Here are some specific things that I've been worrying about today.
I'm going to put a positive spin on these worries and put that positivity down in writing so the universe can pick it up.
I will not be asked to work the overnight shift when *big reference lab* goes live.
My next project will move forward on a timeline that works for everyone.
The package of PPE items that I ordered will arrive today.
FG will be able to get the groceries that he wants.
Pumpkin will start eating better and gain some weight.
People will stay home and we can knock this virus down.
I will not feel like snacking mindlessly when I am at home.
I will feel peaceful and healthy this week.
In other news, the roses are starting to bloom and we got a little break in the heat and today was actually really productive.
30 March 2020
28 March 2020
continuing on
Yesterday, I had the day off. I had taken it off months ago and scheduled a bunch of doctor's appointments, planning to get them all done in 1 day. Of course, now they're all cancelled so my day was wide open.
It has been so weird to go out to work while the rest of the world hunkers down at home. It's usually the opposite. There are a few good things about that, including a complete lack of traffic. My commute has never been so smooth.
Forreal tho, work has been SO busy and I'm tired. I was fully ready for a day off. I spent the night at FG's, and I lounged around on his couch while he went in his office and participated in a stream of conference calls.
I think it's so interesting that a lot of people that are now working from home are getting to see a new side of their significant others- how they act "at work." I saw a meme that said something about how this woman noticed her husband uses the phrase, "let's circle back" and she never knew that about him. How funny!
I headed home around lunchtime and called up mom on the way. She was running an errand and made a wrong turn and wound up pretty close to my house, so she decided to stop at the grocery store. She's been quarantining pretty strictly, because she is in a higher health risk group. I haven't seen her in a while so I joined her.
I've been taking careful precautions when I leave the house, and everyone in the lab wears PPE and works far apart on a normal basis, but there's always a chance I've been exposed over the last few weeks. Which is why when I met her in the store I told her that I shouldn't hug her.
Well, she started to cry and reached for me anyway. We stood there in the egg aisle, sniffling and hugging, with our faces pointed as far away from each other as they could get, for a good solid minute.
Then we took our shopping carts, returned to keeping our distance, and had a really fun grocery store trip. You can see things slowly returning to normal on the shelves. There was produce, eggs, even a few cleaning supplies. I didn't really need much, so I got some fruit, lunchmeat, and an air filter and helped mom hunt down items that she had coupons for.
Ashley and I had planned to go visit Suzy this weekend but of course that's been cancelled and it's a bummer. I was really looking forward to that.
I miss the kiddos. I am living for the pictures/videos my siblings put on social media and send out in the group chat every day. Emma is 7 weeks now and I've held her only one time. She's so sweet and happy and is really the cutest little girl I've ever seen.
You know what I also miss? Pedicures and random Target runs.
Anyway, I spent the rest of the day yesterday organizing a mountain of boxes in the guest room. I made friends with the materials management guy at the reference lab and he's been hooking me up with boxes. The last time I moved I didn't have time to go around collecting them, and wound up spending hundreds of dollars on boxes. Now, I have a ton of free boxes. PLUS bubble wrap!
I still can't believe how much crap I have.
It has been so weird to go out to work while the rest of the world hunkers down at home. It's usually the opposite. There are a few good things about that, including a complete lack of traffic. My commute has never been so smooth.
Forreal tho, work has been SO busy and I'm tired. I was fully ready for a day off. I spent the night at FG's, and I lounged around on his couch while he went in his office and participated in a stream of conference calls.
I think it's so interesting that a lot of people that are now working from home are getting to see a new side of their significant others- how they act "at work." I saw a meme that said something about how this woman noticed her husband uses the phrase, "let's circle back" and she never knew that about him. How funny!
I headed home around lunchtime and called up mom on the way. She was running an errand and made a wrong turn and wound up pretty close to my house, so she decided to stop at the grocery store. She's been quarantining pretty strictly, because she is in a higher health risk group. I haven't seen her in a while so I joined her.
I've been taking careful precautions when I leave the house, and everyone in the lab wears PPE and works far apart on a normal basis, but there's always a chance I've been exposed over the last few weeks. Which is why when I met her in the store I told her that I shouldn't hug her.
Well, she started to cry and reached for me anyway. We stood there in the egg aisle, sniffling and hugging, with our faces pointed as far away from each other as they could get, for a good solid minute.
Then we took our shopping carts, returned to keeping our distance, and had a really fun grocery store trip. You can see things slowly returning to normal on the shelves. There was produce, eggs, even a few cleaning supplies. I didn't really need much, so I got some fruit, lunchmeat, and an air filter and helped mom hunt down items that she had coupons for.
Ashley and I had planned to go visit Suzy this weekend but of course that's been cancelled and it's a bummer. I was really looking forward to that.
I miss the kiddos. I am living for the pictures/videos my siblings put on social media and send out in the group chat every day. Emma is 7 weeks now and I've held her only one time. She's so sweet and happy and is really the cutest little girl I've ever seen.
You know what I also miss? Pedicures and random Target runs.
Anyway, I spent the rest of the day yesterday organizing a mountain of boxes in the guest room. I made friends with the materials management guy at the reference lab and he's been hooking me up with boxes. The last time I moved I didn't have time to go around collecting them, and wound up spending hundreds of dollars on boxes. Now, I have a ton of free boxes. PLUS bubble wrap!
I still can't believe how much crap I have.
24 March 2020
never mind, pizza
Tonight, I majorly upgraded my pizza game.
I usually sprinkle some cornmeal down on the pan before adding the dough, but tonight I also added some garlic salt with parsley. For some reason, it made the whole pizza taste SO GOOD. Even though I had to use what was in my freezer for my toppings. Frozen peas? Sure. Broccoli? Heck yeah. Some freezer-burned ham? Perfect.
It was probably the best pizza I've ever made.
Never mind that this morning I turned off my alarm and instead of getting up I fell back to sleep, making me late for work.
Never mind that my hair had a mind of its own and I raked it back into a curly ponytail for the 10th day in a row.
Never mind that I accidentally groped / open-palm-slapped the lab manager's boob while I had 3 people's full attention during training. (she was cool about it, but damn.)
Never mind a lot of things that are not ideal right now.
There are things like kickass pizza, and a cat who eats a whole can of food, and videos of Emma, and hot showers that rinse away weird days, and another fresh day tomorrow where anything can happen.
It might even be a good curly hair day.
^ Putting that vibe out into the universe just for fun.
I usually sprinkle some cornmeal down on the pan before adding the dough, but tonight I also added some garlic salt with parsley. For some reason, it made the whole pizza taste SO GOOD. Even though I had to use what was in my freezer for my toppings. Frozen peas? Sure. Broccoli? Heck yeah. Some freezer-burned ham? Perfect.
It was probably the best pizza I've ever made.
Never mind that this morning I turned off my alarm and instead of getting up I fell back to sleep, making me late for work.
Never mind that my hair had a mind of its own and I raked it back into a curly ponytail for the 10th day in a row.
Never mind that I accidentally groped / open-palm-slapped the lab manager's boob while I had 3 people's full attention during training. (she was cool about it, but damn.)
Never mind a lot of things that are not ideal right now.
There are things like kickass pizza, and a cat who eats a whole can of food, and videos of Emma, and hot showers that rinse away weird days, and another fresh day tomorrow where anything can happen.
It might even be a good curly hair day.
^ Putting that vibe out into the universe just for fun.
23 March 2020
co-habitation ideas
This past weekend, FG and I were sitting on his couch drinking wine and chatting, when he started talking about painting the living room. Then he mentioned that he'd like to put in a skylight and remove the curtains in the windows by the front door.
He's been talking about wanting to do a few updates in his house for a while, but it hit me that he's talking about updating things that I've specifically mentioned that I don't like.
No- I don't walk around his house talking about everything that's ugly.
To back up a little, a while back when FG and I had the, "moving in together" talk, he asked if I would want to move into his house, and I said no.
As part of the conversation I mentioned that there were a number of things that I simply don't like about his house, including the lack of natural light and no counter space in the bathroom, how I prefer a gas stove and a tub in the master bedroom, etc.
If we were to move in together, I suggested moving into a different house that works for both of us.
Well, his house works for him (and has for 20 years), and he does not want to move, especially because the house is almost paid off. So yes, he's been talking about doing some updates, but I just noticed that lately he's been talking about making changes that would make me happier with the house.
Although I'm still not going to move in any time soon, I think that's the sweetest thing. It's really hard to change things that you've grown accustomed to over a long time, especially when you have no problem with how things are. The fact that he's open to change (including remodeling) is a big deal. I think he's a better person than I am when it comes to things like that.
He's been talking about wanting to do a few updates in his house for a while, but it hit me that he's talking about updating things that I've specifically mentioned that I don't like.
No- I don't walk around his house talking about everything that's ugly.
To back up a little, a while back when FG and I had the, "moving in together" talk, he asked if I would want to move into his house, and I said no.
As part of the conversation I mentioned that there were a number of things that I simply don't like about his house, including the lack of natural light and no counter space in the bathroom, how I prefer a gas stove and a tub in the master bedroom, etc.
If we were to move in together, I suggested moving into a different house that works for both of us.
Well, his house works for him (and has for 20 years), and he does not want to move, especially because the house is almost paid off. So yes, he's been talking about doing some updates, but I just noticed that lately he's been talking about making changes that would make me happier with the house.
Although I'm still not going to move in any time soon, I think that's the sweetest thing. It's really hard to change things that you've grown accustomed to over a long time, especially when you have no problem with how things are. The fact that he's open to change (including remodeling) is a big deal. I think he's a better person than I am when it comes to things like that.
22 March 2020
thinking out loud
This is going to be a disorganized brain dump.
Today, I did not watch the news while I drank my coffee.
We all know what's going on, and the non-stop drama on the news does nothing but make me anxious. Instead, I turned on Little House on the Prairie and browsed pinterest. It was a good choice.
I spent a lot of time at FG's house this weekend. We figured if one of us has caught the virus, the other one has already been exposed anyway, and it was better than sitting at home bored.
Today I came home after breakfast, made some double-chocolate cookies to stash in the freezer for emotional eating, cleaned the kitchen cabinet doors, purged/packed some stuff in my bathroom, and made a delicious dinner of baked salmon on top of a mediterranean-ish salad. It was a good day, although I would love to sit on a patio with some friends right now. Even as a person who has no problem with solitude, it's been so weird and sustained solitude is never good.
In related news, my yoga studio started streaming yoga classes in response to social distancing. They are at a much more affordable price than traditional classes, so I signed up. It's amazing how much better I feel after taking a class. It really is an investment in mental health.
Another good thing about this "society shutting down" is the lack of spending opportunities. I've been able to save a ton of money this last month, and I've got another month to sock away cash before applying for a mortgage loan.
See, everything works out the way it's supposed to.
Still trying to practice reckless optimism, which has proven difficult in these uncertain times. The economy, job security, finding kale, upcoming vacations, putting the house on the market, how long will this last? It's okay, though. Because you know what? Things work out. They always do.
All the stuff I worried about in my last post resolved themselves. I worried about the price of eye drops and wound up getting the doctor to call in some that were $17. Then it turned out, FG had kale in his fridge that he wouldn't eat so he gave it to me. It rained and pollen levels dropped. The instruments at the reference lab were fixed and we have a modified training schedule in place for next week. One by one, all of the things that I worried about were ok. Like always.
And life went on while I found something new to worry about.
Today's episode of reckless optimism:
The economy will recover quickly. Friends who got laid off will get even better jobs than the ones they've lost. The phone will ring off the hook with people wanting pest control. I will get a big bonus for working non-stop through this crisis. I will be able to find kale the next time I need it. The quarantine will be lifted in time for FG's big birthday party, and our vacation to Mexico in May will be awesome and no one will get sunburned. I'll put the house on the market as scheduled, and I will get a full-priced offer within the first week. The closing date will be June 15th. Everything that I put out in the garage sale will sell.
And, while I'm at it, I'm going to sleep well and wake up feeling happy, healthy, and energetic all week.
Today, I did not watch the news while I drank my coffee.
We all know what's going on, and the non-stop drama on the news does nothing but make me anxious. Instead, I turned on Little House on the Prairie and browsed pinterest. It was a good choice.
I spent a lot of time at FG's house this weekend. We figured if one of us has caught the virus, the other one has already been exposed anyway, and it was better than sitting at home bored.
Today I came home after breakfast, made some double-chocolate cookies to stash in the freezer for emotional eating, cleaned the kitchen cabinet doors, purged/packed some stuff in my bathroom, and made a delicious dinner of baked salmon on top of a mediterranean-ish salad. It was a good day, although I would love to sit on a patio with some friends right now. Even as a person who has no problem with solitude, it's been so weird and sustained solitude is never good.
In related news, my yoga studio started streaming yoga classes in response to social distancing. They are at a much more affordable price than traditional classes, so I signed up. It's amazing how much better I feel after taking a class. It really is an investment in mental health.
Another good thing about this "society shutting down" is the lack of spending opportunities. I've been able to save a ton of money this last month, and I've got another month to sock away cash before applying for a mortgage loan.
See, everything works out the way it's supposed to.
Still trying to practice reckless optimism, which has proven difficult in these uncertain times. The economy, job security, finding kale, upcoming vacations, putting the house on the market, how long will this last? It's okay, though. Because you know what? Things work out. They always do.
All the stuff I worried about in my last post resolved themselves. I worried about the price of eye drops and wound up getting the doctor to call in some that were $17. Then it turned out, FG had kale in his fridge that he wouldn't eat so he gave it to me. It rained and pollen levels dropped. The instruments at the reference lab were fixed and we have a modified training schedule in place for next week. One by one, all of the things that I worried about were ok. Like always.
And life went on while I found something new to worry about.
Today's episode of reckless optimism:
The economy will recover quickly. Friends who got laid off will get even better jobs than the ones they've lost. The phone will ring off the hook with people wanting pest control. I will get a big bonus for working non-stop through this crisis. I will be able to find kale the next time I need it. The quarantine will be lifted in time for FG's big birthday party, and our vacation to Mexico in May will be awesome and no one will get sunburned. I'll put the house on the market as scheduled, and I will get a full-priced offer within the first week. The closing date will be June 15th. Everything that I put out in the garage sale will sell.
And, while I'm at it, I'm going to sleep well and wake up feeling happy, healthy, and energetic all week.
18 March 2020
long day
Dang, there has been a lot of covid-drama in the last day or so.
Work has officially prohibited non-essential hospital visits and travel, which puts some huge kinks into my current project. Fortunately I'm not stuck at home, because I'm working at a reference lab and they don't have any restrictions in place... yet. Since I'm local, some of the responsibilities that were placed on people who were supposed to travel in are now assigned to me. It's made for some stressful days.
Both we and the customer are scrambling to adapt, although once we do, more restrictive measures will certainly follow.
In the meantime, I have been experiencing anxiety about finding grocery items that I'm running low on. I went to the grocery store today and it was not bad. I was able to find eggs, peanut butter, and almost everything on my list, except kale. There was not a dark, leafy green in the whole store. Plenty of other produce, but no spinach, kale, or salad greens.
I did not expect that but at least now I have enough coffee and I can relax.
I was also able to go see the eye doctor. I've been having some discomfort in my left eye and figured it would be a good idea to get it checked out before society shuts down. It's not red or anything, so I half-expected the doctor to tell me nothing was wrong.
Turns out, I'm not crazy. There is a wrinkle on the cornea, most likely from a little wonky Lasik healing that has been further irritated by these insane seasonal allergies. I got prescribed steroid drops, but of course I couldn't just go to the pharmacy and get them. I guess insurance doesn't want to cover the cost and they are $250 for a tiny bottle, so I have to contact the doctor again to see what else I can use. In the meantime it hurts every damn time I blink.
Needless to say, I'm annoyed and cranky and will probably go to bed early.
A little reckless optimism:
Tomorrow is another day. We will work out the issues at this customer site, the instruments will run great, the customers will be happy. I will get lots of utilization hours.
I'll get the right eye drops at a low price quickly, and my eye will start to feel better. The pollen levels will drop and my allergies will subside. I'm going to feel happy, energetic, and healthy.
Work has officially prohibited non-essential hospital visits and travel, which puts some huge kinks into my current project. Fortunately I'm not stuck at home, because I'm working at a reference lab and they don't have any restrictions in place... yet. Since I'm local, some of the responsibilities that were placed on people who were supposed to travel in are now assigned to me. It's made for some stressful days.
Both we and the customer are scrambling to adapt, although once we do, more restrictive measures will certainly follow.
In the meantime, I have been experiencing anxiety about finding grocery items that I'm running low on. I went to the grocery store today and it was not bad. I was able to find eggs, peanut butter, and almost everything on my list, except kale. There was not a dark, leafy green in the whole store. Plenty of other produce, but no spinach, kale, or salad greens.
I did not expect that but at least now I have enough coffee and I can relax.
I was also able to go see the eye doctor. I've been having some discomfort in my left eye and figured it would be a good idea to get it checked out before society shuts down. It's not red or anything, so I half-expected the doctor to tell me nothing was wrong.
Turns out, I'm not crazy. There is a wrinkle on the cornea, most likely from a little wonky Lasik healing that has been further irritated by these insane seasonal allergies. I got prescribed steroid drops, but of course I couldn't just go to the pharmacy and get them. I guess insurance doesn't want to cover the cost and they are $250 for a tiny bottle, so I have to contact the doctor again to see what else I can use. In the meantime it hurts every damn time I blink.
Needless to say, I'm annoyed and cranky and will probably go to bed early.
A little reckless optimism:
Tomorrow is another day. We will work out the issues at this customer site, the instruments will run great, the customers will be happy. I will get lots of utilization hours.
I'll get the right eye drops at a low price quickly, and my eye will start to feel better. The pollen levels will drop and my allergies will subside. I'm going to feel happy, energetic, and healthy.
14 March 2020
small calm
It's a nice day outside. All the flowers are blooming and it looks so pretty, and there are bright red birds hanging out in the back yard being cute.
But the pollen is murder on my sinuses so I'm watching from inside the house.
Laying on my bed with the humidifier on and the air scrubber humming. I woke up feeling terrible, so I took all the drugs this morning. I'm not 100% but I'm feeling better than I have in weeks.
It's been a nice, mellow Saturday and I'm all about it.The roombas are cleaning the floors, laundry is going, and I just packed up a few more boxes of random stuff like winter coats and home decor.
I had to throw away my high school letter jacket. The leather sleeves got all oily and gross and it was enough for me to stuff it into the trash can. I don't know how it managed to survive several purges, because I know I'll never wear it again.
Trying to avoid social media and the news, because I have absolutely no desire to hear one more hyped up dumb thing about the coronavirus. People are ridiculous.
But the pollen is murder on my sinuses so I'm watching from inside the house.
Laying on my bed with the humidifier on and the air scrubber humming. I woke up feeling terrible, so I took all the drugs this morning. I'm not 100% but I'm feeling better than I have in weeks.
It's been a nice, mellow Saturday and I'm all about it.The roombas are cleaning the floors, laundry is going, and I just packed up a few more boxes of random stuff like winter coats and home decor.
I had to throw away my high school letter jacket. The leather sleeves got all oily and gross and it was enough for me to stuff it into the trash can. I don't know how it managed to survive several purges, because I know I'll never wear it again.
Trying to avoid social media and the news, because I have absolutely no desire to hear one more hyped up dumb thing about the coronavirus. People are ridiculous.
12 March 2020
only thursday
Dude, I'm tired.
Over the last few weeks, I noticed that I've been feeling unusually fatigued. Not sure why, but maybe it's time to have my iron/ thyroid checked?
Maybe it's because this has been the worst year for allergies, for sure. Itchy eyes, runny nose, sinus congestion, sneezing, generally feeling crappy. Can't take allergy medicine during the day because it all makes me sleepy.
Been feeling run down and meh.
I cleaned out the stream last weekend. It was gross. It had gotten full of algae and dirt and fish poo so I took the power washer and went to town. Lots of work and I'm glad I don't ever have to do that again. Unexpectedly, I got a sunburn on my shoulders and back where my tank top rode up. It was sunny, but I didn't think it was that sunny. Four days later and it's still red and itchy. I should have known better, tsk.
Today I wrapped up my customer visit early and went to see Frank. He gave me an extra air scrubber to see if it will help my allergies. Since I'm only 90% sure these are allergies and not a cold, I stayed away from Emma. I wanted to snuggle her SO BAD but I couldn't take the risk of getting her sick.
When I got home, I cleaned every inch of my bedroom. I even dusted the ceiling fan blades. Dusting is probably my least favorite household chore, so surfaces get pretty bad before I clean them. Now, there are no more cat hair tumbleweeds, and I even vacuumed the headboard.
Hopefully all this will help me feel better.
After cleaning, I noticed I was sweaty. Darn it, I guess the cool weather is gone for good. Time to switch on the A/C and start shaving my legs again.
Since I was in the mood, I packed away all my long-sleeved clothes and pulled out the dresses and shorts.
All I want to do now is soak in a hot bath, take some antihistamines, and go to bed early. The hot bath probably won't work because of the sunburn, but I can absolutely crawl into bed.
I really hope with all this coronavirus madness, I don't end up stuck in my house bored. The hospitals have already said not to come in unless it's absolutely necessary, and school is cancelled for 2 weeks. Let's hope this blows over soon.
Over the last few weeks, I noticed that I've been feeling unusually fatigued. Not sure why, but maybe it's time to have my iron/ thyroid checked?
Maybe it's because this has been the worst year for allergies, for sure. Itchy eyes, runny nose, sinus congestion, sneezing, generally feeling crappy. Can't take allergy medicine during the day because it all makes me sleepy.
Been feeling run down and meh.
I cleaned out the stream last weekend. It was gross. It had gotten full of algae and dirt and fish poo so I took the power washer and went to town. Lots of work and I'm glad I don't ever have to do that again. Unexpectedly, I got a sunburn on my shoulders and back where my tank top rode up. It was sunny, but I didn't think it was that sunny. Four days later and it's still red and itchy. I should have known better, tsk.
Today I wrapped up my customer visit early and went to see Frank. He gave me an extra air scrubber to see if it will help my allergies. Since I'm only 90% sure these are allergies and not a cold, I stayed away from Emma. I wanted to snuggle her SO BAD but I couldn't take the risk of getting her sick.
When I got home, I cleaned every inch of my bedroom. I even dusted the ceiling fan blades. Dusting is probably my least favorite household chore, so surfaces get pretty bad before I clean them. Now, there are no more cat hair tumbleweeds, and I even vacuumed the headboard.
Hopefully all this will help me feel better.
After cleaning, I noticed I was sweaty. Darn it, I guess the cool weather is gone for good. Time to switch on the A/C and start shaving my legs again.
Since I was in the mood, I packed away all my long-sleeved clothes and pulled out the dresses and shorts.
All I want to do now is soak in a hot bath, take some antihistamines, and go to bed early. The hot bath probably won't work because of the sunburn, but I can absolutely crawl into bed.
I really hope with all this coronavirus madness, I don't end up stuck in my house bored. The hospitals have already said not to come in unless it's absolutely necessary, and school is cancelled for 2 weeks. Let's hope this blows over soon.
05 March 2020
missing and not
It has begun.
The first box, of many many many boxes, has been packed.
I took all the wine glasses down to clean the mirror in the bar and thought, "Why would I put them back up just to pack them in a couple of weeks?" So, into a box they went. I packed up a few more things, too. The seal has been broken.
One thing I really can't believe is how much STUFF I still have. I did a major purge 2 years ago. How do I still have so much stuff? As I packed, I thought, "Will I miss this over the next few months while it's in storage, or have I used it in the last 2 years?" If the answer was no, out it went. Lots of it went into the garage sale pile.
April is going to be very busy with work and my goal is to list the house by May, so I suppose starting to pack and declutter now isn't a bad idea. Oy, it's so much work.
It's funny, I was sitting on the couch this afternoon looking out the window thinking, "I should go outside and enjoy the back yard/ pond while I still can." But the truth is, I don't sit out there much and I don't think I'll miss it that much. Every time I sit out there, I can't help but look around at all the work that needs to be done and it is usually more stressful than peaceful. Plus my allergies are so freaking bad lately and sitting outside doesn't help.
This is a really cute house in a great neighborhood and I will miss a lot of things, but there's plenty that I won't miss.
I won't miss trying to pull in and out of my driveway while a bunch of cars are around.
I won't miss cleaning the pond or any of that maintenance.
I won't miss sitting in traffic on 99 to go see FG.
I won't miss cleaning the 2300 sq ft of floors and the 3 toilets. Yes, I'm excited to be closer to FG, but I'm most excited about downsizing, for sure.
FG. More and more I think about how we talk about moving in together and how I feel about that. Oh, what a huge leap that is! Some days I have myself convinced that I'm ready and it would be an awesome thing, and some days I have myself convinced that I really like living alone. Either way, the plan is still for me to buy myself a cute little house that may (or may not) turn into a rental property one day.
I've been keeping an eye on the active listings and there are a lot of really good potential homes in the area. I've seen a few that I really liked come and go, because the timing's not right yet. There are so many variables with buying and selling a house and I'm really hoping that things fall into place without too much stress.
Remember, reckless optimism!
Oh, also I took Pumpkin to the vet and she's lost some weight but overall is very healthy for her age. According to her labs, the kidney disease has not progressed very much in the last year. Yay!
The first box, of many many many boxes, has been packed.
I took all the wine glasses down to clean the mirror in the bar and thought, "Why would I put them back up just to pack them in a couple of weeks?" So, into a box they went. I packed up a few more things, too. The seal has been broken.
One thing I really can't believe is how much STUFF I still have. I did a major purge 2 years ago. How do I still have so much stuff? As I packed, I thought, "Will I miss this over the next few months while it's in storage, or have I used it in the last 2 years?" If the answer was no, out it went. Lots of it went into the garage sale pile.
April is going to be very busy with work and my goal is to list the house by May, so I suppose starting to pack and declutter now isn't a bad idea. Oy, it's so much work.
It's funny, I was sitting on the couch this afternoon looking out the window thinking, "I should go outside and enjoy the back yard/ pond while I still can." But the truth is, I don't sit out there much and I don't think I'll miss it that much. Every time I sit out there, I can't help but look around at all the work that needs to be done and it is usually more stressful than peaceful. Plus my allergies are so freaking bad lately and sitting outside doesn't help.
This is a really cute house in a great neighborhood and I will miss a lot of things, but there's plenty that I won't miss.
I won't miss trying to pull in and out of my driveway while a bunch of cars are around.
I won't miss cleaning the pond or any of that maintenance.
I won't miss sitting in traffic on 99 to go see FG.
I won't miss cleaning the 2300 sq ft of floors and the 3 toilets. Yes, I'm excited to be closer to FG, but I'm most excited about downsizing, for sure.
FG. More and more I think about how we talk about moving in together and how I feel about that. Oh, what a huge leap that is! Some days I have myself convinced that I'm ready and it would be an awesome thing, and some days I have myself convinced that I really like living alone. Either way, the plan is still for me to buy myself a cute little house that may (or may not) turn into a rental property one day.
I've been keeping an eye on the active listings and there are a lot of really good potential homes in the area. I've seen a few that I really liked come and go, because the timing's not right yet. There are so many variables with buying and selling a house and I'm really hoping that things fall into place without too much stress.
Remember, reckless optimism!
Oh, also I took Pumpkin to the vet and she's lost some weight but overall is very healthy for her age. According to her labs, the kidney disease has not progressed very much in the last year. Yay!
02 March 2020
RSIBWTBA
Random shit I've been wanting to blog about
in no particular order:
-I feel like I haven't sat down in days. FG asked me if I would help him landscape his rent house on Saturday and I told him,"I can't think of an excuse to get out of it, so sure." And you know what? It was hard work but we make a really great team and it looks fantastic.
Sunday he asked me if I would go with him to IKEA to pick up a stovetop that he had ordered online. I figured it would be a quick trip so I said yes. Then once we got there, he sprung it on me that he also wanted to look at other appliances. You can imagine my overall joy at the situation, but we were already there so I went with it. We fought through the hordes of Sunday IKEA shoppers and strollers (and probably coronavirus), and an hour later, we had 3 carts full of an oven, a microwave, and a dishwasher, in addition to the stovetop.
-You know how old cats get real skinny around the hips? Pumpkin's looking like that. She's been eating well so maybe this is just what happens. She still plays and snuggles and seems happy so I'm happy about that.
-I finally cleaned my floors, for the first time in maybe 6 months. I have come to the conclusion that I hate laminate floors. Give me hardwood and tile and I'll be happy. Heck, I'd be happy with all tile. I love that tile that looks like wood. Frank has it and it's awesome.
-I sat down and took a hard look at my budget. For years, I tracked every cent in a detailed spreadsheet, but I stopped once I started making enough money to not worry about overdrafting. I still keep an eye on my bank account, I don't keep stringent records.
Well, I'm really trying to save money so I went back to my spreadsheet and figured out how much I make/spend/can save each month. Turns out, my monthly bills aren't as much as I thought and I can save a really decent amount each month if I make a few adjustments.
For example, I spend on average $400 a month on groceries. For one person. What?? Of course, that includes things like cleaning supplies and toiletries, but I feel like that's an area where I can really cut back without noticing a huge difference. Back to meal planning while looking at sale flyers. I have a couple more months to pad my savings account and I'm extra motivated now that I've done the math and see how much I can potentially save.
-Work has been really busy and I love it. This job is awesome.
-Huge deal for me: I've been waking up at 6am. Ish. I've been taking some time to wake up in the mornings to watch the news and drink coffee, instead of sleeping until the last possible second and rushing through my morning. I feel so adult-like. I do not enjoy waking up early, but I do enjoy having a more tranquil morning. Also, the news is scary. The world is fucked up.
-I have not done yoga in forever. That was one of the first things I cut out when I started saving money, and instead of going to the studio I would practice at home. I think I don't have the self-discipline to do it regularly at home. I think I need someone guiding me.
in no particular order:
-I feel like I haven't sat down in days. FG asked me if I would help him landscape his rent house on Saturday and I told him,"I can't think of an excuse to get out of it, so sure." And you know what? It was hard work but we make a really great team and it looks fantastic.
Sunday he asked me if I would go with him to IKEA to pick up a stovetop that he had ordered online. I figured it would be a quick trip so I said yes. Then once we got there, he sprung it on me that he also wanted to look at other appliances. You can imagine my overall joy at the situation, but we were already there so I went with it. We fought through the hordes of Sunday IKEA shoppers and strollers (and probably coronavirus), and an hour later, we had 3 carts full of an oven, a microwave, and a dishwasher, in addition to the stovetop.
-You know how old cats get real skinny around the hips? Pumpkin's looking like that. She's been eating well so maybe this is just what happens. She still plays and snuggles and seems happy so I'm happy about that.
-I finally cleaned my floors, for the first time in maybe 6 months. I have come to the conclusion that I hate laminate floors. Give me hardwood and tile and I'll be happy. Heck, I'd be happy with all tile. I love that tile that looks like wood. Frank has it and it's awesome.
-I sat down and took a hard look at my budget. For years, I tracked every cent in a detailed spreadsheet, but I stopped once I started making enough money to not worry about overdrafting. I still keep an eye on my bank account, I don't keep stringent records.
Well, I'm really trying to save money so I went back to my spreadsheet and figured out how much I make/spend/can save each month. Turns out, my monthly bills aren't as much as I thought and I can save a really decent amount each month if I make a few adjustments.
For example, I spend on average $400 a month on groceries. For one person. What?? Of course, that includes things like cleaning supplies and toiletries, but I feel like that's an area where I can really cut back without noticing a huge difference. Back to meal planning while looking at sale flyers. I have a couple more months to pad my savings account and I'm extra motivated now that I've done the math and see how much I can potentially save.
-Work has been really busy and I love it. This job is awesome.
-Huge deal for me: I've been waking up at 6am. Ish. I've been taking some time to wake up in the mornings to watch the news and drink coffee, instead of sleeping until the last possible second and rushing through my morning. I feel so adult-like. I do not enjoy waking up early, but I do enjoy having a more tranquil morning. Also, the news is scary. The world is fucked up.
-I have not done yoga in forever. That was one of the first things I cut out when I started saving money, and instead of going to the studio I would practice at home. I think I don't have the self-discipline to do it regularly at home. I think I need someone guiding me.
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