My Thoughts - April 2026

April 2nd, 2026. 1:49 PM

I am back home after a few days on the road. I am sorry I didn't update more during the trip, I simply didn't have time. NEOCites isn't very mobile friendly, and I didn't have the energy at the hotels after long days at the parks. Our trip was very fun, with lots of Cook Out, Waffle House, and Bojangles. We met many people and had a great time. I will be writing more information on a separate page soon.

Yesterday was my first day back working at Cedar Point. It was cold, but luckily Plaza is heated. I got my uniform, however I made the mistake of leaving it at Plaza. It was nice to catch up with my coworkers Max and Kyrah, along with my Supervisors Maddison and Mikaylah. After work, I went home and napped until 9:30pm, woke up until 11, then slept until I woke up for work. I was very exhausted from working on 4 hours of sleep.

Tomorrow I am going to the Guardians Home Opener in Cleveland. I work in the morning, before heading up to CLE for the game. I am very excited to see the Guardians play again, as I didn't get to go to a game at ALL in 2025.

Lastly, I am very excited for this weekend overall. I get to go home for Easter, visit Buc-ee's in Dayton Ohio for opening day, and I get to see Nate on Tuesday. Everything is shaping up for a great April.

April 4th, 2026. 7:54 PM

The Guardians home opener was a thrilling game to watch. Guardians won against the Cubs 4-1, which was awesome. I went to the game with my Dad, Steph, my brother, and a few other people. I tried the brisket dawg, and for the $13, it was alright. My only complaint about modern MLB is that the game is too short now.

Another thrilling part of my Friday was having my shirt press catch on fire TWICE during my 4 hour shift. There was a bad electrical connection inside the housing that was sparking up. We replaced the bad parts and now it works just fine.

Work today was really fun. We sold out and did shipping orders for most of the day. We also had EMS come in because someone passed out, but he was OK. Overall a solid day.

Tomorrow is Easter, which is going to be fun. I'll get to see family I hadn't seen since Christmas, since I was sick. I was originally planning on going to Sandusky after dinner, but since my Monday plans have shifted, I will go back Monday.

Artemis II took off on the first. I have been following along for a few days now. I have a friend from high school who's very familiar with the Artemis program, and I have been asking so many questions. I wish I could have seen the rocket launch live, but I was at work. The mission seems to be doing well if the only noteworthy things so far have been Outlook issues and a toilet issue. They've sent back some cool pictures, which is also super cool.

Lastly, I have a few site updates. I am 75% complete on Southern Thaw pages, just need to do Kings Dominion. I am also planning to get the 2025 park pages finished this week too. I am also debating on if I want to do a "Q1" life update with the blog. On one hand, it would be a nifty thing to be able to see a recap of the last 3 months as well as my current life. On the other...Idk what I would include. If anyone has feedback I would appreciate it.

April 7th, 2026. 10:48 AM

Easter was a relaxing day. I got to have dinner with my Grandparents, and had a slow easy morning at my Mom's house. Overall, Easter Sunday was relaxing.

However, the saga of the Buc-ee's attempt is one for the ages.

Monday was an easy start. I left for BGSU at 1 PM, and made it there at 4:30 PM. After Thompson picked us up at 5, we would also pick up Chris and Sydney. We would begin our drive down to Dayton to visit Buc-ee's but about 45 minutes in we developed a low tire pressure warning. Thompson assumed it was because of the chaotic winter and pulled off to get air. After 10 additional miles, it came back, and we discovered it was a bad tire. Lucky for us we were approaching Lima Ohio, which has a Wal-Mart Supercenter. After being informed that they did not carry his tire, we would attempt to put the spare on.

The problem with this is that Thompson's car was a Mercedes. If you are unfamiliar, Mercedes has wheel locks for the wheels, which requires a special key to remove the lug nuts. We called around to see if a tire shop carried his tire. One tire shop did over by the Lima Mall. After filling the tire up, we made the slow 20 minute drive to the shop to hopefully get the tire replaced.

They did not have the wheel lock key either.

After an hour, they did somehow get it to work, and replaced the tire. At this time it was 7:30 PM, and we decided to turn back to BGSU. We took the back roads, and took it slow and easy getting back, getting in around 9. We decided on our way back to go to Waffle House, because it at least would make up for a rather bad evening.

We are going to attempt another trip tomorrow. I honestly do not mind this, since it will be less busy and we might have a better time.

In other news, Nate comes back to Ohio tonight. I will be picking them up from the airport after work. I really miss them. We will be going to a NEO classic for dinner, Swenson's, because I want a Swenson's burger, and Nate also really likes Swenson's.

Lastly, I noticed how each post for April gets longer and longer, which I think is funny. Hopefully with more regular updates it will get smaller. I also plan to get the KD page ready by the end of Thursday.

April 9th, 2026. 4:38 PM

Working at Cedar Point has been so fun so far this season. Working at Pagoda and seeing my coworkers again is really fun. I did really like the change up to Pagoda, since I usually only work in Area 1. Working at Cedar Point also goes by so quickly compared to CPSC, but I think part of it is the different surroundings.

Yesterdays second attempt to visit Huber Heights Buc-ee's was a success. I will be writing a page about that by the end of the week For now, I will post a picture below of the First Buc-ee's in Ohio!

This week has been busy with work. Actually, most of this month I will be working, split between CePo and CPSC. I need to discuss with my manager the process for leaving for the summer. I intend to do that next week.

April 11th, 2026. 5:18 PM

Working at Cedar Point has been a lot of fun this week, and I am so excited for the season to finally begin. There's been so much to do, and it's been keeping me busy.

Yesterday, I went to CLE to get my car, and while I planned to go to Scooter's for dinner, we ultimately didn't as the rain was too much. We went to Harry's Steakhouse instead, and it was pretty good.

Weather today is sunny and 50. I plan to take a quick nap, get a haircut, and take it easy tonight. Ultimately, its been pretty chill.

April 12th, 2026. 10:09 PM

I have been feeling rather anxious recently. I won't get into it too deeply, since I don't know if its the best idea, but its not work related. I am fairly confident I am overthinking things, but I am usually really good at feeling this specific issue out. I don't want a repeat of August/September 2025, but it is feeling rather strongly of it.

Work today was alright. The anxiety I have been feeling since Friday evening hasn't helped much. It was solid though otherwise. I was busy and we got a good number of sales at CPSC.

April 13th, 2026. 5:46 PM

Today is my two month anniversary with Nate. They have made my life the best it has been in a long time. They mean so much to me, and I am thankful that I not only have met Nate, but that they are my partner. When I am having a bad day, they make everything better. I can't believe it has already been two months with Nate.

April 15th, 2026. 6:24 PM

Last few days have been pretty fun (and busy) while the next few days will be equally busy.

Monday Nate and I went out to see the new Super Mario Galaxy Movie. I thought it was pretty good. The plot is very quick, and there is many references to other Nintendo properties.

I worked Tuesday at the CPSC, and it was just me doing my usual tasks. I made another TikTok, which was...interesting since I left my laptop at home. While I was at work, I created the conceptual "Gas Station Trifecta" meal. More can be found here. I also finally finished the Southern Thaw pages.

Shelby invited Nate, Jacob, Sage, Jack, Jill, and I to a dinner with her and her mom, since she is moving back to Pennsylvania. We went to Berardi's for dinner, and while I had already ate, I got pretzel bites as a snack. I felt somewhat sad knowing that this will be the last time I see Shelby for some time. She has been a good friend to me for the last three years, and I hope her career goes far.

Today I was working at CePo. It was a fun day working, as I got to help get my location ready for the 2026 season. I also got to have lunch with Nate while at work, which was wonderful. Right now we're dealing with a nasty thunderstrom, so I am doing my laundry and getting ready for my grandparents 50th anniversary. I am excited to go, since most of my family will be there.

April 21st, 2026. 8:05 PM

The last week has been very busy, and I am not surprised I haven't been able chime in. Let me recap:

The remainder of my Wednesday was uneventful. Once the storms passed and my laundry completed I left for Cleveland. I got there by 10 and I went to bed at a reasonable time.

Thursday I went to Costco with my Dad and Grandpa and got my first Costco hotdog in sometime. We also finished shopping for the meals during the trip. Getting down to the farm house wasn't too difficult, and the evening was spent relaxing after dinner.

Friday, before my cousins could make it down from school, I went to Buc-ee's, and when they got down we tacos and a campfire.

Saturday we all went to play minigolf and did a ropes course before the rain. I took a nap before dinner and left back for Sandusky.

Sunday I worked the OVR Championships, and it was the busiest I have ever worked at the CPSC.

Monday I worked at CePo, and helped with set up. I also had dinner with Nate before going to the last RAIL meeting in BG for the semester. Before the meeting, I had a chat with Alexis, and it was lovely.

Today I woke up with a headache, and I woke up late. While I worked at the CPSC, Cole and I had to cleanup and restock after the madness that was OVR Championships. I also made another TikTok, and I wasn't thrilled with how it looked. I also only had until 2pm. After work I took a nap and since I have been taking it easy.

I am writing a dedicated trip page for the anniversary trip, and I hope to be finished by the end of the week. I also plan to see the MJ movie this week, and I am very excited for it. I will get more thoughts out there soon.

April 22nd, 2026. 6:12 PM

Today I got to help clean up the back area of the park to get ready for opening day. I got to finally take a nice long walk around the park, and seeing (and hearing!) the park waking up from its winter slumber is a very interesting experience. I worked with a few people, including Jacob, and it was a nice experience. The only change I would have done was dressing lighter, it was pretty warm in the park.

After, I hung out with Josh. We got some Steak and Shake, (I got some fries) and we took a long walk after. He's visiting Sandusky for the week before heading back to Cincinnati for work.

I have also been working on stuff around the site including:

Writing anniversary trip page. It probably won't be done as soon as I thought it would, but it is getting worked on.

Added new entry to the Cooking with Alex page, go take a look!

Currently considering updating all Phase III sites to Phase IVb, the design I believe I will consistently go with going forward. I am not very happy with how it looks, however I might keep one page as Phase III for history sake. I also intend to update various other pages to make them consistent.

Later today I will be hanging out with Nate. They had a rough day, I hope I can make them feel better.

April 24th, 2026. 10:24 PM

Holy crap the Michael Jackson movie is so good. Just got home after seeing it with Nate and omg it is easily my favorite biopic. I will be seeing this again. I bought the fidora popcorn bucket, and I plan to turn it into an actual hat.

Last night I went to Patina Porch with Nate, Jill, Carolyn, and Mary B, and it was a great time. They had trivia night, and my team won! It was a good time, and Mary B helped us a lot. The bar is cute, and is a vibe. After Nate and I went to their apartment and we watched some TV.

Tomorrow is my mom's birthday, and while I can't see her on her birthday (I work at CPSC) I do plan to visit on Sunday after work.

I have been thinking about all the work I have been doing. Its been somewhat stressful, especially since I have had so little time off. However, I work so much so I can take Nate out and make them feel special. I need to find other ways to do that, because I am afraid I will get stale before 6 months, and I don't wanna lose Nate.

April 26th, 2026. 8:36 AM

Minor site updates to discuss today, here's a list of my plans for the site (and approx ETA to finish):

-Update all multiday park trip pages to Phase IV styling (should take a day or so)
-Updating various pages to Phase IV (Should take a day or so)
-Work on anniversary trip page (approx 2 days?)
-Finish trip reports for 2025 (IDK)

Work this weekend has been very slow. Yesterday was the slowest day I have ever worked, and I almost went insane. I got so bored I started doing moon missions in Space Flight Simulator. I am really bad at them, but I have landed a few times.

I am going home to see my mom tonight, since her birthday was yesterday. I will stop to get her some flowers for her birthday, since I think she will like that. She doesn't know I will be coming in, I hope it will be a good surprise.

April 28th, 2026. 12:48 PM

Gas prices jumped quite a bit recently. It was at about $3.90ish give or take, now its at $4.30! I might have to start cutting parks from my 2026 lineup. I think I can live without a visit to Indiana Beach and possibly MA.

I have had some strange dreams recently. They're either about being in alternate realities, or Taylor getting upset with me. Last night specifically, I had a dream that I was on a road trip with both Michael and Jaafar Jackson, along with Taylor. I did something while we were driving and they got so upset they began to fly away when we stopped at Buc-ee's. Dreams are a weird thing I must say.

In work related news the causeway to Cedar Point has finally reopened. It was closed since January to do much needed work to improve it. It will be a multi-year project, and they're doing it when the park is closed. It is also my last week at CPSC for the summer, since I plan to focus fully at Cedar Point. Opening day is under 2 weeks away, and I am very excited.

Last night Nate cooked dinner, and we watched Pirates 2. I thought it was a good movie, and I can't wait to watch Pirates 3. Caroline is coming back to Sandusky today, so hopefully the 3 of us can hang out together.

April 30th, 2026. 7:56 AM

I think I am stressed out. I've been having weird dreams about alternate realities, and people being mad at me. Right now its making me really anxious. Last night, I had a dream that involved Taylor. In my dreams they feel so real. So real, I have to remind myself that I am not dreaming, and it is real. I have been afraid of losing my friends. Taylor has been in my dreams the most, and I think it is because I am afraid to lose them as one of my most trusted friends.

Of course, I have made decisions that would justify my friends not wanting to be friends with me. I have been keeping things from them, and when they (esp Taylor) found out, got rightfully upset. I only did that so I wouldn't cause issues, which is ironic retrospectively. I only did this because sometimes I fear that they will get so upset that I will lose them forever. I am afraid to lose my friends. I am afraid to lose Taylor as a friend.

It makes sense why I am feeling stressed overall. Gas hit $4.99/gal here in Sandusky yesterday, and I have been working so much. In fact, I have only had a total of 5 days off this month. I wouldn't be surprised if all this work between CePo and CPSC has begun to make me a little crazy. I want to fix things. I want to stop stressing out. It feels like I don't know how to do that anymore.

With the end of the month finally upon me, and summer just around the corner, I think I will stop stressing so much. Caroline and I hung out Tuesday night, and yesterday I was able to relax after work. April is finally coming to a close, I hope I can begin to calm down and relax in my life.