#270 - Texas Twinkles and Free Starbucks

Up at seven Am again to take a ride into Toronto for another mandatory in-studio day.

The air feels like it wants to shed itself of moisture, but the temperature is cool and pleasant. We headed out on a peaceful drive, unusually absent of impatient drivers. They must all be on vacation.

We took seats on the main floor of the train and although I was in a good position to write, I felt too tired to focus on anything. I resorted to putting on my ear buds and resting my eyes. I was tired enough that I almost fell asleep. Something I just don’t do anymore when in motion.

Even Robyn was feeling it and closed her eyes as well.

We arrived in good time and no particular rush. Robyn used her Tim’s app to order her tea from the slowest Tim horton’s in Canada and for once was able to walk in and just grab her order. I waited less than twenty seconds for her to enter and return. A new world record for us.

We made our way to the studio, and I made myself an earl grey vanilla and ate one of my apple bran muffins for breakfast. I chatted with the only other painter on our team that cme in for a minute about stocks. We both have some positions that are doing really well and occasionally we talk about investment ideas and strategies.

I got down to the business of working and started with rendering some files that had failed to render on our render farm overnight. It happens all the time and it can be a computer or memory error or a photoshop issue. Often it is both.

The fix is simple; you just send the files back to the farm and if they don’t render again, I can do it locally on my own machine. And as it turns out, that is exactly what happened.As soon as I was done that operation, new paintings arrived in my inbox to be checked. And so went the day, render and approve. Rinse and repeat.

We stopped for lunch at noon and I was more than ready for a break. I’d broght in some leftovers from a meal at Tandur’s from the night before and portioned it out equally for both of us. There was more than enough to have a nice lunch. Rice, naan, Kaidir Chicken and one piece of the appetizer that I gave to Robyn.

We had some friends join us at the table and we chatted about movies. One of the guys had seem the new Spielberg movie, Disclosure Day, and said it wasn’t very good. No real surprise there, but I was hoping it would be one that took off and was worth seeing. I still might just because you have to make up your own mind on these things.

We got to talking about Starbucks and Tim Hortons and how people could just walk in a grab anything that is on the counter these days and no one would bat an eyelash. People would automatically assume that you had ordered it online, just like Robyn had this morning.

And when we were done eating, one of the ladies said she was going to take a walk to Starbucks and did anyone want anything.

“Steal me a drink,” I quipped, and we all laughed.

I headed back to my desk to do some heavy reisions on a painter’s work, He was feeling ill ,so I don’t send the fixes back to him to do. Easier to just do them myself. And I enjoy making something look right or making it fit in with the rest of the sequence.

This meant it was doing revisions for a few hours or so. Time to put on some tunes and just let meyslef get lost in the work.

I was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. It was the co-worker who had gone to Starbucks. She held out cup filled with white and red lquid topped with a generous helping of whipped cream.

“Here.” She said, “I stole this for you.” We all chuckled and then I enjoyed a liquid strawberry shortcake. It was sweet, but it tasted delicious.

I sucked that back without too much protest.

Later, I needed to do some more rendering on files that had been approved by the other lead. But this time things didn’t go so smoothly. The system we use to do the rendering wouldn’t launch the interface and that meant files couldn’t be rendered.

There is a way to do it manually, but afterwards all the files end up with a number string in the file name path that has to be manually removed. A real pain in the ass.

But it was only for two or three files and that would render out less than a hundred file paths that would need edited. It seemed the easiest way to go. It was getting near the end of the day, but I decided to contact one of Technical Directors to see if they were aware of the problem.

They weren’t but told me it was likely a Python error. Above my paygrade and something we can look at tomorrow. I place a ticket into our IT request box and left it at that.

It was time to go, and we headed out the door with joy in our hearts.

The weather was warmer, muggier, but at least it wasn’t raining all over us. We walked and chatted and occasionally were entertained by some of the characters that inhabit the city of Toronto. There are all kinds here.

We passed one of the fancier hotels and it was crawling with police in bright yellow jackets, uniformed OPP officers and people holding flags and taking pictures. There were families with soccer shirts, and I quickly noticed it was supporters for the Iraqi soccer team that were congregating around the hotel.

We kept moving, eager to get on a train home and be done with this day.

A train was just arriving to the platform as we mounted the stairs and in no time we were sitting and in a place I could write. Unfortunately, we sat beside a young lady who loved to talk, and I immediately reached into my bag for my noise cancelling earbuds.

Thank the universe for such wonderful technology.

The buds did the trick, and I was able to concentrate, my seat neighbor just a light buzzing in my periphery.

The drive was an easy one with light traffic for a change.

Neither of us wanted to cook this evening, so we made two frozen Dr. Oetker spinachi pizzas. They are a tasty treat to have when there is nothing else.

We watched the Daily Show while we ate and then kiddo #2 came into the room because he’d heard my resolve to never get another cat had softened and wanted to talk about the possibility of anther kitten and to make sure it would be an indoor cat since our last cat Pepper was likely eaten by a coyote.

After some negotiations we settled on getting a kitten, trying to train it to be an indoor cat and we couldn’t get one before our summer vacation at the cottage was done so the kitten had enough time to bond with us. We aren’t allowed to bring pets to the cottage.

Robyn asked if I wanted to take a walk with her, and really, I was tired and cranky and really didn’t want to, but I agreed to go. In truth I needed the exercise and I felt better having gone.

We returned and put on two episodes of The Agency. I love me a good spy novel with espionage and twists and turns. The casting in the show is excellent as well.

After two episodes we’d had enough. We noticed the new season of The Bear had popped up on the Apple TV feed. Now we have something else to watch when we are ready.

As we were leaving to go for the walk my neighbours, who immigrated from India, have rented a camping trailer to spend a week in Algonquin National Park. Their SUV and trailer were doing a good impression of the letter V.

I’m not sure his vehicle can handle all that weight. I told him to jack the trailer up overnight so that he isn’t putting all that weight on his springs. And then I suggested that he unpack the rear of his SUV and load as much of the weight over the axel of the trailer as possible. Hopefully they make it to Algonquin without any issues. Any dirt roads are going to give them some troubles.

But he felt confident about it being all good.

The book I saw on one of the episodes of For All Mankind arrived today. It’s called The Sand Pebbles and is from the late sixties. I managed to get the same cover as the one from the show. Not that it matters, it’s the content inside that matters, but cool all the same.

I’ll probably save that book for our trip to the cottage. It’s about the thickness you’d expect from a paperback book of that era, but the type is tiny. I’m going to need my glasses to read this book for sure.

Kiddo #1 has another friend staying over tonight. It’s always great to see her socializing and laughing with others. She can suffer from bouts of depression sometimes and being around good people keeps her mind healthier.

I know it gets harder to stay in touch with your high school and early childhood friends at that age.

The weather if forecasted to be sunny and warm this weekend. Maybe the first time in a while and we currently have no plans or obligations. Woot!

The true joy of an introvert is to have no plans as your plan.

I could do with just doing nothing all weekend, but I will need to write up a storm to catch up on my word count for the month. I want to write some fiction as well this weekend. Maybe a practice piece for my mentor assignment. Or maybe, I can continue writing sci fi story.

I was talking to a friend who started a beer and wing special website. They launched it at a Niagara Ribfest, and he said it was very successful. And then I saw another post from a guy I used to work with in Niagara who is doing a pop-up for smoked meats, and something called a Texas Twinkle.

I had to look that one up.

It’s a whole jalapeño, stuffed with cream cheese and brisket which is then wrapped in bacon and smoked until the bacon is cooked. It sounds delicious and a little bit dangerous.

Somehow, I think these two guys should meet. They live in the same city and like most of the same things. And their two businesses could benefit from each other.

I’m looking forward to sleeping in again tomorrow. I’ve felt really tired the last two days and I am sure the commuting had something to do with it. We are planning to take a lunch time walk along the trails. And I think kiddo#1 and their friend is going to join us.

I’m sure glad to get the extra day off next week as well for Canada Day. It’s odd to have it on a Wednesday, but beggars can’t be choosers.

I think I am going to call it a night and get a good rest. Time to head downstairs for some cherry juice and some magnesium glycinate. I am too full for kiwis.

Good night all and until tomorrow.