Hmmm....

After years of keeping my rent from going up much, mainly by choosing longer and longer leasing periods, it is going up $30 a month in January. I got the notice today. It's only gone up $5 or $10 at a time for a good long while--I think when I first came here in 2004 it was $485 plus electric; now it's going to be $580 plus electric. Don't get me wrong, that's still a good price. I just wasn't expecting it to go up quite that much in one fell swoop.

I had PT again tonight. I've felt much better the last couple of days, just a little sore and numb. That's a vast improvement over last week. I stopped by the library on the way home to get a couple of books for YKWIA to read that I'd put on hold.

Now I'm home, I'm listening to the Bastille station on Pandora, I'm ravenous, and I've had some homemade bread and some honey. I think I'll see if I have any lentil soup and have a small apple. That'll make a good dinner, I think. Okay, I'm off to find food.

Drat...no lentil soup. I'll have tuna instead, I guess. :(

Last night was latke night

although, technically, Chanukah was over, we celebrated with potato latkes with onions and parsley, along with some ones with ricotta cheese. They were a great hit, and everyone had seconds. But I got home late, and had an early morning today, so I went on to bed when I got home.

Today I got a phone call from our leasing agent, telling me that despite the fact that I cannot pay the rent till the 23rd because I got my car repaired when it died, she's not going to file for eviction. I'll just have to pay the normal rent plus the normal late fees, which is great, as most of my paycheque was going to go to my rent otherwise, although even so, I'm not going to be able to pay everything. But it's still better than it would have been.

Since I'm stuck at home

I plan to:

• Do the game notes.
• Straighten up the house.
• Watch 'Grimm' (by myself) :(.

But first I need to eat something, and there's very little in the house. Tomorrow's plans were:

• Go by the bank.
• Pay my rent.
• Help a friend put up his Christmas tree.
• Make latkes for Chanukah.
• Go to the grocery store with a friend.
• Watch the last two episodes of 'Scream Queens' with friends.

Now I'm not sure about that. And with my rent, I don't really have any money to fix whatever is wrong with the car, so I may be doing all this by walking and riding the bus tomorrow, assuming I can get some cash from the bank to use as my fare, plus I'll have to get the ingredients for latkes from the grocery and take them over there. But I will do so if the car doesn't start. I just didn't want to get stranded over there tonight, even though I do have AAA. No lights came on to indicate the problem, except the one that's been on that has to do with the EGR valve. That may have finally become a pressing issue. But it may be the battery. I don't know.

Found out a couple of things this morning

at the appointment I had with the hand surgeon. We're still going to go ahead with another electromyograph (EMG) to see if my carpal tunnel syndrome really has returned, like one doctor who did the test said a few years ago (we couldn't get a copy of the test because her office is now closed, and it's been four years or so anyway). But apparently at some point in my life I broke my left wrist and didn't know it. Also, my ulnae (the smaller long bones of the arm) are congenitally shorter than usual, which could be causing some of the wrist pain. The slight tremor I've occasionally had in my thumb did present itself when we took x-rays. It happens when my hand is placed perpendicularly to a horizontal surface, like I was using it as a knife. I do also have arthritis in my thumbs, particularly the left one. So, there you go--my upper extremities are somewhat verkakte. Fortunately the EMG is already scheduled for a week from now, and I'll see the doctor a couple of days later.

That was early this morning. Then I went to work, and it was an okay kind of day. After work I went by the bank and got my rent and then took it over to the leasing office. That leaves me very little for the next week-and-a-half, but at least that's paid, and I have enough for my car insurance. I called T-Mobile to see if I could make a payment arrangement for when I get paid next, and they were very nice about it; I've never missed a payment with them and am usually like clockwork with them.

So now I've eaten some scrambled eggs and cheese, had a little orange juice and banana, and I'm seriously thinking of taking a nap. It's getting very cloudy outside, like it's going to rain. I hope so; I hope it waters the window boxes. If not, I have to water those plus the inside plants. The poor spider plant jumped off the computer desk shelf because it was dry (the little baby plants that hang down are all one side, so it's heavier on that side). But first, that nap.

Home fairly early

I got through a good portion of my to-do list today at work, mostly the priority things, and then took a friend to an appointment after work. I like that the appointments can go until late--even 7 pm sometimes. That's five appointments between the two of us this week, which is pretty extreme and unusual. Wednesday I took off because I had two, and then we did some other things as well, and this one was after normal work hours, so I just missed a little. But this is why I usually keep maybe three days of PTO on tap, when I get four weeks of PTO each year. :)

So now I'm home and while I should do game notes, I am really more interested in doing just about anything else; I can work on them in the morning. Tomorrow I also need to pay my rent and go to the library for a couple of books I have on hold, then head over to my friends' house and do an errand or two for them.

But right now I think I will get off the computer and do something fun. Good night.

I look and feel sunburnt

but except for about 15 minutes today, with lots of sunscreen on, I haven't been in the sun except what has come through the window while driving, and the most painful part is on the back of my head, where it should have been safe in the car. So I'm not sure what happened. I've been red-faced and hot all day, inside, and a little sweaty. I really used the fan my co-worker let me borrow a lot today. We had our big sports clinic at work today, too, so most people were out there. I volunteered to make the certificates (we'd already printed them on cardstock, so all I had to do was add the name and a gold seal, the latter of which weren't particularly sticky, so I found a decent glue stick and went to work with that). The good news about that is I contributed, but didn't have to spend the day out in the sun and heat (it's 88 at the moment with a heat index of 96, and that's in the late afternoon, not in the middle of the day when everyone was outside). We got a free lunch, but I don't do hamburgers or hotdogs (or baked beans with meat in them), so I had a cheese sandwich with Fritos and a fountain drink. I'm hoping to have something more substantial for dinner. I kind of wish I'd ordered a shirt, but I didn't. They're a heather blue. In the past a lot of times they were pretty much neon, which I cannot wear without looking washed out. I do have one from last year in cyan that I got after the fact when someone didn't pick theirs up. Maybe that will happen again. :)

After work I ran some errands, but didn't get my allergy shot. I'll have to get back on track on Tuesday. I paid my rent (yes, it's late), and requested a new lease be drawn up for me to sign (eighteen months and it only goes up $5 a month, which isn't too bad, and after all I've been here 10 years and would like to stay).

I'm on my own for tonight. Last night I finally got some rest, and recuperated fully from the weekend of training last week. Today I'm going to try to watch something or do some reading, something fun, rather than just go in there and crash. I may go into the pool, for that matter, depending on how I feel after dinner. I did find the glasses I couldn't find this morning (they were of all things on my dining room table, not at the bedside (their place) or the bathroom). So I could wear them over to the pool. I had a spare, older pair as a backup with me that I packed in my bag just in case I had any trouble with my contacts. On any given day my purse or bag contains as a minimum:

1. Medical supplies (a bag with my oral meds, a pill reminder box, pen needles, injection pens, and the charger for my glucometer)
2. Glucometer
3. Epi-Pen twin pack
4. Asthma inhaler and spacer
5. Ear buds
6. Phone charger
7. Kindle charger
8. Kindle
9. Bag with toiletries such as a small hairbrush, lip balm, contact case and solution, glass cleaner and microfibre cloth, fingernail clippers, mirror, magnifier, and measuring tape)
10. Eyeglasses in case
11. Wallet
12. Pen and highlighter

So obviously small purses are right out. I do have a wallet case on my phone for the absolute essentials such as driver's licence, credit cards, and AAA card. Everything else is in the normal wallet. But if I'm over at my friends' and have to run to the store, I can just carry my phone in my pocket without bringing the bag. On the other hand, I discovered last weekend that putting a key card for a hotel room near your phone is a quick way to get it not to work. I don't know if it erased or just scrambled it, but I couldn't get in. Fortunately a nice lady in the room next to me saw me and went down and asked them to key me another, since I had all those bags and it saved me a trip down. On the other hand, women who look nice but who perhaps aren't could have easily fooled the staff into giving her a key to my room, so I don't know exactly if it really was a good thing or not. :)

Okay, dinner's here. I'll write later, after I check today's news.

Home and tired, ready for bed

I made a special trip to Danville this evening after work to visit my mom, who is in the hospital, and this greeted me as I pulled into my apartment complex afterwards. Pretty, yes?

Sorry I didn't write last night; my stepfather and I and a friend and I were exchanging phone calls regarding my mom, who is being a somewhat difficult patient, but otherwise I think should be doing better soon, or at least let's hope so. I brought her a pretty pink-and-yellow miniature rose to help cheer her up.

I did get word from the Kentucky NAMI group that I am officially accepted as a teacher for the Family-to-Family class and they've sent the agenda for the training, which is pretty intensive; essentially all eleven classes are covered, with additional information, in a two-day training. But I am excited. And even though driving up is still a little anxiety-producing, I did well in rush-hour traffic down a state road today, so that was good practice. The training is at Sullivan in Louisville, and that's where Brenda takes her son for his classes, so I think I'll ask her about the construction I've heard about.

I got a note on my door this evening from my leasing agent about expanded options for lease renewals that include an 18-month lease with only $5 increase in rent. I think I'll take that one. I've been here for 10 years and don't anticipate moving any time soon.

Okay, I've gotten home, I've alerted my friend that I'm back, have eaten a McDonald's double-filet-of-fish meal, and am a bit pooped. I have to get up at 6:30 in the morning because it's my allergy shot day and I go into work early. So I'm heading to bed, I think. Good night!

Autumn's starting to go into full swing

It's 53 degrees outside after a high of 70-something on a rainy day, and tomorrow, while it's supposed to be sunny, won't be much higher than that, around 57 degrees Fahrenheit. It's windy and blustery. We haven't had rain in awhile, so the roads are slick with oil still.

I went over to a friend's to bring him creamer and fix him dinner. We watched an episode of 'Haven', one with a trouble where people were just incinerated. A particularly nasty one, that. YKWIA and I talked for some time and visited. Then I came on home.

Tomorrow the plan is to get up early, take some things back to the library, go pay my rent, and then come home and work on the house for awhile. A is going to help me get the things out of the car (some of which is theirs, old audio tapes I'm going to check). And we'll do the grocery run after that, once the car is clear. No really big plans other than visiting them and working on the stuff I need to.

But for now, I think I'm going to head on to bed. It's nearly midnight and I want to get up very early tomorrow morning, so I can work on the house, do the errands, and work on game notes and the book review that I still need to finish. Good night.

Today I:

1. Paid my rent
2. Took books back to the library and got some more
3. Called and cancelled the game.
4. Helped a friend look over some things in preparation for going to the store
5. Helped a friend get reading glasses and those eyeglass holders
6. Took a friend to the store for a larger run than we though at the bigger store which was hot, and neither of us thought we'd make it
7. Got another friend a chocolate shake
8. Watched an interesting video on the philosophy of the question of the reality of fictional objects and entities (thanks to YKWIA)
9. Watched a hilarious Christmas episode of 'Eureka' where the characters were translated into lots of cartoon styles and Jim Parsons of 'The Big Bang Theory' was the voice of Carl the ever-suffering Jeep driven by the sheriff
10. Rubbed a friend's feet until he fell asleep
11. Chatted a bit with the other for awhile
12. Came home
13. Had a bite to eat
14. Listened to some music
15. Read a book
16. Took a nap
17. Paid my cell phone bill
18. Revamped my résumé and curriculum vitae online, since I'd redone the print ones
19. Removed the steri-strips on my incisions, as they were curling up and they had told me that would be the signal to remove them--seems odd to have a bare knee again

So it was a busy day, but not so much as a normal Saturday, and I had from about 6 pm on to myself. We're not playing Call of Cthulhu tomorrow, so I'm going over much later than normal and presumably I'll work on some things here, like straightening up, getting a little laundry together, putting the massive laundry from last week away (no, still haven't done that), made the bed completely (it's just blankets and two pillows right now), take out the trash and recyclables, that sort of thing. Also I want to try out a popcorn popper I got some time ago, take it out, and figure it out. It and air popper, but it's round rather than the normal air poppers. Then I'll go over to their house, do my little bit of laundry and some things around there, and visit. I don't think we're all up to watching The Grand Budapest Hotel at the moment, so while I have it, that may be put on hold until sometime next week.

YKWIA and I discovered

that Strictly Ballroom was actually available on the streaming side of Netflix, so we cancelled that DVD and tomorrow we should be getting the 1970s series that terrified a generation of British children, 'Children of the Stones'. Strictly Ballroom was quite enjoyable and distracted me from a somewhat frustrating afternoon where little things were not going my way. I forgot that it was Thursday and the lobby of the bank closes at 5 pm, so I was too late to get a cashier's cheque for my rent today. I'll have to get it tomorrow, meaning it will cost an extra $5 for my rent. Then I went to see if I could find some de-icer at the auto parts store, because a neighbour gave me hers and I wanted to repay her, but they were out. The gas station next to it said that it had unleaded gas at $3.19, which was the cheapest sign nearby and some stations had gone up to $3.55, but the station only had some pumps working when it came to that price, and were people were lined up like crazy. I went over to the Kroger gas station instead, and it was $3.24, but with my Kroger card I saved 20 cents off, so it was only $3.04. So that went a little better. The day had started out not particularly promising--I couldn't get the upper partials in without gagging, so I just went to work with both out. But there were good things about the day, like getting my raise. I went to YKWIA's and spent some time with him, not only watching the movie, but several videos, looking at some stuff on the Internet, and listening to the Soweto Gospel Choir, which is excellent. I had a good time, but now I'm pretty tired, as it's after midnight and I think I'm going to turn into the proverbial pumpkin.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to move some boxes upstairs at work. I have to get my rent and then there's 'Grimm' at 9. I'm expecting those books tomorrow. Today I'd gotten Loreena McKennitt's new greatest hits album, The Journey So Far, which I've been listening to in the car. I think I'll go put that on in the bedroom and relax, and stretch out. I keep having small cramps in my calves that are making my legs uncomfortable--maybe stretching will help. Good night.

Very tired, but

I told myself I would blog regardless. I'm writing on my laptop, as my desktop's monitor is currently over at a friend's, since he was having trouble with his. I'm doing a bit of updating on this machine, too. I figured while that was working, I'd do a little blogging.

Tuesday I was able to finally pay my rent, managing to avoid being taken to court by a very short time, as they would have filed that day. I'd had a cheque arrive on Saturday afternoon and immediately used my phone to put it in, but it didn't post to my account because it wasn't an actual business day, so I had to wait until the funds became available on Tuesday morning. Talk about cutting it close! That night I helped YKWIA cook and had dinner with him and A.

Wednesday was my first physical therapy session on this go-around, and there was an assessment, then some manipulation of my neck, and the traction table. I felt better until about late afternoon. Then the pain, like every afternoon, started to affect my activities. Driving makes it worse, I've noticed. I went over to my friends' house and watched 'The Tomorrow People', which I'm somewhat ambivalent about (we decided that unlike the British original and the remake in the 1990s, this wasn't really 'fun'.) But it's still on the watch list. But 'American Horror Story: Coven' is on the must watch list, and it's winding down, with just a little left in the story. It really is excellent, although creepy and disturbing.

Tonight I'm still hurting. The PT continues on Tuesday, but it will take awhile to get better. I went to the pharmacy earlier, and Kroger, and helped YKWIA make some cabbage soup. Then I trundled on home before it got too late, and before the roads got bad (it's snowing a bit). Today I got some things via Amazon to help with exercise without taking up much room or costing much compared to when I was paying for the Y or the gym. I got a set of 2, 3, and 5 lb weights, three DVDs for beginners (cardio, strength training, and a combination), and a pedaling machine that works both with the feet and hands, but folds away with no trouble and takes almost no room. I also got a set of exercise cords that fit over the door, similar to what I use in PT. That, and using the pedaling machine as a hand cycle, should help my neck. So I have a very compact and cheap home gym, especially when you count the yoga mat, strap, and block as well as the balance ball. That's pretty much anything I might want for cardio and strength training. I'm going to work a bit on my living room tomorrow to make more room to move around. My apartment is fairly tiny, after all, at 750 square feet, much of it containing bookshelves.

Okay, I'm going to go on to bed, I think. Hopefully your week is going well. I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday. The only plans I have are 'Grimm' and then sometime tomorrow or the next day I'll take my friend to the grocery store. Oh, and I have to do the game notes. :) I also hope to do my taxes this weekend as well. Good night.

Today I:

1. Accomplished everything at work I meant to.
2. Cancelled my YMCA membership. That saves $46 a month. I have used it exactly four times in eight months, so it was time to let it go. I joined mainly for the pool, but the water aerobics classes were always during the day while I was at work. I also tried to get into a programme where you get four free personal training sessions as a way to get into exercising, but they never got back to me when it came to scheduling the sessions.
3. Went by T-Mobile. As of the 28th of this month, I can cancel the broadband service on my tablet and save $30 a month. Plus, I found out there is possibly a discount from work that would bring it down further, so I'd save over $40 per month total.
4. Plan on a rather quiet evening at home.

Tommorrow I:

1. Need to pay my rent as early as possible so my leasing office doesn't file for eviction, which would incur at least $100 further cost. [Update, 1/14/14: a little concerned as it is 12:45 am and the cheque I put in on Saturday, while showing as a pending transaction, has not cleared yet and been added to my available balance. In order to avoid that $100 penalty, I must be able to withdraw funds by 9 in the morning. Wish me luck!]
2. Will go over to my friends' house for 'The Originals' and 'Supernatural'.

Wednesday I:

1. Start physical therapy on my neck very early in the morning. I'm hoping for relief, as it is interfering with my sleep, work, and generally.
2. Will go over to my friends' house for 'American Horror Story: Coven'

Thursday is at home with 'The Big Bang Theory' and maybe some 'Downton Abbey'. Friday I'll be over with my friend watching 'Grimm'. At some point soon I also need ot do laundry, really, really badly.

I think I'm going to see if I can do anything with my arm to get it comfortable. The problem with nerve pain radiating from your neck is that it is both numb and it hurts like crazy at the same time. That shouldn't be the case, but sadly, it is.

I have

negotiated a $50 discount on my Time Warner Cable bill. Tomorrow I'm going to stop by the YMCA and cancel my membership, saving $46 a month. I am also going to stop by T-Mobile and see if I can cancel my broadband for my tablet, which I used regularly when I was on the bus but now I could just use it on wi-fi, and save maybe $30 a month. The tablet itself is paid off, so I don't think there will be a problem. I have an unlimited data plan on my phone and so use it more for looking up things. I mostly use the data on my tablet for updates, which I can do through wi-fi instead. Also my phone plan comes with a 2.5 GB hotspot that I can use if I'm in a non-wi-fi area with the tablet.

So that could save $176 a month right there. My plan is to take my tax refund and pay off two low-balance credit cards so I don't have a monthly or at least have a minimal monthly payment. And Lane Bryant is definitely one of them. I got behind and owed a minimum balance of $39 after months of paying higher than the minimum. Comenity Bank was calling me maniacally on my cell phone today, at 8:30 am, 10:00 am, and 10:35 am. The last time was five minutes after I'd paid them $50, and I'd had to talk to a representative to get my web payment to go through correctly, so I'd already talked to someone, paid it, and not 5 minutes later, got another call. I politely told the man that 1) I'd just paid, 2) I would appreciate if he took my mobile phone number out of their system, as I was being bothered at work, and 3) no, I wasn't going to give him my work phone to be hounded with either. They could call my home phone--that's what it's there for, to catch things like confirming doctor's appointments or other business stuff in such a way that I am notified (I receive e-mails on my phone of the transcribed message immediately), yet without annoying me while I'm busy doing things like working. I won't say I'm going to cancel the card just yet, but I am going to pay the $250 I owe as quickly as I can so I don't have to deal with these people. Gee.

So if I pay off those cards, that would save an additional $150 or so a month, and that would give me a small net gain rather than the loss I've been operating at for months now. I should be able to pay my bills and have maybe a small amount to go into savings for things like car repairs and other emergencies. That's the plan, anyway, if I can stick to the budget I've drawn up. My expenses have gone up this past year. I went from spending $30 for transportation by bus each month to about $240 for gas and car insurance monthly. That's a big difference. And I will have to pay on the dental work, too, so I needed to make some adjustments, cause all these little bills do add up.

Okay, having worked out those sorts of things, it's time for bed. Tomorrow I have completely free to myself. My plans:

1. Give blood.
2. Watch Catching Fire in the theatre with my free ticket from work.
3. Cancel my YMCA membership (I have to go in person).
4. Try to see about eliminating the broadband fee for my tablet.
5. Work on the book reviews.
6. Clean house, including trash and laundry sorting.
7. Talk with the leasing agent at my complex about the rent situation. I should have the money soon, but not necessarily in time before she files for eviction.
8. Work on game notes, although we're not playing Sunday.
9. Read.
10. Make arrangements for a ride for my oral surgery.
11. Get an overdue oil change.

Okay, good night!

Feeling a little better tonight

Although I basically got home about 8 pm and by nine I was asleep. YKWIA called a bit ago after I'd begun to wake up and we talked for awhile, especially about obscure Catholic and Gnostic theology and also about a show he's watching, 'Misfits', and a singular strange super power: Lactokinesis, power over milk and milk by-products. Strange that in all of the DC and Marvel universes, along with Wildcards with its range of good and mediocre powers, that one never showed up. We decided said power should have the weakness of lactose intolerance and beyond that got into some very strange renditions of lactokinetic heroes and their sidekicks that got a bit absurd. Actually, both discussions bordered on the absurd, come to think of it. I do not understand certain elements of Christian dogma and the hoops the Church sometimes goes through to make it sound plausible. In this case it was the idea that Mary is a perpetual Virgin and that James and the other siblings of Jesus were somehow spiritual, or loved like brothers, rather than the children of the union of Joseph and Mary. I'll admit it, Paganism has some strange myths, but I can handle those. And yes, this is the usual sort of gamut of our conversations.

I think I'll snuggle back into bed where it's warm (I'm out by the front window, and it's chilly). The wind is howling outside. It's already -3 degrees with wind chills about -25 below. We should go down to about -7 outside. We actually had an escapee from a local prison who had to turn himself in because of the bitter cold and he suffered from frostbite. I am glad to be warm and inside. I took some steps today that will hopefully help keep that in effect, requesting a small loan via my retirement, although I'm still concerned about my rent and how the timing will play out. We'll see. By some miracle my car heat is actually working without making the horrible sounds I thought heralded the end. I'm hoping my gas will last till payday, which is Thursday, as I only have a quarter of a tank. So things are still a little stressed, but I'm sure things will work out. Or at least, here's hoping. Good night.

I got a lot done in an hour

So for $15 I got four tomatoes, six ears of corn, an onion, a cucumber, and a pint of black raspberries. The squash in the picture comes courtesy of Brenda, who brought it at the last game, along with salad greens and snow peas. The little purple peppers are from my plant. I've had about seven so far, maybe more, and it's full again. So now I have the fixings for corn-on-the-cob, salad, and the dish I make with cheese, squash, and onions that I have no idea what it's called, but it's very yummy.

I ate breakfast at McDonald's, where a fly kept buzzing around me in the dining room. I know it's impossible to keep them out in hot weather, but it was annoying. But breakfast (egg and cheese biscuits) was good, and then I headed for the bank, where the drive-through was really hopping. I had to go inside for my transaction, and had to wait awhile because there was only one lobby teller open, but I was patient and eventually one of the drive-through tellers was able to do my transaction. I got the cashier's cheque for my rent and some money for the farmer's market, then headed there. After browsing the stalls and buying from about three of them (I like to spread the bounty), I headed to the leasing office, paid my rent (early!) and came on back to the house.

That's all I had planned for the morning. So pool or notes? Hmmmm....

Slow to wake up this morning

but I'm up and ready to engage the day. First stop, get some breakfast, then bank, then farmer's market, and then leasing office. The pool may or may not happen--it's 77 degrees outside and cooler, so I don't know how warm the water will be. But I definitely want to do the others. Then maybe I'll work on game notes so I won't be scrambling to do them tonight. It would be the sensible thing to do. I've got my sunscreen on for walking between the booths/driving about, and it's going with me in my purse. Hope you have a pleasant day!

It is almost 2 am

But...I have dropped off my rent, gotten a receipt, taken a short nap, spoken to one friend and texted another, done three loads of laundry, taken the trash out, and paid several bills. All in all, it was a particularly productive day. Unfortunately, a couple of my friends were getting a little worried about me because their phone calls were going straight to voice mail, and then the voice mails didn't show up for several hours, nor did any indication of a missed call pop up on my notifications bar. It was weird. I'm not sure if that's a network thing, or my phone, or even possibly the visual voicemail application, but I'll try to determine that tomorrow. In the meantime I've checked, there are no updates to the phone's software or firmware, and I'm going to turn it off and restart it in case that will help. But for now, I'm going to call it a night. And yay, tomorrow's Friday!

Awake

Today is supposed to be dog washing day, but considering it stormed several times last night (enough to actually wake me up) and there's a 40% chance of storms today, I'm disinclined to do it today. Tomorrow will be sunny, 85, and although there's so much to do with the game preparations, I'm willing to come two hours earlier than I usually do to get the dogs washed. Granted, there's a chance of storms throughout the work week, but at least I wouldn't be sending them out into rain directly and they'd have one full day of being clean before the mud strikes again. I'm waiting on a call from my friend okaying that.

It's dark and gloomy, but I do still have to go out, as my rent is due today, and the bank closes at noon. I'm going to get the snacks for the game today so I can go earlier tomorrow without going by the store.

I have plenty to occupy me today. There's the game notes, the house, laundry, a couple of projects. But the rent is tantamount, so I guess I'd better go ahead and get a shower and get ready to go. That way I can give it in while the office is open today, even though they print May 7th on the actual money order (it not being a business day according to my bank). Besides, you should always get a receipt in hand when using money orders. The receipt you get at the bank only proves you bought it; it doesn't prove a thing in regards to who you gave it to, if any.

Phase One of Operation Day Off completed

Well, I got:
1. To sleep in one hour
   
2. All my books that were due at the library dropped off
   
3. A money order for my rent from bank (still there as they opened)
   
4. My new driver's licence (with a fairly decent picture)
   
5. Food from Subway (and I combined two cards, so I have enough points to get a foot-long next time)
   
6. A book from the Central Library on Atlantis
   
7. To talk with a friend on the phone for a few minutes
   
8. A cryptic voicemail that cut in and out that may have been from another friend at work; I don't know his number there
   
9. A bus out to Fayette Mall
   
10. To see The Hunger Games for free (I had a pass left over from our employee appreciation gift)
    
11. A slice of spinach-tomato pizza from Sbarro's at the mall
    
12. A bus back
    
13. Several chapters read of Catching Fire both on the bus and at the mall; I'm about 3/4 of the way through
    
14. A book at the Eagle Creek library branch, a mystery set in ancient Aegypt called Nefertiti by Nick Drake
    
15. My rent paid just as the office was about to close (one woman had jacket in hand) and a receipt
    

Phase Two includes laundry and housework, but I think I'll take about an hour and rest first. My eyes are burning now that I've taken my contacts out (allergies, most likely) and my feet are hurting (time to take my meds). I've got the windows open and the sun is streaming in nicely, and it's just now about the time I get home from work. Hope your day was excellent as well. :)

Good news

I talked with the leasing manager today, and there will be no filing until the 18th. Since I can pay my rent before then, I'll be okay, except for some late fees. Whew!

I'm home early today because our computer system went down and what I do as a data entry clerk depends entirely upon it. I was also fortunate to get a ride. This worked out great because I had forgotten to call the leasing office and didn't think about it until I went through my apartment door. So I was able to talk to them before my rent was technically late--always better. Sometimes prayer is a wonderful thing--things tend to happen to help bring things about.

They're blocking off our parking lot in front of my building to work on a retaining wall.

I think I'll use the extra time to get the rest of the recyclables out, if the containers have been emptied, and put books on shelves. That leaves dusting and organising some CDs, cleaning the microwave, plus a tiny amount of straightening up, and the living and dining areas are finished. I'm going to count cleaning the aquarium out as a separate thing. I might even get the bathroom cleaned tonight as well--it's in good shape, just needs a once-over.

The kitchen needs a lot of organisation. I have some stuff in the cabinets that need to come out and get thrown away. Plus the cookbooks are just piled on the island shelves when they should be standing up and in their proper place. And I need to wash dishes and clean the counters, that sort of thing. It may take a few days to totally re-do.

The bedroom isn't bad, in itself. But the drawers and closets are another matter entirely. Let's not tackle that just yet. It's not like anyone goes in there but me. :)