Today on Its Always Sunny in Tokyo III:

The Gang Makes Soup

Sitting in the dark watching Evangelion.

Soccer games and pumpkin patches today. Kids are playing in dried corn, which I’ll be finding everywhere until next fall.

A couple teenage boys are yelling “arrest me daddy” at a police car passing by.

Definitely need contacts or smaller glasses for IMAX stuff. My chunky glasses aren’t the answer.

Field trip day! Just moments away from finding out whether 3D movies make me motion sick.

If my 40s have taught me anything, it’s that I can pull any muscle in my body at any moment. Today it’s my lower back and a rib somehow?

What if Randy Savage had gotten really into green tea and rebranded as “Matcha Man”?

Found a penny.

Ran out of oat milk at the office so I guess I’m putting this vanilla Ensure I found in my coffee.

I just lost The Game.

Just taught 7 and 8 about “The Game.”

They’ve lost repeatedly for about 20 minutes.

Had a problem I expected to spend the day working out and solved it in 10 minutes. Now what?

Here I am whistling in the darkness.

Like Laura Palmer, sometimes my arms bend back. When they do, my sternum pops. It feels amazing.

Watching the GA Auburn game and they’re going to wear out the penalty flags if they’re not careful.

Chilly morning walkies with this little fella.

New from the social desk across the aisle: Reading email threads out loud.

I’m spending a tremendous amount of time outside this week. The weather is perfect, and indoors has no hold on me. I’ve even skipped my nightly gaming sessions to sit on the porch swing and just float in the dark.

Phone just popped up a low battery warning.

Me too, buddy.

My daughter cackled.. CACKLED when I told her there’s a real band called Oingo Boingo.

I’m apparently the AWS guy for a few companies now.

Live your life such that Jane Goodall would never have daydreamed about shooting you off into space.

Overheard in the background of this Zoom call:

“She’s a grown woman. Let her do whatever she goddamn wants.”

Here for it.

Chilling at the office at almost 11pm. Living my best life.

Basically being morale support for my customer while software vendors hash out a problem.

I keep telling myself this beats staying up late playing Borderlands 4

I survived taking all three kids to the dentist! Only two need expensive follow-up appointments.

One of them is the orthodontist, though so 😅

I survived taking all three kids to the dentist! Only two need expensive follow-up appointments.

One of them is the orthodontist, though so 😅

One specialist referral and three scheduled follow-up appointments later and two of the kids are done at the dentist.

What was it that comes in threes?

Just caught a glimpse of my avatar on my MacBook and thought “What’s my mom’s picture doing on there?”

I favor her more and more every year.

Taking three kids to the dentist this morning at the same time. If I survive I’ll be unstoppable.

I guess I’m self medicating my very unmanaged adhd with nicotine for a bit.

Don’t let the days go by

Could’ve been easier on you

I couldn’t change, though I wanted to

It should have been easier by three

Our old friend fear and you and me

Dopamine, dopamine

Don’t let the days go by

Dopamine

Don’t let the days go by….

So much going on today! Better busy than bored.

Accomplished a lot this weekend. Did fun stuff with the family, hung out with some old friends, tidied up, and finally got my radio license.

I’ll take it.

October means the local Oktoberfest brew is on tap at the pizza place.

Passed the amateur radio technician exam today.

In honor of the spooky season I decided to play Dead Space for the first time. It’s a blast.

Today started out really sick(1).

Today is ending with me sick(2).

1. Good
2. Bad

7yo watching me play Borderlands 4:

“Hey! That’s a critical hit. Good job my guy!”

Someone brought their crock pot into work and is slow cooking something good.

I’m so hungry.

New from the social desk across the aisle: Three people are trying to turn on a Mac laptop.

I just stood up and darted from my desk to the office kitchen to do.. something.

I don’t remember what.

I got enough sleep. I’m drinking plenty of water. I had a healthy lunch.

I’m still exhausted.

A great big thank you to whoever milked all the oats for my coffee this morning.

Day one of an improved self care regimen.

I still forgot to eat lunch, but I drank a lot of water and put a protein shake in one of my four cups of coffee.

Baby steps.

My new desk is adjacent to a spot where frankly too many people congregate to talk throughout the day.

Noise cancellation can only do so much when well-meaning coworkers ask me to take it off so they can say hi.

Finally processing this week’s trauma. I’ve cried, screamed, and interrupted my therapist’s vacation. I broke a little.

Now it’s time to rebuild a little stronger.

Today’s post-crisis migraine brought to you by this fucking week.

Finally past the crisis point with my surviving dog so I can take a little time to grieve the one who didn’t make it.

After warnings of dire consequences without intervention, our vet told us our dog will probably be fine if we just don’t do the $5k surgery.

I just want to say thanks for the tremendous outpouring of kindness and support from friends and strangers alike during a pretty bad weekend.

Our dog with the broken scapula is a candidate for amputating his leg.

Buddy, this just isn’t a week to be a dog at our house.

Our surviving dog came home safe, but has a broken scapula. What a weekend.

In better news, someone found our other dog who ran away when everything happened and returned him safely to us.

We lost this best girl today. Feeling a little lost.

I’ve deferred throwing out the contents of my desk for now, but nothing is safe. Everything is in a big box that’s going in the dumpster after I dig out the good parts.

It’s (cubicle) moving day at the office, and I’m very tempted to throw out the contents of my desk instead of dealing with it.

Stay tuned.

It’s a perfect day for the power company to do unannounced maintenance while I’m working from home.

Cloud watching with the kids in the elementary school parking lot.

Youngest spotted a cloud that “looks like a person holding a sock monkey”

I hope this email never finds you.

I’m loving how half-baked iOS 26 UI feels so far. I can handle the new design language. I don’t love it, but I can accept it. But I hate a world where I get a different keyboard, buttons, layouts, etc. depending on what app I’m running. We’ve been doing smartphone UI for 18 years and this feels like a step back.

Not every Monday can be a banger. Today is.. fine. My 5 hour meeting turned into a 3 hour meeting and they brought in sandwiches so yay I guess!

I love the day of a major phone software update. I have very cold hands and it’s nice to have a hand warmer for a couple hours while it finishes up whatever it’s doing.

In the car behind a regular-ass Suburban with limousine license plates.

Who you fooling, buddy?

Oldest had his first bad scene at a middle school birthday party yesterday. He wasn’t involved in any of the drama, but he’s feeling bummed it happened.

Unsurprisingly, the worst behavior came from responsible adults on site.

I, the parent of the year, just gave my 7yo an oatmeal cream pie for breakfast as calories of last resort.

The most welcome words for the weekend “Drop-off birthday party.”

Wordle’s dictionary has been dipping into the romance novels a bit, I’m afraid.

I thought we were out of wine, but we were only out of cheap wine.

The office has installed noise machines to make it harder to accidentally overhear conversations throughout the hall.

They have the unfortunate side effect of being extremely relaxing.

Love a morning where I get to explain what amber alert means to my elementary age kids.

Do better, world.

I am somehow out of wine. What a week.

Proud of the progress oldest made fixing a bunch of missing grades for his first 9 weeks of middle school.

Here’s hoping this isn’t an every 9 week cycle.

I didn’t want to speak too soon yesterday, but Monday really knocked it out of the park this week.

The coffee truck an acquaintance runs was at the kids’ school today! It was fun hanging out with teachers and friends while we waited for our cups.

Coffee tastes so good when you don’t have to make it!

The kids are threatening to tattle on each other to me about stuff they’re arguing about.

But they gave me a radio too so if I was paying attention they’d already be busted.

Kids are playing with some FRS radios:

Oldest: “Do you read me? Do you read me?”

Youngest: “You’re breaking up!”

O: “Do you read me? Do you read me?”

Y: “I do not read you if that is what you’re saying.”

Oldest has reached the “.. and find out” portion of his middle school homework journey.

I’m going to wind up spending most of this afternoon working from the drivers seat of my car. Thank goodness it’s absolutely gorgeous outside.

I’m so caffeinated right now I can almost keep my eyes open!

Back on my lions mane infused coffee until I run out. Stuff is expensive, and I don’t plan to buy any more, but by golly I’m going to use what I have.

Hey you. Yeah, you. You’re gonna kill it today. I believe in you.

Like and subscribe!

Cut the roof of my mouth on a chip, and I’m pretty sure they’re going to have to amputate.

It’s cold in our house, and I’m in heaven. I love blanket season!

My dogs have been subjected to water torture(1) and imprisonment without cause(2) this morning.

1: baths

2: staying in until they’re dry

Went to the grocery store tonight without realizing I looked like I’d been surviving on a desert island.

I’m really glad to see the art thieves at Anthropic pay a little something for their their ill-gotten gains.

I feel like the future holds a short nap followed closely by a long nap.

My wife sent me a video of someone getting a “freckle” tattoo in the shape of a heart.

Being me, I immediately started thinking of other freckle shapes I could secret about my body.

I can’t believe it’s already almost Friday. This week got completely lost in books and work, and I’ve really enjoyed it.

Did some cool nerd shit for work this week. Been telling everyone it would be cool if we did it. Now it’s done and it’s pretty cool.

Watched most of the third season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds over the weekend. It’s starting to maybe feel a little shark-jumpy?

Maybe that’s not fair. It feels like it’s hitting a lot of tropes I don’t love, but I can maybe handle as an homage to classic sci-fi TV.

What a week, huh?

I technically only ever had one glass of wine tonight.

Maybe I topped it off a.. couple times. I wasn’t counting.

I had a dream I was in a musical production where I played the secondary love interest of a herbivorous dinosaur who dreamed of someday being a carnivore.

Burned the brush pile that collected over the summer.

I’m about to fall asleep watching the last embers smolder and listening to our wind chimes sing in the breeze.

Glorious.

AI is revolutionary.

Taco Bell rethinks AI drive-through after man orders 18,000 waters

7yo told me today he’s tired of dad jokes and he’s been tired of them for a long time.

I said “Hi Tired of Dad Jokes. I’m Dad.”

I’m trying to finish off the drinks I don’t like from a bunch of variety packs of energy drinks right now.

I’m now caffeinated enough to really focus on how gross some of these things are.

It’s almost time for second breakfast.

This is your occasional reminder than Alanis Morissette and Uncle Joey from Full House probably had an inappropriate moment in a movie theater.

I may end up writing a song about how much it bugs me, too.

I had a dream I was playing cribbage last night. This is only interesting because I don’t know anything about the game or its rules.

Also, it was played with dice and a chess board. Some light research assures me that isn’t right.

Not sure how my dreaming brain settled on that game.

Ran out of oat milk for my coffee at work. Having some luck mixing in chocolate protein shake instead.

I would just drink it black, but it’s completely vile.

Love this.

I have “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morisette and the fact the song is about Dave Coulier stuck in my head simultaneously.

Struggling with the compulsion to pull on my stitches a week early.

Winning the struggle.

For now.

stretch

Cut my thumb on the lid to a metal can today. Three stitches.

⭐️⭐️

Finished reading: Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson 📚

Day two of school with minimal tears. Fingers crossed day three will go as well.

I kinda think I might covertly adopt my aunt’s heeler one day.

Kids had a single day of school last week, and everyone already seems to have a cold. Missed this.

My 8yo daughter just called me “bruh”

Finished reading: The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas 📚

Finished reading: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson 📚

Our two elementary age kids both have teachers we feel good about this year. Whew!

Tried honey-butter squid snacks a second time to make sure they aren’t for me.

They aren’t for me.

It’s not a “pre-game” it’s “the meeting before the meeting.”

I spent an alarming amount of time in the shower this morning trying to figure out what tool I use to apply conditioner to my hair. I, much like I assume a majority of others, use my hands.

7 is super stressed that he has his first wiggly tooth, and doesn’t know what to expect from it.

I was so incredibly sick yesterday. Thankfully I woke up today feeling almost normal.

Playing catchup with my bookshelves in Epilogue today. Whee.

Currently reading: Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson 📚

Currently reading: The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas 📚

Currently reading: The Complete Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe 📚

Finished reading: Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson 📚

Finished reading: The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson 📚

8, née 7 woke up sick on her birthday. Being a trooper about it.

Finished reading: Confessions of a CIA Spy by Peter Warmka 📚

Currently reading: The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson 📚

Finished reading: Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson 📚

I learned the correct pronunciation of the word “satiety” last week, and now I keep catching myself chanting it and giggling.

It took a couple weeks, but I finally managed to throw out the wadded napkin in my jacket pocket.

That time 6 hid a knife in a breadstick.

Sometimes you just gotta let the kids chase that happy.

6yo keeps shouting “WAR MACHINE” and giggling from his bedroom at bedtime.

I refuse to investigate because I just want him to live his truth sometimes.

There’s a tiny bit of snow coming for us this afternoon. Taking bets we close school.

Back to work tomorrow for the first time since … sometime in December. I don’t actually remember any more.