days_unfolding

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.

Overslept and woke up at 8:30 AM. Got my groceries. Nice delivery guy. He liked the dogs and said that they must be having a great time due to the weather.

Oliver is in the cat tunnel upstairs, and Lily is batting at the moving lump. They make me smile.

Today is a zoo at work, and the person with whom I primarily work is off sick. So I'm scrambling.

I got Bella in with the aid of a Munchie Bone. Gracie is still outside.

Hmm. I think that I want some marigold seeds to plant with my tomatoes to combat pests.

I want a nap after work. Actually, I perked up so I didn't take one.

The little crabapple tree is really cute! I’ll post a picture of it. I have the root ball soaking in water and will plant it on Saturday. (Note to self: turn on outside water.) The spot where I wanted to plant it has electrical wires running through it, so I’ll need to move it over. Oh, and I want to get a water ring for the little tree to give it the best chance at growing.


Got the pet gate up by Zara’s room, sort of. I don’t like how it fits. Oliver doesn’t like it either. But it’s up.

I came inside after trying to get the dogs in (they’re still outside), only to find that both Oliver and Lily had jumped into Zara’s room (and probably ate her food too). Sigh. I’ll have to feed her again and shut the door.

Now it’s dinner time for me. Then I’ll try to get the dogs in again. They come in more easily at night.

I read a BBC article about “dusking,” sitting outside and watching the sun set and dusk begin. That sounds like a good ritual to start.

The dogs are in and everyone's fed. I'm going to watch The Pitt and then go to sleep. I want to get up on time to shower because I have a vet appointment for Zara tomorrow.

Overslept because my alarm didn’t go off. Took the dogs out and it’s cold. We came in when Bella wanted to come in. I need to take a shower because I have a hair appointment, so I’ll be late for work. I emailed in sick to get more time. And my stomach is upset, so it’s not lying.

Got my ballot ready to drop off. Thank you, League of Women Voters' Web site.

I’m having my hair cut and conditioned. And my eyebrows waxed. I look much better. Dropped off my ballot. Now I'm at work. I emailed in sick because my stomach is upset. I ate, and it is not agreeing with me. Crawled back into bed. Gracie is fascinated by my ears.

Hmm. Travel and Living recommended Uruguay for retirement. It’s not expensive, has liberal politics, has good weather, and it’s safe. Something to check out. It would be a pain to get to Europe from there though.

Slept until 5:30 PM. The dogs don’t want to come in. Fed us all.

Transferred money to pay for my investment newsletter. I need to call Schwab to get my debit card sent to me.

Checking in on the election results. Hmm, the Champaign County Park District hires people for the season. That might be a good retirement job.

Got the garbage out. The goofball dogs are both trying to jump on my lap. They make me laugh.

Watched an episode of The Pitt. I'm hooked.

Storage under the stairs might be cheaper if it was an actual cupboard under the stairs à la Harry Potter. I want to use it as a pantry. I need to talk to a carpenter.

Anyway, I watched and enjoyed the movie.

Oooh, I found a condo on the Dalmatian Coast with a sea view for a cost that’s a little more than my house.

Gracie woke me up a little after 8 AM. I successfully got her out and in on her leash.

Hmm. The storms are predicted by 5:30 PM, so I could have some time to do chores outside.

Okay, we’re all fed. I need to take my meds, then nap time.

I had to order a new leash for Gracie because hers has almost been chewed through (done).

Napped. Had lunch. Priced cloth napkins because I’m almost out of paper ones.

Hmm. The forecast says that it’s raining, but I don’t see it. After my shower, I went outside and got the pieces of my workbench-to-be from the box and put them in the garage. It’s still not raining but is thinking about it.

I’m feeling a little cranky. Gracie is taking a lot of the bed, and I’m frustrated. And she scratched me in the face.

Oh, there was a tornado warning. Why didn’t my weather radio go off? Have to look at it. My lights keep flickering. Gracie, typically, does not want to come in even though she’s soaked.

I got my book of strength training for women over 50. I need to dig out some gym clothes.

Gracie came in. All present and accounted for, if wet.

Watched the first episode of The Pitt. It's good. I almost lost it at the same time as when the med student fainted. That was a gruesome injury. Read about the Oscars and looked at red-carpet pictures.

Now I think that it's bed time. I should check the weather to see what's coming up. I had heard snow. "Snow starting in 41 minutes."

Oh drat. I need to scan music for my singing lesson tomorrow. Almost forgot. (Done.)

I need dry cat food, but need to check if I have a bag by the front door before ordering. Nope, so I need to order (done). Ugh, I found the bag after I ordered. So I'll have dry cat food for a while.

Woke up at 8:30 AM. Took Gracie out on a leash, and it went well. Bella is refusing to come in, but I'll go out and get her in a half-hour. More good news: the Amazon packages were by the side gate and still there. Bella came in docilely at around 9:40.

Got the food portion of my groceries in. I'll get the soda later.

Oliver shut down my work computer while I was in a meeting. Luckily, it was with my boss, who also has cats and was cool with it.

Showered with attendance by Gracie (part of the time) and Lily. Lily had to investigate what I was doing in the shower (from the top of the shower stall).

Tomorrow it's predicted to snow lightly. It should be a good day to do stuff around here. I want to wash warm pajamas so that I'll be cozy. Also, I received a scrubber wand for cleaning.

Got the second Birdie and Louie box. I'm still working on a box of the old food, and Lily is still picking at the old food because she wants the new food. Who will crack first? Lily had got me feeling guilty because she’ll lick every last scrap from the B&L can. Oliver, on the other hand, will eat anything. Hmm, maybe I could feed Lily the B&L and Oliver the old food if I can find enough cat food covers.

I installed Gas Buddy on my phone. Apparently there is a gas station that is 20 cents cheaper than the other ones. But I drive so seldom that a tank of gas lasts me a long time.

Can't stop yawning. At least, I can sleep in tomorrow. Well, if Gracie will let me.

I sent my dad an article about how it looks like the Great Recession of 2008, and he said that it isn't because the cost of oil will go down when the war is over. He said that 2008 happened because of a mismatch between incomes and housing prices.

Hmm. I read an article about the therapeutic effects of knitting on anxiety, etc. There’s a local knitting class coming up in April, but it’s at the same time as the yoga class.

I ordered leaf bags from Home Depot. I want to get out on Sunday and do some cleanup.

My singing lesson went well. We got through a new song and went back through an old one.

I’m looking at emergency supplies based on what susandennis has. Though I’m trying to decide whether to get a charging station with a solar charger. We tend to not have long outages. But I need my phone charged!

I subscribed to International Living because I want to read their book about Europe. If I could find a cheap place to live in Europe, I don’t have much to keep me here (except the house).

Gracie doesn’t want to come in. Sigh. I told Bella that I’ll feed her after Gracie comes in.

I’m tired, and I thought that I wanted to go to bed early, but I hand-washed my warm pajamas and they will take a while to dry. So I’ll probably watch Harry Potter #3, my favorite of the movies. But I’ll post first.

I’m trying to figure out where to hide my foam roller because I think that Gracie would love to tear it apart.

Oh! My pajamas are dry, so no Harry Potter. I'll just post and get ready for bed.

Ordered my knee brace. It'll just barely fit, but that will do.

Gracie finally came in after Bella burst outside another time. I shut Bella in the bedroom before trying to get Gracie to come in.

Oliver went down in the basement earlier today. Lily was hanging out near the door to the basement stairs in the hope that I’d open the door to let Oliver upstairs. I did, and Oliver came up and Lily went down. Oliver is making a fuss over me.

Overslept until 8:30 AM. It's a gray and gloomy day. It's raining out, and the crazy dogs don't want to come in.

Bella came in. I was trying to convince Gracie to come in--she looked wet and miserable--when Bella ran back out. Sigh. This is a battle of wills.

I found a setup that I like for my tomatoes, but it'll cost over $300 (expensive tomatoes!), so I'm hesitating. But I'd have the setup for subsequent years. It was $214, not $300, and I got a payment plan for it, so I ordered it. Home-grown tomatoes are so tasty! I looked at tomato cages at Gardener's Supply, but they were really expensive. I got cheaper ones at Walmart. Now I have a taste for tomato sauce. I know what tomato plants I want from Burpee, but had some trouble ordering from my phone. I’ll order from my laptop later. Ordered tomatoes and herbs. If anyone has a good recipe for homemade spaghetti sauce, I'd love to try it. I found a recipe that uses fresh tomatoes.

The muddy, wet, cold pups came in. Yay. Bella is grooming Gracie. That’s nice.

I opened the warm dryer that just finished, and Oliver went in and rolled around and didn’t let me have my socks. I had another pair of socks drying in the warm bathroom, so I grabbed them. Showered.

I've started looking at mattresses, but I want to wait until Gracie gets older and (I hope) chews less. So about another year.

Oliver squeezed into the one cat bed on my desk, which was occupied by Lily.


They stayed there for a while, but Lily left to go lie on her chair in the front window. Oliver got up and threw up. I don't know why.

I had a sudden thought that my training session at Books for Prisoners was next week, but no, it is tonight.

I want to enroll in Will Harlow's program for "lifelong mobility", but I can't quite afford his program right now, so I'll use his YouTube videos for now. (You can pay quarterly instead, so I'll probably do that when I get paid again.) I also bought a book that he wrote. I bought a book with weight training for women over 50 that uses dumbbells, so I'll do that. (I have the beginnings of osteoporosis, so I want to get some weight training in.) I already have dumbbells. And I would be able to not pay for the gym then!

I've been craving a baguette. I'll stop by the grocery order on the way back from my training session, but they might be sold out by then.

Went to the Books for Prisoners orientation. I liked it and liked the volunteer coordinator. I had one easy request and one hard request. I made a list of types of books to donate to the program. And I volunteered to work at their book sale.

The store was out of baguettes, but I bought a garlic chicken sandwich and some focaccia bread. Oh wow, the focaccia bread is delish.

The dogs are out in the yard. Lily wants me to feed her, but not yet. I think that I’ll post. Tomorrow is an at-home day.

I forgot to mention that I got my new drill. Yay. I would like to put a metal sun on the side of my porch but need a drill for it. Plus the security cameras. Hmm. There is a thing that I think is a holder for a flag on the pole by the stairs. I kind of would like a peace flag.

Fed the beasts their crunchies, but the dogs flipped over Bella’s bowl. I’ll clean it up later.

Bella grabbed Gracie’s toy. Uh-oh. But Gracie was play-biting me a bit hard, and Bella swooped in to play with her. Thank you Bella.

I was trying to fall asleep but my mind wouldn’t shut off. Then I realized that I hadn’t taken my nighttime meds. The Olanzapine usually knocks me out. Got up and took them.

I overslept my alarm, and Gracie woke me up at 8:30 AM.

I scheduled my ultrasound, and it was scheduled out until May, so they don't seem to be too concerned.

I fed the cats. I gave Zara the Birdie and Louie food, and Lily abandoned her food to lick the B&L can. I think that I'm getting a clear message to feed them all the B&L food. I'll have to see if there's a chicken flavor too. (There is. Ordered.) I have a box and a half of the old food. I'll feed Oliver and Lily the half-box and switch them to the B&L food. I'll save the full box for my emergency stash of food, which I'm trying to accumulate.

Showered. Gracie STILL doesn't want to come in.

I finally got the dogs in at 3:30 PM! I grabbed a leash and the garage keys, but Bella ran out when I opened the door. They took the bait of running around the garage, and I closed the door, which confused Gracie enough to get a leash on her. I got her inside, but Bella didn't want to come in. I used treats to get Bella to come in. Whew.

I'm dragging, but I managed to finish a project at work. I need to stay awake through choir.

Hmm. I'm looking at a cheap bidet on Amazon. Eventually I want a heated bidet and toilet seat, but need to replace the toilet in the warm bathroom first. This is cold but will do for now. And it especially will help because I have IBS. I use a ton of toilet paper.

Choir went well. We don’t have rehearsal next week due to Spring Break.

Got us all fed. I need to wind down to get some sleep. Monday nights are always hard because I get home late and have been under florescent lighting.

I did watch the first Harry Potter movie. It’s my least favorite of the books, but they did a good job with it. (Yes, I’ve seen it before, but it’s been years.)

Now to feed the beasties and go to bed.

Woke up a little after 9 AM. Ugh. I’m having a bad IBS flare. Not sure how that will work with the volunteer work. I might have to email in sick. I did.

Yay, Gracie came in. I can wrap up the morning routine and then nap. I was petting Gracie, and Bella pushed her to one side and bonked my hand. You should be petting me, me, me! Okay, we’re all fed. Nap time.

Gracie has mud on her belly. She could use a bath, but I’m afraid that she’ll just get dirty again.

There was major dog wrestling. They both tried to get me involved, but I explained to them that I don’t like dog play, and the reason that I got two dogs is so that they’ll play with each other. They seem to have settled down now.

Had a nice long nap. Oliver is snuggling on my lap. Had lunch. Had another nap. Got up a little after 6 PM. The plan is to feed the critters (done) and take a shower. I’m not sure if I’ll eat because my stomach is upset. (I did.) Then I’ll tackle my taxes. Hmm, it’s gotten late, so I’ll take my shower tomorrow morning.

Dear PNC Bank, Please make it easier to find your tax forms. Ally Bank, on the other hand, has a link labeled "Tax Forms" on their menu, Please consider it. Signed, Ms. Crankypants.

I finished my taxes. Go me. I owe a little money, so I'm going to wait until I get paid again to file them. Now I'm going to watch the Harry Potter Movie #2.

I broke down and subscribed to the Wall Street Journal online because they have enough articles that interest me. And their newsletters! I subscribed to around 10 of them. They had a deal for $2 a week for a year. Then it gets expensive, but then I can decide if it's worth the cost.

Overslept until 8 AM. Took a fast shower.

My dental appointment went okay; the implant is healing well. We made an appointment for the impression for the crown after July 1 because that's a new fiscal year for my insurance.

I told Lily not to walk on my computer. Lily: I walk on anything and everything. Because I am a cat! Oliver keeps on sitting on my laptop. The joys of working with pets around.

Napped and overslept. Gracie has been out for three hours and still doesn't want to come in. Sigh.

My dad is saying that it seems likely that there will be a recession or depression this year. (I asked him what evidence he's seeing because I'm me and a lot like him.) I got some books on recessions.

Drat. The flight credit that I used for a trip to New York was today, but I managed to cancel it for a credit. I want to take a trip to New York in December.

Gracie finally decided to come in and everyone's fed.

I think that I want to take another nap after work. Overslept by only 20 minutes. Now I let the dogs out and are feeding myself and the critters. I keep having stomach cramps, ugh. Lily is fussing over me.

I’m thinking of just going to bed after my nighttime tasks and getting up early to do my French homework.

Fed us all. Bella started eating Gracie’s food after eating her own food, but I managed to distract her. Now it’s posting time.

I finally got into my Schwab account. Yes, I took a beating. But I bought more oil-related stocks because my dad says that they work well as a hedge. (They go up when other stocks go down and vice versa,)

I did oversleep until 7:45 AM. I’m going to have to skip my lunchtime meeting and shower instead. No, I just took lunch really early.

It’s raining out, and Bella looked dubious about going out.

I made a bonehead mistake at work, and I want to retire right now. But I can't.

I attended a "Finding Your Why [for Volunteering]" webinar at lunchtime. At first, I didn't think that I was learning much (I know what my skills are), but I wound up realizing that I want to volunteer in the arts, an area in which I haven't volunteered. I asked if the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on campus took community volunteers, and they do! I filled out a volunteer form. And I might be able to attend concerts for free! That excites me!

The Urbana Park District got back to me about volunteering. I'm going to be a part of the tear down/cleanup crew for the Read Across America event on Saturday. (I told them that I wasn't a morning person :))

The mammogram went okay. The technician was good. I'm slightly annoyed that I had to pay a dollar for parking, but at least it was only a dollar.

Oliver is being a pain and is walking on my computer.

My arthritis is bugging me.

We’re having the first thunderstorm of the season.

I need to bug the garage guy to get the gravel out of my backyard because I need to plant grass from mid-March to mid-April. I so hate dealing with him.

Gracie was jumping up and down barking at Oliver. Bella groomed Gracie, and Gracie settled down. Good job, Bella.

Everyone, including me, has been fed. Now I’m waiting for my Walmart order. Maybe I should start gathering garbage (done). Crud. They’re predicting rain the rest of the night. I guess I’ll be okay to take out the garbage in my all-weather jacket and mud shoes. No, it’s going to keep storming. I think that I’ll put the garbage bags by the back door and call it good. No, I got the garbage out while waiting for my grocery order. And I got most of the groceries in. (I'll get the rest of the soda tomorrow morning.) Got my clothes laid out for tomorrow.

I can't get the login code for two-factor authentication for Schwab, so I don't know what happened with my stocks. Something is down.

Now to bed soon.