My boys. ❤️

My boys. ❤️

Wifey has been so busy during this quarantine. I appreciate her so much. ❤️

Wifey has been so busy during this quarantine. I appreciate her so much. ❤️

I didn't feel super great today... yesterday?

I didn't feel super great today... yesterday? Sunday - whenever that was. I ended up napping from 6 pm - almost 11 pm. Got up and watched Tiger King on Netflix. The whole thing. In one sitting. Just finished. That was a wild ride.

Having volunteered in animal rescue and rehab - I have feelings about it. I have felt extremely passionate about animal situations. I have been angered to tears by things people do and have spent more than my fair share of time brokenhearted over things I have no power to change. There's just too much to unpack. So I'm stuffing that right back down from whence it came. I need to concentrate on the well-being of my family, school, and getting a job.

I can't wait to see all of the memes, though. Holy shit, that show is a gold mine. 😂😂😂

Today was productive.

Today was productive. Shaun and I did a bunch of yard work. We also did some laundry. Last thing for me for the day will be changing my bed sheets - not a super easy task because my bed is a loft and the mattress is super poofy. 😂 It's a workout, but I love my nest so it's ok.

I took a shower after I came in from doing yard work and halfway through I started feeling like I was drowning. It wasn't a super hot steamy shower and I didn't get water up my nose, but I still don't feel good. I've been coughing a bit and my head feels wonky, but hopefully whatever this is will pass.

Anyway, I hope you all are doing well. If today wasn't good, maybe tomorrow will be. ❤️

I haven't "had" a cat since Midna died.

I haven't "had" a cat since Midna died. I have lived with a bunch of cats, but none really claimed me as their own because I live with Shaun the Cat - Whisperer, Stealer of Cats. Of course I love all of the 10 cats who live here and they like me, too, but you can tell when you're special to them.

Over the last few weeks I've become special to Scar. I don't really know why he's decided that he's my cat, but he has. He cries outside my bedroom when I go to bed and calls loudly in the morning when he misses me. He talks to me and snuggles me.

He's gives bitey love, which I like. He's not afraid to hook a claw in you to pull you closer. I like that, too. In return I'm a little rough with him. I pick him up and squeeze him and he purrs. I forcefully rub his cheek on my cheek against his resistance and he purrs. I don't know if it's weird or what, but we take the love we want from each other and now we're friends.

This my kitty, y'all. His nickname is "Boyfriend." 😂

I've felt really down today...

I've felt really down today, but think that's probably an acceptable way to feel during the apocalypse. I'm going through cycles of getting a lot done and feeling good about it, then days of accomplishing little to nothing and not feeling too good about that. Then days like today - where all I feel is a paralyzing impending sense of doom.

I learned today how shitty people in my town are. I won't be naming names even if you ask me privately, but I know a person who's doctor strongly encouraged her to stay home two days ago because of the symptoms she was showing. It was only today that she was ORDERED to stay home, though, so before that order was put in place she went shopping (for a non-necessary item). And yes, she (and her kids) are showing enough symptoms that they have been tested. I fully expect the number of cases in Calhoun County to go up some more any day now.

Anyway, I hope you all are doing well. Genuinely, I do. But please be smart and try your best not to endanger others. It's not everyone for themselves at a time like this. We've already seen that that doesn't work.

I would like to wish a giant happy birthday...

I would like to wish a giant happy birthday to this ray of sunshine in my life. I hate that things are so weird with the pandemic; if they weren't - we would be celebrating however she wanted. But Kira is amazing at making the best of things. This is the most gracious kid I've ever met. We love her like the world and hope we made her feel special today. Happy Birthday, sweet girl! ❤️❤️❤️

We're making the best of things.

We're making the best of things. Shaun is laid off and my only remaining class is online. I can't really express how happy I am to be "stuck" home with my love. We're a good team. We've been tackling chores and house projects with our downtime. Also catching up on shows and watching movies together. It's like a vacation. A doom vacation, but what can you do?

We stocked the kids up on groceries the other day. They said they've been staying home. I'm happy about that. We've been staying in a LOT more. This is probably the longest we've gone without eating Baja in the last 2 years. 😂😂😂 But we'll be ok. We have groceries and Soylent is our backup plan. I'm used to fasting so I can easily eat only 3 days / week if it comes to that. I've done that off and on for the last few years and I still have some booty to spare, so it's all good. 😂😂😂

I hope you all are doing well. We're trying! Stay safe, friends!

Anyone else...

Anyone else inadvertently defaulting to that period between Christmas and New Years where there are no rules and time doesn't exist, or is that just me? 😂😂😂

Who are you holed up with? Show me your Pandemic Pals!

Who are you holed up with? Show me your Pandemic Pals! Here are mine:

I bought this butt-sprayer back in September.

I bought this butt-sprayer back in September. Shaun put it on the toilet yesterday. It looked easy and I could have done it at any time, but I don't like touching the toilet. 🤷🏻‍♂️

So, I *think* I like it.

The water that it sprays is cold. ONLY cold. After the fact, you feel refreshed. But man, that initial spray is pretty jarring.

The force of the spray is adjusted near the water cutoff of the toilet tank. You're not supposed to leave it on. You CAN, but the initial spray is a forceful BLAST to the nethers if you do. It's better to hold down the trigger and ease the spray on with the valve. Unless, of course, you have a mighty need to blast your ass.

I could see how this would reduce the need for wet wipes and reduce the use of toilet paper. I definitely feel clean after using it, which is nice. It's just going to take some getting used to.

JP Bathroom Master's Handheld Bidet Sprayer

Kira put some swag on my Booty Bear hours ago.

Kira put some swag on my Booty Bear hours ago. He's still wearing it. 😂😂😂 This little man cracks me up.

We finished emptying the old house today.

We finished emptying the old house today. Shadow and I went through a ton of stuff and separated out what could be donated. All that's left for me to do on that front is some organizing and getting some things to a few friends.

Since I dropped Differential Equations I have one online class. I plan to spend my "socially isolated" time working on school, organizing, and maybe even finishing painting my hall and starting on the bathroom. It will feel so nice to check off my to-do list. For fun I'll spend time with my plants and animals, do our nails, read, color, and play games or whatever.

What are you going to do? I'm genuinely curious. Talk to me, friends! 🙂

I love graphs. 😍

I love graphs. 😍

I would like to wish...

I would like to wish the happiest 20th birthday to the damn coolest thing to ever come out of my body:  Shadow! I know our relationship is pretty unconventional, but we did a lot of growing up together. I couldn't have asked for a more chill and compassionate kid with which to navigate life.

Man-Cub, I'm so proud of the person you are and I love you more than words can say. I hope you have a wonderful day. This is definitely the anniversary of one of my favorite days ever. ❤️

I don't think we've taken a selfie together...

I don't think we've taken a selfie together in 11 years, but first try, no makeup, no filter! Maybe we're good at this! 😂😂😂

Husbang is showing out for our anniversary.

Husbang is showing out for our anniversary. It's cotton. It's the Tree of Life from our wedding cake. AND IT'S A PLANT HANGER.

This human being could absolutely not be more thoughtful or perfect for me. I will never understand how I got so lucky. My overwhelming feelings are leaking out of my eyes. My only sadness is how fast the years seem to be flying by. Married for 2, together for 12. Sure doesn't feel like it.

I love you like the world, Shaun.

Have any of you taken precautions not to get sick?

Have any of you taken precautions not to get sick? Anyone staying in more? Washing hands and not touching faces? Anything else? Just checking in.

I slept through walk-in hours at the Student Health Center.

I slept through walk-in hours at the Student Health Center. I'm still running a fever, but I don't feel as bad. In-person classes are canceled for the remainder of the semester. I'm going to go ahead and drop Differential Equations. I missed a quiz today. We are supposed to have an exam next week but I have to finish the house once and for all - assuming I feel well enough to do anything, which I haven't for the last few days. Fun times. Graduation, see you in December.

I just learned on reddit that lady elephants have two boobs.

I just learned on reddit that lady elephants have two boobs. Chest boobs. Just like us! Why did that blow my mind? It makes total sense.

Napping boys. ❤️

Napping boys. ❤️

I felt rough yesterday.

I felt rough yesterday. I woke up today feeling like I was getting a migraine. Migraine meds haven't helped and now I have a fever. I don't know what this is, but I don't want it. 🤒

Current situation:

Current situation:

For the last two days...

For the last two days I've woken up with tension headaches after having nightmares. Some of the nightmares are ridiculous. Some are about school. Some are me being back in situations that I didn't like. I wake up feeling stressed and have a hard time shaking it. It's pretty bad. I've been extremely lucky that I have managed to ward off the impending migraines, but I don't know how much longer that will last if something doesn't give. 

I'm still not done emptying my old house. I have 8 days to finish that. It's a problem. It's taking up a lot of mental space for me. I don't feel calm or able to process things when I know something needs to be finished or when things are in disarray. So my brain feels really un-focus-y and not calm. Also, the time it will take for me to move things and get them sorted out would be better spent studying, but I don't have time to do both. 

Due to that I'm not doing very well in my math class. Well... that's not the only problem, but it's a big one. Unfortunately, Differential Equations requires my full attention and a focused brain - neither of which I can give at this time. It's not working out such that I have a passing grade, but I do enjoy the material. I'm debating whether to drop it or just hang in there so I can learn as much as I can for the next go around. 

I knew we'd have a term paper in my CS class, but we also have 5 smaller papers to write. Those were just assigned a few days ago. I'm not excited about that. I really thought I'd be done with writing papers after last semester. The amount of stress that writing papers gives me is, well... a lot. I'm sure some of my tension headaches are due to those assignments. 

In theory with only two classes I should be able to handle them and do well, but that's really not how I feel that things are going right now.

I'm starting to feel pretty sure that I need to stop worrying about school so much and get a job after I finish the house stuff. I can finish my CS class this semester, take Abstract Algebra over the summer, and Differential Equations this fall, all while working at least part-time. It's later than I wanted to graduate but at this point (even though I desperately want to be finished with school), I feel strongly about not half - assing my classes. I don't want to graduate by the skin of my teeth. Besides, if I graduate in December I can graduate with my best buddy Dinorah. That's definitely a silver lining.

I don't know. I probably talk too much on here about my "problems." But I'm doing some serious thinking about delaying my graduation date. It seems like it would be better for my mental health and for my understanding of the material I'm learning. If anyone has advice, I'm all ears.

I'm so mean.

I'm so mean. Since I was so busy today, this is the first chance I've had to hold him. He's been chasing me all day meowing. I swear it looks like he's smiling. Poor Scar kitty.

I've had a pretty good day.

I've had a pretty good day. I woke up and got my favorite breakfast with my favorite person. I came home and checked A LOT of things off my to-do list. After that we ate and then I started taking care of my plants.

I just took the dogs out and I'm dying at how precious Booka is. He didn't want to jump off the couch (thank goodness with his old self) so I went to pick him down. He bucked like he was jumping / helping me. 😂😂😂 He does the same thing when I pick him up to help him onto the couch; he kicks off with his little back legs like he's doing something. 😂😂😂 I don't know why that tickles me so much. I guess it's just the cooperation of my old boy when he knows I'm trying to help him. It is honestly one of the most precious treasures. My heart is so happy and full right now.

Everybody stay back! JSU tryna catch cooties! 😂

Everybody stay back! JSU tryna catch cooties! 😂

Me on the last quiz in Differential Equations. I had to be sure! 😂😂😂

Me on the last quiz in Differential Equations. I had to be sure! 😂😂😂

We're having a big problem.

We're having a big problem. Cubba has found his way out of our fence again. He's climbing it. Rose then screams relentlessly over him not being with her. The situation has become untenable. We live in a neighborhood - not out in the boonies by ourselves - so having a loose dog and a screaming dog is not ok.

We need help. These two need homes or a rescue commitment or something. They are spayed / neutered and up to date on shots.

Cubba (the black one) is male. He's a very smart boy and is treat - motivated. He knows sit, shake, and down. He's good wherever you take him. Pretty bomb - proof personality. Only 2.5 years old.

Rose is the wild child. She's beautiful, but not trained in any way. She's 9 months old and about 60 lbs. Barks at other dogs, cowers at new people at first. The vet says she's a Catahoula mix so she needs space and playtime. I'm sure Rose would prefer to stay with Cubba, but she could adapt to a new situation. We've never had a problem with her getting loose. 

If anyone can help us out I would appreciate it. We have tried our best with them, but it's clearly not enough. Current situation:  Rose is in the fence, Cubba is tied to it with a leash so she won't scream. That's the best I've got right now. 🙁

Every time I sit down to study...

Every time I sit down to study these kids declare it to be snuggle time instead. Out here making my life hard. 🙄 Who can say "no" to a lap full of love?! 😂

Trying to study and...

Trying to study and this thing screams outside my door until I break down and let him in. He's not spoiled or anything. 🙄😂😂😂 And yes - I need to put my laundry away, but, priorities.

Yesterday wasn't good...

Yesterday wasn't good for a variety of reasons. I went to bed around 1 am. I just woke up at 3 pm. Sleep is magic because I feel really good now. Off to study!