Whoa Fido!

On March 9th, my manager wanted to have our team come out to the office to meet each other in person.   I wasn't thrilled since the office headquarters are in Indianapolis which is 2 1/2 hours away from home.    But I was curious to check out the office and to a smaller extent some of my colleagues.

Since I was heading out to Indianapolis, I reached out to Ross who Dom and I met in December to see if he wanted to meet.    He invited me to stay the night at Ray and his place.  I was torn on doing so since Dom and Ross pretty much clashed.   If I told Dom that I was staying overnight at Ross's, he would not be happy about it.   But at the same time I felt like Ross and I had some chemistry and it had been at least five months since I was last intimate with a guy.   Plus the thought of driving 150 plus miles back on the same day was a turn off.

I decided that I would take Ross on his offer but I wouldn't tell Dom I was staying overnight until I was out of town.   Also I would tell him I was staying at a hotel.   I hated lying but I thought it was for the best.  Something is going to have to give at some point since Dom and I haven't had sex in over 5 years.   At the end of the day I still love Dom and want to be with him but I still have occasional needs.   And it's getting harder and harder to find decent hookups.   I suppose if I didn't have standards, I could sleep with anyone but I have my own criteria on what I like and a lot of times what I like doesn't like me back..*LOL*.

In talking to Ross regarding his relationship with Ray, he says that they love each other but know that they have outgrown each other sexually.    They even sleep in separate bedrooms in their home.   They've been in a relationship for over 15 years and have been business partners for even longer.   They are both fine with each other meeting and hooking up with other guys.  

I learned a few years into my relationship with Dom that he actually prefers being on the bottom bunk.   But guys he's met have wanted him to be the 'top'.   I suppose I fell into that expectation as well.   I mean Dom's around 5'11 280 lbs.   Though yes there are a lot of big bottoms too.    It could explain his losing interest in sex as well.    As far as I know he hasn't hooked up with anyone, though in the last two years he has been visiting the Northside of Chicago's gay bar Touche more frequently.   Plus he made a comment in a random Facebook post that 'he has a desire to be dominated in the bedroom'.    Gotta love Facebook for pointing to "friends" comments that the person may not have wanted you to see.  *LOL*. Honestly if he's hooked up with folks at Touche, I can't be mad at him since I've had my own hookups.   I just wish we could talk to each other about it.

So I asked my manager if it would be okay if I left mid-morning and got to the office before 1:30.   Our company required COVID tests be performed prior to being allowed in the work area.   She was fine with my proposal.  But then she pissed me off in our next 1-on-1 when she said that she wanted me to come earlier so I could've met the team longer.   I do have to get used to Injera's style.   She tends to be more on the quiet side (which I don't mind since I tend to be introverted).   Even in our team meetings, she isn't as active in moving things along.   Plus everyone on the team is extremely quiet and a lot of folks have their cameras off.   I suppose being remote hasn't helped so it was good to meet.

I honestly hoped I would have the manager that interviewed me initially for the role.   He and I seemed to have some good chemistry and I liked his laidback attitude.    But for now I'm under Injera and we'll just have to adjust to each other.

So I loved the corporate office.  I hated the parking situation but I did find an affordable garage to park in.    It was my first time in a corporate office in over 3 years.   It was so funny seeing a sign for their  'Clear Desk Policy' on one of the floors I visited, which reminded me of my latter years at my previous long term gig.    I was glad to be able to score a free lunch from a group that had leftover sandwiches and cookies.   I just wish the office was closer.    They do have a smaller office in Chicago but it's not considered a main hub.    Interestingly enough the company is planning on expanding in the Chicago market by 2023.   I'm hoping that once that happens, I can transfer there.

Before heading to Ross and Ray's place, I called Dom and told him that I would be having dinner somewhere downtown.    That unfortunately was not true but I didn't want to say where I was having dinner.   I didn't mention that I was staying overnight but I sent Dom a Facebook message later in the evening stating I would be staying at a local hotel.

I made my way to Ross and Ray's place.   Almost immediately as I entered, I found myself being assaulted by their dog Fido.    He's a big dog and he literally was wanting to jump all over me.   I'm not a dog fan and Fido's "attacks" reminded me of my brush in with our overseas family's mean dog that took a chunk off my face when I was a mere nine years old.   I made the mistake way back then of touching Dick (the dog's actual real name...but I love the irony considering what I like...*LOL*) in the back while he was eating.   I guess he thought I was stealing his food.   Since that day way back in 1981, I feared and hated dogs.   I was just glad Dom and I didn't encounter Fido while we stayed with them last December.    He was in doggie day care while the R's were preparing their Christmas show.

So once Ross was able to reign him in, we greeted each other.   It was after 7pm and both the R's were actually beat.   They cooked dinner beforehand and Ross and I ate at the dining room table while Ray excused himself and took a plate to his bedroom.   Of course Fido kept coming after me throughout and he kept wanting to lick my face which I guess is nice but considering where his tongue has been was not the most sanitary.

The assault continued while Ross and I watched a couple bad horror movies.    Thankfully sometime during the second movie Fido fell asleep somewhere and Ross and I were finally alone.    We both started touching each other, with Ross squeezing my thighs and later my throbbing dick while I rubbed his belly and inched my hands towards his dick.   This petting continued until the end of the second movie.

After we both showered (separately) he invited me to stay the night in his bedroom.   It was chilly in his room but he wanted me to hop in the bed nude.   He did have a few layers of covers so I stripped though I left my briefs on.   We pretty much just kept touching each other for the next hour.   I finally attempted to kiss Ross but I didn't feel like he was that into it.   Maybe it was my breath...*LOL*.   We eventually both fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning to use the restroom in their guest room.   I looked at my phone and saw Dom had sent some messages.   By the time I woke up he was at his job.   I was hoping he would've slept the night but he told me that he woke up after midnight and was worried since I hadn't come home.   Unfortunately he doesn't keep his cell phone near him so he didn't go check his message that I left about "staying at a hotel".   I apologized for having him worried and told him I'd be home before he got home from school.   I decided to use a floating holiday that day so didn't have to worry about logging in to work.

Ross and I played under the covers some more for a bit afterwards.   A little bit later we walked Fido around the block.    They live in a nice subdivision and within a few blocks was a dog park.   Ross said that Fido doesn't play nice with other dogs.   Thankfully there were no dogs that we encountered.   One thing I noted was that Ross didn't bring some bags or a shovel for picking up poop.   Just before heading back to their house, Fido finally found a spot in the middle of the field to make his deposit.   I felt sorry for whoever had to cut the grass.   It's stuff like this that turns me off about people with their dogs.

Later on Ross and Ray took me to see their old Cabaret theatre in the middle of a small town that they are working on recovering for reopening.   They have some rooms upstairs that Ray was talking about converting to Escape rooms which actually sounds cool.   I was impressed with the work they were doing.    They definitely have a gift and it gave me insight into why their relationship works for them.

I told Ross that I wanted to leave by 11 (which actually seemed to annoy him).  At different points during the morning he kept sarcastically saying 'you got to leave by 11'.    We got back from the Cabaret a few minutes after 11 and I went to get my stuff and then said my goodbyes to the guys.

I got back to my neck of the woods just before 1 and I stopped to get something to eat since I had skipped breakfast.   We both exchanged quick messages after I let him I made it back.   I had fun but I'm honestly not sure if Ross would want to see me again.   I got the feeling he wanted someone more dominant like I wanted someone dominant and neither one of us is that person.   Plus I really didn't care for Fido and I know how much he loves Fido.   But I'm glad at least I gave it a shot.   At least I had a little action after my drought.

Officially AARP

 Well since I am about to turn the big 5-0 later this year, I might as well go all out for it.   Dom sent me a text message this morning saying that he decided to sign up for AARP.    It's a rite of passage to get those notifications once you hit 50 (or even a few years before like I have).   He'll be 58 this year and had been talking about AARP for years.   He was able to add a "spouse" (that's me) to the program as well.   Even though we're not legally married, we have been together for over seven years and people do consider us "married" since we're living together.   

But damn now I really feel old (as if I haven't already).   The funny thing is the acronym AARP stands for American Association of Retired People and neither Dom or I are retired.    Though Dom is looking to retire from his teaching job in another 4 years.   We're thinking of legally tying the knot after he retires.   He's not comfortable being out at his school.   He refers to me as 'his wife'.  

In contrast my current employer is a huge advocate of "bringing your true authentic self to work".   Though I'm sure if you truly are a major asswipe they won't encourage bringing that...*LOL*.   But I'm able to say I'm gay and I've mentioned Dom a few times already to my manager and team members.   It's a different feeling from my first employer I started with in the late 90's where I didn't feel comfortable being out at work and my employer didn't advocate for equality for gays.    So I completely get where Dom is coming from.   Even in 2022 there's a lot of employers that some gay folks working there would rather keep their sexuality "in the closet".   Obviously at the end of the day, who you prefer sleeping with has no bearing on if you can perform on the job (unless you're a porn star...*LOL*).    But I do remember how uncomfortable I felt during company social outings when someone would inevitably mention something a wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, or kids did.   Then I would just laugh and nod and not have anything to add.    Also at the time I was figuring my sexuality out and couldn't really say 'hey I'm gonna try and get laid with a hot guy tonight'.   It definitely is better when you're in a relationship as opposed to being single.   Though the key for single folks would be to find other single gays folks that may relate.    Which is another plus at my current job.    They basically encourage employees of any distinction to find like minded co-workers.

So now I can add AARP to my list.   Bring on the 'life insurance' and 'burial insurance' offers....*LOL*.

It's My Preference

 LOL just a few weeks back I noted that I had a record number of entries in a month.    And now it looks like I'm only at post #2 for the month of February.    But it's not a record as I've had many years that I haven't been blogging at all.  So with this entry I won't be breaking any records.

So since I've been working in corporate America again, I've been having my weekends back.   Well somewhat.   Weekends now are pretty much the only time I can run errands and not have to rush back to work.   The Rev at our small church though has been asking me to come help him clean the church for the last two Saturdays (basically my first free weekends).   I was irritated and pushed back last Saturday but decided to come out this past Saturday.   Thankfully I was only there for about an hour and a half.   But I came after spending half the day running errands with Dom.

So needless to say when Dom decided to be lazy and not go to service today, I didn't argue back.   Since the whole pandemic started, they have the service also on Facebook Live.   When Dom and I did attend service two weeks back, I hated that the camera was filming and of course the Rev had me do the Call to Worship.   I hated seeing and hearing myself on screen.    But the stream doesn't get a lot of views so whatever.  

Today I decided to watch the service online since we stayed home.   Things were going as normal.   Then we got to the "Celebration portion" of the service.  One of our members Katherine was celebrating on what a wonderful ladies book club meeting they had last Saturday and how time went so fast.   Another member Wilma who happens to be a trans lady asked why trans ladies weren't allowed in the book club.   I was shocked to hear the question as I was sure trans ladies in the past did participate.  Wilma acknowledged that there was a trans member (Mimi) who no longer attends our church and was a disturbance in many ways.   This member definitely rubbed a lot of folks (myself included) the wrong way.   It was hilarious because Mimi really loved Dom but seemed annoyed by me (maybe even jealous of our relationship).   She's even driven several people away from coming back to the church for being pushy.   She was basically a hot mess.

So I know that Mimi was a member of the ladies book club.   But perhaps she was a disturbance there as well.    Apparently so much so that the ladies decided to ban all trans ladies from participating.   Wilma pointed out that she felt it was unwelcoming but one of the more vocal ladies Jenna stated that the decision was made a long while back and that was that.   She added that the trans ladies could start their own book club.

That reminded me that even with all the discrimination that gays and lesbians faced, given the chance, a lot of gays and lesbians can be just as discriminatory towards others.    As a gay black male I've experienced that first hand when dealing with some white gay men (and occasionally from other races including other gay black men).    Just looking at hook up sites, you see the ads from gay men saying some form of "no fats, no fems, no blacks, no Asians".   The saddest ones are from gay black men who say they prefer white guys and don't want a black guy.   That self-hate is a real thing.

The most blatant direct experience I remember is years back replying to a hookup ad from a gay white male and upon finding out I was black,  he replied back that "there are plenty of black guys in your area".   I laughed it off and didn't engage further but it hurt to know that the only reason I was being rejected was because of something I couldn't control.    But at the end of the day would I want to hook up with a racist, hell to the no!

On the flipside I briefly dated a white guy who I found out only wanted me because I was black.   The few times we went out, he was always pointing out 'this hot black guy' and 'that hot black guy'.   That got old real fast and I remember knowing it was over when I found out he was friends with one of my ex Rock's closest friends.   The way he revealed that was totally annoying as well.   Instead of straight up telling me that he found out the connection, he wanted to do a guessing game.    Knowing that he was a college professor narrowed my guess since Rock's closest friend was also a professor.

But back to the original topic, whenever racist white gay men are called out on their racist behavior, the typical response is "It's my preference" and basically people need to "get over it".   I remember this one gay fitness site that used to have a message board and every now and then, someone would post on why some white guys don't like black guys.    And it was hilarious seeing how riled up white guys especially would get.   

And boy do those "preference" guys get mad when people call them out on their racism.   They're always so quick to point out that they have black friends so they can't be racist.   It makes me think of those ads you see every once in a while for retirement homes where it'll be an elderly white couple and then the black lady standing next to them.    Whenever I see those ads I always crack up and can hear the white couple saying, 'see I got a black friend'.    Just because you supposedly have black friends doesn't make the "no blacks" behavior any less repulsive. 

Delving deeper into the issue, I will say that we all have our preferences.  I tend to prefer muscular, beefy, bearish type guys and typically guys my size or smaller do nothing for me sexually.   Of course those are the guys that come after me...*LOL*.   But things like size and style guys can somewhat control.   You can't control what race or nationality you're born with.    It's sad that if two guys were exactly the same in every way except race, that they wouldn't be open to the guy of a different race.   Or if a guy meets every other preference except race that it would be a hard pass.   But again at the end of the day I would not want to be with a racist.    So it is better to know that upfront so you're not wasting your time.   So sadly those ads are doing those of us affected a favor.   It would certainly suck to find out they had racist behaviors during a date.

So I was dismayed to hear the exchange going on at our church.   You would think gay and lesbian folks wouldn't have some hang-ups in regards to other folks on the LGBTQ terrain.    But sadly we're all human I suppose so that feeling is not realistic.    Trans men and ladies are at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to equal rights.   Trans folks are more likely to be unemployed and victims of crime.    We're reminded of all the trans folks who have been murdered during the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.   Various TDoR ceremonies are held around the world, including at our church.

Assuming Mimi was the cause of the ladies book club not allowing trans ladies to join, it was sad that Mimi's actions affected other trans ladies.    Mimi's actions were a reflection on her.   They don't represent the actions of every transgender lady.    Just like when a black person commits a crime, it doesn't mean that every black person is a criminal.    

Anyway the problem's not going away anytime soon.    But I just wanted to rant...haven't had a 'rant' only post in a while either.    This post might be a new record after all.  *LOL*

Do Not Pass Go And Do Not Collect $200

Chicagoland is currently in the midst of a major winter storm.    The fun started Tuesday evening and left our area with on average over 10 inches of the white stuff.   It was nice being able to work from home at the new job and thankfully Dom's school made it an E-Learning day and he doesn't have to go to school on Thursday as well.

I didn't clean any of the snow today so I'll have the joy of cleaning it tomorrow morning before I officially start Day 4.   Part of the deal Dom and I made when living together was that I would be responsible for cleaning the snow and Dom would be responsible for taking care of the lawn.    As it is Dom is still recovering from his toe surgery so he's not in any condition to be cleaning snow.   He has helped me here and there in the past when the snow's been heavy.

My new job is going good so far.   It's pretty hectic and I'll need to be back in study mode to obtain some additional certifications.    There's so many tasks that I have to work on but thankfully my shadow buddy has made it somewhat easier to track our tasks by putting them all on a shared document.   I put updates and he's able to see how I'm progressing in the tasks.   It's a win-win.    

One thing I will say about my company is that my team is a lot more diverse than the ones I've been on at my previous jobs (Amazon excluded).    In the team I'm on, there's four other black members, two guys and two ladies.    I represent the gay black male segment as well.    My manager is an Indian lady and there's also a Vietnamese guy on the team.    In my previous jobs, I was always the token black person on the team with everyone else being either Caucasian or Indian.    It's a nice change. 

They seem to practice what they preach in terms of equality.  I look forward to seeing how things progress.   Hopefully I will be up to the task.

Getting back to Amazon, my plans to wait it out for their "Pay To Quit" program just fell to the wayside.    According to an article I found online today, Amazon basically decided to scrap the program this year for most of their employees, only keeping it for those who are taking part in their Career Choice program.    In retrospect it actually makes sense for them to reduce the scope of the program.   It seems that a lot of retail companies are having a hard time finding new employees.   So I can't imagine them wanting to pay the few they have that want to leave any kind of money.   So basically my plan now is to pretty much give a week's notice.    My last unofficial packing day will be this Saturday and I plan to take my last official packing day off the following Saturday and basically turn in my ID.    At least I don't have to worry about Amazon buying out my new company and risking losing my job.    The one bad thing is that I will lose the Amazon matching amount that was added to my 401-K since I won't be completely vested by the time I leave.   But that's fine as well since my new company has a lot more benefits that I can take advantage of.    So I'll lose some but potentially gain more.

Oh and I guess the groundhog saw his own shadow so there'll be only six more weeks of winter.   Not sure where they found a willing groundhog with the mess this weather is being.   But Hemingway...whatever!

#Day1Jitters

Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go 

INTRO:

Jitterbug
Jitterbug
Jitterbug
Jitterbug

VERSE:

You put the boom-boom into my heart
You send my soul sky-high
When your lovin' starts
Jitterbug into my brain
Goes a bang-bang-bang
'Til my feet do the same
But something's bugging me
Something ain't right
My best friend told me
What you did last night
You left me sleeping in my bed
I was dreaming
But I should've been with you instead

REFRAIN:

Wake me up before you go-go
Don't leave me hanging on like a yo-yo
Wake me up before you go-go
I don't wanna miss it when you hit that high

Wake me up before you go-go
'Cause I'm not planning on going solo
Wake me up before you go-go
Take me dancing tonight
I wanna hit that high, yeah yeah

Omgosh.   Look at me.   5 blog entries in one month.   It's a tie for the most entries in a month matching October 2011 when I first created this blog.    I do miss my fellow bloggers that used to read this blog and my original blog.   The mid-2000's was definitely the season of blogging.   I honestly don't know how my former blogger cohorts found me let alone how I found folks.   We were quite a community and I still remember the first time I "came out" on my blog.   Omg I haven't thought about Vince in years.   He was one of many losers I've dated or attempted to date over the years.    But yes my blogger community was pretty cool.    We even got together and had a "blogger convention" in Baltimore.    So cool to meet other gay black male bloggers.    Though I can't forget my female supporters as well.    I do miss those days and wonder what everyone is doing now.    Maybe someday I'll find out.

Sigh...looking at my old blogs entries makes me realize I'm getting old.   Uggh.  I still can't believe I'll be turning 50 this October.   How time flies.  

But the reason for my post is that I'm about to embark on my new journey with my new job.   In another hour I'll begin my Day 1.   I'm not going to lie, I'm nervous as hell.   Those #Day1Jitters and imposter syndrome feelings are real.  But I'm hopeful everything will go fine.   Pretty much today and the rest of the week I'll be in multiple orientations.    I assume I'll meet my manager at minimum sometime today and he's supposed to tell me who I'm shadowing.    It's so weird to be doing everything remote (even though my one company I worked at for twenty years was the originator of working remote before the pandemic made working remote universal - except for us Amazon essential workers and other retail workers) and not meeting folks in person.   But when the day comes that I meet folks, our home base office is in Indianapolis and that's almost 3 hours from where I live.    So that'll be a fun commute but I'm hoping I won't have to do that often.   Also my company is looking to build a headquarters in Chicago sometime in 2023.   I'll definitely put my name on the list to make that my home office once it's complete.

Hello world... here I come!   This company is a good one (well as good as any corporate entity can be).   Also from my understanding it's hard to get a job here so the fact that I pulled it off in the sea of all my rejections (they rejected me as well for a few other roles earlier) is nothing short of amazing.    They have lots of accolades for being one of the best places to work and being the best place for LGBTQ individuals.   Here's hoping this is where I finish my career.    We shall see.   Stay tuned.

Dom's Toe Drama

 Dom's was diagnosed with a diabetic ulcer in his left toe on January 20th.    It seems Dom and I can't catch a break with our health issues.    For Dom his issue started with a check up at a local clinic that he goes to that is free for teachers.   It's definitely a nice benefit since teachers don't make a lot of money.   They do the most basic checks and they have a limited supply of medications but nonetheless it's been a godsend for him especially with his meds since he pays a lower cost for them.

Anyway I previously mentioned that he had an appointment on December 20th.    The care physician at the clinic did his blood work and then decided to look at his feet.    To his shock the physician discovered that his left toe had a cut in it and appeared to be very swollen.   She prescribed him some antibiotics as well as some mupirocin ointment to apply to his wound.    She gave him a podiatrist to follow up with.

So yours truly was assigned to help Dom soak his feet in hopes of healing his wound.   We did this twice a day though some mornings he opted to soak his feet in the shower.    He had an appointment with a podiatrist on January 6th.   He told Dom that the care physician gave him the wrong antibiotics and prescribed another one.   He also thought Dom had a toe infection stemming for his toe nail so he removed the toe nail under local anesthesia and dressed the wound.

Similar to our previous regimen, he suggested we continue to soak the toe and change the dressing.   He scheduled a follow-up appointment for January 20th.    So Dom goes back on the 20th, he mentioned that the doctor took a Q-tip and managed to push it deep inside his wound.   At that point the podiatrist diagnosed Dom with a diabetic ulcer and told him he needed to immediately go to the hospital to get it removed.   He feared that the infection may have spread to the bone and told Dom he'd have to be in the hospital for at least one week.

Dom drove back home and after we had dinner, I drove him to our favorite ER around 7:30 PM.   The ER room itself wasn't as packed as it was when I unfortunately was there New Year's Eve.   We waited about 40 minutes before Dom got his vitals done and then registered.   Another 30 minutes later we were ushered to a treatment room inside the ER.    He was immediately set up with a stint in his lower arm for a series of IV's, including more antibiotics.     The hope was to fight off the infection immediately.

The hospital was pretty much full and it would be a long wait before Dom was able to get a room.   I stayed with him until 3:45 AM when he insisted I go back home to get some rest.   I didn't want to leave him but I didn't want him to be upset.    I was reminded of a time when I drove Papa and Mama to the ER because Papa wasn't feeling well.    After waiting a long time we all were directed to a treatment room and Mama and I stayed overnight with Papa until he got a room around 10:30 in the morning.

Dom called me around 8:30 AM to tell me that he got a room around 7AM.   I went to see Dom later on Friday and found him in good spirits.     He was on multiple antibiotics and was taking a lot of different tests to determine the severity of his infection.     There was a possibility that they wouldn't be able to save his toe.   The infection did indeed spread to his bones which was why he was on antibiotics.   

His podiatrist originally mentioned that they would do a procedure to remove the ulcer Monday afternoon.    It wound up being done early Monday morning.    Overall everything went well and they were able to save his toe.    Part of his medical team included an infectious disease specialist so there were more tests that specialist had done and depending on the results, that would determine when Dom can come home.    Once Dom is home, though, it seems he may have to be off work for yet another week.    He may not have enough days to cover being off for so long.   Uggh.

A bright spot to his saga was that of course they tested him for COVID.   His test came back NEGATIVE once more.    It almost gave credence to the theory that my test may have been a false positive.   President Biden mentioned that the federal government is providing every household with four free COVID tests by the end of January.    The plan is for us to use two of the tests when we receive them to retest.    I'm hoping obviously that I'll have a NEGATIVE result.    On the bright side I continued to not have any symptoms of COVID.    So I'm hopeful that my results will be NEGATIVE.

2022 so far is proving to have a crazy start for us.   But on the bright side I start my new job on the 31st.   My increased income should help us in the event Dom loses his due to time off from work.   I'm going to continue to work weekends at Amazon for a few more weeks.   Sometime in February Amazon is going to have their annual "Pay To Quit" program where they basically pay you up to $5000 (based on number of peak seasons you've worked).   I've worked three peak seasons so should be getting $3000 (before taxes of course).    I was going back and forth on whether to take it or not.   The main stipulation if you accept the "Pay To Quit" offer is that you are barred from ever working at Amazon or any of their subsidiaries.    Unfortunately the company I'm going to work has a partnership with Amazon.    I was fearing if there ever came a day that Amazon decided to buy out my company (though my future company is a giant corporation as well so it likely won't happen) that I would lose my job there.   But I am reassured that I would have a separate hiring contract with my future company and that it would hold precedence.    So it's just a matter of waiting for Amazon to kick off the program.    Honestly though it's getting harder for me to motivate myself to go work there especially with my new job.   Not that it ever was easy motivating myself to pick and pack items at Amazon.   The good thing is that I should be in the "honeymoon phase" of the new job for a few weeks and I'll be working remote so I should be able to manage both jobs until I can take Amazon's offer to quit which I'm hoping will be sooner rather than later.

Facts Of Life

 Gloria Loring - The Facts Of Life

You take the good

You take the bad

You take them both and there you have

The facts of life

The facts of life

When the world never seems

To be living up to your dreams

Then suddenly you're finding out

The facts of life are all about you 

Ooh ooh ooh ooh you

I've been humming the theme song to Facts of Life a few times over the last few weeks.   I can blame a few episodes of Married With Children for putting the song in my head.    Basically there was a joke of nothing being on cable and when Al puts on the TV, the Facts of Life theme song starts blaring.   Then there's another episode where Kelly is contemplating about life while sitting in the living room.   She turns on the TV and you guessed it, the Facts of Life song blares out as Kelly bops her head to the theme song.

I can't help but hum the song myself when I think of all the good and bad things that have so far made its way into 2022.   BAD:  I ended 2021 and started 2022 with being diagnosed with kidney stones.   BAD:  I didn't have health insurance so now I have to work through the process of how to pay the bill.   I was supposed to get some forms in the mail to fill out as far as getting help on the bill but those have yet to arrive.   And as of this entry posting I have no idea how much the bill will be.     GOOD:  I was able to reduce the cost of my prescriptions meds a little bit by joining Walgreen's Prescription card plan.    GOOD:  I successfully passed a kidney stone on January 7th and there doesn't appear to be any additional stones.   GOOD:  That same day I got a call from my future employer telling me that I got the job.

The latest BAD and the reason for this entry.   I found out yesterday that I tested positive for COVID.

Dom and I went to the Gary Health Department on the 11th to get tested.   Dom mentioned several students being out from school due to having COVID.    Also with all the daily Amazon texts on employees testing positive, I thought it wouldn't hurt for me to go as well.

It was an adventure even getting tested.    We arrived at the health department and after navigating around some icy slick sidewalks (we had a major snowstorm a few days before), we were told that the COVID testing was moved to a different building.    Thankfully it was less than a mile from the Health Department at a local high school ironically named Polk High.    That happened to be the name of the high school where Al Bundy scored four touchdowns in a single game.   It made me wonder if the Bundy's really lived in Gary instead of Chicago.   They just didn't want to admit being from Gary.   *LOL*.

Anyway it took a minute to figure out which door to enter from.   The flyer we received from the Health Department specifically said Door C.    But where we parked there was a Door F.   I tried to tell Dom that it wasn't the correct door.   And that we may have to walk around to find the right door.    But as I mentioned earlier, we had a major snowstorm and walking was treacherous in some spots.   Plus Dom isn't in the best of health walking wise.    So he decided to go through Door F.    

We entered a long hallway where we immediately get stopped by a lone guard.   Basically we had to drive around to the other side and enter Door C which was on the opposite side of the hallway.   It was ridiculous since the testing facility was just down the side hallway near where the guard was situated.   But rules are rules I guess.    So we drove through some icy streets and I had to go the wrong way down a street because the next street was being blocked by EMS and cops.   

The sidewalks were not cleaned at all by Door C which was a travesty since they expect people to go there.    We wound up walking on the street which thankfully was cleaner than the other street I drove through to get there.

So we finally get past the guard after confirming our names and then upon entering the testing room I get scolded by the medical professional.    This guy wound up being the most annoying a-hole.   Since I was first I wound up getting tested by him.   Dom lucked out and got tested by another tester who was much more pleasant.    My tester scolded me for getting tested since I didn't have any symptoms and he seemed to really attack my nose follicles.   I hated him and if I never see him again in my life, it will be a good life.

I'm at work Saturday the 15th and during my first break, Dom messages me that he got his test results.   His test came back NEGATIVE and he wanted to know if I got my results.    My phone was still loading updates since I turned it off during my shift.    I get to my car and see the email from the Indiana Department of Health.   I log in with my credentials to get my results and I'm stunned to see the word POSITIVE.    Normally being positive is a good thing but it's not the case when it comes to COVID.

I was stunned but only had ten minutes to process everything while trying to wolf down some lentils and take some vitamins.   I wasn't sure if I should go back to the building but at the same time I didn't want to lose extra Unpaid Time for clocking in late.    I decided to go back in but leave for home during the second break.

I wanted to separate myself from Dom when I got home but he surmised that we've been hugging and kissing each other a lot and feels my results might be a false positive.    He said as long as we didn't hug and kiss each other, we should be fine.   That's actually going to be the hardest part of this diagnosis, not being able to be affectionate with Dom.    He himself was not feeling any symptoms.    I too had no symptoms although I've had to blow my nose a lot but I always have to do that.   Thankfully my sense of smell and taste are still there and I don't feel feverish or flu-ish.

I reported my COVID results to Amazon and according to their mandates, I have to self-isolate for seven days.    I should be able to report back to work on the following Sunday.    Dom and I will schedule a retest later in the week.    The CDC recommends 5 days of isolation after receiving a positive test result so I should be free to go get tested again this Friday.

Dom is confident that my test results is a false positive.   But on the flipside, there's a chance his results are a false negative.   If there's anything, ugh, positive (I hate that word right now) about getting COVID (assuming it's not a false positive), it isn't the death sentence that it was at the beginning of the pandemic.    This omicron version of COVID they say isn't as lethal as the original.    Perhaps this booster vaccine may be offsetting the worst of the symptoms.   Either way I'm hoping that my next test comes back negative and that Dom's stays negative.   

Stay tuned.