DAY 8 NO WORK

 I had a list of things to do today and I got to some of them.  I invoiced my client (if you read this blog you know this is one of my least favorite tasks).  

I contacted Jansport to find out if I can return my backpack under the unlimited warranty.  Well, the unlimited warranty is limited.  Natural decline is not covered.  I have had this backpack for so long the insides are declining before the outsides show any wear and tear.  In other words, the backpack looks practically brand new but the insides are sticky from the deterioration of the fabric from age.  So, I can either buy a new backpack now on sale or wait until the sale is over and use a code they gave me and save $3 more than the sale price.  I am thinking it over.  Is it worth $3 to wait and potentially lose or forget the code?  I may just get the backpack now.  I can not use the code and the sale price, I checked.  I can always but one now to replace and save the code (which is good for 1 year) and buy another at another time.  The options!

I also found out yesterday that Hulu/Roku did another upgrade and now my old Roku box does not get Hulu anymore.  It is the Roku in my exercise area.  I was disappointed because I wanted to watch something while I worked out and could not because I only saw a message on the screen that said Hulu is no longer supported.  Today I ordered another Roku. I had to order an upgraded Roku than the one I wanted that worked with my OLD TV.  The Roku that worked with my old TV they must not be making anymore because there was one in stock and it was going for $99.  What?!  So I got the newer Roku for $29 and bought the apparatus to hook it up to the old TV for $16.  Now I can watch what I want when I workout.  

I have been sticking to the five days a week workout.  If I have to workout five days a week, I want to watch what I want.   That isn't asking for much.  

Until tomorrow...

DAY 7 NO WORK

 Yes, I skipped Day 6 No Work.  I was so excited that I fixed my blinds since it was hot outside and the smoke was back that I forgot to write Day 6 No Work.   

The weather was better today.  The smoke cleared out for the day but will return.  I was able to walk on the treadmill. I used a program for the first time.  It had me going up hills and down valleys.  It made the walk more interesting.  I watched an organizing show on Netflix.  

I played Election Bingo during the debates.  In case you have never played it, there are bingo boards on the internet.  I got a board that had Biden and Trump on each side.  Each square had different things each person says.  You cross the square out when the person says it.  I got bingo on the Biden board.  Yay!  It is random and I could have just as easily gotten bingo on the Trump side or not gotten bingo at all.  It just made the debate more interesting.

Until tomorrow...

GOOGLING HOW TO DO SOMETHING

 I used someone's advice and I googled "how to fix something" and the advice worked!  My front blinds have been stuck at about 1/2 way for years.  Someone was house sitting and didn't know how to use blinds, I guess, and they pulled the blinds and they got stuck.  I should be thankful that they didn't tug too hard and break the string.  I thought I was going to have to get the company to come in and restring them.  Today I used "the Google" as a family member says and watched a video from the company on how to get the blinds to come all the way down.  It worked! The woman on the video was right.  I now have functioning blinds again and on a hot day I am happy.  

You might say "open a window if it is hot". I would but the smoke is back.  It was in the orange zone this morning when I took Lucky out to pee and breathed in a couple of breaths and proceeded to have a coughing fit.  Yes, I smelled the smoke but I didn't think it was that bad.  It was.  So, we are back to closed windows on a hot day.  No, my purifier did not arrive and I need to track it down.  Seems that is lost in the Amazon network.  

Until tomorrow...

GRILL FIX AND A NEW VR HEADSET

 What a day! I had a zoom with my friends and I sat outside while I chatted. Then I laid in my hammock while Lucky and I played fetch. Or at least Lucky’s version of fetch. She hates to bring the ball all the way back. It is an improvement from when she joined the family, then she would just run off with the ball and chew on it. Now she gets the ball and brings it 2/3 of the way back and drops it. Then I have to coax her to bring it closer and she brings it to just about beyond where you can reach. Then I have to give her a cookie. No cookie, no ball. 

I spoke to my brother E and he helped me take the propane tank off my big grill and put it on my little vegan grill. It was a success! He was very patient. Then he helped me problem solve the backyard electricity problem and I think he figured it out. I think one of the GFIs is broken. I can’t push the buttons in but the light is on and it looks like it is fine. I think this is the culprit. It is electrician time. 

I love that I am getting my backyard paradise all set just in time for winter. Ha ha. 

My VR Headset arrived right before dinner. I couldn’t wait to try it out. It is the type that works off your phone not a computer. It took awhile to figure it out because the directions were not too good. But then I got it to work and I saw a few places in Turkey. A lovely ancient bath. Then I had go feed Lucky. I will play with it some more tomorrow.

Until tomorrow...

NEW FOUNTAIN

 I am so excited.  I have really missed having my pond in the backyard.  I don't miss the work a pond takes.  I missed the sound of the water bubbling and trickling.  Since I filled in the pond, there has been no water trickling.  A few days ago I saw a fountain on sale and I bought it.  It is cheesy but it is cute.  Today I plugged it in and wouldn't you know it, the electrical outlet near the fountain doesn't work.   The other outlet further away doesn't work.  I have a lot of outlets in my backyard due to having a pond and hot tub (neither of which I have any longer).  I took an extension cord and ran it to a plug that works and the fountain started bubbling.

I laid on my hammock with a smoothy and a book, listening to the bubbling and trickling and watching a hummingbird go from blossom to blossom on my lemon tree.  It was a wonderful way to spend an hour on a sunny afternoon.

Until tomorrow...

DAY 5 NO WORK

 This was a full day.  I woke up and did my Friday trip to the USPS post box.  This is the last week I have mail forwarding so next week I should have more mail and less missing mail!  Then I did my whole strip down and take a shower/put my items in the UV zapper.  I had a webinar and then I did my workout on the stationary bike.  I tried a new thing.  I put in a program and it was SO much harder.  It puts in hills and valleys and even though I biked fewer miles, I worked so much harder.  

In the afternoon I had a Mexican art class.  I made an Amate art piece.

What is “Amates”?

Amate paper, from the Nahuatl word ‘amatl’, is a type of bark paper which dates back to pre-Hispanic times in Mexico. It is an indigenous papermaking tradition that survives in the small village of San Pablito in Puebla. During the pre-Hispanic period, amate was used for different purposes such as, ritual offerings, payment of tributes and as a surface for the elaboration of codices. Amate paintings are made in brown and white bark. Brown paper usually features colourful paintings, made with acrylic colours, depicting flowers, birds, deer or rabbits and every day stories from the community such as fishing, hunting and harvesting. The white amate paper is used in more intricate drawings made with pen and ink representing stories of the community life.

It may not look like much but I worked very hard on this.  Of course I did not have a ficus tree that I cut down and dried the bark to make paper so I used a paper bag.  I also used crayons and have no idea how to draw woodland creatures.  I can barely draw a flower!  Here is my version of an Amate art piece.  It was fun to do something different and something out of my comfort zone.

I made something new for dinner Spanish Spinach with Chickpeas.  It was super simple and took 20 minutes. It took longer to sort, clean and cut the spinach than to make the dish. Next time I would use the smoked paprika for a different taste.  It was really tasty as a side dish.  I have plenty left for one or two days.

Until tomorrow...

DAY 4 NO WORK

 I may not have had "work" but I worked very hard tonight with my brother C.  We finished off my computer list.  It took a few more hours on the phone to fix the problems I have been having for months.  My desktop now has gibibytes of memory just by moving some files!  My security cameras now are set with the right video set up.  I have the newest Windows on all my computers.  I got rid of the annoying dropbox folders that a client put on my computer.  I am so happy right now.  All of my annoyances are fixed and it only cost me less than $150 and my brother's time.  

My brother and I get to hangout while we do all this stuff so I consider it sister/brother time also.  

Now I get to bother another brother to fix a light and another brother to fix my grill.  Then most of my annoyances will be gone and out of my hair.

Until tomorrow...

DAY 3 NO WORK

 Today was much better.  Last night I scheduled my day.  I woke up to a webinar about Politics in the Workplace.  Riveting!  Then I did a few things before Lucky left for the park.  Then I worked out and ate lunch.  I had a zoom group meeting in the late afternoon about Employee Handbooks.  I quickly ate and then got on a zoom class for foster parents.  I think I made up for yesterday's non-productive day.

I think scheduling my day is the way to go.  By scheduling my day I stuck to a plan and didn't get so distracted.  Since tomorrow I don't have many things planned, I already planned my day.  

Until tomorrow...

DAY 2 NO WORK

 Day 2 of no work.  I exercised again and took care of a few things around the house.  I washed a blanket and picked out my brother's birthday card.  I updated the calendar that I have on my fireplace.  So, basically stuff.  I had a meeting in the afternoon.  

That was my day.  I really have to set a schedule.

Until tomorrow...

LONG LIST OF THINGS I WANT TO DO

 Today was a weird day.  My client decided that I have become redundant for the next month a half and maybe more so I will be free to do other things.  If the weather was better I would do my staycation but right now there are no sunny days and clean air.  I am thinking of taking a vegan cooking class.  Once my foster kid gets his stuff out of my garage, I can clean it out.  There are so many things I want to do.  I have a long list.  

No time to let grass grow under my feet!  

Until tomorrow...