Day 203
Randim # 84
do a facial mask
had one to use up so perfect timing. I miss the masks that were in a tube and hardened or curbed up and you peeked off. Now it’s always this goopy plastic thing. It’s weird. This one though, very moisturizing.
I will have to find a spa in Tampa — reward my weight loss with skin care!
In a somewhat non sequiter, I’m thinking of having some braids put in, and maybe a small tattoo. All good weight loss rewards! Hmm! Next stage of my life!
Day 202
Random #411
Look up walking meditation
I was half-assedly skimming some sites talking about why to do a walking meditation and even how to take an intentional mindful walk. Then I remembered I pay for the Calm app! And yeah, there’s a bunch of walking meditations there. And now I’m kinda excited to start this tomorrow!
I am still riding the self-confidence boost when in first grade I was the only kid who knew how to spell Martian and the teacher expressed her delight in me doing so.
Day 201
Random # 96
Wear a new dress
Ordered two dresses from Anthropologie. Didn’t like the Italian-lemon themed one and returned it. Love love love the purple flowery one. Wore it to the office today. Of course it has pockets! And it is long.
Here’s one corner of the dress plus me in a jaunty hat and a buncha roses.
day 201
Random # 87
write down three goals
Trying not to give myself too much to do in Tampa. Peter will be a lot, and I need to focus on my job. I did end up with *four* goals:
To do in Tampa August 17-December 11:
next 4 would be nice too
anything beyond those is bonus
I’ve done the workaholic thing. Ive done the single party girl thing. I’ve done the broke thing. I’ve done the momma to young ‘uns thing. I’ve done the juggling it all (and none of it well) thing. I’ve done a bit of quasi empty nest, still juggling thing. I’ve done the community involvement thing.
Now I will try a quieter thing. Since the pandemic, staying home is the preferred mode. More music, walking, crafts, baking, reading, just being available for Peter.
But still traveling!
Day 200
Random number 62
start a blog
Started a blog for hotel art. Crazy idea. But now I can collect cool art in one place.
Weight goals
How to:
Day 199
Random number 352
Find new music
Participated in Crafternoon Texas music fundraiser on YouTube. Now I am aware of and fan of Ellis Paul and Rebecca Loebe and Carrie Elkin and more. I listened to 4 hours of online concert then spent another hour exploring these artists on Apple as I finished my embroidery.
Mentioned Ellis to Nora, who said she and her husband have been listening to Slaid Cleaves. As I listened to his music, I saw he’s from same small town in Maine as my husband. Ask husband, and yep, he knows the guy. Slaid’s parents were good friends with his parents. Wild how small a town the state of Maine is.
Then broke my social media sabbatical, and was scrolling Instagram. Patton Oswald was raving about Bleached. Listening to them now. ♥️
My whole Apple Music algorithm was reset today.
Lists for 2025
Each summer, as we hibernate inside away from the heat, and anticipate hurricanes and resulting power outages, we try to consume the food we’ve already purchased deep in the freezer or lost in the back of the fridge.
Today for breakfast, I’m making cheese biscuits with a just expired can of Pilsbury grands that got lost in back fridge and 3 partial bags of shredded cheese.
For lunch, I’m making ham & cheese rolls with 2 just-expired can of Pillsbury crescent rolls, more from that 3rd open bag of shredded cheese, and sliced ham.
For dinner, we’re having lasagna made with long-neglected lasagna noodles from our pantry, fresh and frozen leftover roast chicken and two already-opened containers of pesto re-found in the fridge.
No, not diet food but pretty much “free” cause we paid for most of this food long ago and now we are using up leftovers or remnants or long-forgotten purchases.
EDITED TO ADD:
Inventoried our canned goods. Might as well eat some of these too. Upcoming meals:
We had a bunch of credits piling up at Audible so I used them up. I should be doing some driving between Tampa and West Palm so I’ll have plenty to listen to.
**Destiny of the Republic — I read paper copy years ago, and I’m always recommending this book, time for a re-reading.
**We Solve Murders — new book in new series by Richard Osman
**Moonflower Murders & Marble Hall Murders — Anthony Horowitz. He’s so good at these meta book-within-a-book ideas.
**The Adventure of the Seven Christmas Cards — Horowitz doing a Sherlock Holmes’ novella. So cheap I just paid for it rather than use an Audible credit.
**The Maid’s Secret — third book in Molly Gray series. Just finished listening to book 2.
**The Answer is No —novella by Frederik Backman. Love all his stuff. This was a tiny one for $1 and change so how could I not.
Sunday plans:
#LifeIsGood
Also planned: social media sabbatical day. Hope I remember that part tomorrow! 😆😆😆
Also done today:
Day 198
Random number 308
Finish a lingering home task
When we moved into this house 23 years ago, the prior owner had installed some “rope” lighting under the cabinets and on top of the cabinets. The ones on top still work. We actually forget about them occasionally for a couple years at a time, but i plugged them in today and they lit up!
The under-cabinet lighting burned out about two years in and we took it down. Except most of the clips. Which I finally took out today. It’d been on my To Do list for showings. We may not be on the market still, but I will keep doing some projects toward re-listing in 2026.
“Poetry is what in a poem makes you laugh, cry, prickle, be silent, makes your toenails twinkle, makes you want to do this or that or nothing, makes you know that you are alone and not alone in the unknown world, that your bliss and suffering is forever shared and forever all your own. All that matters about poetry is the enjoyment of it however tragic it may be all that matters is the eternal movement behind it – the great undercurrent of human grief, folly, pretension, exaltation and ignorance – however unlofty the intention of the poem…” – Dylan Thomas
…Aka walking away from more money than I ever imagined…
I am moving to Tampa in August… but … not really. And Sean and I are splitting up. The cat & dog are splitting up too! Don’t get excited!!! Read the whole story!
Full story:
We put our house on the market. Painted, cleaned, scrubbed, put stuff in storage, all the things!
2 1/2 months, we didn’t get any offers.
Came up with a plan B for supporting Peter going back to college, weighing options and expenses.
Then we got a nice offer on the house this week (tho’ under asking). OMG!!!! Time to sell or get off the pot!
We got off the pot. We are not selling the house (yet). Plan B is more flexible, financially sound plan.
So! Son Peter and I and the cat are moving. short term, to a condo we already own near his college.
It’s so obvious, why didn’t we think of this 4 months ago? Oh yeah, we had tenants 4 months ago. Plan B wasn’t an option originally.
I have a little whiplash from all this, but it’s nice to not make a full move yet.
So yeah, my husband and I are splitting up short term, for the kiddo. It is the best plan for our son which is our goal as a team. Parenting is hard. Parenting special needs is harder. Luckily, the three of us make a good team.
So I get to support Peter in his new college adventure, as well as explore a new city, shake things up a bit in my life, and fix up the condo in Tampa. Sean gets a lot of time for his writing. But also, we still have the same home to come home to. No matter how Peter fares at college, we’ll have his back, one way or another.
And not making big financial moves (yet?) means more travel! We already have plans for winter break!
Sean and I still intend to move out of Palm Beach County some day … maybe in the next year. We first have to make serious decisions about *where* we want to be for the next stage of our lives.
ANOTHER VERSION: I wrote this to Kamas:
Peter’s classes start Aug 25.
We got an offer in the house… and then turned it down!!!! Because we realized it’d be easier, cheaper, less stressful to keep this house, and Peter and I go live semester to semester in the condo that we already own in Tampa. Nora was living in it until a couple months ago, so this wasn’t an option when we started this drama.
Key: This plan will be less pressure for all of us if Peter doesn’t finish college.
But also… Sean and I weren’t/aren’t real sure what we were doing the *following* year. The plan had been: sell & rent in Tampa, then… buy … somewhere? Maybe Tampa? Maybe Winter Haven? Maybe Canada?! We don’t really know! Probably it’ll be near Nora (ergo, Winter Haven-ish area), but there’s a lot could change in her life still… she’s job hunting still and her father in law is dying.
We hope we don’t regret not selling now. The offer we got was pretty nice (though below asking price). The economy still has potential to become even more chaotic… Sean and I have said all along:,worst case scenario we stay in a house we know and near people we like and trust!
So Peter and I are moving temporarily to Tampa on Sat Aug 16. Just decided the date today. Skitty is moving with us. Luna stays here with Sean. It’ll be interesting to see how the animals cope.
And we’ll all see each other about every two weeks, we’ve figured out.
Meanwhile our house looks AMAZING which is nice. And we’re getting a few more things fixed that would’ve come up in inspection — like a broken window. So we plan to re-visit whether to sell in January and in May… a lot depends on how Peter is doing in college and where Nora is settling.
Day 196
Random number 123
Lunch with friends
Went to the sushi place with the robot, nut the robot is broken. With Stacy & Barbara. Stacy gave us these adorable little raccoon, red panda and otter that she 3D printed — and they hold hands. She said “this is us three”. Awwww! My heart melted!
Ate too much food, had laughs, and went home to nap.
Day 197
Random number 120
Drink a cup of tea right to the end, don’t get distracted
Nice one. Stole this SJ from the British woman Electra who gave me idea for Small Joys. I was cleaning stuff out of fridge, found some Pillsbury cinnamon rolls that *needed* to be baked. Enjoyed a sweet treat, a cup of tea all the way to the end, while watching latest episode of South Park.
We’re taking our house off the market. Yes, we just got an offer.
But we had already decided on me and Peter moving to the condo. And that’s what we’re sticking with.
And we’ve run the numbers and it’d be cheaper to maintain two households (house here and the condo) than to rent — mostly ‘cause our house has no mortgage. Renting would also be more expensive with all the costs of a full move and repairs needed due to an inspection. Of course those expenses will come whenever we do sell.
So really … it’s because if we did all this effort and spent all this money, and then Peter melts down or fails out, … it’d be so much pressure on him that we’d done all that. Even if we reassured him that we meant to do all this anyway.
In addition, we didn’t have a concrete plan for what happens next year: buy in Tampa? Move elsewhere? We could end up renting and spending more money without a clear plan. We need more time to figure out the next stage.
Four months ago, Sean was sure the economy was about to collapse and wanted to sell while we could. But the economy is mostly doing okay. And interest rates will drop in a couple months so housing market may actually improve. And maybe we will sell it for more money (that’s a gamble).
In the meantime, we can get Peter through a semester or two before we commit to moving.
Whooo wheeee…. It’s chaos! And yet, we’re doing the less chaotic thing.
As soon as Sean said that this could further devestate Peter, I was like, ohhhh yeah. That’s smart. Then I was like WHY we were gung-ho to do this? And he reminded we (HE and many experts) thought the economy was about to collapse. And it still might. But now that maybe it’s not collapsing as fast as we thought … this gives us more flexibility.
Still eating down the fridge. I’m still in mode to use up what we have.
Moving, hurricane season, using up food
Small Joy
Day 195
random #2
find a new limoncello recipe
plus also must use up frozen strawberries: how about strawberry limoncello frose?
I’ve been up for an hour and a half. I’ve listened to Stevie Ray Vaughan. Posted a bunch of photos on BlueSky. Researched Halloween/Con costumes. And petted the cat.
Excellent use of my time!
Now time for sourdough bread and then back to entering K1s into a multimillion $ tax return.
My wishlist of American cities to see that I’ve never been to:
My wishlist of American cities to explore again/more:
American cities I have travel plans currently:
Things i like about my house:
Things I don’t like about my house:
AND:
While I was working remotely in Florida for clients in Texas, my watch buzzed. It gave me a message that the pacemaker in my heart sent a transmission to my doctor via my phone.
Technology is kinda cool sometimes.
Day 194
Random number 215
Clean old stuff out of fridge
Found old salmon steaks in feeezer — Sean grilled them up for dinner. We are up half a bag of peas. I baked sugar cookies from a pack that had gotten lost in the cheese drawer. And we tossed out old expired food from fridge and poured out two expired half-drink quarts of lemonade.
Day 193
Random number 469
Have a lazy day
I still had things on my To Do list but we got so much done Saturday and we’re enjoying a fun new show called MurderBot… that we just said fuck it and watched the entire season. Then in the evening, we watched half of Slow Horses Season 4. Nice to just chill and be entertained.
Day 192
Rando # 118
Share good news
I even posted on FB: “Tell me good news”. I shared that I got the car washed, filled the car with gas before the warning light and made sheet pan pancakes for Peter.
Rando # 468
Limoncello spritz
Second small joy of the day — prosecco plus limoncello. Great hot summer drink. Finished off the last bottle bought in Italy.
Rode bike for 40 minutes, cleaned up garage and kitchen, started laundry, took dog to the car wash where she got a peanut butter treat.
Next going to grocery store and then making two quiches & limoncello cocktails before a party with friends.
I’m so “lazy.” 😆😆😆
LATER
Still haven’t made it to grocery store.
Forgot that I also cleaned the ceiling fans and made pancakes. I’m pooped! The family watched episode 1 of MurderBot — fantastic first episode. We are hooked and intrigued. A ten minute meditation… and I’m about ready to face the grocery store now.
LATER
Grocery store, two quiches and an episode of Survivor Pulau with my son.
Next: limoncello spritzes and party time!
LATER
two limoncello spritzes and several board games. Bed by midnight. What a day!
Day 191
Random number 412
Ask a friend’s kid for a drawing
Just texted Tsia asking for a drawing from Kennedy, and Viki asking for a drawing from Larry Jr. Hopefully this small joy bears fruit later.
Random number 187
Write Sean a love letter
Done. I hope he enjoys it. Printing now, giving it to him in the morning. Gave it to him a few days later. I kept wanting to finish it, but it’d never be finished. He loved it.
Came here to post an update; realized I never posted my July goals list.
In:
Out:
update 7/18
I have gone cold turkey on the Pepsi/soda for 2 weeks. Appear to have lost 3 pounds without any other efforts. Sleeping better.
Still haven’t gotten to daily meditation, but way more than June.
Cleaning and tidying all sorts of places in the house we haven’t touched often in 20 years: behind fridge and stove for the second time in two months, closet AC vents, linen closets, under sinks.
Moving — technically not until mid-August. Also too hot for much moving around outside. But doing more stretching.
For healthy eating, I hope homemade sourdough and premium ice cream count!
And we did the right amount of thinking of expenses when we decided to go with plan B, moving to the condo instead of renting a house while our house hadn’t yet sold.
Update 8/1:
Did not move (yet) after all. Did not move much for exercise either. Well, lots of stretching but little walking or biking.
Plenty of meditation.
Not enough hugs, but I didn’t get together with people much in July.
Loads of board games.
Yes on cleaning.
Meh on healthy eating. Less sugar sorta. Lots of consuming foods we already bought — using up what’s in pantry and freezer. So “healthy” for our pocketbook and storage! 😆
Yes to limbo ending! Decision made!
Nearly 100% quit on Pepsis. It’s back to rare occasional treat, not a daily thing.
Didn’t spend a lot of $ in July and we made good financial decision on moving, so money anxiety lessened.
I think moving the stove and fridge to clean behind, climbing a ladder to clean an AC vent, and again to take down a broken valence, and helping mop the floor are going to count as my stretching for the day!
So we aren’t moving 100% out of the house. But it’s still good to eat down what’s in the freezer, use up old stuff, eat what we’ve already paid for, make space to refill it.
Making bacon & yellow squash quiche and a ham quiche this weekend.
Made banana/strawberry/other smoothies this morning.
Cooking salmon steaks this weekend.
Making chicken parm for dinner on Sunday.
And chicken pesto lasagna — think of the lunch leftovers! Yum!
Day 190
Random number 114
Do something surprising.
So I randomly decided to delete all the Meta apps, and Reddit (for now) and Pinterest, plus a game. Time to free up time for my priorities.
I want to quit
I want to spend time on
Found myself thinking (YET AGAIN): what would I do with my free time if I wasn’t on social media?
All things I say I want to do more of! So I deleted all Meta apps plus Reddit plus Pinterest (hardly used) off phone and iPad. Went to sleep easier. And in morning, I was happy not to reach for phone and “catch up.”
So let’s see if I can go a full week. I still have BlueSky and blogger and messenger and NYT games time-suck games at BGA. And I still have FB on computer but I don't use it as much as phone. At least I could type easier on there!
I finished listening to a book as I went to sleep instead of scrolling!
DAY 1/2: so far so good
DAY 2 report: I’ve gone to sleep easier last 2 nights (tho’ that could be having made big decision on Mon). I’ve finished an audio book and started another. I’d fallen out of reading habit a few months ago (see again; general stress). Also meditated each day. #Lifeisgood
DAY 6: I downloaded Instagram a couple days later — I missed posting photos! And I downloaded FB onto phone on day 5 to check something but then re-deleted. Today I downloaded FB into iPad. So not quite cold turkey. But certainly cut back a little. Will try again in a few days. Deleting for a few days at a time is good. Better than nothing.
What will I do in Tampa, living in a small condo, with a stressed-out college junior, and minimal furniture?
huh. I think I’ll have plenty to keep me busy!
Day 188
Random number 72
bedtime meditate.
Been sleeping poorly as anxiety is through roof. This put me to sleep so fast. It was Harry Styles talking to me, quite nice. I was out like a light quickly.
Day 189
Random number 468
Stretch spine 6 ways
Good way to stave off aches. Making this a daily habit.
I’m looking forward to one story house.
Not house hunting.
Supporting Peter.
Shopping for lamps at thrift stores.
Meditating on back porch.
Table left out for jigsaw puzzles.
New adventures.
Getting back to biking.
Keeping things simple.
Mega super anxious
Must acknowledge that.
Picked a house. So that’s good!
Now huge To Do list.
Will work half day tomorrow…. Er, later today.
EDITED TO ADD: changed our minds: Not the expensive house, not the potentially moldy house. Going with Plan B: Me & Peter & Skitty to the condo. Anxiety level fell so fast.
New to me:
Taught:
Also played:
Day 186
Random number 374
go on a treasure hunt
Went on a photo scavenger hunt for a vendor at Dice Tower called Sidequest Games. Erin prompted me to do it. We got free dice and some silly photos for it.
Day 187
Random number 368
Re-read something you know lifts your spirits
Essentialisms, about simplifying life. It’s after midnight so I’m counting it for Saturday. Hopefully it also helps me get to sleep.
Day 184
Random number 439
Research art museums in Tampa area
Day 185
Random number 466
find new music
The Delines. Dennis T said “Delines, a band from Portland OR. Think Amy Winehouse, Norah Jones, Billie Holiday.” I’ve listened to two half songs. I like.
