Welp, back at it.

Posted on July 19, 2021 by A Dreamer

Gotta say, I didn’t think about work AT ALL the past week. That was AWESOME. Didn’t even look at my email this past weekend – the first half hour will just be wading through it all, LOL.

I do have a dental appointment tomorrow afternoon, oh joy, looks *awesome* to come back from vacation and work for a whole day and a half before leaving early again. Ah well, it is what it is. Gotta ease back into the whole working thing I suppose since I’ve not won the lottery.

I’ve also booked an acupuncture appointment next month – I carry all my tension in my head, neck and jaw, and we’re going to see if we can do something about that, since that is effing up my teeth, and I’ve oddly had A LOT OF TENSION THIS PAST YEAR AND A HALF. Certainly can’t hurt anything.

I’d also been planning on going to Williamsburg this fall for a couple days, but I think that isn’t going to happen, cause I have a feeling we’re going to be in the midst of yet another surge…so, looks like that may very well be a staycation. Between the Delta variant and the fact that we seem to have topped out on vaccinations – I think the fall/winter is going to be just as ugly as last year.

But, I’m ready to hunker back down again if necessary – I’m not sure I was really ready to be out in the world again anyway.

You have a fantastic Monday.

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The beach is awesome

Posted on July 17, 2021 by A Dreamer

But home has a kitty, so it is unarguably better. Once again I am in, “I must move to the beach with Lily” mode. And Lily is in yelly velcro mode.

Headshot of Lily, a black & orange tortoiseshell cat, yawning
Exhausting to keep track of the girl

The beach was great, if a bit weird – I’ll admit I was greatly lacking in imagination when it never entered my mind that it would be weirder/harder than last year. But last year was super simple in retrospect – mask up, get takeout – thank you state & local mask mandates. This year, mask wearing just wasn’t happening south of the Occoquan river it seems.

I’d like to think all the folks I saw were vaccinated… What was horrifying was the number of folks who just let their little unvaccinated kids run around indoors with no masks on. Do folks really think kids don’t get this? Or do they have great faith that their kids are surrounded by enough vaccinated adults? (Protip: They are not.) I just did not understand that at all.

Of course, while running errands this morning, I was even more aware of unmasked people running about – far less than at the beach to be sure, but still, eep. Even Starbucks has reopened indoor seating (few taking advantage of it at least) and just, ack. All I can think is, “Do you want the Delta Variant? Because this is how you get the Delta Variant.” Over the past couple weeks, Delta has been the primary variant here in NoVa – the absolute numbers are still low, but, it’s here.

But, not everything is awful. My car was great at the beach – amazing mileage and had it not been for the extra ~60 miles with Lily being at a different kennel, I would have gotten home on one tank of gas with 100 miles to spare. But, we did have to stop on the way from the kennel to the house to fill up – it beeps at you when you have under 50 miles left and I wasn’t going to risk it, LOL.

Took her in for a wash first thing this morning and can we get a shout out for automatic car washes?! It’s not that I can’t wash my own car, but I can’t reach the roof and it would take me FAR longer to get it done. $14 for the Platinum wash and < 10 minutes and she’s rinsed, washed, waxed, dried and shiny! I also may have picked up some Windex & Armor All wipes for the interior and later today as I get the rest of the stuff out of the car, there will be vacuuming & wiping. I also have this basket coming from Target to keep in the cargo area, so the wipes, paper towels, extra box of tissues, etc, will not be rattling around the back of the car. Yes, I am currently That Car Person.

I’ll be organized, dammit!

One more errand to run today, and then I will be making A Concerted Effort to get the rest of the stuff out of my car and ALSO not have it all just sitting in the entry hall for the next six months.

You have a lovely, relaxing Saturday!

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Well, success!

Posted on July 13, 2021 by A Dreamer

Hit the beach yesterday, the ocean is still there, saw a bunch of pelicans, a ghost crab, and THREE DOLPHINS! (No dolphins in the video below, just the ocean.)

I can go home now, LOL.  (And part of my fucking brain is going, “Can we?” cause anxiety chose to not take a vacation, of course.)

But, it’s all good – identified a new anxiety trigger – not eating enough.  What used to just be hangry is now “Oh, dying, obviously” – super fucking annoying but easily fixable with a sandwich and a reminder that we are not being chased by a bear.

I was thinking this morning while picking up coffee that I can’t be the only one whose anxiety has actually increased post-vaccination.  I legit felt safer *before* when we had mask mandates in place and no one was having to just hope that person over there with no mask is actually vaccinated.

I feel so much for folks working down here.  I haven’t seen any asshattery from visitors, but I’m sure it’s about.  Several restaurants are closed 1-2 days a week to give staff a break, which is smart.  But there are others asking for patience cause they’re short staffed while also trying to run a full dining room 7 days a week, and that’s pretty fucking cringeworthy.  Cut your days or your tables, FFS.

Yet again, we’re just throwing people under the bus for the sake of the economy, and if everything is open, everything is good.  Nevermind the massive mental health crisis we’ve got here.  And a swath of low income folks who aren’t vaccinated, but WANT to be.  Fed/State/Local administrations really need to get off their collective asses and tell employers they need to help their workers get vaccinated.

OK, away from the downer stuff.  Not quite as many turtles this year, and they’re not as fearless, but it’s been pretty hot, so they may very well be in cooler parts of the creek.  But two got brave enough for video! (The snacks are nutritionally appropriate for freshwater aquatic turtles.)

Oh, it’s the weird lady with snacks!

Tomorrow I’ll be hitting up the aquarium, haven’t done that in a few years and they’re doing timed tickets, YAY.  And time permitting, the Elizabethan Gardens to boot.  I should be able to do both, but I can never remember how long I spend at the aquarium, so I have to hold off on the garden tickets, but they appear to have a decent same day supply.

But in the meantime, it’s time to go find an outdoor lunch venue. It will likely be tacos again, LOL. (What can I say, they’re really good tacos.)

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So far, so good.

Posted on July 11, 2021 by A Dreamer

The last ~36 hours:

Eat, eat, sleep, coffee shop, read, read, read with some adult beverages and watch the turtle pond, nap, snack, eat, sleep, coffee shop, watch the turtle pond.

My more recent ancestors probably think I’m a lazy git, but the cave dwelling ones?

“Well, not sure what you’re reading if you don’t have cave walls, but sleep is super important, and you don’t have to chase your food? Or be chased by your food? Awesome!”

It’s all about picking which ancestors you want to impress.

The creek behind the house is possibly the most soothing place on the planet.

So soothing.

I really don’t understand how the folks who own this house haven’t chucked everything and moved here.

It’s a bit ridiculous.

And this little one just appeared on the deck. He has been named Wee Bob.

Photo of a small green lizard
So tiny!

My pandemic focus has been shit, so I was very excited to finish a book yesterday – A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking – technically YA, but awesome.

It’s easier to read here cause I also don’t have that asshole voice in the back of my head going, “You should be getting shit done around the house.” There is nothing to tend to here other than my personal needs. (Also probably one of those signs that I should get the house cleaned so I can relax more at home…)

Some years, I have a very hard time unwinding when I get here. This is not one of those years. I have basically been a human puddle since arrival, and it’s very nice.

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Made it to the happy place

Posted on July 10, 2021 by A Dreamer

Lily was very good on the 45 minute drive to the kennel, only hollered a couple times. I think the new car threw her off her yelling game

Timed everything out to try to get here by 3, made it by 3:15. And the car got 30 miles to the gallon on the trip down! (The old Jeep did not do that well…)

There was a pollinator garden at one of the rest stops!

Small field of yellow and purple wildflowers
Thanks VDOT!

Tacos and BBQ were acquired last night and were delicious, and I was in bed and out like a light by 1030, which is probably why I was wide awake at 8 this morning.

And this morning, my favorite decadent, slow lane activity: sitting down and reading the paper with my coffee

Front page of the Virginian Pilot. Headline: State to get at least 80M from Perdue Pharma

Also visited with the turtles this morning, not many out there, but there was a storm last night and I suspect they’re still hunkered down in other parts of the pond. Did see a wee baby turtle! Hopefully I’ll see it again and get a snap of it.

You have a lovely Saturday and I hope you can find some time and space for your favorite slow lane stuff.

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*bounce*bounce*bounce

Posted on July 8, 2021 by A Dreamer

I am on vacation!!! I really like my job, but some extended time off is definitely due.

We shouldn’t run into much in the way of Elsa impacts, but it definitely feels very Tropical Stormy out there this morning – overcast and super humid. There is a small lake in my car cupholder from the condensation off my cold brew. Been a while since I was constantly tracking a storm like this, and in 20+ years of going to the beach, this is only the second time there has been a storm that showed up around beach time.

It’s only been a couple years that I’ve done the “take the day before travel off” and honestly, I should have been doing this FOREVER. Just being able to get everything ready to go at a relatively leisurely pace is just…it just makes everything easier.

And I’ve managed to get enough done around the house that I don’t have a ton that must be done today, which I am pretty pleased with. I mean, it’s still a disaster area, but it’s better than it was and I am choosing what I stress about today. Laundry is all done, grocery shopping is done (thank you little bro and we have ALL THE SNACKS) and it’s just really a matter of packing things up and one last trip to CVS. It’s like I almost have my shit together or something.

But, the trick today will be to not putz around on the internet and suddenly realize that 2/3 of the day is already gone – because I am VERY good at that. So, I will have to rely on the timer on my phone for “OK, you got to rest, now go do something” – which I HATE, but it’s the only way I get anything done.

Time to go get shit done so I can relax! You have a great day!

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Hump Day!

Posted on July 7, 2021 by A Dreamer

And my Friday to boot! Still reeling a bit from the last minute kennel change, but it’s all good. I think I have one more load of laundry to get done, and then some more cleaning and packing and I’m good to go. I am SO glad I am taking tomorrow off – having that full day to just get ready to go makes such a huge difference – so much less stress.

Not sure what – if anything – is going to be on my work to-do list other than a meeting at 8 this morning. (The 7:30 meetings are done, thank god.) Not that I’m going to be able to focus for shit today, LOL. But – 8AM start means an earlier finish – they’re not getting a minute over 8 hours out of me today.

Also realizing that 2021 is the year of all my shit dying. Car, vacuum, and now I’m realizing my laptop is getting flaky. But, it is 8(!!) years old, and it’s held up well, and I just checked the pricing on another MacBook Air and they are not nearly as expensive as I remember, even with the fancy new M1 chip. Before my MacBook, I had a streak of laptops lasting maybe 3 years before they crapped out, so yeah, another Mac makes sense. But that is something to tend to after vacation.

OK, time to go fake my way through the day. You have a good one.

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Ack.

Posted on July 6, 2021 by A Dreamer

I’ll cut to the chase, Lily has a place to stay and I am still going on vacation.

But earlier today, the kennel called and there’s an upper respiratory thing going around the cattery, and while it appears to be the equivalent of a feline cold, it is contagious, so they’re not taking any new cats until they can get all the cats currently there back home and then do a big ol’ clean and disinfect.

They are absolutely doing the right thing, but holy shit, not the call you want to get 3 days before going out of town.

Thankfully they still had space available at one of their other locations – sadly, 45 minutes in the opposite direction of where I need to go, but, she has a place to stay. (I do love that her regular place is literally right on the route and a mere 15 minutes away.)

Ah well, I was going to be getting up at the asscrack of dawn on Friday anyway, but adding an extra hour and a half of drive time is going to suck just a little bit.

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Happy…Tuesday?

Posted on July 6, 2021 by A Dreamer

Love a three day weekend, but they always end with me not being 100% sure what day it is. BUT – two day workweek!!!

Elsa is looking to be – well, not a total non-issue, because she is a tropical storm, but it’s tracking a little more northeast and will be well off the coast by Friday – and the 10 day forecast for the Outer Banks is 85º and sunny every day.

The pre-vacation cleaning…well, it’s coming along. Didn’t get as much done as I would have liked yesterday, but I keep reminding myself that none of it really MUST be done, just that it would be nice to get done. So I’m trying to still get things done, but also not stressing hard about it.

And with the state of my work to-do list, I’m thinking short lunches today and tomorrow and dipping out early. There is nothing that must be done before I leave, and the couple bugs I do have at the moment, they’re weren’t even out of development as of Friday and they don’t need to be done until near the end of the month, so, even if they’re not ready to test before I go, I’ll have plenty of time when I get back.

And, theoretically, I’ll be all refreshed and recharged and ready to go at it all, house and work.

In the meantime, time to go get my hours in. (In retrospect, I should have taken this week off, too…)

Have a great day!

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Progress Made!

Posted on July 4, 2021 by A Dreamer

I have to share, because I actually got shit done today.

  • Stairs vacuumed!
  • Laundry! Multiple loads!
  • Bedroom is cleaner!
  • Place where all the Amazon & Chewy boxes accumulate? 10X better! Related: There is no room left in the recyclng bin.
  • Living room? Improved!
  • Upstairs Bathroom all shiny! Also discovered that I accidentally bought Scrubbing Bubbles *disinfectant spray* vs the good foamy spray. It will get used, but it was a D’OH! moment as I tried to figure out “why isn’t it foaming?”

I’m calling it a day so I will still have energy to hit more tomorrow. But I’m pretty pleased with myself.

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