Bag of Randomness
Wednesday, September 2, 2026

We’ve taken this pumpkin spice bit too far, haven’t we?

I’m sorry for not blogging earlier this week. Sunday was my birthday, and I just wanted to do things other than blog.

Nothing like being unemployed for two straight birthdays.

I could have worked on blogging on Monday, but that morning, I accepted a job offer and had to submit all sorts of paperwork for a background check and security clearance, which took longer than expected.

Yup, you read that right. Barring the background check, I will start a new job in two weeks. It’s a six-month contract-to-hire opportunity, so I’ll have to prove myself. But it looks like for the first time in 15 months, I will no longer be unemployed. It’s been a humbling experience, but hopefully I was able to work through adversity and become more resilient. As if the last five years going through divorce, paralysis, and other issues weren’t enough. Here’s hoping I can finally move forward.

Gratefully, health insurance is offered. Although I have to work 60 calendar days before I become eligible for benefits, those won’t start until the first of the following month. So, that means December. However, there is no PTO. I find some humor in this. “Of course we’ll provide you with health insurance; we just won’t give you any time off to see the doctor.” To my surprise, compared to my last gig, I’ll be taking home only about six percent less.

It’s a hybrid role, which I welcome. On Mondays and Fridays, I can work from home. It will be nice to get out of the house more often, and the office is just nine miles away. I’m sure the dogs will adjust accordingly.

My new job title will officially be: Sr. IT Infrastructure Business Analyst. Well, should nothing go wrong between now and then. I was wary of posting anything in fear of jinxing things.

Huge birthday gripe: The multiple insincere birthday messages from my doctor’s office. It started with a nearly Sunday morning phone call in which an AI voice or recording wished me a very generic happy birthday.

On top of that, they sent two birthday text messages, one birthday email, and another through their app. I can deal with all those, but the 8 am Sunday phone call full of false sincerity really irked me.

BoyGeeding played in his third volleyball game of the season. Even though he’s a freshman and not as developed as his older teammates, he’s really carved out a niche as a setter. By my count, he had four assists last night and one dig.

During one time-out, the student section broke into song, singing I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys.

At the game, I met some genuinely nice folks I probably haven’t spoken to in about 15 years. They had a kiddo playing on the opposing team. One kindly asked if I still maintain BagOfNothing.

I also got to know another parent pretty well. He said he went to high school at DeSoto. But to my surprise, he had absolutely no idea about the current news about the football team. They’ve been trending because they traveled to Florida to play a game, refused to shake hands at the coin toss, and then got beat. But what I’m surprised most folks haven’t mentioned is that before leaving to play the game, a Nike-wrapped Rolls-Royce showed up on campus to help deliver equipment.

You know what’s impressive and surprising? Not one photo from Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s wedding has leaked. That couple knows how to keep a lid on things.

Here’s something I forgot to share about Meet the Teacher. When one teacher introduced himself, he asked all male students sitting at desks to get up and make sure all the ladies- female students and mothers- were seated first.

Mark Cuban and Senator Ted Cruz got into a Twitter spat yesterday.

Very cringe-worthy of our current VP: Speaking during a rally in Michigan, vice-president JD Vance raised eyebrows when he remarked that the US was about to “celebrate” the 25th anniversary.

But at least he quickly corrected himself.

This reminds me of my old HOA. One neighbor lived across the street from a school and always complained about the school traffic. I wanted to know what the heck she expected when she bought a house across the street from a school.

Much in the same vein, what do you expect when you buy a house next to Universal Studios?

I never understood the idea of making it harder for the citizenry to participate in our democratic republic.

Link

The USS Abraham Lincoln and two other US Navy vessels are due to dock at Laem Chabang Port, near Pattaya, from 2 to 6 September. The stop will give crews time to rest after spending more than 200 days without a full port visit.

Thailand has to plan accordingly.

Fewer twins are being born, per Axios.

Amazon is getting a jump on the holiday season; this was in my Inbox yesterday. Labor Day hasn’t even passed.

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