days_unfolding

Overslept a little but made it into the shower. Got the recycling out. I'm so sleepy. Scrambled at lunchtime to put makeup on because I needed to be on camera for a meeting. (I'll have to do so tomorrow too.)

Mimi is giving me the cat pep talk (“Get your shit together and feed me.”)

I’m having IBS symptoms. Not a fun day.

I found a Panama Canal cruise in 2026 that I like. It starts from Panama, transits the Canal, and then goes to the "ABC" islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao). It ends in Miami, which I'd also like to see. Maybe I should book it. Oh, apparently I didn't check the singles rate, and it's going to be too expensive. Maybe I do need to take Celebrity again. Sigh. It is much more reasonable. I'm also looking at Holland America. Oh wow. Holland America has a reduced fare one for March of next year. It's quite reasonable. It also stops in Puerto Vallarta, which I'd like to see. I'd have to skip the St. Lucia trip though. There also is a Bermuda cruise in 2026. It ends in San Juan, so I'd get a chance to see what I missed there. But do I want to book two cruises in one year?

Maybe next year I should go to St. Lucia and Italy? (No, see above.) I asked the St. Lucia guide if there would be time to go shopping in Castries (I think that there is a large market there), and she said, "Yes, there is free time". So I just need to decide whether to book it or not. Hmm. I'm looking at flights to St. Lucia and they have either short connections or very long connections. Chicago to St. Lucia is not a popular route for the airlines :) I’ll sleep on deciding but I think that I’m going to do it.

Okay, now I'm thinking: 2025: Panama Canal cruise and Italy (Amalfi Coast). 2026: St. Lucia and Italy (The Lake District). Or do I want to go to Paris in 2026?

Urgh. I need to get my Christmas cards out.

Some serious snow is coming down. Okay, it stopped with some accumulation, but not enough to have to dig out. Good. I have some errands to run, but I think that I will wait until daylight tomorrow.

I received a really cool-looking and cozy set of pajamas (you could wear them with people over). I can't link to it because it seems to have been taken down off the Web site. Here they are.

I also received a ton of my new diet cookbooks. I just realized that I don't have tape flags to mark recipes, but I have some Post-It notes. Well, I just found tape flags. There are some interesting recipes. I'm kind of looking forward to cooking and "eating clean". There are some dessert-types of food too, such as chia pudding and rice pudding and yogurt with toppings. And the recipes that I've looked at so far emphasize protein. (It's Prevention's 28-Day Get Lean Diet for Women Over 40. The Skinny Taste Cookbook looks less interesting. Oh well, I can sell any cookbooks that I'm not thrilled with.)

I have to go get cash so that I can buy things off of Facebook Marketplace.

Hmm. I didn’t find a sparkly top for caroling, but I found a black top with gold, blue, and purple splotches plus a black velvet blazer that I would wear with black pants. It’ll do.

Lay down and dozed for a few minutes, then woke up. I need to practice piano and work on the kitchen. Now I’m thinking eat something, practice piano, go to bed, and get up early to clean.

Walmart gave me a heart attack. I ordered the bookcases from them. I created a Pinterest board with the accent cabinets, the cabinet for my winter hats, scarves, and gloves, and the bookcases. When I looked at the order for the bookcases, it said, “Actual color: Green”. I freaked and opened one of the boxes enough to see the color. It’s the color that I thought. Whew. Now I’m leaning towards the brown cabinet to closer match the bookcases and entertainment center. And the brown shelf for the hats, scarves, and gloves. (The votes for the different cabinets were fairly evenly divided. You see my problem :))

I overslept this morning. Ack! Mimi has been hanging out on my lap, making it tough to type.

I bought the tire inflation thingy for Mom's car. And an over-the-toilet storage rack for the guest bathroom.

The local Buy Nothing group is working well for decluttering. I offer stuff, put it on the porch, and it disappears!

My Apple Watch arrived! It's charging. I hope to have it set up before I leave for yoga. I've got it set up. Pretty slick, Apple. I'll leave it charging until I get ready to go.

I sent a message to the TV repair place last night but didn't get an answer. I might have to call them. I decided to bring my paperwork for the gym in tomorrow afternoon, and I'd like to drop off the TV then too.

No response from the exercise coach yet. Just heard from her.

Called Jenny Craig. My order was on the wrong debit card. It will be processed and on its way.

Okay, I signed up for Zumba and Flow Yoga next week to try them out. I'll drop off my paperwork to join the gym when I go there for Zumba.

I ordered lawn and leaf bags from Target as long as I have to go there anyway to get my cube organizer. They canceled the order. But it turns out they didn’t need them because my neighbor got rid of my lawn bags! That was very nice of her.

Went to yoga. I wasn’t into it today, and my back muscles are spasming. Oh well. Then someone on my local plant group was giving away baby spider plants, so I drove there to pick them up. They’re cute! Went to Target and got the cube organizer. Stopped at the grocery store, but they didn’t have any droopy orchids on sale. Oh, I was starving, so I had a cheat meal at Steak and Shake. And I left my book in Steak and Shake!

Planted the spider plants in temporary pots. I need to buy hanging pots for them. No exercise because of my back. I should get some rub for sore muscles.

I’m feeling really exhausted. I’ll go to bed soon.

I ordered two Kamala for President bumper stickers: one for my car and one for Mom's car. She would approve :) And I ordered another "Cat Ladies for Harris" sticker for my mom's car.

The good news: my scale said that I am down 20 pounds. The bad news: I’ve been dizzy lately, so I wonder if I’ve been eating enough. I had my check-in with Jenny Craig, and we talked about what I can eat in Michigan.

I was feeling dizzy after my shower, so I ate some yogurt. Now I've eaten a Jenny Craig omelet and feel much better.

I mentioned the "Room of Requirement" sign in a meeting, and several people liked it. Now I just need to order one.

I'm dragging my butt because I had problems falling asleep again last night. But I overslept this morning. Overslept my lunchtime nap too. But I'm still tired.

Swimming and diving in the Olympics tomorrow!

I should probably get some work done :) Mimi is snoozing near me and I'm jealous! Now she's up and on my lap, yawning. I told her that she was living a privileged life of a cat. She doesn't think that she's privileged.

I just finished a big project at work, so yay and go me and all that. Now I have a big request for reports from a library.

The trust said that they'd pay my mom's mortgage, so yay. But the City of Southfield sent another nastygram about Mom's car, so I need to call them on Monday.

My favorite t-shirt of the three that I brought back from Italy is the Firenze one. It says “Firenze" and shows the skyline. So of course, that’s the one that I got something on. Marker? I ordered some stain remover, but I was looking at “Firenze” t-shirts on Etsy. Found a few that were okay. Found an annoying number that said “Florence”. I want the right name, damn it! But I found a gorgeous art print of the skyline. I think that the downstairs is for pictures of trips that I’ve taken and the upstairs is aspirational. Speaking of which, I received the Positano and Ravello posters.

Speaking of posters, I got the "Be a Badass with a Good Ass" one.

I had a productive set of errands. I returned my Amazon stuff at Staples. While I was there, I asked about their lamination services, and they can laminate items up to two feet wide. So I should be able to get my Italy map and Italian posters done. I'll go back tomorrow. Then I dropped off my UPS parcel at Michael's, and while I was there, I looked at picture frames, and they have a nice assortment. I checked for a tie down in my car, and couldn't find one, but Home Depot has some. I want to get the dresser this weekend.

Hmm. I want to work on my exercise nook, but I'm also tired. I guess that I'll study Italian and see how I feel when I'm done. I'm done with Italian, and I'm fading fast. I'll go to bed and get up early tomorrow.

I didn't get up quite when I intended. I'll run an errand over lunch.

Mimi is complaining up a storm. It's a tough life, being a cat.

When I want to eat more, I look at Mimmo's picture to stop myself. And turn the fan on because it's getting warm in here :) Okay, I compromised on an apple.

My work computer is still down.

I donated a backpack on the local Buy Nothing site. It's a start.

I found a power strip that I can use for the TV paraphernalia up here, so I'll return the one that I have on order.

I have a limited amount that I can do without my work computer, so I'm working on my filing system and on Italian. Actually, I came up with something that I can work on. And the IT person asked me how to contact me, so that's progress.

My right knee is bothering me. I’m trying to decide whether to go to tai chi or not.

I went to Walgreens to get batteries, only to find that, when I got home, I had bought AA instead of AAA. I need to go back (done).

Worked on some boxes in the living room. Now my back is ouchie, so I think that it’s time to study Italian. I have my lesson tomorrow.

Tried to make an appointment at Midas to have the license plate replaced and an oil change, only to get a "something went wrong" message.

My weather clock is saying rain, but I don’t see it in the forecast.

I want to post signs in the kitchen with my measurements and the fact that I want curves like I had when I was younger (done). I have colored pencils.

Walmart didn’t give me the salad that I ordered.

Woke up at 7:30 AM. Ate breakfast and fed the cats. Napped.

Some of the things my friends from high school are posting on Facebook about Trump getting shot are bugging me.

I thought about having lunch, but I'm not hungry yet, so I went to study Italian. My (electronic) flashcards are displaying verbs, and I'm having a hard time remembering them, so I'm making physical flashcards of them. I can study them when I take a break from mowing.

I’ve decided that whenever I go upstairs, I should take a box of photos from Mom’s house. They will be the last thing that I will organize.

The air conditioner left upstairs fits in the window and works! I’ll be able to work out upstairs! And not swelter while working! (The upstairs is a finished attic room that I use as a home office and mini-gym.) I’ve got the a/c running now to cool it off!

I’m looking at bookcases for the upstairs, but I need to get the living room bookcases first.

I have a headache, so I’m going to lie down for a while.

Hmm, it’s taking a while for the a/c to cool the upstairs. The a/c plus fan is quite comfortable though, so I guess that I’ll move the fan around while I work out.

Hmm. Some of my dumbbell workouts require an exercise bench. I used to have one in California, but I’m not sure what happened to it. I have my eye on one on Amazon. We’ll see if it goes on sale. I might buy a used one. Actually, some people are selling them used on Facebook Marketplace, but I don’t know how I’d get them into and out of the car. Hmm, I wonder if I could use boxes as a bench. Or my bed.

Mowed both sides of the house. That’s enough for today. I’m inside now and dripping sweat. Ate dinner.

I set up a calendar of to-dos in Asana. It's free for personal use. The one thing that I don't like about it is that it doesn't have a way to add recurring tasks.

Hmm. I'm kind of feeling hungry all the time. But I remember going through something similar with BistroMD. My body needs to get used to less food.

Walked on the treadmill. I was getting bored silly using it. I have a TV upstairs that I was going to put in the bedroom, but I'd get more use of it by the treadmill. I need a Roku stick for it (ordered). I want to order a "Don't wish for it; work for it" poster for the treadmill corner. And a “Don’t stop until you’re proud” magnet for the kitchen.

I think that I want some bananas. I can pick some up after tai chi tomorrow.

I'm trying to get to bed on time for once. Maybe I'll read a little.

Woke up early, decided to go back to sleep for an hour, and overslept. Took the world's fastest shower and slapped on makeup. Only to find that my Jenny Craig appointment was a phone call, not a video call. Oops. The cats are not happy that I haven't fed them yet.

Hot damn. The money for the bookcases has been credited to my account, so I can buy bookcases to go to the correct address now! They're still on sale!

The Jenny Craig meeting was informative. Apparently I need to add a source of protein for breakfast, vegetables for lunch and dinner, and fruit as a snack. They're sending me a meal plan and a grocery list.

Things are stacking up at work. I'll need to work some this weekend to make up the time that I didn't make up last night.

Crap. Something is wrong with the garbage disposal in my sink. That'll require another service call. Though hmm, I watched a video about troubleshooting, and they suggested checking the circuit breaker, and come to think of it, the electrical outlet near the disposal isn't working either. I'll check it after work. I fixed it by pressing the reset button on a wall outlet.

The a/c guys were fast. They got the thermostat for the a/c working quickly. (No, they didn't. They just turned on the cold fan.) They said that the furnace didn't have a filter rack, and the filter was blocking the cold air, so they need to come back. What they did helped. It's even feeling a little cooler upstairs!

Submitted an order at Meijer. I wanted an apple corer because mine is missing, so I ordered a few more things from them.

I'm finding it harder to diet today, although part of it is the lack of vegetables and fruit. I wound up eating dinner early. And I got my grocery order and had some yogurt, but then I wound up consuming some Jenny Craig popcorn.

Crud. Only one bookcase is available at Target, and I want them to match. I was looking at some on Amazon, which are more expensive, but they are a little cheaper on AliExpress' site. I'll need to get them for the library (music room) and buy some for the living room later. AliExpress' site is buggy. Crap, I can get a maximum of five from Amazon. Okay, I bought seven from Walmart. And I know that they have the right address because I buy stuff from them all the time.

Studied Italian. I'm going to go to sleep in air-conditioned comfort.

Oh fuck. Target is taking the bookcases back and refunding the money. Did I say “Fuck”? The items go off sale this week, and I can't afford to order the twice. Some were delivered to the wrong address. What a mess. (I had an old address in my profile. My bad.)

Overslept, but got into work on time. I'm having a bad IBS day, so I might skip tai chi.

I got my Jenny Craig diet food. I’m glad that I have the freezer in the basement because it wouldn’t fit in the freezer in my refrigerator. My diet starts tomorrow. My only question is whether I can recycle the Styrofoam cooler that the food came in. I guess that I’ll put it out with the recycling, and either they will take it or they won’t. Though it might be good to have a Styrofoam cooler, but it doesn't have handles.

Apparently I do remember my Italian from the first lessons better than I thought. I plucked "you will do" (tu ferai) out from thin air. I didn't think that I remembered future tense.

Crap. The Murano glass circle from my watch from Venice is missing! I looked around but didn't see it. I found another Murano glass watch on eBay, but I'd rather fix the one that I have.

I did go to tai chi. The teacher and one of the people in the class told me not to get discouraged. I said that movement wasn't my strong suit and I haven't studied anything like dance.

I found the glass circle from my watch! And it's intact! I don’t have crazy glue in the house, so I’ll pick some up from Meijer tomorrow. I am so relieved!

I contacted Target about the bookcases, and they said that they would submit the order "for review," and someone will contact me via email. I tried a reverse lookup for the old address to see if I could contact the person who lives there, but got no results.

I thought about skipping Italian because I have to get up early and take down my desk and put the new desk upstairs and take out the recycling, but I did study. Now I need to get to bed quickly.

I made a list of things to get done before I go back to Italy. It's stuff that I would want to do anyway, but seeing Mimmo adds some incentive. Well, I'm also thinking of growing my hair a bit longer, which I hadn't thought of before. Something like this.

What do you think? It's similar to my current haircut, only longer. I'll bring the picture to my hair stylist to discuss. (Basically, I want to knock the sexy Italian guys dead :))

Speaking of dead, I bought an end-of-life planner. I had wished that my mom had had one, so I had been thinking about it. What got me about this one is the title: “Fuck, I’m Dead!” It should give someone a laugh.

Crap. I overslept, and missed a webinar, but there probably will be a recording of it. A lot of people are off work today because of the holiday tomorrow.

The Italian teacher got back to me, and I think that we have a time. Yay.

I think that I'm getting used to the heat. It's currently 81F/27C, but it feels okay upstairs, and I don't have the fan on. Today is going to be a day spent in pajamas though.

They're letting us leave early for the holiday, but I need to make up the time that I overslept this morning.

I received my Italian keyboard, so I need to test it out tonight.

I just realized that I have tai chi tonight, so I need to take a shower and get dressed.

I’m thinking of getting a ceiling fan for my bedroom this weekend. I wonder where my ladder is.

Went to tai chi. I think that I like yoga better than tai chi, which wasn’t what I expected. Somehow I missed that they want us to have a pair of gym shoes only for Tai Chi, so I ordered some “open box” Skechers on eBay. (I looked at Kizik shoes, which I live in, but they would cost $120 for shoes that I will wear twice a week. No.)

I forgot to put out the trash last night. Drat.

People have started shooting off fireworks. Sigh. Here comes the noise.

Facebook has been showing clips from the Golden Girls. Damn, that show was good. I’m tempted to watch it on Amazon Prime. I bought the first season and watched the first episode.

Jenny Craig was having a big sale, so I decided to try it (ordered). My map of Italy got trashed in the move, so I ordered a new one.

Studied Italian. I enjoy checking off verbs that I know. I'd like a white board to list the ones that I know to motivate me. Bought a small one.

It's too late to start anything else (even though I don't need to get up early tomorrow), so I'm going to go to bed.

I did something to my left eye last night and it's bothering me. I'll close my eyes after breakfast.

I requested some of Denis Waitley's writing (mentioned by kensmind on LJ) from the library. Cool, the books have shipped already.

Mimi wanted some lap time, so I'm busy being a lap.

I dozed for a extra hour because having my eyes closed was helping my eye. It's feeling better.

I'm trying to decide what to do today. I need to study German and Italian. I'm pondering going for a walk or going to the gym to get exercise. And I need to go to Aldi. And I need to do laundry and work on the kitchen. Step 1: laundry.

I got my Fitbit connected to My Fitness Pal, which is costing money now. I guess that they have to make money somehow.

I joined a bunch of Reddit groups about yoga. And I subscribed to Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. I looked into yoga classes in Springfield, but I'd either have to bail out early in Mondays or skip piano on Tuesdays. And it's $20 a class plus the cost of gas. Hmm. Maybe it's better to wait until I move to Champaign.

I've decided to nix Ramen and make carrot soup and Cherry-Almond-Quinoa salad for lunches. And put frozen berries in my oatmeal instead of sugar-free syrup. I need to eat what I already have for dinners, however. And dame_grise on DW mentioned Refuge Recovery, a Buddhist approach to addiction, and they have online meetings about food. I'm going to try them. I think that I'm going to go to the store tomorrow because my eye is still bothering me, however.

I lay down for a while to rest my eye.

Studied German. Made strawberry muffins from a mix. They were pretty good.

Talked to Mom. She's feeling exhausted. Her doctor wants to give her the antibody treatment more slowly and see how it goes.

German went okay. We're studying the past perfect.

Now I'm going to eat something and study Italian.

I actually was singing and playing the piano at the same time! It isn't polished, but I'll take it. I think that it'll be nice with practice.

I slept in this morning. While I was awake but not up, Zara came in to stare at me and tell me she's hungry. I gave Zara some of the fish k/d food and she likes it, so I'll get her some more of it. Arrgh. She went into the sink to get at the empty cat food cans. I told her to stop it, and she did. This is a red letter day--a cat listened to me!

I'm looking into intermittent fasting to lose weight. My big challenge though is that my meds need to be taken with food. I found a Kindle Unlimited book about it on Amazon. Need to charge up my Kindle Fire and read it on the exercise bike.

Well, hell. I wanted to clean up the garden area today and plant seeds, but it's raining. Maybe tomorrow?

Had a nice nap and lunch.

Looked at a list of the 23 easiest dog breeds to take care of. I'm not going to get a dog until after Zara passes though. I'd like a corgi, which is on the list. But I'd take almost any dog that likes cats.

I installed a voice recorder on my phone to use for voice. I want to play and then sing and see if they match.

I looked into free shipping at Chewy, and it's at $49 or over, and Zara's food is $42. Maybe I could order some of Mimi's food too?

Hmm. I wonder if I could list books to sell both on Amazon and eBay, or is that not okay?

I threw myself together to get the mail, but it's still raining. Given that one of the items is the cable for my electric guitar, I'd better wait to get it. It looks like I'll have to get it late. No electric guitar today. Tomorrow the world!

I darted out during a lull in the storm and got the mail. I'd like to plug in the guitar and play it, but there's now a thunderstorm out. Could that fry my amp? Better not risk it.

I printed off my math homework, guitar handouts, and the Pizza Skillet recipe. I looked at guitar capos (something that presses down on the guitar strings to change the sound) on Amazon, but I'm not going to order one until I get paid again.

I made the Keto Pizza Skillet for dinner. It's tasty and filling, and it couldn't be easier to make.

Talked to Mom. She's got an appointment for her first COVID shot next week, but that's also the week that she's going back to Chicago for my aunt's surgery, so she's stressing out about getting everything done. She really wants to see me, so we'll have to plan a visit after we both get our shots.

Crud. I should have been shopping on eBay via Swagbucks to get cash back. Oh well.

Got ready for Italian tomorrow. Need to go practice. And copy over my math homework.