Business as usual for today, I suppose. I wasn't able to stay home, maybe as I would've intended, but I want to say that I was somewhat productive.
I went to work this morning, early as I usually do, and was able to get in just over five hours of overtime. I didn't do much while I was there. I just did some of my writing and promptly left the office. For what seemed like two hours, there sounded like there was a lot commotion going on in the main lobby. It sounded a lot like laughter, though as far as I could tell, the only people in the building, aside from me and a single member of the clerical staff, was security. If I'm guessing, there were three security guards in the building at the time. Typically, they are not as loud or boisterous as they were this morning and they sure as hell aren't at the front of the building laughing it up. Well, whatever they were doing, it sounded like they were having a good time. I suppose I should just be grateful that they were awake and not napping in the men's restroom again.
After I left the office, I made a stop at the local Best Buy and then to the CVS where I normally pick up my medications. Busy work and errands really and nothing of significance there. Well, perhaps...
For some reason, I must have this approachable and inviting look to me because as I'm standing in line waiting to pick up my medications at CVS, a white woman who looked to be closer to my age, just happens to strike up a conversation with me, at first about the outrageous price of ibuprofen. She happened to be glancing over at one of the bottles of CVS-brand ibuprofen that cost just over $20. I don't know how many tablets, gelcaps, or capsules were in that bottle, but I agreed with her that that was more than I'd ever be willing to pay for any kind of over-the-counter pain reliever. I then tell her that due to doctor's orders a few years ago, I was taken off my prescription ibuprofen (800mg for migraines, which thankfully I have not experienced in quite a while), in favor of good, old-fashioned Tylenol. She then asked me why the doctor made the decision to remove me from ibuprofen altogether.
I don't know. I assume he was concerned about potential liver damage. I didn't challenge him on it, though I haven't had a migraine in years.
Just when I thought that this little interaction was over, she proceeds to tell me that due to certain sensitivities within her body, she cannot tolerate most prescription pain medications and that in particular, she is allergic to codeine. This allergy came into play not long after the time where she had shattered nearly all of the bones in one of her feet and the pain from that was damn near unbearable. I didn't ask her which foot she had the misfortune of crushing, though I don't think it really mattered. The kind of pain she spoke of would have been bad regardless of whether it was the right or left foot. Suddenly, it was her turn at the window and again, I thought that our conversation had come to a close.
It had not.
From the window, which was maybe eight or 12 feet away from where I was standing, she calls over to me and randomly says, "Well, I'm glad those migraines haven't come back".
Me too.
She eventually picked up her medications, which weren't actually for her, but instead for at least two people, relatives I assume. As she walks away and I'm walking up to that very same window, she says to me, "Thank you for talking to me. You have a good day and a Happy New Year".
I enjoyed it. Same to you.
I picked up my medication without incident and managed to do so without conversing with the woman who was standing behind me. You see, I might be able to talk to just about anyone, but I'll be damned if I'm the one initiating those conversations. I tend not to speak unless spoken to and this is especially the case when I'm in public and I'm trying to mind my own business.
That woman at CVS was pleasant enough and I truly didn't mind chatting with her for those few minutes while we waited in line. I hope that she doesn't break any other bones. Breaking your foot is one thing, but to shatter multiple bones in said foot? That just sounds like just an agonizing pain, regardless of how she managed to do that kind of damage to her foot, and I'm convinced that this is the kind of pain that none of us would ever want to experience.
I then stopped by a local burger place and grabbed lunch. Rather than rush home to eat it, I decided to sit in the parking lot there and eat inside my car. It happened to be raining outside, for once, and I didn't mind eating in the car. That's typical for me anyway, to eat lunch in my car by myself, so it wasn't like this was in any way uncomfortable or unusual for me. The sound of the rain hitting my car and seeing the actual water drops landing on the windshield were a nice, if not soothing, touch. I may have taken longer to eat my lunch than I normally would have. Had I been returning to the office as I would have during any other Wednesday during the year, I wouldn't have had the luxury to take forever to eat. I'll always enjoy eating lunch by myself, especially when it's inside of a car and it happens to be raining outside.
Once home, I changed out of my work clothes, donned some sweats, a hoodie, and a beanie and proceeded to hop on the PS5. Battlefield 6 was calling, as it often does, especially during the work week.
I recently purchased UFC 5 for the PS5, but I have yet to install it, much less play it. Truth be told, I am not a fan of the UFC or even of mixed martial arts. That doesn't mean I won't watch it, but I'm not the type to go to a bar or anywhere public where the latest UFC event is showing on pay-per-view (if that's even a thing still), grab a drink, and watch someone get their face kicked in. Now, what I will do is play those UFC video games and see if I can hold my own and not knocked get the snot beaten out of me. I've always like Rampage Jackson and if the latest UFC game has him among the playable roster, I'm more inclined to buy the game. I bought the game this past Monday. For $22 bucks, I figured I had no reason NOT to buy it. Rampage was confirmed as being in the game. The game was $22, down from its usual price of $30. Hey, a savings is a savings, no matter how minimal that savings may seem. I'll play the game someday. It's still in the plastic.
I don't know if I'm going to make it to midnight tonight, in time to watch the ball drop at a pre-recorded Times Square in New York. In recent years, I've tended to nod off closer to 10pm, completely missing that ball drop and not even caring about it the next day. Being that I woke up this morning at 3:40am, I just don't see myself making it to midnight. I don't know about you, but it seems that ever since the ageless wonder Dick Clark died, I stopped caring about ringing in the new year every year. That ball drop in Times Square suddenly doesn't mean as much as did before, like when Dick Clark was alive. He died in April 2012 at the age of 82 and New Year's Eve hasn't rocked or been the same since. I miss him.
As far as the outlook for 2026, I tend to keep things simple. In saying that, I'd prefer to maintain the status quo.
I hope to maintain my current state of health, although it'd be nice if I were to bring my A1C levels down a bit. I'm in the diabetic/pre-diabetic state for the time being. I know that I probably take in more sugar than I should, even though I'm taking my metformin as prescribed. I'm on a slew of other medications, which also consist of a few multi-vitamins and supplements. Still, maybe if I do a better job of reducing my sugar intake, I'll be in better shape that I currently am. The Ozempic helps, by the way.
As far as what's going well with me, well, let me think. I don't have any mental health challenges. I don't need to be involved in any manner of counseling or therapy. I sleep well most nights. I shower daily and maintain decent personal hygiene. As much as I despise people, I tend to remain somewhat optimistic in most circumstances. Mostly optimistic? I try not to be negative ALL the time, I guess.
I'll continue to work my normal schedule and continue to get in that easy overtime. I got hit pretty hard at work in November and December, so I figure that, at minimum, I might have to use the first quarter of 2026 to crawl back out. I anticipate that my coworkers will continue to annoy me, with their incessant whining and bitching, as well as with their poor work ethic and generally bad work output.
I'm still going to be gaming, though I have no idea what the gaming landscape is going to look like in 2026. Gaming, at least for me, has slowed down considerably for much of the 2020's and this has nothing to do with COVID-19. Without delving into this, at least in this entry, I'll just say that DEI had a lot to do with it. We'll see how gaming looks in the weeks and months to come.
I'll continue to write these here entries and otherwise maintain my efforts to write in a recreational capacity. Maybe I'll develop an audience, maybe I won't? Regardless, I will still write. I don't think I can follow a set schedule for when I'll do this writing, which means that I will instead continue to write when the mood strikes me and pretty much when I feel like it.
Well, that'll pretty much do it for me as far as 2025 goes.
2026, here we come. Lord help us.
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