stonepicnicking_okapi

Personal posts that aren't on Tuesday are called 'Into the Void'

1. Minor turned 14 on Monday! It was the last day of Spring Break. I think he had a good day. He got a proper haircut (low taper fade) from a proper black barber, a pair of airpods (from my sister), an upgrade to his phone, and an orange cake (I had to order the mix on Amazon because we didn't have it in the shops here). He is almost 8 inches taller than me and at least an inch and a half taller than his father.

He has a track meet on Sunday and will be running in a 4 x 800 m relay for the first time. That should be interesting to watch.

2. I took the boys to the dentist yesterday and Minisculus had a cavity (in a baby tooth that's lost its roots) for the first time. Ugh. Both I and his father have been constantly on him about his teeth brushing. Sometimes his father even brushes Minisculus' teeth himself. He just cannot bring himself to care about oral hygiene and health!

3. I have been enticed onto this self-care app called Finch, where you take care of a bird by doing things like stretching and brushing your teeth. It's only day 3 so we'll see. https://finchcare.com/

4. I finished another round of Yahtzee and have a new set of prompts.

5. I have not applied for another job, but I did open a document and start writing a resume last night.

6. The weather is very nice here.

7. I got a book at the library at OCD to do research for a character and in the first few pages I was aware that I really didn't understand exactly (precisely) what OCD is and also I was disconcertingly aware I have some of these behaviors! Maybe not to the extend (and that's the point with OCD - intrusive and life limiting) but the thing about checks and looking to see if I've written out the check correctly. I have taken to leaving the check out of the envelope (I only need checks now for specific payments: car and rental insurance payments and field trips for the boys) until the last moment so I can check it as much as I need. I also think I get in moods of asking the boys' father for compulsive reassurance. I don't know. It was interesting and edifying and clarifying (surprisingly) cutting a little too close to home.

ASMR of the Week is my favorite collage: moment.D

So yesterday I took the train to New York City to attend the solo concert of jhope (of BTS). I spent the night and returned today.

I bought the ticket about a week before the boys' father lost his job, and I asked him (several times) if he wanted me to cancel my trip, and he said no. I had a lot of anxiety and guilt and regret (which is why I didn't mention it here).

But...

...it was a really good concert. I really enjoyed it. I got to hear him sing all the songs I love and do some of his iconic dances. I stayed at a tiny hotel in Brooklyn about 20 minutes walking from the arena. I walked back to my hotel after the concert. I did it all alone. I tried to make friends but I have come to the conclusion that I don't know how or I just can't. But that's okay.

It was worth it. The pandemic taught me not to wait for a better time to do anything. And some things I just have to do NOW despite my fears and regrets and social ineptitudes.

So the US president has decided that the US is not going to give foreign aid. The effect of this is that there is a good chance the boys' father won't have a job on Monday because the work he does in health statistics is largely and indirectly funded by USAID (the US foreign aid agency). This week there have been communications bans, travel bans, and now stop-work orders. So we may not have any family income soon. :( So much for 'regaining my calm.'

Signal Boost/Reminder: If you're planning to sign up for Get Your Words Out, it's best to do it before the end of the year. I just signed up today. The reason I do it is the spreadsheet for tracking my words! And the monthly links posts. https://getyourwordsout.dreamwidth.org/
 
1. Minor voluntarily got 99% of his substantial 'fro cut off this morning!

1a. I did a thank you card for my sister for her Xmas gift but it was so un-photogenic I won't share. The colors turn out wrong and the holographic stickers make the scans look green (when they are gold!).

2. Lunar New Year falls very early this year (29 JAN) and on the same day as National Puzzle Day!

I have an AU (BTS Namkook Dragon hybrid/rabbit hybrid) that I have sorely neglected which began on Lunar New Year 2024 so I am thinking to do regular updates and wrap it up on this Lunar New Year. But if so, I need to get crackin'! And brush up on my Chinese astrology.

3. I packed up the Xmas stuff today. I am very quick to get rid of holiday decor after the holiday is over. Now I am contemplating my pre-New Year cleaning.

4. I have a new planner this year. A Hobonichi cousin! So I am looking forward to maybe journaling (like Dear Diary type stuff) as well as planning.

5. Monday is the birthday of V of BTS so I want to whip something up with V as a detective. That's going to be a bit difficult, I think.

6. Yesterday I took the day OFF because servants get Boxing Day OFF (no cleaning, no cooking, no laundry, no refereeing or arbitrating) and worked on my soap opera update. I counted and I only have 12 more updates. It will conclude on SUGA day (9 MAR).

7. I read The Murder of Mister Ma by SJ Rozan and John Shen Yen Nee which is a mystery set in 1924 London with a pair of Chinese detectives. It was very good and very interesting. I recommend it to my Golden Age of Crime friends. I finished it in one day and this April, book 2 in the series will be out.

I had a wonderful time in Aruba. The whole family enjoyed themselves. It was our first family vacation EVER and it was a success. The view from our balcony:



My favorite part was going SNORKELING and seeing a SEA TURTLE. Sea turtles are now my #2 favorite animal (after okapis, naturally). The boat took us to 3 snorkeling sites and the second was a WWII sunken ship, which was interesting (and home to a lot of fish). Minor and I went snorkeling (Minsiculus and his father stayed on the boat)

My next favorite part was going PARASAILING. Minor and I went parasailing. Being draw like a human kite, 500 fit in the air, above the water by a speed boat. It was fun.

Lots of floating in turquoise waters. Lots of fun. My grocery store cashier today said I looked rested. I also look tan, which can be the same thing. No trouble with flights or health issues. Sunset.

6 Mar: Oreo Cookie Day: Have you ever eaten an Oreo or any Oreo-flavored item (McFluffy!)?

I like Oreos, the regular kind. But I don't eat them very often. Once in a while, I will get a tray of golden Oreos (Minor doesn't eat chocolate) to put in the boys' lunches. There is a meme among ARMYs of BTS' V ordering an Oreo McFlurry and I like the sweet way he says it.

7 Mar: Cereal Day: What’s your favorite breakfast cereal?

My favorite cereal is Raisin Bran Crunch but I don't eat it very often because for some reason it makes me go to the bathroom a lot :/

8 Mar: Proofreading Day: How many mistakes do you find when you proofread something you’ve written? Any comical or embarrassing errors to report? Of course, after you post something on AO3, you find 100's of errors, even if the fic is 7 years old!

9 Mar: Barbie Day: Did you (or do you) own a Barbie? Did you see the film? If so, what did you think of it?

I did have Barbies and my mom made clothes for them herself. No Ken so I chopped off the hair of one of them.

10 Mar: Academy Awards: What should you (or someone you know) receive an Oscar award for?

I should win an award for Most Likely to Decide not to Watch a Movie I Planned to Watch.

11 Mar: Napping Day: Do you take naps? Do they refresh you or not?

Occasionally, but it's usually a bad sign (of extreme fatigue) and I often feel disoriented and it disrupts my already disrupted sleep schedule.

12 Mar: Alfred Hitchcock Day: Do you have a cool blonde in your life? Do large flocks of birds freak you out? How do you feel about heights? Or sinister-behaving neighbors?

I love Alfred Hitchcock. I want to be the Cool Blonde in my life [I am Blonde but not a Cool Blonde, it's more of a Honey Blonde Running to Grey. I think it will be completely Grey before I am Cool Again. If Ever.]. Geese are not your friends. There are a lot of geese at the small lake around which I run and I get them a Wide Berth. I don't mind heights. We do have interesting neighbors, but nothing sinister.

13 Mar: Girl Scout Week: Were you ever a Girl Scout or Brownie? What’s your favorite flavor of Girl Scout cookie?

I was a Brownie for a year or two. Thin Mints and Caramel Delights and Shortbread.

1. I have returned to the land of living! My cold has passed remarkably quickly. Really it was kind of amazing that about 1 hour after waking yesterday, I was feeling like a completely different person. I have started taking Airborne (vitamin C + zinc) chewables.

2. Today I completed 12 days going to the fitness center (re: gym) at the Y for the month of December so I earned this shirt!



3. The boys are out of school until 2 Jan.

4. I am listening to the latest Tuesday Murder Club book on audiobook. It's such a fun series.

5. This month I managed 19 consecutive days of Yoga with Adriene before I gave up.

6. I am going to cancel my Noom subscription. The only part I like is the food journal so I am wondering if any of my friends can recommend/use a low-cost/free app which has calories of foods/food journaling. I like I can just scan a barcode and record what I'm eating, and I'm certain there are apps out there or search 1 cup of grapes or whatever. I just don't know them.

I had a nice time at the beach. I'm very glad I went. Maybe next year I will book 2 days. The first day was gorgeous, and I walked along the beach and watched the surfers. The next day turned bitter cold and rainy so I didn't stay all day as I intended. I managed a couple of hours on the beach (in the rain!) and then went home.

I enjoyed reading on the balcony listening to the waves. I had my spiritual communion with the tide and got absolved of my transgressions and shortcomings.
( sea gulls, surfers, and surf )

I am not feeling great today as a result of very high pollen count and it's effect on my sleep last night. Itchy eyes, junky throat, sneezing. I took some meds, but they took their time kicking in. And the boys' father (also junky) was snoring usually loud!

But it's been an okay week overall.

I went to the eye doctor on Tuesday. This is a big deal because I have been procrastinating for over a year. The part of me that Doesn't Want to Take Care of Myself can be very persuasive. It's been at least 2 since I went. I had a recent cross stitch fiasco and decided I needed to get indoor glasses. And my driver's license has to be renewed before May and I want my driving glasses to be as strong as needed. They did bump up my driving glasses and give me reading glasses. Reading glasses are new to me and make me feel like an Old Lady. BUT the doctor was super kind and the assistant was very bubbly and it was a pleasant medical experience so yay.

Minisculus was out of school sick on Tuesday but bounced back the next day.

My nightstand arrived, was assembled, and is a very nice addition. De-cluttering campaign is slow but advancing. I took some electronics to Staples (office supply) as they recycle and a bag of clothes to Goodwill. I am still training (once again slow but steady) for the November 5k.

The boys' father is probably leaving next Saturday (30 September). I have a promise that he will be back for Hallowe'en. I am planning to go to the beach with or without the family. I didn't go last year and regretted it.

The neighbor downstairs gave us some home grown tomatoes and I know it's cliche but they really do taste so much better than store bought. I can eat tomatoes on toast by themselves.

The bus driver shortage has been resolved and the new driver comes on time! Hallelujah!

I am trying desperately to finish my last fic for Season of Kink bingo before the end of the month and I actually sat down and worked on it yesterday and got Chapter 1 written.

I watched 3 haunted house films. Are all haunted house films metaphors for bad motherhood? Or does it just seem that way.

SUGA (my BTS bias) is starting his Korean military service and because of a shoulder injury is going to community service as a social worker (for 2 years) instead of the regular military service. It's a little silly to be so proud of him, but I am, damn it. Do some good, sir, don't just be (really expensive) cannon fodder and learn to shoot guns at people.

I am slowly working my way through Christie's They Do It With Mirrors. Sometimes Ol' Aggie really knew how to pick a title, didn't she?

Edited to add: I am also trying to start a daily yoga practice. I am trying to get a grounding in all the poses. So I am doing a 30 day Yoga with Adriene challenge from eight years ago on Youtube. I like Adriene. I like her newer videos better but I like the completeness of a 30 day challenge, then I can formulate my own routine(s).

I am reminded again (and again) that I cannot have more than one hobby or pastime at a time.

I have let my ficcing slip and now I am under my word count target for the year. And, more distressing for me, Yahtzee is coming to a close and I haven't done anything with the prompts I got in March (not to mention the tarot prompts I got in January). Argh!

But I finished the garden porch! And did two puzzles! So it's not like I'm idle but...sigh...I wish I had more time to do everything. There's the book bingo, too. And getting through the Mary Westmacott I'm working on...and Fannish 50!

I tried that 75 hard challenge for a few days. I think it started on Tiktok, but I saw it on Youtube. So for 75 days (and if you fail you start over, which I didn't do) you:

1. drink a gallon of water (128 oz) this was the hardest part because it means I have to spend a good portion of the day (and night) urinating which is rarely ever convenient and never fun.

2. do two 45-minute workouts, one of which has to be outside. This I could manage as we have a balcony and I counted a 45 minute walk as a 'workout.'

3. read 10 pages of a self-improving book. [not terribly difficult either]

4. take a selfie. [nope. I don't take selfies, but I tried for the sake of the challenge.]

5. do a diet [not specified. you pick the diet.]

I managed 17 days before quitting. The issue was my word count. I really wanted to work on my ficcing and I felt like being nervous about hitting my goals each day was distracting me. And all the peeing!!

SUGA is broadcasting a concert from Japan via movie theatres and I bought a ticket for a movie theatre. This is the tour of the concert I got waitlisted for. Obviously, cheaper than the concert itself. I don't know how it will be. Or how my damaged psyche will react. I am nervous. But the boys' father even postponed his departure for Africa so I could go, so I'm going.

The boys' father leaves June 4 for a month, Mali and Togo. So I will be on my own wrapping up the school & soccer season and trying to get the boys in swimming lessons and keeping them entertained. Aaaargh!

Minisculus did his First Communion so I no longer have to go back to church EVER! AMEN!

Minisculus also was picked for a travel team at soccer for next year! I am not going to volunteer to be the manager (I learned my lesson with Minor, har, hhar). It will be interesting to see how it goes this time.

Minor is going to try out for his level in a couple of weeks and I told him if he doesn't make it first round we are trying a new sport. Maybe swimming or track or maybe he'll just stick with singing and go farther/more intensely with that.

The diet isn't going well. Like I said, I can only do one thing at a time and if I want to lose weight I feel like that's the ONLY or practically only thing I can do.

I am still doing Postcrossing postcard penpals. There is a man in China named Eels and he likes James Dean. So I ordered a James Dean postcard to send him. I hope he likes it. I also ordered some new puzzles with the gift card my sister sent me.

I know I am rambling but I did one fic for Dick or Treat today that will also count for Yahtzee so maybe I can catch up...maybe...?