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day two without Steph – daddy do!

made lunch for the kiddo. Left him a little post-it note inside. Scrubbed the pool and added salt and chemicals. Then sat there and soaked it all in with coffee and Chai. The dog that is. 9:30 appt with Dawn. Physical therapy for my aching tennis elbow. Boy did she stick a bunch of needles in me but ohh Lordy do I feel like a new man! Breakfast of champions at Pops. More coffee ☕️ Changed the battery out of our chirping smoke detector. Picked up the pillow cases from alterations. Sent welcome emails to our new sales and marketing folks starting at Dads company. So exciting! Skimmed thru a little White Lotus 🪷 Re-read the details of my annual performance appraisal. All still good at Dell thank heavens. 😅 cranked out some actual work-work. Then in comes Jules as he flies straight from school to tennis, wondering why his laundry isn’t completely dry. Hot yoga for me at 5:30. Followed by more loving on Chai. A nice hot shower. A beer at Stout. Rounded off by dinner at my favorite haunt, Table & Main. Time now for beddy bye before daddy do it all over again tmrw. Counting the days till you’re back babe 😘

Just dropped off my Uber passengers at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson. They said they’re off to Austin to see the dogs mommy!

back from a really great weekend in Franklin. Aside from the poker fiasco on Friday night, we awoke bright and early come Saturday to get a jump on papoo’s recliner. Steph’s idea was to swap it out while he was still sleeping but wouldn’t you know it, he fell asleep in it while stoking the fire. So Jules and I went right on to this new yoga place in town called the Yoga Den. I’ve taken a class with Sophia before but never with Julian. So that was a hoot. 😝

then onto Bidwell street to check on our tenants the Holder family. Jules listened while we kind of walked the property and talked about their issues. Drainage, a fenced in dog area, the rent increase, and even their own mortality. He is 80 after all. But for a conversation a wasn’t looking forward to, we came away with a firm handshake and a favorable 2 year extension.

Next came tackling our own basement. On Mason Branch. Not a job for the faint of heart. But Jules and I, and even Papoo in his own way, readied a truck load for the dump, a shit load in the smoke house, sweeping junk from basement caverns, breathing in so much noxious filth and dust I envisioned myself a coal miner. All bitchin and moaning aside, got to give all due credit to Steph for being right down there with us, and making it all happen.

then came the actual birthday dinner. And man was that a home run. we had these tender cuts of beef called Teres Major. And a bunch of fresh boiled shrimp. Baked potato bar and more. Gloria made a Pig Pickin’ cake and Mitchell (obviously I don’t call him Papoo) blew out the candles with Muffie in his lap.

to top it off, as I was laying there on the floor, stuffed from the meal and exhausted from the day, Jules twists my arm to go shoot pool. It was weird and country and he beat me every single game.

it’s not nearly October yet but a radically awesome Halloween costume just came to me. Mark Scout from Severance. I’ve been Richie Tenenbaum for long enough. This is the year to embody my new persona. Hopefully Steph agrees to be Helly R.

It’s actually embarrassing how bad I played tonight. First I lost with pocket aces. I bet a measly $10 pre-flop and a couple guys called. My aces got to be good (or so I think) when a 5, 7, 9 flop out. And duh, of course one guy is hiding his good fortune🙈 (smiling his ass off with a 6,8 in his hand). I proceed to lose a bundle on that one. So I build back. Play smart. Win a bunch of hands. Monkey see monkey do 🐵 Yet no sooner am I back on top then I go and do something stupid again. Pocket 8s. I bet ‘em hard. One caller. Flop comes. 7,10, Jack. Fuck it i say. Bet big again. It’s just me and him. The ‘Turn’ comes and it’s an 8!! I have trips! Man I’m good. So blindsided to the reality of his ridiculous ‘All-In’. And right there, before God and everyone, he reveals his pocket 9s for the win. How could I be so stupid?! I got up, put my jacket and left the table. vowing to myself, never to come back to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino to play poker again. 🐒

Butt Crack! A new series of photographic works by Stephanie. Here I am putting away the puzzle.

Signed up for the 5k. So sad what happened to their son yet such awareness they’ve raised. Stop the hazing.

I better get in shape. And quick

Grad party is fully on! mechanical bull is out (logistical nightmare) so that’s a relief. Now can devote more attention to getting the right DJ! Thankfully my yoga instructor has a festival background. Gonna be a house party at thompson place!!

A Roswell police officer, just 24 years old, was shot and killed outside a local supermarket while responding to a dispatch for a “suspicious looking individual”. I took this picture of Stephanie as we walked to his procession. It was a befittingly somber and rainy day. The umbrella she’s holding has a significance all of its own but that’s a story for another day. This is such a sad time for our Police force and our community as we collectively mourn the senseless death of Officer Jeremy LaBonte