Dreamer's World July 16 2015 - A Beautiful Day And A Fresh Start

Today is one of those days that is stunning and perfect for July. The temperature is comfortable and there is not a cloud in the sky. The forecast promises nearly perfect weather for today with the high only reaching 80. It seems like a perfect day and I hope that Hal and I can get out and enjoy it after work.
Today also makes my re-committment to this blog. I want to maintain, and increase my writing each day. Whether this takes place during a break at work, or at lunch, or after work altogether, I am going to make the effort to write even more.
I have managed to get ahead of things here as I work from home. I have my weekly meeting to conduct in about an hour, then time for lunch. Sadly, the rest of the afternoon will be filled with conference calls, although I will be working on other tasks as I listen in. I think that we have far too many meetings. It is a wonder that anything ever gets done at times!
We should always take time to laugh at something.

I remember the original Bloom County comic strip from years ago. I am glad that Berkeley Breathed has decided to update thisThe world needs things to make us laugh, now more than ever.I am looking forward to the new adventures of Opus, Milo, Oliver Wendell Jones, Binkley, Steve Dallas, and of course, Bill The Cat! Seeing these characters again brings back so many great memories, I want to thank Mr. Breathed for doing this.
We also need things to make us reflective and appreciative as well as happy

Maxwell and Stevie Nicks clearly demonstrate the value of doing absolutely nothing at times! I find myself marveling at how cats cope with the world. They have a great sense of knowing that not everything is under their direct influence, and they know when to take time out and let things go. I envy them this. I have to realize that there are things that I cannot control. These are things that I just do my best to shut out completely and move on. The best example is daytime TV. Since I began working from home, I have found out that Hal really watches the crap that is on TV during the daytime, such as the horrible, awful Today show. Rather than get annoyed, and that show annoys me very easily, I just shut the door to the room where I am working and that stops the inane yammering. When I have to venture out into the kitchen, I usually wear headphones to avoid contaminating my brain with that shit!
Now that I have completed my morning meeting, I can take a few minutes for lunch. I just returned from my trip to the kitchen, with my headphones on, in order to put a frozen entree into the microwave and then I quickly retreated to the sanctuary of the office. I am preparing for an endless round of conference calls that will take most of the afternoon. I am sure that in addition to working on other projects, that I will find some time to write here.
And now, the afternoon cycle of conference calls begins. This means a few hours of time taken up that I will use to multitask with other things. I will talk to Hal later about what he wants to do after I finish with work for the day. It would be nice to get out and enjoy this beautiful day, but I will leave the decision up to him. As the meeting goes on, I am reminded that developers do not like to deal with how the data is supposed to act within a user perspective, I have found that any inputs I attempt to provide are often ignored and overlooked. I have decided that I will just let them carry on amongst themselves and let the chips fall where they may. Everything is 1’s and 0’s to them, and any human interpretation is always unwelcome.
I have finished with meetings for today. I finally had a chance to talk with Hal and we will get out to run a few errands after I am finished at work. We are also dealing with a rather bothersome person/friend who is trying to manipulate us into doing something. Needless to say, the fact that we recognize this makes it certain that this will NOT happen. The repercussions of this are yet to be determined, Hal is much more diplomatic and smooth about these things than I am. I have decided that Hal will be the one to speak for both of us about this annoying problem.

Sad to say, but if this costs us a friendship, so be it. We both hate manipulators. This is bad because it also involves someone else, and they are caught in the middle of things without any way out. I think that this will come to a head sooner rather than later. It is sad sometimes to realize that friends are not always the permanent parts of our lives that we hope they will be. People change with time, others reveal an inner nature after time has passed, and others will show a side that is ugly towards others before finally turning it on us. The main point is that we always have to be willing to move on, to drop the baggage and just keep going. Hanging around people who will bring you down will accomplish just that every time.
Now it is the time in the afternoon where things wind down. I can take stock of what I have accomplished today, and begin to plan tomorrow’s agenda. If things go well, tomorrow should be a relatively quiet day, and I will be very glad of that. The workday is basically over. It is time to plan out what Hal and I are doing after work.
The agenda is not that bad, grocery shopping and a trip to the Post Office. We might stop somewhere for dinner, but will more probably just bring something home with us. I am looking forward to whatever the evening has in store for us.

The early event consisted of a trip to get some potting soils and planters so Hal can transplant a few items around the apartment. After that, we made a quick stop at the grocery store before heading home. I am deliberately avoiding TV this evening because the stupidity level just makes me sick to my stomach.
Hal and I discussed the situation I mentioned earlier regarding someone trying to manipulate us. We agree that the best course of action is to distance ourselves from that person. I don't believe any explanation is necessary, since Hal told me he already called them out on what they were trying to do. Life is too short and too precious to waste on stupid shit like that. We have cut other people out of our lives when they have acted up, so this isn't anything traumatic for us.
I'm glad that Hal and I talk about things like this when they happen. Keeping secrets, or keeping our feelings bottled up doesn't do anymore any good. We have survived much worse than this together, and we'll be just fine.