In a good mood

I had planned to have a quiet night at home, but a friend called and needed me, and while I was a little disappointed that I wouldn't have time for myself, it was important to go over there and help him, and I love him dearly, so hey, we make sacrifices. One more night won't make a difference, except in a positive way for both of us. I fixed him dinner and we watched an episode of 'Doctor Who' (the second episode of series 1 with Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper). I hadn't actually seen those before. Then we watched 'The Awesomes'. And then I came home, in a much better mood than I was in when I went over there. Although it is important to balance life and take care of yourself, too, being with friends, in my view, is one of the most important aspects of life. Our friends are the family we choose, the ones who tell us the truth when others might tell white lies, and who we can count on no matter what. Part of having a good friendship is reciprocation. In the past, I've had people I thought were my friends who really were just there to exploit me for their own purposes. I am lucky in that, while I have very few actual close friends, they are loyal and good people who give as much as they take. So I am very thankful for that. I can't think of a better way to spend my solstice evening tonight.

'The Awesomes' are back!

A funny parody of superheroes, 'The Awesomes' is beginning its third season on Hulu, and we watched the first episode of the season today (I think there are three out already). It's so nice to have them back!

Today I:
1. Got the bedroom mostly picked up (I just have a few things to put away that are on the bed, and then I should vacuum the house).
2. Took a friend on an errand.
3. Took another friend on a grocery run.
4. Watched lots of various videos, including 'The Awesomes'.

So today involved a lot of visiting with friends, some fun shows, and some errands, plus getting my house in order. It was a pretty nice day, actually, and even the rain held off till this evening, and while we really do need it, I'm glad it's more likely to rain now that I'm home and inside. I am eating some dinner now, and then I'm going to turn my attention to the things on the bed, and get ready for bed, for while I could vacuum tonight, it'll probably be a little late to do it without disturbing my neighbours.

'Doctor Who' starts another season tonight, but I still need to catch up on last year's as YKWIA, who has cable TV (I don't), would not watch it with Peter Capaldi, because his low Scottish voice was difficult for him to understand. He's decided not to watch any of the episodes with this Doctor, and so I'll have to watch on my own. As I haven's seen much of the Eccleston and even Tennant ones, I should probably go back to the beginning of the new Doctor series, and watch on Netflix from there.

Okay, that bed isn't going to clear itself, and I'm finished eating veggie breakfast sandwiches and a bit of cheese. Good night!

So it's nearly 2 am

I've been going strong since about 7 am, which means I'm going to keep this short. Today I kept a friend company whose husband is away from the house at a convention. All told I have:

1. Taken out the trash so far that I collected last night from the apartment.
2. Stopped by McDonald's for breakfast, bringing some to my friend as well.
3. Fed his dogs and cats and let the dogs out (twice).
4. Watched an episode of 'Fringe', two episodes of 'Warehouse 13', one of 'Haven', and two of 'The Awesomes'.
5. Rubbed my friend's feet and put him to bed for a couple of hours, since he hadn't had a full night of sleep.
6. Ate a sandwich, foraging there for food.
7. Finished the game notes while he was sleeping.
8. Brought in the dogs and watered everyone.
9. Gone to the store to get groceries for them (without my normal helper) and for me.
10. Fixed my friend dinner.
11. Filled up various containers with new sweetener, popcorn, and salt (obviously different containers).
12. Sent the dogs back out.
13. Brushed a dog.
14. Convinced another dog that the muzzle could be used if she failed to come in.
15. Played 'name that TV theme show from the 60s' and failed miserably.
16. Watched some YouTube videos.
17. Got caught up on the drama at the convention.
18. Visited with my friend.
19. Left the laptop there so I wouldn't have to lug it back tomorrow and packed up and came home.
20. Explained to my friend that turning the porch light off before I actually get in the car and drive away leaves me looking for the ignition key. He didn't realise the button fob on my car, while it does unlock the doors, does not turn the car on or anything. I explained a little better how it works.
21. Ate a bit of food.

And now I'm headed to bed. I have to be there by 9 am for the game preparations tomorrow. That's 7 hours away. Good night.

Still feeling a bit blah

So maybe it is my hormones. But I did enjoy watching 'The Awesomes' and 'Haven' with YKWIA tonight, and I fixed a summer squash and couscous dish that was pretty decent (I think that's the first time I've really cooked in their kitchen without supervision, beyond tuna gruel or rice with microwaved fish. YKWIA and I are already working on ways to improve the recipe.) I enjoyed doing that. It just seems a little muted compared to normal, though, so maybe I'm just a little depressed. I get that way sometimes, although normally not for protracted periods, thankfully, or at least anymore. I'm not having mood swings or anything like that. I just feel a bit like I'm going through the motions or I'm on autopilot, that's all. So now I am home, and oddly tired, and I think I'm going to listen to some Loreena McKennitt and head on to bed, even though it's just about 10:30 pm. I have a fairly busy week ahead of me. Good night.

A busy, satisfying long weekend

Friday:
1. Was let out of work early and spent some time with a friend on his birthday
2. Watched a couple of episodes of 'Haven' with YKWIA

Saturday:
1. Food at Masala at Beaumont's lunch buffet; lovely Indian food
2. Dessert at Baskin Robbins'
3. A trip to Barnes & Noble; I got a book with a pull-out chart on the key events in various world religions and a book for Brenda's birthday (which isn't till October, but it's nice to have things together early)
4. Grocery run
5. More episodes of 'Haven' with YKWIA

Sunday:
1. Game preparation
2. Game notes
3. An episode of 'Haven' with YKWIA
4. The Call of Cthulhu game with Brenda and YKWIA

Today (Monday)
1. Lots of sleep, finally getting going about 1 pm
2. Found what I was looking for last week, yay!
3. Watched two episodes of 'Witches of East End' with friends
4. Watched an episode and a bit of 'Rizzoli & Isles' with them
5. Watched the new episode of 'The Awesomes' with YKWIA
6. Visited and looked things up on the Internet together

Now I'm home and it looks like it's going to storm for the second time today. I am listening to Bastille's album Bad Blood and thinking about reading some on my Kindle before heading to bed. So it was a lot of rest, good time spent with friends, and catching up on TV shows. We didn't watch 'Doctor Who' on Saturday because we barely got back from the store and YKWIA and I were just plain pooped from a busy day, but both of us recorded it, anyway, so there's that to watch, too. The coming week I have four appointments after work, one for each weekday, one of my own and three of a friend's where I'm giving him a ride. Anyway, it was fun and restful this weekend, and I feel better prepared for what will no doubt be a very busy 'short' week. I hope you had a restful time as well.

I consider any day

in which I wear a white skirt and white eyelet-lace jacket and don't get any of the following on either to be a good day:

• any food at all, including the chilpotle black bean burger with all the trimmings this afternoon and the kung pao tofu sauce I had tonight
• the gasoline I put in the car
• the quart of oil I put in the car after checking it

Today after work I:

• Returned two books to the library
• Worked for two hours in the library tinkering with my résumé in preparation for a job application
• Picked up food from Jin Jin for three of us
• Watched a couple of new 'The Awesomes' episodes (a Hulu original series which is really great) with a friend--I think the second season may be even better than the first, at the rate they're going
• Let him show me various other things online, including an episode of an (I kid you not) alien surfer chick series, 'Lightning Point', from Australia--yes, it's on Netflix

Now I'm home, and I really should work more on the cover letter, but I'm tired and ready for bed. I did check a few books out, including the one I was using as a guide to the résumé-building. I may look that over some once I go on into the bedroom. Okay, time for more ice water. I'm parched. Then it's time to take my contacts out and get into my sleep shirt. Good night.

Haven't felt the best of late

I'm a bit grumpy due to caffeine withdrawal, a bit stressed over bills, and I'm holding the stress in my neck and shoulders especially, which is only making them and the arm worse. Friday night YKWIA made a wonderful meal of potato artichoke soup, a split pea dish, and a light salad. I was doing pretty well then. Yesterday, though, I really felt blah, and as I went through the day, the pain increased. Despite this, I had A over to my apartment so he could watch Jezebel, which I had out from Netflix. He loves Bette Davis and old black and white movies. Last month he discovered Turner Classic Movies and has been in heaven. YKWIA also introduced me to the Hulu original series 'The Awesomes', an animated comedy about a superhero team that is really quite funny.

We didn't play the game today (Brenda was ill, hopefully she'll bounce back soon), so instead of doing the notes last night I came home early and took a muscle relaxer from the last time my neck was in such straits and went to bed a little before 8 pm, finally getting up about 10 this morning after two hours of trying to get going. I spent the day watching 'The Awesomes' with YKWIA and helping get their house clean, although I got help moving things. Then I came home, did a little surfing online, started the bread machine (A reminded me that I could, at least, make bread of my own, even when having little in the way of money), curled up on the couch with a blanket as the wind howled outside and the rain came pouring down, and listened to Loreena McKennitt on Pandora. I thought about watching 'Downton Abbey', but I'm still on season 2, so I'll just record it for later. Soon that rain is supposed to turn to snow, and a blast of Arctic air is going to take us from the 50s today to below zero tomorrow. Crazy, isn't it, that it could plunge so fast? Which means I'll probably have even more aches and issues with the weather change. :( I did at least remember to bring my winter coat, gloves, hat, and scarf (the latter are 'Doctor Who' TARDIS ones) out of the car trunk and into the house so they'll be warm tomorrow morning. I'll need it for sure.

I'm drinking some chocolate raspberry truffle coffee I've had in the freezer for ages since I still have some half and half from YKWIA's last visit, and so that might help with the headache and irritability. The bread is probably a little over a half hour from being done. For once I read the directions and the rapid rise takes an extra teaspoon of yeast, apparently. I've never added it before and things came out fine, so I'm interested in how it will come out when I follow the recipe properly. I can take some with some peanut butter and spreadable fruit tomorrow and I found some garden salsa Sun Chips in the cupboard. I have plenty of breakfast options (real Irish oatmeal, eggs, and pancake mix, so if at all possible I need to get up early and make something. Or I may just boil some eggs tonight and go from there; I usually have boiled eggs from the cafeteria for breakfast during the week. That will save a bit, if I bring breakfast and lunch with me. I have some frozen food, pasta (including spaghetti with sauce and vegetarian 'meatballs'), that sort of thing, so I should be able to bring food with me till I get paid, anyway. The problem is it looks like I won't be able to pay my rent when my cheque comes in, because I stupidly overdraughted the account. I've been so good for awhile now with managing things, and while there was a bank glitch that allowed me to take out money when there wasn't any really available, still it's my own fault. I'll have to see what I can do to fix it. Sadly, over several months last year I loaned out quite a bit of money that I shouldn't have, and there's been no real effort to pay me back. and bringing it up just seems to make things worse. So while I did mess up, I wouldn't be in this position if I hadn't have tried to help someone else out. I guess the old saying is right: No good deed goes unpunished. I just hope I can find a way to get my bills (especially my rent) paid soon. Tomorrow I'm going to look into some options. If worse comes to worst, I might be able to take a loan from my retirement plan.

Okay, the bread machine just beeped. Time to see what that extra teaspoon did. :)