Another thing that happened recently...

Another thing that happened recently was that I got my hearing tested.  Guess what.  I can hear.  It's just that I don't just sit around in "active listening" mode.  I'm not Google.  😂

The hearing-testers recommended that people speak to me face-to-face and that I should make sure background noise is at a minimum if I need to have a conversation.  That makes sense.  Just about the only person I don't have trouble hearing is Shadow, and I 100% believe that's because he almost always starts every conversation with "Hey Mom."  Then he has my attention and I'm also looking at him.

No one else does that.  Shaun's voice is deep so if I'm not paying attention to him I don't know what he's saying.  He also has a habit of trying to talk to me when music or the television is on.  That's a big NO for me.  It's harder to understand him and that will also lead me straight into sensory overload.

Kira comes down and will start talking out of nowhere.  I'm never prepared because she's a bit chaotic.  😆  Sometimes she's chatty and sometimes not.  And often she'll be in the other room talking and I'll not be aware that it was directed at me.  She also has a tendency to make up words (I love that about her, for real), and I feel like she and Shadow have developed a bit of a short-hand that I don't understand, so I often have to ask her to repeat herself, too.

Everyone over here acting like my ears are the problem.  I have confirmation that they're NOT, so take THAT.  🤪

But also, that hearing test was the most relaxed I've been in ages.  The put me in a soundproof booth.  I could hear my blood pumping.  It was dimly lit.  I nearly fell asleep during the test.  I need one of those in my house to retreat to.  😆

I fully admit that I'm a ridiculous person.

I fully admit that I'm a ridiculous person.  I'm ok with it.  I'm living my best life openly and authentically.  But there are times that I really think I'm closer to the neurodivergent end of the spectrum than I thought my whole life.  I should probably get tested.

Example:  I recently got a new tablet/laptop/all-in-one because my Surface tablet that Shaun bought me around 7 years ago when I started at JSU has been failing.  There have been issues with charging it despite buying a new charger, so I haven't been able to reliably use it in a while.

I also had this giant desktop-replacement laptop that I've had for 4-ish years that worked for most things, but I couldn't play my puzzle games on it as easily due to the size and the fact that it it didn't convert into a tablet.  I recently wiped and re-homed it and got something newer to replace both the tablet and laptop and it works for everything I want to use it for.  I really love it and that's great.

HOWEVER, now that I'm back to playing games on it I can't stop.  I enjoy the Microsoft Solitaire games once in a while, but they have daily challenges (5/day) going back to January.  Guess what?  I can't not do them all.  It's so dumb.  It's like if I'm going to do any of them, I MUST have a perfect record for the year.  Am I having a blast?  Nope.  It's just a compulsion and I know from years of being myself that fighting it isn't going to make it better.  If anything, I will be able to put it off, but at some point I'll panic and try my hardest to finish them all before the end of the year.  So I might as well save myself the stress and do what I can starting NOW.

I could be working on my database.  I could be writing.  I could be working on my website.  There are so many things I could be doing and would like to be doing, but I'm not.  Because Solitaire.  I'm going to either keep up with the daily games starting in January or just swear them off entirely this coming year.  I wish I'd never started them when I got this new computer, but I did and now I'm dealing with those consequences.

Another thing I'm binging hard as fuck is Dexter.  We're on the last season - FINALLY.  And I just want to finish it.  I don't know why everything has to be a "challenge" to me, but many things that should be relaxing are just... not.

How I relaxed today after this past ridiculously-long week was to snooze in my bed off and on until 4 pm.  I don't have a sleep hangover so I clearly needed the rest, but there is nothing to me more luxurious than being left alone in my bed.  I wasn't allowed to sleep in much on weekends as a kid.  Then when I had Shadow I wasn't sleeping much because I had a baby.  Then a boyfriend who wouldn't drive but wanted to be driven all over the world on the weekends, and many years of working more than one job, etc.  Sleep and being left alone have always felt like luxuries to me.  Thankfully, Shaun understands and when I need quality time with my bed, he leaves me to it.  So by the time I got up today, I felt pretty good.  I accomplished literally nothing, but at least I'm rested.

I. am. EXHAUSTED.

I. am. EXHAUSTED.

This isn't a complaint because I love my job, but I billed 41 hours this week, and had 4 hours of meetings on top of that on my timecard. I know that's probably not impressive, but some of those meetings started at 7 am and my day can't officially end until 6 pm, so that makes a tired Blu.

We really need to start building the greenhouse this weekend. I've neglected my plants and not watered them for a few weeks and a few of the smaller ones have died. ☹️ Not only that, I've found mealy bugs on 3 of them, so I need to go through all of them carefully and isolate them. I definitely have the energy for this. /s

Also, we got a new microwave because our old one kept stopping in the middle of cooking. It's larger. And pretty. It has a locking door that we had to figure out. 😂 I'm wondering if it has a silent mode so we don't have to have it make noise when food is done. I'll check later. For now, I might be crashing out. Yes, at 6 pm. 😂😂😂 I just can't do anything else right now.

We've been waiting for so long...

We've been waiting for so long for him to get in this ball. Tonight was the night! Look at this snug little snake! 😊❤️

Houdini is hiding.

Houdini is hiding. Head in the ball. Butt in the ball. What else is there? You can't see him at all. 😂😂😂

He's such a goof. 😊❤️

I'm getting to bed so late, but...

I'm getting to bed so late, but I cleaned my room, vacuumed, swept my bathroom, changed my sheets, showered, and did some more work after work today. A clean body in a clean bed is 🤌🏻. I hope I sleep well.

Scar sneezed and sharted while I was cleaning. Thankfully I was in cleaning mode and it was no big deal. Better than it happening while he's sleeping on my pillow tonight. 😂

 

His IBD has been under control as long as he eats food made of rabbit, but he does better on a different brand than the one he's on now. Of course, it's the more expensive one that sells out from Chewy that I also don't know is sold locally. I guess when I get my autoship notification I'll switch him back. Spoiled ass cat. 😂 I love him and he's worth it, though. ❤️

Goodnight, friends. ❤️❤️❤️

Bear still falls off the couch Every. Single. Day. 😂

Bear still falls off the couch Every. Single. Day. 😂

Shaun was trying to help him out. Bear wasn't amused that I was laughing at him. 😂😂😂