days_unfolding

I forgot to mention that I got another heart-attack inducing letter from the IRS. It said that I owe...$27.86. I can actually afford that :) Just paid.

Okay, I cleaned out the car and flipped the back seats down. I didn’t brush snow off of the car because it’s still snowing.

I had to really think about what day of the week it is. I’m totally confused.

The power snow shovel was in limbo somewhere in transit, so I ordered the really expensive one, which is available now, and canceled the first one. All I can say is that it better work well! I'll pick it up tonight.

...And now they're saying ONE inch of snow tomorrow night and rain during the day. I'll be ready for anything, I think. It'll be good to have the shovel down there.

Hmm. Maybe I should try to get back on Saturday because it'll be a high of 5F on Sunday. But I'd get a late start because of the Internet guy. Oh, I don't know. And will the rain freeze? I'll play it by ear on Saturday.

I attended a webinar on goal setting. During it, I realized that what I want and need to do is start walking to get in shape for my Italy trip. Losing weight is secondary (although the weight that I have lost is helping me walk and I get less backaches).

I forgot to order oatmeal, but I don't really want to park at Meijer or Kroger with the power snow shovel in the car, so I placed a delivery order for tomorrow morning before I leave.

I don't know why I'm so cranky tonight. I drove to Lowe's and got a non-power shovel and the keys cut. I was going out to the car and a car cut right in front of me. I called him an asshole and said that "I always let people cross" in a totally smug tone. Then I went to curbside pickup and got the power snow shovel, which they brought. Then I went home. The postal delivery person stuck a book in the mailbox that I was having problems getting out. I finally had to take everything else out of the box and rotate it vertically to get it out. There was something else that annoyed me, but I don't remember what it was, which says something about how trivial it was.

But things are working out. I have the power snow shovel, although I spent more money on it than I intended but I've got one. I have DVDs to bring; apparently one of the packages was the Smothers Brothers DVDs. I think that I need a slice of cake (I'm canning my diet until I move) and some snuggles with Mimi. Oh, and I didn't start laundry today (got busy at work), so I need to start it before cake and Mimi.

The strawberry shortcake is heaven on a fork. Snuggled with Mimi.

The new down jacket is very nice. It’s Ralph Lauren, not that I’m into designers, but I like it.

I got Martha Stewart’s Organizing. She’s a little TOO organized, but I got some ideas just flipping through it. And the Pottery Barn’s organizing book was the one that got stuck in the mailbox.

DVDs that I’m bringing: The Smothers Brothers, a Great Courses course on photography, and two dog-related DVDs (The Dog Whisperer and People Training). And I didn’t need the portable DVD/CD sleeves that I ordered to come tomorrow morning.

I’m going to have to play Tetris with the car. I put food-related stuff in a bin. I have the power snow blower. My suitcase, backpack, and work bag (in case I get snowed in, but that doesn’t look likely). My basket with the DVDs and odds and ends. The organizer that goes above the toilet. (I’ll leave that if space requires it.) And the paint.

I think that I’ll post this and then my clothes should be dry.

Got my French homework printed off and stashed in my backpack. Got my clothes together for both days of flights. I'm getting my second wind, but I still think that I'll pack my clothes in the AM.

Intel is going to be providing foundry services to NVIDIA. I'm trying to scrape together cash to invest. Okay, transferred some money. Bought shares.

Getting up before dawn sucks. I ate breakfast and fed the cats, but I decided to go back to sleep and pack tonight. I’ll go swimming in Kauai.

The handyman came to put up the screens right after I woke up. I had a new frontier of weirdness; I took a shower while he was in the house. I trust him though. He spent the rest of the morning changing some door locks. He said that the cost of the aluminum framing on the roof will be about $4500. Sigh.

I really like my new Hawaiian hoodie. It’s a coral reef and very nice-looking. So of course, I got some food on it. Aargh.

I found out how to use the fabric AirTag holders, so now they’re securely fastened in my suitcase and small carryon bag. I’m missing a couple of them, but I have one for the backpack. They aren’t expensive, so I can order more.

It’s really cold out. I think that I’ll wear the wool trench coat tomorrow because I’ll be waiting outside for the shuttle car.

I have hot and cold running meetings, so I'm going to go to the UPS Store tomorrow before work.

I talked to the life coach, and she was her usual helpful self. I now have a list of things to do when I get back, but the TaskRabbit ones, I can do from Hawaii. We also talked about my getting a spa treatment, and I found a place that I like. I need to figure out when to go there.

Talked to my weight-loss coach, who is still like nails on a chalkboard. She wants to turn everything into an end goal, and I'm more about the process. And I have been losing weight, so I wish that she'd back off.

Mover guy called me back. He asked if the move could be later if I need it delivered later, and I said no. He said that he’d look into a “container move” and will get back to me tomorrow morning.

I got everything done that I wanted to get done for work. The pet sitter stopped by and got the key. I dashed off some things for my goal-setting class.

Had my Dare to Dream class. Put my stuff for the UPS Store in the car for tomorrow morning. I’m freezing cold so I went upstairs. Packed my main suitcase. Now I'm boiling hot, so I came downstairs to print stuff off. I just need to pack my little "jump bag," and I'll be ready to go.

Checked in and printed off my boarding pass. Printed off maps. The spa is just a short distance away from my hotel. The only thing is that with the time change, I won't be able to call them from here tomorrow morning. The time that I'd need to call them is the time that I'm being picked up. I might be able to call from my hotel in Chicago. Otherwise, I'll have to wait until I get there. Okay, my travel documents are printed off. Printed off cat instructions.

The landlord leaving stuff at my rental house can't get into the garage. I didn't know what to tell him.

I'm going to go finish off packing my little jump bag, pack my meds, clear off the mail on the table, and then go to sleep. I should get a decent night's rest.

I did decide to stay on an extra day. I contacted the pet sitter, and she said to stay as long as I want. Mom is happy because she wants me to vacuum later.

The snow finally started close to 4 PM. I'm kind of glad because I did postpone my departure, but Mom would like to go to Trader Joe's tonight.

I think that I want a Panda Planner, but I'll wait until I get paid again. The New York Times recommended it, FWIW.

Now I finished the book about writing on Medium. I'm off to look for writing groups on Facebook (done). Found a few that look promising.

Mom and I had Chicken Kiev again. It was good. Mom said that she likes eating with me because I finish all the extra food. I said that means that I'm a walking garbage can :)

I never did vacuum because Mom slept most of the afternoon. I spent the evening reading about Portugal. I'm going to go to sleep early to get good rest before my drive tomorrow.

I'm worried about Mom. She feels awful, and she said that if chemo is worse than this, she doesn't know how she'll get through the winter. I'm wondering if I should work from here. I'd need to bring the cats though.

I'm currently doing laundry. I offered to do Mom's laundry too, but she got cranky and said that she would have to tell me what goes with what. Now she's asleep.

Mom was doing dishes, and she asked, "What are YOU going to do?" So I'm doing her laundry, which counts as doing something but gives me time to relax.

Mom got upset and asked me what I would do if she needed a nursing home or if she passed away. Later, she apologized and said that she was worried about how she's going to cope.

We had ravioli and garlic bread for dinner.

I talked to my aunt for a while. She's over her snit of the other day.

I'm making a lot of progress on my planning book but am burning out.

Mom: I hope that you're going to bed soon. Sheesh, I've gotten up earlier than her most days. Patience.

Yesterday I was using the exercise bike and was exhausted after five minutes. I was disgusted with myself. Then I noticed the resistance dial, and it was way up at the maximum. I dialed it down a little, and it was much easier.

I've been spending more time on the Better app, which is where I've been finding accountability partners and such. It's a supportive community. I'm planning to join a weight loss group on there when I get serious.

A motivation audiobook that I'm listening to was discussing the importance of finding your "why". I want to keep my mobility as I get older. My mom and my aunt both have some mobility issues, although my mom is doing better than my aunt.

Someone in a Better forum asked me if my rebel nature was rebelling against my language goals. Probably. The best way to get me to study Italian would be to plan a trip, but it's not feasible right now. I'm trying to figure out how to simulate that. Sheesh, flights to Europe are expensive right now. Okay, I think that I found something motivating--the ability to read Airbnb listings in Italian!

Holy cow. A guy went on a shooting spree in the Chicago area and ended up in Evanston, my home town. Yikes.

I was looking at dumbbells to get some weight training in at home and yikes. Expensive. I think that I can get some cheaper at Walmart. I bought a copy of Strength Training Over 40, and I'll see what they recommend. I found a good pair of dumbbells that aren't expensive, but I'd have to drive to Decatur to get them. Sigh. Maybe next weekend, which is a long weekend, if they still have them. Hmm. Kettlebells are cheaper. I gave up and bought resistance bands. They should hold me for a while.

I was pondering what I could eat for lunch while I'm dieting, and black-bean-and-sweet-potato burritos occurred to me. If I freeze them, they're easy to heat up. And they're fairly healthy. They're a lot of work to make though.

I found some printable habit trackers that I will print out. I work better with visual aids rather than apps.

Ugh. I'm feeling tired, but I need to take the garbage out and exercise. Well, sitting here is not going to get things done. Also started a load of laundry.