DEC 19

2024

Thursday: another short-notice day off thanks to my accrual of PTO, but today was taken off with intent: Julie's company had their holiday party at the Wells Fargo Center for a night of hockey between the Flyers and the Kings.

First, though, I had to get up. Julie woke me before 9 to see a big opossum in the back yard. I started some laundry, had a salad for lunch, and cleaned up the office in preparation for Emily's arrival in the evening. I used what little extra time I had to play a couple of rounds of Vampire Survivors.

When Emily arrived, we showed her the couple of cats who who weren't as quick to flee as the rest, and then she drove us to the arena. We got a little turned around and ended up on Hog Island, but Julie and Emily eventually navigated us back to the right parking lot for her pass. Since the company paid for a box, we entered through the premium entrance on the opposite side of the building from our seats (and from the lot we parked in). We met up with various coworkers, Julie got a company shirt, and I ate a chicken cheesesteak from the catering table. The game proceeded with a lot more physicality than we saw last week: lots more aggression, multiple fights, and close scores through the first two periods, but things went out of control for the Flyers during the third. They fell behind, (predictably) pulled their goalie, and immediately lost another point to the Kings; the rest of the game proceeded in similar fashion.

Back home, I wrote this update, and I will now go back through the past week to ensure everything is up-to-date.

2023

Tuesday: after posting last night's update, I tried to fall asleep, but not having a functional CPAP machine combined with my jetlag to make for a miserable night. I spent several hours lying on a sofa before returning to bed. I didn't get much sleep.

In the morning, we continued working on the puzzle while the parents made breakfast arrangements. I had some eggs and bacon while we investigated the possibility of picking up a CPAP power supply. (None of the local medical suppliers had one, and Apria would only arrange to ship one. Every shipping option including Amazon and Walmart suggested delivery wouldn't occur until long after we've left Colorado.) Since Kelly and Joe do some CPAP business out of their dental practice, Mom called them to check on the possibility of bringing something along, and Kelly confirmed they could have one with them when they showed up on Wednesday. We eventually solved the puzzle, and our lunch consisted of ham and turkey sandwiches.

Once everybody had eaten, we decided to split the group up: half of us would go to a local warehouse where we could play pickleball, and the other half would drive out to Garden of the Gods to see the scenery. Racquet habits built playing racquetball seem to be a liability when playing pickleball: the paddles are smaller, the ball needs a lighter touch, and the tennis-like court penalizes my preference to return balls off the walls and ceiling. I lost every game I played in. After an hour, we swapped parties, and Jim drove Julie, Steve, and myself out to Garden of the Gods again.

Once our two hours of pickleball time had elapsed, we reconvened, and after a short stop at Walgreens, we went to the German restaurant Edelweiss for dinner. I had a "Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel" before we were seated, and maybe because I'd had so little to eat, I was feeling it by the time I'd finished. I ordered a pretzel appetizer to have with my salad, and my schnitzel came with a sauce of tomatoes, onions, peppers, and garlic; I especially enjoyed the potatoes. It was a great meal, but I ate too much and couldn't manage dessert.

Once we'd finished eating, we reconvened at home, where I crashed on the sofa for a while. (Julie reports that they played a brief yet rousing game of Catchphrase.) Now I'm in bed again on my laptop, while Julie has been disdainful of my use of a guide to progress in Fallen London. Just gonna post this update and play a few games of Hearthstone to see how today's balance changes are affecting the meta before I struggle through another night of poor sleep.