I'm not usually like this, but...

I woke up knowing that my bones are about to let me have it.

I woke up knowing that my bones are about to let me have it. I feel the tingle that precedes some very not-fun inflammation. ☹️ I desperately do not want to go back on Methotrexate. 😢

SOMEHOW I made an 8/10 on that Linear Algebra quiz.

SOMEHOW I made an 8/10 on that Linear Algebra quiz. Thank goodness! I guess I'm hanging in there. For now! 😁 Five more weeks to go! Wish me luck!

Nom is trying his best...

Nom is trying his best to use the dog stairs. I'm pretty sure this kid thinks he's a puppy. 😂😍

I rage-cleaned my house, took a shower, then...

I rage-cleaned my house, took a shower, then me, Shaun, Kira, and Chantal went to a haunted house. The girls screamed, I laughed hard, made a kiss at a monster who got in my face, and yelled "Look, Mariah Carey!" when Michael Myers came at us. I guess I'm feeling a bit better. I'm tired. I think I'm going to paint my claws and call it a night.

I'll deal with homework later this weekend. For now I'm not going to think about school at all. Maybe I need a weekend off.

My Friday isn't off to a good start.

My Friday isn't off to a good start. We had a Linear Algebra quiz this morning and once again, I didn't even finish it. I came close, though. I knew what I was doing, but my brain isn't a calculator. This shit is getting frustrating. I feel like we don't have adequate time to show our understanding. 😡

Kira says this is her talent. 😂😂😂

Kira says this is her talent. 😂😂😂

Good morning, hidden buddy. 😊

Good morning, hidden buddy. 😊

Sometimes I feel smart and sometimes I feel really, really dumb.

Sometimes I feel smart and sometimes I feel really, really dumb.  I've been looking for my old C++ labs since last semester so I could re-do them in Java for practice, but I couldn't find them ANYWHERE.  I've searched my desktop PC, laptop, and two thumb drives.  They've been here on my laptop the whole time.  I literally just found them in the most obvious place - a folder on the Desktop of my laptop.

With that off my mind I'm heading to bed.  When I went to school on Monday I legit though it was Wednesday or Thursday.  I think I didn't have a restful weekend because my brain and body are struggling to comprehend that it's somehow only Tuesday.  I feel like I've somehow zoned out of the last few days.  I don't know what that's about.

Goodnight, friends!  ❤

I'm home from school early.

I'm done with advising.

I'm done with advising.  So I'm taking 1)  Differential Equations, 2)  Advanced Calculus, 3)  Mobile App Development, and 4)  Ethics and Legal Issues in the Spring.  I'm scared already.  I hear that Advanced Calculus is tough.  😳

I made an 8/10 on my last Linear Algebra quiz.

I guess me and Booka had a slumber party with Nom last night.

I guess me and Booka had a slumber party with Nom last night. I heard him clucking and making noise off and on all night. Got up this morning to see him waking up next to my book shelf, having knocked over some glass things I should really put away. Had to snap a picture because LOOK AT THAT LEG. 😂😂😂

For anyone who doesn't share their life with a tortoise:  They tend to push into corners / tight spots to sleep. So Nom bulldozes whatever is in his path when it's bedtime. He stubborn like he mama. 😝

Pardon my messy chair, but...

Pardon my messy chair, but this is what my room sounds like this morning. Volume up! 😂😂😂

I made an 88 on my Computer Organization and Architecture exam.

I made an 88 on my Computer Organization and Architecture exam. I really thought I aced it, but I came so close that I'm not even mad. 🙂 In other school news:  The first floor of Ayers Hall just made me so happy. I think they are ready for Halloween! 😁

I'm geeking out about pencils.

I'm geeking out about pencils. Feel free to avert your eyes. 😂😂😂

I know - I have a bunch of writing utensils (and this isn't even all of them). It might be weird, but oh well. I've been holding on to pens and pencils for a long time. The first fancy pencil I ever got was from my first grade teacher, Ms. Bentley. I don't remember what it was for, but it's a wooden pencil that is pink with silver or gold (hard to say now because it has aged) swirls on it. And yes, I still have it.

Though I have a lot of wooden pencils and ink pens, my favorite thing is mechanical pencils. I like it when they have features or do cool things. I also like to see how the brand has upgraded or changed a design over the years. I like to try all of the lead sizes and eraser types and ways to make the led come out. It makes me happy. 😊

You can look at my pencils, but don't judge them. Some of these are from high school. Some of these are found. Some are just a few years old. Regardless, they are my pencils and I love them. 😍😜

***

These are brands of which I only have one or two in my collection. I'm guessing the yellow one is a Target brand pencil because it has that familiar arrow on the clip. The left black pencil is clearly branded Office Max. The clear one beside that is a very old Scripto with weird fat lead that Shaun gave me. The green one is a Unison.

The Sharpie pencil is a liquid pencil that Shaun bought me at some point in our earlier years of dating.

The two Pilot pencils near the right are the only two of that brand I have. The white one has 0.3mm lead! The black one, you SHAKE IT to advance the led. I'd never heard of such a thing until Shaun surprised me with it a few years ago. It's one he still had from high school.

The rightmost set is from Pentech. Does that even exist anymore? I'm probably going to Google it later.

The yellow pencil is a very fat-writing, triangle-shaped PaperMate. The middle pencil is actually oval-shaped with a nice side button for advancing the (if you didn't notice) SQUARE LEAD. The one on the right is a big cushy one I got for when the arthritis in my hands flares up. I like it because the eraser rolls up.

These are all Bics. I guess Bics are easy to come by because my collection has more of them than any other brand. Fun Fact: I actually don't care that much for Bic pencils. 😕 I guess no one else does, either, because they don't bother to pick them up if they drop them.

So, I put the leftmost orange pencil with these Bic Velocity pencils because it kind of matched and it's interesting to see how the brand progressed. The two on the right are not Velocity, either, but they are also there for the comparison.

Guess which pencil I've had since high school. There are two, actually, but I clearly favored one over the other.

The Zebra brand is ok. They make some really nice-looking pencils, but those erasers are just ridiculously too small. The three on the right are pretty new. The middle two are shakers, and I really wanted to see how that was different than the one Shaun gave me. It actually has a silver weight that you can see sliding back and forth. I feel like you have to shake these harder than the older one that's a different brand.

These are by Pentel. I don't know the evolution here, but the left group is all Twist Erase, which I like because I don't run out of eraser. The middle group also does the twist erase thing, but have the side click button that I love. They are called Twist Erase Click. The one on the right is called Quick Click and the eraser extends, but with a slide-y button. I do love extend-y erasers, but sometimes the twisty ones want to push back in. I haven't used the one on the right enough yet to know if it will have a "push back in" problem, too.

These are more by Pentel. I think Pentel is my second favorite brand.

PaperMate is definitely my favorite brand. It's funny to me how they have that disposable thing on the left, but then produce something like the Syncro and the Clear Point and Clear Point Elite. All of these except for the yellow one have the side click and extend-y eraser that I love. The Syncro (blue one) isn't comfortable for me to write with for long. Neither is the Clear Point (middle green) - note that ridge on the very bottom of the grip. The Clear Point Elite is just about my holy grail pencil. It doesn't hurt my hand like the others. And it's PRETTY. The green one is basically un-used, but I included my trusty gray one because it took me through Calculus and deserves some appreciation. Look at how worn the poor thing is!

Another thing: The Clear Point and Clear Point Elite have GREAT erasers!

These are PaperMate pencils with colored led. Helpful for graphing and all of the drawing I have to do in my notes.

These are by Pentel. This is my second favorite pencil. If it didn't have eraser caps to keep up with and nice erasers that extended, it would be a lot closer to being my favorite. The left purple one I've had since high school. I don't know when I got the left blue one, but it is clearly pretty old, too. The newer versions have better grips that are easier on my hands.

These are TechniClick by Pentel. I guess they are my third favorite. I love the side click button. I like the way they look. Not a fan of the caps, or the tiny eraser.

The leftmost one I've had since high school. The two on the right are newer. I guess they are basically the same.

These are the only Tul pencils I have. They look nice. They give you more eraser than Zebra, but they aren't super comfortable to hold and you have to push the eraser to advance the lead.

Booka doing his favorite thing...

Booka doing his favorite thing - rolling around in the big chair. I'm glad my old puppy still enjoys himself. ❤

Tfw you're dead asleep and...

My study buddies chilling under the table.

My study buddies chilling under the table. Booka is always close to me, and Nom is never far from him (whether Boo likes it or not). 😂😂😂

Also, thank you, cats, for throwing my ruler on the floor. Appreciate ya. 👍🏻😜

I'm definitely not one of the cool kids...

I'm definitely not one of the cool kids. I'm all up in my Linear Algebra tonight. I don't think it will ever matter how far I go in math; I write down ALL of the steps. Don't judge me! 😂😂😂

Also, check out my sweet new pencil. Dinorah bought it for me yesterday and made my freaking day! 😁😁😁

While driving to school today I noticed...

While driving to school today I noticed when glancing in my rear-view mirror that there was a little lizard on my back windshield. I pulled over and approached him. I put up my hand and with very little prodding he jumped on my finger and allowed me to carry him to safety. It made me feel really nice. I miss having the time / energy / money / space to help animals. They are my people and I need them. He or she was a beautiful green anole, in case you were wondering. 😊

In other news I had an exam in Computer Organization and Architecture today. I don't want to get too excited, but I felt really good about it. I finished the test early and double checked all of my work. Unless I am just crazy out of my mind I think I did well.

Those were the good things. The flip side is that I'm fighting depression. Being sick ran me down, getting behind on school pushed me farther, and now I have other life stressors that I'm struggling to figure out. It's always something, I guess. But today I'm grateful for the lizard and possible good grade. And I'm super excited that it's almost the weekend.

I hope you all are doing well! ❤️❤️❤️

I made an 11/20 on that Linear Algebra test.