B/Vlog

Last day of this round,
It was most stressful at best,
New cycle starts soon.

At last—Day 30! And I’m so happy to be on the last day of this round! It was the most stressful of all rounds for the most obvious of reasons: we’re living in a pandemic world and everything has been flipped on its head. But while the pandemic may not be over, this round is, and no “phasing in” period either, which typically adds 10 additional days to the end of a round. I’m just going to take a week off.

But not to worry, I won’t go overboard. I just need to recenter and reground myself for the next round, and I promise to bring in something new. Perhaps I’ll swap out the haiku’s for a different poem format? Perhaps I’ll add an “art of the day” piece? Or something else completely different. Throw me some suggestions and I’ll see if it can be worked in. I will be bringing back the daily stats from previous rounds as my plan for the next round is to get back to the more strict format. But at this point, please toss in your suggestions. I want to hear from you all!

Two days in one post,
Time flies when you’re having fun,
Old burdens are gone!

I find myself in catch-up mode once again, but in my defense it was a very very busy Two days. Well, one of those days at least!

Wednesday started out at a steady and manageable pace, but as the day progressed my need to put on the blinders to enable working on new code increased. Under normal conditions this would probably not have been the case, but there was an event to happen on Thursday that seeped into every conscious thought—a good event, yes, but seepage regardless.

So on to Thursday, and the big news for those that haven’t been following me on social media: CLOSING DAY! Yes, my former, beautiful townhouse is mine no longer! And, interestingly enough, even though I loved living there and was very comfortable in the space, this is not a bittersweet moment. I’m glad it sold. I’m glad I am no longer faced with paying the mortgage and condo fee each month. I am glad the responsibility is over! But I’m moving on up into a single family home that is twice as big as the townhouse with no one to dictate whether I can have a pet or not, and demand money to do so. Yes, there was a pool. Yes there were tennis courts. Yes they mowed the lawn and cleared the snow from the walkways and roads. But I only used the pool a few times a season, never stepped foot on the tennis courts, and can hire someone to do the snow removal and mowing in my new place (or do it myself). Well, maybe I’ll miss the pool, but the two dogs already on my list far outweigh the loss of a pool!

The new place? We still haven’t set a closing date as the sellers haven’t found their next home yet. I did offer to help them pack, however. They are downgrading into a rental so it shouldn’t take long for them to find a place. Even so, my need to “nest” has kicked in to high gear and I find myself already shopping for a new refrigerator. So now that’s the new anxiety: I can only window shop for now.

All-in-all, a great two days.

Creativity.
It’s sneaking its way back in.
Time to get started.

At last. A normal work day, albeit at home. A normal work load, a normal work spirit, … it’s just so nice to be almost back to normal.

And it was a pretty normal day in every respect. Got in my 10K steps plus a few hundred, had some very healthy meals, and spirit mostly relaxed and good-natured. Work was easy, sale of home going along smoothly, and sellers of my future home finally signed off on the inspection fixes. Yes, it seems like all the puzzle pieces are falling into place, and only three more days of the healthier me, pandemic style round. Good news: no weight gain. Better news: slight weight loss. Now my only short-term angsts include an extreme need for a hair cut, and a mani/pedi! I can live with the hair color, but the bangs that are no longer bangs are driving me crazy!

My hope for the near future is to start sharing art work. Soon, my friend. Soon!

Starting a new week,
Refreshed from a great weekend,
Bring on delayed tasks.

Yes, bring on all those other work tasks that were pushed to the back burner! The trumpet that speaks more about a well-rested weekend than anything else. On the positive side, these tasks now seem so much smaller than they did on Friday, and I am banging them out at a rapid pace. It feels like things are almost back to normal. Yes, there are still some bigger projects to deal with, but it just feels so good to knock out about 20 smaller jobs to help blow out the fog!

Another great Spring day, although not as warm as Sunday, so not as many peeps out on the sidewalks. Or could it be that everyone got a good dose of the outdoors on the weekend and don’t feel the need today? Either way, I’m good!

In summary: emotions—good; activity—good; spirit—great; productivity—way up; and finally, scale—minus 1 lb.! At Day 26 of this COVID-19 edition, as long as food choices don’t deplete any further, I can envision wrapping this round up on Day 30 and starting back on a more traditional plan. Yay.

A pleasant weekend,
A welcomed, brisk walk enjoyed,
Getting back normal.

At last. This past weekend, with no work and few obligations was most needed. A little cabin fever remained, but was lessened with a long leisurely walk outdoors at dusk when very few other people were out and about. On any other day this would not be an issue, but living on Main Street in a small town becomes the main flocking spot for most people wanting to be part of the town life. But at dusk, everyone heads back to their homes so this is the best time for me to enjoy the warmer weather. Another bonus of walking at dusk on a warm spring day is that no sun block is needed, and mosquito season hasn’t quite started yet.

So yes, I got the whole weekend off, enjoyed some outdoor relaxation, worked on a hobby, got in 3 whole movies (but not uninterrupted), and allowed my imagination to roam free with regards to new home purchase decorating. The only frustrating part is not being able to buy any of that decorating, but that had nothing to do with the pandemic, it’s just common sense to not buy until I’m actually living in the space.

Still, daydreaming and anticipation does help jump-start the creative juices to flow again, so I welcome the process! Spring has finally arrived both outdoors and in my soul. At last!

It’s almost over,
Just a few hours to go,
Relaxation time.

With just two days left of the massive work project, I can start to relax. Most of the work was done in advance so my part is starting to wind down, and I’ve entered into just monitoring mode, which is a breeze now that the development part is all done. My mental energy has already started to experience relief and Ican begin again to focus on other workplace projects that were set aside for the sake of this big one. Good news is that the efforts and work put into the project from the entire team appears to be paying off big time! Yay!

And so today was spent in the in-between from the mentally-draining, all-consuming project to the easier jobs and contemplation on what the weekend is going to look like, with the only stresser remaining being the sellers on my next property not wanting to address some of the electrical issues (advertised electrical box to be 100 amp, but inspection found it was only 90 due to an additional breaker in the garage that’s between the main breakers and the power coming in from the street). Their claim: it meets all licensing needs. My claim: but it was advertised to be 100 amps, and so that’s what it needs to be. Oye!

Anyways, the weekend is almost here, so I’ll put the housing issues aside and revel in a full weekend off.