days_unfolding

Zara woke me up meowing. I turned on a light for her and soaked the cat dishes. Z isn’t coming down for food, but I don’t want to feed her upstairs. Mimi is eating. She seems happy and talkative. Zara is peering at me from the top of the stairs. I had a bite to eat.

I’m going to leave a light on in the kitchen and on the stairs for Zara and go back to bed.

Woke up with my alarm at 4 AM, and decided to go back to sleep for an hour. Good to see Zara downstairs. She even came into the bedroom! Mimi is busy grooming herself. Zara is patrolling like a shark.

I showered and put on my makeup and feel a little more coherent.

Oh great. They’re predicting rain. My boxes will get soaked.

Got the cats shut away. Zara hissed at me. Now I wait for the movers. Silence from the movers. Come on, you guys.

The movers have come and gone. The move was less than I remembered, so I have money for the guy to take the old mattress away. I let the cats out. I noticed that Zara ate her food :)

A neighbor introduced herself without an ulterior motive. She said that it was a nice neighborhood.

My throat feels like it was scraped with steel wool.

I took a nap and the girls napped too. As soon as I got up, they asked for food. Fed them and got the garbage out.

I’m tempted to blow off homework and go back to sleep, but I need to try the new-to-me washer and dryer (done). The front-loading washer seems to hold less stuff than a top-loading one.

Because my throat hurts, I ordered some frozen yogurt and ramen. But it won't get here until tomorrow.

Woo-hoo! I added my first local event (a plant sale) to my calendar!

I'm going to bed as soon as the laundry goes into the dryer. I got an error code. It turns out that someone turned off the water to the washer. Now it seems to be filling. I'm thinking of going to bed and getting up early to put the clothes in the dryer.

Urgh. After all that, my Meijer order was canceled "due to technical issues". I ordered food from Kroger and dusters from Amazon to come tomorrow. I need to get dusting.

Overslept a little. Got my groceries in. Went to Midas. They changed the light bulb, but they're keeping the car to change the rear brake pads. I believe them that they need changing because they have made noise. And I threw in an oil change. I'm kind of hoping that I'll get the car back by 2 because Donovan is coming over to pick up some stuff, and he said that he'd help me get the table in the car. The car is done as of 11 AM. I'm going to take an early lunch to nap and then get the car.

The ride to Midas didn't show, and I was outside freezing. (Wind chill of 11 F.) I called them back, and that time a guy showed up. Very nice guy. He asked me if his car was warm enough, and I said that it was wonderful after standing outside in the cold wind. I picked up the car.

Donovan is here and helped me load the stuff in my car to go into storage. I think that I'll wait to go until tomorrow when it'll be warmer though.

I need to get the rugs in the garage for the junk guys tomorrow. The fun never stops!

I overslept my nap. I need to get the rugs rolled up and the kitty litter in the paint. Then I need to get up early to get the stuff into the garage.

Did dishes. I'm busy clearing off the rug in the dining room, but my back hurts, so I'm taking a break to post.

Talked to the movers. They’ll be here between 8 and 10 AM tomorrow.

Oh great. Zara smells the Gabapentin in her food and she won't eat it. I mixed the Zylkene in it and she started eating it. Good.

I got Zara easily in the carrier because of the Gabapentin. But Mimi saw me pop Zara in the carrier and ran for it. First she went under Mom's bed, and when I tried to get her out, she ran under my bed. Then thankfully, I got her. Sigh. They're not going to be thrilled about the boarding place because there are a lot of dogs there and it's noisy. But they asked a lot of questions and want to take good care of them.

I had to drive past the hospital at which my mom died on my way back from the boarding place. That plus being without the cats is making me sad.

Went to my TA's Office Hours. Helpful as always.

Got the garbage out. I am feeling exhausted and I think that I might have a bit of a cold, so I'm going to go to bed and get up at 3 AM to finish up.

I'm burnt like toast. These two weeks are jam-packed with tasks.

The vet in Urbana keeps contacting me to set up appointments for Zara and Mimi. As soon as I get to Urbana, I’ll do so.

I need to call the movers and junk hauler guys (done) back.

I ran to the bank and deposited checks. I’ll need to get money for the movers next week.

I’m thinking of going to bed early. I need to get the statues and pictures down in the morning so that I can put them in the storage unit. But I’ll need light to do so. And I have a hair appointment at 11 AM. And I’m meeting the guy to bring the boxes from storage at 2. Oh, and I need to get money for the packing guy for tomorrow. And I need to work on packing and homework.

Oh, the junk hauler guys said that leftover paint (Mom has some in the basement) will dry when mixed with kitty litter. Then they can haul it off. So I need to get a big bag of cheap kitty litter. And something to stir the paint with.

Woke up at 5:30 AM after a dream about my friend Lance. I wonder how he’s doing. We usually exchange Christmas cards, but I didn’t hear from him this year. Oh well. Had a nap. I'm still not feeling well, so I'm going to postpone my trip until tomorrow. That means that today is study day after I run my errands.

Snow flurries?

Got my errands done, except for going to AutoZone. I want them to put on new windshield wiper blades, and tomorrow is supposed to be warmer. (It’s 23F today.) But I got the money for the move and pet sitter and flea meds for the cats.

I submitted a Meijer order, and added graph paper because our next programming assignment has to do with intersecting rectangles. The graph paper never made it into my order. So I ordered it from Amazon, and threw in some hair conditioner to make the order cost enough for overnight delivery. The program is due when I bring the cats to Urbana. It's going to be a fun two weeks. Not.

Now I think that I’ll lie down for a little while and then study. I'm printing off a bunch of stuff for my programming class. I studied my first section of my algorithms/math class. Now I'm going to go pack and rest for a while. Wound up sleeping for four hours. Ugh.

Mimi ran in front of me as I went to the bathroom. Me: Mimi, do you have to run in front of me? Mimi: Yes, I'm a cat. Me: Okay, then.

I put my pajamas on so that I could wash the clothes that I had on. I put some of Mom's clothes that I had been meaning to wash in with them.

I'm hoping that I'll be able to hole up in the car and study for my programming class while the movers are working on Monday. While they're emptying the storage space, I'll have nothing to do. When we get to the house, I'll need to tell them where things go.

Zara: Mommy, I'm HUNGRY. You slept a long time! Fed them and myself.

Printed out more stuff to read. Put my clothes in the dryer. Now to sleep.

Oh! I found a standing desk with a keyboard tray! Most standing desks don't have one! I might get it for work. And get a cheap desk for my personal/school use. Hmm, it just occurred to me that a standing desk might not work with the slanted walls of the upstairs area.

Oh ho. I found the wand toy on the floor with the feathers missing. I guess that Zara was playing with it.

I mixed the Zylkene (calming supplement) in the girls’ food for the first time. It’s pretty easy; just open the capsule and mix it with their food. And they’re eating their food.

I’ve got the shakes again, so I’m having a bite to eat before I go run errands.

I bought lightbulbs and toothpaste, and got money for the packing guy.

Oh right. I want my mom’s pots. I need to pack them.

The painter couldn't give me measurements of the office space, so I guess that I'll not order desks. The opposite wall is higher, though, so maybe I can get a standing desk.

The packing guy is here, and we got the living room rug (which I’m taking with me) out from under the furniture and rolled up! Yay! It needs cleaning, but I’ll get it done at the other end. I thought about taking another rug as a runner, but I want it to match the rug that I’ll get for the living room. I can get an exact match from Ruggable!

Got the kitchen tidied up. Broke down the boxes on the breezeway and put them in the garage. Now I'm doing homework.

I started going through a box of stuff and found out that Mom's loveseat and chair are from Crate and Barrel, not Pottery Barn! And slipcovers for them are no longer being sold! Bah. There is one company (not Crate and Barrel) that has slipcovers for them. Or I could get custom ones. The plus side is that they're cheaper than Pottery Barn.

The packing guy finished all the bags of clothes! You can now see the bed, which I'm taking with me! Yay! (He stayed late, and I was about to run out of cash to give him, but it worked out.) Now it's nap time! Couldn't sleep.

Well, suckage. I wanted to watch the video recording of Thursday's class for my Algorithms class, but it hasn't been posted. I'm scrounging for other resources.

I got my Meijer order and ate. Now I think that I'll go to bed.

I should make an appointment with the cat behaviorist too. Time is flying. I'd like to talk to her before the move and after the move. You get eight weeks of follow up. The Web site says that you can schedule an appointment from one to seven days after payment. Do I want an appointment next week? Okay, I paid for a session and filled out the intake form.

I checked in with the painter, and he had only the kitchen left to do. He said that it was going over the estimate due to the ton of masking that he had to do in the bathrooms. Oh well. It looks like we should be on schedule for the move.

Ack. I'm trying to get the trust to pay the invoice for the new garage door at my mom's house, but I can't reach the person who would pay.

Yay. I got the Urbana movers scheduled to get my stuff out of storage on the date that I wanted (the 19th). I'll go down on Saturday and pay the painter on Sunday.

Things are piling up at work. I might need to put in some overtime, but I don't know when. I guess that I'll keep working on Tuesday night until I get everything done. Ack! Deep breath.

I attended a very helpful Office Hours with the TA for my algoritms (math) class. He was a classmate of mine last year, and he is great (better than our prof, really) at explaining math. I got the garbage and recycling out. I ran to the post office to mail my return from Short Story.

Now I need to do math, math, and more math until late. Well, I'm getting a crashing headache, so I'll get up early to do more math.

Oh hell. I forgot an assignment, but it was worth only one point. I need to get my act together. I added it to my calendar.

It's weird seeing all the boxes.

Mimi is heat-vent worshiping. I was thinking that it wasn't that cold out, but it is 34 F/1 C. Not warm, although anything above freezing is "warmish" to me. Mimi is such a goof. She rolls around on the stairs when I’m there and sometimes loses her balance and slips to the next stair down. She makes me laugh. She has no dignity whatsoever :) I'm wondering if I got a young male cat, she would get along with him. But I really should talk to the cat behaviorist. But I'm looking at young male cats. Actually, I found the perfect cat. A one year old male cat who likes and has lived with both other cats and dogs. He's an orange tabby cutie. He'll get snapped up fast probably.

I'm craving a nap and got it at lunch.

Crap. I forgot to pick my BistroMD meals again. I need a reminder on my phone (done). I added a reminder for my assignment too.

The Road Scholar 2025 trips to Paris are available for registration now. Anyone have an idea on the best time of year to go to Paris? I asked my dad, but wouldn't mind other input. In my mind's eye, I see Paris in the fall, but spring would be nice too. I want to put a deposit down ASAP because those trips sell out. Oh, I am so excited! I just ordered a current Paris guidebook. Dad said May or September. He also said that if there are protests or terrorist attacks, stay away from there. It’s sweet that he worries about me, but I don’t know how I would know about that in advance.

I have a craving for some French bread which might or might not be connected to the Paris trip. Too bad that I did a grocery order yesterday. Do I want to pay a delivery fee for some bread and butter?

Pottery Barn sent me a moss green swatch that I really like for the loveseat and chair. I need to see how it looks with the paint swatch, but I bet it would look good. Oh yeah, it looks good with the paint swatch.

I did get some French bread and Irish butter and some other snacks. The bread and butter was delicious.

I’ve got the garbage and recycling out.

I think that I need to go to sleep and get up EARLY to work on homework. I'm too worn out right now.

Okay, I wrote down my tasks for today. I need to find a local U-Haul to get more large boxes for my clothes.

There’s an ambulance next door. I went outside and looked, but decided that I was being rude and went inside.

Oh, I forgot to mention this morning that I want to get a robot vacuum for the new house, especially if I get a dog (and the dog would probably hate the robot vacuum!) It would fill in between house cleaner appointments. I’m looking at this one.

Now I’m wondering if I should take my mom’s Ninja coffee maker. I don’t drink coffee much, but I might have someone over who does.

Had a nice nap and went back to sleep for another hour.

I forgot that I bought a HappyLight. I think that it would help during the winter. Oh, and I got a purple graphing calculator for classes to be. I asked my advisor if I could take extra math classes while I’m in the program, and she said, “Yes.” I’m preparing for the Data Science Masters program.

I found a box that will work for the Ninja blender. I was trying to get the coffee maker when I discovered that there was coffee in it. I spilled coffee all over the clean sink, and now the pitcher is soaking. All right. The coffee maker will fit in a small U-Haul box, but it has to be a different box from the blender. I need some FRAGILE stickers (ordered).

I was looking for a textbook for my programming class. I didn’t find it, and went to order it only to find that it’s out of print. So that’s why she is no longer requiring it. I guess that I’ll have to print off the chapters that she posted.

I was feeling tired after lunch, but I’ve taken enough naps, so I’m doing the low-energy exercise of going through the packages that have piled up. And yay, I have knee-high black boots that fit!! They’ll go well with the cashmere coat, which is also nice!

Finished the boxes. I’m feeling a little dizzy, so I might need to lie down after all.

I couldn’t find my old Urbana cleaner, but I found someone else who I’d like to try.

I really want to go get the boxes tomorrow because I’ll have to pull myself together anyway because Donovan (the organizer’s assistant) is coming tomorrow.

Worked on my program until I got stuck and decided that I needed to go do something else.

I finished the Tales of the City books. The last three books were better than I had remembered; they had their moments, even though I didn’t like the Norman Neal Williams subplot. Oh, he wrote another one that is coming out in March. I pre-ordered it.

I tried on my Short Story clothes. I liked most of them except for one top. I got a nice business casual outfit from it.

Oh! I fixed my program!

Had some snuggle time with Mimi. She burrowed under the blankets, and all I could perceive was a quiet disembodied voice meowing.

I think that I need to go to bed and get up early to finish working on the bedroom. I have a headache and I’m tired.

The dog with heartworm that I liked on Petfinder has vanished from it. She wasn't adopted; she's just gone from the listings. I hope that nothing went wrong with her heartworm treatment. Oh! She did get adopted! Yay!

I was outbid for the Smothers Brothers DVD. Oh well. But! I won another auction of an unused one along with a documentary about the Smothers Brothers censorship battles! Far freaking out!

My live plants are supposed to arrive today. I need to keep an eye out for them because I don't want them sitting outside in the cold. And they've arrived. I got them out of their boxes, and I'll give them a drink after they warm up. Nice plants. The money tree is huge! The cats had to check out the plants. Good thing that they're safe for cats. Aaaand Mimi is trying to eat the ponytail palm. Sigh. (She's stopped now.) I've decided to put my large plant stand and the orchids in my bedroom because I want the front window to be for the cats to look out of. They'll ruin blinds if they don't have a lookout. I wonder if I should get one of those cat hammocks that attach to the window.

The ponytail palm is growing on me (so to speak). At first, I thought that it looked messy, but it looks like a green Cousin It with a bob :) I named it Shaggy Maggie.

My Apple watch is in. I need to go pick it up.

The painter contacted me and is raring to go. I told him that we were waiting on the home insurance and I probably would come down late in the week.

I bought some (expensive) diet snacks. I want something crunchy to snack on.

I bought Beautifully Organized and the Beautifully Organized Home Planner. I hope that they help. The Home Edit had more books, including a workbook, that I also got. Speaking of which, I got my The Home Edit book. Yay! No, I'm not arranging my things by color though.

I got my painter's tape, so I can go crazy marking stuff to take with me when I leave.

Mimi thinks that The Home Edit book is great to lie on :) It’s spiral-bound! Cat-approved! I think that I want to put floating shelves above the washer and dryer, which is in the bathroom. They need to be strong enough to hold detergent though. Maybe I should consult with someone at Lowe’s. Oh! They have free-standing shelves that go over the washer and dryer! Better yet! Hmm, but where do you fold stuff then? I guess that I could put the shelves up higher. Huh. Temu, of all places, has nice labels for things. I never thought that I'd see the day when I'd be haunting the Container Store's Web site.

I found over-the-toilet storage that has a toilet paper holder. That would solve two problems at once! And a sign that says “Wash away your worries”.

Oh, now they’re saying rain on Tuesday. Excellent. Rain doesn’t have to be shoveled. Though I should pick up some ice melt in case it freezes.

I had my snuggle time with Mimi, and she seems very relaxed. I should go downstairs and work on a box.

Mom had a small white cabinet in which she kept small bottled stuff, such as olive oil. I wonder is that would fit in the corner of my new kitchen. I need to make some measurements.

I wonder if Zara’s vision is getting bad. She seems to like to lie near stinky spots like near the litter box. She still jumps up on my lap, but she measures with her paws first. She doesn’t seem unhappy though. No, I think that she can see. I had the gate to the basement open to bring down laundry, and she came running over to try to get down there. And I moved my hand up and down and she was following it with her eyes. Good.

I started a load of laundry. I think that I’ll stay up until I can put it in the dryer.