days_unfolding

Woke up at 5 AM, decided that it was too early to get up, and woke up at 7:30 AM. Much better.

Took the dogs out and fed us all. Took my meds. Nap time. Woke up early from my nap. Good. Had lunch. Decided to take another short nap.

I was curious if there was a discord for Champaign-Urbana, but they’re all associated with the university.

I wanted to sit for a moment, so I sorted the mail. A lot had piled up. Oliver was in the middle of it, of course, and he scratched me. I enjoyed pitching holiday catalogs into the recycling bin.

Drat. A coffee place called 7Brew has a mango-pineapple smoothie that I’d like to try, but they’re aren’t on DoorDash or Uber Eats. Hmm, they’re open until 11 and are sort of on my way home from choir, so maybe I’ll get one tomorrow night.

Started working on the kitchen. Checked on whether I’ll have enough meds for the trip. Emailed the travel agent about my boarding passes. I went to check whether I had a drinks and WiFi package for the cruise, but I already got it. All I need to do is clean and pack.

Had some dizzy spells. I think that I’ll go to bed and get up early to clean. Well, maybe I might pack a little. I'm trying to decide whether to take a beach towel with me. I do have three beach days planned. (This is my "R&R" trip.) I guess that I'll pack everything else and see if my beach towel fits. I'm taking the big suitcase though and checking it.

I was looking at Coldwater Creek's All-Season Jacket because I could use something like that, but holy cow, it's over $200! Maybe I could find one on eBay. Yep, took 5 minutes and found it for half-price. I also bought some navy pants to wear with my navy-and-white striped top and a white linen blazer to wear while boarding the ship.

I joined Bumble’s BFF site. I sent a like to someone named Melissa who has some of the same interests that I have, but I couldn’t figure out how to send a message. There’s someone in Bloomington, but she wants retired friends. Oh well.

Whoa. Dizzy spell. Maybe I should lie down. I emailed in sick for the morning, but I’ll make it in for the afternoon. I’m up, but I think that I need a shower before I take the dogs out. Feeling shaky. Finally got myself together and got the dogs out.

Crud. I have stuff to do at work, but I'm feeling lethargic. I really want to go back to bed, but I have a singing lesson after work and I skipped last week, so I better not skip this week. Okay, got my act together. I keep needing to go downstairs and pee though. Getting older is the pits.

Oliver is sleeping on the chair upstairs like a little angel. Appearances can be deceiving!

Oh shit. I peed a little going down to the bathroom. Arthritis in my hands. I hate getting older.

I’m going to go to bed after my singing lesson and feeding the beasts again.

Gracie pulled me down the front stairs and I fell hard. I gave up and told my singing teacher that I won’t make it. This week really sucks. I’m going to eat, post, feed the beasts, and go to bed.

Woke up with my alarm at 6 AM. I couldn’t remember why I was getting up so early for the longest time. Oh yeah, the in-person meeting. My stomach is upset, but I have to go, so that’s that.

The meeting went okay. My grand boss got a little teary because it’s her last annual meeting, and my glasses fogged up a little too. I did get a major dizzy spell during the morning and had to sit down and put my head down.

I loved the pants that I wore to the meeting, so I ordered a pair in navy.

Another dizzy spell. Sigh. I want to lie down.

Um. I got a like on Coffee Meets Bagel from a guy in Gainesboro, TN. I don’t think that will work geographically.

I stupidly left my Kizik shoes out, and one got chewed. Sigh. I ordered a new pair for my trip.

Napped and slept until 9 PM. Got the garbage out.

The BBC had an article about bacteria on your toothbrush. Ugh. They suggested soaking it in mouthwash.

It’s a zoo here. Gracie is barking at Oliver. Oliver is hissing. Lily has gotten out of the fray and went upstairs. Bella ate Gracie’s food. Fed us all.

Now I need to log on and modify a file for our training exercise tomorrow (done).

I was looking for a straw and found my spare set of Zenni glasses. (My housekeeping style is "There appears to have been a struggle".) Now I need to start laundry because I want to wear the jeans tomorrow that I have on. And go to bed.

I was looking at a clock that had nature sounds to which to wind down and to wake up, but it was really expensive. (I like its meditation timer though.) But the dogs like to wrestle while I’m “winding down” and Gracie likes to wake me up, and I think that it would lose something in the translation :) I found something cheap that does that, so I’m might try it. Hmm, it would be nice to have nature sounds on a sleep timer to play for a few minutes after I turn out the light. I found a cheaper clock that I’ll try.

I had problems falling asleep, so I was up really late. I set an alarm for 9 AM.

Gracie is barking at some plants that I have soaking in the tub. Anyone want a dog? Cheap!

I’m not watching the UU service. I don’t think that will work while Bella has her class. But they post the recordings, so I’ll watch them.

I’m feeling really dizzy and shaky, so I can’t go to the dog class. But I have a singing class at the same time, so I can attend that class. (They would have to be at the same time.) I have a dog training app on my phone, so I‘ll work with that in the meantime. And that would enable me to watch the UU sessions.

I need to get more organized. I found an executive functioning, which is what I have a deficit on due to my illness, workbook, which I’ll try.

I think that I need to eat something. I’m feeling fine when I sit (although I’m getting a headache) but am dizzy when I stand up. Sucks.

The intervals and scales class was good. I was the only student in the class, so I’m glad that I showed up.

Oliver knocks things over just by walking by them. I told him that cats are supposed to be graceful, but he sure isn’t.

Took a nap. I was really hammered. Fed us all. I’m going to go to bed early because the garage guys might be here early tomorrow.

Gracie tried to wake me up before my alarm, but I pulled the covers over my head. Took the dogs out, and I’m going back to sleep for a while.

Ack! I didn't take a shower and forgot that I had a hair appointment today! I put my status on "Be right back" and ran down to take a quick shower and put on makeup.

Got my hair cut, conditioned, and my eyebrows waxed. She kept my eyebrows thick and just shaped them, which is what I wanted, and it's cheaper than the brow lamination that I was doing.

I'm wondering if I should get a ticket to Lyric Under the Stars, which is a selection of arias and songs from musical theater, outdoors. You can get a seat at a table or on the lawn. You can buy food or not. There are too many choices! It's on my mom's birthday, though, so I'd like to do something. I bought the seat at a table and the dinner. It sounds like a lovely evening.

Speaking of my mom, I've been thinking of her a lot lately. Maybe it's because her birthday is coming up. Or maybe the stress of cleaning out her house is finally wearing off. I have to hand it to my dad though; he has people who will step in when he passes away (or even if he gets sick). I wish that my mom had had something like that.

Fed us all and took the dogs out. I should gather garbage but I’m tired and my back hurts. I do need to get up on time tomorrow for my dental appointment. I'm having dizzy spells, so I'm going to submit a grocery order (done) and go to bed.

A guy from my hometown whom I know on Facebook wants to meet with me. I don’t want to go. I’m going to tell him that my mower guy is coming by tonight to mow and give me an estimate on cleaning my gutters (true). Oh okay, he's asking about the 21st.

Arthritis is bothering me. It's not excruciating, just mildly annoying. My concern is more about my fingers instead of my toes because that could impact working on the computer and piano.

I'm falling asleep at my desk. Crashed hard at lunch and overslept my nap.

I'm looking into BistroMD again. I got tired of their food, but I did lose weight on it.

83F/28C. It's hot upstairs. It feels like 10 degrees cooler downstairs, so I won't turn on the a/c yet. You can feel the heat as you walk upstairs. I'm wondering if I should get an air conditioner or bite the bullet and buy a heat pump for upstairs. I spend a lot of time in my home office upstairs. I'm running a fan by my desk. It's hotter in Urbana than it is in Miami. And a lot hotter than Chicago.

It's kind of giving me the creeps that people with whom I worked at the beginning of my tech writing career have passed away. But they were a lot older than me, so it shouldn't be surprising.

I got the strawberry pot. And the Japanese Spirea.

Hum. I'm wondering if I should go to bed really early and get up early to work on the upstairs. It's too hot to work on it during the evening unless I stay up really late.

Oliver went over to see what Lily was doing. She was flat out because of the heat, and swatted at him. He walked away to lie down on the floor too.

Mower guy said that the lawn was too wet to mow. It was foggy this morning.

For my guest room, I was looking at the 8-drawer Van Gogh dresser that susandennis bought. But eight drawers is really more than I need. I found a 3-drawer version. If someone has more clothes, they can put them in the closet. Though if I got the 8-drawer one, I could keep colored pencils and such in some of the drawers. And some travel stuff.

Speaking of travel stuff, I looked at the linen outfit that I wanted to wear on the plane, and the color that I wanted is sold out. I could do a black-and-white top and white pants and a white blazer. I bought a “flax” top and pants and a “driftwood” blazer. That should look okay with my brown shoes.

Done with work. I have a cat (Oliver) in my face and a dog being manic. Fed us all. I was going to take a nap, but it’s late enough that I should probably go to bed for the night.

I started reading a new biography of Jennie Churchill. It’s interesting.

I’m feeling kind of dizzy.

Bella is out cold on her bed. She got up when I did though.

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.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I got the Ikea fabric box. It's smaller than I thought, but it'll work for the sweaters. I'll order more when I get the check from the trust. Actually, Target has bins that I like better and are cheaper.

I'm investigating Rent My Equipment so that I can rent the tiller when I'm not using it.

I’m feeling dizzy and want to lie down, but I need to get the recycling out. It’s supposed to rain though most of the day. I guess that I’ll just get the bins out and skip the boxes. I did lie down and overslept. Took the world's fastest shower. Ducked out of work to take the recycling out. (It took 8 minutes.)

I have some sock organizers that I bought a long time ago. I found some underwear and bra organizers by the same company on eBay. I’ll buy them when I have money. Actually, I had money in my PayPal account, so I ordered a set.

I've decided to get an Apple Watch when I get the check from the trust (after all, I spent $700 of my own money on Mom's car), and sell mine when I find it. I want a way to track my walks. Target has one on sale for a good price.

One of my decluttering books suggested getting the Closet+ app to document your clothes. Then you have a list of what you have when you shop. I just downloaded it. Though given that I'm losing weight, maybe I should wait to use it.

I can feel a difference in my neck and shoulders when I don't have yoga. I should do some yoga stretches on my own.

Placed a grocery order.

Had a quick therapy session. I didn't have a lot to say, so we cut it short. I'm in a good place for the most part.

Well, crud. I was trying to put together a rack for the dumbbell plates, but it is missing parts. I just emailed the company. I guess that the weights will just lie around until then. I also brought the exercise bench upstairs, which was a workout in and of itself :)

Started putting away my t-shirts in an organizer that I put in a drawer. I might have too many t-shirts for one drawer though. I did dump some clothes in a bag for the thrift store though.

Got the grocery order. I'm running out of steam, so I'm going to study Italian (done--I'm getting back in the groove).

I think that I'll go to bed early and get up early.

I went back to sleep at 4 AM and slept until 11:30 AM. I might not make it out for errands today.

Got the returns taped up and ready to go.

I had been looking for a black-and-white jacket to throw over the black sundress that I bought, when I realized that I had the perfect jacket already. I'll take a picture of it when I get the dress.

Huh. I'm not seeing the Chico's order that I had placed in my email. That would explain why I haven't gotten it. No, it's there in my list of orders on Chico's Web site, and it says that it was delivered. I need to get my stuff organized.

"I Left My Heart in San Francisco" is playing in my head. RIP Tony Bennett.

Tried to nap but couldn't sleep. Just as well. I have stuff to do.

I've been reading articles about how tourism is ruining Hawaii, which is leaving me torn. I really want to go, and have booked my travel, but now I feel guilty.

I took my shower, but now I'm feeling dizzy. I put some carbonated water in the freezer to chill in case I'm dehydrated. I don't think that I'll be able to drop off the clothes and one of the returns today.

I found the Chico's clothes. I put them in my "to try on" pile. I don't feel like going out today. I'll work on getting my clothes together. I got the MP3 player for swimming, and I was downloading songs to it while it was charging. I downloaded my favorites: Bonnie Raitt, Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, and U2. I think that I'm done for now.

I can't find my glasses.

Took a nap and slept through until 7:30 AM. I still haven't found my glasses. I brought out my spare pair.

I ordered an "I got the shot" button from Etsy because why not. Maybe it'll inspire someone else to get vaccinated. Or not.

It always amazes me how much more perky I am in the afternoon than in the morning. I suppose that it's not surprising given that I'm a night person. And I'm even more perky during the evening. Good for me getting things done during the evening and bad for getting to sleep on time.

I've been feeling a little dizzy so I'm drinking water in case I'm dehydrated. It would be good if I could go to the public library to pick up books and the grocery store for roast beef. No, I'm feeling like I might have a slight fever? I'm staying home. Plus it's raining, and there is a wind advisory.

Zara just had a major case of the zoomies. I have some packing material that I need to throw out, and she pounded through it, onto me, onto the counter, and did the loop a few times. She's the only cat whom I've known who gets manic when she eats. She's finally settled down. She's not happy that I corralled the packing material into a garbage bag.

The Great Courses had a music theory class on sale, so I got it. Like I have lots of time for it, but I will this summer. Just need to get through the first half of May. They also have "How to Listen to and Understand Great Music" on sale, but I can't afford it right now. Presumably it'll be on sale sometime again.

My voice teacher wanted me to learn the tune of the Italian song without the words. I'm finding it very difficult. I can even pick the melody out on the piano but am having a hard time memorizing it. I've also listened to a recording of the song, and I wound up memorizing the few words that are in English. We'll see what she says tomorrow.

I actually remembered to put clothes in the dryer (which is good because I had no clean clothes). And I practiced voice, guitar, and piano. After some struggles and looking up how to read tablature, I managed to learn a G major scale on the guitar. Go me.