Saturday, February 24, 2024

Personal Digest Saturday: February 10 – February 23

These LAST TWO weeks in review (yes, it's a double blog post!)

  • Saturday the 10th I dealt with some miscommunications from one of the people picking up stuff from my mom's house. (She claimed she hadn't realized the next day would be Super Bowl Sunday and wanted to back out on her commitment to pick up furniture, even though she literally mentioned the Super Bowl while we were making the plans in the first place.) She told me she would still come do the pickup we'd planned. I also found out my sister Lindsay was planning to come to Tampa to help me with Mom's house for part of the time that Patricia would be there, so that made me super happy. I spent the day getting the house ready and I accidentally knocked down my plushie shelves again. Whoops! I did some reading and walking and practicing ukulele.

  • Sunday the 11th I went to my mom's and gave away a TV, a dresser, a changing table, a wicker drawer set and shelves, and some shelving in the garage, plus some stained glass pieces a lady had previously paid for. Spent pretty much the whole day dealing with it, and of course the lady who'd tried to flake on me ended up backing out again and officially flaking on me, so I still had items I had to arrange other takers for. Unreliable people suck. I took some photos of junk piles for my sister to get a good estimate from a junk pickup guy. And then I went home, cleaned up, and put up some cool lights with vines on them in my office. I posted a Tumblr post, sang a karaoke song, read my book, and tried to relax.

  • Monday the 12th I had a slow morning. Made an appointment to do Mom's taxes. Fielded some appointment questions from my sister. Tried to make plans with someone who was interested in buying one of the last pieces of furniture I had (a cabinet). Spent the whole work day entering data into Quickbooks. Put away some stuff in the house and did some walking.

  • Tuesday the 13th I did more data entry, went to meetings and arranged meetings, and did some research. Did some chores and wrangled the TV but my new cables didn't work. Scott and Ben came over and we watched some more Steven Universe while eating pizza. We got up to #20. Then I chatted to Jeaux on the phone about his THREE attempts to make a banana roll cake. Wow!

  • Wednesday the 14th I went to a meeting, tracked some other meetings, repotted a plant, cleaned up around the house, and went grocery shopping with Jeaux after work. We ate at Taco Bus and watched Colbert. Patricia arrived at my house after midnight and we greeted her with banana roll cake (which was excellent--thanks Jeaux). My sister and I chatted a bit before we went to bed.

  • Thursday the 15th we had banana roll cake for breakfast and snacks with hummus for lunch. We went to my mom's house to meet a realtor and deal with more furniture pickups. The person who'd wanted a blue chair came to see it and decided she didn't like it after all. Welp. So I made plans with the next person who was interested. We liked the realtor and took some notes. We also took some stuff I'd been saving back to my place and threw it in the garage. At home we had soup and I worked some more and later we went back to the house to finalize our junk piles, which meant taking down window dressings and blinds and stuff. We aren't very handy and we are short, but we got it done. Sadly it was too late to go to the restaurant we'd planned to go to (SoFresh), but Five Guys was open. We cleaned up and went to bed.

  • Friday the 16th I stayed behind to work while Patricia went to Mom's. She met with an A/C guy and also met a fella who bought the blue chair (and took a bunch of other stuff that would have been donations). Exciting! But the person who'd been saying they wanted the cabinet flaked so yet again I didn't have a buyer. After my marketing meeting my sister picked me up and I helped supervise the junk pickup. The family business that handled it was lovely. They had to make two trips though, which was unexpected. We did finally get our SoFresh food and I worked on some reports in the afternoon and evening. My sister went back to finish the junk pickup. When she got home she dealt with some PTA stuff and I finished my comic. We even got a walk in. Nice day but we are tired.

  • Saturday the 17th we did taxes with Paul the tax man for Mom, and then we met another realtor and got some more plans taken care of at the house. We ended up getting some Whole Foods burritos, selling outdoor furniture to a guy, and taking another load of stuff back to my place. Lindsay arrived and we got some sushi to share. Sisters got to hang out and talk and we went through memory boxes full of things our mother kept. We blew up an air mattress for me to sleep on since I was giving my sister my bed, but it deflated after an hour so I ended up sleeping on my yoga mat. Haha.

  • Sunday the 18th we went through more box stuff, and met our dad and Connie for lunch at Best NY Pizza (super good; I split a margherita pizza with Patricia). We checked with Goodwill about their dropoff hours (I had been afraid they wouldn't be open on Presidents' Day, but they were going to be!), then bought some stuff at Home Depot (new mailbox, new light plates, a lockbox). I got a new buyer interested in the cabinet, which was the LAST piece of furniture, so I made plans with him. We picked up some more personal stuff, put the plates on, and made breakfast for dinner (tater tots, scrambled eggs with mushrooms, and pancakes). My sisters sorted through my mom's jewelry while I fell asleep for a while on the floor. We picked some personal stuff and put the rest in the donation bag. Patricia got a different mattress ready for me because she is cool.

  • Monday the 19th I went back to work. Patricia had to meet the plumber at Mom's super early before I got up, so she headed out (without coffee!). She sold the cabinet to the guy who wanted to buy it (all the stuff is gone! yay! I sold ALL my mom's furniture!), and when Lindsay got over to the house (bringing coffee and bagels), the two of them took all the donations to Goodwill. Finally everything's out. (Whew!) I was working so I didn't help. Lindsay came back first with a carload of stuff for my garage. Then later Patricia followed, bringing us ice cream. (YAY!) We handled some logistics with their packing and what to take with them, and we ate some good old ranch dip with snacks. Then we all went to bed.

  • Tuesday the 20th, Lindsay got up early to go to the airport so we saw her off. Patricia went to meet the inspector and I worked and went to meetings. I did some laundry and saw Patricia off in the afternoon when she came back with the report. After work my friends came over for cartoons again, so I got to watch up to the mid-season finale with Ben and Scott. We ate SoFresh food and hung out. Then after they left I had some relaxing time and went to bed early.

  • Wednesday the 21st, I spent the day at work sending out invitations, doing data entry, and going to meetings. Jeaux came over super early and hung out while I finished work. We went to Mandola's and shopped, and then he helped me bring the Victrola into the living room (finally!). We also watched Colbert and took a walk. I did my taxes.

  • Thursday the 22nd, I had a lot of meetings and fielded questions and research. Did some home cleanup and wrote Negative One. Went to my mom's house with Ben and he pulled up all the carpets and took out some of the tile in my mom's room. Then we ate some Mandola's food and hung out at my place until game night, where Ben got to participate with my friends. We did that for two hours and then I signed a realtor contract and went to sleep.

  • Friday the 23rd, I ate too much candy and did timesheets and reports at work. I drew my comic and was very sleepy for some reason. I did some Polo recording and walking, and I booked a carpet cleaning for my mom's house.

Interviews/Articles/Mentions:


New Reviews:


Health Plan Update:

  • Weight stuff: I haven't done a lot of consistent attention to this because I don't get on the scale as consistently when it's cold and I've had houseguests so my choices about meals are different, but I'm not unsatisfied with what I have seen here. For the two weeks: High weight: 122.9. Low weight: 120.4.
  • Nutrition stuff: So the days I didn't get a serving of fruits or veggies at every meal were still on days when I had more than one serving of fruits and veggies at a different meal, as it turns out. I am still super happy with the balance and am still having at least one green veggie every day (really a huge change from last year). Most days have been nearly exactly balanced between protein, fat, and carbohydrates, but the days when it's out of whack are (predictably) higher fat days, like if I got a pizza with my friends or ate restaurant food. I think my choices were relatively reasonable and I'm not feeling hungry at all. The one thing I would like to cut down on is the candy, though.
  • Activity stuff: I met my walking goal every day both weeks. For the 10th through the 16th, my low day was Friday at 10,072 steps, and my high day was Wednesday at 14,906 steps. For the 17th through the 23rd, my low day was Monday at 10,065 steps, and my high day was Sunday at 11,295 steps.

Books Read: 

  • Finished Reading: Nothing this week.

  • Currently Reading: The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik. I'm on page 149.
    New singing performances:

    I didn't do one the week my sisters were here, but last week's karaoke song is "Ordinary World" by Duran Duran.









    Stuff drawn:

    My weekly fantasy webcomic, Negative One:

    Videos Made:

    None.

    New photos:

    There's a whole "Sisterfest" album if you want to see everything. But here are some highlights from the last two weeks:


    A cardinal at the bird feeder

    A squirrel enjoying the bird feeder

    Patricia arrives!

    Sampling banana roll made by Jeaux

    Jeaux with his creation

    Patricia's photo of her piece of cake

    Patricia forgot to bring socks so she wore a "pair" of mine (I always wear mismatched socks)

    Getting Five Guys with Patricia after a day of working at Mom's

    Patricia getting handy with the drill at Mom's

    P trying homemade Thin Mints after another busy day

    Thin Mint break!

    Lindsay arrived! It's the sushi sisters.

    It bothered Lindsay that our furniture cash wasn't faced so she sorted it for me.

    A grackle came to my feeder! I haven't had that before.

    At lunch with Dad and Connie, Patricia and I split a margherita pizza

    Lindsay reads old date books

    Patricia looks through Mom Memories

    Lindsay making breakfast for dinner

    Patricia making pancake batter

    Patricia "ooooo"-ing over a pancake

    Patricia and Lindsay taking a sandwich break after more hard work at Mom's

    Lindsay sniffing my candles

    Ice cream for the sisters!

    Social Media Counts: 

    YouTube subscribers: 5,446 for swankivy (4 new), 676 for JulieSondra (1 new), 17 for v & V Vids (no change), 198 for Not-So-Giant Women (no change), 70 for Tides of Time Band (no change). Twitter followers: 845 for swankivy (1 new), 3,853 for JulieSondra (lost 5). Facebook: 299 friends for swankivy (no change), 645 likes for JulieSondra (lost 2), 82 followers for Negative One (no change), 248 likes for So You Write (no change), 98 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (no change). Tumblr followers: 2,442 (lost 3). Instagram followers: 274 (10 new).

    Saturday, February 10, 2024

    Personal Digest Saturday: February 3 – February 9

    Life news this week:

    • Saturday I had a leisurely day reading old comics and redecorating for the new season. I managed to get some cleaning done and some opening of birthday packages (I'm a bizarre person who somehow procrastinated on opening birthday presents). Also got a little chat in with Jeaux. Did all my blogging.

    • Sunday I had a relaxing morning updating collection lists and chatting with Dad. Did some photo sorting and continued reading old comics. Did laundry, did maintenance on my water system, and made some Cookie Cats. Did Polos and one of them was an unboxing video for my sister because she sent me a snack box and I showed her what was in it. Cleaned the kitchen and replaced a stubborn light bulb.

    • Monday I read a letter at work and spent the rest of the day updating reports, updating data, and sorting selection results. I took a weird long nap, put Cookie Cats together with ice cream, made myself a pasta-and-veggies dinner, and did a bunch of walking.

    • Tuesday I went to meetings, did project research, and did some Quickbooks data entry. I had a doctor's appointment that involved waiting in the waiting room for almost an hour, and I didn't get home until after 5 even though my appointment was at 3:15. My appointment was a yearly physical so we went over my bloodwork and it's all fine except there's an elevated thyroid hormone that is still not bad enough to treat so they're just keeping an eye on it. And I scheduled another appointment on Friday for a new pants parts doctor. My friends Ben and Scott came over and we got food from Saki, ate it, and watched 12 episodes of Steven Universe, plus we had a lovely chat after.

    • Wednesday I talked to my yard maintenance guy Tony for a bit before heading in to work. Did a meeting and Quickbooks data entry. Got some inconclusive communication from my property manager again about the scheduled plumbing fix so since he never responded to my questions I called them and they told me projects had been set back a bit because ONE OF THE PLUMBERS DIED but my project was still going forward as planned. Welp!!! Jeaux came over and we ate at Applebee's, shopped for groceries, and watched Colbert. He played around with my TV settings to try to make transitioning between a small TV and a big TV easier.

    • Thursday I did meetings and Quickbooks entry again. The plumbers came and were standing right outside my window digging holes so I got to hear them talking a lot about their friend and co-worker who had died. It was super sad and I was mad on their behalf that they even had to go to work the next day (especially since one of the guys working in my backyard had been the first one to find the guy's body). If it had been up to me I would have told them to have at least a day off and more time for if they went to the funeral, but I'm not in charge. They could not fix my problem because the tree root intrusion is massive. We need advice from tree specialists the next week. After work I took a nap and did Polos and wrote my comic, and played games with my friends online.

    • Friday I spent the day on timesheets and upcoming project reports. Went back to the doctor and again had another 40+-minute wait (this time in the actual doctor's office). Managed to get my entire 10-panel comic drawn while I was waiting for various people. Walked to the pharmacy after to pick up a prescription. Came home and finished my work (had to work until 8 PM to finish what I needed to do) and got my comic up, then relaxed a little in the evening.
    Health Plan Update:

    • Weight stuff: Happy with this for now! High weight: 122.5. Low weight: 121.6.
    • Nutrition stuff: It's getting easier to just automatically include fruits and veggies in my diet. Still consistently taking vitamins (though I forgot the multivitamin one day!). If you're critical of multivitamins and wonder why I take them, actually I was told by my eye doctor that I should take lutein as a preventative for macular degeneration (which runs in my family) and the only place I could easily find it in the store was as one ingredient in an over-50s multivitamin.
    • Activity stuff: I met my walking goal every day this week. My low day was Monday at 10,164 steps, and my high day was Sunday at 13,157 steps.

    Books Read: 

    • Finished Reading: Nothing this week.

    • Currently Reading: The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik. I'm on page 125.
      New singing performances:

      None this week.

      Stuff drawn:

      My weekly fantasy webcomic, Negative One:
       
      #0978: adele #240: yours to share.

      Videos Made:

      None.

      New photos:

      My plant touches the floor!

      Ben eats a Cookie Cat

      Ben and Scott eating Cookie Cats

      Social Media Counts: 

      YouTube subscribers: 5,442 for swankivy (no change), 675 for JulieSondra (lost 2), 17 for v & V Vids (no change), 198 for Not-So-Giant Women (1 new), 70 for Tides of Time Band (no change). Twitter followers: 844 for swankivy (no change), 3,858 for JulieSondra (lost 2). Facebook: 299 friends for swankivy (no change), 647 likes for JulieSondra (no change), 82 followers for Negative One (no change), 248 likes for So You Write (1 new), 98 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (1 new). Tumblr followers: 2,445 (no change). Instagram followers: 264 (1 new).

      Saturday, February 3, 2024

      Personal Digest Saturday: January 27 – February 2

      Life news this week:

      • Saturday felt like Sunday. Don't know why. Did my blogging, read really old Tumblr posts, put away dishes and laundry, and then Kari came over and gave me my birthday gift and stayed to chat and eat pizza. After she left I took a walk and made some future plans with friends.

      • Sunday I went to Mom's and cleaned out the garage. My new realtor came to see the place and took some photos. She is going to send me a list of recommendations for what I need to do to make the house more saleable. A really nice guy came and took a bunch of the tools and materials that were in the garage for free and I gave him a metal desk for free too, and he ended up buying a collectible condiment caddy while he was there. Another couple finally bought the two dressers and a nighttable, and they bought some odds and ends too. I got the garage almost entirely done and put some things out for free and cheap. After I got home I made a video and did my laundry and trash chores.

      • Monday I posted my new video and spent the work day entering stuff in Quickbooks (a new thing I'm helping my boss with). Made arrangements for people to pick things up at Mom's and ended up going over there again to sell a TV and some lamps and a table. Also gave away some stuff and made arrangements to give away other things. Everything is taken care of except two bigger furniture items that I really hope will sell. And the guy from the couple from the day before who bought the dressers came back to buy art and brought a friend with him to look at Mom's stained glass and they took some free items too. Yay! Went home, talked to Jeaux on the phone and he told me he was going to "surprise" me with a homemade late birthday cake. I did some more laundry and wrote a webcomic.

      • Tuesday I worked and had three meetings and did data entry in Quickbooks again. Chased around customer service at the Post Office because one of my eBay customers accidentally had the wrong address on their account and the package got sent to Idaho instead of where they actually live on the East Coast. Don't know what will come of it. Did a Polo, worked on So You Write, and stayed late entering Quickbooks data. Posted my comic after midnight.

      • Wednesday I had pest control and entered Quickbooks data some more. Plus did a meeting and some research. Jeaux came and we ate at Little Greek, and after the grocery shopping Jeaux revealed his lovely yellow cake with homemade frosting (he even piped a border)! We ate and watched Colbert and took a walk.

      • Thursday involved MORE Quickbooks entry and meetings. Wrote my comic, did some reading and processed my progress calendars (posted in the previous entry). Played games with friends. Sang some songs. Did some drawings. Listened to my new CD Dare gave me and was happy.

      • Friday I did some utility stuff and reports. Took all day. Was grumpy that my house is messy. Didn't get much walking in until after I posted my comic, so I did it while reading. And I listened to the second CD Dare gave me.

      New Reviews:
      Health Plan Update:

      • Weight stuff: It's really just staying the same with minor fluctuations. I really don't want to do anything major to change what I'm doing because I'm happy with my balanced diet, but maybe if I really want to see some downard movement here (I'd be more comfortable if I lost 5 to 7 pounds), I should change my portions or something? Haven't decided. High weight: 123.3. Low weight: 121.7.
      • Nutrition stuff: I feel really good about the nutritional content of my meals, though it's been a little harder getting protein because I'm focusing so much on fruits and veggies. I tend toward having fruit and yogurt in the morning and higher fat items toward the end of the day. Still consistently taking vitamins.
      • Activity stuff: I met my walking goal every day this week. My low day was Tuesday at 10,030 steps, and my high day was Sunday at 14,657 steps.

      Books Read: 

      • Finished Reading: Nothing this week.

      • Currently Reading: The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik. I'm on page 101.
        New singing performances:

        This week's karaoke song is "Speed of Sound" by Coldplay.



        Stuff drawn:

        My monthly writing webcomic, So You Write:

        My weekly fantasy webcomic, Negative One:
         
        #0977: ivy #303: something about the truth.

        Videos Made:

        Letters to an Asexual #110 (HSDD Exists!) is out. In this video, I discuss the importance of acknowledging that though sexual dysfunctions and psychological issues surrounding sex are not asexuality, they also DO exist.


        New photos:

        Jeaux made a cake for me because I never get cakes baked for me (since I am always the baker.) This is the VERY FIRST TIME he's ever baked a cake by himself and he did a wonderful job.

        Cake


        Me with cake

        Jeaux with cake

        Me at the start of National Bird Feeding Month



        Social Media Counts: 

        YouTube subscribers: 5,442 for swankivy (lost 6), 677 for JulieSondra (1 new), 17 for v & V Vids (no change), 197 for Not-So-Giant Women (1 new), 70 for Tides of Time Band (no change). Twitter followers: 844 for swankivy (lost 1), 3,860 for JulieSondra (lost 12). Facebook: 299 friends for swankivy (no change), 647 likes for JulieSondra (no change), 82 followers for Negative One (no change), 247 likes for So You Write (1 new), 97 followers for Not-So-Giant-Women (no change). Tumblr followers: 2,445 (no change). Instagram followers: 263 (lost 2).

        Thursday, February 1, 2024

        January Goals Update

        Now that we're into February, it's time for me to let everyone know how my resolutions for the year are going! A review of my goals:


        1. Health Goals: I resolved to drink more water, eat more fruits and veggies, and walk at least 10,000 steps a day.
        2. Personal Project Goals: I resolved to get digital photos sorted by the end of February and collect memorable bits from Facebook for my essays; resolved to work on writing or editing at least one day a week; resolved to relearn ukulele songs I've forgotten and learn new ones, and keep creating my regular webcomic and video content.
        3. Reading Goals: I resolved to read at least twice a week.
        4. Relationship and Communication Goals: I resolved to document daily life stuff more, keep up with e-mails and online communication, and make time for friends and family.
        5. Other Goals: I wanted to prepare and sell my mom's house, watch some TV shows I'd dropped, and not play time-wasting tames.

        Progress Update (you can click calendars to see detail better):

        HEALTH GOALS:
        Summary: A smashing success. I have managed to drink 4 to 6 glasses of water every day, eat at least three servings of fruit and vegetables every day, and walked at least 10,000 steps every day in January. 

        PERSONAL PROJECT GOALS:
        Summary: I got some photos sorted but still have a ways to go with it. I still hope to start being able to incorporate them into the gallery by March as in my original plan. I have collected Facebook clips every day. I haven't written any new content except on webcomics, but I am still catching up rereading/editing my in-progress novel. I had hoped to move faster than this but it just didn't happen. I hope to finish rereading what I have written and start writing new content soon. My ukulele practice isn't where I wanted it to be--I'm maybe 1/3 of the way through relearning material I wanted to refresh. Hope to start learning the new songs soon.

        READING GOALS:
        Summary: This is not going as fast as I hoped, but I have managed to read at least twice a week roughly. I have finished one book and am part of the way through another.



        RELATIONSHIP AND COMMUNICATION GOALS:
        Summary: I haven't documented as much as I need to but I'm working on it. My e-mail box is at 1 unanswered mail. I have spent a lot of time with friends and family--very busy month socially!

        OTHER GOALS:
        Summary: I have sold almost all the furniture at my mom's house--just two larger pieces left--and have packed up all her stuff into donation boxes. I got a realtor. My sister is coming to help me with some tasks in mid-February. I think I'm in OK shape with that. I have not picked up any of the TV shows I want to watch. And I have managed to not play the time-wasting games at all in the month of January.

        Will update again next month!