Wed. October 10, 2018 

It’s going to be great! 

These are the days I wish for. The days that are short and sweet. The days where I go into work and a few hours I am home. These are the days that keep me going.  

I woke up at 8:30am happy to know I will be going to work and back home early. I even had a bowl cereal to start off my day before leaving the house to take a short 20 minute drive. The lady I work with and I were going to be at a new location upon request. It is always nice to be somewhere that people actually look forward to seeing us. It adds a little more passion to the job.   

One job and done. 

Driving onto the property I was amazed. It was well taken care of and at first I thought I was at a park. From the entrance no buildings are visible except for the security booth at the gate. Almost national park like. If it were not for the business logos stationed on a mason wall, I might have missed it entirely. 

We set up within an hour and got started right after. For 2 hours it very consistent business. First it was one, then 3, then a crowd. We moved the orders out of the window as fast as possible trying to please the people waiting patiently. By 2pm not a single soul was around. Once the crowd died down, we were finished.  

While walking around her trailer I stumbled upon good fortune. I found a $5 bill tucked away at the bottom of a thorn bush. Reaching in for it felt like that scene on “Lion King” when Simba was trying to escape his homeland. Just like he I came out victorious. Then she found $10 bill by the rear of her truck in a different part of the bush. We called it The Magic Money Bush. 

Sweet home. 

Before heading home, I stopped at the bank to make a deposit. My account was getting low and I have a few bills that I need to pay. One is a ticket I got on Sunday and the other is my credit card. 

Finally home I showered while a load of laundry washed up in the machine. Waiting for the machine to stop I ended up taking a 2 hour nap. During my drive home I could barely focus. Even with my glasses on my eyesight was blurred.  

I think I might be pushing too hard. But I only need to last till the end of the season. After October things will die down and I might be able to rest. Today I took advantage of the time I had. IT FELT GREAT! 

Once up I played with my nephew, had myself some dinner, and around 9:45pm started to write.

At this point I realized that I need to slow down. At least temporary. My days are usually non-stop and my stamina is wearing down. I love writing these to release stress and hopefully entertain someone but I need to focus on resting as well as my new business. I do not plan on stopping completely but making it less consistent. Instead of every day, maybe I will sleep when I should and write when it does not feel like a burden. The articles will continue, for sure, but the journals will become sporadic, for now.  

So, 

Mon. October 8, 2018 

Another achy day.  

I missed my first 2 alarms this morning. Good thing I had a third one set for that ‘in case’ moment. If not, I would have never made it into work. Luckily, I hear it because I needed to be at the café today and with an hour drive ahead of me the more time I had the better. But if I did over sleep the lady I work with was going to be there with me so she could have handled it for a few. 

Before getting to the café I stopped at Dunkin’ Donuts. Being tired still I started to fall asleep on the road and ever since the last time I actually experience that scare, I have become paranoid and afraid to do it again. I got lucky by running over a bottle that woke me before hitting a highway divider but I am not confident it will happen again. 

At the café I set up everything while I waited for the lady I work with to arrive. She had the meat I needed to cook with so I was not completely ready. When she showed up, we unloaded her truck and finished getting everything ready for the day. While I washed her dishes from last night she cooked. 

Decisions to be made. 

A little after noon we met with a lovely couple. Parents of a friend she has. We hoped the retired father would be willing to help us run the café with any spare time he had. It would be even better if his wife could aid as well. We could really use the help and it is either that or we take the next two weeks off to focus on the jobs the other business has lined up. 

After they left we talked about how to make it work. The retired man seems interested but not fully. While talking it over I had one of the best acai bowls ever. It has been a while since I had one and today was the best yet. Thick and packed with flavor. Blueberries, kiwi, granola, coconut and honey. 

Around 3pm the lady I work with left. She had stuff to do in preparation for the next few days. She really needs a day off but the workload is heavy. She is mentally, physically and emotional drain to the point where it is affecting her health. The same goes for me but a little less.  

I am actually considering taking a break from the journal for a bit. I want to keep posting motivational articles but my daily story has become time consuming. I appreciate its therapeutic abilities but there is much on my plate right now that I do not know how to handle. Should I take a break or not? What should I do? 

Simplicity. 

After she left the rest of the day was slow. I did not do much more than write with my spare time and watch “Dragon Ball.” I began to clean up around 5:30pm, the earliest yet. Out of 10 vendors there were only 3 present. The others either did not open or left early. Walking to the restrooms I could see one was ready to leave which meant either I was going to be the last out or they were.  

I made sure to leave first. 

By 7:20pm I was sitting in my car getting ready to go. On the way home I stopped at Advanced Auto Parts to get a new windshield wiper. The other day it broke and I have been using it as is. I did not want to risk scratching my window so I took a detour for a new one. While there I also picked up air fresheners to keep the car smelling nice and a new steering wheel grip. The one I had on was 8 years old and sheading up. It was time for a change. 

More to be done. 

I was home at 8:45pm sitting in the driveway trying to put the steering wheel cover on. It took me 15 minutes to stretch it out enough to fit around my wheel. At one point I thought it was the wrong size. I was sure to measure it before purchase so it could not have been. It was truly a work out. I like the tight fit but it was a pain to get on.  

In the house I went straight to wash a load of clothes while I showered.  

Then I ate with my nephew before gathering the garbage to take out.  

Back inside I jumped on the computer. 

I planned on being in bed by 11:30 but it is way after that now. 

 

 

Tues. October 2, 2018 

Man, I woke up feeling great. 

I listened in on the morning conference call as soon as 7:45am hit my clock. This is one important task that I want to do every Tuesday – Friday morning. I have not had the time to practice my craft in the advising field but the words are still encouraging. I always feel that whatever is said could be applied anywhere. I appreciate Coach taking the time to wake up and provides us with his words. 

Since I had time remaining on the clock I went into the kitchen to have breakfast. I do not remember the last time I ate at home before going to work. I have been eating out every morning at various places spending anywhere from $5 – 10. Imagine that over the last 30 days. What a waste of money now that I did the math. 

Anyway, I even had time to start writing my post for the day. It felt great not having to be up and out of the house the moment I wake up. Typically, I get up, get dressed and leave with no time for much else. Once in a while I may take 10 minutes to play a game but that’s about it. Today work did not start until 10:15am which is why I was able to get so much done. 

The pace I enjoy. 

After doing what I could I got ready to go and headed out the door. Roughly 15 minutes later I was sitting in the parking lot of the company we were going to be vendoring for. This was the home office to the company we were at last Thursday. They enjoyed our food over there and wanted to try us out at this location.

Honestly, it felt good to be away from the café. Correction, I was feeling great! It is always a different atmosphere when I am on the truck compared to the cafe. It makes me feel helpful and productive instead of bored on my feet. I guess I’m just used to the fast pace action. 

But no matter how good we were feeling it could not last. A wrench had to be thrown into our well oiled gears. We had a surprise fire inspection done that put our prep time to a halt. We were not told that a license was needed for the day by the person who invited us to the company. With that requirement the lady I work with took my car to go get one from the fire station. After she got back, another inspection was done 15 minutes later, this time putting our service to a halt. It was the most complicated inspection we have ever experienced. 

Other than that service was a blast. I actually did work besides standing around and stamping. I did have to stamp in between customers though. We ended up running out of bags and boxes with the company logo on it. If we want to advertise the best way is for them to see it on the packaging.  

The joy of being done early. 

Around 2:30pm we finished up and shut down. An hour later we were packed up and on our way off the lot. Within 20 minutes I was back home with the rest of the day to myself. I have not been home early in a while and I was thrilled for it. 

Since I had half a day left over I took a very nice long shower. I even took a seat in the tub to let the water run on my back for a small massage while playing my new favorite cat game The Battle Cats. At first this game might have been too challenging but now, I am a beast. When I got up to shower I figured I keep the entertainment going so streamed “Dragon Ball” on my phone to knock off another episode. I get closer and closer to the end of the series one day at a time. 

After my shower I went right to work. I had to examine the website for future revisions. I finally decided on what products I want to sample. Now all I need are the designs but I might keep it simple and just throw a logo on them for timing purposes. I still have my goal of opening up for Halloween or Christmas the latest. My Texas buddy and I have been too busy or tired to do anything but I will be pushing from this moment on. 

With that being said I might be pushing too hard. Physically drained and forcing myself to stay awake I ended up falling asleep sitting up in my chair for 5 minutes. I thought I had blinked but when I looked at the clock time had actually gone by. 

To give myself a boost I had a cup of Rita’s Italian Ice while folding clothes I had in a laundry bag for the past few months. I never got around to putting them away and was glad to do it today. I also finished watching the latest season on Netflix of “Blacklist.” I have to say, I never saw it coming. Ms. Kean is turning towards the dark side.   

Communication is key. 

To finished the night off my girlfriend came over around 8pm. We played with the nephew for a bit before giving him up to my sister so we could have dinner. After digesting we laid in bed where we had a heart to heart. Since we do not see each other as often as we would like there were a few feelings that needed to be expressed. It made me realize that we are both destined for true success but we need to make room for the loving moments we desire. I would not say we neglect each other but we could use a date night once a week.  

It was a very good conversation that we both appreciated. 

I loved my day. 

Mon. October 1, 2018

Woke up early like I have be planning to do. It feels good to be putting myself on a schedule but I must admit that it is harder than I thought it would be.

By 8:20am I began my trip to the café. 

When I got there the lady I work with was already walking around mingling with the other vendors. Last night we had dropped off her trailer at a nearby fire station for safety reasons. The bracket holding the leaf spring to the axle had broken and driving it at night for an hour trip was not an option. Since she had dropped off the trailer at a local mechanic she drove over to the café to meet me and wait for word on its repair.

While I set up for the day she began to wash the dishes from last night. After having breakfast, I took over the washing while she punched a few numbers into an Excel spreadsheet. Good business practice is keeping an organized file on the activity done. I should actually start doing the same for the new business my Texas buddy and I have started.

Around noon I had finished the dishes and at that time we packed up her truck so she could leave and pick up the trailer. Somehow the mechanic was able to fix it within the few hours she had left it. To me, for a job like that, he was quick.

Almost did not make it.

Alone for the rest of the day I did little things around the area to keep busy. Stamped some bags – same as yesterday -, boxes, organized a few things and watched a lot of seafood cooking videos on YouTube. I really enjoy this one channel, Travel Thirsty. I also started to play a new game called The Battle Cats that has my interest in the worst way possible. It is a strategy game involving destructive cats and it is addicting.

Around 6pm I started to clean up. While doing so I streamed “Dragon Ball” to keep me entertained. It was awesome to watch. I finally got to one of my favorite parts of the anime when Fortuneteller Baba invites the young fighters to a match. I was extremely excited for it to the point where I was laughing and making weird noises by myself. Good thing no one was around. They would have thought something was wrong with me.

By 7pm I was closed up for good. A half an hour later I was basically running out of the door. The cleaning lady for the Market and I had a bit of miscommunication. She left me in the building alone with no key to lock the door. During our somewhat of a conversation I told her I would turn of the lights to my section. I believe she understood that as “I will lock up the entire building.” The one time I do not have the key to the place I almost get stuck in a really bd position. If I would have been a few seconds longer she would have pulled right out of the parking lot. I was lucky enough to catch her pulling out of her parking spot.

The fear in me.

An hour later I was home setting up the blog for tomorrow. I also picked out my article for Wednesday. Then I went for it. In the darkness I chose to entertain myself. For the first time I was going to start the new game I bought a week or so ago. The thriller Transference. At first it was great. Look for this, put this here, read that, walk over there. But out of nowhere the story picked up quick. The hair on my body would stand at full attention after every scene. Then around 1am the biggest scare yet happened and I shut it down.

After the frightening moment I could not handle the game anymore. I did not even wait for the next save point. I will have to replay that part but I am now very prepared for it. Great start so far!

Sun. September 30, 2018 

Ouch! 

Woke up a bit late today not wanting to get out of bed. My body was sore all over as if I had been hit by bus and in recovery. Just rolling over from one side of the bed to the other was painful. The only thought I had in my head was why?  

I could not let it stop me. The best thing I could think of was to push through it and wake my body up with force. I immediately regretted doing it but I had no choice. The café was calling my name. Pulling me in closer with responsibility. “I need to open it.” 

Along the way I had to stop. I was desperate for caffeine to help keep my eyes open. The 40 minutes I drove made me more tired than usual. At my midway pitstop, Dunkin’ Donuts, I ordered a pumpkin spice latte, waffle tenders and a pumpkin muffin. I also woke up seriously hungry. The entire drive my stomach out played the radio. It was a rumble like no other. 

Within the walls. 

Early at the café I did my thing with the new burner we got yesterday. The thing is a double burner and works perfectly. The only down fall is that it is made for small pots. I use a pretty big wok and very big steamer so fitting them both on there takes a bit of finesse.  

For lunch I went with my new favorite turkey sandwich from Politi’s Cheeses & Meats. Compared to the last few I have eaten this one was a bit different. Instead of being served on a form of roll it was on an almost toast like bread. It was crunchy and fluffy at the same time. I think the edges might have even had cheese on them. I honestly have never seen or eaten anything like it and I loved it. I believe it was just a temporary thing until they received more of the usual bread but I would not mind have it the same way again.  

While digesting I took a few minutes to write out my blog post for the day. Normally I would type it up on my laptop or iPad but today I did it through my phone. It was less obvious and actually more efficient being in my hand. Who knew writing an essay on the phone would be easy? 

Getting back to work I stamped a few bags for entertainment. They were sitting on a cart with the package half opened so I figured why not do a few of them. 

Let the trips begin. 

Around 5:30pm I left the café and was replaced by someone else. I needed to meet with the lady I work with so we could pack up the trailer and move it off of the school property. Today was the last day of the arts festival and it could not stay on the premises.  

With the axle loose, broken, getting it off the sidewalk was a scary challenge. Holding our breath, we waited for all 4 tires to hit pavement. The sound it made, a big clung, was terrifying. We were afraid it might have snapped. Luckily it held and we were only driving another 2 minutes to a fire station.  

The chief was nice enough to let us leave the trailer parked on the property until the morning when something more could be done with it. While there we emptied it out as best as possible to preserve whatever food we could. 

Back at the café we unloaded her pickup and packed it in the fridges as best as possible. Then we headed back to the fire station for round two. 

When we got there we noticed the fire station was lit up and a few guys were standing around talking. After throwing ideas off of each other, the lady and me, I thought it would be helpful if the fire men could provide us with some assistance. I hoped they could fix the trailer the same way they do their trucks but I was ahead of myself.  

Luckily, she asked. They could not fix the trailer but one of the guys was helpful enough to try and find someone who could. He made a few calls and was able to get a response back from his boss at his second job. The boss agreed to come take a look at it in the morning. If he can fix it temporary he said he would. Just enough to drive it an hour away to the actual mechanic is all that was requested. Tomorrow we will see. 

What a night. 

Once again at the café it was about 7:15pm and the three of us – the person who replaced me, the lady I work with, and I – cleaned up as quick as possible. After a while the replacement left. The lady I work with and I stayed to finish up. An hour later we left. 

Taking my drive home, I realized that I had missed dinner. I could feel my stomach empty and hollow. I originally wanted Chick-Fil-A but as I was a few minutes away from it I remembered they are closed on Sunday. Upset with myself for not thinking of it sooner I had to settle with McDonalds. I was alright with it because I got to see an insane truck driver hauling a big load.

When I finally arrived home I ate, did a bit of writing for WordPress and went straight to bed. 

 

Fri. September 28, 2018 

Easy going. 

Up at 7:30am to listen in on a conference call. I am planning on getting back into my once upon a time morning routine. It seems harder than it should but I will make it work. 

Since it was raining this morning I left the house early so I could cruise my way to work instead of rushing. I like to feel the speed under my foot but rain paralyzes me. It makes me nervous and I go from hare to tortoise.  

Surprising, I decided to skip Dunkin’ Donuts. I actually  brought my own cup of coffee from home that I had sitting in the fridge. It was left over from last night’s job and it worked out well for this morning. I was just surprised that it still tasted good sitting in the plastic cup overnight. 

Begin. 

Made it to the café 20 minutes early and began to cook. I tried to cook three different ways before I actually figured out how to get things done. The table top electric burner I use daily died on me. It turns on but does heat up enough to cook with. I was warned in advance but I did not think it was as bad as I was told.  

For breakfast I had a vanilla Greek yogurt from Moku Bowl. Normally I order one of the same two bowls I always get – strawberry and banana or mango and banana – but then it was expressed that I should try something else. A different variation from what I am used to involving kiwi. I must say, this is my new favorite. 

A few minutes after finishing my bowl the lady I work with showed up with a car full of groceries, a new burner for me to cook with and the dishes from last night. While she chopped up the vegetables I spent time pruning my hands. There were a lot of dishes. Dishes that I did not even remember using. I give her props for cleaning them every night because this takes time and effort to finish. 

Divide and conquer.  

During some point of the day she left me to take care of her trailer that was parked up the street in a high school parking lot. There is a festival going on this weekend that she will be participating in. One requirement was to set up today, a day in advance. But it was not that simple.  

10 minutes later she called me to help her. She had to park on a sidewalk that sat well above the ground. While waiting for half an hour to get confirmation of our parking spot we met an angel. A gentleman I never introduced myself to but spotted something the lady I work with did not. Thanks to his profession in auto body repair he was able to clearly see that the rear axle to the trailer was not on properly. Yesterday during the blow out, it must have snapped out of place. 

Fortunately the trailer  was not going to be moved for the weekend. Unfortunately it has to be moved eventually. 

Back to it. 

I drove her truck, leaving her at the school, back to the café. I initially walked to where she was by false or underestimated timing by a supposed local. I was told my walk would be 5 minutes but it turned out to be double. In the future I will drive. 

At the café I finished my dishes and serviced a few customers. After all day I had my first meal since breakfast at 12:15pm. Being spontaneous I even tried to char edamame with chili sauce as a side for my meal. I ended up creating a smoke screen that nearly choked me to dead. In the end they came out good and spicy but maybe too spicy.

No more. 

Business lasted till the very end, 8pm. By the time I was done cleaning it was 9pm. Home an hour and change later because I actually felt like driving the normal limit. I had no rush in the world on this lovely night. 

Finally in the house I took some time to crawl around with my nephew before jumping in the shower. Out of the water and in front of of my computer I hooked up my new HDMI switch. I love 2 day shipping. After getting the wires situated and tied down I took a sear and had dinner while watching some videos on YouTube. 

 

 

Thurs. September 27, 2018 

A change in pace. 

Up at 8:30am to write for the blog. I have not woken up for this reason in months. There was no café in my schedule today and I was forced to break out of the norm I have created.  

But I was busy. The lady I work with and I spent the day working two jobs. A lunch at a new company and a catering for an event. At first thoughts it was going to be a normal day. But that was not the case. 

The start of madness. 

My day started across the street from where we were going to be serving lunch, at a Dunkin’ Donuts. I spent 15 minutes there enjoying a hot pumpkin spice latte and waffle chicken tenders cooked to perfection. I also bought an apple crisp donut to snack on later. Then I jumped across the road right into the lot of the building I was to be at.  

Trying to get set up was a hassle. We had to wait for half an hour before we were told where to park and then allowed to. The spot the company men wanted us to be was a wet mess. They wanted us parked halfway on a patch of grass with the other half of the truck on the road. We had the wait the whole time for someone to bring multiple sheets of plywood before we could go anywhere near it. 

Once we were given the okay to park we set up as quick as possible. Because of the delay we opened up late. I also thought being there would have been busier. Service could have been better for such a big company.  

The weird continues. 

From there we had to make our way to the next location. It was a little over a 30 minute drive but for me even longer. I had to make a stop to use the bathroom. At the first location we were parked in the center of the buildings next to a roundabout. There were no doorways close enough for me to access without a pass so I held it the entire 4 hours we were there. 

Trying to make up for the lost time I kept a nice steady pace as I went down the highway. I figured if I were late it would only be by 5 minutes. Then I got a call.  

The lady I work with needed my help. I was shocked when she told me why.  Her tire had just went flat on the trailer. Luckily, she was ahead of me so I was only 5 minutes away from her location. 

Not knowing exactly where she had pulled over I passed her completely. It was not until I got to the second location and made a U-turn that I found her. Another 3 minutes and she would have made it the site. Instead she was forced to pull into a car wash driveway. 

After parking I made my way over to her. She had lightly told me what happened. Over the phone she said her tire was flattened but when I saw it, it was completely shredded. Blown out with the bare rim showing. My jaw dropped in surprise. Not only that the wheel guard had torn half way off. 

Main event. 

After bolting it back on and changing the tire the thing was flat. Thank goodness a gas station was across the street. We were able to slowly drive it over to fill it.  

From there, 3 minutes, we were at the event. Late but we made it.  

Our night was busy the moment we opened until the moment we closed. If it were not for the rain we might have been there longer. Mother Nature always looks out.  

Peace at last. 

I was home 45 minutes later to a shower and write this post. Getting here was a challenge. I took a very dark, winding, scary road. I thought at one point I was going to drive off of it. Boy was I glad to hit the highway. 

 

Mon. September 17, 2018 

Let it not be true. 

I woke up today thinking I might be sick. My throat was sore and I felt like complete crap. I really hope this is a one day thing that will go away by night end. 

Not feeling my best I left the house early at 8:30am. The best plan now that school is in session is to beat traffic as much as possible. Surprisingly for a Monday the highway was not bad. I Even had time to stop at Advanced Auto Parts for two quarts of engine oil. I have a leak and with all of the driving I do it was bone dry. The question is, for how long? 

It felt good to be ahead. 

Even with my random stop I made it 20 minutes early to the café. I do not think I have been this early since we first opened up. I must have gotten too comfortable making it on time and uncomfortable with waking up early.  

With the extra time I had I made sure all my prepping was done with swiftness. That included setting my food to cook, making sure the rice making was going, cutting what I needed for the day and then cleaning up for open. With all of that out of the way I had plenty of time to grab myself a Moku Bowl for breakfast with the usual additions and toppings. 

This day of the week could be better. 

Being a Monday, business does not usually kick in until noon or later so it gave me the opportunity to work on my blog post for tomorrow. Entirely engaged with my work it came to a point where I had to stop. I was kicked off of the Market’s wireless network not being able to do a thing with my laptop. The need for Wi-Fi was real.  

It started to rain around 2pm and after that nothing happened. Being on my feet for so long throughout the day with no activity made me very uncomfortable. My body was achy from possibly being sick that I could not find a proper way to stand. I even tried sitting but that last a mere 5 minutes. No matter what I did the feeling was the same. 

While the connection was out I came up with new designs. I sketched them out as best as possible with the pen I had in my back pocket. I had a mechanical pencil in my bag but for some reason it was empty and I never noticed. Lately I have seriously been contemplating on getting an iPad Pro. After today I might make an official attempt on researching it. 

Scrubbed and treated. 

It was time to pack up around 5pm. Earlier than normal. The rain would not let up and being at the café was pointless. Even the lady I work with told me to get out as soon as possible. The possible never came early. I decided to do a deep clean of the place. Even hand washed the towels in bleach to try and bring back their vibrant white. I did not leave until 6:30pm. It was later than I had hoped but I was in no rush to leave. My body was not moving fast anyway. 

Throughout my cleaning process only one person came in to make a purchase. One person in 3 and a half hours of me doing nothing but drawing and cleaning. It really was a slow day. 

On the way home, I treated myself to Chick-fil-A for the outstanding job I did. In the drive-thru I ordered a spicy deluxe sandwich with a side of waffle fries and an 8 piece nugget box. To wash it down a strawberry milkshake. 

Driving on a full tank. 

Ate as I drove but never finished the nuggets. Could not fit it. Normal I can eat it all without even trying. Today I was full from the sandwich alone. Did not even finish the shake which is the main reason for me even going there. I had to put the rest of it in the fridge when I got home. 

With my stomach ready to explode I played with the nephew for a bit until I had to get to business. My buddy from Texas and I jumped on a Skype chat to get things rolling with the logo. After tinkering with it in Adobe Illustrator we decided to have it done on Fiverr. We were both under the weather and could not deal with it. We did learn a lot about the program. It was the biggest upside to our screen sharing chat. We now know how to make straight lines and shapes. I thought it was helpful especially for future designs. 

Around 11:30pm we were finished. It was time for some well needed rest.