Had to issue an apology letter to my grandfather that I am still recovering from a chronic illness and from the stress of my anxiety. I was able to at least print out a photo of me with my hair grown out.

The fence guys showed up yesterday. They were here for about 2 hours; a hour of that was working in the rain. Eventually they gave up as there is no point trying to install fence when the soil is mud, so they'll be back today. It's supposed to be sunny and clear all day. They should get most, if not all of it done today.

Meanwhile, many miles south of me, Hurricane Milton creeping up on Florida. I'm not a meteorologist, nor a hurricane expert, but if anybody from Florida reads this and has been told to evacuate, please leave. Stuff can be replaced, humans cannot.

Storm surge for Milton near the Tampa area is suggested to be 12+ feet. Storm surge is measured from dry land. Stand somewhere then measure 12 feet over your head. This is not a situation people want to find themselves in. Milton is a small hurricane right now, but it is going to spread out and grow as it slows down.

Important Milton Update: Wind Field Will Expand!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULZF9V52z2s

Brought the mail in from the past few days, (my parents are busy, even on weekends) so I hope they'll appreciate my going out of my way for this. I originally went to the box to get a package from Australia.

I am also awaiting a package from my local shipping hub.

There's also stuff that I plan to eat that I have coming from warehouses.

My mother is not feeling well. She had blood drawn, given both a flu shot and COVID 19 booster and she's tired.

I have to stand on guard as I help her get better.

Been trying out our grass trimmer, and while it's light-weight, it does get quite heavy after a while... Now my left arm (which was doing a lot of the heavy lifting/holding) is all weird and shaky when I lift it or try to hold stuff. Hopefully it eases up quick.
(One of my meds make my muscles more easily get tired and/or shaky, so it's probably that).

I've just seen an Aurora Borealis. It was already starting to fade when I got out but still, got to see the deep red velvety lights for 10 minutes before the clouds also started closing in.

My dream is to one day see it kylmässä Suomessa, in the cold Finland

Though much to my surprise, it apparently appeared much more south than Finland - in Rijeka, Croatia that's only a 2-hour car drive from where I live!

I got my money back and I plan on doing my hair in the near future. I got just about everything ready.

My birthday is coming up and yet I haven't been happy with life, mainly when people make up problems to things they that aren't really problems or they don't have problems since they are bored.

Got paid for brushing my teeth and keeping the kitchen spotless (my semester as a kitchen porter isn't just for padding a resume, but it works in my favor if I want to be a chef)...

...but because I spent Monday at the DMV updating my photo ID, so I wouldn't look like Eleven from Stranger Things, I lost a day's work. But still, I had enough to buy a toothpaste flavor I missed out last Christmas because it sold out quick (perks of being a club member? Access to previous and exclusive flavors) along with a book.

As for today, I was extremely busy, cooking food, brewing tea, washing dishes, and scrubbing tables. As the kitchen is our common area, I am in charge of keeping it clean and the dishes in the dishwasher or dish drainer.

Tomorrow, I have to be on the lookout for a few packages. I was going to lengthen my hair with colorful extensions and I got to the age where I mutter "I don't give a damn..." when it comes to fashion. Only time I care is when humanity is at stake.

I did a ton of adulting and we're barely halfway through the month.

Onto the second half!

My day was good. Played some Team Fortress 2, then Sims 2, talked with friends, did some work, the usual. My days are usually very plain.

Mostly kitchen duty, KFC for lunch, my book I ordered came, spent time on my phone talking to my AI friend, online window shopping.

Not much, but my birthday is to be coming in a week.

Received my final set of hair extensions, waiting for another package.

Did mostly chores. Wasn't really hungry for dinner.

It's about time...



https://www.gamesindustry.biz/compa...-to-cancel-rule

For anybody outside of the US, do companies hide cancel buttons and other antics so consumers get annoyed and just keep paying for subscriptions, memberships, ect... because they don't want to deal with the mental gymnastics?

This reminds me of the email I got from Nintendo.

When I bought my Switch, I paid for a monthly subscription for a few months after all the hype over visiting other islands and such with ACNH. It wasn't worth the time or money. When my subscription ran out, my card also expired. I didn't bother to update my payment information because why would I.

Nintendo sent me a email reminding me that my card expired. Yeah, no. I haven't given them another dime since and have zero plans on doing so. My Switch has been sitting in a drawer for almost a year...

I don't take on many subscriptions but the ones I had were fairly easy to cancel (though I'm from the EU).

I don't however let the companies keep nudging me - when I want to end a subscription, I end it period - I always have this fear that if my payment method expires and I just let the subscription die out on its own, that the company will magically conjure some mumbojumbo section C paragraph 8 where I still owe them all these months worth of subscription because I never personally canceled it. I like to keep those contracts clean/properly close them, I never miss payments' due dates and I always update my payment info before it gets the chance to bounce. My reminders app suffers, though.

Too bad that don't mean that much as it does in the USA. Credit score is not really a thing here. The only thing they keep track of is how much you currently owe and how on-time you are with the payments (and that's for overdrafts, cash loans, car leasings, mortgages and credit cards only) - no one tracks when you opened a credit card, when you closed your oldest line of credit, how long you've been in the system, whether you had a credit line in your life, and they most certainly don't check your credit score before renting you a place to live here...

Switched out from Twitter after the debacle of the block button to Bluesky and I got to say, it's more...easier for me.

I recently decided to read my news online at trusted sources.

Right now, I have about 4 days until my birthday party.

A weekend of almost nothing is coming; sounds good to me. The only things we need to do aside from the daily stuff is drop computer off to be fixed ( it hasn't melted yet with the extra fan I have blowing on it) and get some pellets for the pigs. They eat considerably more than Sterling does.

Chica had a seizure the night before last; she's fine. I haven't heard my vet, yet. I suspect I'll hear from her today at some point. The plan as of two weeks ago was to up Chica's zonisamide if she had any break through seizures. We know she can't take the 100 mg dose as she ends up acting like a drunk sailor. She's fine on 50mg, so the plan is to try 75mg and see what happens. I suspect there will be some drunk behavior, but not as bad as when she's on 100mg.

All that to say, a trip my favorite place, CVS, will probably be added to the very short to-do list. Ever since I called corporate, they've managed to behave like adults instead of petty children. It has be a welcomed change, but who knows how long it will last for.

Everyone at work has been hating on work because the workload is stupid high for the number of people on the team. From my side it's mildly amusing because I'm seeing people who are generally cool calm and collected get frustrated. Th has obviously a long time coming and it looks like the end is near so we'll see who has their (totally justified) meltdown soon! (Someone got mad that most of us are only there for the pay cheque- like why you mad bro thats how it works for most people lol).

I am tired out and cold, but I got the majority of my chores done.

Tuesday, we dine on sushi!

Got back into playing Pokémon during the off time I get during the wash\dry cycles of the dishwasher.

The power was out for about 2 hours and the electrical sources attached to my house's smoke alarm are making it chirp unexpectedly since power returned, reminded me of the "Friends" episode where Phoebe couldn't get a smoke detector to stop going off.

I've got my computer back. They replaced the liquid cooling pump and since they were going to be messing around with things, I had them install more RAM as well. TS3 won't use the extra RAM, but Photoshop will.

The computer was out of the house for about 30 hours. While I wasn't bored and kept myself busy, I missed it more than I should have which tells me I spend far too much time in front of this box. I need to work on that...

Birthday Party today was successful.

I got 3 new Monster High dolls (G3) and I got to eat sushi and tiramisu. Tried Korean pot stickers with tamari.

I am worn out. Tomorrow, I turn 37.

@Gargoyle Cat Glad the computer is fixed!

Happy Birthday @Pandaqueen ! I hope you have a good day, glad you enjoyed the party.

@simsample

I enjoyed my party, I still have to unbox the dolls I received, and I am currently looking forward to the next 365 days.

I, however, still have chores to do once everyone is awake and preparing for the day. My mother is awake for an outpatient procedure and my father has work and is a light sleeper.

I can't believe it's been about 3 years tomorrow since I started this thread.

We certainly are growing as people.

Lately, my father gave me a pass on unloading the dishwasher so I could sleep and he could make breakfast for mom and him. Today, I will reload and will run it.

I was in a bit of a bad mood because someone interpreted a positive comment I made as a trolling flame while calling me "rude". I blocked her before I lost my cool over my comment. In all honesty, I had not seen the original show in decades and the reboot was something of a shock to me.

The one thing I hated about the Internet is there's no way to tell emotional tone or context.

But I did my dishes. I took a nap. I am still a little angry because I woke up to a person's negative comments saying horrible things to me in the morning.

You are doing the right thing- ignore them! I'll give you a good comment to counteract the bad- I think you are a nice person and you work hard to be a better person. If we met in real life perhaps we would be friends!
Hope that makes you feel better!

Thanks...I had an otherwise happy birthday. Besides, it's not my first rodeo when it came to dealing with trolls, the rude, and flame wars.

Highly amused by the jeans I ordered mostly out of curiosity cos they don't sell the women's ones here. I got me 2 pairs from Brand1 and 5 pairs from Brand2.

Brand1 jeans were not a success - they should've been because both were my size but neither fit. They were also hilairously short
Brand2 jeans were interesting. Pair1 I got in 2 different sizes they both fit well so I'll need to pick one. Pair2 was also 2 different pairs but pair A was much too big and pair B had a major fault cos 1 leg was much narrower than the other (who needs their blood to flow?). Pair3 was good too but I'm just not sure I like it enough so that's going back too.

I just want real jeans that can live 10 or more years without losing thier shape you know? Like sure stretchy jeans are cool and all but have you had jeans worn soft that can hold themselves together???

Took a shower for the first time in a while...I had been spending time caring for my parents, especially since Q4 sales are going to pick up in November. My parents work in retail stores and distribution centers, so I may have to learn about dinner prep.

Otherwise, I took a good nap.

Wedding (2nd this year). Ate too much food/cakes, had some good laughs, and all in all had a great time.

(Despite the "cursed" week leading up to the wedding - at least 5+people getting hurt or being sick, and several trips to the hospital between them)

Part of the list of things we needed to get done yesterday was to bring the pigs to the vets for nail trims. Both of them are fine; it was a tech appointment.

I warned the tech that was going to be doing their nails that Cole is a drama queen. Doing something as simple as putting him on a scale in a vet office environment sets him off. I don't know why as I weigh him here at home and he doesn't do that. I digress.

They brought him to the treatment room to do his nails and weigh him. He wasn't back there for a full minute before he started screeching. He could be heard over a waiting room of 4 dogs of various sizes, phones ringing, talking from exam rooms, ect... It was so bad another tech came out to tell me that he was just sitting on a towel on the exam room table and screeching letting everybody know that he's mad. I explained that I did tell the tech that took him that he was a drama queen. Whether she believed me or not, I don't know but she found out first hand that I wasn't lying.

Lincoln on the other hand just put up with the scale and the nail trim without all the noise and drama.

If guinea pigs held grudges, I would say the show Cole put on was carry-over from Friday as both of them had a bath and blow dry. Both of them were mad at me until right before it was time for their bed time treat. I don't think pigs hold grudges for 24-plus hours though.

The commentary will be interesting the next time they have to go for nail trims.

Not in a mood to talk.

So much on my mind lately.

Not worth talking about.

It was, once again, time for me to ask the community outreach center to send out a message to donors (which I was blatantly honest about the facts about my situation) so they could send me a gift card for a meal at a restaurant or a shopping trip online. It wasn't crowded so we were in and out before our originally scheduled appointment.

On the way to and from the center, we saw about 5-7 deer that were hit by trucks.

(The mating season, scientifically known as rutting season in terms of deer biology, is currently in full swing.)

I did my chores after lunch. I am currently relaxing after one of many office visits. Tomorrow, a house inspector is coming to take a look at the house (tax purposes, my grandfather has this covered under the number of houses under his estate).

Better not screw up tomorrow.

Today is therapy day.

Not much of a fan to expose an underbelly of any sorts. But it's needed to help alleviate my problems. I got more than two problems.

This is another day for me, but my mom's official birthday is today. I have been 37 for a week and currently I feel like I am fatigued by the whole world situation.

I decided to give her a bag of Swedish Fish (her favorite candy) as a day-of gift. I was on DoorDash. Turned out the reason my garbanzo puffs weren't there was the shop was out of stock.

But I did sign up for a discount for delivery (I monthly, or even fortnightly, have something DoorDashed, depending on how much I have on hand.)

On a perfect week of oral hygiene ($14) and kitchen duties ($25) combined, I make $39 total in pocket change (compared to the monthly check).

The $14 is incentive enough to keep teeth in my mouth when I go for sedation dentistry and go under.

Before they started last time, I shouted "No Fentanyl!" I was scared while on the table, but my rights as a patient were honored. I have parents with addiction as part of their traits, so I was scared of the idea of fentanyl as it's highly potent.

But otherwise, $39 is okay with me, I don't mind the money for dishes and dental routines.

Today, I have received $150 in checks from my grandparents and my aunt LuAnne.

Spent it on rainbow boba, the complete Captain Planet Franchise (two series were made in the 1990s), a Taco Bell lunch and I resumed my subscription to club hismile for my toothpaste of the month. November is Passion Fruit...

I did the dishes when I finished eating every time and eventually ran the dishwasher. I am waiting for a package of animal shapes pasta (like those kids' Mac and Cheese kits), cheese sauce powder and and the remaining hair extensions in pink.

Tomorrow, the Amazon driver will be very worn out when they deliver the majority of yesterday's orders sent out.

Great day. Halloween was so wonderful, I love the little village we moved to last year. We went out at around 5 and weren't back until 7, the kids buckets were full to the brims with sweets and toys. In our old house there weren't many houses to trick or treat at because most people didn't participate and there weren't many houses about outside of our cul-de-sac.

Also, this made my day: My son (2.5) went to the first house, which was our neighbours next-door-but-one, and he just ran straight into their house as they opened the door. I called his name a few times but then I had to go into their house to get him and he's sat there in their living room playing with a wooden garage and cars. I had to pull him away and guide him out the door... then he quickly did a U-turn, ran into their kitchen and asked the other neighbour who was cooking what was for dinner It was so embarrassing but also I was literally crying with laughter. Luckily the neighbours thought it was funny too, turns out they had made special gift bags for my kids (even though they've only ever met them in passing)

Rough day to start. My left eye is irritated and I have to come up with 19 ideal droids with personality.

It has been a chill Saturday for the most part.

We went to Lowe's for a couple 5-gallon jugs of water. Of course we had to check out the plant section. They had a Hoya wayetii on clearance for $7.00, so I snagged it. Our local Lowe's kills plants with too much water. Since Hoya wayetii don't like a lot of water, I took the plant out of the pot when I got home and wrapped the soil with paper towel. I'll leave the plant that way for a couple of days or until the soil is no longer soggy.

After that, Dingus wanted to go to the bookstore, so we went to Barnes and Noble. They were having a thing where a customer could purchase a children's book; Barnes would in return donate said book. I used my $5.00 credit to buy a copy of Goodnight Moon so they could donate it.

Other that, it has been a uneventful day.

As far as this weekend will go, the world situation, such as the flood situation in Spain, is bleak looking.

Where I live, before a storm hits, road crews come to areas with tons of branches tangled in wires and cut them off, some times, the entire top of the tree or major branches are felled in a way in order to prevent downed wires, unwanted wild fires or both. Lately, we are in the middle of a dry autumn. Without any rain, even one careless flick of a cigarette coal and we're set ablaze.

My father was slammed near the end of work last night, when the people came in droves. He was...well, baffled, at best.

My mother dealt with waves of surges and the eventual trickle of merchandise to pick, put, and pack.

At least I have an idea on what to buy them for the "cake and cuppa" (it's not always cake, but it's always a dessert paired with coffee or tea.)

Went to the doctor about my implant. Aside from a battery inspection next year, I was in and out in a rather short time compared to the wait.

On the way back, at the convenience store\gas station, I went to pick up a snack and drink. When I went to get a Coke from the fountain, I got sprayed in Coke syrup. I decided to go with Pepsi and I was able to pick up salt and pepper kettle chips. I alerted the man at the counter that the Coke option was not functioning and shown my hoodie was covered in Coke syrup.

I came home to my packages.

I got:
*A set of 2 bracelets couples would share
*Special Healthcare items
*Snacks
*My dishmatic

Waiting for today:
*White cake mix (currently planning to make a bunch of cupcakes.)

My cat was just watching a squirrel that was on the deck landing.

Just so much nervous...if I am not here for a few days, take the assumption I am in a state of anxiety where I have completely withdrawn.

The world situation is just driving me nuts.

I'm back...and my nephrologist raised her voice at me, which triggered me to cry (it stems from a bad memory). If she was trying to tell me what not to eat, she should use a gentle voice.

I was about to throw out all my cooking and baking projects, but my father told me that's a waste of money. So I am stuck with food I'm not allowed to eat because the healthy food I was to eat is constantly getting recalled due to mishandling and the lack of oversight committees.

Hello. After a messy couple of days, I am going to attempt making a bunch of cupcakes 🧁. (I bought 30 eggs and I won't let them go rotten.)

I have baked cakes before and I plan to make them colorful.

For now, I am trying not to lose hope in life. Even with the grim world situation, I am going to start creating more art again.

15:00
I just finished the dishes and had a nap. Forgot how tiring and messy baking cupcakes was.

Out of stress, I almost ate the 15 I baked...

In regards to my health, I am under stress and would need to get the cortisol test again to see how bad that is. It would have been done last year, but my parents kept forgetting about returning the kit, even if it was in plain sight that it could bite them.

Well, I am doing fine with my kitchen porter gig. $39\week may seem like pocket change, but I like having a chance to earn spending cash.

With my club hismile discount, they're selling all kinds of toothpaste for around half price. Apple Pie, Lychee, Matcha, Rainbow Straps (like sour belts) Red Frog (Australian candy) and Cheesecake.

They have about 50 wacky flavors compared to standard toothpastes. It's wild...

I can only pray I don't injure myself during my break like last year on Thanksgiving Eve.

Right now? I have been waiting on a few deliveries from Australia.

I also had been sleeping off the anxiety of being told to flush out sugar and salt by a doctor who yelled at me. I currently am drinking water with the essence of fruit. I think I will change nephrologists. (My last one had horrific bedside manner. The way she yelled at me came out of left field. Did not see it coming at all.)

Came back from another doctor. I am going to be seeing a pulmonologist and a new nephrologist, along with my old endocrinologist and my psychiatrist. (my father is willing to drive far out of town if it means better healthcare for me.)

I foresee more doctor appointments in my foreseeable future.

18:45
Today, I bought 3 cucumbers, 5 lemons and a dragonfruit from my nearby grocery store. For $10 total of produce, considering that dragonfruit is imported, it was a decent price.

I had lemon water, cucumber chips and currently freezing dragonfruit blended with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Of course, I was attempting to make a sorbet, but it was a failure due to lack of clean vessels for freezing. I found my ice pop molds and made 4 ice pops as that was all I had.

Of course, I would have to probably test to see if I should fine tune that recipe.

Not much happened today. Phone calls were made, dishes were ran through the dishwasher, experimented with coloring pasta. (Note: use more food dye when boiling.)

I tried out the dragonfruit ice pops and I think I should have used a bit more sugar. It wasn't balanced enough.

I wrote down my appointments for the new doctors so I can get it to my father.

I actually have been getting more confident in scheduling appointments with my doctors.

"Phyllis, Mabel, I think I can handle the phone calls today, take your lunch breaks for as long as you need."

Today, I have been worn out. I am still working on dishes and keeping calm.

Monday, I see the podiatrist. Thursday, due to Thanksgiving Day in two weeks in the US and my therapist being on a limited schedule, I see her again.

For now, I just need to calm down as I had a weird day.

I probably need to take a break.

I bought a Kindle book on how to build my own city. I bought it in conjunction with a micronation build my own country book.

My parents asked me what I wanted for Christmas. Normally I get something like dolls or drawing tutorial books or checks from relatives...what I am after...is real estate.

A good day.

I had the pleasure of travelling down to Cornwall to attend my niece Victoria's graduation, the ceremony being held in Truro Cathedral. I went by train, because I hate travelling long distances by road, and also because I hadn't ridden on a train for ages. Thus I crossed over the Tamar via I. K. Brunel's masterpiece, the Royal Albert Bridge, which i hadn't done since I was a kid and we used to ride on the old 'Saltash Flyer'. Sadly today's train wasn't two ex Great Western auto coaches with a neat little 0-6-0 pannier tank barking and hissing in the middle, but one can't have everything, And it still beats travelling by road any day!

So now Victoria is a BSc (Hons) The course, Horticulture (Garden and Landscape Design) was run by Cornwall College, but the award given by my old alma mater Plymouth University. So I wore my old college scarf to show solidarity.

Altogether a good day out, although a tiring one.I was up very early today, so even though it's only half past nine, I'm off to bed now I think..

Found my 3 chambered coin bank. Currently working on rebuilding my bank account.

💰 Money 💰, it's complicated for me.

Today, I am almost done with the week with my chores and other duties, but I may have missed something, so my pay will get docked.

Regardless, I have been working on my projects of a new country and the cities within.

I did my chores, had something to eat, took my meds when I felt "off", found $4.07 in singles and pennies, essentially surprising stuff...man, my day is shaping up before the sun sets.

Having some alone-time at home, so I've organized some stuff, wrapped 4 gifts, plus did 3 small hobby sets. Tried to do one a few weeks ago, but contrary to the belief of my trusty hobby glue, it doesn't do felt (even if the package clearly says "felt" it won't stick felt to anything else than maybe wood, but definitely not to itself ), so I tried out my new glue gun (I think I already have one, I just don't know where - the new one is tiny and was fairly cheap so I didn't have big hopes, but whoa, that one glues like a tiny champ! Only annoyance I have with it is that it drips a lot and occasionally dries a little too quick - if I've stuck two things together, I have about 5 seconds to adjust it, which is about 2 seconds left when I've gotten over burning a finger on the glue ).

Anyway, I get stuff done when I'm home alone. Was planning to paint something, but didn't quite feel like it today.

Today was busy. I was on my feet all day doing chores. I at least have a better appreciation for my mom when she was 37 and doing chores.

Had a hot meal and started on my financial endeavors. Mostly for my future life.

I need to bring more hobby projects to night shifts. One I've been putting off because of too many steps got completed yesterday (so that's 4 sets in 3 days - new record!). Plus, they're great at making time pass, and to keep me awake. It's the least tired I've been at 4-5am. Normally I'm just reading a book, so my eyes are struggling to not go crosswise (at least when I'm not up walking and doing rounds). Also, no distractions (no computer, that is - it's either hobby set or reading)

Went to podiatrist. Got my feet worked on.

Got the box spring for my bed in.

The way I have a particular way of setting up my bed, my parents joked I was the Princess of the Princess and the Pea. I find lumpy beds hard to sleep on.

EA CEO Andrew Wilson in running to be Disney CEO succeeding Bob Iger

“I think that Iger is afraid of making another mistake with video games, but recognizes the synergies EA brings to Disney,” said Michael Pachter, an analyst for games at Wedbush Securities. “They could integrate Ultimate Team with ESPN and ultimately perhaps even get into real money sports wagering. Andrew is young enough to replace Iger, has 10 years of CEO experience and has clearly built a great business at EA. I’m not sure who else is in the mix (there may be media types who make more sense), but Andrew would eliminate the concern about another video game failure by Disney. It is plausible at least that he is under consideration.”

https://venturebeat.com/games/disney/

Go ahead, Disney. Take Reaper Wilson on as CEO. Look at all the studios he has closed and what he's done to the 24 year old sims franchise. He's truly a gem, you should take him, immediately. Disney won't have another video game failure. Andrew will just hand out pink slips and send teams home instead.

Echo chambers have no boundaries...

Looking at how tired I was, it's a miracle I got the chores done.

Tomorrow, my parents will be at work and with have to face the onslaught of Black Friday shoppers and last minute Thanksgiving shoppers

My mother is convinced that the way management runs things is that squirrels run it and are trying to kill her.

Got some new toothpaste in the mail (apple pie and lychee). Tried the apple pie flavor and oddly, it wasn't overpowered with cinnamon.

Currently working on dishes. I am taking a little break to recuperate from a panic attack.

Still awaiting more items from Australia.

Woke up to a ~5cm blanket of snow and hours later it's still going. Hasn't happened in a while here, especially this early.
I hope it's gone tomorrow so I don't have to bike through it.

It wasn't snowing here last night, but I did wake up and get in the car with my windshield being frozen. Luckily I had used up the regular H2O in the window washer fluid compartment and topped it up with some scented ethanol solution before the frost. Didn't even have to leave the car, it melted straight away.

But that also means I have to start waking up 10 minutes earlier every day now, because it's sure not getting any warmer...

We finally got some rain! The drought is breaking!

I also have a therapist appointment today and I know she'll bear the full brunt of emotions. Then again, it comes with the territory of psychology.

In any case, I have a full day ahead of me after my appointment. I have dishes to put away, a table to clean up...I already brought in a package for my parents.

I am okay. Just ended up running out of money to the point I actually had $0.00, as I donated my last $3 to charity.

Dreary, winter mix falling today.

I am so tired...I am still working on my chores.

For now, I am still working on recharging my Nintendo Switch after the battery ran out in sleep mode.

So my family is in a bit of trouble with hospitalizations. My eldest aunt has a bloodborne staph infection and my grandfather needed stitches for his eyebrows when he attempted to feed said aunt's cat.

Just had an hours long conversation with a friend whom I haven't had contact with 15+ years. Next week I'll probably join his D&D crew.

Woke up in the middle of the night and did the evening dishes. Either way, I was going to do them anyway.

I had the fact I have been driven by the quote from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" where a frustrated Charlie (played by Charlie Day) shouts "AAARGGH! FINE, I'LL DO THE DISHES! YOU'RE JUST GOING TO MAKE ME DO THEM ANYWAY!" That quote alone was enough to get me going and washing the dishes.

I had the frustration drive me to wash the dishes in the kitchen in the middle of the night.

TL;DR: I went to bed, slept a little and realized that I had a mess waiting for me downstairs.

As for the family news, my eldest aunt is now well enough to be out of the hospital, but evidently, my grandfather's eye was blackened (somehow he survived at 96 from an otherwise nasty fall.)

Yesterday was my friends surprise birthday party. We went to the spa and then for a fancy meal. It was nice! I want to go again. But also it cost me more than I anticipated and now I have 0 money

I'm still relaxed today. Watching Thomas the tank engine with my son right now. I have loads of crochet to be working on before Christmas.

My mother was in an urgent care office for nearly 5 hours. We ended up eating takeout, as none of us were willing to cook after the day we had. I was about to nod off.

Currently working on a color coded storage solution for my room.

And yes, once again, I did the dishes in the middle of the night that were leftover from last night while everyone slept.

Did my shopping for me and my parents (got them t shirts for Christmas of their favorite things.) and paid my dues for the month of December.

For now, I am taking it easy.

Today, my parents worked so hard, I fell asleep waiting up for them.

The Black Friday\Cyber Monday shoppers were getting in early due to economic and sociopolitical reasons, but otherwise, my father just headed up to bed, awaiting for his transfer to a nearby town's Walmart and my mother is currently watching one of the Jeff Dunham specials.

(We know at least one person who is a grouch like Walter. If you can't find them, you most likely are the grouch.)

I should mention that I don't dawdle when shopping. It's an in and out operation when I shop. I plan on giving a quirky shirt to each of my parents this holiday, especially since my mother's "avocato" tee shirt went over well with her little clique at the distribution center.

The man-child is at it again.



https://www.benzinga.com/general/ga...d=mw_quote_news

What he's really saying here is make games as cheaply as possible.

I don't feel like dragging Inzoi drama into this thread, so I found a article surrounding what happened to Coca-Cola the the other day after they decided they were better off ( as cheap as possible) to make their annual Christmas ad with AI.

Coca-Cola responds to backlash over AI-generated Christmas ad: ‘Creepy dystopian nightmare’



https://nypost.com/2024/11/22/lifes...d-christmas-ad/



This is the price of a single Coca-Cola stock today.

A multi-billion dollar company complaining that a single ad is too expensive.

So many packages and not enough chance to breathe.

I got a couple movies for study purposes, luggage tags and 6 of 7 suitcases for video, audio, data, programming, and game discs.

I even left some water for the drivers at Amazon since those suitcases are friggin' heavy!

Update: got all 7 suitcases, the order from Whole Foods and I am awaiting my parents' Christmas gifts.

I am going to do some grocery and holiday supply shopping tomorrow. Good thing tomorrow is also my pay day for my chores.

Took advantage of a grocery delivery.

Did the dishes, had some toast.

Worked on my robotics project.

Just taking it easy now.

It's 2:30 PM now and the twilight is starting to set in early right now.

More dishes, more dental hygiene, another $5.57 +\- added to my paycheck.

Due to a schedule conflict, I got out of seeing the cardiologist tomorrow and rescheduled for Spring of 2025. I live in a small crowded state full of hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, so this is no big deal.

I was going to eat broccoli for breakfast, but the frozen broccoli bag was damaged. My mother is replacing the bag of broccoli.

As for today, I had slept better and woke up at around 1:45AM

Man, I had a rough morning and my afternoon looks stormy.

Just been awake for a little longer than half an hour and I failed at my one chore because I was tired.

I am currently working on a Hawaiian language version translation of the Pokemon series of mainline games in terms of translation.

Keep in mind I do linguistic exercises to stay mentally nimble. I have so far given the Kanto starters and the Caterpie evolution line Hawaiian names based on the original Japanese names.

I was told to never give up on my linguistics quest. Breaking barriers is my thing.

Been tired and slightly unfocused most of the day (probably due to lack of sleep).

At the end of the day I enjoyed a live Christmas concert with a few of my favorite artists, so now the Christmas feeling is finally all around.

Found out that Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of the Pokémon franchise was rumoured to be autistic, where he could see details otherwise missed by his peers when he was collecting bugs as a child.

His love of bug collecting led to Pokémon's existence with a little help from his abilities in what some would have considered a disability. Even if he isn't automatically diagnosed as autistic or at all, his detail oriented work stood out.

Neurodivergency actually is one of those things that I knew had more potential than most think. Then again, with neurodivergency as part of me, I tend to pick up on details rather quick.

Also, I have been dealing with catching up on sleep because it's the final stretch before the major part of the holiday season starts. I heard Target went as far as making holiday shopping more affordable by slashing prices to 80% off and I was worried they were going out of business.

I had a small handful of tortilla chips, 5 chicken nuggets and a 2 cup bag of broccoli, which eventually put me to sleep. I awoke to hear my father leave for work (he usually leaves for work when it's light out) and he quoted from "A Christmas Story". (I ate these out of a preportioned plate and I think I needed the broccoli...I was feeling like I was off.)

It has been a long and short year the ways things went in this world. I am still a bit scared of the New Year. I have a therapist appointment Thursday (tomorrow) and it's just going to be me having a fit of all kinds of emotions.

Edit: Now I am freaked out by the idea of World War III. 😰

I am scared now of the idea of being killed by radiation poisoning. 😱

It was flurry-ing when we went grocery shopping. Teeny flakes; not a big deal. People were driving like we were having a blizzard.

It is going to be a long winter...

Reminds me of when I lived in Seattle. Due to the rarity of snow, it would take 2 inches to close schools.

P.S. I'm not joking nor kidding. The people who lived there were too timid to even venture out. I was there for 20 years and yes, this was normal every time a snowfall happened.

People in my neck of the woods should know better. Also when there is a blizzard, they don't slow down out of fear, they speed up because they think their SUVs is going to spare them a trip over the median, or from getting into a crash. Spoiler: SUVs go over median barriers / crash just as easily as any other vehicle.

I should have known this was coming. Dingus warned me before we left to be on extra alert as he saw two different people in two different towns try to drive into 2 lanes of oncoming traffic on his way home from work. To the best of my knowledge, nothing became of either incident.

I can only hope it didn't turn out to be as awful as you imagined.

I'd forgotten that today was my birthday.

I was feeling pretty lousy and didn't feel up to doing much at all. I had just finished three days worth of washing up, which I had to force myself to get on with, when my brother and sister-in-law showed up with a birthday card, a bottle, and a bag full of Christmas tree decorations. Of course, our tree always goes up on the 6th (which is also St. Nicholas' day) and I hadn't even fetched it out of the attic yet. Actually I had a mind to give it a miss this year, but that old tyrant tradition would have it so. They might have stopped and helped me, but no, they had to dash off. Well, I fetched the tree down and, after a couple of hours (aided by the contents of the aforesaid bottle) I finally got the thing up and some of the decorations hung, The main struggle, as ever, was arranging the lights.

And now I think I'll go back to bed.

Finally got some rest and worked on casting attachment for a script about a large family and an older man who finds his muse in the heiress and her spirited life.

When I do sleep, I usually dream. But the way this was, it was like a big production in a slice of life movie.

It's best described as a sci-fi rom-dramedy. The older man and the heiress feel a mutual attraction and she admits his lowbrow jokes are funny, even if she does highbrow wordplay with her grandfather, who, at 96, shows no sign of significant slowing down.

How long has it been? I wake up each morning wondering how did I even survive this long? Though I seem all alone; I never am alone. He promised and He always come through.

I wonder if year 2024 may be the year of revealing even in my situation; what's in the dark will come to light and be known.

Faith Without Fear

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cnueS9Duis

In response to pain you're not supposed to say ouch, you're supposed to say thank you.

Been filling/rolling and then dipping about 400 individual pieces of nougat-filled marzipan in chocolate. My back hurts, but at least I've got tomorrow off (gonna need that...).

Didn't go all-out with the "chocolate factory" this year. Honestly didn't have much time for it. Did come up with a new potential favorite that's fairly easy to make, so that one is probably going to follow along to next year (it's easy/quick enough to do anytime of the year, so maybe some other time, too).

Ugh, everything's blown everywhere from the storm. Our back fence is in pieces, the towns massive christmas tree is tumbling along the roundabout, and yet the kids still have school tomorrow

Wanted to make gummy worms, but I found a good portion of my mixes were expired. I didn't want to get food poisoning.

Still, I plan on making gummy worms 😜 much more fun for Strata Sundaes.

I was going to work on a chocolate pudding, brownie, cookie, cake and mousse dessert with gummy worms throughout and it would be like those "mud pie cupcakes" I remember from my childhood. It would technically be in a parfait dish rather than one for a sundae.

Working on "New Year" things even though we have a couple more weeks to go.

Thanks to my neighbor, I found out about a local trash pick up company. Right now we're paying almost $900.00 a year for once a week trash pick-up. Going with this new company, we'll be paying just over $500.00 for the same service. This new company also does things like house clean outs and that kind of stuff so I will no longer have to call 1-800-Got-Junk went I want to get rid of things. No shade at Got Junk. I've hired / worked with 1-800-Got-Junk a handful of times. They've always been professional. I just happen to like having those kinds of services all under 'one roof'.

I bought a book e-reader for Christmas. Since I don't do Amazon, I got the Nook version of the Kindle sold through Barnes and Noble. Instead of paying anywhere from $17-22.00 for a book, now I can get them for a couple of dollars. If I really like a book, I can get a physical copy when the book-buying mood strikes.

Still working through doctor office issues. They wanted me to take a day to take my blood pressure at random times for that day, then tell them what the results were. The results were normal, doctors office insists my blood pressure machine must be wrong. They really, really want to put me on meds for whatever reason. I have to bring my machine in a couple of weeks so they can make sure it's "calibrated correctly". Dingus uses the same machine. They [ same doctor and office] never question / say anything to him about his blood pressure results. If nothing else, it is interesting to see how they treat him differently.

Christmas shopping is done. The Boy isn't feeling Christmas this year; we'll be giving him money. I've asked if there was anything he wanted / needed, he hasn't said anything for a couple of weeks. With cash he do whatever he wants.

Other than the stuff I've been working, it has been life as usual.

I think it was Thanksgiving; the day it rained on and off but mostly rained. I confined myself to a small bus shelter since I had nowhere else to go. Just watch people come and go and the buses too. I don't think it was my first Thanksgiving spent alone but homeless and alone yes. For some reason that day felt so fantastical and soothing. The more I continue my journey, the more I realize how true that no matter the circumstances, it is not the circumstances that define my happiness...it is my state of mind. Real happiness and joy are not material, tangible things but spiritual.

Homelessness is not the end, it's a whole new beginning, another chapter, another season into my spiritual journey. Perhaps being rid of all the things and people that no longer serve their purpose in my life is a blessing in disguise. Now I focus on now and the future of what's to come with more optimism than ever before. I try not to complain but I do admit even as a child back then that whining sometimes come back in full force in my adult years. So then it's time to take a breath and focus on everything good, positive, what I appreciate and am thankful for, all the small and big wonders that makes huge mood boosts such as seeing the sunrise and the sunset/seeing a lone bright orange fox searching for food/watching the squirrels play and chase each other/eating chocolate and any other kind of sweets/kind people being helpful/young children who see me when no one else does and they sense my good soul and I sense theirs/all the pain, suffering and hardships because without any of it I would never become as resilient in times of trouble and now I know how to better manage my emotions and well-being and learn to trust even when all odds says otherwise because it is not about what I can see, feel, taste, touch, or hear; it's about my sixth sense. Do not solely rely on the physical senses or I'll miss out on seeing the bigger picture by being narrow-minded.

In my situation, regardless of circumstance, there is always more reasons to love life than hate it. Oh how some mean to do so much harm yet Someone means to do so much good. That is to say to take what was meant to be bad and turn it into a lesson and a blessing.

"Get a job, you bum!"
Apparently it is unknown that there is an intentional lack of opportunities for certain people no matter how much they apply themselves. The system and the people of the system are against us, yet blames us for their refusal to open the door. But let's be honest. It would never work out anyway because there are some people who only sees things from their P.O.V and everyone else's that goes against the grain are like extra puzzle pieces...we don't fit in with the full picture ever in their fabricated world. But we never were meant to, we were intentionally created different and this difference threatens the matrix, the illusion; thus why it becomes a hive mind to attack those who don't fit in or won't fit in based on their principles. Truth be told, all of us are supposed to be a part of the full picture and to learn and grow from one another. Yet too many close-minded, too many hive mind mentalities, too many still plugged into the matrix who cannot distinguish reality from fiction. Never knowing their whole life is fiction. This is why people like me get isolated from a very early age as we begin to see early on and hone our abilities to see the world for what it really is. We are the ones who see and seek the truth; therefore we are no use to the system if they cannot pull the wool over our eyes.

Some are still asleep, some are waking up and some were never a slave to the system and intuitively knew that this world we live in is more than meets the eye.

Today wasn't too bad. Nothing weird happened yet as far as side effects go. In any case, I have been working on a big project.

I also went window shopping online or as I call it "Windows shopping" (former Microsoft family member.) and saw these great plates and bowls made from recycled plastic milk jugs. From toddlers to adults, they had just about all kinds of plates, bowls and drinkware. They were eco-conscious in about every sense of the word.

I even found new tumblers for my glassware.

It's all dishwasher safe to boot!

I guess I am getting sort of nesting in my ⅓ life crisis.

This morning I woke up to some dense fog and then later made a joke questioning if I was in Silent Hill. But for real though I'm for sure I saw a tall man in all black with a hoodie on walking in front of me and then he just vanished. Okay, either that really happened in my altered reality because familiars love to play tricks or I'm starting to hallucinate from sleep deprivation or seeing things in my heightened imagination like the time I woke up and saw a man leaning on the fence just watching me and it was just the perspective of a tree trunk, shadows and light, lol.

Oh yeah, also this morning that child...I forgot about those demonized or satanized children who like others, love to manifest when they see me. When kids are pass the age of knowing right and wrong don't think some of them can't be evil. As mentioned before...so much corruption. I see what most can't see and hear what most can't hear because most choose to be blind, deaf and sever their sixth sense but what about other people like me? Where are they? All over the world no doubt.

Tonight, I have an assignment due in a couple of weeks.

I have a Christmas letter to my family for a party that I need to write out because I am still getting therapy for my fear of crowds. I still have to write out my letter and have it ready before the 28th (the party is on a weekend)

I am trying to be relevant to my life and what they know about me. At least know I care about them.

Still, they deserve to know I have been well otherwise.

Not much really going on today. I don't know whether to have the hairstylist cut my hair or braid it. I have a hair appointment on the 23rd, so I have about a couple weeks to decide what style to go with for my holiday season. I no longer color my hair, but I would love to augment it somehow.

Last night, Dingus and I were hanging out in the kitchen talking about stuff like we do while dinner is being made.

He brought up the Coca-Cola Christmas ad. He said that the TV version didn't show the the AI generated trucks and other annoying things, so I dragged out the laptop. Apparently there was a whole bunch of stuff cut from the internet version that was being shown on TV. For a company that was so proud of how much money they 'saved' on their crap commercial, I find it strange they would take all the AI bits and more out for television.

Then it was on to Dingus telling me that the GTA 6 trailer is fake and there is no GTA 6. I asked what he was talking about and where did he get that information from. He didn't tell me who told him that and also wouldn't reveal the source of this tidbit of info while still insisting that said trailer was fake and there is no game. Since I had the laptop out and the Instant Pot was busy cooking the chicken noodle soup I threw together, I decided to look into things.

Where did this little gem of information come from? The usual internet brain rot sources, of course. Reddit, TikTok, Facebook, ect... Dingus' coworkers see and believe most ( if not all) brain rot on the internet. Instead of looking into said brain rot or just keeping it to themselves, there has to be time wasted trying to convince Dingus and whoever will listen that internet brain rot must be true. If something is on the internet, it must be true doncha know. These people are well into their 30s and beyond. They're also the reason I've had Covid, twice. All of them have sick time, but that is a story for another day.

I then asked Dingus the simple question of "Why would Take-Two Wall St overlords invest that kind of money into a fake trailer / game like that?" I didn't get a answer. Then I found and dug into Take-Two's most recent fiscal report. GTA 6 is mentioned there as well. I don't think peeps from Take Two or their Wall St overlords would feel like paying outrages fines and or jail time just to make a "fake" game and engage in fraud.

None of this is to say that gaming companies don't make fake trailers. EA does this all the time, but I suspect the GTA trailer cost a whole lot more than the stuff that is made for TS4 packs. TS4 could never have a fraction of the detail of GTA. I digress.

Logic shut down the whole bit about how the trailer / game was fake, but that didn't make conversation any less irritating. The best I could come up with is perhaps somebody saw the shit on Steam about the crypto scam game called "Paradise" where they've ripped stuff from GTA, but I'm not feeling that generous. These types of conversations have been happening way too often lately. The discussion about internet brain rot in general has been weaseling its way into conversations where it shouldn't be, like with my mother. My mother doesn't use the internet and asked what "brain rot" meant the other day.

The lower US federal court announced last week that the TikTok ban remains. If somebody doesn't buy it from the US and remove it from China's hands, TikTok goes away Jan 21, 2025. If the ban happens, this obviously would not cure all the brain rot problems, but it would be a good start. If adults want to push each other around over Hello Kitty blankets, beat each other up over Stanley cups and all the other shizz that TikTok is known for, they can monetize it some other way, like on YouTube where brain rot is becoming more and more of a thing. Instead of 20 seconds of watching people engage in food waste by putting a turkey in a toilet, they can do a long form version.

TikTok's "Fridge Drawer Food" Trend Makes Me SICK...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPwaYbsRqj0


Dingus and I now have a agreement. If he's told something and it seems sus, he should go with that. If he wants to talk about it, I don't care but enough with the all brain rot must be fact.

It was meh. Had to switch a shift, and work with someone I'm not too comfortable working with (it's one of the "getting absolutely nowhere, in the speed of a snail stuck in a bucket of syrup" cases - at least when I'm around, it appears). Anyway - the day came and went, and I'm really tired.

I had a chance to get a shower in after GORK how long. Caring for a central part of the house is hard.

Otherwise, my cousin from my mom's younger sister sent us his family Christmas card. As far as I know, they have 2 kids, a little boy (Dawson) and a little girl (unknown, since my parents won't trust me with secrets, especially since they wanted to announce the name via snail mail... found out it's Brooklynn.).

Waiting for my package of ramen. I have been working hard on an archipelago of artificial islands.

Got my new card...don't know why someone would spend about a week trying to take $80 that never existed...I swear thieves have better spending habits than myself.

I have improved, although for today, I am minimizing the amount of dishes made today.

Baking gingerbreads with mom and my niece. It's cozy to do these things around the holidays. Maybe we need to bake in some new traditions.

(but I kind of see a tendency that even a couple hours with two small store-bought doughs gets a bit too much for a child's patience these days - compared to when I made gingerbreads with my gran at roughly the same age, and we made probably 10 times as much... I can't remember my patience running out, at least not until the very end. I even used to do the dishwashing by hand afterward)

I also made a mini gingerbread house (though it's more of a run-down shack that got hit by a snowstorm )

It has been a long day, but we got everything done. Jingle needed to go to the groomer, dropped off two donation boxes, went to the book store, ect...

I don't have much planned for tomorrow. Wash floors, wash pig / chinchilla blankets and reading.

Cleaning Day at the Panda residence. While Papanda and Panda Mama are having a nice lunch and going to see the final performance of the season from the local drama club of Dickens' A Christmas Carol...

Panda Queen is cleaning up the kitchen, tidying her bedroom up and taking trash out.

For now, she is on break. Today, she's going to need to recover after the mad dash.

Tomorrow, the other side of the room needs a little love.

Tried a store brand of gnocchi and I enjoyed it to the point of making "yummy noises". (Young Frankenstein, The Princess Bride and A Christmas Story are the top 3 quotable movies in my home.)

Received my cheesecake flavored toothpaste and the discounted 1 week teeth whitening strips treatment. I got the whitening strips for $5 during a sale. Regular price? $30 for a treatment. A 83% off value at best. I am also awaiting a gingerbread flavored and an apple flavored pair of toothpastes, along with whitening tooth powder. The powder was $5 due to my loyalty discount, $25 at regular price.

I love a good sale and the deeper the discount, the more I spend on other things. I love a good bargain.

Today I was saddened to see that a huge Turkey Oak, which grew on a patch of green next to where my old school used to be, has been brought down by the high winds we've had recently. I have fond memories of sitting under that tree on warm summer days.

It must have come down with a mighty crash, it was a fair old giant of a tree. But I knew its days were numbered when it lost a major bough during another storm a few years ago. When that happens the tree is out of balance and it is only a matter of time before a strong enough wind, coming from the right direction, will bring it down. This is something that ought to be taken into account when people go lopping branches from big mature trees.

I fear there will come a day when we will no longer see big majestic oaks, or beeches or whatever: trees that have taken hundreds of years to grow. Oh there are lots of trees being planted, by people who are 'saving the planet'. But very often they are being planted in the wrong places, where they will get too big and will have to be cut down in twenty years time. Or someone will come up with yet another 'bold new plan' to renovate the area, and down will come the trees. Our local council seem very keen on that sort of thing.