Rantings, Ravings, and Ramblings

[Froud]

Yay! Belated congratulations! Good work!

 

[JCU]

Thank you, @Froud!

 

[TheLibrarian]

I like your new avatar.

 

[JCU]

Thanks, @TheLibrarian! I figured it was time for a change and my kitten just loves that position (the weirdo ).

 

[LizardFriend95]

Gorgeous venue!

 

[JCU]

• We are all in love, @LizardFriend95!
• Daily Exercise w EC
• Super glad I got that done before seeing Bee
• She worked me over. Well.
• I don't know if I'll be lifting weights tomorrow
• My shoulders were a mess, apparently
• She reached in and  squeezed my Terry's minor until everything around my scapula released
• Great for those muscles!
• Ouch for my poor Terry's minor!
• (The Terry's major and minor attach to the scapula and are what allow you to lift your hand to the ceiling. Which hurts to do right now. Ouch.)
• She also worked all around my shoulders, arms, and chest
• They aren't quite up to lifting things
• We'll see tomorrow!
• She also drained my sinuses and that mucus block is gone!!
• Lymph nodes are amazing...
• Something is broken in* the furnace
• *in? around? connected to?
• It has to do with airflow from the furnace to the first floor
• It's being fixed tomorrow, and in the meantime we have a fireplace
• That raised the temperature 6 degrees in about 6 hours
• 
• Good: Bee!
• Happy: seeing Theo was the best! I got hugs and kisses!

 

[NancyTree]

Good luck with the heat, hopefully it's easily solved

Gorgeous venue!

Second that!

 

[JCU]

• Thank you, @NancyTree!
• Daily Exercise w EC
• My day started with my alarm refusing to turn off (and increasing volume)
• It has continued into the one person in this world I 100% wish would drop dead in my home
• My desire to do literally anything has vanished
• But! I pushed through with the plank crunches
• The furnace is being fixed as I type this
• It's apparently the circulating pump (the bearings are shot, according to my father)
• Not too difficult, but definitely time consuming
• I set the thermostat on the fireplace remote and it's kept the family and dining rooms incredibly temperate
• (We still have heat upstairs, so sleeping isn't a problem thankfully)
• I honestly thought I'd just take the day as complete shit when I got an unexpected email from an old friend
• On today of all days...
• And Nobu came to see me when I woke up, so I got cuddles this morning
• Little things
• Good: renewed contact with my friend
• Happy: check back tomorrow

 

[JCU]

• Basics Yesterday and Today
• I'm back!
• I had too much sleep and caffeine and pushed through!
• It's actually been a pleasantly quiet day
• Had a strange dream that has been percolating in my head all day
• Will anything come of it?
• 
• Still a pretty fun thought exercise!
• Other things happened, but I'm not remembering them now...
• Perfect reminder to write these earlier!
• Good: entertaining thoughts
• Happy: silly kittens!

 

[JCU]

• Basics
• Almost didn't get to this!
• Fell asleep when I was planning on exercising
• Pushed through after that, though!
• The fam spent a sleepy afternoon in front of the fire
• Wonderful way to spend a day off!
• Mom got tired of confusing the kittens and wrangled a collar around Nox
• He was not happy
• I found it on the stairs a few hours later
• Back to occasional confusion!
• Nobu was using my ankle as a pillow last night
• It was particularly lovely
• Good: quiet family day
• Happy: Nobu has taken to following me into the kitchen and demanding attention; it's wonderful!

 

[JCU]

• Basics
• My mother is reading "dad" jokes
• Save me
• Woke to a text from my sister wondering how we are after the earthquake
• ???
• Turns out West Seneca had a 3.8 earthquake this morning
• I slept through it
• Wish Turkey and Syria could do the same
• My brats stole my drain cover again
• Mom and Dad helped me look (with flashlights!)
• Didn't find it
• It is going to turn up in the strangest place...
• I'm going to double up a day soon to make sure everything matches with the month
• 28 day months can be a bit challenging
• If my body could decide it's had enough sleep, that'd be lovely
• 9 hours last night and an hour this afternoon?
• What happened to needing 7?
• Good: everything seems to be okay around here
• Happy: kittens were playing earlier and it was hysterical!

 

[JCU]

• Basics
• Warrior abs is caught up
• Because of stress, Push Pull Legs is 2 days ahead
• If I had been paying attention, I would have remembered it's a 28 day program
• Now it's 26 days!
• The furnace is fully fixed!
• Without remembering the technical terms, one part was working like a human with a blocked artery
• That's all fixed!
• It only took 5 hours and I only allowed myself to feel stress for 3 of them
• I will hopefully not be seeing my most reviled person for another 20 months
• (Please, please, please be only at my sister's wedding. Please.)
• Mom bought new collars and managed to catch the kittens
• They're actually holding for now!
• The kittens are disgusted
• (She was smart enough to get different patterns, so we can tell them apart)
• Unfortunate news: my left elbow is experiencing severe tendonitis
• Hopefully the gun can help!
• Good: pushed through with the exercises
• Happy: Nobu has been joining me as I go to sleep!

 

[BetaCorvi]

Oh no! Hope the tendonitis eases up soon!

 

[BlackButler]

 

[NancyTree]

Healing vibes for your tendonitis!

 

[LizardFriend95]

Healing vibes!

I hope you don’t have to see the person again until the wedding. I totally misread the first mention and thought you were wanting the alarm clock to drop dead.

 

[JCU]

• Great to see you again, @BlackButler!
• Thank you, @NancyTree, @LizardFriend95!
• I don't hate my alarms enough to want them dead, @LizardFriend95, but that's a funny misread!
• Basics
• My mind has been all over the place today
• I've been remembering my dreams more this week, which has several stories playing in my head
• If my subconscious could keep to one story, I'd love it!
• (Last night's was just weird; it involved a car ride off a road onto the top of buildings and a random greenhouse (car and us were fine), and progressed to our old house and a party with Tyler, Bee, and Theo)
• (But I got dream puppy kisses, so it was pleasant!)
• Nox lost his collar last night, but Nobu is wearing his still!
• Nox also surprised me last night
• Excuse my enthusiasm
• 
  [*]NOX HAS BEEN THE ONE SLEEPING ON THE END OF MY BED! THE ONE PUTTING A PAW ON MY FOOT! THE ONE CURLING UP WITH ME!
  [*]!!!
  [*]
• Ahem
• I've been incredibly happy since last night
• Good: surprise pizza for supper!
• Happy: Nox! So happy!

 

[Fitato]

Dream puppy kisses sound amazing! Nox sounds like an adorable little fella

 

[JCU]

It's the first dream of a dog I've had since Liam passed, @Fitato, so the fact that there were kisses is especially lovely!

Nox is skittish with me; I can't even walk up to him and offer a hand, he runs away. He's getting much better with Mom and Dad, but for some reason he bolts when I get near. So the sleeping situation is beyond amazing!

(He is adorable. An adorable pain, but that's why we love cats!)

 

[Fitato]

I'm sure Liam would be happy to see you getting joy from that dream!

Nox is warming up to you

 

[JCU]

• Basics
• Slight edit to my last post:
• I had several sad dreams including Liam just after he passed
• I attributed much of Nox's behavior to Nobu
• He's much more social than I thought!
• My elbow is better!
• Not painless, but I'll take it!
• So, of course, my back is out again
• I'm going to have Tyler use his knee as leverage from now on...
• The fam went out to lunch and I had a few hours to myself this afternoon
• Didn't know how much I needed that!
• Good & Happy:
• (Please excuse my enthusiasm)
• DYLAN HOLLIS HAS A COOKBOOK! COMING IN JULY! I JUST PREORDERED!
• (Did I scare my dad with my squealing? Ha!)

 

[LizardFriend95]

Maybe try just offering the hand to Nox but not walking up to him? My cat, Bunny, loves her attention and is very comfortable around me, but sometimes even I can’t walk up to her without her scooting away. She’s kind of like me and not much of a people person .

But it does sound like he is getting more comfortable around you. Enjoy those kitten snuggles!

 

[JCU]

Nox is just incredibly contrary, @LizardFriend95! He will come up to Mom in the family room and half the time she can pet, the other half he looks outraged. Offering a hand works for no one.

He gets the attention he wants, and that's what's important! (Very like me, I agree!)

 

[LizardFriend95]

That sounds similar to Bunny, but she doesn’t really look outraged. She just prefers to make the first move.

He gets the attention he wants, and that's what's important!

That’s all that matters!

 

[JCU]

• Basics
• Today was a perfect reminder that I need proper foot support when my back is out
• Ouch
• It's out in the sacrum, which always sucks because I can forget about it
• Until I make supper
• And then I remember
• Nox today, in the space of about an hour:
• Mom comes home; Nox jumps up to get attention
• I take a step in his direction and he starts shifting to get away
• I just had to laugh
• He also only explored a book next to me when I closed my eyes
• This kitten literally lives by the 'if you can't see me, I'm invisible' mentality
• (He's an unparalleled delight)
• Dylan was on live again last night
• That's 3 days in a row
• What a time to be alive!
• Good: made supper
• Happy: Dylan makes me smile every time

 

[JCU]

• Basics
• Today has been emotionally draining for no reason
• Life, courtesy of depression
• Yay
• I did crack my back earlier!
• I think it's out again, but if I can get it once, I can do it again!
• I will be seeing Tyler  and the Es on Thursday
• So I just need to remember that
• Trying to figure out my next donation is getting frustrating
• I'm hoping to fit it in this week, otherwise it'll probably be the 25th
• Not the happiest thought!
• Good: exercised
• Happy: Nobu gave me a big hug. It was very warm!

 

[Fitato]

I'm hurling sparks of positivity your way. It's inspiring that you are still exercising and seeing positives in life even when the depression is acting up!

 

[JCU]

• Thank you, @Fitato! The sparks seemed to work!
• Basics
• That was a disappointing superbowl
• But otherwise it was a nice quiet day!
• Dad was petting and playing with Nox
• So I'm the only one he doesn't like...
• Okay. This is okay. I'm okay with this.
• (I'M NOT OKAY WITH THIS! )
• I still have Nobu
• Who half flopped on his side, realized he was too far away and dragged his lower half to get to me
• Instead of just... standing up
• This kitten!
• I woke up early this morning and managed to stay awake!
• It only took 3 times the caffeine I usually drink!
• (None. I usually drink none.)
• Good: good day!
• Happy: Mom cleaned her sock drawer. The kittens found the pile before she could dispose of it. Adorable!

 

[JCU]

• Basics
• Overslept 8 alarms
• That's... impressive?
• Watched the new History show, History's Greatest Heists
• Good so far!
• Kittens have been quiet
• Casper has not
• Nothing comes to mind, so it wasn't a bad day!
• Good: exercised
• Happy: 3 more days until the Es!

 

[JCU]

• Basics
• Forgot I was out of melatonin, so took a benadryl last night
• Bad decision
• I fell asleep, yes, but the dragging today?
• Definitely bought more melatonin this afternoon!
• Went to lunch with my dad and brother
• That was very pleasant
• Celebrated brother's birthday with homemade pizza
• The dough was fussy, but it came out edible!
• We have 3 cats
• 1 was definitely on my bed (noticable footsteps)
• What did I find on my wall after my shower?
• A spider!
• It honestly looks like one of the cats walked up to the spider and then walked away!
• Felines!
• I had to deal with it!
• Harrumph
• In funnier news: Nobu managed to escape his collar
• He was pressing up to me as I scratched his neck
• So soft and sweet!
• Good: lunch
• Happy: Nobu!

Happy Valentine's Day, Bees!

 

[JCU]

• Basics
• Melatonin did its job!
• I even woke up early!
• Good start allowed me a good day
• Nox was on my bed last night!
• He might have moved when I settled, but I didn't look
• The illusion kept me happy as I fell asleep
• Tyler  and the Es tomorrow!!
• I really need to set up a video chat with my sister once a week...
• Good: good day!
• Happy: Bees, I just watched this and it brought me to literal tears. I was so loud my dad insisted he see it. He was almost in tears, too. Watch it. You will not be disappointed!

 

[JCU]

• Basics
• What a day!
• Saw Tyler and Theo
• (Puppy kisses!)
• Learned my brother has celiac
• (Something else that thankfully runs in (step) dad's side of the family)
• Started the shower on Nobu when he wouldn't leave the tub
• (Hysterical)
• Kitten did forgive me, though!
• Saw the Es and had a lovely supper
• And!
• Bought SiX tickets!!
• They're in the exact same row as the Nutcracker seats were, so not too bad!
• Mom surprised me by wanting to join us
• It would have been fun with just Dad and me, but Mom should enjoy it, too
• 2 more months!
• Good: productive day
• Happy: everything* today!
• *My brother has had a myriad of health issues and the celiac diagnosis answers almost all of them. Good news!

 

[JCU]

• Basics
• Quiet house!
• Mom and Dad are overnighting at a local hotel for their 33rd First Date Anniversary
• My brother gifted me many little goodies he has to give up before heading to a cousin's
• So I have yummies AND an empty house!
• (The kittens are usually very social; I think M&D being gone has confused them. Fingers crossed they don't spaz tonight!)
• Made vodka sauce for supper
•  So yummy!
• (I may have eaten too much...)
• Last time I had to grate cheese, I said I'd use the food processor the next time
• Today was the next time
• Did I remember that?
• Nope
• Glad today wasn't an arm day!
• I brought home a piece of Lemon Italian Cream Cake yesterday
• I ate it yesterday
• (Very good!)
• Now I want more...
• Good: made supper
• Happy: eating by myself in a quiet house, unbothered by cats

 

[BrigidForged]

Seems like you had a great day!

 

[JCU]

• Basics
• Good day and evening, @Nanna Io
• Not so great night, unfortunately
• It was my first night alone without Liam and that loss of protection was keenly felt
• I kept the paranoia to a minimum
• Until...
• Oh, Bees
• Either the lights have a glitch or there really is a ghost in this house
• I forgot to feed the felines so they would let me sleep in
• The outer hall light I left on for my brother was off
• (That I knew was on when I went upstairs because I saw the light. I did not forget turning it off!)
• I texted him to see if I missed him coming home
• No response
• Called
• Immediately to machine
• Texted again
• No response
• Instead of rising to hysteria, I allowed the melatonin to work
• The kittens weren't acting strange
• I did eventually manage to fall asleep
• And I woke when my brother did finally come home
• (His phone automatically turns to Do Not Disturb after 1 to help him sleep. It was after 1 when I really needed reassurance.)
• So. Glitch or ghost?
• (I did not need that last night.)
• The kittens showed signs of life after midnight but were not crazy
• It could have been much worse!
• And Mom and Dad had a good time
• Tonight I will be going to bed early
• Good: kept myself calm(ish)
• Happy: look at him. He's so precious!

 

[Anek]

 

[LizardFriend95]

[*]We have 3 cats
[*]1 was definitely on my bed (noticable footsteps)
[*]What did I find on my wall after my shower?
[*]A spider!
[*]It honestly looks like one of the cats walked up to the spider and then walked away!
[*]Felines!
[*]I had to deal with it!
[*]Harrumph

I hate when my cats literally have just ONE JOB and they refuse to do it! What’s the point of mini-hunters if they don't hunt?

That Lemon Italian Cream Cake sounds delicious!

Hopefully, if it is a ghost, it's a good one. I swear I've heard light switches at night but no lights come on or off. Or what sounds like doors opening and closing when you know everyone else is asleep. My animals never seem to react to that, so I guess good news?

Such a precious kitty!

 

[JCU]

@Anek

Right, @LizardFriend95? You are a predator! Hunt prey!

(I'd put money on Nobu. This is the kitten who ignores windows his brother is staring out of and walks away from tuna. )

Fluffy cake, sweet mascarpone filling, LEMON flavoring? SO GOOD!

My brother swears he's seen a shadowy head peek around his curtained doorway before. I call exhaustion hysteria. There's never been any indication that there's a ghost, it's just a not scary option. (As opposed to a human breaking in...)

Nox is just as gorgeous, he just doesn't sit on my lap for pretty pictures.

 

[JCU]

• Basics
• Went to a local restaurant for lunch that we've never had to think about gluten free before
• Plenty of things for my brother, thankfully!
• Nobu curled up with me last night
• A loose butterfly pose allows him to both curl and stretch
• Since I fell asleep on the couch, I ended up holding that position for about 3 hours
• Constant pressure, even soft pressure, can leave heels feeling strange
• Here's hoping I don't sleep on the couch tonight!
• Mom collared the kittens again
• I feel like keeping track of how long they'll last this time
• Good: quiet day
• Happy: Nobu loves some strange positions! And I don't know which kitten was bothering Casper!

 

[BrigidForged]

Oh my! Look how big those kittens have become already!

 

[JCU]

• And they're only 9 months, @Nanna Io!
• Basics
• It's Pączki season
• Send help
• (Why do our ethnic desserts taste so much better?)
• I've put off buying new shoes long enough
• But I love the look of these!
• I  may have found them on Amazon, but I need to find out my shoe size
• (Fun...)
• I did not fall sleep on the couch!
• I almost did, but woke myself up!
• (The awkward position certainly helped there...)
• But Nobu was with me again! How could I move?

• What heartless person could stop this precious baby??
• (My foot! As a pillow!! The claw holding me still!!!)
• Ahem
• Good: left the house!
• Happy: this silly kitten...

 

[NancyTree]

I love the kitty pictures

 

[JCU]

• I'm glad, @NancyTree! I have... so many...
• Basics
• Changed my alarm setup and am now using less snoozes!
• Will it last long?
• According to the internet, my shoe size should be half a size smaller than I usually wear
• 
  
• I'm going to the store on Thursday
• My parents are going back to Scotland in October!
• I'll have the house to myself without a dog!
• How will the kittens react, I wonder?
• How will Casper, come to think of it?
• My brother just started a new job
• (Today, actually, a sales associate in a bank)
• If it lasts (which it should), he'll be here almost every night
• Non-canine security!
• On April 27th, I will be seeing Bee and Tyler and SiX!
• !!!
• Calming breaths!
• Good: remembered to schedule an appointment
• Happy: future plans I'm excited about!

 

[BrigidForged]

 

[JCU]

• @Nanna Io
• Basics
• I was on track today!
• It's been a struggle to get up and do things lately, but today I succeeded!
• Nobu is learning that if he moves around the cat tree a certain way, he falls to the bottom level
• Watching him learn this is hysterical
• Mind, he's fallen off the other way, too
• He knocks the table lamp down when that happens
• Silly kitten...
• Dad put a cat bed next to the fireplace
• We need to get one for the other side
• Casper was very put out that Nobu was in it earlier
• Amazon Prime Music: like songs so we know to play them more!
• "Your Likes Playlist": here are a bunch of songs we've not played in weeks!
• At least it's music I want to listen to...
• Good: did the things I said I'd do
• Happy: Nobu was cuddling with me in the middle of the day

 

[Fitato]

Congrats on doing some stuff today

Pooy Casper! Hope he got his turn later lol

 

[JCU]

Thank you, @Fitato!

Casper did get the bed! Nobu got too warm and cooled off on the wood floor (first time we've seen that!) and Casper slid in!

 

[LizardFriend95]

Did Casper try to run Nobu out of the bed or lay on him? Or did he just give him dirty looks?

 

[JCU]

Casper is very cautious around the kittens, @LizardFriend95. He growls and spits if they come near him when he's comfy, but will stay back if they are. So when Nobu got up, he slinked his way over and curled up.

He's also the cat who will hiss if a kitten dares walk near him, but will turn around and pounce if one is sitting calmly.

He just doesn't know how to deal with them. I'm hoping when they're fully grown things will settle.

 

[JCU]

• Basics
• Bought new shoes!
• They are almost identical to my old pair, despite being a different brand
• And, if shoe brands could have equal sizes? That'd be swell
• (There's a full size difference between shoes, yet they fit the same way?)
• I just need to replace the liners with memory foam
• The old pair had that built in
• The ice hit us over night and we lost power a few times
• It's been back all day, thankfully
• The trees are gorgeous, though
• Nobu tried to help me make my bed this morning
• I also disparaged his hunting abilities a few days ago
• I'm sorry, kitten!
• (He was making circles on top of, under, and around the couch. He was chasing a moth. And getting caught in the curtains. Our poor, poor curtains...)
• Good: bought new shoes
• Happy: lovely new shoes!
• The tree in front of my house; the ice is so heavy the branches were hitting the top of the car