25/May/2017 - THEY'RE HOME!!

They're finally home! Yippee!! And not a moment too soon, as just the next day after they left, martial law was declared in Mindanao!

To give you an idea of what Grump was reduced to eating whilst his family was away, here is a pic of his breakfast: tofu, (straight from the container!), with blueberries.

Lola, Sweetie, Kuya, and Dodong weren't due to arrive until late at night, so Grump waited until the evening, then drove off to the Atlanta airport.

Somewhere around McDonough he got stuck in an absolutely horrible traffic jam.  At 10:00 pm!!  There was construction on I-75, and all the northbound lanes into Atlanta got smooshed into one lane.  Ugh!!  With all the trucks out driving at this time of night, traffic was an absolute nightmare!

It took an extra hour to get through that mess.  Grump was worried he was going to be late to pickup Sweetie, Lola, and the kids, so he hurried as best he could to the baggage claim area where they were to meet.  Fortunately for everyone, Sweetie's flight was late.

Grump was mostly alone, again:

An Empty Baggage Claim Area

But soon, (no more than 10 minutes at the most!), the family arrived!  We were together again!!

Kuya, Grump, and Dodong reunited at the airport

It was after midnight now, but the kids were VERY HUNGRY, so on the way home we stopped at an IHOP, and ate what could be a very late dinner, or a very early breakfast.

Finally, around 4:00 am, we rolled into our driveway.

Home at last!


Peace!

24/May/2017 - Stuck in Columbus

Whilst his family continued their trip to Mindanao, and Grump, marooned in Columbus, GA,  continued to fester with worry over their safety, he tried to distract his bad thoughts by walking around during his lunch break taking pics.

He did manage to come across the world's greatest bumper sticker, (including the Old Grump's reflection!):

Over than that, his pics tended to match his mood: gloomy.  Here are a few from a slave "cemetery".  When they died, the slaves were basically buried in an unmarked pit.  This little memorial to folks who had brutal lives is perhaps the beginning of a better existence for them?

All things must pass, (it's a great album too!):

Peace!

23/May/2017 - Run Away and Join the Circus?

Whilst his family treks through the unstable jungles of Mindanao, Grump stays stuck at home, wracked with worry.

Unable to reach them now for several days, he at times wonders if his choice to be a "family man" was a wise one?  Would he be happier running around the globe pursuing a self-centered life of hedonistic indulgences?

I would think not, but sometimes it does the soul good to read the exploits of those did.  For example, Charles Bukowski, ("Run with the Hunted", "Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions, and General Tales of Ordinary Madness", "Notes of a Dirty Old Man"), or Hunter S. Thompson, ("Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", "The Great Shark Hunt").  Oh heck, in a pinch even a healthy dose of Keith Richards, ("What Would Keith Richards Do?"), may be enough to pull us out of our funk, and get back to the business of getting to work on time, and paying the bills.

Or maybe not?

At any rate, I guess I should warn you that this post does not have any pictures, only words.  But I guess you've figured that out by now.


Peace!

22/May/2017 - Back to Work

It's Monday ........ ugh!  Old Grump was back at work.  However, since his boss was OOO, (out-of-office, for those of you unfamiliar with workplace lingo), it almost felt like he had a holiday.  Well .... not quite, but it was better than a normal work day, when she reprimands and belittles him for failing to completely adhere to some useless, goofy bureaucratic procedure or another.

In the meantime, Grump is reading this book .....

...... in the hope that someday he too will be "rich", and not have to put up with the idiotic crap he gets at work just so he can pay the bills.  It's a great book; I think you should read it too!


Peace!

21/May/2017 - Haircut!

Today Old Grump got a haircut!

Shorn!

Aaahh ....... ain't he just the cutest thing?

To add to that trauma, the old guy had to drive back to Columbus, GA, so he can go to his stinkin' job tomorrow to help pay off some of the debt being incurred by Sweetie's trip to the Philippines.  We are absolutely BLEEDING money while she and the kids are over there!

But at least he did manage to have a nice dinner once he got to Columbus.  He heated up one of the frozen dinners Sweetie had made for him before she left on her trip.

Grump's Dinner

Peace!

20/May/2017 - Alone

So Grump was back home again, in the empty house.  Just like last week, Mama Sue brought him something to eat, kare kare of all things!  Grump isn't a huge oxtail fan, (in fact he kinda hates it), but this kare kare didn't seem to have too much, if any, fatty meat in it.  The veggies and the sauce were good enough for a very nice linner/dunch (lunch and dinner).

Mama Sue's Kare Kare

I have one good thing to report: now that the wife and kids aren't around to pester him, Grump has been going to the gym more often.  He went three days last week, and went again yesterday and today.  Hooray for the Old Grump!  Maybe he'll lose some of his belly fat?


Peace!

19/May/2017 - Back to Macon

It was Friday, (hooray!), which means Old Grump got to drive back home to an empty house in Macon.

But before work was over, and he got to haul ass outta Columbus, GA, he, (and Venerable Watson!), finished off the remnants of his muffuletta sandwich from Wednesday.

Half of the Enormous Muffuletta Sandwich

Grump ate one piece, (actually a quarter of the original sandwich), and Venerable Watson ate the other.  They were both full afterwards!


Peace!

18/May/2017 - Super Tired!!

After the pigging out yesterday, Old Grump didn't sleep too well.  So his butt was dragging today.

He did manage to go to dinner after work with Tom.  They went here:

While the food was fine, Tom was upset: they didn't have their liquor license yet, so he couldn't get a beer!

Oh well, things could be worse.  He could be stuck in the Philippines with Lola, Sweetie, and the kids, (who are hopefully coming home early!).


Peace!

17/May/2017 - Grump is a Glutton!

At the place where Grump works, we had clients visiting today from Canada.  Because of this, Grump and his co-workers got a free lunch, and a free dinner.  Woo hoo!

For lunch, Grump proved he is an imbecile and order a muffuletta.  A WHOLE muffuletta!  Needless to say, he couldn't eat the whole thing, (a quarter of it is considered a normal serving size), but he did manage to gulp down half of it.  Stuffing himself with meat and olives like that gave he horrid indigestion, which lasted all day, (and night!).  But, since dinner was free, he still managed to eat a wonderful meal of crabmeat-stuffed tilapia at The Loft in downtown Columbus, GA.

Whilst waiting for dinner time to roll around, Grump sauntered to the riverwalk along the Chattahoochee, where he took the following pics:

Now he has to go to bed with extreme indigestion.  Poor Grump!


Peace!

16/May/2017 - Flat Rock Park Revisited

After another blah day at work, Old Grump drove to Flat Rock park.  He walked around and took a few pics, just like he did around this time last year.

It may interesting to compare the pics, to see what, (if anything!), has changed in a year?

Looks pretty much the same, huh?

Too bad we don't look pretty much the same, year after year!  But living inexorably takes its toll on our bodies, and one day we find ourselves hunched over, wrinkled, and shaking, if we live that long.


Peace!

15/May/2017 - Monday Again

Monday, Monday ......

So it's back to work, again.  Ugh!

Working up the enthusiasm to go to Work

I guess the most exciting part of the day was when the old guy got home, and added photos to some of his old articles, like this one:

It was added to a rant about the stupid Caps Lock key.  (I know .... bitch, bitch, bitch.)



Peace!

14/May/2017 - Back to Columbus

Today Grump was busy.  He had yard work to do, and he had to pack his clothes are frozen lunches for his upcoming week working in Columbus, Georgia.  And he also had to finally read some of the book he's been trying to finish, "Think and Grow Rich."  (This is a FANTASTIC book, by the way!)

So he didn't have time, (or didn't remember, more likely), to take any pics today.

But since just reading words is boring, here are some pics Grandpa sent us last year, of a baby lizard he found near the condo he and Grandma live in.

Peace!

13/May/2017 - Rescued by Mama Sue

All alone in an empty house, Grump faced a dilemma: what, exactly, was he going to eat?

Fortunately Mama Sue came to the rescue!

She brought over this delicious mungo bean and rice dish, in addition to a some apples, oranges, and two super-duper yummy mangoes.

Mama Sue's Mungo Bean Dish, (after Grump had stirred and eaten some, including all the shrimp!)

Hooray for Mama Sue!

The other wonderful news is that Pastor Jude has been watering the plants whilst Sweetie and Lola are gone.  Isn't that wonderful!  Now Sweetie and Lola won't return to a yard full of dead plants.


Peace!

12/May/2017 - Back Home to an Empty House

So Grump came home from work today to an empty house.  Whilst Sweetie, Lola, and the boys are enjoying the heat and bugs in the Philippines, Grump was left behind, all alone, to sleep on the soft bed in the air-conditioned house all by himself.  Poor Grump!

He did have an interesting dinner:

Grump's Dinner

What you see here is half of a Publix Italian sub, with a side of Publix sushi.  The drink is a mixture of Sambazon Acai Juice and Greek Gods Honey Vanilla Yogurt.

The sub and the drink were super yummy.  I wish I could say the say about the sushi, but it was definitely of inferior grade.  Better than the swill we got at Mikata, (which was barely edible), but I'll never get Publix sushi again.


Peace!

11/May/2017 - Surviving Thursday

Grump's grumpy boss was out of the office today, (she'll be gone tomorrow too - woo hoo!), so he had a pretty mellow day at work.

This made the old guy about as happy as he gets:

Hooray!

Walking around the apartment complex, he came upon this gardenia bush in full bloom, aka "gardenia scent blast".  Gardenias are interesting bushes.  Sometimes they smell really good, but other times they are so strong they are overpowering.  Many years ago Grump once made the mistake of cutting some gardenia blossoms in full stench and bringing them into the house.  Headaches ensued for all of us.

A pretty gardenia bush

But if you leave gardenia blossoms outside, where they belong, they smell quite nice.  If the odor is too strong, just back up a bit!

What I will never understand, as long as I live, is why folks plants those downright foul smelling Bradford Pear trees.  Ugh!!




Peace!

10/May/2017 - Another Harumph Day

What is a "Harumph Day", you may ask.

The answer is simply this: a hump day, (Wednesday, if you didn't know), which is also a work day.  (Work adds the disdain to the hump!)

Old Sweaty Grump hasn't taken a pic out the window of the office building he works in for a long time, so here is one he just took to correct that deficiency:

Looking out the window where Grump works

Venerable Watson works in the same building, (on the same floor even!), as the Old Grump.  Despite this, Venerable Watson tends to maintain a pleasant disposition.

The One and Only Venerable Watson

That's all for today, folks.  Peace!

09/May/2017 - A Rough Day At Work

Grump works for a grumpy boss.  Now before you say something like, "How appropriate!", consider that this woman has already driven off two of his coworkers in less than a year.  She seems to have a need to use her employees as a verbal punching bag!

So today it was Grump's turn to get fussed at by his boss at work.  I don't suppose I need to tell you that the cause of all this abuse was some bureaucratic paperwork that he didn't fill out to her satisfaction.  (Bureaucrats and fussy bosses LOVE their paperwork!)

This did not make Grump very happy.

An Unhappy Grump at Venerable Watson's Apartment

Oh well ..... life goes on.  Maybe someday we'll stop spending so much money, (ha!), and Grump can retire so he won't have to put up with this abuse anymore!


Peace!

08/May/2017 - In The Philippines!

After a long, long flight, everyone, (except Grump, of course!), finally made it to the Philippines!

Kuya and Dodong at the airport in Cebu City

Sweetie wants to buy Grump one of these special Filipino shirts, which are made out of coconut fronds or something like that, and are unbelievably light and cool to wear in the oppressive heat.  (Philippines has plenty of oppressive heat!)

Grump dragged his old body into work for another fun-filled day at the office.

Grump at the Office

When nighttime rolled around, the kids were still on American time, and not at all sleepy.

The boys wide awake in a hotel in Cebu

Peace!

07/May/2017 - Grump Gets Busy

Since Sweetie, Lola, and the boys are in the Philippines now, Grump is left all by himself.  So what did he do?  He got busy working in the yard.

First he went to Lowe's, where he purchased $50.00 worth of rocks and dirt!  (Yes, we actually BUY dirt!)

Grump's Car with his newly purchased Rocks and Dirt

Then he went into the backyard and filled a hole with some of the rocks.

After a brief interlude visiting Verizon to get his stupid iPhone fixed, (actually, the problem was a stupid Grump didn't know how to reset a button on it!) ........

Verizon Employee patiently working a clueless Old Grump

...... he then built a new garden bed where the filled hole used to be, using, of course, the dirt he had just bought.

A new garden bed

But eventually it was time, once again, for him to drive to Columbus Georgia, so he could get up and go to work tomorrow with a much less stressful drive.

Whilst stopping in Geneva to mail some letters, he noticed a full moon hanging in the not-quite-evening-yet sky.

A full moon seen from the parking lot of the Geneva, GA Post Office

Peace!