ianuk | Entries tagged with status

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Okay last week at work things were busy. I'm covering for Bob while he's honeymooning a bit, we have multiple big tests going on etc so lots to keep moving. By Friday I had a lot of hours built up and took off at 2pm. I then hit costco, petco, massage, grocery store so I didn't have to do it on the weekend. This was a good plan as the weekend and this week. Yuck.

I did make a mezcalita which was tasty but not the kind I had in Mexico. Bob texted me we were having hibiscus (Jamaica) mezcalitas. So I will try this recipe once I figure out how to make jamaica concentrate. I can probably buy it locally but will have to look.

I went to bed kinda early on Friday. I was tired and my stomach had been weird. Travel always messes up my system. So I'm in the constipation/too loose cycle until things even out. I've been bad at taking all of my meds, not drinking enough water etc. My bad...and that all kinda caught up with me. Saturday I had lethargy bad, I was not hungry, I was weak. Carrying kitty litter the previous night was hard. Its never hard so I knew something was wrong. I managed to lay about and clean up the front room a bit. Mel had a big morning of cutting demos and helping wolfgrim with loading things but he helped get the front room not look like a disaster from the war (still, yes I know...this is way long). I made a hamburger/potato casserole with violife sour cream and cheese. It turned out great. Basically, layer potatoes, cooked ground beef (spice how you like) I did a roux with it a bit to thicken it up and then tossed in a few table spoons of the vegan sour cream, then some vegan cheese, then potatoes, then beef again then cheese. The issue I didn't think about is that vegan cheese has a lot of water so things were soupier than I liked so the last 10 mins in the oven I sprinkled some panko bread crumbs on top. It was very tasty. We had one tiny serving left from the 9x13 pan I made. The teenager is a teenager and has an appetite. He'd been sick earlier in the week and yeah I had some of his stuff I think at that point.

I was tired I went to bed early and we figured out I was not going to the demo when I woke up early and yucky. I had been high on the anxiety train and I was probably running a low grad fever at that point. I managed to dress and chill on the couch. Benton and I watched movies. I started with Moana and then we watched Moana 2. I liked it a lot. I loved that they meshed the musical themes from the first movie into the new songs. It was a good sequel from a storyline point as well. Then I got down into marvelness with us watching Avengers, Capt. America, Iron Man 1-3, then Thor 2, and Ragnorok. Now that was over a few days. I basically only managed a load of laundry per day (not put away) and making a meal on Sat/Sunday. I didn't realize I was running a low grade fever until I woke up on Monday and then got the chills so bad I went back to bed and had mel bring me hot water bottles to get me warmed back up. I thought Id get warmed up and head back to my home office for work and I woke up 4+ hours later boiling and exhausted.

So yeah Monday was a blur and Tuesday I just didn't even bother with work, though I felt better. I managed to get more laundry done (war laundry almost complete) and washed our bedding since I'd been rotting in there for days. That was nice. In between things I've been reading some comfort fic and I put together two small lego sets for my office. The Flower Trellis and the Plum Blossom. The first was a present from Becca and Rob for Xmas and its super neat and the Plum Blossoms I bought in Texas on the way back from Mexico. The trellis is made to hang on the wall which I will do in my office at work and the plum blossoms will go next to my real plant. I need to see whose other botanical set is...all the legos got set in the brewery and I'm not sure who got all the small plants I think that was Mel. But wonderful sets to build. Good set of pieces and not too hard.

I also started watching Dead Boy Detectives and I quite like it even though NG is mildly involved. I'm glad there is continuity with Death.

It sounds like a I did too much while sick but if I moved once per hour to change out a load and then dozed the next hour its not too much I don't think. I'm better but tired. I'm WFH today and maybe tomorrow since I get on a plane on Friday for San Jose for West Crown. I'm excited and its gonna be weird solo traveling to an SCA event. But I will manage and check my final free bag on Southwest. Damn them.

I officially graduated from PT yesterday. I was called "a beast" by my therapist and even the body builder nursing student who is shadowing was impressed with some of the things I can do. So that is good. Chubby girl is strong and now its going to be the slow climb through keeping moving and keeping my mobility up. I have home exercises to do, I have to write out some other things for me to do at home. I'm not sure its worth it to find a new gym yet? Cuase the post xmas rush of people starting over with fitness is coming up. But I do plan on walks, getting back on my bike and I'm going to try to get into a yoga basics class on a random Sunday. Mobility is going to be my goal for 2024 I think. I've been too sedentary and mobility is a better goal than weightloss. Moving does make me feel better and I know it will help in me being less chubby but that is not going to be my focus. Mobility is.

I made the executive decision that the 13th will be my last work day of the year. I'm just tired, frustrated, overwhelmed and need the mental, emotional, and physical break from work. Hubby is feeling the same and only has a few meetings next week to cover the rest of that will be not working on work and doing whatever he likes. Benton is done with school on the 15th...which seems so early to me honestly. When I was a kid it was always right before xmas but who knows...weird charter schools can be weird.

My studio is without an overhead light since right before thanksgiving when the ballast gave up after almost 20 years so I bought a new fixture like the one that Mel and Rob installed at Momma Ellen's. But mel got the crud and has been poorly so I have not had help or daylight do it. He says we will get it done this afternoon after work. I hope so. I need to get the presents out of the boxes they are in and start the wrapping palooza but first we have to put the tree up and that is going to be fun with Spicy kitten but that is part of Saturday's to do. We are skipping the ill advertised Yule where there are circles to do things around teh house and sleep in. Ari tried to entice us into going with a quick stop for circles only and then going to a huge antique store but I want to get things done at home. We do plan on hitting the street fair on Sunday together though so that will be fun.

Amazon ruined the surprise for Mel's xmas gift since they sent it in manufacturing packaging even though I told them not to and that it was a gift. Sighs. But that means we will just set it up early I think and I don't have to wrap a 60# box. I got him the Ooni Karu 16 pizza oven, plus the gas conversion kit. It was on a good sale for Black Friday and while he wanted the 12 I got the larger one since it can handle larger pieces and has the height for smaller things and can make a pizza up to 16" in diameter. Spendy but he finally stated what he wanted and I know he will use it. hell, I will use it too I think. Plus in the summer it will be nice to not heat up the house etc.

On the book front I finished #39 Lore Olympus #5 last night and started in on #40 Down on the Farm from Charlie Stross. I swear I read this back in 2018 but it was sitting unread in my kindle app so I started it again? But its okay. I love the older Laundry-verse and need a break before I pick something else next. I did get the last Paladin book from Ursula Veronon for free from Patreon. Can I read 10 books in the next fwe weeks? Maybe? But if I make it past 44 books that is still more than last year. So all good. If i had not slogged through the one 1000 page anthology and the 600 page Enchantress I probably would be closer but its okay.

I am at the toe of sock number 1 for mel. I hope the next sock goes quicker. I have a couple of things for the nephews to do and a commission from Justin for War of the Phoenix but yeah...small projects hopefully.

With the new light in the studio and things out of their for presents I should be able to get back to the quilt project as well. I need to recut some squares but I think I can do that as well. January I will deal with SCA clothes and my plans.

Not dead...seriously, tried to write multiple times but here is the quick recaps.

After coronation I had a day of work and then it was the fraught with annoyance trip to NOLA. Seriously, they kept moving our flight back and we sat and drank margaritas for hours and then were late in Denver and then we got in at like 300am to the hotel. It was dumb but okay. Traveling with Ari was nice and the airplanes weren't too full. The NOLA trip was full of sites, sights, food, booze and fun. Seriously, we had such a nice time. I really didn't want to leave.

All pictures are here:

Got back from NOLA and work has been nuts. We have startup funding for our pending contract, I have classes to finish before they switch requirements for a certification I want. We cracked the whip on lots of things and finally got to the week of Thanksgiving and that Monday Benton's class got sent home. They had 3 positive cases of Covid and then the school decided that the three days after break were also virtual. Tuesday I started to get the worst headache I've had in a while. It progressed and mel had been feeling crappy too. Well, we both had the flu over the holiday and into the next week. It sucked for the holiday but we had a few pies, we had green bean casserole and sausage stuffing and cranberry sauce. mel got the turkey on and nice rolls as well. Tasty and good. But sucky that we were sick and Benton was taking the brunt our grumpy. We are still feeling crappy. Yes, we did get COVID tested and area all negative on the rapid. Still waiting on the PCR results. While the 3 days of virtual happened the school had more positive cases and they have now moved to full virtual to christmas break. So a lot not what we planned for teh last two weeks or what we had planned coming up with now having Benton home 24-7. Sighs.

Its disappointing but at least Benton has been well this whole time. He had a bit of a sniffle but nothing bad and he gets his second shot on Sunday for the Covid Vaccine. Once mel and I are feeling better we will get out flu shots and boosters.

Project wise I've stagnated. I have one shawl on the needles and its at a broken stage. I have a hat on the needles and its slow and I have a toy on the hook that I need to get back to but it was hard on my hands. I've been reading a lot which I guess is good.

I finished #19 Blood lines and then I read The Pricess Diarist which Danabren had gotten me a few years ago. It was not what I expected it to be...it was okay but odd. Now I'm reading #20 Night Season by Eileen Wilkes. I did get a few books while in NOLA so they have been added to the TBR pile.

This weekend I need to finish a program management course to finish that cert. I need to wrap and pack stuff for shipping to family and start to get xmas up and going. Sighs. I don't think i have the energy for that but we need to do it. Gonna ask Benton for all the help I can. he loves to decvorate for holidays But I may do the lights a bit lighter this year on the house. We shall see. I'm just so tired.

So the last few weeks have been weird. I got to my gym time mostly. But my eating has been....off. And the boozles were a lot. The project was making my anxiety get big cause I had "all the worries" even though it all would turn out fine...my brain was not down with that program. So I took Labor Day Weekend while Mel was gone to just not do anything really. I read, played video games, watched a lot of tv with and without Benton and finally did some chores on Sunday.

Reminder...the Costco brand of "flex" trashbags are TRASH! OMG! I'm glad I did the cat box dump on the porch versus my hallway. Ugh. Never buying those again. Yuck. OMG! I'm a trash bag snob to go with my paper towel snobbery and my TP snobbery. Well the TP is more my bum sensitivities than anything and previous cat preference for things not shred but still. Snobbery! Oh my stars and garters.

So yeah feeling unmoored after crazy making of things so maybe that is part of the mental let down from things and part of it is who knows? The weather is weird and monsoony and well yeah, self care means also taking my time and getting myself in order. I have had no will power for things...so I need to think about that. Its the easy option. I know how to take care of myself. I can do it. So working this week to take things in a bit better and eat a bit better and stop with all of the drinking except a few on the weekends. When you kid calls you on your consumption...yeah.
So moderation...I can do it. I went 6 weeks without booze earlier this year I can do it down to like 3 drinks a week. Seriously. I can do this. I don't need the crutch of a beer in the evening....I just need to make a very nice and savory/tasty drink in the weekend. Its okay.

So, things to work on for me. Due to it being hot, and too many fucking mosquitos means my other commission is not in work and I really wanted that to get further to done over labor day. So oh well.

I step down today as a Kingdom officer and that feels really good. No responsibilities for me! Woohoo! Its been since October 2011 with no breaks so I think its time to rest a bit. Before that it was June 2001 thru March 2009. So I'm good with a break and time to make things and just be.

So plans for the next few weeks...workout when I can...watch what I'm eating and watch the booze. Plus make things. I have a plan to work on my own coat/Kaftan. I've had the fabric set since last october for the Calontir Clothing Challenge and I'm gonna make myself a nice kaftan that is fancy and will look good when I wear my boy clothes. I also need some underdresses cause a lot of mine are getting worn out. I have lots of fabric and I have a quilt of my grandmothers I want to trim off the crap, fix the patches and reback/bind which I would love to repair and give to my mom for Xmas. So goals of things.

Slow and steady with 2 more SCA events after this weekend for the year. we have the local event and then GWW and coronation. We shall see how that goes.

Last weekend I managed to do nothing...this past weekend I did all of the things. I felt guilty for not cleaning my studio and last Monday I went to Strength club and then home for dinner and Arts night. I cleaned during the arts night and got everything done including hanging the new mirror. How cool is that! Its easier to do a task with friends on the line.

Tuesday I got some news that gave me some inspiration for a project and now I'm working on a project. Got to mind meld with some of my favorite people and we have a plan. I hope the weather cools down so i can work on another project that needs to just been finished. Its been too long in work.

So last week was pants...just crazy amounts of weird at work, I almost got sent to DC for meetings and I have cats/kid to watch for Ari during that week so I will support remotely. I made it to the gym 3 times and ate well. Benton started school and that is going okay. Mel and I worked out that I won't be doing the drop off on Thursdays so I can host the zoom call.

So the next while will be working on projects, hitting the gym and keeping track of my macros. I've been really trying to meet them. Feeling good though and thats been a while.

Lots have been going on...lots of work, lots of travel (fiber and dye retreat). We've just been so crazy busy and then last week I got into a car accident. So its just been a weird June/ July. I've been sketching and plotting but not really making anything. Did tour de fleece and I'll get albums out soonish...just too busy to write.

So, alive and mostly well.