Go away, June; bring back May

You know when you look at a calendar and you think, "How the hell can it be [this month] already?" I'm there, you guys. The fact that June starts tomorrow, the sixth month of the year already, is enough to have me kinda freaking out about how little I've gotten done so far this year. I couldn't begin to list out for you what I wanted to get done so far this year, but I do know that it's more than what I feel like I've marked off my tally sheet for 2018.
So, here I am, trying to come up with a To-Do List for June. And trying even harder to motivate myself to get it done. Vagueness alert: I know the one thing that I do want to get done, and that's my main motivation block. I don't even know what's slowing me down with it.
Other things include cleaning out Sydney's room; situating the garden so I'm happy with it and not wanting to change anything for a while; cleaning out closets and cabinets; doing that one puzzle with the white edges; maybe lose a couple pounds; and read a few books. I can't think of anything else right now.
Maybe I'll just write out my list and post it somewhere that bugs me in its obviousness throughout the day. Why do I find June to be disheartening? *sigh*

Today's Priority: Renew library card

I'm pretty excited to say that my library card is expiring at the end of June, and I'm nervous enough about forgetting that I'm getting it renewed today.
The library has become my sanity, my lifeline, and I'm all in.
I currently have five books checked out. One will be returned today; one will be started today because I don't have much time to read it before it's due and there's no renewal on it; and three that are awaiting their turn on the top of the to-be-read pile.
I think I've already read on of those three, though, and another of them is the sequel to that first one, but I'm not sure. So I guess I'm ecstatic to point out that I've been reading so much these last three years that I can't keep straight what I've read anymore. ... Wait. Hold on. I keep track of what I've read right there on the left. I'll check that out when I'm done writing this. ...
But, truth be told, I'm in love with my library, and I don't know what I'd do without its awesomeness. Hence, the immediate need to renew the library card.

I may have finished the succulent garden, though

I've become quite attached to growing things in pots lately. I think of something cool to grow, I buy it and put it in a pot. Sometimes I am successful. Sometimes, I am not. I've learned that growing berries in the desert requires way more than I am capable of giving. Beyond the berries, I've really been amazingly good at what I've chosen to garden.
A couple weeks ago, I saw a cool, hanging succulent in the planter outside my AJs. I plucked a sprig of it, and it's rooted and grown nicely in a pot by my garden window. I've wanted more from the plant though, so I decided I needed a couple more sprigs to root and grow, to turn the little succulent into a sizable succulent for outdoors, perhaps. I managed to break off a couple pieces of the same succulent this afternoon.
Mom and I figure it'll be better for the new little guys if they're planted in a small pot, as well, and babied and nurtured in the garden window, too, to ensure that they'll have a safe and happy childhood. I actually do have a empty pot for them both, and I'm looking forward to planting them in the morning.

And I also repotted one of my artichoke plants this weekend, and it seems to be super pleased with its new pot and placement in the yard so far. My cousin Rosemary posted a picture of her 3-year-old artichoke plant which was finally bearing artichokes for her, so I was motivated to treat my plant to a better living environment. I have a second artichoke plant that I need to repot, as well. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow afternoon.
I have quite a garden growing in my backyard and on my patio, and I'm very much in love with it. What's next?

Ikea credit card? Get in my wallet!

I just saw a thing on Facebook about Ikea offering a special credit card. An Ikea card, and I can think of only one thing better. An Ikea credit card that I don't have to pay off at all. I haven't been to Ikea in a while, and I miss it. And I'd love to shop, shop, shop and not have to pay for it, too. That's an Ikea card I can get behind, for sure.
What would I get at Ikea? Excellent question! Let's see what I can remember what I want...
I want the gray "mid-century" arm chair for my living room. I think it'll look cool, and then I can move the brown chair upstairs and it'll go with the pink ottoman, and then I just need a loveseat in my living room, but not an Ikea loveseat.
I need a couple more plant pots for inside. I love my pink and the green, but the regular terra cotta dries out too quickly, so I need to replace it.
I'd like to have another one of those rolling carts, for plants maybe, or other random things. In fact, I'm having an idea right now that I'll have to implement with the rolling cart upstairs and the gaming station up there. My loft is bugging me right now, and I want to fix it; it's not working out for me.
Huh. Now my brain is going in a bunch of different directions, and is straying from the Ikea train of thought.

Topics trending on Twitter today

ITEM!: A trending topic on Twitter today was something along the lines of What Would You Do on A Day Without Consequences. I forget the exact hashtag, or I'd have used it, but my paraphrase is pretty spot on. Because really, what would you do if everything that you did on a particular day was free of any consequences? It's almost Purge-like, that question, because probably most people would do something illegal, like rob a bank, drag race on the freeway and whatnot. I'd need time and space to think about it, for sure. And it's not anything that I'd pencil out right now. So, that was a bad story.
ITEM!: Another trending topic right now is the NFL, and it's totally unconstitutional rule about penalizing teams for players kneeling during the National Anthem. I am, obviously, very against this particular rule. I can't believe how deliberately obtuse the NFL owners are being in regards to this. And I would hope, hope, hope that Robert Kraft is among the guys who say, "Fine; kneel, and we'll eat those 15 yards so you can express your rights." But he's probably not, and I'm super disappointed in the League. They're catering to the wrong demographic here, and will be on the wrong side of history when this whole shit show gets figured out. But blocking and penalizing someone for expressing their First Amendment right is a really bad idea.

ITEM!: And I saved the best for last. Today is World Turtle Day. And true to its best form, Twitter is awash in images of awesome turtles doing awesomely turtle-ish things.

I mean, come on. He's pretty amazing

The television show Once Upon a Time broadcast its final episode on Friday night. I don't watch the show anymore, but I recorded it anyway, just so I can see what's up with the hot Captain Hook.
I think I stopped watching after season four, maybe? I don't really remember. But what I did remember was how much of a TV Boyfriend Captain Hook was.
So, I watched the episode, fast forwarding through the stuff I didn't care to see. Needless to say, I was pretty lost on a lot of it. Characters that I had watched had been gone but returned somehow. Captain Hook had a doppelganger that they called a detective; I don't know what that was about. I knew through my reading that Emma had left the show, but now I understand how they managed to keep the Captain Hook actor on the show. Doppelgangers are a fantastic plot device sometimes.
Anyway, watching the episode put me in the mood to check out scenes from previous episodes, and from there I tumbled down a YouTube precipice and into a video montage canyon of Captain Hook and Emma. I won't lie to you, I'm still crushing on Captain Hook.
I know I've mentioned it before, but hot, dashing pirate captain is definitely my go-to fantasy man. And this particular Captain Hook fits the bill almost perfectly, with his dark eyes, swarthy features, oh-my-god accent and all the goodness that comes along with being a pirate captain.
So, also needless to say, I've had Captain Hook dancing around in my head all day today, and I can't stop picturing scenes from the show, and yes, I'll probably go on a binge and watch the whole show now that it's done.
Pirate captains are hot, you guys, and he's all up in my imagination today. And I'm fine with that.

Talking wrist splints in the Danger Zone

I'm a little concerned about getting used to blogging at work. You know, when I was working in Boston, I posted every blog entry from work. But I had substantially more privacy there. Here, I barely have any walls around my cubicle, and there's no way to keep anyone from just eyeballing my computer screen at any moment. I'm writing in the Danger Zone.
Don't worry though, I'm covering my tracks. I feel like the best thing ever is the ability to clear a history. I don't even know what I want to write about. Just the act of typing something is enough for me right now.
Update on the carpal tunnel issues? Sure, I guess. I've managed to figure out the best way to handle my wrist issues, as of now, and it's not too bad. I posted a pic of my sexy wrist support/splint on Facebook, and got a bunch of ideas from my friends who I didn't know also are suffering from wrist pain. JJ had a good suggestion to mouse around with my non-dominant hand. And that worked for a couple days before I got frustrated with how slow I was at mousing anything with that left hand. Chris suggested a different keyboard, but for me, someone who doesn't type "properly," an ergonomic keyboard would be the death of my speed and production. JJ sent me a pic of wrist stretches too, which I've printed out and do on the hour while I'm at work.
I've also discovered that if I move my mousepad and mouse up farther onto my desk, so my forearm can rest on my desk closer to my elbow, everything is more comfortable. As well, I'm finding that it's better to use my middle and ring fingers on the mouse, as my index finger feels stretched out and like there's a tendon sprain or something.
I'm wearing the splint in the afternoons and at night when I'm at home. Cheryl tells me I should wear it in bed at night, too, but I don't like doing that. I don't want to bonk myself or my dogs in the head with it when sleeping.
But, with the introduction of all those things, I can tell you that I am no longer having pain at work or at home. I feel very awkward wearing this splint thing, but I think it's working as it should be, and the other changes I've made have worked out. So, success!

We need a plumber at work, STAT

There's a methane leak or something gross going on in the ladies room at my work. The restrooms are outside the office, and in the lobby. It's a nice walk to head out there and go potty. But lately... lately ...
It's been kinda scary. There's a terrible smell emanating from the drain in the floor of the restroom. It's a sewage/stinky/gross smell. And it's pungent. Cheryl swears that she smells like it at the end of the day. It's one of those gassy smells that makes you hurry in and out of the bathroom for fear of passing out from the noxious fumes. I swear, I'm usually a take-your-time-away-from-the-desk girl, but this is making me hustle in and out.
And it's been like this for about a week.
On Monday, it was worse. I stopped into my boss's office to ask her if she'd been in the restroom yet that day. She had, but didn't think it was too bad. I said, "Well, I think it's worse than it was on Friday." She said she'd send another email (I guess she sent one last week. I don't think I've ever had a boss so loathe to do some simple things to make the working environment better).
Yesterday, nothing.
This morning, still nothing, but Cheryl made me go to the bathroom upstairs. Which is better because it's steps and that's exercise. Also, it smells better in there. But, it's also super colder in there than anywhere else in the building.
This afternoon though, there is activity afoot in the restroom. Banging and pipe noises, and the door is being held open. I am optimistic.
Because I drink a lot of water and iced tea and I pee a lot.

Dude. It's not hard. Just pay attention

I have discovered a new pet peeve in my life, and it is the guy who doesn't listen for his number to be called at AJs in the morning. AJs is an awesome, specialty grocery store in Arizona, and it is wonderful. In particular, the AJs bakery counter is magnificent, all chockablock with cakes, pies, cookies, bakery goods and cheesecake. Also, the counter fronts a truly inspirational selection of flavored iced teas. My drink of choice is the pineapple iced tea. A fresh one is $1.60. If you remember to bring a used cup and top, the cost is a mere $0.75, which is delightful.
AJs is busy in the morning, as you could imagine. People want their bagels, muffins, coffees and cookies to get the day started. I want my pineapple iced tea. That's all I get, and I'm quick about it. As I said though, it's busy. You always, always have to take a number. You pay attention, too, because they won't linger on your number if you don't respond when it's called. There are a lot of people waiting, for sure.
This morning brought forth an example of the pet peeve: "Douchebag who doesn't listen for his number." I was number 35. The counterperson called out 33, and a guy standing to the side with a few of his friends was quick to hold his hand up and move closer to the counter to order. The next counterperson called out a number. "34!" No answer. "34!" And a third time, "34!" They always call out a number three times. "Okay; 35?"
I was, per my habit, right there with my cup and my number ticket. While my tea was being prepared, the call went out for 36. And as 37 is being called, a douchey guy who was with the guy who heard his number of 33 being called, ambles up to the counter and is all, "Hey, I'm 34." She's all, "I'm sorry?" "I'm 34; I got skipped." Um, no dude. You did not get skipped. You were too busy having your very important douchey dude conversation, and thought that the world should stop and wait for you to take the time to roll up to the counter at your leisure.
I happened to be on the phone with Mom when this happened, and she got to hear my exact response, which is almost verbatim of what you just read. I mumbled it, of course, because his response wasn't terribly rude to the bakery workers, nor was it loud and obnoxious. I label him douchey because he couldn't just pay attention to his surroundings, and then he acted all put upon because the girls didn't scream loud enough or make a big enough deal because he didn't happen to be right there.
Anyway, new pet peeve.

I also won't have to share with other moms

I doubt I'll have much of a chance to blog this weekend, as I'm heading out to California for a couple days. In fact, I'll bet on me not blogging at all.
Sunday is, of course, Mother's Day. I'll miss a majority of the day with Sydney and Brian, but I'll be spending the day with my own mom, so that'll be pretty awesome. Apparently, in a twist that I hadn't even thought of but Mom realized, this will be the first Mother's Day I'm spending with my mom in 11 years. So that's cool. And because of that, the entire day will be all about my mom. We've played around with a couple ideas for food and activities, but our options are open and I figure we'll spend some time  considering all of them.
But my Mother's Day, as I announced to Brian tonight, will be next Sunday. It can't be Saturday because he's working that day, but on Sunday, the day will be mine, and the family will bend to my whims and wants. First order of the day, Deadpool 2. (So the first thing I do that day will be something without my child, but I think she'll be tired that morning anyway and will be fine hanging out at home.) Then lunch, of course, because that's my favorite meal. And then I don't know. I'll have to think about it some. I am drunk with Mother's Day power, and the world is my maternal oyster!

"Go out, children, get a better job elsewhere!"

My workplace is odd, in that none of us get paid what we deserve and we all stay anyway. I mean, I'm there because the place is mere minutes from my house, keeps my brain somewhat engaged, and gives me some money. I know I could do better, but this particular arrangement is convenient to me right now. But for some of my coworkers, I seriously want to scream and shove them out the door. As an elder statesperson in this business, I know how things work in normal companies. This place is not that.
I know one coworker makes minimum wage. That's $10 an hour. That person should be getting more. I found out another is getting only $12 an hour. I don't think I've ever worked at a company where competent, educated employees received less than $15 an hour (which is what I'm getting as a part-time employee). Of course, these are kids. They're relatively fresh to the game, so I can see where they'd get less than an experienced contributor, but really, less than $15 for anyone at that office is an insult and should be an embarrassment to my boss.
I mean, we don't get yearly raises. I'm making now what I was offered when I started full-time two and a half years ago. We don't have annual reviews, which is PERFECTLY FINE BECAUSE I HATE THOSE DAMN REVIEWS. But with an anniversary typically comes a bump in pay. Not here.
One of my coworkers left a couple months ago for a new job that gave her a huge raise and reduced her responsibility and commute. She's a smart kid with an eye for detail and is efficient as hell. I told her, "Get out of here because you can do better because there is better out there." I want that for all the kids in this office. They deserve the better that is out there. I can't really be screaming that from the cubicle, though, so I'll just say it here.
I deserve it, too. I know that. But like I said, this place serves my purposes for now.

Sexy wrist support brace coming my way

I'm writing to you from work right now. Don't tattle on me.
My coworker, Cheryl, also has wrist pain and whatnot. She wears a wrist brace most days, so I asked her about it this morning. She said that the brace itself, when worn properly, can reverse a lot of the painful effects of the carpal tunnel (if that is what I'm grappling with). She said that both she and her friend have experienced the reversal of wrist and hand pain by doing this.
So, rather than just jump right into the surgery conversation that Brian and I had last night, I went ahead and ordered the brace she wears. With the minimal cost of the $15, if that can help my wrist not hurt anymore, would be incredibly worth it, right?
So, Amazon says it'll be at my front door next Tuesday, and I'm getting pretty excited. My goodness, if it just takes away the pain while I'm at work, I'll be a happy camper.

I'm gonna go drink my tea

I'm yawning, super sleepy, there's only like 40 pages left in the book I'm reading, and there's a fresh cup of tea waiting for me in the other room. And I'm sitting here waiting for inspiration.
This is frustrating. Hark, a haiku:

Going home Friday.
Just Mom and I hanging out,
and dealing with stuff.

A hot, cramping tennis shoe in vomit?

VOMIT: I stepped in a cold, but not dry, puddle of dog vomit on the loft area rug this evening, and it was super, super gross. I was on the phone when it happened, and I'm pretty proud of myself for not screaming and jumping around at the moment. I just processed, inwardly freaked out about the squish feeling, and then hobbled over to the closet for a washcloth to clean off my foot. Then I took the rug downstairs for washing. And it's now been four hours maybe and I can still feel that squish. Pretty nasty.CRAMPING: I'm starting to think that I really need to get my hand and wrist looked at. I've got the ergonomic mouses that I talked about, but my fingers are still cramping up when I'm mousing, typing and writing. Most of the pain comes from the mousing, though I'll tell you that right now, the cramping is impeding the speed of my typing for the first time ever. I'm not a fan of that at all.
SUMMER HEAT: It wasn't as bad today as it was yesterday, and there are a few below-100 days coming up in the forecast, but as of now, the days of open windows at night are basically over. I might as well lock up the damn things with a time lock, since they won't be open again until October. I hate this time of year because I know that the heat is coming, and that it will last a while, but there's nothing to enjoy right now as the calm before the storm.
TENNIS: I tried it a couple times, because Howie wanted Mom and I to know how to play. But I was terrible, and I didn't like running across the court, so I stopped. My avatar looks pretty sporting though, doesn't she?

I love having a smart puppy!

Something that happens with me and my dogs is that they always tend to follow me from room to room. They're like little Lhasa Apso shadows, and I can always count on them being close by. These shadows also tend to have weird habits that bug me.
Oliver used to lick his feet and toes. I hate the sound of that, so I'd always make him stop licking. Eventually, he figured out that by licking in another room, I wouldn't tell him to stop until he was ready to stop. Similarly, if he wasn't in the same room with me, I knew he was elsewhere in the house licking his feet and toes. Daisy and Cooper both had/have the same kind of habits and whatnot, but they didn't/haven't figured out how to indulge without my telling them to stop yet.
Tonight, as I was sitting on the bed sipping my tea and watching some Gladiator (because YUM Russell Crowe in a skirt), I realized that the dear shadow, Elliot, wasn't on the bed with me. I could see Cooper laying on the floor outside my bedroom door, but Elliot was nowhere in sight. This raised my suspicions. I got up and checked the bedroom. No Elliot. I walked out the door to see if she was laying on the floor out of view of the bed. No Elliot. I went to make my way downstairs, and before starting my descent, I saw her. She was laying lengthwise across one of the stairs. Her head up and looking at me like she was surprised.
"What are you doing, pups?" I asked.
She immediately turned her head to her front feet, grabbed whatever was between said feet with her mouth, and started down the stairs. At that moment, I knew exactly what she was up to, because Elliot's favorite habit is bringing sticks into my house and chewing them up into little bits and then leaving them hither and yon for us to step on and pick up. She didn't run far, and I was able to get the stick out of her mouth and trade her a treat for it.
Elliot is another smart one, you guys, and that will prove to be interesting over the next several years.

I hold Gerard, Jamie and Will accountable, too

There are two movies in this world that, by virtue of their titles only, are among the most irritating to me. And as fate would have it, both are on regular rotation lately on my premium movie channels.
The first, Law Abiding Citizen, fails at the most basic of grammatical laws, the hyphenated descriptor. In every way, the title should be hyphenated into LAW-ABIDING CITIZEN. Because it's a movie that, no doubt, the director, writer and/or producer thought should have some nuance, they chose to give it a title with a glaring error.
The second is The Pursuit of Happyness. I've never seen this movie, and that is for one very obvious, very enraging reason. I can't even explain it. If you can't tell by the title, do you even know me? I can't stand the sight of it, and the thought of actually watching the movie with such a cavalier attitude toward basic spelling is not something I could stomach. I didn't even want the ticket with the movie's title in my pocket.
As I said, both movies are now on my movie channels, and I'm forced to read these titles regularly as I scroll through my menu looking for something to watch. And every time I see them, I get mad and pissy at the movie studio hacks who decided that deliberate misspellings and basic grammatical failures were the best way of getting the public's attention. One of my pet peeves, which I'm not sure is listed to the left there but will be before this night is through, is the deliberate misspelling of a word for promotional, marketing or "clever" effect. Think FROOT, KORNER and the like. I guarantee, if you never thought to be bugged by them before now, I will have increased your likelihood of being bugged from them in the future. I should hold a seminar for advertising and marketing people. My first lecture: "Don't Spell Something Wrong on Purpose. People Will Think You're Dumb."