the yard looked exactly the same...there were some issues with the equipment I needed to discuss with the owner and the husband came out to meet me and was dismayed that there was a problem because they "were having a party in about 2 hours ".Oh...a party...
Really? Really? You do the math...
For those of you that suck at math...this woman lied to me so I would clean the pool right before the party . I despise conniving like this . Had she asked me to come clean the pool on Friday instead of Thursday because they were having an event on Friday evening I would have gladly accommodated them . I did them up good anyway and even did a temporary fix on the problem to get them through the weekend.
This woman is a snake to me now and I will never trust a word that comes out of her mouth. I will continue to clean her pool well and smile and be polite.
Two 12 hour plus days in a row. The only thing that got to me was the heat , and that was late in the day. I just stayed hydrated and focused. And I finally made it home.
But not for long...I chilled for a bit and then showered the stench of chlorine and dead insects and the itch of diatomaceous earth off of me and headed out to fetch cigarettes and groceries. Then I made homemade pizza with vodka sauce , Elgin hot sausage , black olive and onion with moose-a-rilla cheese.
My bulk collection begins June 8...the city will pick up my old furniture and fridge and a whole bunch of other bulky stuff . But it may take a week for them to pick it up. ( Time for the retired lawnmower repairmen to pick over it :) ).
I guess I'm clearing the carport this weekend.

BRATS AND BOUDIN



What did you do today?
For myself I...Did a thorough cleaning and maintainence on 9 pools , went to the grocery , fed and watered the birds , turtle check , went back to the grocery for the coffee I forgot on the first trip (LIST!).Got a Beta fish...red , blue and purple , very nice. Fed the dogs , walked the grrrls...Layla did 8 times over the fence and 4 grounders , Irene ran around like crazy marking everything in her path. Rode my bike around the hood ... OK , the block...it kills my thigh muscles. And made Brats and some creole style boudin sausage.
Whew!

Squash injection

I located some liquid BT yesterday, mixed up a cup of solution and injected it into the squash plants.  Some folks in the area have had luck with this, but quite a few have not seen any benefits.  I didn't notice any new frass this morning, but I don't know if the borers are active at night.  I'll check again this afternoon.  For now, I'm hopeful it worked. 

A day off

I've had lots of time off work lately, but it's been from getting sent home early due to lack of call volume .  That doesn't quite give the same amount of free time as a day when I don't have to dress and drive to the office.  My work days go something like this - get up at 6:00, make coffee & breakfast, take care of the dogs, get dressed, leave the house at 7:30, drive to the office and log in by 8:00am.  Then work 2 or 3 or 4 hours until I get sent home.  Some days it's busy and I work a full shift, but those days are rare.  I picked up hours on Sunday (my normal day off) hoping to earn enough to pay the bills, but still only worked 2 hours before heading home. Seemed a waste of time, but I reminded myself that the $20 or so I earned will put gas in my car for another week.  

The bright side to all of this is that the irregular call volume has resulted in the opportunity to work from home in the next 30 days or so (just waiting on equipment installation back at the office.)  That will allow me to pick up more hours when things are busy - maybe just a few hours in the evenings, but every little bit will help pay the bills.  And if... er, ONCE (think positive) the new program is more established then I can work a regular shift again. 

In the meantime, I haven't stopped looking for another job but so far I haven't found anything that pays more for 40 hours a week than I currently make working just 20 hours.  Taking a job that pays less or even the same would be a mistake since we can't pay the bills now and a new job would likely cost me more in transportation expenses.  If I can tough it out and learn how to sell, then this current job has the potential to be pretty sweet deal once I get to work from home.  The tech support side of it is a piece of cake and somewhat enjoyable.  It's just the sales side that's giving me trouble.

There's no point in worrying about any of it, but it's a tough thing for me to just let it go.  I didn't used to have that problem - maybe it's a symptom of middle age.  I have noticed that the older I get, the more I worry and fret and get grumpy in general.  Today I'm going to try really hard to do the yard and house work without thinking about any of this stuff.  Wish me luck.