Sheep Guarding Llama

As yesterday was Halloween I decided to avoid going out because it would just be crowds and I certainly did not want to get dressed up or anything like that.  I knew that there was a holiday pub crawl down town and it sounded interesting but I decided against it.  But I figured that I would probably go out tonight, at least.  Tonight is “fall back” so we get that extra hour.  Might as well take advantage of it.

I went downtown and got some Subway for lunch today.  Not great for the diet, but not all that bad either.

I started playing a new video game today, Saints Row 2.  It was pretty good.  It is pushing my PC completely to its limits.   I am seeing the game slow down to some degree.  When I was playing KOTOR it really ran completely smoothly.  With this it is still not bad but not as good as it should be.  I so need a new computer.  I just keep putting it off to save money, though.  Just not the right time yet.

I played quite a few video games today.  Then around eight o’clock I walked downtown and checked out The Hudson Room.  I had met some of the folks from The Hudson Room the other night at The Quietman Pub which is right down the street from it and they had told me that I had to come check it out.  I had looked on their website and an interesting Gypsy Jazz trio was going to be playing there tonight at ten so it seemed a perfect time to go check them out.  It is very rare that I get to go see live jazz anywhere, especially within walking distance of home.

It was cold out tonight, in the mid-forties, but the walk was nice.  I listened to some podcasts.

It was close to nine when I got in to the club.  I was shocked at how busy it was.  They were quite full.  The tables were all full and the bar was standing room only.  It is a very large venue, I had no idea that it was so big in there.  I sat at the bar after waiting a bit to get a seat and ordered my customary side car.  I ended up getting to meet the owner this evening and someone at the bar shared their truffle oil fries with me, they were amazing.  I ended up ordering the tofu stir fry for dinner which was excellent.

The band was really good.  Totally my type of music and great for an evening out.  I believe that the band’s name was Tre Gypsy Jazz.  I heard that they had come up from Brooklyn.

I stayed until the band shut down around twenty after one.  Then I followed some of the HH staff to the Birdsall where we hung out till the second 2am.  From there, the long, cold walk back up the hill to the house.  That was not exactly fun.  Lower 40s and a lot of hill to climb.

Only four more days until the family comes home.  Into the home stretch now.

Happy Halloween!

I have a feeling that some of my back and neck pain is from being at my desk so much the past three weeks (this morning marks my three week point of being home continuously!)  So I found a large book and put it under my non-adjustable monitor to see if that would help by having me look more forward facing and less downward.  My desk was set up more for casual use than for regular use.  Unfortunately I really needed my new desktop prior to this long stretch at home but now that I am home there isn’t time to get it and make use of it, and we don’t want to spend that much money unnecessarily and we have no idea if I am home for a long time yet or just another day or two.  So, I am stuck with what I have.

Around five or six this evening I got the first of my trick or treaters.  I quickly discovered that the candy that Dominica had bought was nowhere to be found.  I searched all over and could not find it.  I had to turn away the first people that came to me door because I had nothing for them.  I knew that she had picked up candy for me to give out because I told her that I had to have something (she wanted me to give out regular food!!)  I had not turned the lights on yet so they could only be so upset, I wasn’t advertising that I had anything.

So I called Dominica and she explained that the candy was hidden in the cupboard under the coffee maker back behind the normal stuff in there.  Um, how was I ever supposed to find that?  Often these things are just “Scott doesn’t look for things like normal people.”  I understand that I am not good at finding things.  But this was a bit crazy.  In a cupboard where that stuff doesn’t go, in front of which is stacked boxes so I wouldn’t even know that that had been opened recently, back behind the things that normally go in there so even if I looked in there I would not find it…. wow.

After that point, I got a lot of trick or treaters.  More than I have ever gotten, anywhere, before.  Including the two that I had to turn away, I got 82 total before I turned off the lights and acted like I wasn’t home because it was dark, late and we were out of candy.  That is a lot of kids.

Liesl and Luciana had a great time dressed up as princesses and they collected a lot of candy.  They always have a great time going around in Houston.  Luciana fell asleep before they were done, she just couldn’t take anymore.  Liesl could not walk by the end and Dominica had to carry her on her back for the last mile.  At least Dominica got some good exercise out of the whole thing.  At least I got to see some pictures of them trick or treating.  Madeline went as a weeping angel, which is awesome.  I am very sad to not get to be out with my girls tonight 🙁

I had to set up a new community tonight for Reel Fishing.  If you are into fishing, which I am not, check it out.  Once I was done with that I played maybe half an hour of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2.  But the game crashed after not too long and I wasn’t feeling much like going back and doing it again.  I had saved not too far from where it crashed.  But I did not have a lot of energy.  So I called it a night.

I went to bed quite early, for me, tonight.  Decided that I was just not going to be productive and felt like getting some rest.  So I did.  It’s nice having no schedule.

My shoulder was much better this morning.  I had made a point of sleeping on it to immobilize it last night and that seems to have done the trick.  Thank goodness.  I got up and showered quickly and immediately ran down to Pastel’s because Art and Danielle had gotten into town an hour early and were having breakfast.  We didn’t have much time as Danielle needed to catch the morning train into the city.

Art and I hung out for a while and did some work for a few hours too.  Danielle’s day ended up being much shorter than anticipated and she was back in Peekskill before two in the afternoon.  So we got her at the train station and then went to the Westchester Diner for a late lunch.

We spent maybe another half an hour at the house but that was all.  They wanted to get onto the road back home before rush hour traffic would start.  We got the extra desk loaded up in their minivan. Dominica will be happy to discover that we remembered that on this trip.  We tend to forget those things pretty often.  One large item from our house that does not have to move again.  At least not when we move.

So they were gone by four.

When I woke up this morning my shoulder was in an insane level of pain.  I could not find any position that wasn’t horrible.  I think that I might have had a pinched nerve.  It made for a very rough day.  I could barely move all day although after I got out of bed it started to improve pretty quickly.  I took ibuprofen throughout the day and that seemed to help too.

One of my projects today was helping with a new online video game community Gamrhaus (pronounced Gamer House.)

I really had a quiet day today.  I did not go anywhere and pretty much did not move.  Tomorrow Art and Danielle are coming down in the morning so that Art can hang out at the house and Danielle can go into Manhattan to work for the day.  So I will get to see real people for a change!

I did get a call today with the latest news on my situation.  Unfortunately it isn’t so much news as just an update.  No real news expected until around Monday.  So just hang tight for a few days.  No one needs to ask me about status because the status is just that I am waiting until Tuesday and hopefully will know something around that time.

Here is to hoping that my shoulder is okay tomorrow.  If it is as bad tomorrow as it is today I am going to need to go see a doctor.  I cannot figure out what is wrong with it.

Had to sleep in a little this morning since I was up quite late last night.  This morning, when I got up, I discovered an incredible pain in my left shoulder blade.  Apparently the exercising that I was doing while playing the video game was way more than I was used to and I have some amazing muscle pain today.  I was not expecting this at all.  It was so bad that I spent the entire day having massive muscle spasms all over and can barely move my head.  I mostly feel fine, it is just a lot of muscle pain.  Not fun, but whatever.  Pain that isn’t damage doesn’t really bother me.

I reached out to the office this morning to get the news, whatever it might be, that I missed yesterday because the call did not come in.  I really dislike living here sometimes.  The complete lack of communications services is really rough.  So I waited all day to hear back but did not get a call back today. Hold tight, I’m sure I’ll get a call in the morning.  I’m guessing that it is nothing too urgent if I went all day without a call back.

This evening I decided that  I needed get out and see people.  So around eight I jumped in the shower, got dressed and at nine I left the house and walked downtown to the Quietman Pub which is not a bad walk at all.  Of course it is all downhill on the way there.  It is the walk home that is rough.  I listened to the latest Prairie Home Companion as I walked and then some Rick Steves.  Now that I am not commuting to the office I do not have the time to listen to my podcasts and books like I did before.  So that was nice.

The evening was gorgeous.  Fifty seven degrees and calm.  A great night for a walk.  Unfortunately before leaving the driveway I dripped in the darkness and wrenched by back.  With the pain from earlier now it was really bad suddenly.  I was having spasms so bad while I walked that my body would twist over and over again.  It felt like I was holding a spinning bicycle wheel, it was that bad.

I got the pub and ordered an awesome field greens salad, turnip soup and some avocados.  It was a nice dinner.  I hung out with some locals and then the Hudson Room crew came in when they closed and LA of LA Soul came in and he and I hung out until about one thirty.  He was actually nice enough to give me a lift home so that I would not have to walk!  That was awesome.  So I was home quite quickly.  It was a really nice evening, although I was in pain the entire time.