days_unfolding

I bought a pair of waterproof orthotic shoes for Italy. We'll see how they work.

Oops, I forgot to ask the Italy tour guide if my suitcase will be too big for the train. I’ll do so tomorrow (done). They said that there were no limits, but I need to be able to lift it.

Got clothes in the dryer. Showered and shaved my legs so that I can wear shorts. First, I need to find what box the shorts are in, but I think that I know which one. Yeah, I found them. I'll bring a couple of pairs to Italy, but a lot of the places (e.g., museums) have a dress code that precludes wearing them. I need to dig out some sandals. Now I'm working barefoot. But it's 88F today, and I'm able to cope in my home office upstairs with shorts and a t-shirt, my fan, and bare feet. I want to use an air conditioner only if I have to use one.

I'm debating whether I should go to tai chi tonight or not. I'm so freaking tired and want to lie down after work. I'm going to stay home. Self-care :)

I looked up "how to tame unruly brows," and found a recommendation for some brow gel that is made from mustache wax. I'll give it a try (ordered). It's certainly cheaper than brow lamination.

I'm trying to figure out how much money to put in my flexible spending account (FSA). I'm going to have a ton of money from last year because I didn't have therapy appointments. (I plan to spend a pot of money on glasses. I checked into moving up my eye doctor appointment, but can't move it earlier.) I will have dentist appointments though. The amount that I can carry over from this year will pay the copay for two-thirds of my therapy appointments. I think that I'll log on later after it cools off to figure the amount out. I need to look at my copays for previous dental appointments, although I'll be going to another dentist in Urbana. Crap. I looked up my balance, and I have way too much money to spend by June 30th. I need to set up a dental appointment for right after I get back from Italy. The flexible spending account should be $700 plus dental. Dental is looking like $110 a visit, with four visits, so $1140 total. This, apparently, is when my medical ship comes in.

Okay, now it's too hot to be working on a computer upstairs. I'm going to go downstairs and cool off. Bother. The ceiling fan in my bedroom doesn’t work. Zara thinks that it’s cuddle time. Aren’t you hot, Zara? Though she’s been downstairs where it’s cooler all day.

I finished reading the novel about a family with a transgender child: This Is How It Always Is. It’s good.

Okay, I want to use part of the FSA funds to get a fancy scale, an ear cleaner, and an eye mask for headaches. And maybe a massage gun. No, a Sharper Image massage heating pad. Maybe a shoulder relief pillow system? I think that I can spend the money. And compression socks. Okay, I bought a mini massager that will go with me to Italy if it gets here in time, a headache wrap, a neck wrap, and the scale. Oops, I went back and got compression socks, which I hope will get here before I leave for Italy. And the ear cleaner.

I had thought about getting an electric toothbrush, but apparently, that’s not FSA-eligible. Why?

A security bulletin at work convinced me to change my passcode on my phone to an alphanumeric one. It’s kind of a pain, but probably is more secure.

The cats are off their feed. I don't know why. Because it's hot?

I'm going to go to bed and get up early, when it's cool.

I can't get Google Keep on my new phone because Google wants the old phone or the phone before that to confirm that it's me logging in. They don't seem to imagine that someone might have their phone stolen. So I won't be able to work on entries throughout the day.

I think that I forgot to mention yesterday that the movers will pack anything that I don't get done. So that's a relief. I'm getting a late start today, but I think that I needed it.

Repacked some boxes. It was about 3 PM when I loaded the old boxes in the car and took them to be recycled. I also needed to get more boxes. I was wondering if I would have enough time to make it back before nightfall, but I was dubious.

I forgot to mention that I wished that I had a dumpster while I was repacking boxes because I want to get rid of a lot of stuff. I mulled over a dumpster for the new place, but there's no good place to put one. Maybe I'll get two garbage cans for a while.

While I was driving back from the recycling place, I was swamped with a wave of sadness for no good reason. That was another reason not to go back.

As it turned out, the first U-Haul place that I went to was closed, and I wound up spending a long time at the second place because something that I was buying was not in their system. Then I went to Meijer to pick up the things that I forgot yesterday (sigh). The grocery clerk was shocked that I was paying cash. I said, "I think that I can still do that," and he said, "Yeah, that still works...for now." :)

Now I think that it's nap time. Couldn't sleep. Read part of the book about the Astors. (I finished the book about the Vanderbilts recently.)

I think that I'll have something to eat and then settle into bed. I might read for a while, but I need to be up early because the movers will be there at 8:30 AM.

The photography teacher got back to me and wants to talk on Google Meet this weekend to see if we're a good fit. Awesome.

Had the real estate walkthough. He said to get the ivy off of the house and do some landscaping. He'll contact me with a landscaper, painter, and roofer. I told him that I would be gone early to mid-November. He said that he thought that the house would sell in the $250,000 - $300,000 range. He and the landscaper came back and talked, and they sent me an estimate.

Had a meeting with the trust about auto insurance. They said that they could give me better coverage with both cars on the policy for less than I'm paying now. And the trust will pay for it. Awesome.

Called about my pharmacy cards, and they are sending them.

The guys came to assemble the rower.

I got my iPhone activated on Xfinity Mobile, but I'm having a tough time installing apps. They go into limbo. Okay, I did a software update and now it’s working.

Napped and overslept. Got my iPhone set up with mail and authentication.

Zara has rediscovered the joy of hiding under a table with a tablecloth at the top of the stairs. When she was a young cat, she used to hide there and jump out at us, and we would pretend to be surprised. Now she just likes it as a place to hide.

Zara was scratching at the door when I was getting dressed after my shower. I opened the door and she ran away. I found her sitting pointedly by her food bowl downstairs. Okay, I get the message :)

Today is my mom's birthday. Sigh.

I think that I will get the refurbished iPhone (14). I like the "Pro" version, which is more expensive but has a lot of features that I like.

I've got an appointment next week with a realtor.

I emailed my professor for the programming classes next spring and heard back. She said that I shouldn't have any problems registering for classes, but to contact her if I have any issues.

The box with the stepper got here early. I managed to get it in the front door. Tomorrow (which I'm taking off of work), I'll clear a path for the guys who are coming on Friday to bring it downstairs.

I'm looking at a trip to Paris in 2025. My dad loves Paris, and it would be great to discuss my trip with him. Road Scholar has an "independent" trip that goes to a lot of the museums but also has free time. I'd need to brush up on my French. Road Scholar doesn't have the dates for 2025 up yet. All their single rooms for 2024 are sold out, so I need to register as soon as the dates go up. They said that they'd email me when the 2025 dates go up.

I should apply for Global Entry while I'm here because it would be easier to get to the airport here. Oh crud, it takes four to six months to get an appointment for an interview. I guess that I'll have to go up to Chicago. And I need to apply NOW.

I'm going to make appointments with an Italian teacher (booked a lesson) and French teacher (contacted the teacher, who said that she was booked up).

Okay, I bought the iPhone after checking the company out (it wasn't on eBay, but was a separate company called Reebelo), and they seem legit. I also bought an extra charger from Amazon.

I lay down for a while but didn't sleep. I got some snuggles with Mimi. It's cold and rainy outside, and I'm wearing short sleeves, so I'm going to put on my extra warm pajamas.

I checked on a Website, and I can get $166 for my Pixel 6 Pro. I'll take it once I get the iPhone set up.

Oh crud. My Kia Soul is on a recall list. But it has to do with fires, so it's important. At least the Kia dealer here is cool.

I filled out the Global Entry application, and was checking some errors that it thought that I had in the addresses, and now I'm getting a server error. Shit. I'll post and try again in a few minutes like they suggested. They should have most of it saved if I have to quit out.

Oh wow. I found a company that does photography tours of Olympic National Park in Washington state. I would really like to go on that trip.

Yay, the dumpster is gone. Now I have to try to get money back from them, which I suspect will be a saga.

I am tired. I was up late with one thing and another. Had a nice nap over lunch, but now I'm freezing.

I had my meeting with the estate sale person and liked him. I signed with them. They want proof that I am allowed to sell the items from the estate, and the trust said that they would provide it. I also signed up to have the estate sale people pack up and donate stuff when the sale is done. By that point, I won't want to deal with the stuff. It'll cost $2000, but I'm getting used to bills with lots of zeros.

I'm really less-than-thrilled with Verizon. They asked for a copy of my driver's license, which I provided on Sunday, but no one released the order. After multiple people and a lot of hold time, they said that they can't confirm my identity, so I can't have service with Verizon. Lovely. Judging by my interactions with Verizon, though, I might have dodged a bullet. I'm going to see if I can get service through AT&T, but I'm going to go to the store, so if they don't like the fact that I'm from out of state, I won't have spent hours on the phone.

It got late while I was in phone and chat hell, so I'm going to feed the cats and eat and pay a few bills (done) and call it a night. Oh, and soak a litter box (done). I'm really tired.

Hmm. Verizon is offering the iPhone 14, which is what Erik has, for $8.33 a month for 36 months (for 512GB). And their plan is cheaper than AT&T. I think that I'll go for that. I don't need the new shiny iPhone. And I can get a purple phone! Oh heck, I think that the deal is online only. I might need help transferring files from my Android. I found out how to transfer files. I'll have to install apps though.

Oh, I need to check Verizon's international coverage. I know that AT&T has it. Verizon has TravelPass, in which you pay only $10 a day for overseas coverage only on days that you use the phone overseas. That's cheaper than AT&T.

I ordered some long-sleeved tops to wear under my hoodies from Walmart. I'm on the hunt for more hoodies. Okay, I ordered some hoodies from Buddha Groove and Cosmic Clothing Co. I also ordered another pair of warm pajamas for winter. I think that I'm set.

Had a nice nap. Mimi was snuggling with me. It's cat-snuggling weather. I tried lying down again but couldn't sleep. I think working on the chaos in my bedroom after a shower and lunch would help. I need to do lots of laundry.

I was thinking of taking a shower, but I was getting a headache, which is usually a sign that I need to eat, plus Zara wanted to be fed NOW, so I went downstairs. I started a load of laundry.

The organizers found $40 that Mom had tucked away in a teapot. I think that will be walking around money, which got depleted on the trip.

Now that I've eaten, I want to nap. I could do a half hour, but I need to practice guitar and singing because I didn't practice this week because it was a zoo of a week. I dozed for a half hour.

I forgot to mention that sometimes my organizer and I find some humor in the proceedings. Mom had a picture of the Virgin Mary in which the eyes open and close when you tilt the picture. We dubbed her "Creepy Mary" :)

Guitar and singing went well. My teacher is a great teacher, and not all great singers are great teachers. I think that I lucked out this time.

WTF? I tried to pull my belt in past the holes in it. I'll need a new belt soon!

Ack! I'm trying to sign up with Verizon and am running into difficulties. First, the credit application said that I needed to call them, so I did. The person whom I talked to said that she didn't know why it said that and that I was approved for $7000. She then said that she could finish the application for me. But she needed the account number and PIN from Google Fi. I wound up having to call Google Fi to get it. The Verizon person said that she would call me back, but she might have gotten hung up with someone else. I called back and got someone who didn't sound like she knew what she was doing, but eventually my order went through. Then Verizon wanted me to take a picture of my driver's license, and it rejected picture after picture. Sigh. I think that I'm done now.

I put laundry in the dryer and a new load in the washer. It's too late to start anything new now, so I think that I'll go to sleep. I've been yawning.

I'm eyeing a deep purple iPhone. I can get a deal from AT&T if I trade in my phone. But I'm not ready to take the plunge yet. But I hate the flaky signal with Google Fi. Hmm, the AT&T store in Troy has the new one and is open on Saturday and Sunday. I checked, and there is a way to transfer files from an Android phone to an iPhone.

My Italian teacher is going for a Master's Degree and wants to take a break from teaching. I guess that I need to study Italian on my own. I need to come up with a lesson plan.

Oh, I need to remember to call the dumpster people back.

Kind of groggy this morning. Back to work today. The cats have had the morning excitement known as "food". I hope that we get back into a routine. It's kind of gloomy out. And kind of chilly, so I threw on a hoodie. Fall is coming....I'm feeling perpetually hungry too. I guess that I need to get used to the BistroMD meals again. All I really want to do is sleep. I think that it's my body's reaction to all of the activity of the past few days. The cats are sleepy too.

The organizer confirmed the Saturday appointment. I have a lot to do this week with the home inspection on Friday and organizer on Saturday. I feel like I'm forgetting something.

I forgot to mention that I really like my Kizik shoes. I bought them because they advertised that they were hands-free shoes (and they are), which I thought would be good for the airport. But they turned out to be perfect walking shoes. And having the backpack counteracted my tendency to lean forward.

I pinged the Haight-Ashbury store where I bought the tie-dye hoodies, and they sent me an invoice for the shipping. Excellent. I was afraid that they put the hoodies back.

I'm thinking of getting a new laptop with a large hard drive for editing videos. The question is whether I should get a new one or used one. I found a new HP one that I like that is even smaller than my current laptop, which would be good for travel. It's also a tablet with a stylus. I ordered the laptop, which should be here by next week if not sooner. Oh, and I'm now looking at a Toyota Corolla Hybrid as an more affordable hybrid that still has cargo room.

Mimi wants me to go upstairs and snuggle. I explained to her that I'm working, but she doesn't think that's a good reason.

Cool. Advertising students at the uni are offering a social media consultation, and I asked to discuss with them marketing strategies for my blog. I need to work on the blog and videos too.

Mimi is being obnoxious and trying to eat Zara's food. I rescued it and gave Mimi some dry food. Speaking of cats, I told my Dad that I would take his wife's cat (once I have bought a house) if she gets to a point where she can't take care of him. He's really sweet and a real cutie.

Mimi is scared by a patch of floor in my bedroom. She'll walk on top of things to avoid it. Where can I take my cat to be repaired? I napped again after work. Ye gods and little fishes, I am hammered.

Started to transfer the money for the plumbing from Mom's account, but it said that it couldn't prove that I owned my account. Huh? They're going to do the slow way with the small deposits into my account. Sigh. I'll pay for the iPhone using Mom's debit card. Got the mail and went through it. I tried on my Daily Look clothes because I got a nastygram from then and kept around half of the clothes. Now I think that I'm going back to bed.

I wore the new pajamas. They aren't as warm as I had hoped, but I have a warm robe, but oh, are they comfortable. And they have pockets! I found another pair on Walmart's Web site, so I'm ordering them. They were just under free shipping, so I'm also ordering some cat litter. They'll use it.

That reminds me that I need to stop my mail (done).

I got my Google Fi phone set up, and now it's copying data. It was relatively painless, except I couldn't remember my AT&T passcode and had to have it reset. I'm having problems getting my work email on my phone though, which I really need. I'll try again later.

I'm leaving my work computer on to test the new phone. I can call my work number and call my phone. Maybe I'll go put on makeup while it's copying because I need to run to Walgreens. I can make a list of toiletries that I need to get for the trip. Okay, it's done setting up, but my phone number hasn't transferred from AT&T yet. They did confirm that it is being transferred though.

Ran to Walgreens and spent a ridiculous amount of money for one bag of stuff. Now I'm resting for a moment, and then it's garbage time. Hmm. Tried on one new set of Skechers (the gym shoes), and they feel kind of stiff. They are cute though. The arch support Skechers are comfortable, although the arch support feels weird. Yeah, the shoes will work well. I think that I'll wear them up to Chicago.

I was thinking that I was too tired to accomplish much of anything, when I noticed that the message from AT&T said to resubmit the number transfer. I called Google Fi (which has tech support late, which is very nice) and found out how to do that. And bam--the number transferred. I tested it, and it works. I got the screen protector and case on the phone, so it's ready to roll. That perked me up a little, but I have a headache, so I think that I should go to sleep and get up early.

I'm telling Zara that she's a stomach with legs. She wants her lunchtime snack! Actually, she gained a little weight and looks good. She was very thin before.

I had a bad case of the "don't wannas" (plus I've been fighting a headache all day) for class, but I attended anyway.

I picked out a day to take off so that I can look at places in Champaign. Next week is not going to work, so I'm targeting Wednesday of the week after. (It's a case of, "Which meetings can I skip?")

I tried lying down but couldn't sleep. Just as well because I have stuff to do.

Watched a Flight Channel video about a near miss at O'Hare. A 737 doing its takeoff roll rotated early and cleared a 747 on an intersecting runway by 35 feet. The only thing to say is "Fuck!!!!!" I didn't know that O'Hare had intersecting runways. I don't think that I wanted to know that.

Things are coming together for my Chicago trip. My pet sitter will drive me to the U-Haul place. My aunt's nephew called and asked if I would be there on Saturday so that the real estate person could look around. And oh yeah, I need to doublecheck that I've got the keys to the place.

I got the Pixel and it's charging. I need to buy a case for it (done). I joined Google Fi to get them to send me the SIM for it. I need to contact AT&T for a transfer pin, but I'll wait until I'm ready to transfer the cell phone number to avoid issues with AT&T.

Started laundry. Went back to work. And oh hell, I forgot to put the clothes in the dryer. I guess that I'll dry it in the morning and wear pajamas when I start work.

I can't find Zara's meds. I keep on finding empty bottles, but not the one with tablets in it. I fed her her food without it.

The battery on my phone is acting normally now. Good. I really don't want to replace the phone if I don't have to. I'd rather pay the phone off and then join Google Fi.

Decided to put in an order for delivery from Aldi. Wound up with two extra zucchini because I didn't realize that they came in packages of two.

Napped and slept through until morning.