days_unfolding

I joined a decluttering class and Facebook group. I did the first exercise, which was to list the barriers to decluttering and why I want to do it. Then I had to take pictures of the place. Wow, was that depressing. I developed a flaming headache, which might or might not have been psychosomatic.

I knocked an empty pop-tarts box on the floor by accident, and Zara tried to climb in it. Um, Zara, you're a bit bigger than the box. Goof :) All boxes belong to Zara.

Got the new shoes! They're really cute and comfortable. Earth Shoes for the win! Now I'm mulling over a closed-toe sandal. (I love closed-toe sandals because my toes are really ugly. I have some Earth Shoes closed-toe sandals that I've loved to death, which started me looking on their site in the first place.)

Well, crud. The used monitor that I wanted to buy was sold. I'm looking at other ones, but people take pictures with the monitors turned off. I don't like that. However, some are being sold for $20, and if it didn't work, I'd be annoyed, but it wouldn't break the bank. I made arrangements to get a monitor tomorrow. Far out.

I went to look at which Hello Fresh weeks to skip, and every week has something that I really want up to the week of July 29th, which I skipped. I really like their recipes. Speaking of which, I need to go make their Apricot Chicken. The Apricot Chicken part of the meal was awesome, and the roasted potatoes and green beans were okay.

Some idiot keeps shooting off fireworks, including after midnight. Nice to have consideration for your neighbors.

I did my 20 minutes of decluttering, although I had to take a break in the middle because my back hurt. As an added bonus, I got the Goodwill donation box ready to go.

I was thinking how my mind keeps telling me that I can't do things (like make dinner tonight). Sometimes I override it, but sometimes I don't. Unfortunately, I need some form of external motivation to help push me, like the lessons in the decluttering class.

zhelana mentioned Gallaudet's lessons in ASL, so I want to check them out. I watched a couple of videos. It's hard to read the captions and look at the signs at the same time. I looked at the vocabulary videos, and they seem to go fast. Well, I can replay them.

Need to get up at a semi-decent hour to put air in my tires and meet the monitor guy. (He's about 40 minutes away. But still, $20 monitor....)

Hmm. A new travel thought: take the California Zephyr (train from Chicago to the San Francisco Bay Area) and fly back. A "roomette" is $545, and meals are included. It's on my bucket list. It's supposed to be a gorgeous trip. There are some cheap Airbnbs in San Francisco. And I could stop in Reno and see my dad. This has some promise. Or take the Coast Starlight from LA to Seattle, although I'd want to spend some time in Seattle.

I talked to Dad about taking the Zephyr, and he said that I would be welcome to stop by. I told him possibly November, but now I'm thinking about Spring Break next year as soon as we find out when it'll be. I guess that I'll hold off making a decision until we get the calendar for next year. I need to book early to get a "roomette" though.

It just occurred to me that I'd have to drive up to Normal and catch the train to Chicago there in order to pick up the car in Normal when the bus from O'Hare Airport drops me off there. Lots of moving parts.

Apparently the college is developing contingency plans for teaching online at the beginning of the Fall semester. The plans are the right thing to do, but I wanted to scream. If we're stuck at home though the beginning of Fall, I swear that I'm going to go nuts. And our students will too.

I can't find my glasses. This is serious. Finally found them. They were in the garbage, which I searched once before. I'm glad that I searched it again. Whew. I almost started crying. Can't cope.

I bought two more grow bags on Wish to grow lettuce and spinach. I need more veggies in my diet. Hmm. I could get apples and spinach at the store and make the spinach salad with apples and wonton strips that I made way back when with Home Chef. It was good. I got one more grow bag for Brussels sprouts. I'm going to have a small farm. Added: The type of Brussels Sprouts that I saw had bad reviews on another site, and the rest are sold out. I give up. I'm ordering broccoli.

Hmm. The ASL teacher that I contacted hasn't gotten back to me, but a slew of other people have. I'll wait a day or two before contacting someone else. The person who I chose is "unavailable," so I need to choose someone else.

I thought about watching a Harry Potter movie tonight, but I'm tired. I think that I'll study Italian and go to bed. Done. Italian numbers will be the death of me :) Oh, and order seeds.

When I sold books back the other day, I bought a stack of books and programs as well. (However, they gave me a tote bag that probably would retail for the cost of the books and programs, so I guess that balances the cost.) The two programs were on ASL and on Spanish. (I haven't forgotten that my ultimate goal is to get my MLIS degree and become a librarian. I'm just taking some unexpected detours. I figured that Spanish and ASL would be good for a librarian to know.)

Anyway, ASL is a blast! I can now sign "I am A-D-R-I-E-N-N-E". How cool is that?