days_unfolding

Oh, what a morning. I woke up early, but decided to go back to sleep until right before work. Logged on, and was going through my email right before a meeting, when the outlet in which I have the router and laptop plugged in stopped working. I kind of freaked out. Then I discovered that the power was out, and I thought, "Okay". I went outside for a while. I came back in and the power was on, but that outlet still wasn't working. I needed a three-prong to two-prong adapter, and I was going to get myself together to go to Lowe's, when I decided to use the one from the freezer because I haven't transferred food to it yet. And I grabbed a very long extension cord that I have. I plugged in the extension cord and went to sit down while the Internet was coming up, but when I sat on the side of the chair, it tipped over, and I fell and hit my back. But I did get back online. I ordered a shorter extension cord and a bunch of adapters from Amazon.

I got my Daily Look box, and I'm less than thrilled with what they sent me. I'll keep a gray hoodie if it fits. Maybe some jeans.

Oh fuck. The tunic tops that I ordered from Woman Within are being shipped to Urbana. It hasn't shipped yet, but they said that they couldn't change the order because it's being processed. They said to call tomorrow to find out who the carrier is and call the carrier. Did I say fuck?

I'm singing "Life is Sucking" to the tune of "I Feel Pretty" ("Life is sucking/Yes, it's sucking/It is sucking and yucking and gross/Life is sucking").

My back hurts where I hit it. I took some acetaminophen and told work that I was going to lie down for a while and log on later. Slept. I'm hammered. My back still hurts.

I missed the book club because I was sleeping.

My Buddha Groove stuff has shipped. I bought a zafu cushion from them and a singing bowl from eBay, so I'll be set for meditation.

I wrote the letter and check for trimming the trees growing over the fence to the neighbor's yard. Placed a Kroger order for tomorrow. Boho Peak had a sale of jewelry for buy three, pay for two, so I got a free ring as well as a bracelet and necklace. I'm wondering if I should wear my hippy-dippy clothes when I meet my dad :)

I got my guitar book! Yay! My first lesson is on Sunday before or after my voice lesson. (I'm not sure how my teacher wants to do the dual lessons.)

Now I'm going to go back to work for a while. Oh, I need to remember to order more shampoo and conditioner because I'll be filling bottles for my trip.

Mimi was complaining up a storm, so I gave her some dry food. Loudmouth cat :)

I ordered a laptop sleeve for the laptop that I'm taking on the trip with me.

I want to walk to get some exercise, but the air quality index is high (polluted). So I need to go to the gym to use the treadmill. Goal for today: get my gym clothes together. The local gym is open to 11PM during the week, which helps.

Woah. I asked ChatGPT to list stocks with a P/E (price-to-earnings ratio) under 30, and it provided a list. I can see how it could help me find stocks. The only thing is that the data is old. But it gives me a list to check out now. I'm reading about valuing companies, so I might have other criteria to give it. I tried to get it to give me a list with low P/E and low debt, but it said that it couldn't do that. However, I found a (free!) Yahoo! stock screener that will do that. Excellent.

I bought a Pomodoro timer to keep me focused on cleaning the place out.

I'm wondering if it's time to do another spa treatment. I'm not as tense as I was previously, but probably am harboring some tension. I'm looking into local spas. I got a Groupon for a "Deluxe Facial with Full Body Scrub & Massage". I just need to decide when to schedule it.

I had my meditation class today. We did a loving kindness meditation, in which you picture a person and think "May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you be safe. May you be at peace." I used Mom as my person. Thinking those thoughts for her went okay. But then we reversed it and pictured her saying those things to me, and I burst into tears. I want to work more with this meditation because it is powerful.

We also discussed which of our activities are nurturing and pleasurable. It occurred to me that I should listen to music while I'm working on the place. That would add something pleasant to a task that I find unpleasant. I dug out my mom's boom box and raided her CDs. She has U2's Rattle and Hum, which I guess is mine now. Plus some of Enya's CDs that I would like to try. And a classical guitar CD that I gave her.

I got my smart tags and put my car keys on a smart key ring. I got a cute doormat for my house.

And crud, a pair of jeans that I bought went to Urbana. I'll ask my colleague/friend if she can pick it up. I guess that I need to order another pair to go here. I'm trying another brand because I don't like the Gloria Vanderbilt "stretch" jeans.

Paid Mom's energy bill. Now I'm going to have some soup and go to bed. The handyman is going to come back tomorrow morning. I also have a grocery delivery in the morning.

I just realized that I can't contact the pond guy about the sprinklers because I have my meditation group at 5. Oh well. Tomorrow.

How'd it get to be Wednesday already?

I dropped the Kia off at a dealership to be diagnosed and, I hope, fixed. I like that dealership. The guy who dropped me back at the house thought that the house was beautiful. I gave him the short version of what's been going on with the house.

I exchanged emails with my dad about my plane crash preparations. He said that I shouldn't fly if I'm scared, and I said that I wasn't scared. Later I said that this was problem solving, not fear, and I think that it sums it up very nicely.

I bought a pretty Hawaiian shirt to take with me to Hawaii and to wear around here to think of being in Hawaii. If it's warm enough, I'll wear it on the plane. I also previously bought a cheap amethyst and opal bracelet and now a couple of cheap rings and a couple more cheap bracelets. My therapist probably would say that it's a good sign that I want to wear jewelry. I want a couple of my mom's necklaces too.

My meditation class went well. I started falling asleep during one of our meditation practices though. We did a stretching meditation, which was hard, and it reminded me that I want to join the YMCA and take Yoga and Tai Chi classes. I just sent an email to them asking them if I can join month-to-month.

One of the keys to my mom's car flew out of my pocket when I was in the bathroom. I haven't found it thus far. And some of Mom's magazines spewed out over the floor, making it even tougher. Sigh.

I started laundry and fed the cats. I need to fill a litter box, do dishes, and work on tidying up the bathroom. I haven't heard anything about Zara's med refill, so I need to call the Walmart pharmacy tomorrow.

I stayed up stupidly late last night thinking about school and stuff. I took a nap over lunch, but I've been kind of brain dead.

I did make it to yoga. Whenever I do yoga, I think about how much I like it, but the trick is making the time to go to the class (and practice outside of class?) I'd like to take the time to follow some of the Adriene yoga videos on my non-class days. My therapist thinks that my stress levels are off the charts, and she thinks that yoga would really help.

There is another yoga studio that has classes on Saturdays for people over 50, but I don't want to start something right before I go to Michigan. Plus those classes are right after my therapy session, but we could probably reschedule the session.

I think that I should find a yoga studio near my mom's house to pick up some lessons while I'm there. I emailed a gym by my mom's house, to which I have access from my health plan, to see if I could take some yoga classes there. I can swim there, so that at least would be relaxing. I need to bring my swim bag with me.

I should probably start a meditation practice again, but I feel like I can't deal with one more thing.

I got my homework done and did pretty well on it. Go me and all that.

I'm having a bitch of a time finding a house cleaner. I just messaged someone else with an actual business, so I'm hoping that they'll do it.

I'm tired. I'm thinking about going to sleep and getting up early. I need to hose down litter boxes outside, but that would be easier after it gets light. Oh yeah, I need to finish up and mail the passport renewal too.

I marked all the yoga poses in the book for balance practice. Now all I need is air conditioning so that I don't melt.

A friend on Facebook mentioned the Tori Amos song "Winter," and I think that I want to work on it for singing class. I ordered the sheet music for Little Earthquakes.

I was unable to fall asleep until 5 AM because I was too hot to sleep. Then I overslept. Today is cooler, thank goodness.

Still nothing from the complex management about my air conditioner. I also called and left a message.

The therapists got back to me with questions, which I'll answer tonight (done). Both therapists have openings.

A maintenance guy came over asking questions about my air conditioning. He's new and is trying to catch up on delayed maintenance. Yay. They're going to ask the people who fixed the a/c last time to come back out.

Hmm. I just found a place for Mom if she needs it in Savoy, which is south of Champaign. They have garden plots! Mom loves gardening. It's both Independent Living and Assisted Living.

I was looking at bread machines on Amazon Prime Day, and I found one that I like. After hemming and hawing, I got it. Here comes fresh cinnamon-raisin bread! It automatically will add the raisins!

Zara has been hiding in my closet because she disapproves of the heat. (I leave it open so that she has a place to hide, so I don't mind.) She did stick her furry nose out for a moment and ate a little, although she's off her feed, due to the weather? I'll keep an eye on her.

Full moon. Heh.

I did my self-compassion exercises. I need to remember the exercises for the next time that I make a mistake. There are a lot of harsh people in the world. I don't need to be one, especially to myself.

I did a Calm meditation session. It helped, but I didn't relax as much as I do on the Smithsonian sessions. There's something about the voice of the guy who leads the sessions that is very relaxing.

I think that I'm going to go to bed early and catch up on my sleep in the relative coolness.

I found two pairs of Zenni glasses that I like, although I'll sleep on the decision. I looked again at Warby Parker, but I like the Zenni glasses better and they're cheaper, so I'm not going to get Warby Parker.

elusivek mentioned Emma Watson's book club, so I went looking for it. There were a bunch of books about the environment that I ordered from the library. I also ordered a book by Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) about the environment.

I stumbled across online "Do Nothing" sessions on Sunday nights. You can meditate, doodle, or just do nothing. The sessions are led by the co-author of The Fidgety Skeptic's Guide to Meditation, which I've also ordered from the library. There's also an app, but it's $99 a year, so no.

I stayed up late reading and woke up at 1:30 PM. Oops. The girls were a little agitated.

Napped and overslept. Today apparently is sleeping day. Ordered the glasses. I might not go back to the optician. For less than half of what the glasses cost at the optician, I bought two pairs of glasses, one with transition lenses. And they should be here in three to five working days.

Apparently I still had my phone turned off and Mom called. She said that she was very tired and wanted to talk earlier (which didn't happen) or another time. So that's that.

Huh. That kind of threw me off. I guess that I'll study Italian. No, I think that I'll mix working on the kitchen and Italian.

Zara likes the Cloud Paper box as a perch. I might never get to use the toilet paper. (And I'd been pondering the irony of a cardboard box saying, "This paper saves trees".)

Got the salmon thawing in the fridge. I'm making the Ethique dish soap. (It's currently melting in hot water.) And I made the JAWS bathroom cleaner, which was simpler. Went to shred the papers with my social security number on them, and the shredder didn't pull the papers along. Oh well, I spent three bucks for it at a garage sale. I ordered another shredder that sits on top of an existing garbage can from Amazon.

The Ethique dish soap didn't melt very well, so the search continues.

I've been studying Italian, but I'm taking a break.

I'm not sure what to think of the new shampoo and conditioner bars. The shampoo didn't have much of a lather, and I wasn't sure what to do with the conditioner bar so I rubbed it on my hair. But my hair has lots of volume. But it's a bit frizzy. But my hair is always a bit frizzy in this humid area. I kind of want to try Everist shampoo though.

I really covet a tankini for frolicking on the beach, but didn't want to spend a lot of money on it. I found a new one on eBay for cheap (less than half of what one ordinarily would cost), so I got it. It makes me think of Hawaii.

Ack! I'm looking for sandals, but am having no luck finding some with a closed toe in my size. I did find one pair that would work, but they're $100! Okay, I found a pair of "hiking sandals". Now all I need is the beach! I'm not booking the Miami trip yet because I want to see how Mom does.

The outdoor plants look good. The dill is ready for harvest, so I need to get some salmon and make salmon with dill sauce.

I'm looking at a motorized treadmill on Purchasing Power. It folds flat, and I could put it under my futon in the TV room. I really need to get more walking in, and the weather is beastly.

My phone reminded me to study Italian, and I did. Go me.

I made Palak Paneer. Not enough spinach; next time I'll use frozen spinach. Otherwise, it's really delicious. It might be my favorite yet. It's not too spicy. All the Indian meals that I'd made so far have been heavy on protein though. (I see why keto folks are into Indian food.) I need to make some vegetable curry.

Now I need to clean up. That's the down side of cooking for one; no one to clean up the mess that you made :)

I added practicing meditation to my habit tracker. We'll see how "canned" guided meditation goes.

Woke up around 6:30 AM. Got going close to 7:30.

More excessive heat warnings today, and I have to go to the dentist.

Zara was blocking Mimi's path, so she went under my chair to get around Zara. Mimi's off for a snooze in the TV room, now that she's had her breakfast. And Zara went off to snooze in the bedroom. (They sleep at opposite ends of the house.) And I'm off to get ready for work. It's not fair :)

I've been attending free guided meditation sessions offered by the Smithsonian Institution. I find that I relax more listening to a guided meditation than by meditating on my own. Good to know. I need to look for a guided meditation on Insight Timer on my days off of the Smithsonian one.

Mom called. Her car is still being fixed. She's getting a ride to chemo tomorrow, but if it runs late, she'll need me to order an Uber for her. And she'll need me to order an Uber for her on Friday to go get the car. And she also wanted to know if the cats were okay in the heat before the a/c was fixed. (She figured that I would be okay. You can see how I rate!)

The dentist appointment went okay. I didn't tell them that I was moving because I'm not sure when I'm moving. There was some sort of kerfuffle when I was leaving. It looked like a neighbor was being evicted? Their furniture is in their driveway. They just moved in a little while ago though. It looks like someone is still there, so it looks like someone who lived there moved out. Don't know why the police were involved.

The paneer order that I canceled arrived, so I gather that they didn't cancel it. I guess that I'm going to make homemade Palak Paneer. I need to see what I need from the grocery store. But I might make a frozen pizza first, just for a change of pace. I made the list, but I think that I want to go on Friday because I'm buying fresh ingredients, and want to get them close to the time that I use them.

I got the cilantro plant from eBay yesterday. I planted it tonight and gave it a good drink. Nice, healthy plant.

I'm obsessively tracking the package with my new swimsuit in it because I want to go swimming on Friday. But I could sleep in on Friday and go on Saturday. Go, postal workers, go! I just realized that I didn't have chlorine-removal shampoo. Just ordered some from Amazon, and it will get here on Saturday. So that settles that.

I checked cruises on the Purchasing Power site, and you have to have a minimum of two passengers. Oh well.

I looked for the credit card, doing some cleanup. It's not in my purse; I cleaned it out. It's not on the table; I cleaned it off. What the bleepity bleep did I do with it? I'll keep looking over the weekend, and, if I can't find it, I guess I'll tell Capital One that it's lost.

I went looking for a whole wheat sandwich bread recipe, inspired by bill_schubert. I found one by Budget Bytes that I like. I have a loaf left, though, so I'll wait to make it.

Ack! It's gotten late. I need to wend my way towards sleep because I can't nap at lunchtime because my mom might call.

I've found some shampoo and conditioner and body soap bars that I'd like to try in the pursuit of less packaging. It looks like the frizzy part of my hair is indeed the part that still has the dye on it. That confirms my decision to stop dyeing it. It's cool that gray hair for women is now "in," although mine is definitely salt-and-pepper.

I'm tired today, which is not surprising. And it's dark and rainy.

I tried an online meditation session offered by the Smithsonian. I'm not sure what I thought of it. Part of it was meditating on a Korean painting, which seemed strange. But I do feel relaxed in mind and body.

Overslept my nap. I've decided not to to pick up Zara's meds today because I'm too tired.

Had another nap after work. Made up work time afterward. Finally remembered to request that a transcript be sent from Wayne State University (my Master's Degree) to the University of Illinois for iCAN.

It also just occurred to me that I could ask work for a new trackball because I use it for work. New headphones too.