First thing in the morning me and my son went for a bike ride around the park. We spent 2 hours in the morning and a few more after dinner. Thanksgiving dinner was delicious. The turkey in the Dutch oven came out moist and scrumptious. I went for a solo bike ride to the beach. It was far and my ebike can go up very steep hills without issue. At around 6 pm there was police activity around the park. My wife and daughter didn’t feel safe. I understood there concern and opted to go home tonight so they could get some well-deserved rest. So we backed everything up in 30 minutes and headed home. Once home we unpacked everything so I can start cleaning the gear in the morning why my wife went to work.
Packed the car and drove to Dash Point for Thanksgiving. I rented a cabin there for two nights. We had issues accessing the cabin and had to go to the Camp Volunteer to get the cabin code. Once we unpacked, we were tired and went to bed. Tomorrow should be a beautiful day for a hike or bike ride.
The drive to work is typically uneventful. The day before Halloween I noticed a person walking a large dog in a costume. They had a large jack-o-lantern head on with a black tattered hooded robe on. I thought it was pretty cool. This morning I saw the same dog and a lady wearing a white Victorian gown with a long black hooded coat on. I see them around 5:20 am next to the mall. I hope they do it more frequently. It makes my morning.
Work was slow. I should have done more but felt lazy. I did my work but could have completed some tasks that needed to be done.
Once home we played Agent A together. We finished it before bedtime. It was a fun game that the whole family contributed to solve. I wish there were a sequel.
Feel well rested thanks to daylight savings time shift. We headed to the mall to check out any place for my son’s birthday party. It looks like we will just have it at the arcade. For lunch we will go to the food court, and I will buy food for everyone. Every kid will have a card with credit on it. This will allow the kids to have more credit to spend on games and not spend money for a room no one will use. In the evening we played Agent A more. Everyone is contributing to solving the problems. If we are stuck some will come up with an idea, they will solve the problem. It’s great.
I dressed up as Stan Pines for Halloween. No one at work dressed up, so they thought it was my good look. When sitting in the office without a hat and glasses, most people thought it was my new look. Today I had to conduct an interview, so when people walked by and they asked me what I am going to do today, I said I had an interview to do later. They thought I was leaving the company. The director passed by asking if I was happy working at the company and if there was anything he could do. So, I asked him how the “Giving the agents an extra work from home day for agents that meet or exceeds expectation” going. He granted it immediately. It didn’t click in for me until we had our 1 on 1 meeting that everyone thought I was leaving the company because I was in a suite and said I was going to an interview.
I learned a few things from this experience. First, the company and agents in the team I run value me. Nothing pushes changes until they feel that they will lose something that is worth value to them. And wearing a suit to work is powerful.
The interview went poorly. The interviewee didn’t know anything about our company or the products we sell. Not even the basic question could be answered. The person had a great personality and would be an amazing person to be friends with. But they would do poorly at the job.
After work me and the kids went trick or treating, got some candy, but there were not a lot of lights on. Back at home I set up nine tiki torches in the front yard and a fire pit to keep warm waiting for the kids to arrive. The house was lit up. you could guide ships into safe harbour in a storm with this much light. We only had a few kids come over, most likely because it was a Tuesday.
We went on a trip to see the rest of the Trolls around the Puget Sound area. It was a fun little road trip taking 3 ferry rides and a few side geocaching hunts to complete. It was fun. The kids were tired at the end of the trip. Me and my son woke up at our usual time and bought way too many snacks for the trip. The day held up with no rain, just overcast. The minivan was stocked with games and two bean bags to relax while we waited for the ferries at the docks.
I took a walk after work in Issaquah to check out a Troll. These are made by an artist named Thomas Dambo. So far there are five (West Seattle, Issaquah, Ballard, Bainbridge Island and Vashon Island) scattered around Puget Sound area. The material is made from recycled material. This is the first one I went to, and it looks amazing. I didn’t stay exceptionally long since it was getting late, and the rain was heavy. I should go and check out the rest of them this weekend before they are gone. I’m not sure how long they will be in place for.
Started the day at 5:30 am to get ready for the busy day. The sky was full of dark clouds and rain. I woke the kids up at 6:30 am to go grocery shopping and head home before the solar eclipse starts. Shopping went uneventful, got this week’s shopping done quickly with no lines to deal with.
Once home, the skies cleared, and I was able to see the sun. We grabbed the chairs and went to the front yard to watch the eclipse. The weather held up until just after the peak of the eclipse. I got some good pictures of it. The clouds started coming in at the end, but I was grateful to be able to see it.
Afterwards we went to drop off the bikes and unwanted items at Goodwill. Once we dropped the items off, we headed to a phone repair shop to see if they could fix my phone. They said it wasn’t possible (due to the part not being available) but gave me some ideas to repair the phone. I am going to fill the cracks up with resin and allow it to harden. Once done to put a skin on top of it and call it good. Tomorrow I will start the process.
In the afternoon, my daughter and I made Halloween cupcakes. They came out perfect. We used to do it when I was working full time at home and was with the kids 24/7. I’m not sure why we stopped doing it but will continue to bake with the kids. It’s fun and a fantastic way to learn about cooking.
I watched TV and played Uno with the kids before bed. Tomorrow I will start work on the phone and the staging area in the garage. I’m going to help my daughter clear out her room. She has too many things in her room. I can’t even walk in there because the floor is littered with stuff.
Spent the entire day clearing out the garage of unwanted stuff. Filled up the car and the garbage can. I must go through all the camping gear still. The pool is ready to disassemble for the winner. Tomorrow I will need to finish up. I’m just too tired right now.
Life in the Pacific NW 