Sunday, Boring Sunday

 I am going to dinner with Ava this evening. We haven't picked a time or place. We are doing something casual. Tink finds it strange that Ava will go out with me between our scheduled visits, but I don't think it odd. I think it is better for her. she gets a free meal, and it doesn't give me time to lose interest.

Firefly is in jail for the weekend. Not for anything new, but she is still dealing with her past indiscretions. The doctor told her she was eight weeks pregnant. Firefly goes to the doctor for an ultrasound in February. 

Firefly and her boyfriend will struggle, but this baby might keep her alive. Lord knows nothing else has done that. I know I am being optimistic, but I like to hope for the best for people.

The ruins behind the castle wall are coming along nicely. I will post more pictures this week. I still do not have enough room to place a dragon in the ruins, but I have just decided to extend the model to the right and hide the dragon under a mountain instead. This will be a challenge; the mountain will need to be very tall. I am not sure I will have enough dark grey to accomplish it, but I don't want the model to get too wide, or people will not get close enough to enjoy all the details. I have always wanted to create a dragon sleeping on a pile of treasure. I have a load of gems and gold pieces for just such a scene.

No News

 I will be working from home Monday, Tuesday, and every other Wednesday through February 2nd. It seems like last year all over again. I am feeling back to normal and worked out yesterday. The only good thing about going to the office is the access to the gym. Without, I use my bike downstairs and the free weights around the house.

I am listening to The 48 Laws of Power, watching The Vampire Diaries, listening to Ian Hunters's Welcome to the Club, and lying low. I don't have plans to get together with Ava until next Tuesday. I was going to recap our escapades from last week. Suffice it to say, they were not benign. 

Firefly had Covid over the holiday. Tinkerbell was sick the first week of the month. T-Rex and I have covid now. It seems no one is safe from this new variant. None except Tink and T-Rex had contact with each other. Last year I knew few people with the virus. Today I know few people who haven't had the virus. Luckily, no one has been seriously ill.

Monday Morning

Ava: If you are not better by early next week, I'll bring you a wellness basket.

Bathwater: Something tells me cupcakes and ice cream would not be a part of that basket.

Ava: Lol, you would be correct.

I won't be needing green juice smoothies. I stayed inside and watched Vampire Diaries this weekend. The worst of my cold or virus occurred Saturday. I felt a bit feverish and lost some sense of taste and smell. This morning, I am well on my way to recovery with just a bit of itching in my nose.

My work has initiated a work from home policy for January. I will be working from home Monday, Tuesday, and every other Wednesday until February 2nd. They were a week too late in starting this, but better late than never. I do not care for the drive.

Weather wise, we received some of that freezing rain... I think, and it will be in the single digits today. I have no plans on going outside as long as my supply of muffins and ice cream last. I am back to exercising this afternoon at home. I will have to figure out our policy for coming back to the office. I might have to get tested just to come back.

Omicrom

 Thursday after work, Ava and I went to the Detroit Zoo. It was cold out, but we dressed well, and it was bearable. The animals were all inside; it was only about the lights. The exhibit was empty. Which is the way I prefer things. There were no crowds to push through.

I started to develop a sore throat Thursday. At first, I thought it was because some hot tea went down the wrong pipe, but I could not deny that I got sicker as the day progressed. I have had three shots. The symptoms are not bad, other than a hoarse voice. I don't have a fever, runny nose, or cough. I would probably be at work today any different cold season, but I stayed home because this is most likely the virus.

I am not going to get tested. I do not want to waste the day standing in line for them to tell me what I already know. It won't change anything. I think everyone will get this version of the virus eventually. Perhaps that will give us some herd immunity.

Wolfpack Tower 2022

The original Wolfpack Tower was released by Lego in 1992, and it looked like this. It was a fantastic model for its day and part of the iconic Wolfpack series. It sold for $30 new. An original sealed set is worth over $500 (probably closer to $1000). Used sets go for $130. I have enough original pieces to build two used sets. The black printed corner pieces, figures, and flags are the key components that are hard to find.

Thirty years later, my reinvention looks like this.

I never get tired of just looking at this.

 

New Year, New Updates

 Last night after work,  I went to dinner with Sam. We commiserated or dating and kids. Her son did not do well in his first semester in college. Max is still more interested in escaping the area than securing a future. The guy Sam is dating ghosted her on New Year. She initially declined an invitation to a party he was having, when she later tried to accept, he did not get back to her, and well, Ava is Ava.

On my first day back to work, I was only fifty emails behind. That is not bad. I like getting back to my routine. I am sure I will be sick of it by February. I've decided I need to start making some renovations to the condo while I can still do them on my own. Nothing major. I need to repaint a few areas. I will make a list and start tacking them during these cold months.

I exchanged a few texts with Firefly last night. She gets out of rehab today. That is good. The bad news is she is pregnant. That explains some of the weight she has been gaining. I'd guess she is around two months along. Just another wrong choice. She not taking it seriously yet, but I think she might be in shock. I am going to encourage her not to have the baby. It would not be a good decision for her or the baby.

Tinkerbell started her new job yesterday and wound up coming home with a 102-degree fever. She got the buster a few days before New Year but spent New Year's Eve in the same bar where Tech got covid last September.

As for me, all is quiet and coldly comfortable. Being well adjusted can be uninterestingly boring. Last night, Sam mentioned that she thought my life with Billie and became uninterestingly boring. Perhaps, but there was comfort in that too. For now, I don't have any plans to shake things up. Yes, I miss the excitement that comes with the added drama, but it is never good. So, for now, you only get to hear about the drama of those I know.

New Year

 I haven't ventured outside the house in days. New Year rolled in uneventfully, except for a drunken Tinkerbell call at midnight. We have gotten a dusting of snow the past two days, but nothing covered the roads.

I am looking forward to getting back to my routine. I only worked out a few times in the past two weeks. Though my weight has not changed much, I am sure my muscles are wasting away. Without my routine, there is no anticipating the time off. 

I continued working on my project. It is coming along nicely. I have just started the ruined keep and some other buildings behind the wall. It takes a lot of mental planning, so it might not look like much has happened since the last pictures.

Ava and I plan to go to the Detroit Zoo to see the winter lights Thursday after work. It is supposed to be cold. The predicted high is only 27 degrees that day. I hope that keeps the crowd down. I am thinking about borrowing Alexis' electric vest for the day.

Happy New Year everyone. May this year bring a sense of normalcy!