Honor: 183 [ Give / Take ]
12 entries this month
20:29 Sep 27 2021
Times Read: 392
I finally finished coding my DerangedDiva profile. It took all weekend, off and on between cleaning and organizing various things. It came out much better than I expected and I am really proud of the graphics and the text. Just as I was finishing that profile, I realized that my premium on ShadowOfADoubt expired more than 30 days ago, so all that coding... gone. Fortunately, I save all my graphics in a file under each profile, so I do have the graphics. But I am thinking of redoing it anyway. I am entering a creative writing contest that is based on Harper Lee's famous book To Kill a Mockingbird, so I think I am going to have some really nifty text. I am thinking of doing the profile in that theme, but we will see what happens with it. I am not going to be finishing it anytime soon, since it is back to work for me this week. Anyway, if you have a chance to stop by and take a gander at DerangedDiva, I'd love to hear what you think (only if it is good... just kidding). It was super fun to do and definitely got those creative juices flowing again.
Lunch break is over, so off I go. :-)
14:08 Sep 24 2021
Times Read: 435
I swear, I am getting old or losing my mind. Or, egads, a combination of both! As many profiles as I have coded over the years I have been a member here, I cannot remember the dimensions of the top logo, the bottom logo, or the online button. You would also think, that being a relatively smart person, in my opinion, I would have written those things down. But you would be wrong. However, this time is going to be different! I am actually going to write this stuff down on my profiles list document. Brilliant idea, I know.
I am working on redoing DerangedDiva today in between cleaning. I popped that profile up originally pretty quickly and as I am going back through and looking at my profiles, I decided it looked pretty lame. So, updates are in the works.
22:26 Sep 23 2021
Times Read: 462
Lord, these past few journals have been utterly mundane. I guess I don't have much excitement to report from my staycation. Just lots of work with intermittent napping. Today I assembled two under sink shelving units for my bathroom and for mom's bathroom. While I was on the floor, I decided I might as well clean out and organize both cabinets. Since my mom has been sick for about 5 weeks, I definitely did not expect her to help, but she sat in her bathroom with me and helped me figure out how to organize her stuff. I didn't want to do that without at least her knowledge of what I was throwing away and where everything was going. I still have to clean the designated daily part of my room but have been procrastinating because I am tired and bored, really mostly bored. Cleaning sure is boring, just like this entry I am afraid. I guess I need to crank up some tunes. Maybe that will help a bit.
I did have coffee (yep, drinking it again) on the patio this morning. It was gorgeous outside; cool without a cloud in the sky. Twizzy came out too and laid on the rug at my feet. I felt like we should be in some painting of long ago. I refuse to let this fall pass me by without enjoying it. The past couple of years, I have been so busy during the fall and I have not taken the time to be outdoors like I love to do this time of the year. I am also going to start walking at night or in the morning now that it is not 10000000 degrees outside.
Anyway, that is all (literally all) that is new here. What's new with you?
PRIVATE ENTRY
22:25 Sep 23 2021
Times Read: 463
• • • • PRIVATE JOURNAL ENTRY • • • •
13:52 Sep 21 2021
Times Read: 490
Ugh! Just ugh! I woke up feeling like complete poop this morning. I am terribly allergic to mold, its cousins, and relatives. It has rained for so many days here and so hard, that I am considering building an ark. So, in addition to everything being sopping wet, mold and friends are at an all-time high outside. Every time I go outside with this dog, which is like 1000 times a day because he has a greyhound's metabolism, I come back in and feel like crap. Right now my right ear is shut so tight, I don't think I could hear someone right next to me. The next step for me is usually vertigo. I realize that I am whining. Don't you worry, dear reader, this I know. At least my entries are about things that occur in the real world. I would laugh, but the lengths of the fantasy worlds around here are a bit more frightening than funny. I have a hard time thinking delusional is funny, especially when it needs clear medical assistance, but I digress...again.
Here we are on day 2 of my "staycation" (I want to beat up whoever came up with that term, because it really should be "stay-at-home-and-work-cation") and I have not gotten squat done. I did mostly finish the garage and the doors are back on the runners for the moment. The repair person could not ascertain why the one door keeps coming off the track. At least he didn't charge me for a service call. I expect he will be back out here before the week is over because the door sounds bad. It definitely does not sound normal. Today, I had planned to get up and have some form of caffeinated beverage around 5, but I didn't get up until 7. I was sort of freaking out because I was 2 hours behind schedule, but what schedule? I can do this crap anytime during the week as long as it gets done. I just made a little schedule to keep me from procrastinating, which I would definitely do.
Anyway, this entry is already too long and rambly, so I am going to close.
07:38 Sep 18 2021
Times Read: 544
I think I am forever traumatized and do not know when or if I will ever be able to go back to sleep. You know that feeling you get when you are dead asleep and something/someone tickles you... but it's not a good kind of tickle. It is the get the fuck off of me kind of tickle. Yeh, well there I was, sound asleep when I felt that tickle somewhere on my face. I swiped at it and immediately had Alexa turn on the lights and there, on my foot it was. A big fucking spider. Holy shit. Apparently, when I swiped it and lept up, it somehow flew onto my foot. I mean not literally flew. Then it adeptly hopped onto my throw pillow which was on the floor. Not having a shoe around and being a girl and all, I carried the pillow with the spider to the foot of my bed where there are shoes. I was about 2 seconds from killing the thing when it ran under a chair in my room. I moved the chair... no spider. I've looked everywhere and cannot find the fucking thing. So now it has traumatized me 3 times. It was on my face *shivers*. It was on my foot *shivers*. Now it is at large in my room *shivers*. I am having a sour-fruited beer and considering taking Kopi and going to a hotel.
AbsintheandBlood
00:56 Sep 17 2021
Times Read: 613
It has taken me a while to post this entry because I am just so heartbroken to share this news. No, no one died. I know that a lot of people on this site are going to be sad to read this post.
AbsintheandBlood, Grey in real life, has decided to leave VR. He has given me his profile which I plan to leave just as he left it in his honor. He is such a dear sweet friend and I am going to miss seeing his avatar pop up in my inbox and his funny comments on my journal entries. I am fortunate that we have created a bond offline, so I will not lose touch with this wonderful, gentle soul. He is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime friend and I am so lucky that he is a part of my life. He is a true treasure.
I won't go into the reasons that caused him to make the decision to leave the site because I feel that is his personal business.
If you have a message that you would like me to share with Grey, please post it in the comments and I will make sure he receives your message.
Shit
13:49 Sep 16 2021
Times Read: 642
Yes, gray font for today's entry because I feel gray and, once again, it is gray outside. I probably should have chosen brown because of the title of today's entry, but that was just a little over-the-top, even for me.
I had such illustrious plans for this morning. Sadly, I got next-to-nothing accomplished. I had planned to finish cleaning the garage (that's a whole separate entry I'm afraid), change a few light bulbs in the recessed lighting in the kitchen, walk the dog, get showered, and be at my computer ready to work by 7:00 a.m. Well, my computer decided to be a total bastard and freeze completely causing me to waste about an hour trying to get it to come back on/figure out WTH is/was wrong with it. Did I mention that I really need to suck it up and get a new laptop? This reaffirmed my decision that the time has arrived and I am wondering if I can hold out until Black Friday sales which, incidentally, will probably start tomorrow being that they had Black Friday sales in July. So here I sat trying on my best impersonation of a patient person while my computer soullessly blinked at me. I didn't get into the garage at all except to quickly move a stack of outdoor rugs that my mom has accumulated over the last 5 years (yep, I said stack). I did get the ugly, but thankfully hidden, fluorescent bulb above the sink changed out and I did pull down the burned-out bulbs from the recessed lighting. Of course, I did not realize that I don't have replacements, so I guess it's curbside Home Depot for me later since I refuse to go in that overcrowded cesspool of germs. My daily mantra has changed to "shit." At least it's not "fuck;" that's probably tomorrow's daily manta.
01:11 Sep 16 2021
Times Read: 670
Hey y’all (lol… have to sound super southern)…
~Insert shameless self promotion here~
If you are bored and looking for something to do, may I recommend checking out my profile RufflingFeathers. I’d love some adds and rates. Just shoot me a message and let me know you were there, so I can do the same.
PRIVATE ENTRY
12:01 Sep 15 2021
Times Read: 684
• • • • PRIVATE JOURNAL ENTRY • • • •
Ebb & Flow
21:41 Sep 12 2021
Times Read: 714
"We are all interconnected. Relationships come into our lives to shape and mold us into our highest selves. Like the rock formations, seashells and sand are weathered and polished by the ocean waves, we are shaped and smoothed by the forces of our relationships."
Today I was thinking about relationships. How they ebb and flow. One minute they are full of passion and desire, and the next they replete with apathy and indifference. Isn't that strange?
Relationships ebb and flow, like the waves of the sea. They swell with intimacy, passion, and energy and then naturally wane through periodic episodes of separateness, quietness and space. Attachment and connection, followed by detachment and disconnection. Up and down, back and forth, give and take, push and pull. Such is the rhythm of life -- a necessary process to prevent stagnation and promote our evolution of our consciousness.
Sometimes relationships are as volatile as a tidal wave, with surges of frightening force and power that can render us feeling afraid, disoriented and caught in the undertow, unsure of which way is up. Other times, relationships are as smooth and tranquil as a glassy pond, promoting shared serenity and peace.
The cycle has to do with vulnerability, trust, and intimacy. This is the human way of balancing fear and desire. Trauma, fear of loss and self-protection are the winds that fuel the waves. When trust and a stable attachment or connection is there, the waters settle into a nice loving flow.
I don't know about you, but as thrilling as the tidal wave can be, I much prefer the glassy pond. I prefer known expectations and predictable behavior. Thinking back, over the years, the hardest relationships to heal from were the tidal waves, but the most memorable were the glassy ponds. The tidal waves were passionate, but comparatively short lived, while the glassy ponds had moments of passion, but an evenness that had more pull than even the strongest tidal wave.
Fonts, Garage Door, New Computer, Overtime, and Rest of the Day
19:26 Sep 05 2021
Times Read: 762
Good Sunday afternoon VR! Hopefully, this entry will be a little less stream-of-consciousness than the last entry, but as you can see from the title of the entry, I have a lot to cover!
Fonts
I am truly hoping that someone who is better at coding will comment on this topic. I was wondering what fonts work here on VR other than the same old, same old? As I said in an earlier journal, I am working on a new profile and I am bored with the same fonts. I would like to use something new and different, graceful, yet easy to read. So, if you have any suggestions, please let me know in the comments. I am excited to try something new!
Garage Door
Ugh. This is all the sentiment I can muster for my bleeping garage door which decided it would break and come off the tracks for the THIRD time this year. I called the garage door repair people and they came out, put it back on the tracks (it came off within 24 hours again), and told me that they did not know what was causing the problem. Unfortunately, they cannot get to much in our garage because it is a literal disaster. Seriously, someone should come out and assess its status.
In all honesty, when my mom moved into my house 4 years ago, we just dumped what we could and what she wasn't using regularly in the garage. The stuff that I had that was on her side of the house either was redistributed to other areas of the house, or it joined her stuff in the garage. On top of all of this stuff, my mom has this great fear that during this Covid nightmare we will somehow run out of toilet paper and paper towels. So on top of the mountains or house stuff we have, there is a lovely layer of paper products.
In order to adequately diagnose the garage door problem, we have to clean the garage. Not fun ever, but less fun in the beginning of September in Alabama when our cool days are 88 degrees. So, I started this cleaning process at sun up yesterday. We have 2 trash cans plus a recycling can, which I had filled within an hour and a half. As I suspected, most things that have been in the garage for four years, are due to be thrown away. Now I am at an impasse. I either fill up the clean car with dirty dusty garage shit, rent a small dumpster so I can finish, or I wait and do this over the course of a few weeks, filling up the cans each week. I really just want the whole process to be over ever though it is hot, tiring, and boring. I have decided that unless it is somehow nailed to the floor or something someone would die without, it is getting thrown away. I know that the end result will be good, it is just the getting there that sucks.
New Computer
Well, I am sad to say that my cute little red HP laptop has seen better days. It has been a good companion for (gosh have I had in 6 years?) the time I have had it, but it has become frustratingly slow in a time when my patience is short. Because I no longer really need a computer except for web-based work, I have been considering a Chrome Book. I need the portability of a laptop. Chrome Books are so inexpensive and I don't think they would need a lot of time/work to set them up. I do sometimes remote into Bradley (my work) from my home computer, but I would think I can do that on a Chrome Book. I don't really need word processing capabilities anymore since I am not using it to write motions and briefs. I am also not looking to fork out a ton of money because I need that damned garage door fixed and I want to go on a nice vacation whenever it is safe to travel again. Plus I want to pay for it rather than putting it on a credit card.
So, if you have read this far and know anything about Chrome Books, let me know what you think of them in the comments. I don't want something that won't do what I need.
Overtime
Well, since I have so much that needs repairing and that I want to do in the house, it has been a literal Godsend that I have had the chance to work so much overtime the past two weeks. Last week, I had 55 hours, and this week I also have 55 hours. I am getting ready to see if there are any conflicts searches that need to be done so that I can pick up a few more hours. While I am mentally tired from doing the extra hours, the extra pay will certainly be nice.
Rest of the Day
I am going to see if I can work for a few hours and then I am going to do some fall decorating. After all, it is after September 1st! I found these cute little lighted tabletop fall trees. I am putting one on my desk since I spend so much time here. I also think I am going to make a craft beer run. I feel like it is sour-fruited beer time later. Maybe some Spirit Guide by Yellowhammer Brewing. That sounds delicious!
Hope you all have a great Sunday!
COMMENTS
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XCanadianPrairieFireX
22:16 Sep 27 2021
You always do amazing profiles hun....
DebaucherySin
23:13 Sep 27 2021
Profile looks great! Good luck on the creative writing contest.