We’re moving from scene sequences to acts (me) and to single ms. (Bob). I think Bob is also on his way to the Outer Banks, which is good because I’m still at about 50% after weekend before last. But still work is getting done.
What did you do this week?
Ripped out carpet. So far, two bedrooms and two landings. One was so old that the under lay is perishing. I’ll be picking up bits and vacuuming today.
After that I shall try to find some other way of getting rid of the furniture that is keeping me from pulling the carpet in My bedroom. It’s ground floor, all unwanted stuff ended up there. I had thought I was making it easier for people to collect but Gumtree didn’t work. Almost everything the previous owners left is still here and now it is all in what will be my bedroom. In Sydney, prepping to move here, furniture listed on gumtree was claimed in hours or not at all.
Used, but good condition, ikea wardrobes do not have value in either place, by the way. Not even if you give them away free.
That is frustrating. I still have a huge wooden hutch for china that I don’t own that came with the house. It’s so big that moving it is prohibitive and no one wants it.
Firewood?
My brother and sister in law bought a furnished home and when they moved their furniture in, they gave a lot of the existing stuff to the movers. Those guys took it and sold it themselves. She said it kept her from going crazy trying to deal with the headache of it all.
I’ve done that, made both parties happy.
In this case I want the furniture gone -> cleaners can reach the walls + I can take up the carpets -> the cleaners can fog,
which is supposed to “bond, absorb and neutralize” the smell. I have doubt about how useful that will be but if it is all helpful I don’t want old unwanted carpet in the way
Then we move all the shipped things that have been waiting in storage. Then my cats can travel here. I miss my cats.
If it is anything like the house we bought, ripping up the old carpet will help with the smell significantly. It was the dirtiest thing that I have ever done in my life.
I don’t know if the fogging will help with the smoke smell but getting rid of the carpets definitely should!
The first show that I applied to for this year declined me yesterday and I was disappointed. Moreso than was really warranted, but a win would have been nice.
On the bright side, I had been hoarding new things for the show and now I can work on listing them in my handmade Etsy shop, which I have been neglecting. And I have three more applications out.
Link to your Etsy site, please?
Oh excellent idea!
Be gentle. My new years resolution was to take better product photos. Thus, I have been procrastinating taking any photos at all. Will try to do better with the new round.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Wallflowerwildco
Your stuff is lovely. I love the roses with the little faces! Sorry not to be buying, but we’re downsizing to a smaller house and I’m in the midst of a massive purge. If you nudge me in a few months, after I have time to unpack, I’m a definite potential sale.
Thanks so much for the kind words! There is never any expectation that you buy. 🙂
I wasn’t looking to critique! I am only being nosy. My absolute favourite is Dragon and Meadow – but I want it in a painting!
I know you aren’t. I am just hyper critical of my own work. My poor hubby, early in the getting to know each other phase, thought that he would strike up a conversation with me about my art. I shut right down to practically non-verbal. And then we had a really awkward conversation about the parking lot being repaved…
Nothing says romance like conversations about parking lots.
Love the tote bags! If I didn’t already have about half a million bags already ….
Thank you!
Wow. You are so talented. To no one’s surprise, I absolutely love that cat pictures and totes.
Thanks! I am a cat person too.
Wonderful! Especially love the cat paintings!
Thanks so much!
I hear you on wanting a win 🙁
Thanks. It’s not really about the money, more like feeling like I am doing Something the move forward…
It has been a heart breaking week for us. My niece is the HS volleyball coach here and one of her seniors had traveled to St Louis with a club volleyball team for a tournament over the weekend.
While walking from a restaurant back to their hotel, she was hit by a car. Her father had the wherewithal to fashion tourniquets on both legs, which ultimately saved her life. However, both legs have been amputated. She had just been offered a scholarship to play college volleyball.
We have had meetings withe the students and organized vigils for them to honor and support her from far away. Her teammates are just devastated. She has to stay in St Louis for a few weeks until she is stable enough to transport to a local hospital here.
We would love positive thoughts and prayers for Janae and her family.
https://www.newschannel5.com/news/smyrna-high-school-athletes-legs-amputated-after-being-hit-by-car-in-st-louis
Oh that is awful. I’m so sorry.
That is terrible, Cathy. I am so sorry.
Words fail me. What a sad, sad event.
That poor girl! My heart goes out to her and her family.
Oh no. Heartbreaking indeed. Sending all the good thoughts and vibes.
Sending prayers – this is heartbreaking.
Let us know if there is anything else we can do to support her and her family. Happy to donate to a GoFundMe, etc.
Thank you. She had a 3rd surgery Monday because of a cracked hip/pelvis. It should stabilize her for future prosthetics. They woke her up last night for the first time so she is now aware of her situation.
She has a long road to recovery but is one of those strong personalities. My niece is waiting to get the ok to travel and visit her. Right now only parents are allowed there.
And what a nightmare for them as they were walking with her and saw it happen.
Many sympathies. That sounds so hard for everybody
That is so terrible and heartbreaking. Sending all the best vibes, thoughts and wishes.
A heart breaking week for me as well. My dad moved to hospice care at my sister’s place on Wednesday. I face timed him on Saturday. Sunday morning, he passed. I’m glad he isn’t suffering any more, but I am wreaked. I had really believed that he would perk up, being out of the hospital and with people who loved him.
Other than that, I keep on with Daily February progress, and working on getting things ready for the quilt show in March.
Sigh. wrecked.
Another piece of terrible news. I hope you are doing as best as can be expected.
I’m really sorry, Nancy. But glad you connected with him – and also that he was at home, with family.
I am so sorry Nancy. But am glad you got to connect with him before he passed away.
I’m so sorry for your loss, Nancy. May his memory be a blessing.
I am so sorry for your loss, but grateful that you were able to speak with him before he died. It was likely that being at home among loved ones allowed him to die peacefully. And at least you won’t be able to torture yourself by thinking that you didn’t have a chance to let him know how much you loved him.
As a former Hospice Chaplain, I saw what Aunt Snack spoke about happen many times. Being home, and with loved ones, or having contact with loved ones, gives the dying the ability to let go peacefully. Your call may have been what he was waiting for. I’m so glad you had that opportunity.
So sorry for your loss.
Hugs to you, Nancy.
I’m sorry for your loss. I was thinking the same kinds of things when my grandfather passed away last summer, having been a prisoner in a not-really-working body for years, but it doesn’t make the loss any less sad. Sending healing hugs.
Oh I am so sorry for your loss. It is so difficult to lose a parent.
So very sorry for your loss.
I’m so sorry, Nancy, but it’s so good you got to talk to him on Saturday. Thinking of you.
I’m so sorry, Nancy. Thinking of you and your sister.
Very sorry for your loss. Take joy from the memories.
How lovely for your father & you that you did speak him before he passed. This may have brought him such comfort that he could let go of this life more easily when he needed to. So hard for you & your family though & I am very sorry for your loss. I think both wreaked & wrecked are likely appropriate. Grief does wreak such havoc on our psyche. Take good care of you.
It was a week that was, it’s over, let it go. That felt like I should be singing it.
I have that big knitting project, knitting my ribs back together and sleeping through it. Whatever doesn’t kill me must be chocolate – there’s an order from Amazon due today.
I need to do gardening. Lots and lots of lettuce nearing harvest time, plus that one lonely Spinach plant. I’m going to start three tomato plants and give them to the dotter for her raised garden when warmer weather hits.
All y’all be well or weller!
Can’t help wondering…what kind of chocolate?
In this particular order,
I like to add spicy almonds to the chocolate coconut bars.
So ladies, when are we going over to Gary’s for chocolate? I could use some right about now. 🙂
Enjoy, Gary. You’ve more than deserved it.
Gary,
Could I make a suggestion for other manufacturers? The thing about Atkins is the main sweetener they use is maltitol, which can cause ‘digest upset’. (In my case, not to be too delicate about it, enough gas to light up NYC.) Keto Wise Fat Bombs makes some great chocolate covered caramels (a variety of them) and Genius Gourmet Keto bars (the peanut butter ones are especially good). For both brands the sweeteners are erythritol and sucralose. I have no relationship of any kind to the companies; I just really enjoy their products.
I’m headed out to Nashville for a conference today. I’ve never been there so looking forward to that. I have to give a ‘Ted Talk’ though – grimace – really fretty about it.
Break a leg! What’s it about?
Managing change.
Oh wow. Will there be a recording? It’s a great topic.
Also, I have heard very good things about Nashville. Enjoy!
A recording? Gawd I hope not.
Transcript? I would love to hear your thoughts on the topic.
Maybe wearing a pear of really good shoes will help with the nerves 😉
It’s managing change on technology projects…so really not interesting. I do start out by debunking the myth that people resist change though. That’s my favourite part. And I have the MOST awesome shoes to wear. As long as people stare at my feet, the Talk will be great.
Oooh. Shoes can do so much to lift your mood. Break a leg!
I saw a sign once, hung over the door. It said “Change is inevitable. Misery is optional” I thought it was a good thing to remind people of, especially as I was coming in with something new for them to learn.
I wanna print that on a t-shirt now.
I need someone to paint that sign for me. Lupe? Maybe something for your shop…
Lettering is not my strongest suit, but I will keep it in mind.
I’m in the Nashville area. Enjoy the people watching and be aware of all the pedal taverns and Bachelorette parties.
Take in a honky tonk!!
What on earth is a pedal tavern?? That sounds so lovely.
Nashville is a great place to visit. I hope you have time to enjoy some touristy things and a real country bar with peanut shells on the floor and great music.
I’ve just had a meal of buttermilk biscuits, BBQ shrimp and cheesy grits that was To Die For. I’m going to gain ten pounds in this trip.
“As long as people stare at my feet, the Talk will be great.” I laughed so hard! You’re the best Tammy!!!
I gave up on Craigslist for a bunch of small things I had listed. I got zero bites on stuff that was reasonable priced, I thought. So then I went through all the stuff I had been stockpiling for a not-happening yard sale, and ended up with a truckload of things to take to Savers, which will benefit Big Brothers and Big Sisters. The yard sale corner of the basement is much less crowded, my house is back to normal, and I feel very righteous for helping a charity. Today, it is raining, so it was good I took the pickup load yesterday, when it was a gorgeous day.
Yes: I gave loads of stuff away when I was selling Mum’s house – so much easier than trying to sell it, as well as feeling good.
I’ve done a proof-reading job, which turned out to be extremely short, so
I now need to get another one. I put bark down on my allotment paths and replaced the cat fence at home with a new, hopefully more cat-proof one.
The greenhouse move has been postponed until tomorrow, since it’s showery today. The guy doesn’t want any help, but I’ll go over first thing to be sure he puts it in the right place. I’m planning a gardening day here instead – weeding, mulching, moving plants, etc. Otherwise there’s admin and sorting out for the next week; plus a photography day if the weather’s good.
Need to boast about tackling four things that have been on my to do list for ever: switching to a water meter (including 2hrs to tell them there’ll be a problem fitting it); establishing that switching to digital voice for my landline will be no cheaper, despite my provider’s ads; sorting out my savings accounts; and switching to a new mobile provider.
Bots, swearing, and going round in circles featured heavily. I’m now going to comfort myself with a hot-water bottle. I feel in shock.
Good for you! I hope you kept them on your to do list with a giant check mark to gloat that they are done
Extra points for surviving the bots without screaming until you are mute.
Today’s Freefall has me pickled tink. Here’s a transcript, with the last two lines emphasized:
Rover17: If I connect to a dream machine, I will be asleep for almost three hours after we dock.
Sam: That would give me time to set up a meeting with the union and the station manager.
Rover17: Understood. Robots must have permission to work. Therefore, it will be efficient for me to use the dream machine now.
Sam: Must be convenient to fall asleep instantly. I sometimes have insomnia.
Rover17: Check your cable and update your drivers. That usually solves the problem.
I need to check my cables and update my drivers!
I retired at the end of February 2022 and one of the projects I had in mind to do was go through all my clothes (especially the work items) and weed them out. It only took me 11 months to get around to it but (halo dusted off temporarily) that’s what I did this week. And the clothing (all in good to excellent condition) has been donated to a local charity. Then I realized, that although I had cleared out the closet, I still had dresser drawers to go through! So, halo removed, I am going to work on that project this afternoon; I want to get out and enjoy as much of the day outside as I can before the rain/snow/sleet/ice (we get complicated weather patterns here at times as Deb can attest to; she lives a couple of hours away from my area) hits us this later this evening.
I finished final revisions for a Llewellyn book. Now I’m prepping for my trip to Orlando, and praying that the ice storm they’re predicting will be over by the time my friend picks me up at 8AM to take me to the airport in Albany, and hour and a half away. (One of the downsides of living in the middle of nowhere. No close airports. Can’t get there from here.) Hopefully the storm will zig instead of zag, or be over and the roads cleared by then. And the plane will take off on time and the whole trip will be uneventful.
On the bright side, Orlando is supposed to be 90 degrees (I’ll probably burst into flame like a vampire, with my pasty white upstate NY winter skin) and the Coastal Magic convention is always fun and relaxed.
So today is packing, and trying to make an instruction sheet for the new cat sitter, who is pinch-hitting for my usual one who came down with Covid. And an emergency tarot reading for someone at noon, which she really needed before I left town. Then more packing.
Welp, other people are being sad today, I will as well.
All I have to work on is getting over the crush. I have “quiet quit” the “friendship” since I found out that he was horrified/repulsed (he sure acted like that, anyway) at people thinking we were a couple months ago. That is burned into my brain and I think of it every time I see him. I haven’t officially ended the friendship because I’ll probably still run into him at theater things and I need to be polite, but about 60% of me officially wants to end it and blow shit up beyond repair so I can stop caring about him already, and the other 40% continues to whine that I still want him in my life, even though it’s bad for me because I cannot do “friends” with people when I rarely care about anyone like that and can’t replace them easily. I pretty much take any slight expression of him talking to me as him caring about me when he does not, is the problem.
“Quiet quitting” means I pretty much only talk to him if I run into him at parties, I only respond to him if he says something to me. I don’t text him, I don’t follow him around, I don’t invite him to anything, and I didn’t give him a Christmas gift even though he gave me one. I didn’t congratulate him on getting into the show *I* wanted to get into, and his birthday is coming up and I’m going to ignore that too. I usually make him lovingly handmade gifts that he seemed to really like, so that’s probably about the one thing he’s noticed is different since The Incident. I made up BS lies about no Christmas gift, but no birthday either is gonna really be noticeable.
I feel like a shitty person doing this. However, I doubt he’s noticed anything different (or possibly hasn’t even figured out why I stopped hanging around him after August, because clueless dude be clueless), so why am I feeling bad and caring when he probably does not? It’s not hurting him to lose a friend if he isn’t even aware that it happened if he doesn’t notice when people don’t contact him because he drifts off into his little Pisces-land, is it.
However, in 2021 when he was kind of oblivious/rude to me when I dropped off the birthday gift and I stopped talking to him for most of the year–I note he was suddenly extremely happy to see me when I ran into him again and I had it it out with him about this behavior and he said it doesn’t mean he doesn’t care, he just drifts off–well, I had it out with him at the time and it temporarily made things better. I sort of wonder if I should do that again, except this time it’d be all “I never heard someone be so horrified and repulsed at me in my life,” probably. So um, yeah, that’s not great.
I note that I’ve had people cut me off out of nowhere and I’ve always wondered what the hell I did to make them do that, but at the same time, maybe I’m better off not knowing if it’s that bad?
People of Argh: if you had no idea (he probably doesn’t anyway) that you had SUPER hurt someone’s feelings to the point where they don’t want to be your friend any more, would you want to know this information, even if/especially it’s not fixable? Or is the polite and kind thing to do what I’m doing now, passively drift off until he doesn’t even notice he lost a so-called friend? Because I feel guilty for not telling him what he did and how it made me kinda hate him and I’m mostly ditching him and he doesn’t (probably) know why, but at the same time, what good is it going to do? He feels how he feels and I know how he feels and god knows I don’t want to make him tell me how he wouldn’t want to be with me if I was the last option in the world. It’s probably better for me to just cut him off. Ugh. Anyway, thoughts?
At a slight tangent: I used to use a visualization that helped in letting go of unhealthy/unwanted ties to people. Can only remember it vaguely, I’m afraid, but think is was literally visualizing the connections (as cords/ropes/kind of tentacles) running between you, and detaching them one by one from yourself. I think the final piece was to imagine the other person wrapped in white light and floating away like a balloon.
Just thought this might be a helpful way to focus on letting go of the dysfunction in this relationship while wishing both you and him peace.
At my Peace Breathing group we inhale on Fading Away and exhale on World Peace. I think of it as emptying out all the distractions so that the Peace (and unity with the rest of the world) can flow in.
I think Lupe has it right. This is really about your feelings and health. You are not responsible for his feelings. You’ve backed off for your emotional well-being, he doesn’t appear to have come to find you, even that just means he’s terminally passive. Is he someone worth so much of your emotional energy?
(I can’t tell if this is harsh, so if it’s moderated out, that’s okay.)
I would not worry about what he wants or feels because he sadly isn’t considering what you want or feel. I would worry about protecting your own comfort and pleasure in the theater community which is clearly a significant part of your life. I think if you have a big blow up with him it will make your theater life more awkward and difficult .
People will get to hear about it or see the tension between you. Some people may be reluctant to have you in the same shows.
So I would not do a big blowup. I might write out my feelings and then burn or just tuck away the letter . I would give no present and no explanation of why.
You have nothing to feel guilty about. He does , for saying something so awful—even if he doesn’t think of you as a a friend but especially as he does. And he should feel guilty even if he has no idea you know what he said.
You also owe him no explanation. Sometimes even good friendships end this way. People’s lives and activities change.
You’re making this about him and his feelings. He’s responsible for those.
You’ve been hurt, disappointed, crushed for a long time over this guy, while he’s gone along enjoying your gifts and your company. Which is fine, those are your choices and his. You’re an extremely giving friend and he enjoys your friendship when he remembers it’s there. Again, that sounds bitchy but it’s not: There’s nothing wrong with his approach, it’s just how he sees the relationship.
And that’s not enough for you, which is also fine, and now you see that maintaining a friendship with him isn’t working for you (been there, married that), so you have wisely decided to take steps back. That’s your life and your choice (good one) and since he’s never recognized a relationship, you owe him nothing. If he can’t figure out what’s wrong on his own, he can ask. If he doesn’t ask, you don’t need to tell him anything. If he does ask, you don’t need to tell him anything. This is your life, he doesn’t get to question your decisions.
The big remember is that your boundaries are about your life; his boundaries are about his life. He takes care of him, you take care of you. And right now, taking care of you means deleting this guy from your life until the guy-shaped hole he leaves there has shrunk to nothing. So smart of you to step away.
What Jenny said. You know who he is. You know he isn’t going to change, except possibly briefly, and then he’ll change back. (Been there, dated that for years of my life I’ll never get back.) You take care of you. And about damn time, girl. Go you.
And, as they told us in the Loony Bin, “You can’t do anything for anyone else if you don’t take care of yourself first.” And if he asks for an explanation, the self care will make it easier to face explaining it to him.
Jennifer, let me tell you a theory that a friend of mine had about crushes and strong attractions to people who don’t seem to return that attraction. She said when she gave up on one of those crushes, and tried to figure out what on earth had made her feelings so strong without any reciprocation, she started thinking about friends who’d gone through the same thing, and found one thing that seemed clear about other people, but not about herself, and that was that they seemed to be drawn to qualities of that person that they wanted to have themselves, but didn’t dare attempt.
The very shy girl was drawn to the guy who was the life of every party. The uptight girl was infatuated with somebody who described his own failures to other people and laughed at them with his audience. She said sometimes she didn’t know exactly what a lovelorn friend wanted in somebody but it was clear the friend wasn’t very much like that person, even though they seemed to envy that person’s qualities of social being.
We started talking about this because we both knew someone in our dorm who was ready to commit suicide over how badly they’d been treated by the guy they’d obsessed over for months, and we knew the guy, who was really a nice person, but who felt worried and clueless over what had caused the girl’s obsession with him.
I remember this conversation vividly because the friend pointed out people I mostly knew, and what in them, and in herself, made her begin to formulate that theory. She kind of eased off her relationship with her current sometimes-boyfriend, began taking psych classes, and by the next semester she seemed much more contented. The boyfriend had been somebody who was always observing others and who was skilled at making new friends, while my friend wasn’t very good at it, or felt she wasn’t.
Meanwhile, our mutual friend in the dorm didn’t commit suicide after all, but did drop out of school, after saying she now hated the guy she’d been so obsessed about, and I felt like I’d really learned something useful about people, or at least about people my own age who were growing into their adult selves.
What I found after talking with my friend about this all senior year was that whenever I found myself attracted to someone who had no interest in me, it helped me tremendously to sit down and make a list of all the ways the other person was wonderful and amazing and SO much beyond my league, and then work on cultivating some of those qualities and skills in myself. It helped me rebel a little more than I’d ever allowed myself to rebel, and to speak up & voice things that I’d considered un-voiceable before that, and to try doing things I’d avoided trying before because I just KNEW I’d be no good at them like some others were.
I don’t know if this might apply for you, or be a helpful way to think about this boy, but I’m sad to see you bummed out about him again, and wish I could say something that might be helpful. Best of good luck to you —
Distance may be the answer. As much distance as you can manage without missing your other friends and your theater connections. Healing comes with taking care of yourself.
no offense, but he is a shit and you are wasting your time and sense of self thinking about him for another second
keep with the quiet quitting and when you find youself thinking anything about him, force yourself to stop it
there are guys who belong in the “dead to me” category and he is one of them
people like him dont ever change; they are selfish and never have remorse
the sooner you get to the other side of the quiet quitting and he is out of your life, your headspace, the better for you
do yourself a favor and man up on this and see the quiet quitting project all the way through—future you will thank you
From “Her Blue Body Everything We Know chapbook by Alice Walker
“When I no longer have your heart
I will not request your body
your presence
or even your polite conversation.
I will go away to a far country
separated from you by the sea
— on which I cannot walk —
and refrain even from sending
letters
describing my pain.”
Dude ain’t worth all this – kick him to the curb & move on.
or paraphrasing the words of a person who is kinder than me – Louise Hay
Release him to happiness that is meaningful to him.
Hi Jennifer, I can totally understand why you are feeling sad and at times angry with him. You have clearly invested a lot of your time, care & energy in your interactions with him. So to be considering letting go of your hopes for a more personal relationship with him is a grieving process. From this & some of your previous posts about him I have wondered if he may have some underlying neurodivergent traits & does not pick up on social cues very well. His response to a person thinking you were both a couple sounded like someone who is not very mature &/or perhaps lacking confidence in handling even a basic social misconception & therefore he has responded in a juvenile manner & wounded you deeply (albeit probably quite unintentionally). Even if that is the case he is responsible for his actions/inactions & needs to own them & work on these issues if he wants to grow & mature & have positive interactions with others. At the end of the day only you know if you want (or need) to invest further emotional energy & more of your life trying to move the relationship forward. Please remember that you deserve someone who recognises & values you & plays an active role in your life either as a friend or partner. Not simply someone who is happy to see you after a break or accept gifts from you but otherwise does not engage with you unless you initiate an interaction. Best wishes for whatever decision you make.
I think that you should do whatever will make you happiest, or give you closer and peace.
However, my fear is that if you confront him with the hurt he caused you, he will deny it, turn it around to put the blame on you, or say it is all a misunderstanding. From what you have said here, that is what I expect of his behavior. And I think that will make you feel worse, from the little that I know of you.
I think that I would evade without lying, since a lie, even a harmless one, bothers me. If he asks about the lack of gift, tell him you didn’t feel up to it this year, or didn’t have time. Whatever truth feels best to you. But I am not a big fan of confrontation and usually regret it when I loose my temper. So I stay as painfully polite as possible.
Take care of you.
This was supposed to be a reply to Jennifer.
Good advice!
I agree about the lie. I will go to extremes to dance around something I don’t want to say, rather than to lie. But you can definitely say, “I just decided it was time to stop giving so many gifts.” and not make it specifically about him. Honestly, he probably won’t ask.
Right? I feel the lie in my head, even if it is for a good reason or if it will never come out. And I shortened my explanations. I am more likely to stumble into a lie if I keep talking…
I did a thorough research on cat-food. It gave me headaches. Then I bought cat-food. The cat-food business is a freaking jungle.
Had meeting with psychiatrist. Got “medication for inscidental anxiety and/or known upcoming trigger-situations”. This means it’s not a medication for every day, but for when needed. Gonna be interesting.
Also had the meeting with Buddy Netwerk today about getting that someone to take walks/bike-rides and so forth with. We thought waiting-list was 6 eons long, but admin-lady said she might already have someone whom might be a good match, so I’m meeting him next Monday. Nerves. Whew.
The world in general is an “an-eye-for-an-eye”-kind of place right now. I’m terrified, and that’s no lie. Please, world, change to the better. Now. Thanks.
I did that, the cat food thing. I spent hours. I found one with decent meat sources, no grain, no added “flavours” (can lure some cats to over eat and he was one of them), actually in my price range and was available in Australia. They ate it(with other things) for about a year. Then 2-3 serves into a 3 kilo bag they stopped. Just wouldn’t eat it. Even mixed with their favourite wet foods. They ate around the kibble. Argh.
Ah… I bought 9 kg of this stuff, so I do hope they will eat it. At least they’ve done so far, so there is hope…!
Had a week so far of external commitments, memorial service, birthday party (that was a great one), helped an overwhelmed friend pack up her many glass items and cull lots of things that went to our local thrift shops. Somehow I came out of that with a large terracotta bust of Tutankhamun. Maybe I’ll hide it in a flower bed, or leave in on friends’ front steps with a mysterious note.
Remember to make a papyrus scroll to go with it, hinting at a lost tomb
My god, the possibilities are endless.
Maybe you can distract Bob from zombies with mummies?
Even though it’s been a mild winter, I’m hitting the “will winter never end?” stage that the end of February always brings. I’m all about the “soon,” instead of the “now,” and can’t find the motivation to do much of anything until winter is over, other than the bare minimum, working on the final draft of the manuscript due in March.
On the plus side, I will have hit the final turning point in the outline before I go to bed tonight (picture me as Scarlett, doing her “so help me God” speech, except about finishing the next two scenes, rather than never going hungry again). And I tend to pick up the pace, both in the story itself and in my editing once I leave the middle acts behind.
Best wishes to all here who are mostly working on Coping.
I’ve been working on Day Job while huddled in the drafty old house listening to wind literally howling outside for two days. It’s not very cold, but it is Unpleasant and oddly stressful – the constant noise and buffeting.
On the plus side, Day Job continues to be much less shitty since my big awful portfolio got transferred to someone else.
In writer bizness, I returned pre-publication proof notes for upcoming novel release, returned edit for upcoming short story / novelette release, did some revisions on the next novel I’ll be submitting, refreshed my memory and made a plan for a WIP I might submit next year, did significant revision on a self-published thing I’m going to relaunch, completed revision and relaunched another self-published thing.
In digital decluttering, I finished cleaning up the 2013 photo archive and scanned in the three chapters of a nonfiction book I wanted to read but the damn type is too small, even with my reading glasses. Now I can read those chapters infinitely enlarged, if I so choose, on my nice big ultrawide monitor. Why did I not just buy the ebook? Argh.
For the past three days I have worked on catching up on sleep and organising a weekend trip interstate to see people I haven’t seen all pandemic. I have a hotel room and a cat sitter, and some vague plans with two different groups of friends. I’m calling it a win. Except now I need to clean the apartment so the cat sitter doesn’t run screaming…
Argh. Wrong button. I meant to add best wishes and hugs to everyone here who has been having a rough time. I hope better things are coming to you all. x
Also sending good vibes to all who need it. The baseline stress level for the new normal means if much else happens it’s overwhelming.
Writer news – got a couple of rejections from short story submissions. Gotta try again there. Working on novel 1 of the contemporary gothic romance trilogy again. Really disgusted with myself because I can’t find a scene that I wrote that I loved and got good feedback in critique. Worried that it is on the harddrive of my old acer laptop.
Weird writer news: I read a scene from the above novel in critique last night. Main character is Emily Dickenson Barlow who is a slam poet. She was at a slam reading a poem & getting heckled a lot. They loved it. Three people said they teared up at the poem. I swear, I can not even remotely predict the reactions of this group. And I think if I had just read the poem, they might not have liked it as much.
Argh!
In other business, successfully completed my participation part in the study I volunteered for on the e/affect (always get it wrong) of mood on memory.
Got a ton of boxes broke down & in the back of the Kia ready for dropoff at recycle and almost finished my laundry.
Went to the phone store to change our phones. SO PROUD OF MYSELF because I did not play along with the salesperson I didn’t trust. I very politely left him & his misleading information behind. We are going back tomorrow morning when the person I do trust is working. Before, I totally would have buckled to his suggestions.
Wish me luck!
Good news – I found the missing scene! And something else I didn’t even know was lost!
Excellent! (Well done with the salesman, too. They are brazen.)
ARGH HH. Big weekend of travel and connecting with long lost friends. The weather service this morning said a maximum of 1/2 inch snow accumulation. We currently have about 10 inches and it is still falling. The temperature is below freezing and is not expected to warm up much for a day or two. And if we can only get about 30 miles north of here there is almost no snow and we could GO ahead. The problem is that 30 miles. Right now I can’t even get out of the driveway.And this is a heavy snowfall for us. I know, Deb, it is to sneer at what wimps we lowland Westerners are (in the Cascades they are having masses of snow but I don’t live in the mountains. Did that, have the T-shirt, never want to drive in it again).