My name is Adrienne. I'm 57 years old. I'm a Technical Services Librarian (that is, I work in the back processing books and maintaining the computer system) at a small college in Illinois. I have two cats, Zara and Mimi, who don't get along very well, leading to "Kitty Drama" LJ posts :)

I'm from the Chicago area originally (Evanston for those who know the area).

I previously was a technical writer in Silicon Valley. That could be a long essay in and of itself. I liked the work, but there was way too much of it and a lot of pressure. When I became sick with schizoaffective disorder, I was no longer able to do my job, so I left and got a Master's Degree in Library Science.

I have no siblings or cousins. My mom lives in the Detroit area and my dad moved to Nevada. I'm single (divorced). I'm bi, but it's a moot point right now living in a small town.

I wrote the above before the pandemic. Now I'm spending a lot of time armchair traveling. I'm about 13 years out from retirement, so I have a list of places to check out, but, of course, can't travel right now. I'm looking at camping as a COVID-friendly way to travel. The first major trip on my list when I can travel is Eastern Tennessee, and I want to do some hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains. I'm hoping to squeeze in some hiking and camping trips in Illinois this fall, COVID permitting.

I've been lucky during the pandemic because I still have a job, working from home. Our college is planning on-site classes this fall. We'll see how that goes.

My journal is about half friends-only and half not. I lock down posts in which I talk about work, which is frequently lately.

Hmm. If I went to the Missouri State Fair to see the giant rubber duck, I'd have to stay overnight because it's a 5.5 hour drive. I found a hotel that I like.

Zara ate her food!! I gave her more. And she really fought my squirting stuff in her ears, so I’ll need to use a sedative.

I bought a couple more pairs of summer pajamas so I don’t have to wait for them to wash. I do have another pair, but the shorts are missing.

Forgot to mention that I got a couple of merino wool t-shirts. They’re supposed to stay fresher longer than other shirts. I’ll bring them to Sardinia. They’re a pretty berry color and a twilight blue color.

Bella likes play-fighting with Gracie. She jumped on the bed, and I thought that she had enough (Gracie chews her ears) but she jumped back down on the dog bed to wrestle with her some more.

Got up a little after 8 AM. I need soda and garbage bags, so I submitted a grocery order. Ordered checks because all the workmen want checks, and I wanted some with my current address on it. Gave Zara some food mixed with Gabapentin. I hope that stones her out.

Fed us all, although Gracie ate her food and then Bella’s food. And Bella let her! Nap time.

Hmm. The weather forecasters say storms after 12 PM.

Got two lanterns and batteries. One will go in the basement and one upstairs. I think that I want one more for my bedroom.

I looked at Costco for cereal, and they have a nice set of cereal bowls. Mine are missing in a box somewhere. I saved it to consider later. (They also had some cereal that I liked.)

Aww. Lily is curled up sleeping on the cat tree in the bedroom. Woke up but the dogs and the cat are still flaked out.

Some nasty thunderstorms heading our way. It’s raining now.

Gathered some recycling and cleaned a little. Set up the two lanterns. Gave Zara her ear meds. She was so stoned that I thought that she was dead at first. Sent some emails. But I think that I’m going to take another nap because I can.

Played around with Motion, but I'm not sure what I think of it.

Gracie keeps trying to play with Oliver or at least, she’s saying “let’s play” in dog language.

Went down a bit of a rabbit hole finding out that my travel clothes presser is dual voltage.

I’ve decided that instead of buying cereal bowls, I’m going to replace my stoneware. Me being me, I fell in love with a very expensive set. Need to think about it. A lot of the stoneware is on sale though, so I need to think fast. I think that I convinced myself to get a cheaper set. Go me.

Brought some of my groceries in. I want to bring in a couple of Amazon boxes and go to sleep.

Ugh. Feeling arthritis-y. Need to go to sleep.

Got up at 6:30 AM. Bella did her business quickly, so I decided to go back to sleep for an hour and shower at lunch. I overslept work an hour. Suckage.

Today is Friday, right? This week has been a blur.

I found a propane heater in case the power goes out in winter, but I need to think about how much money I want to spend on something that might never happen. (I could use it for camping though. Speaking of camping, I have the down sleeping bag for if the power goes out, but that won't help the critters.) On the other hand, this area has a danger of ice storms because we’re far enough south that snow can turn to freezing rain. And hmm, the food supplies would help being snowed in.

Fed everyone and took Bella and Gracie outside. It’s hot out (90F/32C). I think that I need to stop feeding Gracie kibble because it seems to give her loose stools. I'd have to feed her another can of wet food. Showered and put on shorts and a t-shirt and sandals.

Hmm. I should order some tubs in which to keep emergency supplies, but I should wait until I get them to see what size I need.

Medium doesn't allow you to make money off of AI-generated text, so I need to rewrite the blog entries. In that case, I might have to wait until retirement. We'll see. I am so busy right now. Maybe I could work on some in my hotel room at night during my trip. Or at the airport.

I have a strong urge to go back to Hawaii, to Maui, but it won't happen anytime soon. Plus, I want to wait until Lahaina is rebuilt. I wonder how long that will take. Maybe I should check out Molokai? That would be a nice sleepy place for "R&R". You have to take a commuter airline from Oahu or Maui to Molokai. I found a flight that I like. Hmm, should I go to Molokai next year? It would have to be a short trip because I will be taking a lot of time for my European trip in the fall. I was going to go see my dad though. Hum. I have three weeks of vacation and two personal holidays right now. I'll take two weeks in Italy and a day or two in January at the end of my cruise. I need to figure out how much time I'll take for the European trip (how many extra days I want to stay in Paris and Istanbul). I have airfare that I need to use up before mid-June. (Too bad that I already booked the flights for the cruise. But part of it was from the flight that I didn't take earlier this year after the full cruise.)

Oh. I forgot to mention that I bought a second travel vest the other day because I wear mine all the time for the pockets. They're very useful. I have a burgundy one and the new one is black.

Hmm. Do I want to go work downstairs now? It's 93F/34C and kind of miserable upstairs. Luckily, I'm not doing anything that requires two monitors.

Oh no. David Gergen died. I liked him on CNN. He was a presidential advisor that became a political commentator.

Bella is so jealous. If Oliver or Gracie jumps on my lap, Bella jumps on my lap (well, as much of her that will fit), chases them off, and kisses me. "I am YOUR DOG! And don't forget it!"

Zara didn’t eat most of her food (which is concerning), so I gave her food to Oliver and Lily. First Bella jumped up with her paws on the counter. I made her get down. Then Gracie jumped up. I made her get down. Then they both jumped up in unison, and I cracked up. I told them that they were dorks. I got Oliver and Lily to sort of share by moving the dish around so that Lily could get some food.

I ordered some dog DNA tests for Bella and Gracie. The results should be interesting.

One of the things that I need to do this weekend is find the chicken wire so that I can plug the gaps in the fence and let Gracie run around. She’s small enough that she could get out, and I don’t trust her to come back like Bella does.

I’ve added seeing the giant rubber duck that one_raido wrote about to my bucket list. Waukegan this year would be doable except that I’ll be in Italy. Sorry not sorry. I’ll have to bookmark its Web site. They should bring it to Chicago (if they haven’t already).

I started going through Amazon boxes. My emergency supplies are starting to arrive. Some will also work for camping, such as wipes to use in lieu of a shower. I got my weather radio and have set it up for alerts in my bedroom.

Note to self: go through my travel chargers this weekend and order anything that I need. Also check on my travel adapters and transfer them to my medium suitcase. I have my travel pillow and sleep mask, but I ordered a second sleep mask in case I lose one on the plane like I did on my last trip to Italy. Pack my swimsuits (or do I want to go swimming before I leave?)

Oh good. I’m yawning. I want to get to bed early so that I can get out early to do some weeding and planting.

Shit. Zara isn't eating at all. I'm really worried. The vet gave me some appetite enhancers, but I was going to crush the pills and mix them in her food. I wonder if she would take one mixed with a Churu. I also ordered some pill pockets, but I remember in the past that she would eat the pill pocket and spit out the pill. I'll call the vet on Monday if I can't get her to eat.

ChatGPT came up with an excellent blog post about decluttering as a spiritual practice, but I wasn't logged in and lost it. I tried several times but it didn't come up with anything as good. I modified the prompt, and it came up with something that I like. I just need to edit it slightly.

Woke up at 6:30 AM. Bella did her business quickly, so I’m going to take a nap.

I don’t think that I can do dog training today; I need to go pick up my plants. In addition, my foot hurts. I’m a mess. I ordered a bunch of dog training books instead. Yeah, I'm overwhelmed at work too. Cannot cope.

I forgot to take out the garbage last night.

I was trying to nap at lunch, but Gracie started barking. It was close to the time that I needed to get up, so I gave up. Sigh. Gracie is a loudmouth.

Had a vet appointment for Zara. She was hiding in the closet, and the door went off the track, so I thought that I wouldn't be able to get her out, but I got it open. Her mouth healed well from the dental work. She still has an ear infection. They gave me some gabapentin to calm her down before I treat her ears. We made an appointment on Friday for Gracie because she's having diarrhea, but they gave me some probiotics to try first.

Oh! I need to pick up the plants tomorrow! I could have gone to the dog training in that case, but I'm still swamped and stressed out, so no. PetSmart has training at more convenient times for me, but their next class starts right before I leave for Italy. I found a place with Saturday classes with a session that will start in the beginning of September. That will work.

I read a Quora article about a doctor who wouldn't give a guy drugs, and he took a horrific revenge on her pet (I won't say more so that you won't have the awful images that are now in my mind) and I feel like crying.

Bella is teasing Gracie. She seems to know that Gracie is on a leash, and Bella runs around, stopping just out of Gracie’s reach. Gracie gets mad and barks. I think that Bella is finding Gracie a little annoying.

Article in the BBC: “US lawmakers write to Canada to complain their wildfire smoke is spoiling summer.” Oy. Like it was a plan.

Fed us all. Got the recycling out. I need to scoop litter boxes, but I need to cool off first, so I thought that I'd post. I also need to check my work computer to see if I got messages about the stuff that I'm working on.

Printed out bank statements to analyze. Bella got into some of the highlighters (I swear that she has a radar for stuff that she'd like to chew), so I ordered more. It's supposed to rain this weekend, so that will give me time to work on them.

Woke up at 6:30 AM. Bella did her business relatively quickly, so I’m going to go back to sleep for a half hour.

I changed the printer ink and got the return pages to print. Packaged up the laptop to return.

Called the guy about the garage to sign the contract tomorrow.

I’m in bed, and Bella and Gracie gave me a thorough face washing. Shit, Bella was trying to chew the new sheets!

Mailed my returns. And drat, I forgot to mail my letter.

Fed us all. I want to take a nap, but I need to log back onto work. I compromised on taking a "short" nap and slept for three hours. Oops.

I got a face full of dog when they decided that I should get up. Gracie needed to pee but used the litter box in there. That works.

Well crap. The return label for the laptop isn’t printing. I just ordered new ink. Maybe I should stop at Staples today and also get more and return it tomorrow.

Gracie has figured out how to go upstairs! But she hasn’t figured out how to get downstairs, so I had to carry her downstairs. She and Bella swapped food again. Oh hell, she went upstairs again. I think that I’ll wait until after my shower to bring her down because Bella scratched my legs when I brought her down. But wait, I was going to wear shorts. Hmm. I threw some jeans in the wash. Oliver stuck his claw in my leg, so I removed him.

Whenever I go to South Carolina, I’d also like to go to Asheville in North Carolina. I found a senior living place that I’d like to check out.

Nap time. Woke up a little before my alarm. Gracie figured out how to get downstairs.

My massage was very nice (hot stone this time, which helps unlock my muscles). Whatever part she hadn’t rubbed yet felt tense. I was good and relaxed when she was done. She invited me to use the new sauna, but I said that I had errands to run. I forgot that it was 1.5 hours, so I didn’t make it to the UPS store. Plus, I was very hungry. I’ll go tomorrow. Stopped at Steak and Shake for a bite to eat. Got printer’s ink at Best Buy. Bought two more lamb toys at PetSmart so that Bella and Gracie each can have one (although I could see Bella trying to take them both). I also bought cat ball toys that probably will get stepped on. Went to Prairie Gardens and bought a Boston Fern for my porch, two enormous spider plants for the kitchen, and two more coneflowers. All were on sale.

Bella and Gracie were thrilled that I came home. Gracie is now taking the stairs upstairs and downstairs like a champ.

Fed us all. I have the shakes. Placed a grocery order for tomorrow.

Oh hell. I didn’t get the mail, which has Bella and Gracie’s new collars, but I don’t want to go back out in the heat.

I’m thinking of going to bed REALLY early to get up in the cool morning. I really want to weed and plant tomorrow. And drop my returns off in the afternoon. And maybe go to the other garden shop.

I don't know why Semagic keeps saying that my DW password is invalid.

Well, this was a quick walk. Bella wanted to play but Gracie didn’t, so she decided to come inside.

Turned the dryer on but forgot it was on the dewrinkle setting, so I’m going to take my shower at lunch after the clothes are dry. Napped a little.

Bella and Gracie swapped food again. Clearly the other one is getting the better food.

Napped over lunch. I had to remove Gracie because she and Bella were squabbling over the lamb toy. (Bella is more restful to sleep with.)

We were let out of work early for the holiday weekend. Popped into the shower.

My therapist wants me to ask my psychiatrist about my feeling lethargic. And she wants me to talk to my primary physician about a CPAP. (I had gotten one, but that was right when my mom died, and I couldn't deal with it.) We also talked about my going to the Unitarian Church, and she said that I just needed to ask a few questions and let people talk. We commiserated about the time of the church service though--10:30 on Sunday. My therapist said that she isn't dressed before noon, and I agreed with that statement. She also said to look for evening events held by the church.

I fell down a rabbit hole trying to find out when I created my Gmail account. I finally found the answer through trial and error.

Fed us all. Bella was trying to "forget" that she’s not supposed to eat the cats’ food. I told her that nothing had changed even though we now have Gracie.

Hmm. I’m wondering if I should get a “dog backpack” so that Bella could carry her own food when we camp.

Dozed lightly. The dogs are crashed out.

I’m thinking that I should get ready for bed and go to sleep early. I want to get outside to weed in the morning. Do I want to go to the fireworks show in Champaign tomorrow? Parking will be a bitch. No, I should stay home with the dogs and cats because they won't like the noise.

Got my ReMarkable tablet set up and planner pages loaded. I think that it will be a help.

Bella knocked into my laptop and the track ball went who-knows-where. I went into Zara's room to grab the trackball there. She seems to be feeling much better, is staying visible, and was loving me up. Good to see.

I should feed the beasts and go to sleep.

I went back to sleep this morning. So tired.

I think that Gracie is teaching Bella to bark. She’s small but feisty. I think that she’s the "top dog" of the pack despite her size!

I’m having the antibiotic delivered. I just need to buy some probiotic yogurt.

Gracie had her first vet appointment. She was pronounced healthy and "stinking cute". They think that she might be part beagle; in which case, she might not get much larger than she is now. They think that she's six-to-eight months old because her adult teeth are in. We have an appointment to get her spayed in two weeks. Bella had to give Gracie the once-over :)

I'm wondering if I should get a reMARKable tablet and electronic planner. It would be great to store notes there. It would be great for trips. Maybe I'll check it out at Best Buy tonight. Well, no I'm not going to return the shoes tonight. I'm going to practice dog training stuff with Bella. But Amazon has it on sale with a leather cover for the same price as it's at Best Buy without one, so I'll probably get it. Now I’m looking for a purse that will hold the tablet.

Took a short nap. The dogs are flaked out.

Work is being a pain. Some of my files are now read-only, and I needed to edit them. Sigh. Then Access was being temperamental. I hate Annual Stats time. And people were bugging me about getting things done even though I had computer issues. I was posting my status! Leave me alone!

Bella had a roll of toilet paper that she’s shredding, and Gracie is trying to get it away from her. I don’t approve of shredded toilet paper, but the tug-of-war is kind of funny. Oh, and Bella stole Gracie’s lamb toy.

Hmm. I’m thinking of getting up early to work with Bella on dog training stuff. I’m tired and cranky right now and need my patience. I guess that I’ll feed everyone now (done), get the garbage out (done), and post my data to the Web.

Hmm. The Gracie Project might be backfiring. Bella is trying to play with Oliver as if he was Gracie, and he doesn’t like it.

I’m looking into farm stands here. There’s a place that sells different types of cheeses, and I’m looking at a fresh baguette, cheese, and honey combo. And you can volunteer to feed baby goats! Oh! They have a CSA where you can get fresh bread and cheese weekly! I’m so there! There also is a farmers’ market nearby on Saturdays and a little farther away on Tuesdays. I should stop by.

I ordered a ceiling fan for the bedroom. Oh, and I got the new cool bedding, but I might wait until tomorrow to put it on.

I’m crazy tired, so I’m going to post and go to bed. I should have time on the morning to post my data as well as work with Bella.

I evicted Bella and Gracie from the bedroom because they wanted to wrestle and I wanted to go to sleep.

Woke up a little before 7 AM. The puppy was missing her collar, so I put the slip-knot leash on her. We have a problem in that the puppy wants to go in before Bella has done her business, and Bella comes in. I found Gracie’s collar, and it is intact. I think that I’ll order an extra one just in case. I also ordered personalized collars for Gracie and Bella. Crud. The collar is sold out at PetSmart, so I ordered one from Chewy along with puppy food to get free shipping.

Bella is barking more. Protecting the puppy?

Cats: we’re hungry! (Fed them.) Bella ate Gracie’s food. Gracie ate Bella’s food. At least, everyone is fed. Nap time. Bella and Gracie are wrestling, and Oliver is looking at them in total alarm.

Hell. Someone (Gracie?) chewed off the charger for my Apple Watch. I bought a bunch of chargers for same-day delivery.

I shut Bella out because she and Gracie were wrestling. The puppy let me sleep. She’s crashed out.

Took Bella and Gracie out. Wow, it’s a hot day. The heat index is 93F/34C. Should we stay in? I really need to weed and plant things though. Hmm, they’re saying possible thunderstorms. Maybe we will stay in. I have plenty to do inside. Anyway, it’s lunchtime. I need to drink water. I’m falling behind on that.

Got a cat food can away from Bella. Oliver knocked them over, and I must have missed one picking them up.

Now they’re saying no storms, so I need to water the plants at the very least.

Treated Zara’s ears. She hissed at me.

The clock got chewed up too. Sigh.

Oliver is out cold. He is breathing though, so I guess that he’s okay. Bella and Gracie are wrestling though and making noise.

I’m going to take another short nap. It’s been an eventful weekend. Gracie is crashed out on the dog bed.

Oh! The clock is working! The outlet was turned off. I ordered another one, but I think that I’ll keep it as a backup. Alarm clocks are important.

Realized that I didn’t take my meds. Got up, and the puppy followed me. Bella came into the bedroom while we were gone. Bella is letting the puppy chew on her. I told Gracie that she’s perfect, and she covered my face with puppy kisses.

Oh fuck. I forgot to book a singing lesson for today.

Oliver is on my lap. It’s good to spend time with my little boy.

Opened up some boxes and found my new sandals to try on. Also, the new bathmat looks good.

I like the Orthofeet water-friendly sandals, but not so much the slip-ons. So they go back. I saved the box just in case. The swimsuit from the Vermont Country Store looks good, so it's going to Sardinia with me along with the sandals.

Bella and Gracie are playing tug-of-war with a Lean Cuisine box.

Fed the critters and took Bella and Gracie out. Gracie barks at passersby a lot.

I’m wondering what to do now. I think that I’ll sweep the front hall. Someone, probably Bella, has shredded toilet paper there. Hmm, I need to get up early to return the shoes. They cost $200, so you better believe that I'll return it if I don't love it. So I need to go to bed soon.

Oliver's been helping me sweep the bathroom floor. Yeah, he's a big help. Not.

Got up at 5 AM. I stepped in dog poop outside. Terrific. Washed the bathroom floor with Bella, Oliver, and Lily "helping".

It’s definitely cooler today.

Got the puppy paraphernalia in and the back seat of the Honda set up for the puppy (place to click her into a seatbelt and a waterproof covering for the back seat). The critters are curious about the goings on.

I need to treat Zara’s ears in a minute. Zara was hiding in the hope that I wouldn’t squirt stuff in her ears. Sorry, Zara.

Lily is bonking me. Oops. I forgot to feed them. I'll do so after my meeting.

Okay, I found a refrigerator that would work for me. But it's $2500!

It's a very quiet day at work. A lot of people are out of the office.

I have a meeting set up with one garage person and left a message at another place. Left a message with the lawyers. The lawyer got back to me and he's sending me some documents. (He was very confused by my last name :)) He sent me the documents.

The second garage guy came out. It was a little bit of a hard sell, but it sounded like he knew what he was talking about. He’ll give me a quote on Monday.

Fed us all. Washed my face before putting makeup on. My skin is looking really good.

I’m sitting here waiting for the storm to pass.

Oliver really likes the puppy bed that I bought. I’ll have to get one for him and one for Lily.

I’m in Normal now waiting for the puppy to arrive.

Back home with Gracie. Bella was checking her out and already tried to play with her. I think that she’s a hit! Oliver is a little dubious. Lily is nowhere to be found. Gracie inhaled her food.

I think that it’s bedtime soon. I’m tired. I need to order a proper collar for Gracie. I just have a leash with a slip knot. I need to order more puppy food too.

I’m planning to get up in the middle of the night to take Gracie (and Bella) out.

Lily is staring at Gracie.