days_unfolding

It’s pouring rain out. I’m glad for my raincoat; it kept me dry. Bella lasted for a few minutes and then went up on the porch, out of the rain. The ferns will like it.

Woke up at 7 AM. Bella found an enormous stick that she was dragging around. She chewed up one of the ferns :(

RIP Pope Francis. You were one of the better ones.

Yay. Another colleague is driving a colleague to his hotel (we're having an all-staff meeting Tuesday and Wednesday). So I can stop worrying. I went to lunch late though because the person "on-call" had an errand to run.

I'm trying to get ChatGPT on my phone but am having problems.

Crud. I don't have the money for the Doggie Day Care. I'll call them later today. Actually, I have enough cash. I won't be able to go out to dinner tomorrow night. I neeeed my check from the trust!

I found an outfit to wear tomorrow. Black-and-white striped top, tan vegan leather blazer, and jeans.

My psychiatrist recommended that I take a vitamin B12 and D supplement.

Bella is now insisting on me bribing her with treats to come in. It works though :) Now she’s trotting around with a pair of my underwear that she’s trashed.

I've been exchanging emails with my dad about Paris and Europe. I forgot that he looked for some books in French for me while he was in Paris.

Hmm. I was reading susandennis’ post about WiFi connected shades, and I wonder if I could get one on a timer in my bedroom to open when I’m supposed to wake up. That would rock. I need to do some research. Yes, it looks like it’s possible with Alexa or Google Home.

Got us all fed. Now what? I need to get up early to drop Bella off at doggie daycare and get to my meeting. Oh. I need to run an errand. And go to the library too.

Crud. I got myself together, but my phone’s battery is low. I think that I’ll skip the library today (I need to bring my charger to the meeting tomorrow) and let it charge while I post. I should be able to go to the store though.

I feel like all I'm saying is "No." "Bella, leave Oliver alone." "Oliver, quit chewing my straw." "Bella, stop barking at Lily." But they've settled down now. Sort of.

Hmm. Someone is selling a dresser for $25 in a moving sale that I like. It's black, not gray, but otherwise, it's what I want. I need to think about it. I found some other dressers that are more expensive but still reasonable. I found the absolutely perfect used dresser, but it's located south of Cincinnati. I think that I'd have to drive a U-Haul down there to get it. Sigh.

Mimi is industriously grooming me. She's on my lap.

I keep having headaches; I don't know why. It's annoying.

I finally have a committee appointment at work. Most of the staff has one, but I hadn't. Yay.

I had a great therapy session. During it, my therapist said that once my duties to my mom's estate are taken care of, my life can be anything that I want. That hit me hard and felt like the world was opening up to me. Anything I want! We also discussed my joining Stitch (I need to pay more to access the events that I want), and she said that she heard me saying that I wasn't ready for it yet. But she encouraged me to go to the Unitarian Church to check it out, that I don't have to make a commitment, but I should try it and see how it goes.

We talked about discussing what I want from a relationship at a later date, probably in the fall.

The handyman called me about some work that needs to be done to the basement of my mom's house. The once and future project. I've decided to go to Michigan for just a short trip rather than a long one. I'd have to travel either to or from during the week, but I still have a little vacation time left. I found a hotel that's a little less expensive.

Yoga went well too. I was the only student there, so I basically got a private lesson. I told her that I was enjoying it more than I had expected, and asked for her recommendations for books or videos on it. She gave me a couple. Then she said, "Teacher training is good even if you don't want to teach," but I have a long, long way to go before THAT. I floated back from yoga full of endorphins. I want to continue with these Park District classes rather than finding a yoga studio because they're cheaper and I like the teacher a lot. I bought some yoga books though.

I ran to the grocery store and picked up some salad, strawberries and bananas for a diet-friendly dessert, and a really expensive orange-carrot drink. If I like the drink, I'll try to make some myself using the very expensive and good blender that Lotus bought for Mom.

Studied Italian. I seem to be memorizing the verbs even without my flashcards. I need to put them in sentences. Next time. Now I need to do dishes, scoop the litter boxes, and go to bed.

Woke up at 6:30 AM. Much better. Ran an errand before work.

The ceiling fan in my bedroom doesn't work. I need to get it fixed. Hmm, Home Depot has a video on how to install a ceiling fan, and it doesn't look too hard.

LanguaTalk says that it can send a reminder to study, but I haven't figured out how yet. Okay, I figured it out. I also found an Italian teacher if the one that Mimmo mentioned falls through.

I always thought that my colleagues were prepared for presentations way in advance. Instead, we're updating them to almost the last minute :)

Hmm. The "student farm" at the uni has a recipe for snap peas that sounds pretty good, but I'd need to get some fresh thyme. (Mine bit the dust). Hmm, Walmart has a thyme plant.

I think that I want to go to Meijer and get more Pineapple-Raspberry Sparkling Water crack. It's so good!

Napped during lunch. Zara was fussing over me.

I had meetings all afternoon, but our presentation went well.

I had my therapy session. I wanted to talk about my crush on Mimmo, but she didn't seem too interested. I did say that Italian men seemed to find me attractive, and she said that you might as well wallow in it. We talked about how things are going with school (nonexistent) and my Mom's house (???). I need to get in touch with the real estate guy and find out what's going on.

I am boiling again. Mimi wants to snuggle, but I told her that it was too hot. I'm putting an ice-cold water bottle down my shirt. It's 91F/33C.

I'm looking at Simple Opulence Linen Sheets to keep cool. I'm wondering if I should get a neck fan too.

I'm looking into Independence Day activities in Urbana. The fireworks display is on the 6th.

I got my tiny backpack and like it.

I’m downstairs trying to cool off. Zara is lounging near me.

I'm looking at a book and cards of weight-training exercises.

Tried to sleep but couldn’t. I think that I’m getting back to normal. But I want to go to sleep early and get up early when it’s cool. I think that I want to take a cool shower before I go to sleep.

It's good to have a trial run with the pet sitter. I'm hoping to be back in Urbana by September, but if not, I'm taking a trip for a little over a week in the beginning of September. (That's the train trip to see my dad and go to San Francisco.) And I'm going to Hawaii in October.

There is a moth taunting Mimi. Or maybe it's not too smart because it's flying near her.

Huh. I was mulling over changing my OkCupid profile when someone interesting popped up. I told her that I was in Michigan cleaning up my mom's house, but maybe we can text a while.

I can't find my house key. I had it last night, but I don't see it now. There's a spare, but I would like to find it. I found it. I hung it up where the key that I gave to the pet sitter usually is.

Urgh. I have a slightly upset stomach, but I don't have time to lie down. I did lie down. I ran really late, but have loaded the car except for the CPAP and laptop. I need to stop and get a sewing kit because I can't find mine (done).

Now I'm in the hotel room. It's very swanky with a living/dining room with a fireplace, kitchenette, and bedroom with a king-sized bed and a jacuzzi. The bathroom is big enough to have a party in.

I forgot my oatmeal though. (I had to forget something.) I ordered some and some frozen dinners for lunch at a local grocery store to be delivered tomorrow morning. I'm going to stick close to the hotel room because I have my spa treatment tomorrow (next door).

Set my alarm for 5 AM, but got up at 7. I must have needed the sleep.

Zhelana mentioned a book about elastic habits, so I bought it. I hope that it helps. I also found a course that is free from the Uni about How to Change: Getting to Where You Want to Be.

Dropped off my rent check and took out the garbage. Then it was work time. I'm still tired, but can't take a nap over lunch because of meetings. I forgot to mention that I told my OKCupid friend about the saga of moving my mom's stuff, and they told me to get some rest. I'm trying :) I wound up taking lunch at 10 and power-napped.

I bought a Powerball ticket because the jackpot is so high. Of course, everyone else is doing so too....

Called the place managing the house that I want to rent and left a message.

I kind of have a taste for another meatball sandwich. It was really good. I ordered a pizza from them, and it was only okay. They did the garlic well though.

I've been looking for a place where I can be buried (after cremation) with my cats. I think that I've found one in the Chicago area. Once I get the money from my aunt. I'll check it out and maybe buy a plot. I'm also looking at eco-friendly alternatives to cremation.

Tried to nap but couldn't sleep. Zara is out cold however. I should get up and get stuff done. Now Zara was replaced by Mimi.

Got my election stuff sorted. Now I think that it's nighttime tasks and bed. Oh, and pay some bills.

Ooh, I found something nifty. Sunsama displays a Kanban-style to do list next to my Google calendar. I wish that it could integrate with my work computer too.

Music of the Baroque is playing tonight, but I need the study time, so I'll get an "on-demand" ticket (done).

Italian was fun. I think that it's more fun because it is a group of people, but it's still a small class, so everyone gets a chance to talk. I'm thinking of asking my instructor if he could take me on as a private student to work on my pronunciation.

Ran my errands. I'm back with two-and-a-half boxes of books to go through, one of which is intriguingly labeled "music books". There's another box of "music books" that I'll grab next week. I also want to bring home some bookcases to put the books that I'm keeping on. I think I that I could put some in the hall. But I need to start at the end of the hall because I need to leave room to get the office futon out eventually.

Mom called. My aunt's surgery is off. The doctors are going to run a cardiac catheter in, have a look around, and possibly put in a stent.

Had a nice nap but overslept.

Talked to my aunt. She seems in good spirits, considering that she's in the hospital. She's not worried about the procedure tomorrow.

Need to do some homework. Done. And I'll even get a decent night's sleep.