Musings of a marginally sane feline-appreciating female.

We’ve got another shit grey day out there. I’ve got every damn light on in the house, added the vitamin D supplement back into the mix, and I’m reminding myself that I’m not lazy – my brain is just a bit fucked cause I’m very, very solar powered. (I do not know how folks in the far northern spaces manage it.)

I did manage to get my errands run yesterday, but damn if I wasn’t legit just going through the motions. Like, didn’t even stop to pick up tacos going through the motions. (I KNOW.)

I’ve been chasing dopamine with housework today and well, it’s working about as spectacularly as you’d expect given how I feel about housework, LOL. But at least a few things are getting done around the house.

But, we’ve got a half day Friday on tap this week, and then I am off work for something like 10 days, YAY! And I will have tons of time to get things done around the house instead of trying to cram it into a weekend when I’m trying to recover from the week.

So, if nothing else, I should at least be able to approach a state of “caught up” around the house – and maybe if I am super, super lucky – a little bit ahead.

But I have at least gotten the critical stuff done for the day – and now I’m going to allow myself to quietly exist.

It’s the 10th of December – and honestly, despite the tree and lights all being up, I am not feeling Christmas-y AT ALL. I need to run errands this weekend, Christmas and regular – and I am very meh about it all.

Could just be a dental hangover but I am just not feeling it today. Probably not helping that it’s 40º and grey as fuck out there. I do need to hit up the Walgreens and there is a new-ish taco place across the street – maybe I’ll bribe myself with some takeout.

I am just mentally and physically flat today. Like I don’t feel bad, just…flat – it’s the best word I can come up with.

But, I have gotten my shoes on and I am going to shove myself out the door and at a minimum go get the milk we need. Go me?

You have a lovely, restful day.

You have to do shit like going to the dentist. Voluntarily. Which I did today.

Noped out the pre-appointment anti-anxiety meds option. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I did not want to find out the hard way that they don’t work they way they should. (Once before I was given something – I do not remember what – and I was ready to throw down by the time I got to the dentists office. It was easily 20 years ago, and still bothers me and that was amping up my anxiety to the point of realizing it was a Bad Idea.)

And the nitrous just didn’t do shit today. This new dentist uses a different nose piece bit for it, and while it was far more comfortable, it just wouldn’t seal properly and so that was not awesome. Now, after the appointment, I realized a different way that the little straps could be adjusted that will work better and I’ll do that next time. And bring some freaking medical tape and secure everything, dammit.

At the start, the dentist asked if I was ready and I did say it wasn’t doing shit yet, but fuck it, lets’s go. He said it was at the max, so that’s when you just hit the ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ point cause it’s just gonna be that kind of a day and hopefully it will eventually kick in.

And there was a little “um, fuck no” moment when they tried to put a combo bite block/suction thing in my mouth – bit like a fucking ball gag if you ask me and I damn near backflipped over the chair. Yeah, that’s fine for a full sedation, but if I’m awake, oh hell no. I will be using the regular little triangle bite block and you can have a tech hold the suction tube, thankyouverymuch.

Though I was far too aware throughout the whole thing, the novocaine held, I DID NOT CRY OR PANIC OR FREAK OUT and I have a “temporary but with permanent cement” bridge which actually feels pretty good even just a few hours afterward, and in 10 weeks after everything is fully healed then that gets pulled off and the permanent one put on and they can also take the molds for a new “definitely not a night guard.” (It’s totally a night guard.)

And in two weeks I have “deep cleaning” which does not sound fun, but adulting.

And now I have got to figure out what is for dinner that isn’t terribly crunchy cause I am hungry as all get out.

So when I was out running errands this weekend, I saw a new development not far from here – wasn’t sure if it was apartments or condos or what, so I looked it up when I got home. Senior living! Which, given the aging population around here, probably not the worst idea.

And cause I’m not getting any younger, I perused the website and looked at the pricing.

Entry fees range from 388K for a one bedroom, one bath, up to 1 MILLION for a 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath with den. Granted, it’s 80% refundable if you kick off, but holy instant depreciation Batman.

Oh, and then there is the monthly maintenance – ranging from $3,184 to $4,822. Now there seem to be a fuckton of amenities and that monthly fee covers maintenance, utilities, trash service, dining, gym on the property, etc.

A super fancy, new construction 2/2.5 condo around here can easily go for 1M, but still, it just seems seriously unaffordable.

I am not ready. It was not a restful weekend. I also realized that when I started consistently getting up at 6AM this spring, I never adjusted the timer on the thermostat, which would explain why it’s been so hard to get out of bed, cause IT’S COLD. Even Lily is burrowed down somewhere. (I saw her briefly at 5:30 and then she disappeared.)

I find it interesting that folks can shoot up substations in Moore County and knock out power to 40K people and it’s just being called vandalism. In Ukraine it’s being called a war crime and/or terrorism. Whether it was done because of the drag show, or just because they could – it was coordinated, and it is terrorism. If you have to worry about armed nutjobs taking out your power – it is terrorism.

So, good times in America, where you could get shot anytime you leave your house, or lose your power because of the same RWNJs and die of hypothermia or lack of operational medical equipment.

And on that cheery note, it’s time to go grind those gears for capitalism.

You hang in there – it’s a bit rough out there these days.

Better than I thought it would at several points today!

Well, after I posted my earlier ramblings of the day, I decided I was hungry and should eat before doing anything else. Also discovered that leftover quesadillas should be done for 5 minutes at 350º vs 400º in the toaster oven because otherwise they get a wee bit crispy at the edges.

I mean, I did need something to eat, but also – brain doing anything but what needs to be done, LOL.

Then I found myself stuck on the couch for another half hour. And my brother added stuff to the dishwasher and started it up which messed me up because I needed to get Lily’s fountain in, but there was no room. (I will never not be mad that my brain can get so tripped up by stuff like that.)

So I decided I needed to try some of the cheese popcorn I got at the winter market. (Good stuff!)

Approaching 3PM and all I’ve done is a Starbucks run, a bit of writing, made the cold brew for tomorrow, swapped out Lily’s upstairs water dish and put the toothbrush on the charger. And I want to give up for the day, because even thinking about it all is tiring me the fuck out.

Then I found out about the burrito method of putting a duvet cover on – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRPfudNNd8Y – amazing. Then I started watching shorts, because, of course and that was another half hour gone.

Then I kinda wanted a nap, but just ended up scrolling social media for another half hour.

Then I did make it into the dining room and made space for plants, then needed another snack. Cleaned out my purse. Got angry at the sung going down at 4:30 PM.

Watched the remainder of FX’s A Christmas Carol. Dark, but so, so good.

By now it’s 5PM, and I’m realizing I need to just put something on the TV I do NOT care about, and put on my headphones and GET. THE. TREE. DONE.

Moved the plants, cutting back the gerberas to boot. Vacuumed off the table. (So many dead leaves.) Recovered the flat bit. (It’s a slatted table, I keep an old Amazon box covered in wrapping paper on it so it has a flat surface.) Brought up the tree. Discovered that I fully undecorated it last year, dammit. Had a moment of brilliance and put it on a lazy susan to get the lights wound on. Added the ornaments and all done!

And I sat down and thought “my lord, it must be near 9PM at this point.” It was 6:30PM. And I managed to then get back UP and change the Febreeze plug ins and tended to the litter box, and called it all a success.

But jesus, getting started…

It’s one of those deceptively pretty days out there – sunny but fucking cold. How many days until Spring??!?

This world we live in – goddamn it gets weirder every day. So, over on Twitter, R’s are mad because the Biden campaign – a non-governmental entity – asked for revenge porn to be taken down, someone at Twitter with actual good sense said, “Yes, that should be taken down.” BUT – somehow, TFG thinks we should suspend the Constitution so he can take power again and that is totally OK. That dude is completely fucking insane on top of everything else, and the R’s just merrily go along with it cause they’ve shown they’ll do anything for power. Good times.

On the home front, I’m having a TERRIBLE time getting motivated to get anything at all done today. I need to get the Christmas tree up – which also means I need to move all the houseplants in the front window. And some are too big for the little greenhouse, so I have to do some rearranging of the dining room shelves to make room for the big ones. And my damn brain is going, “AHHHH, MULTISTEP PROCESS, FUCK MEEEEEE!”

But, I do need to get things together because I have new things to add this year! Found this cute candy cane decoration at the holiday market yesterday:

And I also saw a Christmas ornament, which isn’t super “Christmas-y” but I saw it and thought, I MUST HAVE THAT ON MY TREE! And got closer and discovered they were earrings, so…I HAVE TWO FOR THE TREE!

I have brought my headphones downstairs and they’re ready to go, but TASK INITIATION IS SO STUPIDLY HARD AND I HATE THAT MY BRAIN DOESN’T WORK RIGHT AND RESISTS IT AT EVERY TURN.

I know I’m not lazy, I know that I *do* care – and yet my brain is all, “oh no, it will be far more fun to have mental paralysis and feel bad instead of just prying myself off the sofa and knocking out my list.” THANKS, BRAIN.

OK, I’m gonna try to get some things done. We’ll see how it goes!

And WordPress has provided a writing prompt? No idea if that is new or I just never noticed it?

Well, WP, thanks! I like meat. Don’t have much more to say on the subject, LOL.

I’m hoping the rain will clear out as predicted so I can get over to the Christmas market today, but if not, at least it will also be open tomorrow and next weekend. It’s small, but outdoors and festive and smack in the historic district in Fairfax, and I figured out parking last year, so it’s actually easy to get to.

Plus it is right next to the old school hardware store that has great gadgety stocking stuffers and the TexMex place – and given that I’ve been watching the Taco Chronicles – I need some TexMex food. (It’s a great series, just don’t watch when you’re hungry.)

And somehow it’s taken the better part of two hours to write this, and the rain has stopped, so I’m off to the Christmas market.

You have a wonderful day!

And I have NO afternoon obligations!

And I got some good news at work yesterday – I am getting promoted! And not into management/lead garbage, just the next level of me being me! Boss said it was well deserved thanks to my “great product knowledge and hard-working attitude”!

I don’t know about my “great product knowledge” – I just know shit, but I do bust my ass, even on my craptastic days, so I’m glad that got noticed. (She says on a “start late, leave early” day, LOL.)

Not sure what the money side of it is, but even without the promotion, we were told annual raises would be better this year – I do like my company, but they are stingy as fuck with the payroll – like, “this is why people quiet-quit” stingy. Maybe one of my MANY comments on that front in various surveys got through.

And in other good news for my bank account, my vision & dental reimbursement was approved, yay! Need to call again on the two damn acupuncture receipts where the AI picked up a non-existent provider. I guess that is my afternoon obligation, LOL. Worst case scenario, if I can’t get it fixed, my dental appointment next Friday will use up the last of my flex spending for the year. Yay?

Welp, time to go top off the coffee and get myself to 1PM and enjoy thee weekend!

You have a great day!

And every online retailer I have ever shopped with is reminding me of this… Delete…delete…delete.

Foot is down to a vaguely annoying twinge at times, which is good, since today has been getting out and about for Amazon returns, and holiday goodies for my acupuncturist and ladies at my hair salon, cause it’s that time of year! (Thank you Picket Fence gift shop!)

Now I get to start calling insurance companies. Dental insurance to see if they actually forwarded the last claim to PayFlex, and if so, when. Medical to ask why they said they fixed the claim with the wrong provider name when they absolutely did not, and why they have not forwarded two other items to PayFlex. PayFlex to figure out who was supposed to send them the info from my eye exam, cause I can’t tell from looking at the 2019 claim who actually sent it to them – me or VSP. (I did at least find the detailed receipt from the eye doc, so that’s something.) That’s gonna be SO MUCH FUN. But I am in Bitch Better Have My Money mode, cause I am owed 4 freakin’ digits here and my patience is waning.

Realizing I should have gotten a nice bar of fancy chocolate for myself to steel myself for on hold hell. Leftover Halloween candy will have to do.

You have a great day!