Some flowers from today. 😊

Some flowers from today. 😊

I'm so behind on my life, but thankfully succulents are quite forgiving of a little neglect.

To do:

Went to class ✅

Came home ✅

Kissed my puppies ✅

Hugged the husband ✅

To do:

Get in bed to dissociate

See y'all later. It's felt like a long week.

Scar, not so patiently waiting for me to give him his inhaler. 😂❤️

Scar, not so patiently waiting for me to give him his inhaler. 😂❤️

At least he's pretty cooperative.

Toebean is kneading with all the paws tonight.

Toebean is kneading with all the paws tonight. He's being super snuggly and cuddly. ❤️❤️❤️

I woke up this morning at 4 with a migraine.

I woke up this morning at 4 with a migraine. I think it's the first one I've had in about 6 weeks. We're 6 weeks into the Web Dev bootcamp (halfway through!) and I can't recall having one since we started.

My teachers recorded the part of the class that I missed, so I'll watch it this weekend. I joined the class Zoom meeting halfway through the day. My migraine meds knock me out and I took them around 7 after trying hard to not need them, so I was knocked out for the first half.

When I joined, I was sluggish and my vision wasn't great, but the teachers were super patient with me and I completed the day.

I'm feeling mostly better now; I just hate how the meds leave me feeling slow and sleepy. I'm gonna shower soon and call it a night. Some extra sleep will do me good, probably.

I hope your week is going well. ❤️

Harley is squeezing in for a snuggle...

Harley is squeezing in for a snuggle no matter how cramped the space is. 😂

Shaun got pretty close to a roadrunner this morning.

Shaun got pretty close to a roadrunner this morning.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CVRPYpZ35/

The way we communicate... 😂😂😂

The way we communicate... 😂😂😂 

I swear, I don't know why Shaun puts up with my shit, but these days especially, I put myself first. I take my time on the weekends since I'm going hard during the week at the bootcamp. I wake up late. I lay around. I do whatever feels nice.

I don't know how/why he doesn't wake up later or rest when he needs to, but he's gotta figure that out for himself and also say the words to me if he needs something from me. I think he would tell me if he needed anything, but I could be wrong.

Side note:  He's great at using gifs to express himself. I'm great at getting what he means when he uses them. I'm terrible at picking them to show my feelings, though. I wonder if that's at all related to why I never know what my own face is doing. 😂

Toebean snuggs - after he's done being feisty for the night. 😂❤️

Toebean snuggs - after he's done being feisty for the night. 😂❤️

GPS took me a different route to class this morning.

GPS took me a different route to class this morning. I'm so geographically challenged that I didn't realize I was going to pass by Bumblebee. It made my day to see him! 😊

A couple of weeks ago I found mealy bugs in several of my plants.

A couple of weeks ago I found mealy bugs in several of my plants. I tried Diatomaceous Earth for a week, and they were NOT phased. 😬 Shaun helped me add pesticide (which I hate doing) and water them last weekend, but the greenhouse is staying closed, so hopefully no local pollenators will be affected.

I checked on them today and had a few flower surprises. I guess they're doing ok. I've had so little time to pamper them since starting class. 🥲

I love these weirdos!

I'm gonna check this again tomorrow. I hope to catch it more open!

So teensy!

I'm not sure if I missed it or it's just starting. I'll have to check back.

Pretty in Pink

This one is still happy and open!

Did y'all know that Toebean and Calypso are siblings?

Did y'all know that Toebean and Calypso are siblings? They were from the weirdest litter of kittens. None of them looked similar.

Nightly, Toebean sits on the console of the couch, back facing me, awaiting his scratches. If I ignore him, he turns around and starts throwin' paws. 😂

Calypso, on the other hand, just cuddles up and crashes out. 😍

Handsome little Cubba earlier today. 😊😊😊

Handsome little Cubba earlier today. 😊😊😊

Bear said "You seeing this?"

Bear said "You seeing this?"

😂😂😂

Cub out here wearing his ears like piggy tails and got his feet all scrunched up weirdly.  That is certainly one way to exist. 😂

I posted the other day about dumping Adrian's food in the trash...

I posted the other day about dumping Adrian's food in the trash and trying to feed her the empty can.

I just smeared Estrogen cream all over my face by accident. Thank goodness I caught myself before applying the wrong cream to my downstairs. 😂

The exhaustion is real. Goodnight, y'all. 😂😂😂

I'm so exhausted.

I'm so exhausted. Like, the brainpower I'm using in this bootcamp is next-level.

It's not a complaint, though. I'm learning a lot and having fun.

I've gotten a lot better at HTML and CSS and JavaScript individually, but now we're on a combination of the 3 called JSX. I love the organization of pages and the efficiency of creating page elements once and calling them to where they're needed, but this is so much syntax and it looks weird. 😂

It was our first day using it, so I'm sure it'll get easier.

I gotta go to sleep, though. My brain is DONE with this day.

It's OCTOBER and they're still out here playing in the pool.

It's OCTOBER and they're still out here playing in the pool. I think Bear would do it all year if we let him. 😂

Shaun was playing with Bear today...

Shaun was playing with Bear today and got a little injury. Bear kind of headbutted Shaun on the side of the face.

It's not a huge deal and it was an accident, but I guess this is how it goes when some of your teeth live outside of your mouth. 😂

It's so bright in person! 😍

It's so bright in person! 😍

Karoo Roses are blooming! 💛

Karoo Roses are blooming! 💛

Ash is really crashed out. 😂😂😂

Ash is really crashed out. 😂😂😂

Look at this patient couch boy.

Look at this patient couch boy. He's usually not patient, nor on the couch, but I guess the pork from my fried rice smelled too good. 😂 He waited a good 10 minutes for me to be done. I'm proud of him. And of course his patience was rewarded. ❤️

I just dumped Adrian's wet food...

I just dumped Adrian's wet food into the trash and tried to feed her the empty can.

The exhaustion is real. It's barely past 8:30 and I've tucked myself in. I'll wake up when I wake up tomorrow. 😴😴😴

Baby Girl (Anansi) shed last night.

Baby Girl (Anansi) shed last night. It takes hours and looks like an exhausting ordeal. Poor thing. I hope she's resting today. ❤️

Look at those little pink fangs. I got pics before she'd hardened. 😊

Current situation:

Current situation:

Nails this week...

Nails this week. I got shorties because they are recovering from a bunch of stuff, but shorties can be pretty, too!

I'm listing the Spiderweb Nails on Etsy tonight. I almost chickened out, but Shaun is encouraging me. I needed it.

Hey, Nerds Who Love Cats, check this out:

Hey, Nerds Who Love Cats, check this out:

In the Web Dev bootcamp, we often need to generate Lorem Ipsum as filler text. One of the instructors gave us a few links to choose from, so of course I chose the cat one. It's funnier than I thought it would be (crusty butthole, catasstrophe 👀). 😂😂😂 I'm not sure if it would fly in a work environment, but I definitely used it today for our challenge.

Here is the link in case anyone wants to try it:

http://www.catipsum.com/

Friday, I saw a balloon launching on the way to class.

Friday, I saw a balloon launching on the way to class. Today, there was a whole flock. The view when they were rising in front of the mountain was spectacular, but it wasn't a safe time for photography, so you get the power line view instead because I was stopped at a light.

Press-On Update for the No Natural Apex Gang:

Press-On Update for the No Natural Apex Gang:

I've found a thick glue that's working.

It fills in the gap.

It's less messy.

It comes with a remover.

I can't send this out with the nails, unfortunately, but if you're definitely going to wear press-on nails, then I would say to try it out. It will last through several sets and will likely be worth it.

My nails will come with glue and a small application kit, but it's not thick glue like this.

Curvlife Quick Drying Semi Solid Nail Glue

My Kitty Cat, Scar, when he knows it's time for his inhaler.

My Kitty Cat, Scar, when he knows it's time for his inhaler. He lays right by it and waits.

Don't get me wrong - he's 100% a brat, but he's also a good kitty. 😂❤️

I had to recover from a headache when I got home from class.

I had to recover from a headache when I got home from class. I had a pretty good day; I'm still really enjoying myself. ...But I did get stressed and internally melted down because I couldn't find a file in my computer. 😬

I was supposed to be learning to use Tailwind for my projects, but instead I was panicking and searching my folders and repositories for a file I'd just used the previous day, or possibly the day before. I was hung up and couldn't stop spinning out for about 45 minutes. It was so dumb.

I eventually found the file and made a note in my Rocketbook about its location. We'd done something different in class and weren't uploading those files to the student server like we had been, so that was part of my confusion.

Anyway, I was fine after that, although headachey. I don't love it when I lose control of my brain like that, but I did need part of the data in that file to move on to the next thing, so it wasn't completely unwarranted. But I know that even if I hadn't needed it I would have done the same thing. I struggle to make progress when things are in disarray or don't make sense or I feel lost. I need to feel oriented and calm to be at my best.

Week 2 of 12 is in the books. I feel like I've learned so much. I have a lot of homework this weekend, but that's to be expected. At least I'm really into doing it. 😊

The couch is lumpy and just sneezed. 😂

The couch is lumpy and just sneezed. 😂

I only had to use one streak freeze...

I only had to use one streak freeze, and I missed that day by literally 2 minutes. I forgot that Duo doesn't operate on Blu time - by that I mean it's the same day if I haven't gone to sleep. 😂😂😂

Bear said "What's on your head, Papa?" 😂

Bear said "What's on your head, Papa?" 😂

I don't know how he fell in again. 🤦🏻

He's been knowing where the splash-pad and stairs are since last year, but I'm starting to think he might like taking a dip. 😂😂😂 I have no explanation for why he's done this so much this summer.

We watched this in class today.

We watched this in class today. It's pretty interesting if you like nerd stuff. 😊

We're officially starting on our Personal Website Projects in class...

We're officially starting on our Personal Website Projects in class and I'm so excited I could puke.  😂

Shadow gave me a snack for school this morning.

Shadow gave me a snack for school this morning. I have the sweetest kid. ❤️❤️❤️

Bear doing the most this morning. 😂😂😂

Bear doing the most this morning. 😂😂😂

He also had me on the class Zoom looking crazy. He was snatching the blanket off the back of my chair and pulling me backwards. I don't know if anyone saw it, but I know it looked questionable.

Come get y'alls nephew. 😂

My flat ass pancake nail beds...

So this is one of the Natural-style press-ons against one of my bare nails. The Natural style of press-on has a lower apex than the Sculpted, and I think that any apex at all is too much for me, as evidenced by all of the space between my nail and the bottom of the press-on.

If I wanted to wear these, I think I'd need to fill in that gap with a hard gel and then glue it on. But that's a lot of trouble.

What I did when applying these was apply glue, then jam them down to my flat nail bed until they dried. Jamming them down flat caused them to push under my cuticle. Also, when I released them, of course they returned to the rounded shape, pulling my flat ass pancake nail beds with them.

Needless to say, it was not a good time. 0/10 stars, do NOT recommend. My nail beds and cuticles are still sore and I removed them on Friday.

This is why a sizing kit is super important. Be better than me. Don't hurt yourself over nails. Make sure you order a good fit and don't force anything that's not working.

For comparison, this is Shaun's nail bed.  He has a very strong apex. He'd probably fit perfectly into one of these nails.

These bloomed yesterday and they're giving me life.

These bloomed yesterday and they're giving me life. They're so pretty!

Bear is enjoying them, too. For such a wild child, he's very gentle when smelling the flowers.

I love how sweet he is with "our" plants. He's the best helper in the land! 😊❤️

It's 4pm.

It's 4pm. This is the first time I've picked up my phone today. I have only left my bed to feed the cats and pee. I've been half awake, half asleep, in my head.

I am not ready to engage with anyone yet.

What is this called? I don't feel depressed. But maybe a little overwhelmed?

Help me with the words, please.

Is it a thing to not be ready to be a person yet?

This is Shaun's favorite thing about me. 😂😂😂 /sarcasm

This is Shaun's favorite thing about me. 😂😂😂 /sarcasm

He's like "What is all of this stuff in the bed? Why is everything on the couch?"

Because I NEED IT! 😂😂😂

I'm writing this little posty-post...

I'm writing this little posty-post, having a late dinner, and dragging my tired butt to bed.

The first week of Web Development bootcamp is officially behind me.

I don't think I realized until this week that I am getting actual college credit for taking this class at CNM.  Like, I'm really a student again.  I get my student ID on Monday.  I am not complaining.  I just thought it was like a career thing or something, and not considered an actual class.  So that's neat.

This is 100% everything I wanted it to be (so far).  Even before it officially began on Monday, I was learning things through the pre-work and making connections with people.

For example, part of the pre-work was an HTML course on LinkedIn.  I took it, even though I've been messing with HTML since the days of Myspace.  I knew from my time at JSU that it's a markup for web pages, basically the bones of your website.  But this course on LinkedIn went IN DEPTH, like, telling the difference between <em> and <i> (which both make things appear in italics) or the difference between <strong> and <b> (which both make things appear bold).  [If you care, the difference is that they are dependent on the context of the needed bold or italics.]  Also, <center> is deprecated.  I didn't know that.  HTML has officially left as much styling as possible to CSS.

I wasn't too concerned about picking up HTML or CSS because I've dabbled in them for ages and felt ok about it.  JavaScript has been hard for me for many years, though, and I feel like I'm finally starting to get it.  We have 5 small coding assignments to do, due Tuesday.  We did the first (and easiest one) together as a class so the teacher could show us how to run and check them.  I finished one yesterday, and two today.  I'm mostly done with my 5th (it's supposed to be a challenge for extra credit), but we haven't gone over the information I need to complete it.  I asked the teacher if I was allowed to Google, and he asked me what I was doing.  I told him, and he told me to just wait for the material on Monday.  I told him I thought it was labeled a "challenge" for extra credit because it was harder because we didn't know what we were doing yet.  😂  So I'm feeling really good about things so far.  And I'm really enjoying all of my homework.  There is just kind of a LOT of it.

Even though things are moving at a fast pace, there is a lot of hands-on work and problem-solving and I really think it's what I needed.  I've been curious how all of this works together for a long time, so I'm very interested in all of it.  Our instructors take the time to explain everything really in-depth.  Maybe I needed my hand held to pick up JavaScript.  Or maybe repeated exposure to it is finally paying off.  Or maybe the fact that I'm doing this for myself and not a grade or work has taken the pressure off and I can just think and absorb and try without pressure.  I don't know.  But I'm really proud that I've completed 3.5 coding assignments after only 1 week with just referencing my notes (and 1 small Google because I knew what I was trying to say, but not the syntax for saying it).  It's a big deal for me.

I also love my classmates.  We're a mix of everything.  We have 5 girls and 4 guys.  We have at least 2 people who have moved to the US from other countries, possibly 3.  One person is Native.  We're from all different backgrounds/levels of experience.  And we're just having the best time getting to know each other and help each other.  I think I'm gonna be so busy and having so much fun that these next 11 weeks are going to fly by.

Anyway, that's how it's going.  Great so far!

Here's a pic of one of the code assignments from today.  🙂  I know it's not very impressive to anyone who knows how to do this already, but I'm so grateful to be making progress!

We take Habibi's tower when she eats...

We take Habibi's tower when she eats because we know she'll poop soon after and we don't want poop on the tower because it's hard to clean.

She really loves her tower, though. She's giving it a little hug! 😊

I got the nails off.

I got the nails off. It's the first thing I did when I got home today.

I soaked them for almost an hour in hot, soapy water.

I might try them again in a few months, but in a different shape, or maybe I'll try the techniques that Robin and Jilanee mentioned on my last post.

And maybe I'll use sticky tabs instead of glue.

We'll see. 😂

My nails are too flat for my own press-on nails...

My nails are too flat for my own press-on nails, which I found out after lopping my nails off in preparation to put a set on. 🙁

I persevered regardless, got glue everywhere, ripped off a couple of fingerprints, messed up a pair of scissors, and now my nail beds are aching. I think I'm about to soak these off. Thankfully, I only applied them to one hand before realizing that this was a terrible idea. 😂

I'm a dang mess. I love doing nail art, but I have the worst luck with enhancements because of how flat my nails are. I have a decent c-curve, but no natural apex/arch at all when you view my nails from the side.

I still try enhancements out every few years, anyway. I guess just to make sure nothing has changed. 😂😂😂

I gotta water my babies this weekend.

I gotta water my babies this weekend. I'm excited to spend some time in the greenhouse. 😊

Afk time.

Afk time. Making a post office run with the pups. Bear is getting some sniffs out the window.

Look at my baby goblin. 😂😊

I think these guys like it in my sunny bathroom.

I think these guys like it in my sunny bathroom. They're both growing like crazy!

The big one is the leaf you gave me, Caitlin!

Baby dog! ❤️

Baby dog! ❤️

I love his funny face. 😊

Got these today! I'm so happy.

Got these today! I'm so happy.

I'm planning to mail the sizing kits tomorrow. If you want one and haven't let me know, now would be a good time! ❤️