Last day before I got back to my regularly scheduled program.

Last day of this small temporary routine that I had made for myself whenever I decided to stay home for the holidays.

Last day of my break.

I’ll be spending it doing something a little out of the norm, which is getting my eyes checked out. I usually do it on a weeknight, but I needed new contacts. I’m not even going to my usual optometrist but the other one just because she was available sooner.

I guess in a way, I am glad that the break is over and that we are starting things back up again. I have a little more routine and more direction in my day instead of just being at home vegging out in front of the couch. I’m glad that I kind of won’t have idle hands anymore.

Last day.

* * *

Back to routine.

Back to trying to eat healthier, not that I’m eating horribly now, but I have definitely gained some weight that I lost back during the break.

It was just a lot of time for me to cook and eat and cook and eat while not being as active.

Definitely need to get my step count back up.

Something to look forward to.

Back to routine.

* * *

Hey Jude

Music.

It’s such a big part of my life.

Humming the sweet melodies that are stuck in my head as I walk the halls. Most of them are the last songs or melodies that I heard before I go on these little brisk walks.

They are strong in creating memories.

Different songs bring up different memories and emotions, time traveling to the distant past. So contemplative.

Music.

Such a wonder.

But I don’t think music have that strong of an impression on me anymore. I listen to music differently now.

Before, I would do everything to the sound of music. I burn miles with a soundtrack that was current with that time. My long morning walks with Pickles would be filled with pop tunes or whatever I was interested in.

Now, music is on the back burner, replaced by books and podcasts. From time to time, I’ll take a time out and listen to music on these walks, filling my life with melodies instead of the spoken word, but they are few and far between.

Music is put aside as I try to maximize my time. I get through books easier and faster if I listen to them. I get through interesting podcasts the same way.

But there is a little FOMO going on though. I don’t want to miss out on the interesting podcast or the be so out of the loop in the cultural zeitgeist. I guess I’ll just have to let it go and be okay with that.

That’s why my YouTube feed is so fucking crowded. I don’t need to see everything. Not everything I watch on there on the regular is interesting, but yet, I add them on my queue.

Maybe this something that I’ll need to start doing for the new year, cut down on unnecessary shit.

I love books, so Audible will stay. Interesting podcasts will stay. YouTube is the biggest time suck and I’ll have to whittle it down. I’ve worked down my watch later queue, so I can start to re-curate with only things that are interesting and maybe it is time to unsubscribe from a few feeds.

Let’s do that now. Cleaned. Cut down. Smaller.

Now I only listen to music is when I’m working or writing. Not many impressionable memories being made there.

* * *

De-clutter.

There’s too much junk in my house, in my life.

There’s just a lot of stuff that I horde in which I will rarely ever use. I keep stuff when I really don’t need to.

Throw them out. Toss them away, I say.

Whittle things down to the bar essentials.

It’ll make life simpler.

Maybe.

It makes sense and I don’t see why not.

I’ve already cleaned out my closet and donated clothes that I don’t wear anymore.

I’ve cleaned out my drawers and cabinets last year and it might be time to do it again.

My kitchen drawers are a mess.

Toss everything.

Donate everything.

Clean out.

De-Clutter!

Live simpler.

Live better.

* * *

The little break is winding down.

This is the last weekend before I head back to work on Monday. Will it be different? Will it be the same? Will there be a short slowness as we ramp things up again back to full speed?

I don’t know and I really don’t care.

Soon, the new work year will start and soon, I’ll get my step count up again.

There are so many things that I will need to do come January.

I’ll need to make a doctor’s appointment for my yearly checkup. I totally skipped it last year. Time just flew by.

I’ll have to take Pickles to the vet for his checkup too. So many checkups.

I’m not sure what to do with Relish. Do cats need regular checkups or are they more like, if something is definitely wrong, then you should bring him in.

No fucking clue man. No fucking clue.

* * *

It’s cold in the shop today. The AC blows hard down the window shield which I’m sitting next too. Sure, I can pick up and leave, which I must might do, but hot damn man, hot damn, they need to warm this fucker up. It’s fucking cold.

I moved. No draft. Better.

* * *

As one can see today isn’t as focused as it was yesterday. There was direction and substance in yesterday’s posting, but today, today is just ramblings to rule get things out. Today is junk day.

Free writing.

The day is still early, but it’s lonely here today. It’s quiet today.

Sure, for the most part, the usual crew is here, no Iris, but it’s different.

I don’t know why, but it is very quiet. Not that many people waiting or wanting to get tea today. They come and go, come and go.

Usually I’m a fan of that, but not today. I want some solidarity, someone to come in pick a table and just hunker down and get some work done, like I am doing.

I don’t know why, but that’s how I am today.

* * *

Today will be a slow day as I just sit and ponder what to do today, or the day ahead or just surf and waste time. Who knows?

Blah, switching gears.

Back to creative writing.

I want to finish the prose I’m working on.

2016.

New year.

It’s a brand new day to a brand new year. I actually stayed up just past midnight to ring it in by reading a book.

I’ve been trying to finish the Louis Cha – Jin Yong The Condor Heroes Trilogy for years now.

These series of books consist of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, The Return of the Condor Heroes, and finally The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre.

I’ve been wanting to read these books for the longest time as I grew up watching the Hong Kong TVB Series in the early 80s. I loved them.

I have read the second one years ago and a few months ago I started on the first one. These books are fucking long. Each book comprises of four separate books, each totally about 500 pages each. So, yeah, long.

I’m about halfway through the third book of the first series. So, soon, I’ll finish.

After I finish The Legend of the Condor Heroes, I’ll most likely rewatch the series again and then I just have to decide what I want to read next.

I don’t have that many ambitious reading goals for 2016, like I didn’t have one for 2015, so I’m debating as to what to read next.

I had a reading goal a few years back when I just wanted to finish one book during that year, but I never finished it. I didn’t even get a quarter of the way through. That was way too ambitious. That book? David Foster Wallace’s The Infinite Jest.

It’s a hipster book, I know. All hipsters read it and loved it and whatever it, and every raved about it, I know I know, and I just wanted to read it. The movie Liberal Arts with the lovely and beautiful Elizabeth Olsen slyly made reference to the book and Wallace without actually saying it.

It’s still on my TBR list. Maybe one day I’ll finish it. Maybe.

I think I’ll just put off The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre and read a few smaller books before I get back to it. I have quite a few books in my TBR and I’m sure I can pick a few to get me by until I want to read HS&DS.

Maybe I should get back to Stephen King. With the whole The Dark Tower series coming together and being filmed as a TV and off shoot movies, that might be what I’ll do next year. I’ll just get back to Stephen King that way, by reading the entire seven book series.

I think that will be good enough. I’ll be rereading a few of the books again, but I’m fine with that. It’s been at least 20 years since I’ve read those books. It’ll be like new again.

* * *

2016.

New Year.

New starts.

Resolutions.

I usually never ever do resolutions and stick to them. I thought I was going to get in shape and be healthy a few years back. Got a Fitbit and new running shoes for it. Never happened. I think I ran for like two days and then gave up. Six months later, I turned my Fitbit in for a refund because the band was getting jacked up.

Now, I do have a new Fitbit which I have for over a year and have been getting my step counts up for most of the year. Am I any healthier, probably not, but it’s something.

I don’t think I’ll do any health related resolutions. Those are tough. I think for the most part; I am relatively healthy. I don’t eat terribly and most of the food I eat are home cooked with whole foods. So, it’s not like I’m consuming things I can’t pronounce or don’t know what’s in it. I’m relatively healthy and that’s a good thing.

So, nothing health related.

One thing that I’ve always wanted to do is to learn music. I’ve always been curious about reading music and being able to play music. I’ve always been a little jealous of musicians and think how they are able to make music is magical.

Maybe it is time for me to actually focus and learn how to read music and pick up my guitar and finally learn it.

Learn the cords. Learn how to strum. Learn how to pick. Learn learn learn.

Maybe I’ll be able to do it.

It won’t be easy and it’ll take a lot of time, but that’s all I have, time. Maybe do something worthwhile with all the spare time that I have and just learn something.

I just need to figure out the best approach on how to do it.

I’ve tried to learn many things on my own and many of them weren’t very successful.

I think it is a matter of focus, a matter of commitment, and just a simple matter of practice.

Do it.

Once I learn, from there, the possibilities are endless!

* * *

2016.

New Year.

Blank canvas.

What I chose today could in turn dictate and shape what will happen for the rest of the year.

There’s a fad or a life choice that had been going around for quite some time now. It comes and goes and recently it came back up into the zeitgeist again, and it is the year of Yes!.

It first came to my attention quite a few years back, 2005, I believe, when Yes Man came out. Recently Shondra Rimes’s new book is about her year of yes.

The concept is simple; say yes to everything. If an opportunity comes up, say yes to it. If someone asks if you want to go out and do something, say yes. Just say yes to everything.

Simple.

Maybe this year can be the year of yes. I don’t see why not.

To be fair, I’ve done something similar a few years ago. It wasn’t a year of yes, but I agreed to do things that I normally wouldn’t do, which got me to get out of my house more and socialize.

It’s not that I haven’t tried it, but it is something that had always been in my mind, to say yes more. To participate more. To do more.

Yes.

Let’s be clear, it’s not like I say no all the time. I don’t. I’m just picky as to what I want to do.

I’ve gone out a few times this year. I’ve always said yes when someone asks me to hangout or go out to dinner and what not. I’ve always said yes in terms of hanging out with Dan and getting drinks from time to time.

I don’t say no to everything. I just know what I want to do and what I would rather not do.

I just think that my friends, and what a limited number of friends that I do have, knows my character and personality that they just don’t ask me to do things anymore.

But, whenever people asks me, maybe this year, I’ll say yes a little more often.

Who knows? Imagine the possibilities.

2016.

The Year of Yes – with caveats.

Fine, I’ll just say yes more. Let’s make it that simple.

* * *

2016.

New Year.

Let’s bring it back to something that I’ve been telling myself, one of my mottos, which is just control, and not sweat the small stuff.

If something bothers you that you have no control about, don’t sweat it. Let it go. Just relax and let it go.

I know a lot of my anger and frustrations this year was all work related and because of a few individuals. I have no control on how they work and who they are.

Just let it go. No point in letting it get to me. No point in being angry about them. Just let it go.

It’ll help me talk less shit about people. I’ll just help me be a better person.

So, practice what you preach and just be a nicer person, a better person, and just let things go.

Be nicer. Stop talking shit.

Just stop talking shit.

This may help cut down on the inner monologue of judgments that come and go about people I see and what they do.

I want that to stop. I don’t feel like a good person when I do things like that.

So, I have the control over what gets me angry, so just take control and not sweat the small stuff.

I am already good at not letting the big things that I have no control about get to me, now it is time for the small stuff.

Let’s do it.

It’ll help me be a better person and a much much nicer person.

Be nice, asshole.

* * *

2016.

New Year.

Leap year.

I have one extra day this year to be even more awesome.

I’m kind of glad that I’m not doing a 365 this year. Man, imagine, one more day of taking pictures. 365 days is already hard enough, but man, 366. Fuck no.

But in all honesty, there are a lot of things that I would like to do. All of these things listed are things that I can do anytime in my life. I really don’t need a new year to start doing them. Not at all.

I’m not sure if I’ll get to finish or even start to do any of the things that I listed here or not, but it gives me a little hint of things to look forward to, I guess.

I’ll most likely do what I normally do and that is just wing it and go with the flow. I’ll do whatever I feel like doing and whether I follow through and finish it or not, I’m not sure.

I’m not going to put that kind of pressure on myself.

No pressure at all. All of these things are life and death things.

They just are things that I would like to do to better myself. These are things that I would like to learn.

All in all, every year, I just try to be a better person, learn something new or interesting or just continue to learn and retain information that I don’t already know and just grow and be a better person.

In all honestly, that’s not a lot to ask for.

2016.

Here we go.

Cold.

Chilly.

Since it is the end of the year and I’m officially on break from work, one would expect me to be at home 2 for it this year, but no, I’m down in sunny SoCal freezing my ass off in the lukewarm 60-degree weather. Man, who would think that 60 degree weather would be this chilly. Something is definitely amiss here.

I guess it’ll just be something that I’ll never understand and I’ll just have to live with it.

Let it be indeed.

It’s Christmas Eve and I am here in my usual spot trying to figure out if I should start my yearly bah humbug today or should I just let it permeate a little more, but I think I’m just going to get it going. I already know that it’ll take a few days, so might as well get an early start on it.

Might as well.

I’ll get a little Help! with The Beatles on Spotify.

So, here I am, starting my usual bah humbug to each and everyone.

2015…Here we go.

* * *

I know that I should have been preparing for this for the past couple weeks if not days, knowing that it is something that I usually do anyway, but I just seem so unprepared for this or maybe it is just my lack of motivation that is preventing me from doing it properly, but I’m just going to wing it.

2015.

What can I say about it?

It seems that this year is me going back to my roots, me going back to the days of yore, days not unlike the first couple of years that I moved down to Los Angeles. It was definitely a year of #partyofone. It was definitely a year of just me, doing my own thing and not caring about anyone or anything else.

It definitely was a year of Phong and a selfish year.

And I don’t have a problem with that.

I think with last year being such a big family year, with the road trips with mom and my aunts around California, then the South East Asia trip, Utah with my bro, and finally being home for Christmas break, that was the most time I had spent with family.

Sure, I didn’t get to see a lot of family last year, even though it was such a family oriented year, but it was still a lot more family than what I was accustomed to.

With that in mind, near the end of last year, I started to plan my solo 2015 journey, with my trip to Iceland and actually doing something for New Year’s, which was spending it along in my favorite city, Chicago.

There’s a thing that I heard quite a few years ago about how you spend your New Years can predict how your year is going to be. It’s something along the lines of whoever you kiss or whoever you spend your New Year’s Eve with is who you’ll spend your year with.

Now, considering I spend all of my New Year’s for the longest time ever by myself, at home with Pickles, and that’s usually how my year goes. I’m usually with my dog, on road trips, hiking and what not. The year I got Relish, I passed it with the two of them and they have encompassed my life.

Now last year, I spent my year alone, somewhat comfortable in a bar full of strangers, in a city that I love but don’t live in. It’s me spending my NYE doing my own #partyofone thing and it pretty much set the tone for 2015.

2015.

#partyofone.

That was/is pretty much the theme of this past year.

And I loved ALL of it.

2015, the year of Riding Solo.

* * *

In a way 2015 was kind of a new start for me. It was a year of the new me.

Last year was a year of therapy, going and getting my head shrunk, coming to terms with the loss of my father and the guilt that I’ve held deep inside for believing that I was responsible for his death.

Near the end of our sessions and during our sessions, I realized a lot about me that explains my actions and basically why I am the way I am…well for the most part. I have come to terms with my father’s death and am starting to believe that it was what it was, an accident. I no longer hold onto the guilt of his passing, but I still do miss him, which is all I can do and should feel.

Our sessions ended early in the year, like in January I believe and I was pretty much on my own since then. I was on my own, with this new found sense of who I am, and freerer than I have ever been in a long long time.

It was a new year for a new me and I started back at basics. I just found things that focus on me.

I started and finished or am on my way of finishing a few personal projects. They were something to keep my mind off of things and to focus on others and for something to do.

* * *

Projects

Feeling that my camera had been neglected last year, I felt that I should do another 365 project.

The only time that I used it is whenever I go on vacation and that was about it. Sure I took quite a few last year on my many vacations and trips, but I believe that I could sure use it more. So, 2015, another 365 and I am coming down to my last couple of days. I can’t wait for it to finish.

The camera isn’t working well. From time to time the camera won’t fully go down, so I’ll need to take it into Nikon to get it fixed after the new year.

A perk of having to carry around my camera all the damn fucking time is that I got to get more People Project pictures. I made it a rule that whenever anyone asks why I have a camera with me all the time, I ask them if I can take their picture. It worked like gang busters.

The other project that I’m doing is a cooking project.

I decided that I will cook 30 things/recipes that I have never made before. They can’t be variations of things that I have made before, but have to be things that I never created.

Things included hand made noodles, poke, cakes and desserts and even some bbq sauce.

It was a fun project. I have surpassed my 30 recipes and will still be making more.

This was one of the funniest things that I did this past year and all in all, it was a success and it just helps me relax and I get to eat great food afterwards.

I think I’m going to be making that an ongoing project where I’ll do something similar from here on out. It’s just fun and very challenging.

Sure, there might be a year when I’ll be over it or I’ll impose other rules or some themes, but right now I’m rolling with it.

Writing.

It kind of happened this year. It seemed that I focused more on my blog than most anything else this year. I did finish my last script. There are some major problems with it and then I took a break from script writing and decided to work on a short story. It’s still unfinished.

Eventually, I’ll get back to it. Maybe. Hopefully 2016 will bring back this writing bug that I had.

It’s fun.

There’s one last project, well, I wouldn’t consider it a project, but it is something is that I decided to donate my hair again. It started from last August and it was just another continuation of it.

If that hair project isn’t a selfish and a Year of Phong thing, I don’t know what else it is. As it got longer and as I got more and more annoyed with the hair, the crazier hairstyles that I’ll tie it up with.

I did not give a fuck. I really didn’t even when people started to laugh or make comments on my hair.

Eventually, as people got used to it, they seem to enjoy it, to like my crazy hair styles and even comment on how beautiful my hair is when I just leave it down. I know I can’t fucking wait to cut it. It seems it’ll reach the desired 10 inches in a few weeks.

I’m just counting down the days.

Will I be done growing and donating my hair after this time? I think it’ll definitely be some considerable amount of time before I will do it again, but who knows, this time wasn’t really planned. One day, I just decided.

Most likely, the next time will be the same. I just decided.

* * *

Travel

This year came and went in a blur.

Memories explode and fade and explode and fade and mixes in with other memories of the past. I cannot place them or see their time stamp. They all clump together in the past without distinction.

This year, a blur.

Most of it has to do with the amount of traveling and little trips that I made this year. Surprisingly there were only two planned vacation trips this year and the rest were either for work or for other obligations. Every two or three months I would take off for a few days or even a week.

But the one trip that ruled all of them was the Iceland trip. It changed my life. It was me, doing me. It was me, riding solo. It was me, not putting my life on hold and just living it the way I have grown to do.

It was spectacular and I would think about that trip and Iceland every few days.

I want to go back. You can find my entry on it somewhere on this blog of mine, but Iceland, awesome.

Technically, it was my first, but not really first trip of the year. I want to count my little Chicago side trip for New Year’s.

To think I went during New Year’s to see how cold it was, to see if I can survive their winters, in case I ever move there. There’s still that possibility.

I do love that city.

Then there was Dat’s wedding the end of March. Looking back, all of my time with family have had to do with these little trips. Even though it was a year of me, there were definitely some family time involved. Saw a lot of family at Dat’s wedding and the same during Uncle’s memorial in July and again, hung out with my bro during my Chicago work trip.

This was a year of connecting with family via trips and not making an effort to see them to see them, but to visit them because of some other reasons.

Those were my family moments.

Surprisingly this was a year of visiting friends too; friends that I haven’t seen in years.

It started with a simple text about Katy getting married. The wedding was during Memorial Day weekend and it was in Watsonville. I made a mini-road trip out of it, driving up the PCH and visiting Hearst Castle. Overall, it was nice to see these old friends again. It definitely was a while.

While at the wedding, I saw Rutledge and then decided that I was going to visit the Carters on Labor Day. I flew out and visited a friend and stayed with them. I never done that before, but it was really really good that I saw them and hung out. It felt right and it felt like the old days. I loved it.

Hopefully it won’t be as long as it was before we see and hang out with each other again.

I was surprised that there was so much traveling for work this year also. I guess it was just time again to do another round of server refreshes to our remaining regional offices. The Dallas and Moorestown were just short trips and was so rushed in terms of landing and going straight to work and working late. I got sick in Dallas just because my body just gave up

Chicago was the last one and that was a nightmare because of forces that were out of our control. But in the end, it was just a great time that, whenever I’m not at work. A lot had to do with meeting up with my brother there and with Cloud. I got to show them why I love the city so much.

Besides Iceland, my other personal trip was a lovely three-day road trip to Crater Lake. It was a solo trip, since my bro didn’t want to join me. There were some hiccups on the trip but overall it was a good solo nature trip. I surely miss those and definitely need more of them in my life. It was just great getting out into nature.

There were some little surprises on the trip and that was the Lava Beds State Monument and I went caving on my own. It was awesome.

At the moment, 2016 is a blank slate with nothing really planned. There’s an inkling of a trip in March to SE Asia again. This time, Thailand and Cambodia. I’ve been dying to go to Angkor Kwat. Maybe I’ll do another solo international trip. Maybe Myanmar/Burma. My bro doesn’t want to go, so it might just be me.

2016, let’s continue this wanderlust streak.

Addendum*: I decided to take a break and decided to reread this year’s Another Year Older, Another Year Wiser entry and skimmed the entries in April. Apparently, I just took a day trip to the Inland Empire that I totally forgot. Salton Sea. Salvation Mountain and then to San Diego to visit 7th Uncle. I remember it now and it was a trip with Pickles.

I needed to get away from work and life and the city because I was going through a lot of stress at work, more on that later.

* * *

People and socializing.

2015 was definitely not a year of people and definitely not a year of socializing.

The Year of Phong was just that, the year of me. Besides my travels and meeting people through my travels, I really didn’t go out much this year.

Sure there is the Lam from time to time with our monthly or so get-togethers and there was a time when I would go out with Dan and get drinks. All in all, that was about it, that I can remember on the socializing front.

There are the small one timers where I’ll get dinner with Favorite or hanging out with the Sub and Tia in Chicago, but that is more that we haven’t seen each other in a long time so it is time to catch up.

Relationships?

0. Zip. None. Nada.

Not even going to try.

2015 followed the trend that I started in 2014 after Milpitas and that’s nothing. Sure I went on a few dates in 2014 with the help of the apps and then the relationship, but after when I came to the conclusion that relationships just aren’t for me, at this current juncture, I have been riding solo.

Never asked anyone out that I was interested in. Never really focused on that many girls, if any.

Don’t think I ever really flirted with anyone.

It’d been a dry year in this front.

I’m not even sure what will 2016 bring? Am I ready for one? Will I meet someone that I am willing to give it a shot? I know that I am open to it. I’m not totally closed off to the idea of being in a relationship, but again, this girl has better be something special.

Maybe. 2016, will I be done of the year of me and become a year of we?

No idea. Who knows. I’m loving it on my own and 2015 just reinforces that.

* * *

Days went by before I came back to this.

Days.

Life got in the way.

Life.

Part of life was a small road trip with Pickles.

I drove south on the 1, PCH, or streets adjacent to the PCH. I took the coastal route all the way down to the end and it was pretty good.

It was beautiful and it was a nice comfortable nice day.

We even spent an hour or so at the Huntington Dog Beach.

Pickles was Pickles with this weird socialization.

That’s one thing I did find fascinating or remember about him. He’s such a pacifist. He’ll see two dogs playing a little too roughly and he’ll just chase them around and bark at them, telling them to stop.

Or maybe I’m just reading him wrong and he just wants no one to have fun.

Very weird dog.

* * *

Brotherly bonding.

This year was another continuation in Brother 2.0.

It’s really good to see him growing and coming out of his shell.

Less shy.

More willing to do things and maybe talk and socialize.

It’s still a little difficult to cull things out of him, but it’s good to see him actually trying things.;

We had two small trips this year.

The first was our Napa/Sonoma trip after our Uncle’s memorial and the next was when he flew out and spent the weekend out in Chicago with me while I was there for work.

It was our usual go eat and relax and enjoy what the city/place has to offer.

It’s great.

Maybe 2016 will be more of it. Small little trips of just doing things or more family vacations.

It’s so wide open, who knows what will happen.

Maybe we’ll actually follow through on the whole Napa every year thing.

Who knows.

* * *

Now that it is a different day, I might just wing it and just go with the flow, no structure and just wing it. Who knows.

* * *

Work.

It actually wasn’t that bad this year. It was busy and I’m in a very project oriented position.

The big thing that happened this year was the migration to Office 365. It was a long long stressful month in April.

It was definitely a large trial by error learning curve. When I think I got one thing fixed, another thing would go wrong and I’ll have to figure it out.

But in the end, everything works and everyone is up and running.

Stressful.

Lots of drinks and alcohol.

Tons, but it is done.

In terms of the company, I think we are okay. Sure we lost some business, but we gained some too.

That’s the name of the game nowadays and it just seems that’s the way it’ll be well into the future.

There’s a ton of new people in the company and I don’t even know or want to know them.

I’m okay with that. I’ll stick with just those that I know and if it comes a point where I met someone and develop a rapport, then I do. If not, I won’t lose any sleep over it.

I wonder what will happen in 2016? What kind of projects are planned?

I don’t know.

I know that we still need to cross train with a few of the other sys admins in case anything happens. I think when we move to the new storage system, that’s when it’ll happen.

Also, we need to figure out a new collaboration and project management tool.

It’ll be an interesting year.

I’m the go-to-guy in my department.

When someone needs answers for some things, they’ll come to me. I have most of the answers, especially when it comes to systems and windows.

When it comes to macs, I’m not the guy.

I think people come to me, besides the answers, is that I get things done. I follow-up and I just take care of things in a timely manner.

Let’s hope that 2016 would be more of the same, in terms of projects and new things to learn and let’s hope that it’ll be less stressful.

* * *

Furkids.

Another year has gone and they were together for another year.

Last year I believed that the two just tolerate each other, both not liking each other, but just have to get along because they both live together.

I think I am going to change my position and say that I think they both like each other. It’s just that they have a very weird way of showing it. They both aren’t very affectionate, especially to me.

They show their affections in a different way, they play and taunt each other.

Pickles would always win, because he’s just much bigger, but Relish is just faster’

They’ll taunt and chase each other.;

Mornings after our walks, Relish would just rub up against Pickles. I would see that whenever I bring him back from boarding also.

So, yes, they do like each other. It’s more than just a regular, you are here, I am here, so let’s just play nice type of thing.

A few weeks ago, I stayed home because I was sick. I went to get some meds and left. The kids probably thought I left for work, like I usually do, but when I came home, they were in the bedroom together.

Relish was on the bed, just chilling and I’m sure Pickles was on the bed also before he knew I came home. I told him to hop on the bed as I got undressed. They were comfy on the bed together.

Fuckers, that’s how they are when I’m not there. They secretly show affection towards the other. Why can’t they do that while I’m there?

But all in all, I’m glad that they do get along and they do like each other.

I love my kids and would do everything for them.

But I do feel bad for Pickles though. I traveled so much and so often this year, he was stuck in a cage for a lot of the year.

Unfortunately, I have no other options.

Hopefully I can figure something out for 2016.

Hopefully.

* * *

2015.

It was a year not unlike any others.

It was a year that I went back to basics, like the first couple of years that I was first down to Los Angeles.

It was just a year of me, working on me, being me and being more comfortable with who I am.

But in a way, it was also a year that was new. It felt like it is a new start.

It was the first year where I started to live with the new me, the guilt free me, the me who finally came to terms with my father’s death.

2015 was the Year of Phong.

It was a very self-centered year and it had to be that. It had to bring me back to square one, starting this new phase in my life. It had to be a year where I get centered with myself and be more comfortable and work on my baseline so I can compare all my future growths.

It was a great year.

It was an awesome year.

I’ve grown as a person. I’ve done most things that I had set out to do, albeit a little more anti-social as of late, but I have no shame in that.

I needed it to re-energize. I needed it to be me.

2015 had a lot of offer and I received it with open arms.

Many people might find that sad and pathetic, but they aren’t me and they don’t understand how important it was for me.

I don’t think many people will understand that about me.

They hope I’ll change and stop being alone, but I don’t know. This is me and I’ll come and grow out of that on my own terms.

Change takes time and can’t be forced. I’ll grow out of it when I grow out of it.

That’s how life is and that’s how I embrace it.

2015, you’ve been great.

I’ve grown a lot this year, even though it doesn’t seem like that, but I have. I’ve matured quite a bit and became a much better person in the process.

I’m still not fixed. I don’t think I’ll ever will be, but I’m definitely heading towards the right direction in becoming a little bit better.

Hopefully 2016 will bring me more of the same.

More travels.

More growth.

More challenges.

More knowledge.

More projects.

Hopefully I’ll focus and rewrite something in the coming year, or pick up that guitar of mine and just fucking learn how to play that thing. Or maybe I just learn how to read music as I put down my camera next year, I’ll pick up music and guitar.

You have a lot of wants and many things you don’t know how to do.

Do it.

Every year is a year of possibilities.

You start out the year with a blank slate and with each day, you paint your strokes onto the canvas, slowly adding onto the masterpiece that is you.

2015.

Thank you for being such a great year for me. I truly mean it. I now bid you a kind adieu.

2016.

Bring it.

I just can’t seem to shake this bug that I have.

I don’t know if it is still the same bug or if I caught another one. I just don’t know.

I’m sitting here, chills and a slight temperature. I’m tired. Fatigued. Just tired.

I have no idea what is going on with my body. Sure, my diet has changed slightly with the holidays and not the low/no carb diet that I was doing for a while, but it shouldn’t affect me this much.

It’s not like I’m eating that much carbs to begin with. I just have no clue.

Well, I’m back to my normal carb intake for the most part, maybe.

I hope things will get back to normal soon. I just want to get to break and just finish off the year and start the new one.

Let’s just start it out healthy.

* * *

I haven’t done much creative writing lately. I tried yesterday but didn’t get really far. I don’t know what is stopping me, but I think there’s a motivation issue.

No shit I have a motivation issue.

I hope I can get through it and finish something.

Fuck, I’m tired. I definitely am getting sick or something.

Something definitely isn’t right.

Definitely, not right.

* * *

The year is definitely winding down. No one wants to do any work.

There aren’t too many help desk calls or even tickets. Things are definitely slowing down and it is definitely a year end thing. This always happens at the end of the year.

Always.

* * *

Cold. It’s getting cold. I’m getting chills. Not sure why I’m so cold. It always happens this way.

Maybe I don’t have enough body fat to keep me warm or maybe it is just the SoCal winters and the dry air that is just killing me. No fucking clue, but I know I’m cold and I tend to be warmer in Chicago and Seattle. No fucking why.

I think I’m just sick. There’s no reason for this.

* * *

Obviously from this post my brain is definitely not working well.

Fucking hell no it isn’t working.

Ugh, no more writing. I can’t focus. Looking at Dan Dan Noodle recipes instead.

Tragedy.

Death.

It is just that time in our family’s where someone would pass. It happened again about a week ago. 5th Uncle passed away.

He’s been in and out of hospitals and hospice for the past few years. His heart was weak and it just couldn’t beat on anymore.

Thankfully I was able to see him a month or so ago while I was out in Moorestown for work. Even then, he looked so weak and frail. So tired, struggling just to talk.

The funeral will be early next week.

It’s just that time where my uncles and aunts are that age where they are just old. It shouldn’t be such a normal occurrence, but it just seems that way. Every year or two, someone in my life will just go. It’s sad. Very sad.

It’s a part of my life. It seems it has been a part of my life ever since my grandpa passed away at the end of the year of 1999. Since then, every year or two, someone will pass.

That had been our family’s life.

Sad.

* * *

So a few weeks ago, there was a minor emergency closer to home.

My brother and appendicitis and had to go to the emergency room. His stomach was in pain the day before and he thought it was just food poisoning. It was still hurting Monday morning, so he went to the doctor and he told him to go to the emergency room.

Instead of calling mom, he texted me what happened. I had to call my mom and break the news to her.

In a way, I can totally see and understand why he would do that. I would probably do the same thing, contact my brother instead of my mom, ’cause mom would be freaking out.

Fortunately for me, I was home that day, sick.

When I first called mom to speak with her, she asked how I was doing. I told her I was home, sick and being dramatic, she was like “what’s wrong?” like it was a life and death matter.

I was just sick. A little cold. I didn’t need to tell her.

So, I told her about my brother and of course she flipped. I told her where he was and what happened and of course she freaked out. She got into the car and started to cry and lecturing me about how we don’t ever tell her anything.

I retorted, I’m sick, just a common cold. I don’t need to tell you that. As for my bro, I was telling her now. She was asleep when my brother left for the doctors. Again, he didn’t think it was serious, just food poisoning.

Any who, I had to contact some cousins to help translate in case the doctor needed to speak with mom.

The interesting thing was when I called Menty, he was in a meeting and couldn’t answer. He texted me later instead. He brought up the thing that is most common and prevalent when it comes to communication in our family. If it is a phone call, it has to be bad news. We don’t call. We don’t talk in that way.

We text.

So, yes, it was a minor bad news, but he trooped up and went to the hospital after the meeting.

All in all, it was an interesting day, as I was trying to manage that situation, while sick, at home and trying to ignore work.

It was just a bad week. Just an annoying week at work with some coworkers.

I’m sure I was more annoyed because I was sick.

But, the good news is the routine surgery went fine and my brother was able to go home that day and rest up.

Yay, family.

We definitely need to work on our communication.

* * *

Tired. Drained. I can feel it coming on, another cold.

I got jury duty next week. Hopefully they don’t call me.

It’s going to be a long long week this coming week with jury duty and favorite is in town and the holiday party.

Hopefully I’m able to rest up and survive.

Hopefully.

* * *

As the year end fast approaches, it is time for some astrology predictions and what the new year brings for the Aries.

Apparently 2016 will be a great year for me on all fronts. If I’m single (which I most definitely am), I be dating a lot more next year and maybe find someone at the end of next year.

I laugh, because I highly doubt it, ’cause c’mon, it’s me.

Not looking.

Not looking.

But, I’m always open for the brand new year and a brand new slate.

It’ll be an interesting year indeed. I’m looking forward to it, with no prejudice or expectations.

Whatever happens, happens and I’ll act accordingly to the situation, taking into account what I want and how I feel.

That’s how it should be. That’s how it will be.

* * *

Thanksgiving had just come and gone and I had survived it by spending it alone, at home, with my pets, cooking up a storm.

I stayed with the menu I planned out the week before and for the most part, it was a success. The only fail was the paella. There was good flavor and the seafood was great, but it was just too wet. I need to figure out the right water to rice ratio for next time. I need to not crowd the pan and cook less rice. I need to experiment more with it more. Definitely a dish that I will come back to in the future.

The only other miss was the marquesa. It turned out great, like I think it would, but I’m just not a dessert person and it’s just not my cup of tea. I thought it would be a little bit creamier, but it wasn’t. Definitely a fail and probably something that I will not revisit again. I’m hit and miss with desserts and that’s definitely not up my alley. Maybe I’ll have to check out a true marquesa, created by some true Venezuelans in my future.

Maybe.

The spicy corn casserole turned out really well. Next time, I’ll have to make it just a smidge less spicy, but I loved it. A really great side dish and the chimichurri potato salad was good also. It was simple and was exactly what I thought it would be.

The aji sauce was phenomenal, but definitely way too spicy. I will have to remove some seeds and membranes the next time I make it, but definitely something that is easy and quick to do. A great sauce.

The brick chicken turned out well also. The Cornish hens were a great size and I’ll have to experiment with a large chicken the next time I try to attempt to do it. I’ll do a different flavoring for sure, but overall, it was great.

So, Thanksgiving dinner was a success. It was my most ambitious dinner cooking session to date. All dishes were dishes that I never made before, but I am definitely glad that for the most part, they all came out well with some exceptions.

I mean, even though I feel that the paella and the marquesa were a fail, they weren’t horrible. Very edible and good, but just not great. There’s always room for improvement.

Definitely always room for improvement.

* * *

Even though I didn’t get a Facebook invite to great uncle’s for Thanksgiving, I know there is always a standing invitation. I just didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to deal with family.

It seems that I really am sticking to my theme for this year, which is pretty much do what I want. It’s a very antisocial year and a year of just doing things by myself.

Sure I allow small family things, like the wedding and the memorial and what not, but for the most part, I did most things on my own. Trips were done alone and me just chilling on my own.

I didn’t want to do family thing out of obligation. I wasn’t feeling up to going to Uncle’s for Thanksgiving, so I didn’t go. My choice. My decision.

I wanted to spend some time alone. After my time in SC, it was definitely a good thing for me to just recoup and do things and spend some much needed alone time on my own. It definitely was good.

Apparently though, they were all asking where I was and were concerned about me spending it by myself. Of course the older generation doesn’t understand that and nor do I expect them to understand that.

I love family, I do. But at this time in my life, I want to spend some time by myself.

Definitely want to spend time by myself.

I’m sure my theme for next year will change, as I’ll probably do more family things, like going back home or even planning another family vacation. But, I’m really not sure, since next year seems so abstract and so far away.

So far away.

One step. One punch. One round.

Creed.

Live in the now, this moment, focus on the now, on this moment and live it how you want to live it. Live within your control.

My control now, live it on my terms and it is #partyofone.

* * *

2015.

Man, this year has gone by so fast. Man, this had been a great year.

I’m sure I’m going to have a lot to think about and write about during my year end diatribe, but it had been a great year and I’m happy.

* * *

Reading over old posts from last year….

Unfinished projects.

My writing folder is just filled with them. Stories, scripts, ideas that are half realized, half written, and half developed.

All of them unfinished.

I still have remnants of their essence in my mind somewhere. I have some iteration of what they could be swimming around in my conscience somewhere trying to get out, trying to gel together, trying to find an ending.

But I’m stuck. Unmotivated. Crippled by my laziness and my self-doubt of it ever being good or if it is even worth my time.

I write to waste time, to give me an excuse to make me feel like I’m doing something with my life rather than just sitting and typing away, wasting it away and not doing much of anything with it.

I’m really sure that it doesn’t mean anything and that when it comes down to it, they all matter. Every single word I put into this blog, each and every single word and draft that I have started and not finished and everything that I have finished or having even come to fruition yet; they all matter. Every single one of them.

All of them matter.

They are a part of me and they are unfinished because I’m unfinished. I know that I’ll finish them all one day, hopefully it’ll be soon. I have nothing but time.

If I sit and really think about it, I’m single and I am not putting much of an effort into this whole writing them. What happens if I ever meet a girl or if I ever have children? What would be my excuse then?

Scott, even though he has it much worse than I do make the time and effort to write and I applaud him for it. I wish I was as dedicated and focus. Maybe it is his outlet from his day-in-and-day-out? Good for him.

I need it. I need a kick in the butt to get me back to writing again.

The Gentle Listener sits almost finished. I totally forgot that I was working on that, that it was my most recent project that I was working on. I didn’t remember it until a few minutes ago, trying to figure out what I was working on.

Something is definitely up with me about the whole writing thing. Hopefully I can get back to it come the new year. Fuck it. Why wait for the new year? Let’s get back to it now. Soon.

Soon.

* * *

Writing.

I wrote time and time again that I don’t have that lyricism that my earlier entries in this endless void had. None of it. The rhythm changed in the past few years.

I find it difficult to get back to that type of writing. I find it hard to find the connection of words. It seems that my writing tends to be more succinct and more direct.

Is that a sign as my maturity as a writer, it being more economical or is it a sign that my writing is sucking ’cause it isn’t as fun as it used to be?

I’m thinking and hoping that it is the later, that it is becoming more economical, more direct, more succinct, with everything coming to a point faster. Each sentence has a purpose as opposed to just the fast loose senseless writing that I use to do.

Maybe it has to do with my writing background of screenwriting where we have to be economical with each description and dialogue? I think that is it and that I’m reading more and notice that, yes, economical writing is better writing and doesn’t need to be boring.

I should focus on that. Write more economically. Broaden my vocabulary and my prose. Strengthen my writing and my works. Redo, rewrite.

Just do it.

No more waiting. Write.

Write.

* * *

Maybe after finishing this short story I’m writing, I’ll get back to rewriting. I have to do it. No one likes it, but I have to do it.

Let the Kids Eat Some Fries. Project next year. Page one rewrite.

Plan, outline, rewrite. Make it more exciting. Make it more accessible. Rework it. Make it better.

You wrote this first draft and now you know that it doesn’t quite work, so you have to find another way to make it work. Should be easy. Should just do it.

Do it.

* * *

Writing.

Do I still love it?

Do I still crave it? The written word?

I still do. I still do love the writing process, the thought process behind it. Sure, it’s very solitary and boring at times, but I still do love writing. Being able to put thought onto “paper” so to speak, able to turn a phrase and change its intended meaning. I love it. I love it so much, but I don’t know why I have been so distracted and can’t focus on it.

Maybe it’s because there’s so much going on in my head. It’s like a pinball action of ideas and thoughts, some having to do with what I’m working on and other things that doesn’t have anything to do with writing or anything else at all. My mind is a mess and that is one of the biggest reasons why I can’t finish a project.

Another is the self-doubt if it’ll ever be good and that is just something that I need to get over with.

Others are just general big distractions. There are just too many things to watch, to consume, so much content to catch up on. It’s the FOMO that I generally don’t have on regular cool things, but just so many articles to read and what not.

I have gotten better with my Feedly and just ignoring a bunch of stuff, but it is still occupying my time. I have to be more decisive on what I need or want or should watch and just let the others go away.

I need to change the way I consume media. Definitely need to change.

I don’t need to be in on the cultural zeitgeist and what is going on in the world in terms of pop culture and the latest cool hip thing. You never thought of yourself as the coolest and hippest and keeping-up-with-the-jones anyway. So, let it go.

Just consume what you want to watch. You can’t ever watch everything, so don’t try. Watch what you can. Read what you can. Consume what you can and all the other time, find other things to fill your time.

Just be you and be a better you as you get older.

That’s all that you can ask and do for yourself.

The year is winding down.

The year is almost over. There’s just about 5 or 6 weeks left in the year and I’m not going anywhere.

I’m here for the rest of the time and I’m quite okay with it. I definitely am looking forward to spending more time with myself and on my own. I just can’t wait.

The year has gone by so fast. The year has been filled with a lot of ups and downs like any other year and I think it is time to start thinking over the year, to get ready for my yearly reflection.

It’s almost time for my yearly bah humbug. It’s almost time.

* * *

November.

It’s 3 weeks over and I have to say so far, it is pretty much one of the most annoying months.

I got sick last weekend and just fully recovered like on Thursday or even yesterday.

I got myself a new suit and the tailors just can’t get anything right or I’m not telling them exactly what I want. That’ll be something that I have to work on.

But Thanksgiving is next week and I’m so looking forward to it.

I haven’t had a big cooking day just for myself in quite a long long time. It’s been a long ass time and I’m so looking forward to it.

I have my menu all worked out already and I just need to think things over and come up with a plan of how to cook things. I need to look over the recipes and digest the steps and how things are done.

For the most part, things should be pretty easy and straightforward. There will be a lot of adaption and changes and mutations in the recipes but, the cooking should be pretty straightforward.

I should be able to get two of the five dishes I’m making the day before and that should help out quite a bit.

Can’t wait.

* * *

The Menu.

THE PARTY OF ONE THANKFUL MENU

• Peruvian Brick Chicken with a Aji Sauce

• I was debating whether to make a lamb osso bucco (braised lamb shanks), but instead of full shanks, I’d try to find a cross cut or do a brick chicken. Then I remembered about the green aji sauce and then it was decided, a roasted brick chicken. Done and done. This should be one of the easier dishes.
• Now, I just have to decide if I want to cook a full 3-4lb chicken or find something smaller, like a 1-1.5lb game hen and just get two of those. I really think I should get a game hen. It’ll be easier to cook in a sense, even though it’ll be more work. We shall see.

• Spicy roasted street corn with queso casserole or salad

• I haven’t decided on exactly how this is going to get made. I’ve been looking over the recipes and they all make sense and it seems like it’ll be a cold dish, but I was thinking more ooey and gooey and cheesier, like a casserole, but that might change when I actually make it.

• Seafood Paella

• This is the dish that I am most worried about. I don’t have a paella pan or have a wide enough burner for this. Looking at how it is made, it’s basically a risotto. The only thing is that you don’t stir the rice. It’s supposed to sit and absorb the liquid and cook and get crusty. You add the shellfish and shrimp near the end of the cooking process so you don’t overcook it. I have a fair idea of how to make it, but not really. This one is the wild card.

• Russian Potato Salad or Potato Salad with Chimichurri Sauce

• It took me a long time to find another side dish for this menu, but I finally found it and it is pretty easy. So there’s an Argentinian potato salad that originated from Russia, hence it is called Russian Potato salad. It is just potatoes, mayo, seasoning, with carrots and peas. Easy, but I might just change it and adapt it to something else. I saw a recipe for a potato salad with chimichurri sauce. It’s as simple as it sounds, potatoes, mayo, seasoning, and chimichurri sauce. Easy and sounds delicious.

• Marquesa de Chocolate

• Dessert was the one of the tougher ones to come up with also, because I don’t usually order dessert and I usually don’t get dessert whenever I get Mexican or Latin food. I had to ask a few Latino/Hispanic coworkers to ask them about desserts. The answer that I got most was flan and I’m not a fan of flan, but someone came up with this Venezuelan dessert for me. To be hair, the Singer showed me a picture of it, but it looked like a layered cake and that was way too much. It wasn’t until DeLaMadriz told me about this dessert that it totally changed my mind. Basically, in a gist, it is a Venezuelan Tiramisu. Simple. Of course, instead of chocolate I’ll have to substitute something else and my usual go to is cookie butter. I’m not too worried about this one. Might be a little too sweet, but we shall see.

As one can see, the menu is very Latin/Hispanic themed. Originally it wasn’t planned that way, but after I decided on the chicken and the corn dish, I decided to make it a Latin/Hispanic themed. Also, it’ll be a fun challenge. I don’t cook many Latin/Hispanic dishes, so, it’ll put me outside of my comfort zone and it’ll be very different.

When it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas, I’ve never been a traditionalist. Even when I cook at home during the holidays, my menu never leaned towards anything traditional for the most part. Sure, sometimes I’ll do the roast or mashed potatoes, but it had always been a mishmash of style and dishes. Asian, Italian, American.

This will be interesting and fun and different.

That’s the menu and I think it is very ambitious considering these are all recipes that I have never cooked before. Each and every one of them. They will finish up my 30 Recipes of 2015 project.

To be honest, I really thought that I would have finished this project so much faster than Thanksgiving, but I guess not. I’m sure I have cheated somewhat with some of the things that I made, but I’m sticking with it.

Potato salad? Yes. Potato Salad. I never made a potato salad before. Damn right it’s going on this recipe project.

So, the plan is to make the potato salad and the dessert on Wednesday. Marinate the chicken Wednesday and just focus on the paella and the corn on Thursday. The chicken again, is simple. Straight forward. The only thing that I have to worry about is hoping that my current brick is big enough. If not, then shit, I’ll make it work.

Thanksgiving.

Can’t wait.

* * *

Traffic school.

Finally paid off my ticket from the end of July. Now it is time to enroll in online traffic school. I’ll probably get to it today and just try to finish that shit up and just get it done with.

This shit had been hanging around in my head for so long now, I just want to get it done.

Let’s be done with it.

* * *

After all is done, after all my travels are over, my body finally betrays me and crashes.

It knows that I don’t have any more travels planned. No work travels. No personal travels. I’m taking a break. It is now time for my body to tire and get sick.

How in a way, I feel great about it, since I’m not sick on vacation, even though I did get a little sick during my Dallas and Moorestown trip, thankfully I felt good for the most part in my Chicago trip.

Rest. I need rest. That is the plan for the weekend. Rest. Everything can be put aside and be done later. Rest. That is all that is needed at the moment.

Rest.

* * *

For the past couple of weeks, I have been hooked on the music from the Broadway show, Hamilton. It’s fucking awesome. I had been listening to the production nonstop practically for the past two weeks or so. The music, so good.

The premise is about the life and time of Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the United States, told in a musical. The catch, the music is hip-hop, blues, R&B and some old school musical. It’s a fantastic mashup and the music is so powerful and so strong. I can’t get enough of it.

I love musicals.

I think that is something that most people don’t know about me, but I love them. I love them when they work. When the music conveys the message and a great story. I love musicals.

In a way, I wish that in life people will burst out in song about what they are thinking and feeling, monologuing, ballading all the time. But tis is not life.

When it comes to musicals, there are a few types of different musicals. I may have touched upon this in this vast blog of words, but here I go again, if it was never discussed.

I’m new to the whole Broadway Musical thing. But it is something that I have loved from when I first saw Rent (the movie) and fell in love with the music.

Now, to be fair, I had been a lover of movie musicals before. Moulin Rouge, Singin’ in the Rain among others.

To the different type of musicals and which ones I love.

There are the “backstage musicals” and then there are the ones that most people that aren’t a fan of musicals think of, which are the ones where people just burst into song.

Can you guess which ones I love and which ones just don’t work for me?

Yes, I am not a fan of the “backstage musicals”. These are the musicals where the music make sense, because the songs come from a platform already, like they are musicians or they are on a stage singing and that is incorporated into the story. No, generally not a fan of those.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the musicals where people just bursts into song. I love the fantasy of it, the whimsy. It’s refreshing.

People should just burst into song. Period.

But back to Hamilton. Great great great music and I would love to watch it, but unfortunately it’s sold out and only showing in NYC. Maybe I’ll treat myself to a vacation next year and watch it. We shall see.

I just checked. Minimum number of tickets you can buy is 2. Ugh.

Maybe someone will go with me? Ugh.

But, listen to it. Embrace it.

Hamilton.

* * *

Charleston.

The Carters.

Circling back to the vacation and the tiredness that I was talking about earlier in this post.

My last vacation of the year.

Ugh, just a general observation, how much time slows down when you are sick.

They moved away a few years ago, 2012 – 2013 maybe? April? It’s definitely been a few years and Scott and I mainly communicate through email and phone calls. During our writing meetings, we’ll see each other on Skype, but actually hanging out, it’s been a few years.

I saw Rutledge earlier this year at Katy’s wedding, and it was falling back to familiarity, and I thought it was finally time for me to pay them a visit.

I’ll get a free place to stay and get to explore a new city. It was set and that was it.

It was an extended weekend trip.

I took a redeye out on Friday night and got to their house around 11 on Saturday. Man, I really do hate redeyes. I mean, I guess it might be better if I could sleep better on the plane, but it’s always a hit and miss for me.

Overall, it was a great trip. It was just great seeing them all again and actually being able to hangout and chat in person. It was like old times again. Times I missed. It felt so natural and great.

It was good times.

I got to hang out with their son, who I haven’t seen in a long time and he remembers me. He’s a great kid, albeit a little kiddish, but that is most kids. He’s trying to find the best way to work his parents, getting the most out of the littlest.

It was interesting to see the dynamics of how the they parent the kid, the good cop/bad cop angle. The coddled and then the harder, you do everything and try and see what happens. Very interesting and I guess when it comes to parenting, you just have to go with the flow and pick a stance and stick with it.

It makes me wonder what kind of father I would be and how would I raise my kid or what approach I would take, assuming that I have kids.

The first night there, they took me to an Oyster Roast. It was totally not what I was expecting, in terms of how the oysters would be.

I’m use to the individual oysters, but I would describe these as oyster clumps. Each clump would be about 3-4 oysters, or you may find a stray individual oyster. It was good. Fresh. Smokey. It was a different way to eat these oysters. It was very rustic, simple, humble food for humble people. I loved the party vibe, the atmosphere.

It was different.

Sunday, Scott and I managed to do something that we usually always do, and that is watch a movie. He was my movie buddy. We’d go watch most movies together and it was great to do this again. It was simple and nothing special, but just two movie lovers go and watch a movie together. We watched Spectre, the latest Bond movie. It was all right. Not horrible. Not good. Just Bond.

Monday was an uneven and interesting day. I didn’t really have much planned and was just going to go with the flow as Rutledge was going to Gabe’s school to volunteer. The day started with heavy rain and it didn’t seem like it’ll let up. We were watching Jinx when Scott got a call. There was an accident and Rutledge took Gabe to the emergency room.

The poor kid got his thumb smashed by a door. That was their day.

I was left alone, at home, to my own device. I surfed the net, kept myself entertained, grabbed lunch and dinner by myself. I do I usually do, just go with the flow. In the afternoon, the rain finally let up and I went to explore Mount Pleasant.

I went to the Shem Creek area and then drove around to Sullivan’s Island and then to Isle of Palms. I saw the Atlantic and just explored and saw more of the area in the car. There was light rain, but nothing as bad as how it was in the morning. It was a simple day.

They finally got back home late that night, past 9.

Tuesday was my last full day in Charleston. Scott took me to downtown Charleston and we just walked and explored. She showed me around famous King St. with all the shops and the Battery and College of Charleston. We just walked and talked and then got some lunch and that was it. It was a simple afternoon.

The next day, I went home.

Simple. It was a simple trip.

It isn’t a trip like the ones I normally take, where I just go and explore. I didn’t have anything planned as spending time with the Carters was more the priority than me seeing the city. They were very southern and very hospitable. Great people.

I miss them, but hopefully it won’t take me another 3 years before we all get to hang out again.

Let’s hope not.

* * *

So tired. So sick.

Sleep. Nap. Rest.

That’s what I need. That’s what I’m ordering for myself.

Starting to eat clean again. It’s definitely hard to maintain some kind of diet while traveling, especially coming back late from the airport. You got for what’s open and convenient. Fast food.

Starting to get back to the low carb/no carb diet again. Clean eating. Cooking.

No processed food. Just simple food.

Back into the habit.

Rest.

Sleep.

Nap.