It’s a damn good thing I’m done with homework now because work is really rather wearing me out. I’m being UBER productive, which is awesome, but I come home pretty well exhausted. I have been taking time every night to unwind and that’s really helping.
I am also looking for ways to boost my personal productivity. I found out today how to use the Tasks feature in Gmail to keep track of my personal to-do list in an electronic fashion that I can access via the computer or my phone. (probably the iPad, too – I should look into that) A few minutes ago I downloaded an app on my phone so that I can setup alarms and such based on the list, which should be quite handy. And I’ve been scouring Pinterest for productivity ideas as well.
Would anyone be interested in me sharing information like that? I realize that this blog is pretty fucking random anymore, but if this shit is only interesting to me then I won’t take the time to write it up. I’m sort of contemplating doing a regular feature thing where I dispense some sort of recommendations for something, be it a technique or a product or a practice.
Anyway, my brain is trying to go in a few too many directions at once right now and Evie Cat has decided that Mama’s new desk is just part of her jungle gym.
Dr. Evie Cat prescribes two belly rubs and a box of bandaids
Just a little note to let y’all know how things have gone. I got a prescription from the dermatologist for an antibiotic that I hopefully won’t be allergic to and I went and saw T-Bone. I realized that I really did not like the way my innermost bits felt and that he’d be a good place to start. So we chatted, I bitched, and I feel a little less directionless now. Then I came home and Evie has been glued to my side, which isn’t all that odd. When she hears me cough at night she hops up on the bed to check on me. She’s a good little kitty.
Thank you all for the kind words and letting me kvetch a little this morning. Sometimes I need to whine and feel sorry for myself for a few minutes before I’m ready to kick my own ass. Tomorrow WILL be a better day.
It was rather a rough day, at least the part preceding my arrival home. (the vinegar reference is because of all the fucking douchenozzles I ran into while trying to leave campus and get home this afternoon) But when I got here Miss Evie Cat was waiting for me and we snuggled and now all is right with my world again.
I finally managed to get the assignment that absolutely has to be turned in tomorrow done and I got my e-learning piece done. Time was getting tight on that because I’m using a trial version of the damn software and my 30 days were nearly up. But it’s done and I’m satisfied with how it turned out.
I am finding myself a wee bit obsessed with plants lately. It started with Fernidad, who is doing quite well in his swanky little Green Man pot. Then I spent some time on Pinterest (oh time suck of time sucks) looking at various gardening/growing fruit in containers/what will grow in a dim basement and/or bathroom kind of shit. I have a philodendron rooting right now up in the sunroom that I haven’t decided if he’ll live in the bathroom or on the window ledge with Fernidad. I have another philodendron rooting in a beautiful vase at my office. And I’m contemplating getting – GASP! – an African Violet.
Don’t ask, it’s probably a sickness.
Anywho, my new co-worker Miss J went to KC this weekend and brought me more Lego mini-figs. I got the archaeologist and then she made me 3 custom ones.
Yeah, apparently “homicide” was the name of the game that day.
And last but certainly not least, a look at my latest completed drawing…
My training manual for class is currently at 38 pages and I’m nowhere near done. I’m hoping to get more progress made tonight.
My e-learning piece that needs to be at least 10 minutes in length turned out at only 3:30 this morning, so I need to figure out how to fluff it up a bit.
I’m not really behind in my school work there’s just that fucking much yet to do.
I did get a project for work done which was nice.
My skin junk is acting up. Again.
Evie Cat had to go to the vet for her Senior Check-up and a thyroid test. $180 later and they think she’s fine, depending on how the blood work comes back. Oy.
We’ve been home from the vet’s for an hour now and pretty well all she’s done is bathe. On my pillow.
I’m hatching a plan to use my Lego mini-figs to create comic strips for a project at work.
Josh just dropped something in the shower, two floors up, that sounded rather like a small atomic explosion. My money says it was a full bottle of body wash.
The time change happens this weekend and I am Not Pleased. Both the spring and fall changes fuck me up, but the spring is 100x worse. Fuck this shit.
Have I introduced you to my fern? He’s a Buttonhole Fern and he needs a name. I decided it was high time I had something green and growing down here and the nice lady at the nursery said this little fella would do just fine, and so far he is.
Mom and I spent the better part of yesterday running errands. We did the grocery store/pharmacy, the eye glasses place to order my new Rx sunglasses, the warehouse grocery place, and two different Target stores. Plus I cooked dinner last night. Little tired.
Josh was determined to get a picture of Evie “holding hands” with me. It’s this cute little thing she does sometimes when we’re laying down on the bed together. I’ll leave my hand close enough that she can touch me if she wants and so she lays her little paw over top of it. Really quite adorable.
Today has been HOMEWORK. I’m caught up to where I had to be now and actually a little ahead. I’ve set aside the next batch of things to print and read and write about and I have the software I’m going to need installed on my laptop. Hopefully class on Tuesday goes well.
Now I’m off to try to get some reading done for therapy tomorrow. A Mama’s work is just never done.
Oddly enough, the pygmy kittens were not impressed. That was Evie Cat last weekend when we were doing the great stereo relocation project. Since there was nothing at all on the mantle she wanted up there so Josh lifted her up and she was excited. Cats, go figure.
Anyway, I thought I’d give y’all a glimpse of the finished skull since I finished her last night.
I would like to name this piece “Dressed to Kill” and I’d really like to do that in Spanish, but I don’t speak Spanish. And I don’t necessarily trust an internet translation service. Can any of you fine folks help me out with that?
I’m trying to hold true to my whole “love it and use it or get rid of it” thing so while I was looking for some jewelry last night I came across a necklace I picked up at a renaissance faire. It was neat but not at all something I’d actually wear. But I realized that it had the magic P word – potential.
Makes a sweet little key chain, doncha think? I need to go through my jewelry stash again at some point. When I found this gem last night I realized I still have a lot of pieces that I’m hanging onto that I really probably shouldn’t. Most of it is inexpensive costume jewelry that never really was my style, or it’s pieces that I made when I was first learning to make jewelry. At any rate, I need to thin the herd.
Mama’s Tip of the Day: Your phone will charge a hell of a lot better if the power strip the charger is plugged in to is actually turned on.
This is my newest drawing as it looked this afternoon. The outlining is done and all she needs is some color. My intention is to do that shortly. She’s not perfect, but I think she’s beautiful.
I actually started my day feeling pretty decent, except for my legs. I’m very doubtful that I’ll get on the treadmill at all because both of them have cysts that are actively draining and they really rather hurt like hell. Fortunately I picked up two new pair of my special under-pants things this weekend so I’m prepared.
On my drive in to work I heard one of my all time favorite feel good songs…
I do love a little Mercury poisoning first thing in the morning. ❤
Work was good, I got to help Miss K with a consultation, one of my very favorite things to do. We’ll be helping a faculty member with an exciting project in the coming months. And in general it was just a really productive day and that always helps the mood.
Class was an exercise in patience. The assignment we had to turn in today had unclear directions, so we’re not sure if any of us did it right. I know for sure that I completely forgot to do a chunk of it. Fortunately she’s about the progress so she’ll pass our stuff back the following week with comments and such and then if we want to do a revision we can and get full points for it, provided it gets turned in the following week. So I should be just fine. I checked my grades after I got home and, if I’m reading things right, it looks like I’ve only missed ONE point so far. I won’t bitch.
And then, on the commute home, I got to listen to this…
This another of my favs, particularly at the end of a long day. In my humble opinion it’s a toss up as to who played piano better, Warren or Billy Joel. But I digress.
So if anyone saw the post last night about the recipes and wondered, “what does that meatball soup look like anyway?” Well, here ya go.
I made a pot for dinner tonight. Very yummy and I don’t know that food that’s worth eating gets much easier than this. It’s guaranteed to bring out a little of this…
After dinner I started my usual routine of taking care of shit so that the morning will hopefully go a little smoother. In an attempt to do that, I lit this wonderful candle that a certain Bear sent me.
It’s delightful smelling. Then I figured I’d get a sweater out since it’s going to be beyond cold tomorrow. I keep my sweaters in the cedar chest Mom and Dad got me when I turned 16 because it’s the best place I know of for them. Apparently it’s fascinating to Evie.
That’s been my exciting day. Hope y’all had a good day, too!
I had every intention of blogging much earlier today, I really did. But then work this morning was just a little too fun (since there was hardly anyone around), and once I got on a roll I wanted to finish what I was working on, and then Josh got off work quite a bit early and Miss K very purposefully turned her head while I snuck out behind her to go do some Christmas shopping.
I am very pleased to report that there are only a few small, and hopefully quick, errands to be run tomorrow. Part will be groceries, part meds, part craft supplies for a few projects I’ve lined up, and a few last gifts to get. I’m hoping it won’t be as ridiculous as it was today, but I’m not going to hold my breath.
The good thing, really, about both of us getting off early today and needing to run errands was that we didn’t do them together and that meant we had time to shop for each other. Neither of us is any good at all at wrapping things for the other, never have been, mostly because neither can wait for the other to get their gift. The light in here is utter shit right now so I won’t bother trying to capture the loveliness of the two blouses and the jewelry Josh got for me. (the man is a whiz at finding the good stuff on clearance racks) I also can’t get a decent shot of the guitar strap I picked up for him. (he also got strap locks and a variety of picks)
This evening, Mom’s last at home until next Saturday, was spent with the “kids” working on a Christmas puzzle while I made dinner and did more laundry.
Evie got in on the act as well.
I also spent some time going through my boards on Pinterest, partially to find ideas for over break, partially to weed out the crap, and partially to find even more ideas to share with you for our monthly simplifying ideas. I have a small confession to make, well, maybe two.
One, I’ve been doing something of the simplifying things myself already. This is partially because I know I’ll have a little more time the next few weeks and partially because I want to test run a few things. I will tell you that I have every intention of putting out the whole year’s worth of ideas at once so that other folks who have odd schedules can do the same.
Two, I’m going to be seriously curbing my spending next year, but the key phrase there is next year. So today I went and bought myself six new shirts and a sweater, all pieces that are suitable for wearing to work and are a brand that I know will hold up well. And, in my defense, I got those 7 pieces plus a really pretty snowflake necklace plus a really pretty crystal dragonfly hair clip for E for ~$100. I don’t think that’s too damn bad. I purchased those pieces because I looked over my work wardrobe with a super critical eye and identified a gap that, if filled, would do an awful lot to stretch what I have right now and make it that much easier to not buy any new clothes next year.
Anyway, Josh is entertaining me with music I’ve not heard before and I’m loving it. I mean really, where has this guy been that I’ve never heard him?
I needed to do homework last night. Josh needed to do homework. Evidently Evie needed to annoy us. When she gets like that I just get out the camera and start snapping shots.
what are you doing Mama?
who me? I’m not being naughty
maybe there’s something behind this fridge I can play with
I’ll go jump over there, maybe there is better
over the chair back and to the counter, around and round I go…
I could totally knock this shit over for you if you’d like
who’s got what stashed back here? am I right?
honestly, still not being naughty
this will work better if I sniff it a lot
go check, I’ll wait… works better, right?
ohmygawd this smells good!
can I come up there with you?
fine, I’ll go entertain myself
Immediately after I stopped she got up on her chair, up on Josh’s desk, across his dresser, over the nightstand, and onto the bed where she proceeded to launch a full frontal attack on Ratsputin. She bounced around biting him in the ass for a good 5 minutes before just dropping, like so…
I think it’s safe to say that little shit is feel a whole lot better.
It’s a well documented fact that Sissy Cat likes to hang out under the blankets on Mom’s bed, specifically between the blankets between the pillows. Like so…
Very cute, very silly. She’s just got this thing for being snuggled up under stuff even though she’s the long haired cat.
Evie has never shown any predilection towards being under the blankets. She likes to make her little nests with the comforter and my pillow, but she’s always stayed top-side. Until today…
No fair making fun of my messy room. And yes, the male voice is Josh. He’s got almost as many whiskers as Evie does right now.
Mental in the Midwest 
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