days_unfolding

Got the letter ready to send about my student loans. I need to get up early and mail it.

Woke up at 6:15 AM. Because I need to mail the letter, I decided to get up. I think that I want to go back to sleep though. I’ll mail the letter tonight.

One of my coral bells is missing? WTF?

Do I want to take a flower-arranging class? In a couple of weeks, there's one at the place where I picked up the plants yesterday.

It's raining again.

I really want to take a nap.

Found the coral bell. Someone (Bella?) dug it up. I put it in a planter until I can replant it. I want to get more irises for the garden. They should be planted in fall, not spring though. I read an article that says that spring is okay.

I found a podcast from The Atlantic: How to Age Up. It would be good to listen to while I'm cleaning. I also found a senior living place in the area that sounds interesting: ClarkLindsey. I'm also looking at Evanston, my home town. There's a place called The Clare in downtown Chicago that sounds wonderful, but I get the feeling that it costs megabucks.

I bought some investment books. I'm buying used books at ThriftBooks. They have most books at a discount. Bought some irises.

Fed us all. Ran out to mail the letter.

I bought the Roam Luggage at which I had been looking. I wound up with Aspen (light gray with white trim) instead of London (black with tan trim) because I wanted something that would be easy to spot in a baggage claim.

Booked my hotel before the cruise and the flights. I splurged a little and got Economy Plus seats. And I booked the Hilton that's across the street from O'Hare Airport for ease of traveling. (I'll need to come up on Christmas Eve and stay over through my flight on Christmas.) The room has a view of the runway! And I booked a nice hotel in San Diego. I won't book the Sardinia trip until I check the dates with my boss, who is at the conference right now.

Heck. I'm hungry. I'll post and have some oatmeal. Then I'll fill some litter boxes and go to bed.

Overslept my alarm. I had three cats in the bedroom. Now Zara is in the kitchen with the youngsters. Good girl. Managed to take a shower without Oliver in the bathroom.

I looked at Little Free Library kits because that would be a way to get rid of my extra books, but sheesh. Expensive. I'll have to think about that.

Mimi is on my lap, quacking. I told her that she's awfully furry for a duck. All's right with her world. I heard a loud crash from downstairs. Do I want to know what that was? Oliver is at the gate, and Mimi is annoyed. He's insisting on staying up here because I'm doing something! And he wants to know what!

If we got snow last night, it's melted. No, there's a dusting on the ground that I couldn't see from my desk.

Mimi is on window patrol. She's not going to like it when I have that tree taken down when I have the garage built.

Got the dog stuff set up, part of which is cat stuff. I wanted to move a litter box in with Zara because she might not want to come in the bedroom if the dog is there. Oliver and Lily checked out the dog bed. Tried to nap but didn’t quite fall asleep. I’ve been cuddling with Lily the Love Bug.

I looked into a board to go over the aquarium. It looks like I'd need manufactured wood, which comes in 4 feet by 8 feet, and a saw (I'd probably have to buy a used circular saw) to cut it to size. Does anyone know of a way to get someone to cut the board for you? I'd rather not get a saw that I won't usually use. And I don't have a workbench. I did find a used folding workbench that I could buy. Or plexiglass? I need something that would hold the weight of a cat. (The lid that it has does not.) Hmm, maybe I should ask Erik (my ex) what he recommends. (Sent an email.)

Hmm. My nose runs all winter long. I figured that it was something that I had to put up with, but maybe I should ask the doctor about it? Which reminds me, I need to make an appointment with my primary, but I don't like her, so I'm procrastinating. I need to find someone else. Okay, I scheduled an appointment. I like being able to schedule one online. And I checked Dr. Google, and runny noses during winter are normal, if annoying.

I looked up info about the Urbana Dog Park. I think that I should train Bella to come when called before I take her there. I need to look into training classes. Dog treats. I didn't get dog treats. Ordered some from Amazon. Oh, I also could pick some up at the Walmart where I'm meeting the dog shelter person.

I received another Green Chef box, and I'm not done with the last one. I need to do mass amounts of cooking this weekend.

Just remembered to stick a pen in my purse because I'm sure that I'll have to sign things when I pick Bella up. Although I did fill out some forms online, so maybe not?

Poor Lily is not happy that I'm upstairs without her. I explained to her that it's because of her brother, but she misses me.

I was about to leave to go pick up Bella (I’m meeting the shelter person at the Walmart on Bloomington, about an hour from here, and I want to pick up dog treats there) when the shelter person texted me that they were running about an hour late. It worked out well because I needed to heat up the car to get rid of some ice, so I did that and ran an errand. Now I’m having some quality time with Lily and Oliver.

I got there in plenty of time before the shelter person got there and bought four different kinds of dog treats for Bella (and some human treats too). I waited inside the Walmart for them to text me because it was cold outside. Finally they did, and I drove over too them, and they gave me Talley/Bella. She was crawling along the ground, poor scared girl, but she jumped in the car.

I forgot to wear my night vision glasses on the way back. (They did help on the way out.) Bella came out of the car willingly and went into the yard. She did not pee. She really didn't want to come in the house, but she finally did. I brought her into the bedroom because it was quiet. She saw my bed and promptly jumped on it. (So much for the dog bed that I bought. I wonder if I can return it?) Oliver and Lily came in and met Bella and seemed a little cautious (which is to say, Oliver didn't get in her face) but were mostly unfazed.

I gave Bella some food and water, but she didn't touch it. She ate treats from my hand though, so I hand-fed her some food. Then I gave her the bowl on the bed, and she ate a lot. I gave her water on the bed, and she drank. I took her outside, and she didn't pee. I fed the cats.

Now she's in the bedroom. I'm going to try taking her out one more time and then get ready for bed. I'm going to set my alarm for 5 AM to take her out again. Then I'll feed her and the cats, and then go back to sleep.

Okay, I ordered a space heater that's supposed to be small but mighty. And portable. We'll see how it works.

Mimi is telling me that it’s tough being a cat.

I'm feeling warmer upstairs today, although I'm making some tea.

I ordered a used copy of Roses for Dummies, written by the same guy who wrote my lawn care book. He seems to be a pretty good author. Oh, I forgot mention that there are daffodils blooming in the back yard. I want to get some irises to plant in the front garden in front of the roses-to-be so that I have a multi-season garden. I also ordered used copies of Flowering Bulbs for Dummies and Trees and Shrubs for Dummies. Hmm, now I'm wondering if the front garden should be just an iris garden, and I would put roses somewhere else. Oh! a place that I looked at has daylilies too! I like daylilies! No, I think that I want an iris garden near my bedroom. Maybe I could mix in some daylilies to make it two seasons? I could expand the tiny garden area near the porch for the roses. Or maybe an iris garden and a separate daylily garden in front, with roses elsewhere? Hmm, irises are poisonous to dogs, but rarely fatal. Daylilies are poisonous to cats, but my cats don't go outside. There is a cat in the neighborhood that goes in my yard though. Very friendly cat. Maybe I should just have a dog run in the back yard and keep a dog out of the front yard. But the dog will want to run around. Maybe the whole back yard could be for the dog.

Okay, I think that I figured it out. Rose garden near my bedroom because roses have thorns. Iris garden by the front porch. I'll expand both garden beds and put in edging. No daylilies. I found a really great iris company.

I'm looking at hostas, but they are poisonous to dogs.

I need to take a picture of the daffodils in the back yard because I think that I want to dig them up and give them away. Hmm, I need to get on the local Freecycle and Buy Nothing groups.

I found some instructions on how to remove grass around trees and add mulch. I read that mowing near trees isn't good for them. I'm looking at used electric weed wackers on Facebook Marketplace.

Ugh. I'm going to have to hire someone to till the garden areas. A tiller weighs from 100-200 pounds, which is too heavy for me.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I registered yesterday for my conference in Minneapolis in May. I'm taking the train over there, which should be interesting.

Okay. Made some phone calls. Zara's meds are being shipped to me (at the right address). The Daily Look box is getting picked up tomorrow and getting reshipped to me. I called about the CPAP, and I'll ship it to them via UPS this weekend.

Both cats are completely crashed out, but I expect Zara to get up for food in an hour or two.

The estate sale guy called, and I will be getting almost $7000. I asked if they could send the check overnight mail, and they said that they would have to get back to me on that. I'd like to have it before I go back to Michigan.

I talked to my advisor and came up with some strategies for getting help with my classes. She also suggested garage sales and estate sales for me to get bookcases. I looked on Facebook Marketplace, and found a couple who makes bookcases to order for cheaper than Wayfair charges for flimsier bookcases. I'd have to get someone to move them for me though.

I looked up to see Zara giving me the "I want food" stare (done). And oh ho, someone tried to get into the catnip. I put it on a top shelf.

I had a session with the TA for my programming class. It was very helpful. She also is willing to do code reviews of our assignments, and she looked at mine and found some errors that I made. We also had a group study session.

I got the recycling out, which involved flattening several boxes and getting them outside. No one picked up my garbage yesterday.

I need to work on my program, but I'm tired, so I'm going to go to bed early and get up early to work on it.

Hmm. I usually stop first at the AIDS chapel at Grace Cathedral at the beginning of any San Francisco trip, but it opens at 10 AM. My breakfast place opens at 7 AM. So I need to stall for a while.

My hotel is on a great street for people-watching. I saw a really cute guy waiting for my DoorDash yesterday. I guess that I'm seeing the sights :)

Wow. I have some large bruises on my left arm. I have no idea what happened.

I'm looking at other train trips that I could take. I told Dad that I might take the train to Washington DC to see the museums. We got into a conversation about the Smithsonian. New York is another possibility. Hmm, I wonder if I could swing a short trip next year.

I also told Dad that I wanted to go to London and see the museums. He said that he never wanted to go to London. Then we talked about Paris, and he encouraged me to go. I'd want to brush up on my French though.

I need to charge my FitBit watch, so I have more time to kill. I removed my nail polish because it was chipping. I like how it looked, though, so I'm going to pick some up at Walgreens. I got my camera strap attached to my camera with the help of YouTube. Hmm, now I'm looking at a nail salon near Union Square, but I don't know its hours.

I stopped at Walgreens and bought some nail polish and makeup brushes. The person working there loaded me up with freebies, even though I told her that I was traveling and had limited space.

I found the breakfast place. It's crowded, which is a good sign. I had Smoked Salmon Benedict, and it was perfection.

I made it up Nob Hill, stopping to rest a few times. I made it to Grace Cathedral. Apparently they're charging for entrance now, which annoyed me slightly but whatever. I sat in the AIDS chapel for a long time. It is still a peaceful place. But this time I felt a message of survival. It seems wrong in a way, given how many people died, including two of my friends. But the world keeps on turning, which is reassuring. I also walked the labyrinth outside. I like how it brings you close to the center and brings you back out. Like life.

The following picture is of the Keith Haring triptych at the AIDS chapel. I felt a little guilty taking a picture inside Grace Cathedral, but no one else was there and no one stopped me.

I went to Chinatown and shopped until I dropped. I bought a sweatshirt that said "The City" (what locals call San Francisco). An incense burner, a bracelet, and a kite. And an amber necklace. Now I've stopped for lunch in a Chinese restaurant. The waitress didn't understand me--I was the only non-Asian person in the place--so I wound up with crab soup. It was good though. And I brought the leftovers back with me. I need to pick up some utensils.

I went to City Lights, and got a pile of books, mostly on Buddhism and one about the social construction of the self, which sounded interesting. I'm glad that I bought a pile of books because I want the bookstore to stay in business.

Then I had way too many bags to walk back. I ordered an Uber, and a guy showed up in a Tesla! Only in California :) I gave him the wrong address though, so I had to walk up the street to my hotel.

I need to find a post office or UPS store and mail packages back to myself. There is a UPS store in the Fairmont Hotel that's open tomorrow. Excellent.

7818 steps so far :)

Now I think that it's nap time.

( More pictures )

Got a bunch of stuff done on the kitchen before I went to sleep. Already my plan is working.

Wow, I'm feeling groggy today. My nap didn't help much.

I got my books of musical scores for my singing lessons. I found some songs that I can work on. I think that I want to start on "Till There Was You" from The Music Man. It's such a pretty song. I got two copies of one of the books, so I need to return the extra copy to Amazon.

Because I'm feeling so groggy, I decided to stay in today and bring clothes to the resale shop tomorrow. I pushed my singing lesson later to give me more time tomorrow. I paid another bill.

Zara is lurking and wants food. I think that the cats think that I am a feeding machine.

I finally opened my laptop-camera backpack and love it. I think that it will work well on my trips.

I got an urn from the cremation society that I didn't order. I sent an email to them asking WTF? in a polite way and asked if I could drop it by them.

Shit, shit, shit. I called Truist bank (the Delta Sky Miles bank), and the reason that I didn't get my debit card is because they think that the account was opened for fraud. They told me that I have to visit a branch, and their branches are on the East Coast and South. The fraud protection people are there only during the week, so I'll call back on Monday. They have $11,000 dollars of my money that I want back. What a clusterfuck. Well, at least I'm wide awake now :) They do have a branch in Cincinnati, which is a four-hour drive from here, but I'd rather get it settled over the phone.

Facebook had an ad for a candlelight performance of Mozart's Requiem in downtown Detroit, and I bought a ticket. They also had Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, but the performance is today, so it's not happening.

I think that I want to get the magazines off of the bookcase in the hall upstairs and use it for the books that I bought. I don't think that I'll have enough room in the recycle bin this week, but maybe next week.

I think that I'll shower and deep-condition my hair. I also got the manicure stuff, so I'll give myself a manicure too (without nail polish). I've decided to do that before bed, and now I'm taking out the garbage and recycling out from the kitchen, with breaks when my back hurts.

I'm running out of steam. I think that I need some Prince on the CD boombox. Oh ugh. The boombox isn't working or the CD is hosed (and it was new). I tried another CD and it's the boombox. I need another one because I can't get this house cleaned without music. Okay, I bought one that doubles as a portable DVD player.

Did some dishes and started watering the orchids. I'm going to need to repot a couple of the orchids, so I ordered some pots and orchid bark. I'm completely out of steam, but I got a lot done today. I'll take a progress picture tomorrow. I think that I'll read some of my camera book and set up the camera. I got the camera set up. I'm going to post and take the camera book up to bed with me. Tomorrow I can play with the camera.

I was able to get an "eCard" for eBooks at the local library, so I checked out Martha Stewart's book on organizing and am reading it. She has good ideas, but a lot of them requires attaching hardware to the walls and ceiling, which I can't do. I found a slightly cheaper spice rack on eBay, so I bought it.

Yay. I now have a garbage can. Far out. Now I'm wondering if I should have asked for the bigger can because I'm decluttering as I unpack.

I got a nastygram abut one of my overdue library books (using the interlibrary loan via our consortium), so I need to run to the U of I library and return them. I'm going to run errands in my gym clothes after yoga. No one will care. (They didn't.)

I went to yoga. I had an insight: I was getting frustrated with how stiff I was, and then I thought, "Well, then it's good that I'm taking this class!" I told the yoga instructor about those thoughts, and she beamed at me and said that she was glad that I was in the class :)

I got some interesting desserts at the local grocery store, including some "lemon squares," which are lemon bars without the powdered sugar and are totally awesome. I also got a peach pie and Louisiana Crunch Cake. So I'm set for sweets.

I got a (public) library card! Then I checked out a pile of books on organizing your home. And I found out how to do interlibrary loan.

And I returned the consortial library books after some confusion where the book drop is at the main university library. They don't make it easy on you. On the way there, I drove down the street where the university bigwigs must live because the houses are huge and close to the university. I live in the tiny houses part of town. The online list of university libraries and hours has a cool feature. If you click the icon of a coffee cup, it pops open a Google map with all the coffeeshops near the library.

I had a self-esteem moment. I realized that I accomplished everything that I set out to do last fall (well, I'm still wrapping up the move, but I'll get it done). Move the things that I wanted from my aunt's house? Check. Move the things that my mom wanted from my aunt's house? Check. Get good enough grades in my classes to continue with the program? Check. Move? Partial check and I'm working on it.

I had a feeling that when I got the mail that I'd hear from my friend Lance, and I did. He sent me a Christmas card. His handwriting is always challenging, but I got more out of it the second time that I read it :) He's itching to move somewhere else too (he lives in Kansas City), but doesn't know where or when.

I read some articles about keeping your mobility as you get older. They recommended yoga and tai chi, which is also in plan. And they recommended a walking habit. I looked at Mayo Clinic's walking plan, and it starts with five minutes of warm up, five minutes of walking, and five minutes of cool down. I can do that. And I pulled out cards for some of the yoga poses that we did in class to practice them. And I asked ChatGPT for the most commonly used yoga poses. Hmm, there is a tai chi place in Champaign that is on Tuesday nights starting from January 25th. But I'd miss yoga.

I just found a bunch of organizing books that I don't want to pay for, so I need to get a library card at the local library and have at it! I downloaded my electric and gas bill onto my phone along with my lease. I still need to get the printer fixed though. Speaking of my bill, it's rather high though, so I need to find ways to save on the bill.

I'm poking at kitchen boxes and found my utensils, which looks like a good place to start. I'm going to have to shift stuff around for some of it because I can't get books up until I get rid of more boxes. I'm looking for the box in which I packed the electric cord for my treadmill, but haven't found it yet.

The utensils were from the utensil junk drawer, which I don't have in this kitchen. I have exactly one drawer. I could put some of them in a pencil cup, but what about stuff like measuring cups and cookie cutters? Oh, someone suggested hanging them on the inside of cabinet doors. I could get command hooks. When I need a break, I need to sit down and figure out how to organize that stuff. There was a shallow pull-out drawer in which I put a bunch of utensils.

I'm looking at spice racks. I think that I found a winner, but I'll need two of them and sheesh, expensive. (I had them on the side of the refrigerator in the old place, but can't do so here, plus I had a lot of overflow.)

I need to take the recycling out, but I wish that it would stop raining. The forecasters are saying that it will rain until 11 PM though. Bummer. I threw on my raincoat and put it out.

I had a fabulous dinner of Meijer's shrimp and lobster bake. Now I want a short nap. I wasn't able to sleep, but I spent some time in a darkened room with a purring cat snuggled up to me. Very relaxing.

Now I've run out of steam, so I'm going to do some change-of-address work and then go to bed early on this rainy, dreary day. I can't nap during lunch because of classes and after work because of yoga, so I need to get some good sleep.

I changed the address for the DMV and Capital One. PNC and Comcast are not coming up, so I'm going to pack it in and call it a night.

I did something to my left eye last night and it's bothering me. I'll close my eyes after breakfast.

I requested some of Denis Waitley's writing (mentioned by kensmind on LJ) from the library. Cool, the books have shipped already.

Mimi wanted some lap time, so I'm busy being a lap.

I dozed for a extra hour because having my eyes closed was helping my eye. It's feeling better.

I'm trying to decide what to do today. I need to study German and Italian. I'm pondering going for a walk or going to the gym to get exercise. And I need to go to Aldi. And I need to do laundry and work on the kitchen. Step 1: laundry.

I got my Fitbit connected to My Fitness Pal, which is costing money now. I guess that they have to make money somehow.

I joined a bunch of Reddit groups about yoga. And I subscribed to Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. I looked into yoga classes in Springfield, but I'd either have to bail out early in Mondays or skip piano on Tuesdays. And it's $20 a class plus the cost of gas. Hmm. Maybe it's better to wait until I move to Champaign.

I've decided to nix Ramen and make carrot soup and Cherry-Almond-Quinoa salad for lunches. And put frozen berries in my oatmeal instead of sugar-free syrup. I need to eat what I already have for dinners, however. And dame_grise on DW mentioned Refuge Recovery, a Buddhist approach to addiction, and they have online meetings about food. I'm going to try them. I think that I'm going to go to the store tomorrow because my eye is still bothering me, however.

I lay down for a while to rest my eye.

Studied German. Made strawberry muffins from a mix. They were pretty good.

Talked to Mom. She's feeling exhausted. Her doctor wants to give her the antibody treatment more slowly and see how it goes.

German went okay. We're studying the past perfect.

Now I'm going to eat something and study Italian.

Aargh! It was a dark and rainy morning, and I drastically overslept. I logged onto my 10:00 meeting in pajamas.

Ran to the credit union at 5 PM. Planned to log on later, but I took a nap and slept through until morning. Woke up to ravening cats. Zara even meowed. (She's usually silent.)

Started laundry. Had to soak cat dishes, and Zara is climbing all over me asking to be fed. I told her that I rarely forget to feed her, so she'll get fed (done).

I'm mulling over whether to go to Springfield today instead of tomorrow. I need to drop the dead printer and dead monitor at Best Buy, which will recycle them. I also want to donate plasma. I'm kind of feeling like staying home though. It's gloomy today, and tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and very warm.

I'm keeping an eye on the weather to see when I can put the rosemary and thyme back outside. They wintered over well.

I wishlisted the new edition of Eyewitness London and Italian Sentence Builder and Conversation books. I think that the Italian books will help me.

Dozed lightly. Put the clothes in the dryer. Went through a box of papers that turned out to be a box of books! I'm not sure what to do with the ones that I don't want. I could probably sell some of them, well, two of them. I need to put dots on the boxes that I've gone through.

I did my remaining 1.5 hours of work. Then I wanted to list books on Amazon, only to find that they now charge a monthly fee. No. I did find my Amazon seller account, and Amazon had me jump though some hoops to reactivate my account. It'll take a couple of days before it is active. My understanding is that they won't charge you a monthly fee if you sell under a certain amount. I'd rather not sell the books on eBay because the books are kind of esoteric.

Assembled my magazine holders and organized my catalogs. Posted some sparkling water that I don't like in Facebook Marketplace. Someone on Reddit wants to be accountability partners for decluttering. Far out.

I got a headache, so I'm lying down for a little while. Couldn't sleep.

Did more decluttering of the kitchen. The picture diary really is motivating me. I want to get enough done for a visible change. The person who created the app knows what she's talking about. I decided to throw out the sparkling water instead of selling it. I wanted it out!

Talked to Mom. She's running out of steam and wonders if she needs another transfusion, but she's waiting to hear about her treatment. I hope that the doctor's office gets their act together soon.

I was looking to see if Subaru has electric vehicles, and they do, but there are no charging stations around here or in Champaign-Urbana. Or at least there are no EvGo stations. Oh! I looked on another site and there are some! I'm not in the market for a car right now, but it's something to keep in mind.

Gathered library books to return. I need to go study German and Italian.

The two colleagues submitting my letters of recommendation for the iCAN program have now submitted them. So now I wait.

I discovered I can get my tuition tax form from Heartland online, so maybe I'll tackle my taxes this weekend.

Hmm. A gas station nearby is hiring people for part-time hours that would work well for me (Sat. 4-9 and Sun 4-8). Do I want to apply? I'm a little leery because I had problems working retail when I was working on my master's degree. Knowledge work is better for me.

I ran out and got library books and soda. I have some books on Berlin and Munich now!

I decided to watch Shaun White's last runs during dinner. So I watched all the snowboarding. Then I decided to cheer on Mikaela Shiffrin in the Super G. She had a solid run, and I'm happy for her. And now it's late :)

I'm tired and want to get to bed at a decent hour. And read my travel books.

My getting up at 2 AM confused the cats. You were asleep and now you're awake, so it must be feeding time, right? I told Zara that if she ate now, she won't eat her breakfast, but she is not convinced.

And it's snowing again. It's been so quiet, and I realized that there are no trains or cars.

I got an idea for an article, "What I've learned from studying foreign languages". Now I need to figure out what I've learned!

I priced flights from Chicago to Berlin and Munich to Chicago. Not too expensive. (I'd take the train from Berlin to Munich.)

I got Culture Smart Italy and Culture Smart Germany on Chirp. I also looked at The Plant-Based Solution, but it has recipes, so I bought a print copy used on Amazon.

Still snowing when I woke up. Still really quiet. The cats are curled up in round balls. They do not approve of this weather. I kind of agree.

I know on what I want to write an article in LinkedIn (I typed KinkedIn, which is the alternative site :)) but I need to ask my colleague because it's based on a meeting that she ran. She said okay. Okay, I learned how to write an article on LinkedIn. It's very similar to Medium.

I have another goal: teaching a class on library systems administration (or about library systems) at Library Juice Academy. I don't have enough experience yet, but I'll keep that in mind as a goal.

It just occurred to me that after I get my programming certificate, I could write an inventory tool that works with our library system. The possibilities are endless!

The snow has stopped. Now to wait for my mower guy to dig me out....

I bought a poster map of Germany. I learned a lot of Italy's geography by having a map above my computer. And I requested a trial lesson from the German teacher, eep!

There's a lot of discussion about the future of LJ given its Russian state owners. I'm on Dreamwidth as days_unfolding also. Feel free to add me.

Hmm. I'm running out of steam due to my weird sleep schedule last night. I think that I'll go to bed early tonight, although not quite yet so that I don't wake up at 2 AM again. I should make some Italian flash cards and clean the bathroom. Or do some decluttering.

I did do some decluttering. But I turned the Olympics on to see what was going on and learned that the team men's short program skating was on, so I watched. Nathan Chen turned out an incredible performance. Then I watched mogul(?) skiing, which I've never seen before. Then they had the team ice dancing, which was great fun. (If I could skate, I'd like to do ice dancing, but you probably need to be an extrovert :)) Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue also pulled off an impressive performance. Now they say that there's more skating after the news. So much for getting to sleep early. The news said to stay off of the roads. You think?

I found a German teacher who's available at a time that I'm free and who won't break the bank. So maybe I'll do it.

I bought a book on Germany and some German grammar and vocabulary books. The German books will take a while to get here because I bought them used.

I also bought some magazine holders.

Woke up and it's still snowing. I thought that it didn't look too bad, but then I noticed that you can't see individual steps at my neighbor's house. It looks like a snow ramp. It's amazing that things as small as snowflakes can cause a big mess. I'm snuggled up in clothes, a jacket, and slippers while I work. I'm wishing that we had a snow day, but we're working from home. Alas.

Mom called during lunch. She didn't have the chemo on Monday because her hemoglobin was low and she also had kidney issues. She had a transfusion, which helped her energy levels. Now she's trying to get an appointment with her oncologist soon to find out what the plan is. I don't know what to think about this.

Round 1 of the snow has stopped. It's hard to tell how many inches fell because I'm in a mobile home and am elevated. I've been faked out thinking that it wasn't much before. Weather.com says 11 inches!

Zara decided that waiting around on the kitchen counter for me to feed her wasn't working, so now she's in the office room blocking my computer monitor. Come on Mommy, get the hint! (Done.)

I read a Medium article about posting articles to LinkedIn. I was wondering what I could post ("dig your well before you're thirsty"), and it occurred to me that I could write articles about using our library system. Maybe I could parlay that into some consulting work when I retire.

Had some pizza. You know that it's cold when you open the oven and go mmmm when the heat escapes. I was today days old when I discovered that a pie server with serrated edges makes a better pizza cutter than a pizza wheel.

Took a nap and slept until 2 AM. I'm going to throw clothes into the washer and stay up until I can put them in the dryer.

Weather.com says that it's snowing again, but I don't see it.

Apparently, some parts of Lincoln have lost power. I haven't thus far. The roads are a mess. It looks like there's ice on my car.

I'm mulling over goals for the coming year, although I won't do serious planning until I get my planning books.

Learn and grow in my new job. Of course.
Save money for a move/emergency fund. I need to figure out how much I can sock away each month.
Create a budget.
Start learning Italian again with a new teacher.
Exercise.
Do I want to lose weight?
Declutter and hire a cleaning service for every other week.
Classes.

I'm wondering if I could squeeze in a trip to Oregon to see Eugene and Salem in the fall. I guess that it all hinges on the vaccination schedules. Airfares are pricey right now.

I installed TrueBill, and I'm going through and cancelling subscriptions. A good way to start the year.

The power just went out and turned back on. Yikes.

My stomach is upset, so I'm lying down. Mimi is taking shameless advantage of my proximity.

While lying in bed, I brought a refurbished cassette-CD boombox and some Nightingale-Conant programs on CD.

I ordered How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind and The Four Tendencies (how you react to expectations--I'm a rebel who resists both internal and external expectations). I also joined the Habit Share app, but I don't have anyone to share progress with.

I'm yawning, so I want to roll with it and go to sleep early. I'll have to get up early next week.

Seattle is still the cheapest trip that I could take.

Crossposts: https://days-unfolding.livejournal.com/1129100.html

Overslept, but I figured that I would. Already had to break up a kitty squabble, sigh.

Decided to come home for dinner to do some things around here.

I had boxes of papers on a breakfast nook counter. I got rid of some of the boxes, and Zara loves lying up there and dozing. Today, I found her in a basket that I use to collect mail. I asked her if I should file her under C for cat. The lump is Zara.

Back at work. Plowed through my e-mail and got caught up.

Requested some library books on blogging.

Made my asparagus and zucchini noodles in cashew carrot sauce. It's pretty good.

Crossposts: https://days-unfolding.livejournal.com/985294.html

Stayed up ridiculously late reading. It felt good to do something frivolous though. Got up at 11 AM.

Had some snuggle time with Miss Z.

I opened a box that the girls' cat food came in, took out the food, turned around, and Mimi was in the box. Now Zara's in the box. They have an illustrious career ahead of them as box inspectors.

Fed the girls and myself. Now I'm taking a nap. Mimi is in her place of honor on the bed.

Had a nice nap.

I've been emptying boxes, and found some cat toys, and I scattered them around. Mimi and Zara played with some of them. They also have to be wherever I'm putting stuff. It's a poor job that can't afford a boss. Two bosses.

Cleared a space to put up two out of three remaining kitchen shelves. Need to sweep the floor there and wipe off the shelves first. Then unpacking will go a lot faster because I'll be able to empty food boxes.

Running out of steam. I think that it's time to take a shower and throw myself together so that I can go to the store later.

Went to the store. I was hungry and bought a bunch of stuff not on my list, including some fried chicken made in the store that smelled delicious.

Talked to Mom. She's doing okay

Fed the girls. I think that I'll empty a few more boxes and then go to sleep. I'm hoping to get up early and do a few more boxes before work, plus I want to run some stuff over to the storage place.

Crossposts: https://days-unfolding.livejournal.com/961307.html

Didn't wake up early enough to go to the gym. Oh well. I needed the sleep.

Studied Spanish flashcards while I finished my coffee.

My library books are coming in. Good. Need to figure out which one to take to San Jose for those times when electronic devices have to be shut down.

The clothes that I wanted to wear were in the wash, so I cobbled an outfit together from my Goodwill bag containing clothes that I haven't put away. Came up with a pretty cute outfit, which I might also wear on the plane. Not that anyone cares what I wear, but I kind of do. My mom tells me that she goes out with uncombed hair (under a hat) and no makeup, but I'm not there yet.

I forgot to mention that the conference is giving us lunch on Wednesday and Thursday. I'll get reimbursed for food, but not having to spend money is easier. I'm trying to figure out what Pop-Tart-like or granola-bar-like food I can stick in my suitcase and won't cause a problem at Security. That'll be breakfast when I take my meds.

There must be people who prepare calmly for a trip, but those people are not me. I'm kind of stressy.

Fixing the boots with the floppy sole with Gorilla Glue worked quite well. Now I'm wondering if I should take them with me in case of a downpour. Don't really want to get my nice leather ankle boots wet. I'm watching the weather next week in Lincoln, Chicago, and San Jose like a hawk. Looks pretty good next week except for a wintry mix when I'm coming back from O'Hare on Saturday. (I take the bus from O'Hare to Normal and then drive home from Normal, which is a slightly longer drive than going to class because the bus stop is in the center of town.)

Printed off maps, directions, and the conference agenda. Trip is getting real. There's a reception on Wednesday at The Tech. I thought about going to Original Joe's afterward if I was still hungry (they're serving finger foods at the reception), but O.M.G. $15 for a sandwich? Are you kidding me? Jack-in-the-Box is still downtown, and that's more my price range. Also thought about taking an airport shuttle from SJC to my Airbnb, but holy cow. $45 to go about a mile (although Hwy. 85 is in the way, so there might be some routing around)? No. I found out how to get there via light rail. The only problem is that I'm getting in late. I might do my one splurge on Uber for that trip. (Which reminds me; I need to install Uber on my new phone.) It's promises to be an interesting conference. Geeky to the max, but I knew that it would be.

Just remembered that I have homework for class tomorrow. It shouldn't take long.

Crossposts: https://days-unfolding.livejournal.com/945869.html

Slept until 1 PM. Feeling hammered.

It's cold with snow flurries.

Mimi: Mom, I'm STARVING STARVING STARVING! I fed them their dry food.

The girls know my routine. I eat, scoop their litter boxes, and then feed them their canned food. I was scooping the litter boxes, and Zara was bouncing around in anticipation of getting fed. Goof :)

Fed the girls and myself. Did dishes. Threw in a load of laundry.

I'm low on milk. It's supposed to be in the 20s F tonight, so maybe I'll run out and get some. "Snow from 3:45 to 10 PM." Maybe not. Another reason to stay home is that they were low on soda at Dollar Tree, and they said they they'd be getting a shipment today or tomorrow. So I'll go out tomorrow, but I need to get back in time for my Spanish lesson.

Took a nap. Nice and cozy. It's snowing out now. Kind of pretty. Now the forecasters are saying 1 to 3 inches of snow.

Zara is hanging out on my lap.

Had a bowl of soup.

I can't believe it, but I feel like taking another nap. If I'm going to do that, I better go do that. Napped for a long time. I'm going to eat something and then go back to sleep. I'm feeling tired.

Forgot to mention yesterday that a colleague/friend introduced me to a Web store called Book Shout, which sells e-books. Most of their prices are the same as Amazon, but they have some books on sale or free that are interesting.

I've been playing Pandora through Bluetooth into my car's stereo when I drive to and from class. (I'm too tired for audiobooks.) Yesterday, Pandora played "Carnival" by Natalie Merchant, which is a song I like, so I think that I'll get the album.

Glad that the government shutdown is over, but I hope that it doesn't start up again when I go to San Jose next month.

Crossposts: https://days-unfolding.livejournal.com/940939.html

There was a discussion of standing desks on one of the library Facebook groups that I follow. Laptop stands are not too expensive, so I should look into one. I can't get one right now though because I need to get new tires.

Had another ice cold shower. It looks like the pilot light on the water heater went off. I just emailed the landlord about it. The neighbors cane over and tried to light it, but couldn't. The landlord said to call the utility company.

Right now, I'm at Walmart getting new tires. Wow, their prices are reasonable. Have to remember it as a place to get service.

Walmart is having problems with my car's battery. First, they had to jump-start it, and now, it won't even jump-start. They pulled the battery and are trying to charge it. Sigh. I suppose that it's the time of year for dead batteries. They had to replace it.

Mom is dozing while we're waiting for the car work to be done.

We went out to eat after getting the car fixed. Then we decided that we wanted to see a movie in Springfield. I wanted to go down early to stop at Barnes and Noble to get some low-carb cookbooks. I found three, which should keep me for a while. Then we went to see Mary, Queen of Scots, which was excellent. Now we're back home, and are planning to go to sleep soon.

Crossposts: https://days-unfolding.livejournal.com/933789.html

It's gloomy and supposed to rain. Zara is hanging out on my lap again.

Found the instructions to prep for my colonoscopy a week from Tuesday. Sometime this week, I need to pick up the laxative that I need to use.

The language company refunded my lesson that my Spanish teacher missed, but didn't explain what happened.

My health insurance has a program in which you pay $25 a month, and have access to gyms across the country. They have a $25 set up fee, but they waived it this month if you sign up, so I did. I also found another gym in Lincoln that has fitness classes as well as fitness machines, so I want to check them out. Awesome.

Hmm. I thought that it was crazy that there was a tornado watch yesterday. Well, apparently there were tornadoes that did damage south of Springfield. Yikes.

Zara at dinner: Mom, you came home so that I can sit on your lap! Uh, no, Zara, I need to eat.

I have an urge to reread the Harry Potter series (or at least, the later books). I have one of the books at home, but the rest are somewhere in storage. I can check them out at work though.

Crossposts: https://days-unfolding.livejournal.com/927441.html

Still not feeling entirely well, but better than I have been. I've been out long enough, though, and need to get back to work. Didn't get up early though.

The New York Times had an article about "The Joys of Cooking for One," with a list of cookbooks. I clipped it, but I like making large batches of food and freezing the leftovers. Do-it-yourself frozen dinners.

Zara always checks to see if Mimi is eating and distracted before she'll eat. Poor Zara. I'm sorry.

My underwear keeps disappearing. Are the cats stealing them? I've not been throwing any wild parties :)

I've been kind of loopy at work and making mistakes. And I can't stop yawning.

I checked out a book called Leisureville: Adventures in America's Retirement Utopias and one by Patti Smith called M Train. They should be good.

Want to go to bed early. I have a conference call tomorrow morning.

Crossposts: https://days-unfolding.livejournal.com/911562.html

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Entries tagged with books

Luggage and Cruise

And Now Bella Joined the Family

Iris Garden and Rose Garden?

San Francisco Day 1 Part 1

Groggy Day But a Lot of Progress

Good That I'm Taking the Yoga Class

Unpacking

Ouch

Friday-Saturday

My iCAN Application Is Complete

Snow and Ice (Skating)

Snowpocalypse Now Day 1

Goals?

Zara Lump

Boxes, Boxes, Boxes

Trip Is Getting Real

Lazy Day

Mom's Visit Day 3

Exercise? I Have Options.

Back to Work