Pluribus, episode 4...

Pluribus, episode 4... That's our real mayor. 😂😂😂

Albuquerque is so funny. I love it here. ❤️

My day got better.

My day got better.

I walked with a friend to a café and we talked about me possibly getting to help build a website. It was a super nerdy and fun chat.

When I headed home from the city, the radio was playing all the good songs (Pony by Ginuwine, Creep by TLC, Dear Mama by 2pac) and it was nice.

I almost made it home without using Maps.

I felt alive and connected this afternoon/evening.

Now I'm crashing out and going to bed. I'm so tired. But today was worth getting up for. I gotta remember that.

❤️

We had a pack of visitors last night. I love seeing them! ❤️

We had a pack of visitors last night. I love seeing them! ❤️

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AMmHSaW5R/

Albuquerque friends, check this out!

Albuquerque friends, check this out!

https://rparra23.github.io/halloweentrick

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/

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! 😊

It's so bright in person! 😍

It's so bright in person! 😍

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.

Best thing about morning traffic in Albuquerque:

Best thing about morning traffic in Albuquerque:

Just had a little rain come through.

Just had a little rain come through.

I have a standing weekly date with Caitlin.

I have a standing weekly date with Caitlin. We go wander about and get our steps in. She took me by the place with the Jack-o-Lanterns the other day and I got to get pictures of the other side and ask about them. The lady inside said they bought the pumpkins a couple of years ago and they just change the paint for fun.

The inside of the building is interesting, as well. They have some vintage/weird stuff displayed. They said that people were decorating the counters and they just went with it. It's a gas station/dispensary. I don't know if they sell anything else, but they were super nice to me and seemed happy to answer my questions.

So I guess they are there just because the store owners wanted them. That's as good a reason as any! 😊

To do list for today:

To do list for today:

1.  Ramble in written form (it feels more solid than talking)

2.  Do my nails

3.  Water my plants

Taking care of #1 right now.  😆

So the Labubu market last night was pretty great.  We didn't make a lot of money, but we did recover our booth fee several times over, so we aren't complaining.  Also, the guy who runs it came by to meet us and thank us for coming, and he also checked that we made our money back.  If we hadn't, he was going to return our booth fee.  That wouldn't have been necessary to us regardless, but  we were appreciative that he checked.

Shaun walked around a bit to scope out what all was going on.  He said that there was a good bit of 3D printed merch, some larger items like tumblers and backpacks, and also some other smaller handmade things, but we were the only jewelry.  I think there were other stickers (we'd printed a few), but we were also the only temporary tattoos and nail decals.

We have some things left over, and we'll work on photographing it and putting it on Etsy this week.

Our setup was around the corner from the DJ area, which would have been a sensory nightmare for me if I hadn't had my Loop earplugs with me, which I almost always do now.  Yay for preparedness and learning to manage myself!

It actually ended up being quite fun being right near the DJ area.  Instead of a band, they had a karaoke setup... and I can't really explain why, but that made a huge difference to me.  No hate to anyone in bands, but it felt more wholesome? welcoming? endearing? (y'all help me with words; I'm not quite nailing it) having members of the community botch songs real bad while we all danced and cheered for them.  😆❤  I especially loved it when the kids would sing and get really into it.  It was so cute.

The market was held at the ABQ Food Park, and not all of the food trucks were open, but HOLY SHIT I got the best Torta of my life from one there that I can't even find the name of.  I got chicken in mine, and if you know me, I'm a picker (of food, skin, nails, stickers, edges, etc.) and I could barely find a thing to pick on my chicken.  It was SO GOOD.  And hot and fresh and flavorful.  I'm going to have to find the name of that place and go back.

The weather here in New Mexico is by default beautiful, but yesterday evening it was cloudy (so nice and cool) and then rainbows.  We had doubles, we had a big long one, we had one that looked like it repeated ROYGBIV a few times.  One thing to also know (I'm not sure if the whole state is like this, or just near the mountains), but it's BREEZY here.  And by that, I mean people's tents were flying away.  😆  Our displays were blowing over.  People were chasing after dropped things.  But that's just how it is.

We don't have a tent (yet), but if we had, it would've been more trouble than it was worth to put up.  Since it was afternoon/evening and cloudy, we weren't in direct sun and didn't need it.  Many people took theirs down once the breeze picked up.  We do plan to have one eventually, but we'll have to find a way to really secure it.  We also need to find a way to help keep our displays standing.

Anyway, what I'm saying is that it was a great time.  The vibes were immaculate, the people were so chill, the music was amazing, the food... omg, I haven't stopped thinking about that Torta.  😆  13/10 experience, I will definitely find reasons to go back, whether I'm selling Polish All the Things or just seeing what they've got going on.

Also, NM locals:  I need more friends here.  Please feel free to introduce me (IRL or virtually) to anyone you think I'd get along with.  ❤

Stay weird, Albuquerque. I love it here. ❤️💙💜🧡

Stay weird, Albuquerque. I love it here. ❤️💙💜🧡

Ooh, I went to the city today! By myself!

Ooh, I went to the city today! By myself!

I checked out the Web Development boot camp in person. I spoke with one of the instructors, and then sat in on a class.

We talked one-on-one for about 45 minutes. He answered all of my questions and I really feel like this would be a good move for me.

They start with HTML and CSS, which I've been familiar with since I was on MySpace. Then they move onto JavaScript and focus on that for a while. I have some familiarity with it, but it's not my strong suit and I'd love to improve. Then they move into a project - creating a website from scratch, which I've never done. This is where it gets exciting and really starts to fill in my gaps.

So I sat in the class for a bit and there was 1 group working on their project in week 11 of 12. These guys were communicating so well about the code and trying different approaches and troubleshooting and I was honestly really impressed. They were pushing and pulling from git with detailed notes, etc.

After a while the instructor asked me what I thought and I said that they were doing great and that I was curious about their backgrounds before starting. All of them said they had no previous experience! I was gobsmacked! Like... This seems like exactly the hands-on experience that I need!

Don't get me wrong:  I love and appreciate my education from JSU, but I feel like it was focused on theory, like this is what a for-loop does and how you write it. This is this language, etc. But nothing actually taught me how to put it all together or what programs to use. I feel like I just need help putting the pieces together and I'll be 💯.

So, I'm pretty excited. I wanna be like the guys I saw working on their project today. Wish me luck!

Caitlin took me to the mall today...

Caitlin took me to the mall today so we could get our steps in and these big guys were in one of the stores. I don't think I'll ever get over seeing these sculptures around. They had to be at least 8 feet tall. You can take one home with you for around $20,000. It's out of my price range, but how cool would it be to have one of these guarding your yard?

 

I've been dealing with a headache that won't go away most of the day, so I'm about to take a migraine pill and call it a night. Hopefully, I'll be normal-ish tomorrow.

But I do have one other good news:  I got the scholarship for the Web Dev program I want to take, so I'm super thankful for that. I don't think I would have been able to go if I had to pay out of pocket for it.

Happy weekend, friends! ❤️

I knew I heard it, but...

I knew I heard it, but it was on a different side of the house than usual. It's a pretty one, though!

It's, uh... storming up a storm. 😂

It's, uh... storming up a storm. 😂 It's been raining HARD for over an hour, complete with thunder and lightning. Usually, any rain/storm passes through rather quickly and you can't even tell it happened an hour later, but we're getting wet up tonight. It's reminding me of Alabama storms.

I bet our arroyos are raging like a river right now!

The winds must be blowing in our favor.

The winds must be blowing in our favor. Sometimes we go a while with no balloons, and sometimes we'll see them every day for a bit.

It's a party in our neighborhood tonight. 😂

It's a party in our neighborhood tonight. 😂

We have one neighbor that's having a graduation party, complete with a DJ. It's been going since around 5.

Someone else is shooting fireworks. Or several someones; I don't know.

I'm not upset. I'm just glad I don't live in fear of my neighbors anymore. These people can have all the fun they want and I'm gonna sit here minding my business and/or comforting my creatures if they're bothered. So far, Cub is the only one having feelings and he went to bed with Shaun, so he's ok.

I mean, I like some of the songs they've played and I could just go sit on the balcony and see if I can see any of the fireworks. I might check it out when I get ready for bed. I'll take this over drugs and fighting and stealing ANY DAY.

OMG, they're playing the Macarena. Gotta go do the dance. It's the law. 😂

The best wake up! Three balloons! 😍

The best wake up! Three balloons! 😍