I'm looking for a suitcase that's more durable than mine. I'm looking at Roam suitcases but sheesh, expensive. I'll shop around. I like this suitcase. It's a soft side, but maybe soft-sided suitcases last longer?

Zara’s food dish is missing. I walked all over, but couldn’t find it. What do they do with them?

I woke up before my alarm, but I'm so sleepy this morning. The drive takes it out of me. I snuck off to lie on the futon for a few minutes.

Mimi is lying in a sunbeam :)

Allerton has a peony garden that I'd like to check out.

I'm looking at pear trees. I wonder if the birds eat pears? Or maybe an apple tree?

I’m getting head bonks from Zara. I believe that I was missed.

Shit. I can't find my car keys. I had them last night.

More crap. I owe taxes on the trust distributions for Mom's house.

Found my car keys. They were in the bunched up sleeve of my coat. And I took my spare key off of the key chain. (Yes, I know keeping the key and the spare key in the same place isn't smart.)

It's hot upstairs. I need to buy a fan (done).

I’m napping again after work. I way overslept my nap. I'm going to go back to bed and get up early to do homework.

I’m getting a lot better about putting things away. I washed a beach towel with my towels, and instead of leaving it in the bathroom, I walked over to my closet and put it in. Unusual for me because I pile things. I need to keep it up.

I was awake long enough for my warm pajamas to come out of the dryer, toasty warm. Yummy.

This morning, Mimi was complaining about my closing the bathroom door when I showered. They’re getting back to normal.

I'm cold again upstairs. I don't see a heat vent up here. I leave the door open for the heat to rise through. I need to buy some tea to help me warm up (ordered). Mimi is in a sunbeam. Solar-powered kitty. I think that I need a space heater for the upstairs.

I'm getting "brain zaps" due to my lack of venlafaxine. I didn't see the order on CVS' app, so I submitted it again. I wish that they'd fill it quickly.

Made a couple of phone calls. I'll now have an extra garbage can. Yay.

Hmm. yshaloo mentioned someone who does pet portraits. I kind of would like a wall of the cats that I have had. I wonder how much they cost.

Zara was annoyed about my getting into bed to nap during lunch, but she came back. I really love the warm comforter, and so does she. She is now perched on me.

I've been reading the Alexander McCall Smith books, the 44 Scotland Street series. It was a serial like the Tales of the City. Each book ends with a party in which one of the characters reads a poem that he wrote. In the one that I just finished, he said that parties end like life ends, but maybe we wind up going to another party. That hit me really hard and I started crying.

I called CVS, and they sent a fax to my doctor. I hope that she will respond quickly. I need my meds.

Got the garbage out. I had more than a can’s worth, but I’m waiting for the second can to get it all out.

I received Lawn Care for Dummies. I might bring it with me to Michigan to read in my hotel room.

I'm working upstairs. Zara comes to find me when she wants to be fed. Because she's the boss, I come down and feed them. Mimi chimes in, but Zara initiates the process.

I'm thinking that I should get up early to walk on the treadmill. That would get my blood moving and warm me up.

I finished my to-do list for work. Awesome. Now I think that I'll do a bag of clothes and call it a night. Actually, I think that I'll have to skip the clothes. Oh, and I want to sweep the kitchen/dining area. And I need to post.

Crud. DailyLook sent my box to Michigan, so I need to call them tomorrow to have FedEx go pick up the box. Sigh. I changed my address in their system. Oh well. I can't be the only person to whom this has happened.

Oh. I need to call about the CPAP because they want it back because I haven't been using it. I got it right before my mom died, and I never got it set up. They can have it back. I'll do a CPAP later.

I left some lights on for Zara so that she doesn’t wake me up meowing.

I woke up at 5 AM. I ordered some more hangers because getting my clothes together is my first project. I went back to sleep for a couple of hours.

Well, crud. My clothes in the dryer are still damp. I guess that I’ll take a shower during lunch.

I need to pick up some bleach to wash the loveseat cover. White looks good with the rose paint, so I’m thinking of keeping the white cover. And it’s cheaper. I’m looking at white curtains. Silver also looks good, so I think that I will get silver drum tables.

White also looks good with the blue paint upstairs, so I’m thinking of a white desk and white bookcases.

The plants that I put in the kitchen look happy. They’re the plants that I thought of for the bathroom, but I want to leave the bathroom blinds closed. I also want a couple of spider plants to hang over the sink.

I forgot to turn off the lights in the basement yesterday. Apparently they put the boxes in the room for my exercise equipment, which wasn’t what I had in mind. Oh well. I want to unbury the rowing machine. I also need to get the treadmill, which is upstairs, set up. The power cord and emergency key are in a box somewhere, so I wrote the company to see if I can order them. I need to use the treadmill to prepare for the Italy trip.

I’m waiting for the clothes to finish drying so that I can check that they’re actually dry. Nope. I need an appliance repair person.

Damn, I'm tired. I think that it'll take a few days to recover from the move.

I got my Ramen and frozen yogurt delivered. I think that I'll have Ramen for lunch to soothe my throat. I did and had frozen yogurt too. It went down well.

I hung some clothes up to dry in my “warm” bathroom so that I’ll have them for tomorrow. I guess that it’s pajama day today.

I found some bookcases that I like for the upstairs. They have to be short because of the attic roof.

I wasn’t able to nap. Mimi and I shared body heat though.

I’m going to wait to get rid of the mattress until after I get the dryer fixed because I don’t know how much it’ll cost. I have an appointment for the dryer on Friday morning.

For some reason, all the updates that I did on my work computer did not get saved. I got squared away with the organizer. She has my new address and I paid her. We'll meet next week. I ordered a new filing cabinet and supplies, which will arrive the last day of my organizing appointments. I guess that day will be the paper-handling day

I asked my dad if he thought that he would come to Illinois and see my house. He said that it was "unlikely" because it's a long trip. (They drive.) I told him that I bought some Web cams, but that I'd need an electrician to install them, so I don't know when that will happen.

I put the new Brooklinen sheets on the bed and wrestled the duvet cover on the comforter. I thought that I also had black pillowcases and pillows, but I’m not sure where they are. Oh! They are wonderful to lie on.

Got my writing/studying desk set up and I really like it. I'll use the gray drawers to keep stamps, pens, batteries, etc. in.

Got most of my empty boxes out for recycling. I met another neighbor, who was thrilled that I bought the house. Apparently, it was a rental for a long time.

Tried to nap but couldn’t sleep. I have a headache and body ache. I’m going to take my nighttime meds and then go to sleep.

Fuckity fuckity fuck. I overslept until 5:45 AM.

By dint of superhuman effort, I’m ready. And it’s 7:30 AM.

The movers got here around 8 AM. Things went well except that they needed to run get some tools to get the bed and exercise equipment taken apart. I forgot to mark a table, but I should be able to get it in storage to take in my car later. The driver said that he probably will deliver late in the afternoon on Monday.

One of the movers thought that it was great that I was a librarian. And another one said that the back yard was "sick," which I gather is current slang for "cool".

I lay down for a minute but decided that I was too wired to sleep right now. I'll lie down after class.

I have my work cut out for me. The place looks like a tornado hit it. And I have homework to do also.

Okay, the classes are over. Now I'm going to take a nap. Can’t sleep. I’m hungry. I need to make a pizza and submit a grocery order. I think that I’ll go to bed early because I need to take my car to Midas tomorrow morning to get the lightbulb by my license plate fixed.

Started laundry. Started heating the oven for pizza. Submitted a grocery order. Put the pizza in the oven. Made a to-do list for the next few days.

I found a vest that I think that I want to get for my Italy trip. Probably in red. Maybe with this shirt? I also would like this outfit. And why are men's shirts (and sweaters) always cooler than women's shirts? I like this shirt. It would look cute with jeans.

Now I'm really tired, but I need to wait for my groceries. I hope that they'll come soon.

I’m starting to get the Italy books in. I think that I’ll start with La Bella Figura: A Field Guide to the Italian Mind.

I have a boatload of things to do today because I lost time from Friday night. I need to work on homework for both classes. And pack. Oh, and pay biils. And tidy up the kitchen and dining room. And get money for the packing guy. And go for a walk.

I’m looking at bookcases because that’s the first thing that I’ll purchase for my new house. Wow, they’ve gotten expensive. I’m also trying to figure out what to do about hangers. Should I try to take Mom’s or order new ones? But I’ll need Mom’s to hang her clothes up.

I don’t know what’s with the Urbana post office. I submitted a change of address from while I was down there and was getting mail from there. Now the person who took over my rental said that he was getting mail for me. Sigh.

I got up around 10 AM. Fed myself and the cats. Mimi is walking around complaining for some reason. I think that she wants me to take a nap.

I mollified Mimi and took my nap. I exist to serve :)

I read CNN when I first wake up, and the Washington Post and New York Times during breakfast and lunch.

There’s something that I needed to run out and get, but I forget what. Getting older can be the pits. Oh, money for the packing guy! The entry that I have been composing helped!

I’m looking for an antitheft camera backpack for the Italy trip. They seem to be either a camera backpack or antitheft. I wound up getting a PacSafe backpack.

Mimi wants something, maybe for me to go up and snuggle with her now that we all ate dinner. No, I went upstairs and she didn’t follow me.

Paid bills. I tried to submit a Change of Address form, but I never got a receipt. However, when I try to submit one again, it says that one is already in place. Okay, I just got the receipt. That was slow. I'm not sure what to do about LegalShield. I do need a will, but they charge $30 a month.

I printed off a chapter from our textbook for the algorithms class. I need to go read it. Hmm. However, I have a headache. Maybe I should just start laundry and go to bed.

Urgh. I had added a credit card to my Allivet (vet pet meds) account because it was missing, which was weird. And I changed my billing address. Then I received a message that the charge didn't go though. So on the phone I went, and apparently the change to the address didn't go through. Le sigh. But it's fixed.

The insurance person at the trust got back to me and said that she would check the status of the insurance policy. I haven't heard back since then.

Now I'm thinking that if Doodles are high-energy, they're probably not for me. (Though the one with heartworm is haunting me.) I got some books on corgis. (I like the looks of Doodles, Corgis, and Maltese dogs.) I noticed that there is no “Dummies” book on corgis. Maybe I’d be the one to write it? I checked, and there already is a "Cats for Dummies" book. Oh well. Hmm. Corgis are energetic too. One of the corgi books says that because corgis are herding dogs, they might try to "herd" other pets. They recommended getting puppies if you have other pets. Zara, I think, would teach them manners.

I found a grooming and boarding place and a (for fee) dog park in Urbana. And a dog training club.

Well, I went back to sleep this morning and didn’t finish the kitchen. But I got the counter cleaned off and the stove, so the cleaner can clean them.

I lay down for a nap at lunchtime. Mimi jumped off the bed when I put the phone on to charge (the charger is across the room) but came back when I sat up after the nap. Silly cat :)

I’m looking at step bookcases (ones that look like a set of stairs) for under the stairs in the new house.

I discovered Zara's new spot. She's sleeping on the love seat in the TV room. I told her that we would be taking it with us when we move. She went back to sleep :) I still think that I'll take the wingback chair for her though. I found a new cover for the wingback chair that has a skirt because she likes to hide under the one here. It's taupe, not gray, but I think that it will work. I'll put it in the "music room".

The orchids seem to like the new self-watering pots. I need to get the rest of them potted.

Hmm. My cleaner hasn't showed up. Maybe she thought that she was supposed to come next week, when it was originally scheduled. That's okay. More time to work on the kitchen after I finish the box because I want to throw it into the dumpster that's being picked up tomorrow. And I need to remember to move my car (done). I have no way to contact the cleaner though. She has called me previously, but I deleted the message. I don't see her in my text messages. She called at 4 PM and said that there was a snafu in her morning job. She said that she could still come, but I said let's just do it next week. And I added her to my contacts.

Oops, Zara is up and she wants food. I told her, as I have many times before, that she's a walking stomach. Yes, I'll give her her lunch now.

I sent a message to a company about snow removal for the new house. They also create patios, so I'd like to get to know them. I bet that they would put in garden beds too. They said that they don't do snow removal anymore because of the labor shortage. But! They can put in gardens for me as well as the patio! (Hmm, it looks like I'll need a snow blower.) Hmm, if there’s a labor shortage, I probably can’t get anyone to rake leaves at the new place. I need to grab my mom’s rake when I go.

After work, I came into my bedroom to lie down for a little while and turned on the lights. Mimi was asleep on my, er, her bed and gave me a bleary-eyed look. Now she’s back asleep.

Apple is sending me a replacement watch, which has shipped.

I'm wondering if I should take Mom's bird feeder, but I don't know where the trays are for it. I need to look in the garage.

If I ever get to Japan, I’m taking Japan Airlines. That evacuation was amazing.

I received a message from the travel agent for my cruise next year. I emailed back asking how I can make payments for the cruise. I booked my shore excursions, except for San Juan because I need to know when I'll arrive there. I had thought about skipping one of the destinations for a spa day on the ship, but I really want to go for the destinations, and I can have a spa day anywhere.

The lining on my down coat is stuck in the zipper. Someone online suggested using a tweezer, but that just pulled out a thread and poked small holes in the lining. Any suggestions are gratefully accepted.

The IRS almost gave me a heart attack by sending me a letter, but it was just saying that someone (me) accessed IRS data for the FAFSA. Whew.

I'm going to go to sleep now and work on my box in the morning.

Ack! I woke up with my alarm, but decided to go back to sleep for a little while and take my shower at lunchtime. I set my alarm for the wrong time and overslept an hour. I forgot to mention that my alarm clock other than my phone is not working. I'm trying to decide what to order because these alarm clocks don't last long. I bought a different alarm clock that's supposed to be loud as well.

My electric razor is biting the dust too. Nothing lasts these days. Okay, I ordered a new one. Sigh.

I forgot to submit my info for the closing, but got a reminder and did so. I need to call about getting home insurance as well. Oh, it just occurred to me that I probably could get insurance through the trust. Nothing from the title company about the total yet. Yikes. The real estate agent said to transfer the full asking price, and then I should get a check back for property taxes, etc.

I was looking at items to put in my front yard and front window. I want a lawn sign that says Love Is Love, etc. Possibly a pansexual flag. And a Unitarian Universalist stained-glass ornament for the window. (I need to start going to the church first!) I'm going to have a lot of fun with this house! I looked for a "COEXIST" thing but all I saw were bumper stickers.

The Urbana organizer contacted me with a bill for next week. I called back and said that I told someone that I wouldn't be available next week. She said that she was waiting to reschedule it, so I picked the week of Spring Break. I hope that I will have gotten rid of a lot of junk by then.

I had my photography lesson. She spent most of her time talking about Adobe Lightroom. I don't know what I expected from our lessons, but this isn't it. I'll take my camera with me to Illinois and take some pictures. I ordered a couple of books on Lightroom.

I started a load of laundry. I can't find many pairs of size 16P jeans. I need to order more of them (done).

I got my train booked for the conference in May. It's in Minneapolis. I told my boss that I'd prefer to take the train because it's better for the environment (though I commented, "says the person who just went to Hawaii"), and she said, "Okay". The downside is that the train gets in at 11 PM, so I'll be tired the next day, but I should be able to grab a nap on the train. It should be a scenic trip.

I ordered some curl gloss and styling mousse. Amazon apparently has it, which is convenient.

Put the clothes in the dryer. I tidied up the kitchen some, but I'll finish in the morning. Watered the plants. Cut up Zara's meds for the pet sitter. I need to throw my clothes in a suitcase in morning, finish the kitchen, and run a couple of errands to pick up a prescription and get money for the pet sitter. It looks like, though, that I'll get a reasonable start on my trip.

I squirted medicine in Mimi’s ears. She did not approve.

The Apple Tags said that my small suitcase was left at the vet's place, so I wondered if someone took it, but it was still in my car. I couldn't find the SD card reader though, so I ordered yet another one. Sometime I'm going to find a stash of SD card readers.

Ack. I'm sleepy. I want to hibernate through winter.

Both Zara and Mimi are hiding from me. I’m persona non catta :)

Had a nice nap at lunch. The cleaner is now here cleaning. Mimi wants something, but I don't know what. Maybe for me to lie down again. Changed my hotel reservation to next week.

Had my performance appraisal at work. It went well.

Bah. There is water running at the side of the house. I don't know why. I called a plumber. They said that they would be here tonight, so I canceled my photography lesson. Then they called and said that they would be out tomorrow. This is the last thing that I need. Sigh. At least my photography teacher is very accommodating.

Because my lesson was canceled, I'm going to take a nap after work. But I can't stay up late because the plumber will be here in the morning. I couldn't sleep. Mimi has forgiven me and is climbing all over me. Mean Mommy brought the ear goop upstairs to give her a treatment tonight.

Oh crud. I forgot to go to CVS. I could run now, but it’s dark and cold and I have a warm cat next to me.

Read more of Streisand's autobiography. She's about to start rehearsals for Funny Girl.

Zara is picking at her food. I'm worried about her. I don't see why she's so traumatized by my trying to get her in the carrier. Mimi bounced back much quicker.

I'm going to sleep soon. I need to get up early for the plumbers. Here's hoping that it'll be a quick and inexpensive fix.

Zara just said "Hello!" Yay!

My handyman woke me up at 6 AM calling me. I texted him back and told him that he woke me up. He said that he didn't know that I was on vacation. Okay. I think that I'll eat a slice of pizza for breakfast and go back to sleep for a little while. I couldn’t sleep, no doubt due to the time change. Got up and had a nice shower. Made a grocery list.

Made it to the grocery store and loaded up on supplies, including the all-important Diet Coke. Fresh fruit and salads too. And oatmeal.

I opened the windows to get some air and light in here. There is no air conditioning, only ceiling fans. That’s common in Hawaii.

Kauai is not feeling familiar, but I haven't gone to any places that I went to previously yet. There are some pretty drives.

The WiFi here really sucks. It's almost as slow as dialup.

I think that I'll try to nap a little. I have nothing until the Fern Grotto tour at 3:15, and I'll leave around 2. I got the address to enter in the GPS on my phone. I would have been completely screwed this trip without the GPS.

A guy was using a leaf blower or something like that when I lay down. But I did doze lightly after that.

Had a small Caesar salad for lunch. I must have been hungry because it tasted really good. Changed my clothes and freshened up, and I have a half-hour to kill.

Interesting. I saw a video about a couple who retired on a cruise ship. They said that it’s costing them $35000 a year. That’s something to think about, but I’d have to not have pets.

Took the fern grotto cruise. The fern grotto is basically a photo op. I don’t remember it from our Kauai trips when I was a kid, and I’m not surprised. Now I’m waiting for the luau.

I’ve decided not to take the snorkeling trip on Sunday. I’d have to meet them at 6 AM, and I don’t do 6 AM even Hawaii time. I can rent snorkel equipment at the place where I’m staying at a more civilized hour.

Then I went to the luau. Dinner took two hours. The food was pretty good and the live music was great. But the actual hula show started at 7:45. I walked over there but started to yawn. Bearing in mind that it was almost 2 AM EDT, I had a longish drive ahead of me, and I was up at 6 AM today, I decided to leave and drive back. I didn't really factor jet lag into my plans because I'm a night owl. But a six hour time difference is making a difference.

I'm back at the hotel and plan to sleep soon. I'm a party animal :) I'm going to set my phone on "do not disturb" this time until my alarm goes off.

Oh, I discovered that there is a washer and dryer in the hotel suite. Excellent because I want to wash my travel clothes before going back. The complex has a laundry room, but this is better.

I booked an Italian lesson and French lesson. Well, the teacher doesn't like the times. Sigh. I think that we've negotiated times, but she wanted to start next week because she's not feeling well.

Holy cow. My Global Entry application was conditionally approved, and I have an appointment the Monday of Thanksgiving week. Far out. And I have the appointment here, which saves me a trip to Chicago. And there is short-term parking at the airport, but maybe I want to Uber?

I just remembered that I have more vaccines today.

I'm trying to figure out how to get the boxes in storage back here. Maybe I could get a TaskRabbit guy with a truck? I don't really want to rent a U-Haul again.

I went to get my vaccines, but they wanted another card from Blue Cross Blue Shield. I doublechecked my old wallet, but haven't got it. So I need to call them on Monday. I hope that they will send it here. Picked up more batteries and some makeup.

The Total Gym arrived. That plus the BCBS problem sent me into a tizzy, but I remembered what my life coach tells me. I went to look for my to-do list notebook, but it has vanished. So I got one of Mom's old pads of paper, wrote down "Monday" and "Call BCBS". It helped. I sent a message to the TaskRabbit guy. He accepted. The Total Gym is just going to have to spend the night outside because I can't get it up the stairs. I emailed BCBS. Ordered another to-do list notebook.

I can't find the guitar tuner anywhere. I told my teacher, and she said that we could do music theory instead. That turned out to be useful, so I'm wondering if I should add a half-hour for music theory (done). She has decided from working with my voice that I'm a mezzo/alto, which is kind of what I figured. She told me that "my musical instincts are good," whatever that means but I'll take it! I'm starting a song that I don't know at all, "Once Upon a Dream" from Jekyll and Hyde.

By the way, I didn't do 1SE again last month. I suck.

I was obsessing about how I didn't want to get the dead possum out of the basement. So I told myself that if I did that, I could have the rest of the evening off to work on my blog or my video. That worked. I tried to pick it up with a shovel, but wound up having to use my mom's grabber. "Older people's stuff" can be useful!

The WordPress theme that I was using for the blog is buggy and wouldn't do what I want. So I bought another theme. But it somehow has gotten late, so I'll work with it some other day.

Added: Okay, I've got my blog site set up. Now I need to write some blog posts. Tomorrow after doing my task for the house.