days_unfolding

I was able to ask for a wake-up call for 4 AM. That will get me up. Showered. I’m waiting for the steam to dissipate in the bathroom and my Apple Watch to finish charging. I’m trying to unpack only the bare minimum that I need.

Woke up on time. I’m going to be ready way early, but that’s better than late.

I’m in the Costa Rica airport. There is no TSA precheck here, and security took a long time. I had a croissant for breakfast. Apparently, in Miami, I will have to get my checked bag, go through Customs, recheck my bag, and get on my flight to Chicago. That’s going to suck.

I admire people who travel with kids. It’s tough.

I hustled my butt in the Miami airport, and made the Chicago flight in plenty of time. I hope that my luggage will make it too.

I upgraded to business class, and they bumped me to First Class. The flight to Chicago is delayed, so I’ll probably miss the last bus and need to stay over in Chicago.

I fell asleep. When I woke up, everyone was eating. I asked for some food, and the flight attendant gave me a chef's salad, which I devoured. And lots of Diet Coke.

We made up some time and got in on time. My luggage did make it. I got to the bus area fairly quickly and caught the bus.

Now I'm home. Lily is making a fuss over me, and Zara said "Hello" and hissed at Lily :) I'm going to throw some clothes in the laundry and go to bed because tomorrow is going to suck.

The Internet is out on the ship. Bah.

You needed an engineering degree to figure out the shower. I finally figured out how to turn the water on (it wasn't obvious) but could not figure out how to get the shower on. So I took a bath and stuck my head under the faucet to wash my hair. And I almost wasn’t able to get out of the bathtub!

I took a lot of sweet rolls at breakfast. Then I discovered a place that would make me pancakes (which were quite good). I left with a contraband napkin full of sweet rolls. Waste not, want not.

I'm fighting the impulse to skip my shore excursion and go back to sleep. Note to self: don't book shore excursions at the beginning of a trip when you know that you will be tired. Now I'm thinking nap and wander over to the spa to see if I can get a manicure. Napped. Dug out my suntan stick in case I want to read in the sun.

I’m staying out of my room because I remember from the last cruise ship that they get upset if they can’t make up the room. I thought that lunch was at 11, but it looks like 12.

They’re playing the movie Conclave at 2 and 8:30. I would like to see that.

I had a moment of missing my dog. And I’m a little worried about Mimi. She’s been somewhat unsteady on her feet. But the vet said that she was okay, probably.

The room was made up. Now it’s nap time. I think that I’ll go for the later showing of the movie.

The pet sitter is sending me pictures of the cat food cans that she found under the cabinets and fridge. Not exactly restful.

Hmm. They put out a call for blood donors to help with a medical emergency. I had problems understanding the Captain on the PA, but it sounds like they are evacuating the ill person?

Read some of my book: Shift by Ethan Kross. It’s about using and managing emotions. It’s interesting so far.

I’m getting a little frustrated because the restaurant does not keep its posted hours.

Oh! They’re having introduction to pickleball tomorrow! I’ll be there!

My pet sitter can’t find Lily. She has to be there somewhere.

The Sweet Spot counter guy is always disappointed that I don’t want cookies. Ice cream, yes. I asked for one scoop and he gave me two.

Impressions so far: Holland America charges for everything. I spent more money getting the same amenities that I had last time, although this cruise is for two weeks, not one. Both staterooms were nice. The food was a little better on Celebrity, I think, but comparable. The ship is a lot quieter, which is nice, and there weren't late-night revelers (or at least, I didn't hear them).

I'm waiting to go to the movie, so I think that I'll post.

I ordered a "dusk to dawn" light bulb for the porch for delivery from Lowe's. I completely forgot to get a light bulb.

Fuck. I overslept until after 6 AM. The zap things went off, but I incorporated them into my dream. It’s doubly annoying because I woke up at 3:30 but went back to sleep. I’ll need to skip choir to get things done. Anyway, I should get cracking.

I forgot to mention yesterday that my neighbor came over to say “Hi” to Bella, and Bella gave her a kiss through the fence. Then her husband came over, and Bella hid behind me :) She said that a neighbor’s dog might be a good playmate for Bella.

Speaking of Bella, she got into the magnets for my cruise ship door. Sigh. I hope that she didn't swallow one.

My choir director is SO nice. I told her that I wouldn't be at choir tonight, and she said to have a safe trip and happy practicing!

I booked WiFi and another "fine dining" restaurant on the ship. Sheesh, the second restaurant was expensive, but filet mignon is calling my name. Or "surf and turf". This trip, I'm indulging myself.

I'm looking at Japan cruises for 2027. I'd prefer one that also includes Hong Kong, a "bucket list" place. Holland America has one that goes all over Japan, but no Hong Kong. Norwegian has one that I like, but no Hong Kong. Hmm. I like this one on Norwegian.

We have a toilet paper winner. The Who Gives a Crap? recycled paper is strong and soft and recycled! I do want to start the process for getting a bidet when I come back though. I need to have an electrical outlet put in near the toilet.

I was looking into food when I arrive in Miami. Uber Eats has food while DoorDash does not. I found something that I like, but I don't know if it will be open late because I'm getting in late. I'll find something.

I ordered another alarm for under my pillow to get up early on Wednesday.

Ugh. The weather in Chicago on Wednesday, the day of my flight, is supposed to be rainy and windy, with possible snow. Worst case, I leave a day later and miss my Miami tour.

I booked a conference in Chicago in May. I'll have to see if people are available to connect with. I also booked a conference in Atlanta in June.

I'm trying to decide whether to do the U of I's Student Farm's CSA for produce. I probably won't be set up for growing vegetables until late in the season. By the way, I found some raised boxes that I like for growing produce.

I’m plugging away at the kitchen and making progress. Bella and Oliver are very manic and are (not!) helping. Lily wants to go down in the basement. Bella was being manic beyond belief, so I shut her in the bedroom to calm down and give the cats a respite. It worked; she's a lot calmer.

I'm still working on the kitchen but have made tons of progress. I brought some mail upstairs, and Mimi started meowing, so I decided to post.

Bought some collapsible walking sticks to take on the trip. There are some walking tours, so they might help. (And yes, it's before the boycott starting at midnight, but if I think of something that I absolutely need to have for the trip, I might have to break the boycott.)

Overslept but got up in plenty of time for my shower. Oliver was walking on top of the shower, peering in and meowing :)

Yay. The vet will take Bella for boarding. Sigh of relief.

Now I'm thinking of waiting post-Trump to have solar installed. There is more likely to be tax credits.

We have a Friday "watercooler" Zoom call. Were were talking about Little Sleepies pajamas, among other things, and they have an "around the world'" one that I'd like to get for spring. But I'll wait until I get back.

The pet waste people cleaned up the yard and did a good job. Now I need to pick up after Bella until I board her. It's kind of tough at night. Maybe I'll take my phone and note where she pooped so that I can clean it up in the daylight. Oh, the joys of dog ownership: so much revolves around poop.

I think that I'm going to be too tired to pull an all-nighter to clean, so I'll go to Plan B and get up at 5 AM to clean. Music is a must! Tonight, maybe I could open some boxes and enter info for the pets' microchips and pack and other low-key stuff. Oh, and scan my music for my singing lesson.

Hmm. I should get some protein bars for my flight. I'm probably going to DoorDash when I get to Miami, but the flight is three-and-a-half hours. And I need something to eat in the morning.

It's kind of quiet and peaceful upstairs in the afternoon sun, listening to the burble of the aquarium.

My dad said to hold off on construction because if there is a recession, you should be able to get good deals. I hadn't thought of that aspect of it. He thinks that we should know if there will be a recession by the end of the summer. But I really want the fence replaced, which requires the garage to be finished so that I know where to end the fence. Hmm.

Oh! I can get Google's User Interface design course for free from the University. All I need is the time, which I don't have. Maybe a little later down the road.

I'm getting involved in new and interesting areas at work (involving with different areas of the system on which we work). That is making me happy.

I was feeling like I perked up a little but now I'm yawning.

Yeah, I need to get to bed early. My patience with the critters is fraying. (Bella ate Lily’s food. I gave Lily more food, but Oliver, who had had a full bowl of food, tried to eat it. Meanwhile, Bella was looking for a chance to eat more of the food. And I was getting cranky.) I think that I need sleep.

Overslept a little, but had time for my shower. Got a fecal sample for Bella, who is easy, but nothing from Oliver yet. Lily snuck upstairs, and Mimi freaked out, so I put Lily outside the gate.

The cleaner for Friday or Saturday didn't work out, so I'm trying another service for Monday.

Emailed the trust about my mom's safety deposit box and tax forms. I wish that they'd do stuff when I asked them the first time.

Overslept my nap. Sheesh, I'm tired.

Took Bella and Oliver to the other vet for their checkup before boarding. Bella seemed to like the place better; she had to check out every person who was there. Bella peed again. They manually took a fecal sample from Oliver, which must have been fun. The vet thought that Bella's eyes were red (I noticed that) because of allergies. And he cleaned some gunk out of Oliver's ears. They're going to check the fecal samples before finalizing the boarding. Oh, Bella looked like she was going to give the vet a kiss, and he said, "I have a boyfriend!" LOL.

My plan of record is to feed the hordes, bring in a recycling bin, take a short nap, and do the recycling.

I just contacted a pet waste cleanup person to clean up the yard. Yay, they'll do it, probably on Friday. Now I just need a house cleaner, and I’ll be in good shape.

Got us all fed. Nap time. Slept until 6 AM. I’m feeling dizzy.

Oliver went into the poke bowl bag and fell off the kitchen table :) Now Bella is shredding the bag.

Crap. I was changing into my pajamas when Oliver tried to jump on my lap, lost his balance, scratched up my leg, and drew blood. I hissed at him and he backed off. Lily was sleeping through it all. She is a champion sleeper. I need to do laundry, but Lily is sleeping in my laundry basket, so I’ll get up a little earlier to do it.

Damn, my leg hurts. Oliver really did a number on it.

Crud. I apparently didn’t pay for my drinks package on the cruise, so I need to do that in the morning (done).

I signed up for the Yazio weight loss app.

Discovered that tickseed plants need full sun rather than shade, so I guess that I’ll plant them on the sunny side of the house.

Overslept and woke up at 8 AM. There were a lot of dog walkers out when I was out with Bella. One dog really wanted to play with Bella. The walker complemented Bella on how well behaved Bella was, and I told her that Bella is shy with other dogs. She asked how old Bella was, and I said, “a year”.

Got us all fed. I put the clothes in the dryer only a few minutes ago, so I’m going to just slap on some makeup for my lesson and shower later.

Sigh. Bella plays rough with Oliver, so he turns around and picks on Lily. She can give as good as she gets though. Mass chaos.

My singing lesson was good. She gave me a bunch of music theory homework. And we practiced some more complicated sight-reading lessons. I need to remember to pick a song from choir to work on for next time.

It’s really warm out (currently 48F). Bella likes it.

The local “Stand Up for Science “ group is looking for volunteers to organize a protest, but I’m going to be gone.

Hmm. I should donate to the local LGBTQIA group (done). I was wondering if they were going to have any protests. They also have an “aging” group that intrigues me. I also need to set up monthly donations to the ACLU because they’re filing most of the court cases against Trump’s actions (done). I’m trying to donate to the national LGBTQ Task Force, but I keep getting an error.

I need to replace my Echo Spot because it fell in Bella’s water dish and now it’s malfunctioning. Sigh.

Bella is ready for a nap. So am I. Overslept my nap. I was dreaming that I was living with my dad.

Saw the tree-obsessed neighbor while I was out with Bella. He was happy that I’ll be taking the tree down when I have the garage built. He liked Bella, but Bella didn’t like him. She was barking at him. People like dogs though.

Bella chewed off the end of my shoelace while I had the shoes on! Jesus, dog.

I’m reading the BBC. It’s scary how many votes were cast in Germany for the Nazi party. Dark times ahead.

I saw a really pretty garden with bushes and lavender. Maybe I’ll plant lavender in the area by the side of the driveway-to-be.

Got us all fed. Now Oliver was playing with my shoelaces. Sigh. He’s looking like such a grown cat though!

I’ve decided to work on packing tonight and tomorrow night. I ordered some jars for my moisturizer creams. Found some nice shorts that need to be washed. I also found a swimsuit with a wrap-around skirt. That would be good for the pool on the ship. Cleaning on the rest of the nights this week.

I’ll need to find a new housekeeper because mine is busy this coming weekend.

Oh wow. I saw some beautiful thornless roses on a Facebook ad. That would be great for the side of the garage.

I’m about to take a shower and have Bella, Oliver, and Lily in here. Yikes! Oliver just left.

Just ordered more pairs of underwear so that I can pack them and still have some to wear this coming week.

Bought a “cruise-approved” power strip and some magnets for my door. It will make it easier to find my cruise door with them!

Need to do laundry, but Lily is snoozing in the basket. I guess not.

I’m going to do some packing while my hair dries and then take Bella for a walk. Though hmm, she’ll need to go soon. She was snoozing though. Maybe I’ll post.

I bought some reef-safe sunscreen because I’ll have a full two weeks in the sun. Got my makeup organized for the cruise.

I had to take Bella out for an emergency pee and poop run, and now it’s feeding time. I’ve decided to get up early and walk Bella before we go to the vet. It would be good if she’s tired out. I’ll set up wake-up calls to make sure that I get up.

My prescriptions are ready for pickup, so I need to go on Tuesday.

I hope that Pete Buttigieg runs for president next time, but I hope that he does what is best for his family though. These are scary times to be running.

Woke up with my alarm at 7.

I had Lily and Bella attending my shower. I took off my pajamas to go into the shower, when I felt a dog nose on my butt. I laughed and told Bella that I didn't need my butt sniffed. But yes, she's a dog.

Yikes, I had an RSV vaccine scheduled for tonight, but it was scheduled for Lincoln! Oops! I rescheduled it locally for tomorrow. I'm taking Bella to the vet today, so that's enough health care.

Got the car cleaned out (well, I threw stuff in back, but it could use a good cleanout). Got the harness on Bella and adjusted it somewhat, but she wasn't cooperating.

Oh man. I got the harness on Bella, and she was tolerating it fairly well. I got the leash on her, which she was less thrilled about, and got her to the car. Then she balked on getting into the car. She got in once and I got out to close the door, and she came back out. I tried again, and she pulled--and pulled her harness off. I didn't know that was possible, but her legs were up on the seat. She hung around though, and I managed to get her into the yard. I have a new appointment for Monday, and we'll work on getting into the car with treats involved.

I seriously need carbs. I have a Walmart order coming tonight. Well, it came this afternoon, and I loaded on carbs. I saw a post on Facebook that said that Walmart is contributing to Project 2025. I'm fairly dependent on Walmart. Maybe I can switch to Meijer?

Bella was looking guilty/sad. I told her that I wasn't trying to get rid of her, just take her to the vet. I petted her, and she perked up a little.

Lily snuck upstairs while I had my hands full of carbs. I've been letting her nose around, but Mimi just saw her and is growling. No screams though. (She screams at Oliver.) Lily seemed unimpressed, but she respected Mimi’s space. Lily liked the tree window. Lily liked it up there and ran in again when I fed Mimi, so I picked her up and took her out of there.

I’m trying to buy a ramp to make it easier for Bella to get into and out of the car. I’m getting an error, so I’ll try later from my laptop.

I’m feeling tired but wired, so I should get stuff done and get to bed earlish. I hate to disturb Bella though. She’s clearly exhausted. I did get up and so did she.

I opened some Amazon boxes for my trip. I shelled out for a new Kindle because the one that I have is large and meant for annotating books. I usually read books on my phone but don’t want to run my phone battery down while I’m traveling. I got a small Kindle Paperwhite. The Kindle figured out who I was based on my WiFi, logged in, and downloaded all my books automatically. Pretty slick, Amazon. I’m charging it up. I need to clean out my travel backpack and start packing stuff in it.

Practiced piano and spent some quality time with Zara, who has been getting short shrift. I need to keep it up.

Got the recycling bin filled. I need to get up early to get the bins out and to take flattened boxes out (which will take a while).

Reading the effects of the funding withdrawal from universities is making me sad. I work for a university, but not in research, so I’m probably okay. But I wonder what I can do for the university. They have been saying business as usual for the time being.

I’m going to investigate getting a Lithuanian (EU) passport after I get back from my trip. I want to keep my options open.

Someone is looking for a large dog bed on Buy Nothing. I’m going to wash Bella’s old one and give it away if it comes out okay.

I stayed up until 1 AM messing around. Exactly what I don’t need to be doing. I’ll set “quiet hours“ on my phone right now. When I was getting ready for bed, Bella was lying flat on the floor and Oliver was yawning. I can get the hint.

Woke up at 8 AM. It’s snowing and looks completely uninviting to run errands. Bella went out, peed, and wanted to come back in. I’m thinking about a Plan B for errands. I’ll be at Ulta next Friday to get my brows done and can buy makeup then. I need to look at my other errands. I can get some stuff on Amazon. Actually, I found some eyeshadow and such on Amazon too.

Lily is showing me her belly. New frontiers in dog grossness: I had to pull dangling poop from Bella and wash smeared poop off of her butt. Did I say “Gross!!!” Oliver is looking out the window at the snow.

Ordered makeup on Amazon. Ordered some chicken wire (there’s a small gap in the fence) for delivery from Lowe’s.

I think that it’s nap time. I had Bella, Oliver, and Lily in the bedroom for a while, which did not look restful. Bella chased Lily out, and Oliver decided to see what Lily was doing. Whew. NOW it’s nap time.

I just realized that I need wire cutters for the chicken wire. Sigh.

Napped. While I was out with Bella, my colleague and her daughter delivered my Girl Scout cookies. I’m making lunch, so cookies for dessert!

I’m feeling like I need another nap, but I’m probably just groggy.

Fuck. The remainder of my Lowe’s items are in a pickup locker at Lowe’s. I wanted all my items delivered, not just the first one. I can’t get there before Tuesday. Well, maybe Monday after choir. I reordered them for delivery.

Took another nap and overslept. Now it’s shower time. I need to feed the hordes too.

I’m preheating the oven for pizza and cleaning the kitchen floor. Bella does not like me cleaning the floor and bit me hard enough to hurt. Lily, on the other hand, likes the cleaning.

I used my Apple Watch to find my phone, which had fallen on the floor. It worked well, but it took me a while to realize that I needed to log into the phone to get the beeping to stop.

Oh crap. Lily ate some tomato sauce off of the pizza. I Googled and got some bad signs to watch out for. My bad; I didn’t put the pizza away fast enough. So far, she seems okay though.

I swapped out the recycling bin inside for an empty one. And Lily went down into the basement. Sigh.

I’m starting into my night routine and will get up early. The "quiet hours" on my phone worked well. Sometimes I overrode them, but I did spend more time cleaning than I usually have. I'll leave them turned on.

I need to make a list of things that I want an electrician to do: motion-sensitive light on porch, outdoor outlets, Nest thermostat and doorbell, outlet in bathroom for bidet, outlet near fish tank….Huh. Should I get the ceiling fan in my bedroom replaced? Might as well because it would be nice to have in the summer.

I didn't get up early to get the recycling out. I need to get it loaded up on the weekend.

Ran out and deposited my check. It's cold out (0F/-18C wind chill this morning), but seeing the temperatures that sunshine_two is dealing with shamed me into going out. It wasn't too bad. However, there was ice glued to my windshield that took forever to get off. I want to have the money available this weekend to go get makeup for my trip. I'm also wondering if I should get my brows waxed and laminated (booked an appointment in a week). Should I get my nails done? Booked an appointment right before the trip. I need to remember to give myself a pedicure too.

Had my therapy session. She's glad that I want to expand my social network. I told her about the political group and also that I want to join the Unitarian Church after I get back from my trip. I also found a tropical fish group that I might join. I wonder if I could join the Friends of the Urbana Library?

Submitted a grocery order.

I think that when I retire, I want to work on a database for planting flowers if I can get the data. Meanwhile, I’ll add entries on my Hotmail calendar.

Fed the dog and myself. I’m about to feed Oliver and Lily. Then I need to corral Oliver to 1) feed Mimi and Zara and 2) bring one of the recycling bins inside the back door so that I can throw stuff in it at 1 AM if I want to (done).

Bella is whining because the cats don’t want to play with her. I told her that if someone larger than me pinned me, I wouldn’t want to play with them either. This is tough for her doggy brain to comprehend. She ran laps around the building until she got tired though.

I should get Bella a job breaking down boxes. She’s good at it, but she tends to break them into small pieces.

Oliver and Lily are filling out nicely. They’re a lot more shaped like a grown cat.

I think that I want to wait for my grocery order (between 9 and 11 PM) and then go to bed. I think that I’ll put stuff on my calendar in the meantime.

I ordered a couple of hardcover books to read on the plane. The rest will be on the Kindle. (I should find my Kindle so that I don’t run down my phone. Oh, I need to pack my battery bank. I need to make a packing list.)

Having a recycling bin inside was a great idea. I have 2/3 of a bin filled. I’m working on Bella’s “lair” outside of the kitchen. She thinks that this is a game and is nipping me. Sigh.

I received my grocery order. I’m going to go up and post and feed the hordes. What is Bella barking at? It's a mystery.

I put wallpaper on my laptop that relates to the cruise (Panama Canal, Puerto Vallarta, Miami). I looked for one with a sloth (Costa Rica), but all the ones that I saw were AI representations. I'm getting excited!

Hmm. I have library books to pick up, but I need a way to keep them away from Bella. Maybe the bottom drawer of my nightstand.

Overslept this morning. I'll need to take my shower during lunch.

My showers are endlessly fascinating to the fur kids. I think that it's the sound of the water. Today, I had Bella and Lily observing.

Having the aquarium next to my work desk is very relaxing even without fish. The hum of the filter and water sounds are very meditative. And I like looking at the plants. Hmm, I had thought that I wanted plants up here, but maybe the aquarium plants are enough. Though maybe I'll get some African Violets for my desk. Lowe's has African Violets.

Had some really good Orange Chicken for lunch. The frozen dish was kind of pricey, but oh, so good. (It blows my mind what food costs these days!)

I was on the way back from the library, using Mom’s car, when it slowed down to a crawl even when I hit the gas, and the Check Engine light went on. I managed to get it home using my flashers. Unless it’s something like transmission fluid, it probably isn’t worth fixing. Any ideas on what might cause it?

I got the garbage out. Well, most of it, anyway.

I took my car to Walmart for soda and some food. I’m set for the snow.

Hmm. I wound up staying up late, but tomorrow probably will be a pajama day. Though I will have to get the recycling out in the snow. I need to email the trust, feed the cats, and go to sleep.