Stepping up and Out!

27 Feb 19
16:45 hrs

     Once again things are changing at the Wayward Inn. We still have our rental cat from KCP and we have no plans of adopting this aged gentle fur ball. As much as he is really nice the last thing we - meaning I - need is another permanent pet. Two is enough.

     The fence is still down at the Wayward Inn. The weather has not been to cooperative of late with below freezing temperatures. It all makes it a bit difficult to remove concrete out of the ground. On a good note the days are getting longer so I may be able to work on fixing it after I'm done my day job. I know my Better Half wants it done as soon as possible so I had better get my ass in gear.

     L'il Sis has rooked me into a road trip to the Sages place for Mother's Day. I'm going to couple that with a road trip to the Helgeson Hilton. The proprietor is hoping that a few of the Olde Boyz will be able to come out to enjoy the annual feast produced in a 8 x 8 foot smoker and you can bet your canine teeth that there will be no cruciferous vegetables being served.

     Our Jr. Couch Monkey's hard work has produced a 3.80 GPA for his first term in college. That's straight A's folks. We are very proud of him. He's done very well and I believe his success can be partially attributed to the anchor of support he has at home. That being said, a fellow classmate is being turfed out of her residence. The Onion, is a foreign national student who is not only going to college but holds down a steady job as well. In fact, there are quite a few foreign students at the local college and who work in a host of positions that our local kids wouldn't touch.

     The Onion, was informed that she will have vacate her residence - she's renting a suite in a house - as the owners now want a friend of theirs to move in. It's not just her but the other two foreign students as well. The school year ends in two months. This is bull shit. Nope. Thirty days notice. Less is better.

     So, being who we are and what we do. We have informed the Onion that for the end of the school year she can move into the Wayward Inn. We did this thinking she would be going back to her homeland at the end of the year. Nope. Only for three weeks and the she will be back for more studies. In order to give her som stability we, meaning my Better Half, said she could stay until the start of the new school year. We're placing her up in the bonus room so it will work out.

02 Mar 19
07:15 hrs

     My Lobster and I ran away. Not far. Just to the Sunshine Coast for a little R&R. We stayed at a delightful place called Secret Beach in Gibsons. While on the coast we dined at the Olde Boot Eatery where Fred is still the chef. It was great to see him again. He's a little bit more grey than the last time I saw him. We also will be seeing Molly's Reach and the Persephone. If you don't know what they are they you've never been a Canadian.

06 Mar 19
15:15 hrs

     I forgot to mention that my new book has been donated to the library in Gibsons  and in Sechelt.  I sold a few too. I'm classifying the trip as a book tour. While we in Sechelt we went to see the Muffin Man and his Better Half. It was great to see them too. They are looking pretty good. They should be considered the original Sages.

    

It's done!

18 Feb 19
21:55 hrs

     It is finally done.
     My second book is now on Amazon and Kindle. Mind you the Kindle version looks a little different because I uploaded it myself. That's right, I uploaded the print copy to KDP - Amazon's printing division - all by myself. I learned a few tricks along the way in regards to formatting and the like. There's no stopping me now. I have at least three more on the back burner. If I tried hard I could probably have at least one of them done by the fall. I don't think that I'll put any more out on Kindle but I do believe that may create a bit of a following. I'll know in a couple of weeks how this one is doing because I will be able to see the sales reports. Did I mention that one of the books will be a cooking guide? Some practical cooking advice for the bachelor.

     As this latest book did not cost me anything to format - the first one cost me a shitload - I believe that I may have some shekels available for some online advertising. Up until now all of my sales promotion has been through word of mouth and shared interests on Facebook. But, for a few dollars Amazon will push forward towards on their suggested list.

19 Feb 19
05:55 hrs

     Up early again. In fact I've been up for two hours already. Dad's alarm clock. Today is the first day of the Sr. Couch Monkey's early shift and someone in the household asked for me to make sure that he was up and ready to go. No problem says I. Now that I'm up and not awake I think I'll make some Monkey Buns with the Sage's recipe. Later on today I have to have the oil changed in the Ram, hit Crappy Tire and go see The Brit. Tomorrow I have to attend a First Aid course out in the Wild Wild West.

     I have the LDR hanging from the gazebo covering the Flame Pit. I hope I have the settings correct. I'm testing the battery duration and the recording settings. I have to make sure I know what the hell I'm doing before this thing goes Out in the Weeds. I would hate to put this unit out, come back two or three weeks later just to discover it wasn't programmed correctly.

21 Feb 19
06:15 hrs

     Many employers require their busy worker bees to hold a first aid certification of some kind. I have been taking first aid courses every three years or less since 1979. I have yet to fail a course except an instructors level course. For some reason I couldn't get past teaching infant CPR. I made the grade on this course. Barely.

22 Feb 19
16:15 hrs

     My Lobster and I are planning on a little road trip. Sans Couch Monkeys. We're going to be travelling in a big circle which means we'll be going no where fast. But will stop in to see the Muffin Man and his Better Half.  This coming Wednesday the will have been married for 65 years. That's impressive for all the right reasons. Hopefully, I'll have some copies of my new book. If I do, I'll give them one.

Work Site Observations

05 Feb 19
19:15 hrs

     For the past few days I have been working on a major building project. Offices, two flight simulators, offices, class rooms and a hangar all in one massive building. Now the vast majority of the tradesmen are well experienced individuals who have a vast amount of knowledge and skills. I'm actually quite impressed with their drive and stamina to work in all forms of weather that we experience here on the Left Coast.

     This doesn't mean that all of the tradesmen are in this group. I said the vast majority. Just like at any other jobsite there are those who make you want to shake your head in wonder. This young Puppychow shows up on the jobsite wearing a Tshirt, a goody his Hi-Viz vest, hard hat, boots and that's it. No outer layer and no gloves.  In -9C with the wind howling.

     "Do you have any gloves you can lend me?"

     There's only one answer to that question: One man, one kit!

     And then there's the time wasted standing about jabbering like a parliament of baboons with Puppychow saying that he didn't know what he was doing here as his work mate wasn't on site. Well then pick up a broom and lend a hand. Just don't stand around with your finger up your hoop because you can do that at home.

06 Feb 19
09:45 hrs

     Another day on site. The lead hand cobbled my Kidlettes with the Pros from Dover in an attempt to light a fire under their ass. The plan worked! There are steel studded walls and densglass walls going up like mad. A good call by the lead hand.

     On another note today is a dear family friend's birthday.  So, a big Happy Birthday  to the Muffin Man on the Sunshine Coast. He's a ripe old age. Older than the Sages too. He and his Better Half used to live across the street from us with their five Couch Monkeys. And boy, were they a handful. He used to work for EGG. That's short for Everybody's Got Gas! The company bounced him from the Prairies to the Left Coast lake country to the Island and finally to the Sunshine Coast where he pulled the pin. The Muffin Man is a great guy with a hearty handshake and love for a good joke. Have a great day. You earned it.

21:30 hrs

     I talked to Li'l Sis this evening. She has some whackadoo idea of me flying out to Cowtown and then going on a road trip with her. Nothing doing. I'm scared when she's behind the wheel.

     I see that my youngest uncle has finally retired. He's three years my senior and his Lobster is a year older than that. I know that I'll be working for a few more years to get ahead of the curve before I can retire. My Better Half has said that I cannot fully retire until she does. All I want is for the damn house to be paid off then the rest is gravy. Hell, if we're free of that big ball and chain then she could pull the pin and I could still do the odd shift just to make life interesting.

     Well Kidlettes, the day is done. Time to rack out and get ready for another fun filled day.