Thursday, December 27, 2018
Failed Expectations
Well... first off, it's been way too long since I last wrote. The latter part of the year just kinda flew by too quickly for me to even attempt to catch up. So I guess I will be starting off with a clean slate once more in 2019. I suppose I should update the title of this blog to "Somewhat Everyday Scribbles," huh? 😅
Over the past month, I started doing something that I always refused to do... I started playing World of Warcraft (WoW). Haha. My friend Amanda has been trying to get me to play for like 15 years now... so I feel that if she sees this, she might freak out a bit. 😋 (though she probably won't see it, but she's welcome to prove me wrong!) I have to admit, it's fun. And I hate to admit that, but there you have it. It's very similar to SWTOR, which has been great for me to get to know the interface and mechanics of the game. The hubby has started playing it with me as well, so it's at least something for the both of us to do together when boredom hits. Though we still have yet to get any of our characters to level 20, which is when we can start utilizing mounts. We keep getting to around level 13-15 and then having the urge to make new characters. Haha. Hopefully we will hit that milestone one of these days. I'm still playing Nexus as well, though mostly just for chatting with friends, the occasional event and daily minor questing when it's available.
I suppose I should reflect on 2018, with it being only days away from ending, but part of me doesn't really want to do that, since that would require remembering that my Granny passed away back at the end of August. It happened entirely too fast, and it was particularly devastating for me, especially since I was planning to go visit her in November when we made our annual trip to Oklahoma. I still went to visit her, but it was to her grave instead. 😢 I made sure to place her favorite flowers (purple carnations) on her tombstone that she now shares with my Paw-Paw. I know she is happy to finally be reunited with him though, so that is a small comfort. I miss them both so much.
Anyway, I will end this post with that. Don't expect another post this year though. I will attempt to start fresh in 2019! Happy New Year!
Friday, July 6, 2018
Checking In
So... I know it's been awhile now since my last update. As the year has flown by, I've gotten less and less motivated to write every day. Plus, over the past couple months, I've become more and more involved in Nexus, which takes up a lot of whatever free time I have, especially since I have decided to attempt to dabble more into the RP aspect with one of my characters. I'd forgotten exactly how much time it sucks up. I'll try to update more often though, without making that sound like a broken record! -sheepish grin-
Anyway... today is my cousin Kara's birthday! 🎈🎂😊 Happy birthday to her! She just gave birth to her first child (an adorable little girl) a few months ago, so I'm sure she's more focused on her, rather than the fact that it's her birthday. But whatever she's doing, I hope she's having a blast.
Our plans for the rest of the day include meeting up with my brother-in-law, his wife and a couple of his grandkids to see Ant-Man & the Wasp later this afternoon! I love what Paul Rudd brings to the character, and I'm excited to see what this sequel brings to the Marvel world, especially after the intense events of Infinity War a few months ago. I haven't researched if the timeline is supposed to follow that or not, but I suppose that will be explained, possibly.
Saturday, June 2, 2018
Spontaneous Saturday Soiree
First off, happy birthday to my friend and partner-in-crime in Nexus, Matt! Or "Cause" as he is known within the game. 😄🎂🎈🎁 He is definitely a unique kind of person and so fun to talk to. I've known him for the better part of a decade and he's never failed to make me laugh. I hope he's having a wonderful day, whatever he ends up doing!
My day started with a trip out to the farmer's market for breakfast and a bunch of tasty fruits to take home with us. It's getting hotter out here as well, which I'm not excited about, but I can't really do anything to change it, other than pick up and move. Haha. I wish I was more of a fan of the hot weather, but I'd just much rather be freezing and have the ability to bundle on more clothes and blankets, rather than the alternative! 😓
Anyway. We got spontaneously invited to the dirt track racing craziness tonight with my brother-in-law, so that's the plan for my Saturday night. It's actually been pretty fun the few times that I've gone. That's all I have for today.
Friday, June 1, 2018
Begin Again
So I'm just going to write May off as a failure, at this point. Haha. It was way too busy with my mom here for the main majority of the month, so we're just not going to speak of it, and start fresh for June. 😉
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So I finally opened up Photoshop and made a brand new banner last week ⇒
It's slightly out of my usual style, but I think I like it. I wanted a version of this banner featuring Jessica Jones, that looks better on lighter backgrounds, instead of the one I made originally, which really only looks good on dark backgrounds. I had another idea in mind for this, but I like how it turned out... I think. Haha. This one is also based on the second season of Jessica Jones, in regards to the image and the sub-text I used.
In other news, sorry for the severe lack of posting. I have been really busy with work and gaming lately, as I decided to jump back into Nexus, and get my oldest character to the next tier of leveling. It's difficult because I have to have a certain amount of wins from events within the game (referred to as the "Skill trial") and the timing of said events isn't always on my side. But I'm attempting to catch every single one that I can.
We've been having some issues with our home security system acting up over the past month, and after several phone calls into customer service, as well as three technician visits, I think it is finally working again. We'll see though. Time will tell if the sensors keep working as they should, or if they start being screwy again. The whole thing has been annoying, to say the least. But if the problem isn't fixed this time, we're going to be getting a new system, and demanding that our cable company let us out of the contract for using their system, without consequences.
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Be Careful What You Wish For
So, remember that post back at the beginning of April where I was complaining about the hubby not taking time off work during my mom's visit out here? Yeah, scratch that altogether. He ended up taking the time off work, and now I'm finding myself wishing that he hadn't. 😒 I'm not going to go into the full reasoning behind that, but let's just say I can't stand his attitude towards her, and how I get caught in the middle of it. And then having to put on a 'happy face' for my mom's benefit... I can only do that so long before it starts sifting to the surface. 🙄 ugh.
That's all I really have to say for now. Hopefully things will work themselves out, but now I'm just really starting to dread any time that I have to spend with the two of them together. I suck at conflict resolution. 😐
Monday, May 14, 2018
Jumping Back to Fitness...
The best thing was actually being with her on Mother's Day yesterday, though. That was a first in several years, and a long-time coming. I'd missed being able to hug my mom on Mother's Day. We had a relaxing morning and afternoon, before going out to dinner at a local teppanyaki restaurant, called Shirasoni. It is amazingly delicious, and the "show" that you pay for is always so entertaining and fun! We all had a great time, along with my mother-in-law & brother-in-law & Reno. And now we have lunch for today and possibly tomorrow as well, haha. Anyway, I hope everyone who reads this had a Happy Mother's Day yesterday and you were able to spend some quality time with your mother as well!
That's all I really have for right now. My mom and I don't have big plans for today, other than getting a few hours in for work, and hitting the grocery store later, then continuing with our Star Wars binge-watching. (her idea!) At least until the hubby gets home from work, then we're going to have homemade tacos for dinner and catch whatever shows are on tonight. Until next time!
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Nothing But Cleaning...
-faints from exhaustion-
That's pretty much how I feel right now. Today has been nothing but cleaning for me... vacuuming, tidying up the clutter, thoroughly wiping down kitchen counters, washing pots & pans and other various dishes, cleaning the hutch (inside and out), getting frustrated at the vacuum for crapping out on me right in the middle of the day, and then relieved when it came back as normal after letting it rest for a few hours. I still have a few surfaces to wipe down, plus mopping the kitchen floor, washing sheets on the guest bed where my mom will be sleeping, and cleaning out cars tomorrow morning before we pick up my mom at half past noon.
I managed to sneak in a shower just now, seeing as I was informed earlier today that we have a spontaneous invite to my brother-in-law's house for dinner tonight. Which is fine with me, any night that I don't have to cook or worry about what's for dinner is a great night to me... haha.
My feet are aching right now, so I'm just relaxing until the hubby gets home in about 15 minutes, then I think we'll be on our way shortly afterwards. Moral of the story for today's post: our house is too big. 😝
Monday, May 7, 2018
False Hope
Well... that hope that May would be the month where I wouldn't miss any days for this blog is forever gone. Haha. It has been busy here, what with trying to get everything cleaned up and ready for my mom's visit for the next two weeks. I'm so excited that I'll be seeing her on Wednesday! But this massive cleaning of the house is wearing me out. Although it doesn't help that I ran into a door handle yesterday morning, so now a large portion of my forearm is bruised and sore. It was a really hard hit, I couldn't move my arm at all for several moments. And yes, I really am that stupidly clumsy. 😒
Anyway, that brings me to a small rant that I have to get off my chest. Although I don't know how to really explain it, because it has to do with something that I can't openly talk about... ugh... I hate how something traumatic happened to me over 10 years ago, and it follows me around forever, changing how people react to certain things, at least the people who know what happened. I don't want to forever be known as 'that girl.' But I'm afraid that I always will be, at least in their eyes. For now, I just brush it off and move on, which is really all I can do. Sorry for being so vague.
I suppose I should get back to cleaning now. I have so many more tedious little tasks to get done, and I really hope I'm going to be able to get through most of them today, rather than tomorrow... I hope the title of this entry isn't accurate in that regard though! Haha.
Oh and on a side note, today marks NINE YEARS since my hubby and I first started dating! 👀
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
I Don't Have a Title Handy...
First off, how is it already May?!? 😶 Maybe this will be the month where I finally keep up with posting EVERY DAY. 😜
So. I realize that I've missed quite a few days lately. I just haven't been feeling particularly very chatty. I've also been busy in Nexus, getting more involved in one of the clans I'm in, amidst trying desperately to find people to gain some experience with, so that I can finally advance my highest rogue to the next level. I recently upgraded some of my armor as well, with newer items that have been released since I last played... and at an incredibly high expense, but I'm hoping it's worth the extra damage that I'll do. I just need to find people to help me test it out! But it's highly frustrating and I'm finding that you have to have friends within the game to really get steady experience, at least as a rogue, especially with how warriors completely dwarf the rogue. And most of the friends that I knew back in the old days when I played more, have since moved on. Except for one, which has been great whenever he's online and able to hunt, but our schedules just don't collide that often. So I've now just given up trying to hunt as much with a group and mainly just solo when I can. It's incredibly slow, and I have to be in the right mood to do it, but I guess it's better than nothing!
However, I've forgotten how addicting the game can be as well. Sometimes I wish I could be on there all the time, and not have the hubby get mad at me for ignoring him, haha. The last time I really actively played, I was living alone in my own apartment, going to college and working part-time. I wasn't single, BUT the guy I was dating also played the game, so it didn't feel like I was ignoring him when I spent most of my free time there.
Anyway... this is probably a pretty boring post for anyone who reads this, as I'm sure you don't play the game, so I'll just shut up now. Haha. I'm getting excited for my mom's visit in 8 days!!! Not so excited for the massive cleaning that I still have to get done though, in the meantime... 😒😫
Saturday, April 21, 2018
Unforeseen
✍ Contest Entry for NexusTK ✍
Prompt: When the goats took over...
(Keep in mind this was written in a roleplay format, relating to the game, so if there are some things that you don't fully understand, such as places, just go with it.)
The deafening sound infiltrated my ears as I lounged in the sheep fields in the middle of the Wilderness, my hair whipping behind my head as I lifted myself up to investigate this unsettling new development. My faithful companion, Stormi, who is a bobcat, immediately pricked her ears up to listen more closely, her head rising from its resting spot on my leg, those gray eyes staring intently at the dark figures rapidly approaching in the distance. The sound was growing louder with every passing moment. Squinting in the brightness of the sun’s rays, I jumped to my feet, leaning closer, as if that would instantly reveal the source.
The surrounding sheep, who had been peacefully sleeping or eating, much of what their daily lives consisted of, turned to gaze in the direction of that unpleasant sound. I felt the ground start to quake slightly, under the pressure of this imminent wall of darkness; the grass causing a tickling sensation where its tendrils had coiled around the toes of my bare feet. Before the smile could reach my face, I shook my feet free and slipped into my simple blue flats.
When the herd finally reached the edge of the fields, I could see them more clearly for what they were… mountain goats. As a whole, they were a chaos of colors: whites, grays, browns and blacks with backward curving horns of varying sizes, yet kind faces that seemed to depict pure innocence. Though I knew from firsthand experience that looks can be deceiving, and I steeled myself for a fight, keeping my strongest protection spell close at hand. There were hundreds of them, and though I was small for my age, I had plenty of courage to face whatever this was.
Friday, April 20, 2018
The Time is Meow!
Sooooo, one of the sequels that I have been looking forward to comes out today!!! Super Troopers 2! The original is one of my all-time favorite movies, ever since I first saw it back in... 2002?! Wow, has it really been SIXTEEN years?? Time sure does fly, as I know I've mentioned before. We're seeing the late showing tonight and we decided to invite both of my hubby's brothers to the movie as well, and one of them wants to bring his 8-year-old grandson. Talk about inappropriate... but I'm trying not to judge, I mean, it's not my kid or anything, so I have no place... but... really? -shakes head- I'm not sure he even saw the first one. (my brother-in-law) That kind of puts a damper on going to see it, but I'm really attempting to just look the other way, I guess. 😒
And then of course next month is Deadpool 2's premiere!!! I'm so beyond excited for that one, ever since we saw the first one. Ryan Reynolds portrays the antihero so perfectly, it's unreal. I think I read somewhere that Deadpool's brand of sarcasm is similar to his own personality, which is why it comes so seemingly natural to him. 😄 This one also comes out when my mom is going to be here, so yeah, that's fun, and it's definitely not a movie that she would want to see, lol. So I've already made arrangements for my mother-in-law to come over here and keep her company while we go see the movie. Just so that my mom isn't having to stay here alone and deal with the dogs also.
Oh and who can forget Avengers: Infinity War coming out NEXT WEEK also?! So many good movies in these next few weeks! I can't wait! 😁
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Remembrance & Facing a Hard Truth
So, for today's post, I'm actually just going to refer to my photoblog's latest entry, because it explains what I'm feeling, as this is always a kind of emotional day of remembrance for me. It's been twenty-three years since the OKC Bombing took place at 9:02am, and I will always remember that day like it just happened yesterday. As it says in that post, I can still hear my pup (😢) barking immediately afterwards, and feel the slight shaking of my house when it happened. (I lived about 13 miles away at the time.) I don't think I will ever not be able to remember those things.
Anyway... yesterday during the episode of Party of Five that I was watching on my lunch break, I involuntarily broke down crying and had to immediately hug Dozer (because he was out of his crate at the time), while watching the difficult scene of the siblings having to make the impossible decision to end their family dog's life. And again, it took me right back to my past, to January 10, 2011 when my family had to make the same impossible decision. And Mari's death at the end of 2016, when we weren't even able to be here to say a proper goodbye to her. It also got me thinking about our other Irish setter and great dane, and how they are both getting too close to their later years, especially Dozer, who is already 5½ years old and his earliest life expectancy is only 3 more years. 😭 Death just sucks, to put it bluntly.
Ah, but I need to stop thinking about all that right now and get back to work. So that's all I have for today. Until tomorrow...
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Impending Work Decisions...
Okay, so first off, yesterday was great! The anniversary 'event' of my forum wasn't anything official nor was there anything specifically planned, except for members acknowledging what the day meant for my forum, but it far exceeded any expectations that I had. Seeing three of my original members return after so many years was just amazing (and of course, all of the other members who visited) and I couldn't stop smiling almost all day. 😁 I love the nostalgia that April 17th always brings and will continue to bring in the future, no matter if my forum still exists or not.
Anyway. Today's kind of just been an aftermath of the joy and excitement from yesterday, albeit boring, thanks to the tedious nature of my job. I feel the need to look for something else with every day that passes, however. Especially since my paycheck was apparently forgotten this month (I still have not received it!), thanks to my brother's... forgetfulness, I guess? I wish I could just find something that's close to home, preferably as close as I am now, and NOT in retail. It sucks because whenever I think about it, that's what I feel I'm best at. And I really don't want to believe that that's the 'best' I have to offer.
I think the reason I feel that way is because of the first job I had, working at a grocery store when I was 15, when my boss told me, right when I walked through the doors of the building, I needed to leave everything outside. Meaning that my problems or whatever drama I was dealing with at the time remained out there in the parking lot, waiting for me whenever my shift was over. And I have never forgotten that. So I became REALLY good at leaving my emotions on the doorstep, and focusing on the job, constantly being cheerful & friendly, and smiling at every customer and making sure they had the best experience possible, no matter what was going on in my own life. It was easy for me, because I feel that I'm naturally a happy person, but in a way, it kind of set me up for 'failure,' regarding my future jobs.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Crack Your Nuts ♥ 14th Anniversary
CYN (my forum) is officially FOURTEEN YEARS OLD today! We are now a curious, self-conscious, hormonal teenager. 😜 How crazy is that?!
If you are reading this, please feel free to head over there and congratulate us for staying in existence for so long! (Or just leave it in the comments here) There were times when it was iffy, but I've managed to overcome those moments and keep it going, if only for sentimental reasons. I'm so grateful for the friends that I've met through Proboards (and other foruming software) and have had the pleasure of knowing throughout the years! 💜
One of my first moderators was only 13 years old (mind you, a VERY mature kid for his age!) when the forum started, and he's now in his late-20s! That's just crazy. Of course, I myself was in my early-20s when I created it, and now I'm in my mid-30s... it's just astounding how quickly time flies.
Sunday, April 15, 2018
Got My (Photography) Fix!
Saturday, April 14, 2018
Keep Queuing the Nerves...
Well.... I just found out that it is going to be yet another full week before I find out the results from the story contest, as I thought it was every week, but it's actually every two weeks. I guess because the entries are longer than poems, they take longer to judge. Ugh! Now I'm going to be anxious for a whole week longer than I thought. Maybe I'll use that time to psych myself down, so that if (knock on wood) I get good news, it'll be that much more exciting and rewarding. 😆 I'm sure I'll have plenty of cleaning and working to keep my mind off of it also.
Finding that out just kind of ruins my night though. Haha. We had a spontaneous change of plans today. We were going to head up to Sacramento to participate in a march they're having at the capitol building, but opted to stay home instead and work on getting the office cleaned a bit. We succeeded for a few hours, but then had to break for lunch and got into watching more of The Santa Clarita Diet and haven't resumed since then. We still have plenty of time, so I'm not worrying too much about it at this point.
We lost track of time and before we knew it, it's 5:30pm and too late to do anything with the pork roast, and he forgot to marinate it anyway... so yeah, another abrupt dinner change tonight. We had a late lunch, so I figured we'd just have a late dinner, but it's just getting too late to do any prep now. Still not sure what we're doing but I suppose we'll figure it out soon! Other than that, not much else to report for today. 😊 Happy Saturday!
Friday, April 13, 2018
Friday of Doom... or Boredom
Well, it's Friday the 13th. I hate when the 13th falls on a Friday! It makes the day seem doomed from the start. Though nothing bad has happened so far, but I hope I didn't just jinx myself by saying that. 😶
Anyway... my nerves are still going haywire but I've managed to keep my mind mostly off of that. The hubby's already home from work, after working a half-day, but I'm not sure if we have anything specifically exciting planned for tonight, or even worth mentioning. We need to hit the grocery store in a little bit, once we figure out what veggies to have with the pork sirloin tip roast that I defrosted this morning... though we may end up pushing that back to tomorrow night and just going out for a quick bite to eat tonight, maybe to our favorite local pizza place that is conveniently located next to Trader Joe's, which is our usual stop after eating there. They also have this amazing mini chocolate cake, called a No Name Cake, but it's really just an elaborate Ding Dong (although SO much better) and I LOVE them!
I talked to my mom today and she's getting excited about her visit out here in just three weeks! I'm excited too, but that also means that I need to start some major cleaning of the house before she gets here. Starting with the office, this room is such a mess and I hate that I've let it get this bad. If we don't get around to cleaning this weekend, I'm going to use every free moment I can find next week, to start the cleaning process. Well, mostly every moment. I really hope I'm going to be in a cleaning mood for these next few weeks! 😄😳 Wish me luck on that!
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Queue the Butterflies
-slowly inhales a large breath and exhales-
So. I've officially completed the story and submitted it. Which means the butterflies in my stomach will be wreaking havoc until Sunday when the winner is announced. I'm slightly bummed though, because when I copied it into the game's mailing system, it was too long. There was a length requirement that it had to fit within one page of mail, and no more than that. So I had to majorly skim it down, keeping only the vital information needed. But I did keep a copy of the original FULL story, which I will share here after the contest is over, since I can't post it until then. Sooo look for that on Sunday's entry! 😁
I also updated my photoblog this morning (feel free to check that out via the link at the top), with photos that I'd taken from our drive to Oklahoma City back at the end of 2016/beginning of 2017. I'm so behind on those posts, but I'm already planning another post for the 19th, as a tribute to the memorial of the tragedy that took place on that day 23 years ago (1995), so maybe I'll get caught up soon, if I stay motivated to keep updating. Anyway, I'm always a little nervous when posting my photos on there, or really with sharing any of my artwork in general. I don't think I'd make it as a professional in the arts scene, performing or otherwise, because I'm too self-conscious about my stuff. Ugh. 😶
Especially where writing is concerned. I always second-guess myself, after reading what I've written, and then have to rewrite and rewrite and rewrite until I'm blue in the face. And it's a vicious cycle that makes me feel like I'll never get it to sound right.
Anyway... enough about that stuff! I better go finish getting ready for Food Truck Thursday tonight! My stomach is already growling! 😋
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Grasping Inspiration Within a Game
So I was looking through photos last night, planning out posts for my photoblog, and I realized that before this latest trip to Lake Tahoe last month, we hadn't taken a 'photography road trip' since April 2017 (excluding our drive to OKC at the end of November, that is). Which sucks for a person like me, who loves taking photos of anything and everything... I really need to fix that. Although I suppose I will next month, since my mom is going to be coming out here to visit for the majority of the month, and she's expecting to have at least one or two road-tripping 'adventures' while she's here.
In other news, I think I'm going to try competing in the weekly story or poetry contest in my game, Nexus. If I win first or second place, or 2 honorable mentions, it'll fulfill what they call the "culture" trial in a quest to reach another major level. And also, I just feel like writing, but I need some inspiration. So I have the choice of writing a story from the prompt "When the goats took over..." (which makes me laugh 😄) or a poem about "Making mistakes." Or both, maybe!
So that's what I'll be working on for the rest of the day, until something else that I need to do comes up. 😊
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✍ What I've got so far ✍
The deafening sound infiltrated my ears as I lounged in the sheep fields in the middle of the wilderness, my hair whipping behind my head as I lifted myself up to investigate this unsettling new development. My faithful companion, Stormi, who is a bobcat, immediately pricked her ears up to listen more closely, her head rising from its resting spot on my leg, those gray eyes staring intently at the dark figures rapidly approaching in the distance. The sound was growing louder with every passing moment. Squinting in the brightness of the sun’s rays, I jumped to my feet, leaning closer, as if that would instantly reveal the source.
The surrounding sheep, who had been peacefully sleeping or eating, much of what their daily lives consisted of, turned to gaze in the direction of that unpleasant sound. I felt the ground start to quake slightly, under the pressure of this imminent wall of darkness; the grass causing a tickling sensation where its tendrils had coiled around the toes of my bare feet.
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Not sure where I'm going with this just yet, but hopefully I'll figure it out before the 14th when it's due!Monday, April 9, 2018
Monotone Monday
So I feel like today should be of some importance but I cannot remember why. I hate when that happens. It's similar to when you're packing for a trip and you can't shake the feeling that you've forgotten something, no matter how many times you've gone over and over a checklist of what you mean to bring. 😕
Today has been pretty boring. I finished work about 30 minutes ago, and I'm in the process of washing pots & pans, using the time that it takes to air-dry them as a break, because the hot water tends to activate the numbness in my left ring and pinky fingers. Hence why the dishes have been slightly piling up, since this issue sprung up about a month and a half ago. It hasn't gotten too out-of-hand though, as I've been doing small loads when I can. Although taking a shower pretty much sucks now.
Sunday, April 8, 2018
Positive Reinforcement
Well today has been mildly productive. We somewhat randomly decided to work on cleaning out the garage a bit more, so that we could move an old armchair out of the guest room before my mom gets here next month. We're planning on either borrowing my brother-in-law's truck, or renting a U-Haul to cart it (and a few other larger furniture items) over to a dump next weekend. It feels good to get stuff done like that. It's crazy how cluttered our garage can get, what with just throwing things in there quickly and kind of forgetting about it. We've got lots more to do in there, organizationally, but at least now we actually have the room to get it done.
I had last night to myself, seeing as the hubby went out with his brother to a local bar to watch the UFC fights, and that is just not my scene. Never has been, really. Anyway, I ended up finally getting around to watching La La Land, which came out in 2016, so I'm a little behind, haha. I knew I wasn't going to get him to watch it with me, so I figured last night was the perfect time. I love Ryan Gosling (and Emma Stone), so that was part of my reason for wanting to watch it in the first place. I don't mind it being a musical. Though I have to say it's not for everyone. It got a bit weird in some places, but overall, I liked the dynamic of the movie. Emma's style of singing felt slightly odd to me though, not sure if I liked it or not.
We also spent some of our free time this weekend watching the second season of The Santa Clarita Diet on Netflix. It always reminds me how much I love Timothy Olyphant too! His reaction to his wife's new 'condition' is just so amusing. I love the daughter, Abby, as well, she's such a ... 'firecracker' is the first word that comes to mind. And not just because of her red hair! 😛 Seriously though, how she stands up to a high school bully in the episode we last watched was great.
That's about all I have for tonight. Also, I feel I should apologize slightly for my last post, but I just couldn't stop that flow of emotions. 😳
Friday, April 6, 2018
-screams in frustration-
I hate when I can't fully express my intensely annoyed state of mind because of the fact that others may read it and get offended. Though who am I kidding, it's not like anyone really reads this blog, other than a couple loyal friends (you know who you guys are 💜) but still, in the off chance that they do... ugh. This is why I used to prefer Twitter over Facebook, but now I can't even use that the same way anymore.
Though I suppose it's my own fault, for thinking that someone would actually take some time off work (who has been saying that he has plenty of time to spare and needs to plan it out) when my mom is going to be out here next month, just to spend time with her, because she considers both of us her "kids," no matter how much he may think that she doesn't like him. Hell, he wouldn't even take time off to go with me to the Urgent Care clinic when he knew I was totally freaked out about my neck issues and needed someone with me, why would I even expect him to take more time off work for my mom? And it's not like I don't put up with enough crap from his family, ALL THE TIME. Ugh.
I just can't seem to do anything right, I guess. I make a statement, even in a joking manner, not remotely angry, and I get accused of trying to start a fight?! How does that even happen? So instead of continuing "the fight" by saying anything else, I'm probably going to be spending my Friday night sitting here alone on the couch, or in the office playing NexusTK or SWTOR. Which is fine by me because I'm actually on a mission in Nexus to obtain two items, which involves hours of crafting via digging in the dirt (a.k.a. mining), because the drop is pretty random.
The underlying point of this post is... I just really miss my mom. 😢
Thursday, April 5, 2018
Just Call Me 'Chauffeur'
So I spent most of today driving my mother-in-law and Reno around our little 'neck of the woods'. I'm my mother-in-law's usual "driver" when she goes to see her eye doctor, because she usually comes out of there with her eyes dilated and can't drive herself. I was jokingly called her 'Uber' last time we were there, by another patient. I'm always mistaken for her granddaughter also, instead of daughter-in-law. Haha. Anyway, this time Reno joined us, because he'd been needing to get his eyes checked and so he asked my mother-in-law to make an appointment for him with her doctor.
Turns out he's a bit blind in one eye and as I understood it, they did a minor procedure on it during his visit, so he definitely couldn't drive. Then we found a coffee shop and hung out for the next 2 hours until meeting up with the hubby over at the Food Truck Thursday event, seeing as this was the last time in a little bit that the lobster truck (Cousins Maine Lobster) was going to be there, and Reno wanted to get some lobster bisque.
Also, I found out that my dad went back to the hospital last night, and I was completely unaware until I get a text message from him this afternoon, starting with "The diagnosis was good..." and I immediately texted him back, saying I didn't even know he was in the hospital! He'd sent me a text last night but it never came through on my end... Ugh. I'm just glad he's going to be okay... he had knee replacement surgery back on March 22nd and he almost passed out last night during a dinner date with friends, because of some blood clots in his lungs (relating to the surgery). I would have been so worried last night if I'd actually received that message.
That's about it for now. I've had a huge headache all day, so I'm off to relax and maybe fall asleep early. 💤
Monday, April 2, 2018
Heat Has Come Too Soon
I think I'm starting to grow tired of California. It just doesn't hold the same appeal for me as it did years ago when I first moved out here. I never thought that would happen. I'm also completely NOT ready for this weather that we've been having for the past week. It's gotten into the 80s already, and it just annoys me. I need to live in a place where it stays winter-ish longer than a month or two.
Fortunately, it's supposed to rain later this week, bringing the highs down to the upper 60s instead, which I am looking forward to. Only for that decrease in temperature though, not really wanting the rain so much.
Sorry this post is so boring. I really don't have much to talk about. I think I'm going to attempt to do some writing for tomorrow's post. Maybe. 😊 We'll see where my inspiration takes me, if anywhere at all.
Sunday, April 1, 2018
Hello April...
And so starts my most hated month of the year. Why do I hate it so much, you ask? Mostly because I was teased about having a month as my name, when growing up, specifically when my cousin would call me "April May June" ALL THE TIME, when he saw me at family gatherings and whatnot. Good thing we lived 6 hours away! Also, during the month, I'm always paranoid that people are talking to me (or about me) when I hear them say "April." And after 34 years of that... let's just say it gets old quick.
It's also April Fools Day, which is pretty much an annoying day in itself, as you can't believe anything that you hear today! And for a somewhat-gullible person like me... that sucks. Haha.
Oh and also Easter Sunday. We don't really make a big deal out of Easter in this house though. I mean, it seems like it's more for the kids with the scavenger hunt for eggs and chocolate bunnies and the like. I remember when I was growing up, my neighborhood used to have this big 'Easter' party, for all the kids who lived there, along with a huge scavenger hunt in the fields that ran behind everyone's houses (called 'the greenbelt'), connecting them. It was so fun to finally spot a bit of orange or pink or blue among the green grass and find the little candies hidden inside. Ah, to be little again, without a care in the world, other than finding the most eggs, of course! 😝
Friday, March 30, 2018
So I Used to Write Poetry...
Today I'm going to share something a little out of the ordinary... there was a time when I used to write poetry, mainly back when I was a teenager, and the topics revolved mainly around relationships. Writing has always been my way of coping with feelings and emotions that I couldn't otherwise express out loud. So that's why most of my early poems include heartbreak and may have more of a sad vibe.
Anyway, the other day I discovered a lost poem that I'd written, probably in 2007 or 2008, for a poetry contest within NexusTK's weekly challenge. This was part of a requirement needed to advance to the next level also, but I don't think I won with this poem. I'm going to share it here because upon reading it again, I really thought I did a nice job with this. 😊 I don't feel like I could still write the same way nowadays, but... never say never, right? Anyway, here it is:
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Untitled
I've never been an open book ~The real me hidden deep beyond that first look
Complex yet simple, sealed shut tight
Cloaked in darkness, shielded from the light.
I was sure I'd never find
Someone to know my heart, soul and mind.
That special one determined enough to break through
The existence of a person I never knew.
Until one sweet summer day
When the spirits of love came out to play.
He took me by surprise,
Igniting an emotion I felt had reached its demise.
He dug at the seams of this closed book
Itching and scratching to get past that first look.
He gave me a reason to brighten my world
And the courage to let him see my feelings unfold.
With my soul set free, gone was the need to hide
Because of that wonderful feeling deep down inside.
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Another Birthday!
So it's safe to say that March is a pretty important month in our family, and today is another special day, as it is my dad's birthday! Although he's probably not having the best time at the moment, seeing as he just recently had knee replacement surgery and is still in recovery. But I still made sure to send him a 'happy birthday' text early this morning, since he is supposed to be resting and I didn't want to possibly wake him up if he was sleeping. (He's 3 hours ahead of me, so it wouldn't have been too early to contact him.)
So anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Dad! 🎂🎈🎉
Here are some photos from his early years, along with my favorites from my wedding last year. 💙💜
I love him so much and I would not be the person I am today without him in my life. I hope he manages to have the best day he can possibly have, in his current condition.
Saturday, March 24, 2018
A Forgotten Birthday... On Purpose!
First off, this is another special day in my family, this time because it is my brother's birthday. I called him first thing this morning, and he claimed to have forgotten that today was his birthday, because he said at his age, he just wanted to let the day go by. (He's 3 years older than me.) Haha. I wished him a happy birthday anyway, and found out that he is at least being taken out to dinner for his birthday, but that is the extent of the "celebration." Anyway, so happy birthday to him! 🎈🎂😊 Hopefully, he will have some cake and ice cream, or some kind of similar dessert.
In other news... today has been a very laid-back kind of day. My mom called with some computer problems this morning, and I spent some time getting MalwareBytes installed on her computer remotely (via TeamViewer) and it turned out that she had 748 'threats.' 😧 So I made sure to quarantine all of those bad boys and advised her to do a scan at least every two weeks, unless the computer starts acting funky again. Whew, crisis averted.
We seriously have not done anything else today. And I don't really have anything else to talk about. Haha. So I guess I'll see you all tomorrow. 😉
Friday, March 23, 2018
Happy Birthday Granny!
So today is a special day in my family, as it is my Granny's birthday. She is 94 years old today! In honor of that, I thought I'd share a couple of photos. I've only recently come into contact with some really early photos of her that I'd never seen before, which is pretty cool. I love looking at old photos, specifically the backgrounds and seeing how much things have changed since those days. There's just something that has always fascinated me about it. And even more so in exploring old areas and finding buildings that were around back then as well. Anyway...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANNY! 🎈🎂🎉🎁
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| I think this is when she was a teenager, so I'm guessing this was maybe late 1930s or early 1940s. There's no confirmation on the date though, so that is purely a guess. |
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| The most recent photo I have of my Granny & I together; this was taken in July 2016. 💜 |
She is the sweetest person and I love her so much. I wish I could get out to see her much more often than I'm able to. But I know she is surrounded by family where she is and she gets to see them very often. She's remarkably alert and of sound mind (though she does forget things sometimes, such as the fact that I live in California) and I only hope that I can say the same when I'm her age!
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Laziness & Lake Tahoe
So March has just turned into not-so-much of a good month for me, regarding this blog and also reading. I've hit a bit of a snag, because one of my current books is just so difficult to come back to every day... I'm having trouble with how the dialogue is written and it's annoying me, but I'm really trying to overlook it in favor of the actual storyline. I'm not one to give up on a book so easily though, so I'm just attempting to give it all the chances I can.
As for writing blog posts... I'm sure you noticed that I missed another few days again... ugh. Some of that is because my pinky & ring fingers on my left hand is in a state of near-constant numbness and it makes it difficult to actually type at times. The rest of it is simple laziness and being spontaneously busy.
For example, we took a somewhat spontaneous road trip over to Lake Tahoe on Monday, as a belated way to celebrate our one-year anniversary last Friday. [Head over to my Instagram feed to view a few of the photos that I took while there, since that laziness has kicked in again and it will be a fair amount of time before I can put together a photoblog post] I was bummed that we didn't get to go to Seattle, but I still had a great time being in the presence of all that beautiful snow! I definitely got my 'snow fix,' but I didn't wanna leave, and I wish we could have spent much more time there. But alas, the hubby isn't as much a fan of playing in the snow as I am, and he wanted to go to Cabela's in Reno, which is the closest location to us. And also to a few gun stores, so that was his portion of the trip. Haha.
Anyway... that's all I've got for today so until tomorrow... (Maybe!) 😼
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Happy St. Patty's Day!
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| Happy St. Patty's Day from Guinness & I! |
Speaking of earlier today, we went out and saw Tomb Raider in the IMAX theatre. I wasn't really looking forward to it, because I've never been a big fan of the Lara Croft thing, but I have to admit that I did enjoy the movie, MUCH more than I was expecting! It had plenty of action and mystery, and even a little glimpse of horror, which took me somewhat by surprise. The sequence at the end of the film was probably my favorite part, where they're making their way deeper into the tomb, having to figure out the puzzles in the blink of an eye, with their lives at stake. I was on the edge of my seat almost the whole time, ready to hide my eyes if necessary!
That's about all I have for today. Hope everyone has had a wonderful day and remembered to drink responsibly, if you're taking part in the celebration of St. Patrick's Day with alcohol. 😉
Friday, March 16, 2018
The Story of Us
Today is the one year anniversary of our wedding!
I can't believe it's already been a whole year! The video above is a montage I created shortly before the wedding last year in celebration of the relationship with my husband, throughout the years that we've been together, from the moment (literally, the first picture is from that day!) when we decided to take our 5-year-friendship that step further into a relationship in May of 2009, leading up to our marriage on March 16, 2017. 💕😍
That's all for today.
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Return of Food Truck Thursdays + First Vigil
So today is the day that Food Truck Thursdays starts up again! I'm so excited! 😁 We started making this a weekly 'tradition' last fall when it was introduced. It's an event that brings together a variety of food trucks, offering a diverse selection of cuisines, all in one place. It also inspires a sense of community in a city that could desperately use some positive attitudes and people. We've grown somewhat close to the host, making sure to take a few moments to talk with him every week and see what's going on in the world of food trucks. I'm going to start looking forward to Thursday nights once again. It's also an excuse to not have to figure out dinner, besides what truck I'm going to hit up. 😜
Last night we attended a candlelight vigil for three women who were killed last week in a fatal hostage situation at the Veterans Home of California located in Yountville, which is about 60 miles away from us. It was the first time I had ever been to something like that and there was a very somber vibe among the crowd. It's horrible to hear what happened, especially after they had attempted to help the veteran who ended up cutting their lives short. After hearing some prominent people from the community talk, candles were lit in honor of the victims, and we were instructed to blow them out as one, as a symbol of unity and moving on from this tragic occurrence. It hit my hubby pretty hard from both sides of the spectrum, from having veterans in his family and having worked previously in mental health institutions, knowing what these women went through and sacrificed in order to help those veterans who needed it.
Today is also the birthday of a friend of mine, whom I met through my forum, so I wish the happiest of birthdays to Shanny. 😀🎈🎉🎂 I'll have to remember to ask her how 35 feels, because I will be there in another few short months! 😳
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
A Futile Impasse
Have you ever watched a TV show that you've invested a fair amount of time into, only to have it end up hitting far too close to home? That's what's happening to me right now with a show on Netflix: Party of Five. I feel like I've reached this impossible quandary where I don't know if I can continue, because it brings up these horrible memories that I've spent years attempting to forget. Though no matter how much time goes by, I still remember every moment as if it happened yesterday. How is it that only the terrible stuff sticks around? -sigh-
I'm about halfway into the 5th season when this storyline involving Julia (Neve Campbell) has started to develop and there are only 6 seasons in the whole series, so I feel like I'm too close to the end to just quit, but it's seriously taking an effort to watch what feels like a remake of my life from over ten years ago. Ugh. I initially started watching the show because 1) I'd never seen it before, even though it came out in the late 90's and 2) it is based in San Francisco, which I thought would be cool to watch, since now I have actually been out there multiple times and somewhat know the area. I've been annoyed with every one of the members of the Salinger family at least once so far, most specifically Charlie (Matthew Fox) because he's just a pompous asshole that only cares about himself. I suppose I will just wait it out and see how the writers chose to deal with this situation that Julia's getting herself mixed up in.
You may think I'm just making too big a deal of this, but you can't really judge unless you have been in the same situation. Trust me on that. 😉
Anyway... that's what has been on my mind today. Until tomorrow!
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Pining for the Past
So, I know I missed quite a few days since my last post. I just haven't really felt like detailing every day lately, so that's the reason I'm going with. Let's just leave it at that.
Yesterday, I played around with Discord a bit, creating a dedicated server for my forum, mainly because I wanted to get more familiar with the program and stuff, since I'm still a slight newbie. And I really like it. So much more than Skype! Plus, the phone app doesn't drain my battery the way that Skype's did. I made a graphic for my forum's 14th anniversary as well, which I used when creating an event on Facebook, to try and get some more activity there. Facebook also reminded me that I'd become friends with one of my original members 10 years ago, so I shared that with her and we got to talking and she ended up coming back to the forum AND joining the Discord server also! 😁 Which makes me happy. I really miss the old days and her being back makes me reminisce on how it used to be with forum-ing, before Facebook & other social media took over. I so wish I could bring that back again.
I woke up with my arm hurting a bit this morning, and after a few brief moments of confusion, I realized it's from yesterday when I was outside with Dozer and he went for something that he saw on the side of the house (probably a cat), yanking my arm suddenly, so much that it felt like he pulled it out of socket... but luckily for me, I still have some of my muscle relaxant medication, so I took one dose, because my neck was hurting a bit this morning as well. Ugh.
Annoying way to start my day. And I fear that it's only going to get worse, but that's another story entirely. One that I'd rather not get into right now. Or ever. 😠
Thursday, March 8, 2018
The 'Joy' of Jessica Jones
Well, today started out pretty hopeful, with no trace of the pain in my neck when I woke up this morning, compared to the two previous ones where I could barely move my neck without excruciating pain. I was so happy to have finally remembered what it was like to start the day without the pain. Unfortunately, that feeling did not last. Around 1:30pm, it all came rushing back, seemingly with a vengeance. Ugh. I'm so tired of this. I really hope my body gets the hint soon.
On to other news, I was excited that the second season of Jessica Jones came out today! I'd seen it every time I opened Netflix and couldn't wait for the hubby to get home so we could start watching. We ended up getting through the first three episodes before it was time for Chicago Fire, which was the conclusion of the crossover episode from Chicago PD, and I quickly realized that I was lost, since I'd been passed out from the muscle relaxant medication last night. Oh well. I loved the beginning of Jessica Jones and I can't wait to see more! She is definitely my favorite.
I need to attempt to get some sleep now, so goodnight, world. 😉
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Finding a Fix [Hopefully]
And now on to the crappy, near-anxiety-attack-filled portion of my day. After dealing with this neck pain off and on for the past 3 weeks, I finally went in to the urgent care clinic today, to see if I could get it checked out, since I do not have a primary doctor picked out. After waiting about an hour after checking in, I finally got called back to a room, only for the nurse practitioner to appear a bit confused at my symptoms... although she did say that I would probably need a higher level of care, then she ordered a bunch of x-rays of my neck. So I was led to the room where they do that, completely nervous and scared because I've never had anything like that done before... but thankfully, the guy that took the pictures was really nice and understanding of me being such a baby about it all.
I will say, waiting for the results was just about the hardest 25 minutes that I've had to face in a very long time. Especially waiting by myself... going over all of the worst-case scenarios and trying to prevent myself from just breaking down crying right there in that empty room that seemed like it was closing in on me, minute by minute. Ugh. I hated it. In the end, it turned out that my bones were fine, nothing was wrong, but there was a small something in the muscle area, which led her to prescribe a muscle-relaxant medication, as well as ibuprofen. So hopefully this will fix my problem, because otherwise, I will have to go in for an MRI and I don't know how I'd handle that monster....
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
Better Left Unsaid
I don't want to talk about today. Trust me on this. It's been horrible on almost every level. Ugh. And I just would rather not rehash ANY minute of it. Hopefully tomorrow will be better, since the bar is obviously not set very high. 😔
Now I'm outta here, to watch This Is Us and forget that today ever happened.
Monday, March 5, 2018
Goodbye Samsung, Hello GE!
Sooo, my most exciting news from today is what you see above!! Our new fridge is finally here and completely settled in! That black slate finish was totally worth the extra wait, I don't care what the hubby says. 😏 And I am loving the little pop-out door (top right photo), where you don't have to open the whole fridge door to reach a few of the most-used items, which for me, would be milk and coffee creamers. Although I didn't get my way in having the creamers conveniently located on the shelf at the bottom, or even on the swivel shelf in the middle. But that can be changed later, if necessary. I'm going to have to get used to opening both doors for the fridge items, instead of that left one being for freezer items only. The joys of switching from a side-by-side refrigerator to French-door-style.
I love it! 😊 I can't stop myself from just staring at it whenever I'm in the kitchen now. Haha. There I go being a dork again. Until tomorrow!
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Waiting [Impatiently] for Tomorrow...
Sooo, I've noticed now that the people who started this challenge with me have kind of dwindled down in their postings lately. I totally get it, but it just makes it less fun when there's not so much activity anymore. It's reminding me of forum-ing actually, because the same concept applies. And I've tried so very hard with my forum for so many years, only to be disappointed by that sudden drop in postings. I've already made peace with the fact that it'll never be like it used to, but it's still sad, especially on the days when I'm nostalgic for the past.
Anyway... I really was not in the mood to clean today... AT ALL. I did end up getting the vacuuming done, as well as unloading/reloading the dishwasher, and cleaning off the kitchen counters, except for the pots & pans that still need to be washed. But I think I'll save the rest for tomorrow morning, to give me something to do while we wait for the delivery guys to get here with our fridge, since I know I am going to be bouncing off the walls with impatience until they get here!! Hell, if I felt better right now, I'd be doing that already. 😛
I think we're about to head out to dinner now though, or at least I need to remind the hubby that we need to eat soon, because we had a late-ish breakfast and skipped lunch and my tummy's getting hungry. I was trying to convince him to go pick it up and bring it back home, so that I can eat at home in pain, instead of at the restaurant, but he wants to go there so that he can get a free refill on the special-flavor-of-lemonade-that-I-can't-remember-what-it's-called-right-now. Ugh, on to suffer in public, I guess. 😉
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Death Wish, Delayed
So, first off, happy birthday to an old high school friend of mine, John! 🎂🎈🎊 It's been forever since I've seen him, but we stay in touch somewhat regularly via messengers and social media. I hope he's had a wonderful day, able to do something that he loves, making memories & enjoying the moment. 😄
Anyway, we didn't end up seeing the movie last night, because I wasn't feeling that great, and I couldn't seem to get comfortable at all. The movie night was pushed to tonight and I have to say, I enjoyed that movie so much more than I thought I would! Bruce's portrayal of a grieving husband and father searching for revenge on the men who terrorized his family was brilliantly done! I felt the tension and anger he was feeling all throughout the movie. I still found myself fidgeting, sometimes because of what was on the screen, but otherwise I don't know why.
Other than that, we went to another gun show this morning, where the hubby found two holsters he liked and some hard-to-find ammo that he bought for a coworker. Tomorrow, we plan to finish cleaning out the fridge and tidy up the house a bit, in preparation for our new fridge delivery on Monday!
Friday, March 2, 2018
Star Wars For Hours + Movie Night
Today wasn't so great of a beginning, thanks to an issue that actually started last night, but has now been sorted out. Granted, I kind of used it as an excuse to lose myself in the world of SWTOR, so that I wouldn't have to think about the whole ordeal. And I got a lot done, finally finished all the missions on the planet of Belsavis, which seems to always take the longest, due to having to maneuver around massive walls, demolished structures, and other huge plant life. Despite it being a prison planet, it's actually one of my favorites, graphic-wise, simply for the beauty of its flora.
I ended up having to ditch the game when late afternoon rolled around and started watching Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, which I didn't end up finishing, but that's okay because I've seen it before. I love the imagery in the movie, it is so beautifully done. 😍
My neck started acting up once again, so right now I'm reclining on the couch with the TENS unit, while the hubby cooks dinner: poached salmon, roasted asparagus and quinoa. We plan on going to seth the late showing of Death Wish tonight as well. 🙂 And that's all I have for today. Sorry it was so boring!
Thursday, March 1, 2018
New Month, New Book
So I started out my day with the new selection from B&N Readouts, which I've updated on my 2018 Reading Challenge page. It's a book about Sherlock Holmes and an adventure that takes him (and Dr. Watson) to Paris to investigate a possible kidnapping of a cabaret singer's son. I actually have never read any of the Sherlock Holmes stories before (though I do have some in the library of my Nook account), and the extent of what I know about Mr. Holmes is from the movies starring Robert Downey Jr. & Jude Law, which I LOVED! The banter they share and chemistry the two of them displayed was great to watch. However, this book starts out pretty dark, with Holmes reverting back to the use of cocaine after a difficult case and a stint in jail ("gaol" as it is referenced in the story, via the 1880s setting), after he was accused of tampering with evidence. Anyway, I'm giving the story a chance, despite the low reviews it has received on Goodreads. I never let critics influence my interest in things, as they don't know me personally and can't possibly know what I would like.
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Early Arrival!
Soooo, that last thing I said in my previous post? Scratch that, we are now getting our new fridge this coming Monday, 3 days early!! 😁 We got the call last night, shortly after dinner and I have to admit, I got excited on a pretty dorky level. 😏 So this means that we definitely have to finish cleaning out our existing fridge this weekend. I'm so excited to finally have the refrigerator we originally wanted six years ago! I'll be sure to post a photo on Monday after it's all settled into our kitchen. Look at me, talking about it as if it's a new pet or something. Haha. I seriously am such a dork sometimes.
These next few days are going to seem to just drag by now, hour by hour. And I can't think about anything else to write about, so I'm going to leave this post at that!
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Wacky Weather Abnormality
So bounty contract week ended today. I thought I'd have a little bit of time this morning to get at least 2 more contracts completed, but when I went to the area where the mission is usually available, the kiosks were gone. 😞 I knew the event ended today, but I thought that meant by the end of today. Oh well... I closed out the week with 19 contracts total, out of the 50 that I needed, but I also wasn't trying as hard as I could have, so I'm happy with that amount. I'll just have to wait until the next occurrence of the event, which usually happens about once a month, so no biggie.
Our weather is being crazy this week, seeing as a city about 20 miles away from us got SNOW last night! Of course, it didn't reach all the way out here (it never does), and it was gone before 6am, but still! I'm so jealous. Out in my area, we're only getting insane wind. They showed a video (on the news) of the snowflakes just falling like crazy and it was so pretty. I think whenever we move out of California, I definitely want to live in a place where it at least snows in winter. The hubby was considering a city in Idaho a few months back, so that would work. 😎 But I'm not sure if that's still the case. He's also been talking about Texas, off and on, but that doesn't excite me, since I've already lived there and it wasn't so kind to me. The major pro about that location though, would be that it's only a 3-hour drive south of my family. So for that, I would probably deal with it, but I guess we'll see how it goes. The sooner we can get out of this state, the better.
In other news... a little over a week before our new fridge is delivered!!! 💖
Monday, February 26, 2018
Makin' Plans...
This challenge is getting kind of tiresome, but I refuse to miss any more days than I already have, so here we are again. ☺️ I hope everyone who happens to stumble upon my blog had a great start to their week. I know Mondays can be horrible for those with a weekly '9-to-5' boring office job. Although when I had a job like that, I never really experienced that because I loved the job. Mainly because of my amazing co-workers... I had a lot of 'second mothers' there.
Anyway... so the hubby and I are attempting to plan a little vacation for our one-year wedding anniversary next month. Though if we will actually go anywhere or if it will end up as a "staycation" depends on what's going on with my brother-in-law's recovery at the time. His mother usually stays at our house and takes care of our dogs while we're gone, but she is planning to be her son's live-in caregiver when he gets home, so it's up in the air right now. Our original plan was to fly to Seattle, since neither the hubby nor myself has ever been there, and explore the city in about 5 days. I think we can still work out traveling up there, but now the plan is to drive, if it works out that his mom can stay here over the weekend. Since my brother-in-law does have his wife and son to help out in caring for him, I have high hopes that we'll be able to go. Which makes me excited! 😁 I love exploring places that I've never been before! Along with the road trip, it should be fun. We'd be taking my car, so that's also another first!
Oh and by the way, someone from the next town over from us won the lottery, a whopping TWO MILLION DOLLARS! So lucky.
I better end this now so I can focus all my attention on Lucifer in 15 minutes! 😍
Sunday, February 25, 2018
More Lazy, Less Stress Please
And so ends our incredibly lazy weekend! Seriously, we hardly accomplished anything, other than starting the process of cleaning out the fridge yesterday. (Which we did not finish today, I might add.) But really, I feel that a lazy weekend was exactly what I needed right now, after the stress of this past week, with my neck issues. Still not feeling 100% in that department, but I feel like it's getting better, albeit extremely slowly.
I didn't even remember that today was the end of the Olympics either, until I saw the closing ceremony on the TV at the restaurant we tried out for the first time tonight for dinner. So that makes me happy that our shows are returning this week! I've definitely missed having something substantial to watch every night. We didn't end up watching any of the Olympics at all... it just didn't catch my interest this time. Maybe in another 4 years.
My brother-in-law might be getting discharged this Wednesday. I'm sure he will be happy to finally get out of the hospital. The hubby thinks he won't ever go back to work, at least not doing what he was doing before (he ran his own business in the tile work industry). But even though he's going home, he'll still need someone around constantly, as he's not to the level of recovery where he can fend for himself yet. I'm just happy he's doing well enough to be receiving a potential discharge date. 😊
Anyway, now I'm off to bed. Goodnight, world. 😴
Saturday, February 24, 2018
Theories & Anticipation
Sooo, I think I may have a possible reason for my neck pain. I had a theory yesterday that maybe it's from the car wreck that the hubby and I were involved in, about a year and a half ago, where some idiot rammed us from behind, while we were stopped at a stoplight, and he obviously wasn't paying attention. We went to the ER that day, both got diagnosed with whiplash, but other than a slight headache and soreness, that was the end of it at the time. But I wonder if it's possible that injuries like that can lay dormant for a certain amount of time and then randomly pop back up in this way? My head was thrown back in laughter when the car hit us and I remember my neck being abruptly jolted forward, so I think it's highly possible that this pain could have originated from that incident. Ugh, I dunno.
I just wish it would magically get better before we have to meet my mother-in-law and family friend (Reno) for a dinner date tonight. We invited them a week ago, when we ate at the restaurant and had the idea that the two of them would like the place also. It's just going to be annoying, having to pretend that I'm not in so much pain. That slightly-hunched-over position of eating irritates my neck so much more, which makes the process of eating somewhat difficult.
Thursday, February 22, 2018
One Step Forward, Three Steps Back
Ahhhh. So I now have this thing that I call my nightly "TENS Time," which is where I recline on our couch with my favorite TENS unit, just enjoying the feeling of electrotherapy on the back of my shoulders (since I can't put it directly on my neck). I ended up re-injuring my neck last night, when I spotted a spider on the wall, yelling for Jacques to come smash it with a shoe, and then he proceeded to chase me around the house with it (knowing full-well that I haaaate spiders), where I ended up slipping on the carpet and hitting my head on the floor. Obviously, it wasn't a serious hit, but it still did enough damage to set me back about 3 days, healing-wise. Ugh, so frustrating!
Other than dealing with the severe pain once again, my day was pretty typical. Except that I took the morning off to work on collecting some bounty contracts in SWTOR, since it's "bounty contract week" and I just now realized that there are some customized dyes available via collecting a certain amount of contracts. I never really got into this event previously, doing one or two contracts and immediately selling them, because they were in high demand from other players. But now I need 50 of them, and I think I'm up to about 8 so far. I most likely will not get all 50 of them this week, so I'll have to wait for the next time this event pops up.
Anyway... I'm going to leave it at that for tonight because I want to fully enjoy my time with the TENS unit. 💜
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Mid-Week Humdrum
Still trying to wrap my head around the whole grandmother thing from yesterday. Haha. People already never believe that I'm actually 34, now I can only imagine that look of shock deepening when I tell them I'm a grandmother also. It's probably the same look that's been on my face ever since yesterday morning. My brother's having fun with it though, as he says that I cannot call him old, since I'm now a grandma. 😝 (I'll still say he's old.)
So I'm off to a great start on my reading challenge this year, as I've now finished 7 books and it's not even March yet! Though I hate this part because I don't know what to start next... I've fully completed the Odd Thomas series so there's not another book to immediately start reading. This is why I like using B&N Readouts as one of my books because they do the choosing for me, each month. And if it's a really good one, I look forward to reading that chapter or two every morning. Although I do have some books already "on deck" so I'll probably just end up choosing something from there, leftover from old reading prompts that I didn't get done for last year's challenge. I should probably do that, at least before starting anything new, just to finish up loose ends. I am determined to get through all 30 books this time!
That's about all for today, nothing else really special to report. Until tomorrow! 😉
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
I'm a... Grandmother?!
Sooo, I guess the most exciting news I have for today is... I'm a 34-year-old [step] grandmother. 😳 Haha. I have no idea what to do with that. Seriously. It sounds so... weird. In other words, I was just informed that the hubby's daughter had her baby this morning. It's a boy, whom they named Dean Gentry. ("Dean" inspired by Supernatural, I think, since I know she's a big fan of the show.) Hopefully, she will get over herself enough one day, to bring the kid by our house, so that her dad can at least meet him once. It's a complicated situation, but at least he's being supportive, because it's not the kid's fault who his parents are.
All these babies being born within the past week kind of makes me think that it will never happen for me. And even if it does... now his/her uncle will be older. That's just... weird, also. Haha. Oh, this perplexing life I lead. 😵
Monday, February 19, 2018
New Fridge + Mom's Birthday + Left Out
Whew, so today has been pretty busy. We started out the day sleeping in until around 9:00am. The hubby wanted to go to the gun range today (actually, yesterday but my neck was hurting too much) but decided instead that we needed to go looking for a new refrigerator, since ours is on its way out, as it is not pushing cold air as it should be. It'd take a few hundred bucks to fix it, but we just decided to upgrade the whole thing instead. Six years ago, we settled for that fridge, instead of getting what we really wanted, because we were not as financially stable back then.
So after a visit to The Home Depot and Lowe's, we ended up getting our new fridge at Best Buy, a 28 cubic feet GE model in black slate. They didn't have it available for delivery until March 8th though, so I have to wait as patiently as I can for the next three weeks. I can't wait to see it in our kitchen!
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Just Tell Me It's Over Already
So today has been a day of escaping the reality of my life... completely. Whether that is through reading, playing SWTOR (I'm currently working on leveling my Jedi Knight) or just randomly staring into space, while I try to give myself a neck rub, the best that I can, because the husband won't help me whatsoever. (so much for that "in sickness" BS, huh?) This whole neck thing is really annoying me. It was especially difficult last night, attempting to pretend like nothing was bothering me, while we had the company over for dinner. But alas, I am pretty much an expert at that.
Saturday, February 17, 2018
A Pain in the Neck... Literally
Today has been... exhausting, to be honest. First off, we didn't get home last night from the movie until around 1:20am, then stayed up a little bit longer so that Guinness could have some time out of his crate because it was Dozer's turn upstairs. So it was at least 2am before I finally got to sleep. I woke up around 7am, but didn't get out of bed until about 8:45am. But that's not even the reason I've been so tired today.
See, yesterday afternoon, my neck started hurting, just a little at first and gradually getting worse throughout the day. I had an upset stomach for about an hour before we headed out to dinner, considered canceling the whole night, but luckily, it got out of my system and I didn't have any more problems. So I get up this morning, with the intention of cleaning up the house a bit, in preparation for my mother-in-law coming over for dinner tonight... yet my neck is killing me, worse than yesterday. It feels like I have a constant weight on my shoulders, and I'm having to struggle to keep my head up, pushing against all that pressure. Ugh. It's not a pleasant feeling, and it completely drained my energy, after only a few minutes of cleaning. I took a few breaks, but I was determined to at least get the important things done before I quit for the day. Hopefully the pain will end up going away on its own though, because I really don't think it's serious enough to have to go to the doctor.
Anyway, we're trying out a new recipe for the Instant Pot today, Slow-Cook Cajun Beef and Grits and it's been cooking since about noon. With all the cleaning and other things on my mind, I completely forgot to eat lunch at all, so I'm pretty starving right now...
Friday, February 16, 2018
Hello Black Panther!
Well, even though the news keeps saying that Black Panther is the most highly anticipated Marvel movie and that it has already broken records, before it was even officially released, it's probably the movie that I'm the least excited about seeing. I'm not sure why, just the story isn't as intriguing to me as the others have been. Maybe the movie will change my mind on that, once I see it. But I won't know until 10:30pm tonight, when we are planning to see it. Which means that I will definitely be trying to fit a late afternoon nap into my day today, in an effort to stay awake during the movie, that is likely to run until close to 1:00am.
Speaking of staying awake, I didn't wanna wake up this morning at all! I hate those nights where you go to sleep and then it seems like only 5 minutes have passed until you have to get up again. But I woke up to the hubby's alarm going off at 4:35am, and even though we didn't get up until a few minutes after 5am, I still didn't feel like I truly got back to sleep for those short 25 minutes. I woke up with a slight headache also, the same one that was behind my left eye on Valentine's Day, but has now moved to my right eye... but my morning coffee seems to have temporarily relieved it for now.
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Hodgepodge of Feelings
(Isn't that such a curious word?! I just couldn't resist.)
Sooo, I finally got the hubby to agree to watch Me Before You last night, after a little over 1½ years of constantly asking him to watch it with me. And after it was over, he has the nerve to say "That was a good movie, why didn't we watch it sooner?!" Haha. And it was such a good movie! I won't lie, my eyes got misty more than once, which I had already expected they would. Sweet, yet utterly heart-breaking at the same time, but with a few scenes of comic relief added into the mix. I loved the chemistry between Lou & Will also, even from their first meeting. I liked that he ended up falling for her, after the type of guy he'd been before his accident. And Emilia Clarke did such an amazing job of portraying the infinitely happy, sweet and quirky Louisa!
I found today that it's sometimes difficult to be friends with someone that you have such a long history with. Someone who knew you way back when you were a teenager and also as an adult and all the times in between... I know I'm not the same person I was back then, and it's just kind of weird (that's not the right word, but it's all I've got right now) to me to know someone who knew both versions of myself. It also kind of sucks, especially if they cannot seem to let go of the past, and you tend to find them constantly, whether they are conscious of it or not, triggering reminders of things that you just want to forget. 😒
On a brighter note, here's a shout-out to my friend and most loyal reader, Mandy, since it's her birthday today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY (again)!!! 😄🎈🎂 I hope you've had such a great day so far and been able to spend it doing the things that you love.
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Happy Valentine's Day!
So first off, I'm not a huge fan of V-day, and we never make a big deal out of it. I don't ask for flowers or chocolate or for any other "present." The 'holiday' is just too commercialized and I'd rather save our money. Although that doesn't stop me from wishing everyone else a Happy Valentine's Day. 😊 This year I was also inspired to create another "poster" dedicated to my now-hubby, which I will include here:
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| { Full-view: HERE, if you're on a smaller screen. } |
Anyway... yeah so that was my morning. We don't have any big plans tonight, though we may have to go out to eat because I just realized that I thought the recipe we were using for tonight's pork roast was an Instant Pot one, but it's an actual slow cooker that you have to cook for hours and the problem is that the roast is not yet defrosted... sooo I will be preparing the marinade once it is finally defrosted, so that we can cook it tomorrow night instead. Oh well, at least I realized this hours ahead of time, instead of having another spontaneous dinner dilemma... although it kind of still is, because we will most likely have to resort to a quick take-out tonight (not fast-food though). -facepalm-
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