Drunken Owls and Other Delights

Oh hi there! It's Sunday afternoon, which means it's time for my usual weekend errands of laundry and gardening (today was a community garden clean-up day, in which A and I spent some time picking up trash and also cleaning and reorganizing the sheds so they're less of a hot mess). We got home just in time for us to get our awaited IKEA delivery (a drying rack for A's knitting and a storage caddy for the laundry room).

It was also high time for the PC cleaning. I've been forgetting to run the cleaner software as of late, so said PC was quite happy that I gave it a very thorough once-over this time. It definitely needed it, especially since I've been doing a lot of file reorganization, Plex server updatery, and writing work! I also never turn it off (mainly because of the Plex so others can access my entertainment collection), but it's something that should be done now and again. What I'm delaying, however, is the latest Windows 11 update, because a) I really don't need it, and b) if I did update it, I'd then need to dig in and turn off the stupid AI crap that I definitely do not need nor want. It's not a critical update, so I'm going to avoid it for a long as I can. Or at least until I have the spoons to do the settings adjustments.

In reading news, I have been obsessed with the manga and anime The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity lately. It's firmly placed in Everything Is So Dramatic levels of teenage drama, but I appreciate that because the story precisely about dealing with that kind of stuff as a teen. It's very well written and each character has their own fleshed-out backstory and conflict to deal with. And it's also a really sweet love story as well. I highly recommend it.

In health news, I think I've FINALLY shaken this stupid cold/allergy, though I'm still getting stuffed up every now and again, including today. I'm just not continuously clogged as I was last week, however. Meanwhile, I have been feeling rather tired a lot lately, and whether that's due to Day Job Stress/Overwork or said congestion keeping me up at night, I'm not sure. Maybe both. I don't feel it's a major worry, but at the same time I am keeping an eye on it just in case it becomes one. Besides, I ain't as young and agile as I used to be!

In writing news...I'm just a few chapters shy of being caught up once more with the latest revision of Theadia. Which means I have two things to do staring soon: one, I need to go back and start writing the 'WRITE THIS LATER' gaps, and two, I need to actually, y'know, finish the dang novel itself! I've been working on this one for quite some time now, but I'm really excited about it as well, and that's always a good sign. I'm still roughly on schedule for "sometime next year" as its drop date. I might even look into commissioning a cover for this one! Heh.

And finally in Day Job news...well, let's just say there's still a lot of Hurry Up and Wait in regards to wanting a transfer. Right now there's a lot of Managerial Drama and Metrics Obsession going on which is taking precedence, as well as Holiday Season starting up. I'm a bit annoyed that I've been put on the backburner because of it all, but there's not too much else I can do except occasionally poke at the main players and remind them I'm still there and waiting. I'm also still a little annoyed about the lower hours, but I'll set that particular commentary aside for now.

In the meantime, Sunday also means Sunday dinner, and A is currently making beef stew which has the entire house smelling amazing right now.


Hope everyone has a good week!

Not worked-too-hard exhausted, just...tired. Low on gas. Going at a slow speed and deciding not to accelerate any faster for a while. Perhaps it's that I've been waking up a lot during the night, perhaps it's the RL political fuckery, or maybe it's closer to home with the day job drama. [Definitely not because of the day job getting busier for Q4, though...that won't happen for another month or so.] Or a little of everything finally piling up. I just don't have it in me to give any more fucks right now. Maybe a few spoons left that I'm keeping as backup, just in case.

Which is frustrating, because this is happening just as I want to start giving myself more ability to focus on my creative endeavors. But I'm not going to let it get to me all that much, because sometimes it's just not worth the added stress and anxiety. Figure out a workaround instead. Figure out what really matters and put most of my energy into that instead of trying to keep a sinking boat afloat.

Mind you, I'm still happy that I'm not nearly as full of stress and anxiety as I was with the bank job, that's for sure. I'm just more aware of it when it does arise, and I just need to do my best to divert it when and where I can.

My store's Q4 officially started last Wednesday by my reckoning -- the day before Thanksgiving is always one of our busiest days in terms of sales and foot traffic. I should know, I lost count of how many people came up to me while I was doing dairy upstock, asking me "could you tell me what aisle (x) is in...?". It was A LOT. Black Friday, on the other hand, is always a ghost town, which kind of makes sense considering our customers will be feasting on leftovers for at least a few more days. It'll probably pick up again in the next few days. My only issue is that our upper management is comparing our recent sales to last years, which, y'know, makes sense as a guideline, but unfortunately some of them see a slight decrease (like say, our numbers lower by about 1000 dollars compared to this day last year) as a much bigger concern than they think it is. Head Boss and I have had a few conversations about this and yes, it is frustrating, but on the plus side we're doing a LOT better than they expected in several other metrics so I think we're safe for now.

And yet the Day Job continues on. I think I'm doing pretty well managing my energy and stress levels there these days. I've been making a very concerted effort lately NOT to fall prey to the "I'd better do it myself or it'll never get done" mindset that, while it can be a positive in certain situations, is extremely unhealthy when I start thinking that all the damn time. I can hand a job off to someone else so I don't have to worry about, say, running off to the two aisles where we have things locked up (certain hard liquor and general merchandise like detergents, baby food and health products, all of which were high-level theft items for us) when someone else can do it. And I might be a physically exhausted after some shifts are over, but I'm glad to say that the stress levels remain low. Only a few occasional irritating moments at most.

Now, if I can only get back in the habit of walking to/from work more often...!!

I have just heard from Lenovo's repair shop and they have (hopefully) fixed my PC and have sent it on its merry way back to me, with an expected arrival of 12/21. Yay, Christmas is saved! Year-end mixtape creation is saved! Plex server is saved! Huzzah!

For the record, I would not be surprised if it was a Microsoft update that got all wonky and crashed it. I'm not sure if they switched out the motherboard or managed to get it running again, but I'm thankful that the turnaround was quick and it wasn't anything too major. [If this crash happens in the future I will make one last attempt at opening it up in safe mode if it will let me. While I might not have the biggest PC knowledge out there, I at least know enough not to do anything stupid like deleting an extremely important bit of software.]

As for writing, I think I'm going to do another soft restart of Queen Ophelia's War. I say 'soft restart' because it won't be a complete revision but just starting over and replacing everything that I still have issues with with my original ideas that I think in retrospect work a lot better. I'm going to focus more on it in the new year. Also in 2024 I think I'll finally get started on my new project Sheila Take a Bow. I wrote an outtake this morning on 750Words just to see how it would work, and work it did! More on that one in the future...

And as for health, Something had me congested over the last couple of days and I think it's probably something at or near work. My store is right at the edge of a golf course, which means there's a good chance I get a pollen allergy every time they cut the grass or do any tree trimming up there. It goes away temporarily when I head into the break room (which is enclosed with no direct outside connection) and when I get home. It's just when I'm working the front end. A Sudafed last night seems to have helped a bit, and I'm hoping it won't return.


Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

It's been a relaxing week here, spending the time focusing writing catch-up and driving A up to Corte Madera on Friday for her booster shot, and seeing her parents for a quick lunch and shopping. (We spent yesterday just kicking around as A was tired and sore from the shot and I had a few things I wanted to finish up. And Sunday has pretty much become household errand day around these parts.) 

I have been thinking of what my next writing project (or projects?) may be, but at the moment I'm still keeping that open for now, so I can continue to focus on Queen Ophelia and Theadia. Still, it's always a good thing to let my mind wander a bit for that sort of thing. I do have a few very vague ideas but I'd really need to spend an afternoon or two to work them out into a workable outline to see if they're worth expanding on. I'll most likely do that in the next few weeks or so.

And I restarted my daily stretches and exercises again! Those didn't quite fall by the wayside so much as I was just busy and considered our few-days-a-week neighborhood walk as part of that. I figure now is a perfect time to start them up again, considering a) I'm not currently ailing with some weird back twinge of dubious origin, and b) I have the time and the mindset to do so. (I should probably keep a better watch on my diet as well, to be honest. I've been snacking and drinking too much soda lately.)

Not much planned for the week other than writing, job searches, and doing a double donation drop-off at Goodwill and the SF Public Library. Yay for clearing up Spare Oom floor! We have a goodly amount of things to get rid of and I'll be happy when I'm not climbing over it anymore.

Oh, and I'm on jury duty the week of the 18th. Fun! This will of course depend on whether they'll actually have it or delay it due to Covid reasons, but I don't even know which court house I need to go to! I'm hoping it's the one near City Hall, because the one in SoMa is a HUGE pain in the butt to get to and all its nearby parking lots aren't in the safest of areas. Either way, I'll need to do one of those call-ups the night before to know for sure.


Hope everyone has a lovely week!

Oh THANK GOODNESS my back is no longer hurting. It still gets sore if I lie in bed the wrong way (oddly enough, not on the side which hurts, but the opposite side, and it hurts because my arm rests because where the hell else is it gonna go...the excitement of being An Old...sigh). This does mean that I'll be able to return to my stretches without worrying that I'll twitch the wrong way and be writhing in pain on the floor.

And yeah, it's the end of the month which of course means Hey Let's Try to Start Next Month Off on A Positive Productive Note again. I say this pretty much in light humor, because I always have the best of intentions when the month starts. I don't always make it all the way to the end for one reason or another, but I've finally grown out of feeling guilty about that. At this point I'm just happy that I'm making the effort and that I'm moving in the right direction with the things I'm working on. The less I let myself sink into that particular mire the better, right?

So, *do* I have any plans for next month? I do! Some may end up being Best Laid Plans, but a lot of them are long-term plans and it's high time I set them in motion. The theme here is pretty much What Am I Waiting For? 

So. Let's get things started, shall we?

A is on vacation this coming week and of course we've already got our events planned out: museums, movies, walks and hikes! (Well, not so much a hike than a mosey around Muir Woods, which we haven't visited in a good few years.) And as always, we plan our events during the early part of the day, so we can spend the late afternoon into evening being lazy. (And so I can still squeeze in some daily writing work.) Then we'll be spending the following holiday weekend away from SF and its fireworky nonsense up north.

We've still been wearing our masks when we're out and about, mostly when we're near other people, but we've been okay with not having them on when the streets are sparse. Thankfully I don't think anyone in our neighborhood cares either way if we wear them, but we're more than happy to dish it out if someone starts anything with us, heh.

Meanwhile, last Monday I had a doctor's appointment, the first one in ages (at least 2-3 years, I think), just as a check up, and for the most part I'm still in good health, other than having typically high blood pressure, which they've given me meds for again. I may go in for blood tests later on because I haven't had that done in I don't know how long, plus a few other personal things to check up on. May as well before this ol' bag of bones decides to fall apart, yeah?

Not much else to report, other than that I've been busy writing and exercising and erranding a lot these last few days, which has kept me focused on the things I want and need to do. Which was my plan!

Oh! Speaking of writing, I was searching through some older files the other day and came across a piece of microfiction I have no memory at all of writing, but DAMN if it isn't submittable material. I think this was written during my final office days at the Former Day Job, when I was sneaking time writing my 750Words entries, and had forced myself to write something, anything, just to relieve the simmering irritation and anger. I'd have to look at the time stamp on it, but it seems to have been an idea out of nowhere that was most likely inspired by a weirdass dream I'd had that morning. Having read it again the other day, I feel like Paul McCartney when he wrote 'Yesterday' -- I'm absolutely convinced someone else wrote this and I just plagiarized them. Point being, though...it reads like nothing else I've written so I'm thinking I should ever so slightly revise it and submit it to a magazine somewhere, see what happens.


Hope everyone has a good week!

This past Thursday I had Dose Number One of the Moderna vaccine, which was a short drive north to Mill Valley. The jab itself was a bit painful but that (and the lingering soreness on my upper left arm) seemed to be the only bit of pain I felt once it started coursing through my body. I could tell about an hour afterwards that it was doing its job because I suddenly started feeling as if I'd had the crappiest night's sleep -- head a bit spinny, eyes slightly unfocused, but for the most part just feeling very tired. I was fine by the next day. Suffice to say I got zero work done that day.

Do I feel guilty about snagging an appointment outside of the city? Not really. It's me or someone else that gets it. It's really not about other people being luckier or unfair age limits or whatever...we're still at a point where the doses aren't as plentiful as they should be at this point. [Side note: f*** Tr*mp and his shitty-ass cabinet for dragging their asses.] The extra good news is that I'm automatically set up for Dose Number Two at the beginning of May -- same Bat time, same Bat channel. Woot!

Speaking of steps, we made up for our laziness and my wooziness by doing a LOT of walking over the last few days. About five miles' worth yesterday, walking down to Japantown for shopping and lunch, then about 3.75 miles today through the Lobos Creek walk and over to Clement for coffee and brunch. And now I'm doing laundry so I'm still moving despite not wanting to move anymore! Can't complain, though...I need this exercise considering I missed so much of it on previous days!

So what else...?

Getting close to the halfway point on the latest Diwa & Kaffi revision. Fixed a major important scene, which now reads SO much better. I think I have maybe one or two more scenes like that to fix, but other than that the rest is cosmetic. I'm hoping to have this done by early May, but the earlier the better. I need to get this out into the world ASAP!

Other than that, not too much else to report...hope everyone has a good week!

It's the end of the weekend, errands have been completed (for the most part) and A has started her final vacation week of the year. Do we have anything planned? Well, considering that our lovely state and city is currently under the Covid lockdown starting Monday, we weren't about to go on any trips. If anything, we'll be doing the usual: walking around the neighborhood, visiting the parks, sleeping in, and shopping local when needed. Which reminds me...we'll be doing our grocery shopping tomorrow, and we're banking on a) Monday morning not being all that busy, just like always, and b) the recent hoarders haven't bought up every little scrap whether they need it or not. Our shopping list isn't too long, but hopefully TJ's will have kept things under control.

As for Christmas shopping? I still need to do more. I feel like I haven't bought all that much for anyone at all, least of all A, so within the next day or so I'll be doing some final purchases and quick visits to local shops. We shall see.

Healthwise, we're doing just fine other than the occasional sniffliness from allergies or headaches from high humidity. We're avid fans of masks and social distancing, so we're good there.

Hopefully I should be able to sneak some words in this week! We shall see... 

Seriously, though.  I came to the realization that one of the reasons my neck has felt sore and stiff is because my posture has been ridiculously bad lately.  Slouching and craning my neck forward is not only putting strain on my back but on the base of my neck too.  It's not like I'm sitting that way because I can't see the screen -- my eyesight is just fine with glasses.  It's just a passive shlumpiness that I fall into when I'm not paying attention.  I'm getting older, and my joints ain't what they used to be, so maybe it's time that I SAT UP STRAIGHT like my mom and my teachers used to tell me.  I'll correct the posture every time I catch myself, but I've definitely been doing it too much lately.  Also, I think I'm sitting wrong here at Spare Oom when I'm working off this PC.  I'll sit sort of at a shallow angle from the monitor instead of straight on, so that would probably also explain why the crick in my neck is also only on the right side.  Gotta work on that as well.

Which got me thinking lately that maybe I should schedule myself for some mid-day stretches during the Day Job day.  A few times a day, getting up and stretching the arms and back and so on, just so I'm not sitting on my backside all day long.  I still remember all the stretches I used to do back in my Yankee Candle warehouse days, so I can start with those.  Also:  STOP SNACKING, DAMN IT.  I mean, a mid-morning piece of fruit or string cheese or something, fine.  But I certainly don't need to be snarfing down junk food during my writing sessions.  As much as I enjoyed that back in the Belfry days, I paid for it by getting quite overweight.  And I should cut down on the pop again, drink more water.  Much healthier.

Something to start scheduling, anyway!  I'm not looking to lose a crapton of weight (though I'd like to shrink this spare tire of mine that I've had for far too long), just to get healthier and less old-man-creaky. :)