Yesterday was a busy day for the property. Two more loads of fill were delivered and they were out there with the Bobcat most of the day pushing the dirt around. I talked to Miguel and he said he thought one more load of fill was needed which I ok’d. If things go as he say and that is a big IF based on how unreliable his word has been so far, the sod would get put down this weekend. It’s going to be a big investment but one I really should have done a long time ago based on how miserable I felt every summer walking around in ankle high water.
I have had various things around the house like this that I put off for months or even years. Inevitably once I finally get around to pulling the trigger I wonder to myself why I waited so long.
So yesterday some of the fill for the ground elevation project was supposed to be delivered. I was only told that it would be delivered some time during the afternoon but not when. Well 4:15 rolled around and Cindy said nobody had come yet. I sent off a text to Miguel asking what was up and if the fill was still coming or not, which received no response.
When I got home from work and still saw no mountains of dirt I was pissed. I called Miguel. Of course he didn’t answer so I left a voicemail saying when I am told that stuff is going to get done at a certain time and we make arrangements for it, it needs to happen. I got no response to the voicemail either.
So as we are watching TV somewhere after 7PM we see reflections on the wall moving. Cindy looked outside and saw two large dump trucks in the road. WTF, I am not sure if Miguel called the fill guys up and complained or if it just took them that long to get to us. I quickly headed outside to direct them.
I am getting four loads of fill total. I had them dump the two loads on the west side of the property. Originally the guy talked about bringing a third load yet last night but time wise it would have been foolish as it would be dark by the time they returned. They said they would bring the other two loads today. After they left Miguel stopped by the house to drop off his skid loader and I gave him the check I wrote over a week ago as the deposit on the dirt/sod. I chose to not bring up how piss poor his communication and follow through has been as I just want the work completed. I felt that if I hammered him before that completes it would be counter-productive to my end goal.
I did finally break down and make an appointment with an orthopedist regarding my shoulder. My appointment is next Monday. Once again I have had some slight improvement in the shoulder the last two days. I am hoping it does not follow the same pattern as before where I suddenly get thrust back into pain city.
So after my shoulder started feeling somewhat better on Thursday and Friday for the second time in as many weeks I had a relapse. All weekend it has felt like shit which will prompt me to finally pick up the phone and call someone to have it looked at. On top of all the other negative things swirling around in life right now having only one functional arm is the cherry on top that I do not need.
On Saturday I kept my chores light, pretty much isolated to chicken care and weeding the property. Cindy and I visited Lowes instead of Home Depot, a rarity. The reason we went there is the need for more of the paint that is on the majority of the interior, which was bought from Lowes 10 years ago. Ironically we walked out of there without the paint because of a ridiculously long line at the pain counter. We did walk out with a new umbrella for the patio and a couple plants. Since Cindy has been furloughed she has gotten real into plants, the patio all of a sudden has dozens of varieties on it. We also went to Total Wine to pick up some more alcohol to dull the edge of Covid insanity.
Saturday afternoon Deb came over for a visit. We hung out and went for a ride around the neighborhood which has become a near weekly tradition. It’s nice to have her over, the three of us have the ability to make the other laugh, a rare commodity these days.
Despite the global pandemic, sales on my 3D EUC store have continued to remain strong. Saturday may have been a record with me shipping out six packages in one day. It’s nice to have at least one thing that remains solid and positive.
Sunday was a pretty blah day for me. I did get out in the morning on my big Gotway Monster to ride to Dunkin Donuts which was enjoyable.
However the rest of the day I was just not feeling great. The shoulder injury cuts down on my ability to do physical things greatly and I don’t react well to that. When I lay down in bed in the middle of the afternoon to watch TV it’s a sure sign that I am feeling down. We did however have our first restaurant meal since the lockdown started. You never went inside the building, you called in the order and then called when you arrived for them to take the credit card. A mask wearing employee then comes out with your food and you are on your way. It felt good to at least do that, something Cindy would have outright refused a few weeks prior.
We enjoyed the food while watching the new photo realistic version of Lion King that came out last year. It’s the same endearing story with animals that look incredibly realistic. We both enjoyed the rework. It’s hard to believe the original came out something like 25 years ago. Still gets an A from me.
Today some of the fill dirt is actually supposed to be delivered, something I have been trying to get for a month or more. I really like the work the guy did on the chicken area but I absolutely hate his lack of communication. I am hoping now that the process is going to finally start we can reach the finish line without more unexplained and frustrating gaps in communication.
Today our office has reopened to the public. There was a long line 20 minutes before the doors even opened. I had my temperature taken this morning, just one of the precautions being implemented with the reopening. I clocked in at 97.9, I guess I’m not going to die, yet.
Last night I put together my first batch of adjustable EUC stands. As I went through the process I shot video to both promote the new stand and give some basic instruction on how it is supposed to be put together. I have already sold two of the new design, despite them being the most expensive stands I have ever put out there.
At lunch today I utilized the parking garage for fitness once again although in a new manner. Each day I normally try to walk up and down the long way, circling each of the six floors. Today I decided to try to run the entire garage, up and down, twice. It was an interesting challenge as my body is not at all accustomed to running hills of this angle, luckily the up ramps are not tremendously long. I was sucking wind pretty bad once I got to the top deck the first time. The good part of the experience is you get to recover somewhat running back down the structure. I circled the ground floor and headed back up once more. By the time I ran back to our building I had covered a little more than 5K of distance which just about perfect. It felt good to take down the challenge.
My problematic shoulder pain which is approaching the two week mark has been improving slowly over the last two days. It still is far from good but I do have more range of motion than I have had previously. The key is to not do anything to re-aggravate injury so it can heal completely. I think when I first started feeling better last weekend I overdid it.
Our area has started relaxing the restrictions starting yesterday. Things like beaches and parks have reopened with social distancing still advised as well as wearing of masks. Some other businesses are able to reopen with restrictions with limited public access. It will be quite interesting to see how the infection numbers react as a result. In our office spit shields are being installed, gallons of hand sanitizer brought in and employees are going to have their temperatures taken as they enter work.
This weekend hopefully is somewhat low key although I do have plans to come into the office on Saturday to knock out some off hours work I have been avoiding.
Last night when I got home Katie and DJ were still at the house so I got to hang out with my little buddy which always puts a smile on my face. Because of my aching right shoulder I had to do all baby support exclusively with my left arm. Later in the evening Katie called Cindy excitedly to report DJ took two or three steps unsupported for the first time which is cool. It’s hard to believe he will be one year old already next month.
Cindy and I put together the new workbench for the hobby room. This was ordered weeks ago online with Home Depot before finally showing up at the store on Tuesday. The new surface goes above some my EUC’s but gives me more table area for printers or whatever else I want to up there. I think the room is officially full at this point.
The Florida governor announced yesterday the initial relaxing of Covid 19 restrictions. It definitely is a measured approach that will open stuff like beaches, parks and a number of other businesses albeit still at scaled back capacities. A number of things remain closed, most notably for me, gyms. All of this comes with strict social distancing still in place along with a recommendation to wear masks in public.
It will be interesting to see how the general public reacts to the relaxing of restrictions and what the result will be on the infection numbers. My assumption is many people will not continue exercising the same restraint when not forced to as that is what human beings do. It has become more and more apparent that the virus is not only droplet based but aerosol as well, which is the worst scenario, meaning it can float in the air for a couple hours, easily inhaled by others. It makes sense based on how stupidly easy and lightning fast Covid 19 circled the globe.
Our office, which has remained closed to the public since March 20th is going to be reopening next Monday. There will be some additional spit shields installed, plenty of hand sanitizer available and a recommendation for both customers and customer facing employees to wear masks. They also will be imposing the same social distancing standards that were in place before the closing like only allowing 10 people in the customer lobby at a time. It will be interesting to see what transpires once the doors are opened.
There was a message on our IT Coalition forum from a guy that was retiring after 36 years. He is a funny, personable, high energy dude who will surely be missed. However what got my attention was the title for his retirement post “How can you miss me if I don’t go?” This simple statement rang true with me for some reason. I think to some degree everyone is guilty of taking people and situations for granted throughout our lifetimes. Sometimes the consequences are trivial, sometimes they are impactful, however they are always learning experiences.
Last night I documented a new feature that was part of the latest Tesla software update, traffic control device awareness. In a nutshell the car now sees and reacts to both traffic lights and stop signs. Prior to this update if you were approaching a traffic light or stop sign and were not behind another vehicle that was stopping, the car would not stop on it’s own. Now it does, the problem is it will stop at EVERY traffic light, even if it’s green, unless you interact with the car to let it know it’s clear to go. It’s an annoyance but I assume it is part of training Tesla’s “neural network” to help shape how the car should behave in various intersection scenarios. The car was flawless in identifying lights and stop signs. The only bug I saw was when you approach an intersection with a flashing yellow light it will continue prompting you to react. Your only option is to keep your foot on the accelerator until you are through the light. Regardless, it’s a cool next step towards the ultimate goal of a full self driving vehicle, which originally was supposed to happen before the end of last year. I think they still have a ways to go.
My shoulder still hurts. Yesterday I said to myself if it still hurts significantly today I was going to call someone about it. Today I I repeated that mantra.
My waking hours are still dominated by trying to not move my right arm in a way that sends shooting pain into the shoulder region. In order to do that I need to keep my right elbow as close to my torso as possible if I am trying to lift the arm. I am giving it today yet which will mark one week since the pain started. If there is no improvement tomorrow I will have to reach out to a medical professional to assess what the hell is going on.
Yesterday the additional workbench I ordered from Home Depot finally arrived at the store. Cindy took the Tacoma to go pick it up. Normally I would have jumped right in to putting the unit together but the way my shoulder was feeling last night it would have been a very painful project. Hopefully one day this week I can knock it out.
My shoulder pain meant no running this weekend, bouncing up and down would have been highly problematic. Starting Friday I began taking some of Cindy’s CBD which has a number of benefits, including pain management. Over the weekend I made consistent improvement. By Sunday afternoon I was able to slowly lift my right arm above my head under it’s own power, an impossibility 48 hours prior. I was excited to be on the road to recovery. However last night during sleep I noticed more pain returning and by the time I rolled out of bed this morning it felt like I was almost back to my starting point on Friday. Yes, I’m frustrated.
The weather this weekend was mostly overcast and dark. The good news out of this was we did at least score some much needed rain. I kept busy a good portion of Saturday, even with a bum shoulder. I bought all new brushed nickel handles for all of the interior doors. (well all but one that I forgot about) The old fashioned brass door knobs looked dated. I have had a handle style lever on the door from the garage for a couple years. I always intended to do the rest, now it’s finally done. Maybe it was wishful thinking but the new anti-microbial handles felt like they freshened up the look of things.
Deb came over again on Saturday afternoon. I donated my remaining AnyCubic I3 Mega printer to her, after donating my other one to Katie a couple weeks prior. We again had a fun time hanging out. One of the highlights for the girls was making fun of my famous “party shirt” which was bought somewhere in the late 80’s/early 90’s time period.
This shirt is obviously bizarre with it’s mismatched breast pockets, capri length sleeves, and short cut that exposes your waist with the slightest lean. However I used to think the shirt was cool, way cool. It was the shirt I wore on my first date with Ali way back when. Yes I realize now the shirt is silly yet I will keep it forever due to the imagined magical powers I once thought it had. The girls laughed their ass off at my party shirt modeling session and I didn’t mind.
I have begun printing the parts for my new adjustable EUC stand. I put the prototype together and have one of my wheels on it currently. It seems solid, despite having the ability to adjust to different widths. It will be interesting to see how it plays out once I list it on the store. A customer will have the ability to buy one stand that should fit almost any EUC out there. Of course I plan to charge more for these stands as they require more prep and hardware than any previous models.
Sunday was extremely drab and dreary. I didn’t even get out on a PEV to ride. Sure I kept busy somewhat but I played a bunch of WoW and even laid down to watch Captain America Civil War again during the day, which is a rarity. I just was not feeling very high on life.
I have talked once or twice on here about regret that I had regarding how I used to use the blog during my second marriage as a podium to express my displeasure with certain things that came up in our relationship. Regardless of if my feelings were justified or not, putting them out there in the blog for the world to digest was unfair as it only allows for a single side of a dual sided conflict.
Ironically the time I decided to stop doing that was pretty close to the time that we separated. To be clear, I don’t think posting or not posting to blog would have made a difference in the end result, I just don’t think it was the right thing to do. Over the years there are times where I resist the urge to put down in words various personal thoughts that run through my head as I remain steadfast to the desire to not be a one way street with two way traffic. Yea it may be fun for readers to get a peek behind the curtain but in the big picture there is no fun to be had with the end result.
That is the word I would use to describe the pain I have been dealing with in my right shoulder. Instead of lessening since it’s onset on Tuesday evening it has gotten worse, which concerns me. What concerns me is I can be laying in bed with the arm fully supported and I still have constant pain throbbing and radiating from the shoulder down into my arm. If I am forced to move my right arm in any way that forces my elbow away from my body it feels like I am getting hit by a taser. It limits more or less anything I try to do. At this point I am trying to figure out how long I wait for it to start improving before I get worried enough to have to seek medical advice. I have had off and on shoulder pain for a good portion of my adult life but I don’t ever recall anything that felt quite so debilitating.
Yesterday there was no way I could workout anything upper body so I rode my old Ninebot One EUC instead. I talk about many things during the ride including the shoulder issues. It’s amazing this wheel still works after all of the abuse it has taken. I checked the odometer and found that I just passed 700 miles during the ride.
I’m not sure what this weekend is going to consist of. It is very dependent upon if my shoulder situation improves or worsens from here.
I have had issues with my shoulders, mostly my right one for years and years with pain from pressing movements like bench press. It got so bad at times I stopped doing the movement altogether for long periods of time. Since I started benching back up the last few years I have had some off and on issues with pain in the shoulder but typically that pain is restricted to when I am actually doing that movement. The good thing always was that even when bench pressing hurt I still could do push ups relatively pain free.
Well since the gyms closed I obviously have not been bench pressing but I have been doing push ups, lots of push ups during my parking garage workouts. I had started getting some of that same shoulder pain I did from benching but it was the type that hurt the first set of reps but then went away as I warmed up. So I returned to the garage Tuesday after 5 days of no push ups, I expected to be feeling pretty good. Instead the shoulder pain was immediately there, probably the most I have felt.
The weird thing is Monday night I developed a stabbing kink in my neck out of nowhere, again based on the right side. Certain head movements sent jolts of pain through my neck and at times I could literally feel the muscles in the area contracting like a vise, it was not a good sensation. But despite that pain the night before I was able to knock out my 200 push ups on Tuesday, but I started paying the price Tuesday night. My right shoulder started to just throb and ache nonstop. The pain woke me up from my sleep and I took two Advil to try to take the edge off.
The pain continued all through the day and made any movement of the right arm that required it to be extended very painful. Things have not changed much through today, I will be skipping the parking garage workout. The last time I remember having full time shoulder pain like this is when I used to destroy my left shoulder in volleyball tournaments. My plan for now is to just keep taking anti-inflammatory meds to dull the pain, stop doing any exercise that hurts and hope my body repairs itself. The last thing I am interested in doing is seeking medical attention right now.
Speaking of medical attention, I finally got around to paying off my part of my ridiculous ER bill from last April’s Bells Palsy episode. I have gone through repeated phone conversations with the hospital billing department and my insurance company trying to get the credit for the $700 single pill applied to my claim. The bullshit required to wade through was insane and I clearly see why so many give up and just pay the bill to make it go away. For whatever reason, I am not the type that gives up the fight that easily.
Yesterday was a busy day for the property. Two more loads of fill were delivered and they were out there with the Bobcat most of the day pushing the dirt around. I talked to Miguel and he said he thought one more load of fill was needed which I ok’d. If things go as he say and that is a big IF based on how unreliable his word has been so far, the sod would get put down this weekend. It’s going to be a big investment but one I really should have done a long time ago based on how miserable I felt every summer walking around in ankle high water.
