days_unfolding

Gracie, beauty consultant to the stars, is giving me the coveted dog-saliva facial. Ask your consultant about it today!

Woke up at 6 AM. My stomach is upset. I think that I’ll skip the dog training class tonight.

I'm feeling like crying for no good reason. I need to go downstairs to take my meds. I had a dream about how I was going to lose my job, but it was a different job. Honestly, I'm feeling at the end of my rope.

Okay, I got more caught up at work and feel a little better.

Gracie's spay is going to cost a lot. Oh well.

Oh, my antibiotic was delivered. So I just need to run out tonight and get the yogurt. Gracie was thrilled when I took her out to get the mail. so I need to take her for a walk. They seem to be getting a lot of exercise wrestling though! Bella is a tired pup! I placed an order for the yogurt (and some cat food).

I introduced Gracie to the neighbor. Gracie was barking, and I told her to stop, and he said that it was okay, dogs bark. He thought that she was a nice pup.

Oops, I missed a meeting at work.

I got my tablet. I have a lot that I want to get done this weekend, so maybe I should set it up tonight. I also need to set up the new laptop.

I got the estimate for the garage. It was around what I expected (around $25,000). So I think that I'll call him back on Monday and say "okay".

I found an antitheft purse on Magellan's site in which the tablet will probably fit. I need to measure it to be sure. I found a travel bag with pockets for a water bottle AND an umbrella, so I’ll probably get that instead.

Fed us all. Got the recycling out. I’ve got the ReMarkable Paper Pro charging. I’m not sure what to do now. I guess that I’ll post. I need to stay up until my grocery order comes a little after 9 PM.

Okay, I put the people with whom I'm meeting on Monday as the executors of my will. I can change it if necessary. So I finished my trust document. I also contacted a local bank to possibly serve as a successor trustee and maybe executor?

Damn, my tooth hurts. I hope that they'll fix it tomorrow.

I got Lily to come upstairs, but then Oliver went down in the basement. It’s a zoo here.

Fed us all. My stomach is upset.

Smoke from Canada has arrived here.

Got up at 6:30 AM. My stomach is upset. I need to get into the shower early because I need to put on my makeup for my dental appointment.

Oliver and Lily are being cranky with each other and are doing whappy paws.

Well, hell. This morning I had a dental appointment to get impressions for my permanent bridge. It wound up being surprisingly painful. They numbed me up, but they kept on pressing on a tooth that still hurt. The good news is that they replaced the missing crown with a temporary one, and that tooth feels fine. But I told work that I was taking 1/2 a sick day and was going to lie down, but that I would be in for a team meeting. Ate a little yogurt. Clio mini greek yogurt bars are pure crack. I love them.

It occurred to me that Munchie Bones are kind of like dog currency. Bella was like, “You expect me to come in FOR FREE??” I went and got a Munchie Bone, and she came in. She saves them for a while too.

Nothing from the bank that does trust work so far. I might have to call them this afternoon because I want a choice of who to pick to handle my estate.

Well, hell. The people whom I wanted as executor cannot serve as executor. They suggested that I try another firm. I'll call the bank first. I set up an appointment with the bank for Wednesday afternoon.

It's freaking hot upstairs. I just remembered that I saw a combo air conditioner/heater at Lowe's that seemed to be small enough for the windows upstairs. I need to measure to make sure. Nope, the window is a smidge too small. Ack! Up to 90F/32 C tomorrow. Shorts weather. Maybe I'll shave my legs tonight because I have Italian tomorrow morning. I ordered an air conditioner from Amazon. I’ll deal with heat in the fall. At least you can put more clothes on when it’s cold.

I got my new “Dog in Yard; Please Close the Gate” signs. They’re copper and a little fancy for my lousy fence, but they will look good when I replace the fence. I need to get wire to attach it to the fence. I also got my NokBox (Next of Kin Box).

My dentist was worried about the temporary bridge and crowns coming off, so I bought some filling repair stuff to take with me on my business trip.

I am not feeling great. I think that I’ll go to bed early. The sore tooth hurt a bit when I ate. Submitted a grocery order for tomorrow morning. We’re low on cat food. I bought cloth napkins and placemats as well as food. Oops, I want microfiber cloths too (done).

I brought the NoxBox supplies upstairs, but it's too damn hot to clear off the top of the filing cabinet for it. I'll go to sleep soon and get up early to do stuff up here. But I do have some packages downstairs to open before I got to bed. The downstairs is quite comfortable. Also, I have some Italian homework, but I'll bring it downstairs to do.

I bought a Baggalini purse because I need to get the zipper pocket fixed on my Italian purse, and I need a purse meanwhile.

Woke up before my alarm at 6 AM, but my stomach was upset. Took Bella out for 45 minutes, but she wouldn’t poop. I brought her in and she promptly pooped on the kitchen floor. Sigh. She gets distracted by the outside world. Bella was being obnoxious this morning: grabbing my clothes, bugging the cats, etc. Meanwhile, my stomach was still upset. I did get a shower, but then I called the car place and told them that I would bring the car in on Monday and emailed work and told them that I would be out this morning. I’m going to lie down.

I checked out Windy City Express (a local fast food place) online because I thought that it had deep-dish pizza. No pizza, but I can get an Italian beef. Maybe I’ll run over later if my stomach settles. Okay, I found a deep-dish place in the area. Maybe I'll order some tomorrow. Hmm, I'm craving pizza now.

Bella tried to eat Oliver’s food and knocked his bowl over. Honestly, I want to put her in time-out.

I woke up at noon. My stomach is a little better, but I have IBS soreness. I’ll work this afternoon. I had some food.

I got my Roam suitcases! I haven't opened the boxes yet. And a ton of books. I need to open the book envelopes and boxes and squirrel them away because Bella likes to shred books. I have investment shelves on my bookcases upstairs.

Here’s the larger of the two suitcases. They roll like a dream.

My boss okayed my time off in August, so I'll book the Sardinia trip this weekend. How exciting!

I'm feeling like crying for no good reason. Oops, I didn't take my meds this morning.

I bought a cooling blanket for the summer. I guess that I won't get my ceiling fan in the bedroom fixed because Bella is scared of ceiling fans. Sigh.

Bella has been eating the dead flowers off of the hibiscus. This is why I buy dog-safe plants. Although technically irises aren't dog-safe, but a dog would have to eat a lot of them to get really sick. So far, she's leaving them alone.

Yay. I fed the beasties, and Bella pooped outside. Some people going for a walk said “Hello” to her and were petting her through the fence. Bella got excited and started running around the yard. Now I get to eat :)

I’m feeling tired. Maybe I’ll start booking the Sardinia trip tonight because that’s something that I can do quietly.

My dad says that he checks his investments daily at market close. That will be a bit of work, but he says that it doesn’t take long.

I listed my old suitcases on Buy Nothing, and some people are interested.

I’m going to go upstairs and start booking my trip! Done! I booked the flights and hotels. The flights are freaking expensive. (Hey,dadi, I'll wave to you because I'm flying through Munich on the way in.) So is the hotel in the Costa Smeralda, but that's the resort area with beach access. The hotel in Cagliari is quite reasonable, but I got a single room with a twin bed. I contacted the Italian school. I still need to book the train from the Costa Smeralda to Cagliari.

I'm going to feed the hordes and go to bed early. I have a lot of planting to do tomorrow plus clean the kitchen.

Fed the critters and the washer stopped.

Got up at 6 AM. I'm not feeling well, so I emailed in sick and texted the person with whom I was going to go to the meeting. I need to stay up to call the car repair place (done). I slammed into a wall and am out of spoons.

My glasses are missing. I suspect a critter (Bella?) took them but I don’t know where they are.

The cats are being manic. Oliver found a box that he likes.

Zara is due for a Wellness exam. That’ll be fun. I need the money from the trust.

Slept until 11. Got my groceries. And I forgot to get napkins, damn it. I’ll need to run to the local grocery store later.

Aaargh! The trust just requested the check yesterday! They *think* that I will get it next week. I am so screwed. I wrote a cranky email to them but am sleeping on it. My goal is to get to a point where I can manage my money myself—my dad has taught me some—but I have a lot of work to do. I’ll look into Schwab for the meanwhile.

Ate lunch. I’m going to take a nap but Bella is bothering Oliver. Sigh. Got Oliver to leave and napped. I’m trying to decide whether to get up or go back to sleep.

The library is open until 6. I could make it over there if I jump into the shower. Maybe not. I’m feeling groggy. Bella needs to go out but the pet waste people are coming. Okay, they're gone so I can take her out. She actually came in without a treat bribe but it was raining.

The critters want food. I’m trying to figure out low-energy things to do after I feed the beasts. I could go through the mail and clear off the kitchen table. Study Italian and piano and voice. Work on my investing class, although I need a notebook for it. Actually, I could take notes on my computer.

We’re all fed. I think that I’ll take another nap. Couldn't sleep. Good. The essay that Randy Shilts wrote about the year after And the Band Played On was published popped into my head. It's one of the two best essays that I've read. The other was a chapter in Meredith Maran's book What It's Like to Live Now called "Line of Fire" in which she juxtaposes the death of her friend from AIDS and the Oakland Fire. I checked, and What It's Like to Live Now is out of print, but she has a new memoir out. It's about how she broke up with her wife and moved to LA in her sixties. I bought it.

Now I think that I'll work on my investment class because the sooner that I take these classes, the sooner I'll be completely independent. Looked at some videos and opened a paper trading account. I created a Live Journal for my notes from the course. But that means that I need to log in and out of it. I've been getting 100% on the investment quizzes thus far. I need to find my economics books.

I'm going to go to bed early. I need to get up at a reasonable hour to run to the library and then mow the lawn.

I got one full recycling bin and some boxes out.

Lily snuck upstairs when I went up to post, and there is major kitty drama going on with Mimi. I'll see if Lily will leave with me. I had to pick her up, protesting.

Got clothes in the dryer.

I forgot to mention that I bought two of Judy Collins’ bios to read on the trip.

The trust said that they were in contact with the bank about having the safety deposit box drilled and that I should have the tax document when I come back.

Bella was chewing the leg of the over-toilet shelves. This is why we can't have nice things :) I escorted her out.

Got my groceries in. I think that I bought too much cat litter. That at least is self-correcting.

Got my hair cut. She layered it, but blow-dried it straight, but I hope that the waves will pop up when I wash it. Got money for the pet sitter.

Oliver snuck up here too (bad day for Mimi), but eventually I got him out.

Hmm. I'm going to need to put in some extra time at work to finish a Web page so that it can get reviewed on Monday. Do I do that tonight or tomorrow night? Tomorrow, I was going to pull a all-nighter cleaning because I don't seem to be getting a cleaner. So I guess that means I need to work late tonight. Actually, I finished my Web page except for an outstanding question, so I can do other things tonight. I'm in the mood for packing.

The vet called. Oliver's fecal results were fine, but Bella tested positive for hookworms. I'm going to go by later to get meds for her. They said that boarding her would be okay if I give her the meds. Maybe I should pick up some hot dogs to put the meds in.

Picked up Bella’s meds. Now the desk clerk said that he would have to double check with the practice manager tomorrow morning if they could take Bella without a retest in a month. This is turning into a cliffhanger. A kennel did contact me today saying that they could take them.

I keep having freaking stomach cramps. Sigh.

Gave Bella her meds in her food and promptly washed out her dish because I don't know what the meds would do to the cats.

Trump has taken down the Income Based Repayment form for my student loans that I need to fill out to re-register for it. Trump’s chaos has arrived at my house. I have no idea what to do.

Took Bella for a walk. She did well, except for freaking out a little when we saw another dog. It was a half-hour, not an hour, but it's a start. She's starting to realize that the harness and leash can mean good things. I think that she thought that we were going to see her friend the vet!

Now I think that I'll feed the critters and go to bed. I'll work on packing when I get up. Oh, and I need to soak a litter box before I go to bed.

I had major problems falling asleep last night. I got up and ate oatmeal. Got up again and did some dishes. I finally fell asleep around 3:30 AM?

Got up with my alarm at 7:30 AM. It’s cold out with a wind chill of -2 F/-19C. The puppy didn’t spend as much time sniffing outside as she usually does.

Lily discovered the kitty highway above the kitchen cabinets. Both Lily and Oliver were up there.

Hmm. Got my check. I should take it to the bank today, but it's cold and I'm tired. I guess that I'll shower over lunch and go from there. It'll be just as cold tomorrow. Oliver was meowing while I was in the shower. I don’t know if he was afraid that I’d drown myself or just that I was doing something that he wasn’t involved with.

I want to see A Real Pain when it comes out. It’s about two cousins who go to Poland when their grandmother, who was a Holocaust survivor, dies. It’s getting rave reviews. It would be kind of fun to see a movie in a theater. Hum, Fandango offers it in streaming.

That little stinker Oliver got upstairs and cornered Mimi, who was screaming. I finally picked him up and put him in the bathroom so that I can come and go without having to deal with him wanting to come upstairs.

Bella is getting better at entertaining herself while I'm working. Bella barked at a dog across the street today. I guess that she has adopted this house as her home.

I'm feeling wiped out, so I'll go to the bank tomorrow. I need to brush off the car though, so I'll do that tonight.

Ugh. My cough is worse when I lie down. (Is that why I couldn’t sleep last night?) I lay down for a nap, but couldn’t sleep. I’m going to throw myself together and go to Walmart for soda and duct tape.

The weighted blanket fell down, and Bella is chewing holes in it. Sigh.

It’s too damn cold to go run errands. I’ll go tomorrow. And I need to get up early because I have Italian tomorrow. Worked on the kitchen.

Hmm. I need to have the faucets dripping to keep the pipes from freezing.

I can’t find the heater for the aquarium. I checked the delivery notice, and they put it in a spot where I would not have seen it. I’ll look in the daylight tomorrow. I’ve got the decorations set up, and need to add water and heat it up for the plants. I have the electrical cord set up. I need to see if there’s a heater in the equipment that came with the aquarium. (Yes, so I'll fill the tank tomorrow.) I need a basket for aquarium paraphernalia.

I’m going to feed the critters, take Bella out, and go to bed. Oliver got in the upstairs again. Sigh.

Hmm. The Champaign County Humane Society has a pitbull with a sweet face who’s lived with cats and other dogs. She's a big dog though (over 60 pounds). Hmm, I saw a PetFinder listing for a red standard poodle.

I’m going to open Zara’s door tonight in case she wants to wander around. Bella will be in the bedroom with me, and the door will be closed because Oliver and Lily like to spar late at night. Not exactly restful!

Now Bella was pulling at the string on my pajamas. Help!

I was blaming Oliver for knocking down stuff off the table that Bella then chews, but the sneaky girl is pulling stuff off the table and counters herself.

Bella was whining and going into the bathroom where she pooped previously, so I scrambled to get her outside. She needed to pee.

Slept and got up at 7:30 AM. I’m feeling a bit better, although my voice is still squeaky.

I’m in the bathroom about to shower with a cat (Oliver) and a dog (Bella). Crowded in here. Oliver jumped to the top of the shower and then jumped in. I opened the door for him and Bella went into the shower stall. Maybe I’ll take my shower later. Now Oliver is climbing the shelves above the washer and dryer. I finally was able to shower with an audience :)

Bella was whining downstairs and needed to go out. Fed the cats.

The snow is coming down at a pretty good clip. I have to admit that it's pretty. Remembered to charge the snow blower.

Mimi is sleeping in this morning. Good morning for it.

I've had Bella for a week! It's been an interesting week.

The poochka has taken to lying down on the bed while I'm working. Good. I took her out and she noped out.

Hmm. I'm covered for $2500 for hearing aids, but I think that I couldn't go to Costco. That wouldn't cover full retail price, so do I go to Costco and pay for the whole thing myself for cheap or go elsewhere and get partial reimbursement?

I just contacted a local wealth management firm to see what they have to offer. I'm getting really tired with dealing with the trust.

Left work early to lie down. (I had a meeting with my boss earlier today and she said that I “sounded awful”.) I’ll log on tomorrow to make up the time. Woke up a little before 7 PM. The puppy is crashed out in the dog bed.

Fed the cats. I’m thinking of going back to sleep soon, but I suppose that I should eat something.

Bella is getting cat poop out of the litter boxes. Ugh. And yes, she has food. I gave her a chew “bone”. (I’m not sure what it’s made of, but it has a meat filling. Oh, it might be a peanut butter filling. I need to go to Walmart tomorrow and get more.)

Got my new Zenni glasses. They’re okay. I like the Target glasses better.

Took Bella out and she noped out. She wanted to go back to bed! She fell asleep in the kitchen.

Now that I’ve eaten, I think that I’ll go to bed early. I’ll clear the sidewalks tomorrow.

Bella is bugging Oliver for some reason. I told her that he didn't like it.

Overslept and scrambled to make it to Italian. My teacher was fascinated by Dial-A-Carol. It was our last lesson before January. Huh, I just heard "before" in my mind pronounced as if it was Italian!

I'm looking at 20 gallon aquarium tanks and UPS backups for it. I found something that I like on Facebook Marketplace, so I should get it. It will take a while to condition the tank. And people are posting gorgeous pictures of betta fishes. I found a local pet store that has a lot of aquarium stuff and fishes. I think that I’ll go for a consult over Winter Break.

I'm wondering if I should skip Michigan and stay home over Winter Break. I'd really like to do stuff around here. Plus it would save having to find a new pet sitter over Winter Break. Hmm, we do get Martin Luther King Day off in January.

Ugh. I can't stop yawning. It's going to be a long day. Loooong day. I have a concert with the choir at a retirement community and then Dial-A-Carol. Then I need to go to the grocery store and pick up something to eat. Best laid plans--My stomach is really upset; I ate something that didn't agree with me--so I'm rolling back what I need to do tonight.

Crud. I was going to go to the bank to get my new debit card, but I’m not feeling up to it. I need to go to the store though. Wait a minute, I withdrew a pile of money to pay the house cleaner and buy stuff from Facebook Marketplace. That’ll work.

Zara is being extra-snuggly.

I received my flannel sheets! I’ll put them on the bed while Zara is eating.

Slept and woke up a little after 7 PM. My stomach has settled, but I want to go to bed early tonight. I think that I’ll have some soup and skip the store.

The cats wanted fooood. I fed them. They were still hanging around, so I think that they want more. After I post and get ready for bed.

Mimi is being typically talkative. She wants on my lap (done!) She's going to have to get off because I want to get my credit card to order some groceries.

Just remembered that I needed to subscribe to Peacock for the Olympics (done)! I'm looking forward to them.

Crap. I need to go up to Michigan soon because the city of Southfield is complaining about my mom’s car parked on the grass. I’ll talk to the trust about booking a trip for me.

Hmm. I could put an air mattress in my mom’s house, but I don’t know what I’ll do about food. I suppose that I could haul my microwave up there. No, the carpet and flooring installation are supposed to go in soon. And the dumpster is still there, so I’ll need to find another place for my mom’s car.

I’m feeling dizzy this morning (and overslept), so I emailed in sick 1/2 day. I drank some water, which helped. Fed the cats and myself, and am lying back down. I overslept my alarm, and jumped online for my first meeting. Speaking of which, the person with whom I primarily work had SEVEN meetings today! That's crazy-making!

Finally got through my work email. There was a notice about a paid internship in Florence, Italy. Do you think that I could convince them that I'm still in library school? :)

I’m lying down for a while. Then I need to throw myself together and return the Daily Look clothes. Then I need to study Italian and send an email to the trust. I overslept my nap slightly. I’ll go to Michael’s tomorrow to mail the clothes.

Just ordered a “Cat Ladies for Harris” sticker :)

Started laundry. Hung a picture.

Tried to turn on the upstairs TV with the replacement remote, but it didn't work. Ordered another replacement remote, then discovered that someone on eBay was selling the original remote. Tried to cancel the first order, but there seems to be no way to do it. I emailed the store to try to cancel the order. The remote that I ordered from Amazon is going back.

Studied Italian. Scanned and sent a bill to the trust. I need to get to bed early to run an errand before work and also attend a Jenny Craig coaching session.

Added: Oh, and I got my Jenny Craig order today.

I told my professor that I was sick and I’m going back to bed for a while. Mimi thinks that I skipped work to pet her. It’s all about Me! Me! Me! Mimi! No, she wants me to go upstairs and work so that she can sit on my lap. No, she wanted more food. I gave her some dry food. (The vet said that it was okay to give her a little more food.) So I’m teaching her to meow at me. Zara gave me a little kiss (and you earn it with her). Aww.

My mom’s annoying ex-friend Deanna now wants to take clippings of the plants. I’m fuming, so I’m wondering if I should get up. I emailed her telling her that I didn't want her to take clippings of the plants.

I did some homework, but now I'm having a stabbing pain in my side, so I'm going to take some acetaminophen and lie down.

Mimi got some small green stars stuck on her butt. What a goof :)

I napped and got up and worked on my program some. But I need to go back to sleep now. I wrote my professor and said that I won't be handing in the assignment tonight.