2018

Celebrated New Year’s Eve in downtown Reno with A&N

Taught the School at Work class, swore that would be the last year

Attended the Women’s March with a whole mess of friends

Got regular massages. This angel comes to my home.

Watched The Dark Crystal in the theater with Sarah who had never even seen this movie

Went roller skating with Lena and did not fall down

Flew (?) to San Diego to help Dad after treatment for Dupuytren’s contracture in his hands and made a mental note to do lots of yoga to prevent this from happening to me, then failed to do yoga more than twice.

Watched UFC fights at Alonso’s, including the crazy one with Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov

Made glass beads with Sarah

Went to France with Tracy! We hung out in Bordeaux with Mom and Marty for a few days and visited Arcachon, saw cathedrals and wandered downtown in Bordeaux, got tipsy on the views and the wine at Bordeaux chateaus, walked through a medieval town, ate gelato, went to Paris with Tracy where we got pickpocketed in the Metro station, tour bussed around, saw a ballet at the opera house that inspired The Phantom of the Opera, walked through Père Lachaise, ate baguette sammiches, walked up 6 flights of stairs at least twice a day, had an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower from our Airbnb, ate Ladurée macarons, shopped, saw Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle, argued only a little bit, ate steak frites, toured Musée d’Orsay, saw an immersive Klimt exhibit, and overall had an amazing time.

Wing Fest with Sarah and family

Watched a lot of doggos for friends

Got paid to do editing

Participated in the Biggest Little Treasure Hunt again and came in second! We won a cash prize and felt vindicated after coming really close last year. #teamwrongway

Got lots of veterinary care for Gus and Solo. Gus has nonstop stomach problems on top of diabetes, so I found a new vet that specializes in nutrition. He is currently baffling her. Solo is 13 and has thyroid problems, but her medication is good now so she barfs less often, which is helping my sanity tremendously. Gus' health continues to waver, but that does not slow him down in the slightest.

Climbed to the top of an indoor rock wall while petrified. This was also with Sarah, but Sarah was not petrified.

Had regular dinners with Ant. He just turned 20. Can you believe that?

Took a mini road trip to Concord to do the orientation for Dogs4Diabetics. It would be mostly free to get a service dog through this program, but they require a lot of volunteering and follow up from the people that go through it. They really work hard to make the matches successful and I can respect that, but I was a bit turned off by the requirement to be heavily involved in the program and the diabetic community before and after a dog is assigned. Maybe it’s just not the right time, or maybe I am too antisocial. It would also regularly involve a four hour drive, so it seems fair to put this idea on pause. Everyone was giggling that what I actually need is a service dog for Gus. It was worth the trip though, because the whole day was one of the most beautiful drives I have ever taken. It was increasingly striking on the way to Concord, and on the way back there was a sunset and storms and the biggest lightning bolt I have ever seen. I saw it from the top of 80 and saw smoke in Reno soon after. It sounds bad and I did not have a home in the way, but all the contrast and dark, brewing storms and rich colors stunned me. It was gorgeous.

Game night at C&K's

Saw Macbeth with A&N at the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. We went swimming late in the day and ate a picnic dinner before the show. This is right on the water at Sand Harbor and I spend so much time watching the scenery- it is just gorgeous and pictures do not do anything close to justice. If anyone is looking for a good time to visit, late summer is wonderful.

Was a volunteer beer girl at a golf fundraiser for the Nevada Humane Society. I did a good job drinking the beer.

Helped friends pack and move. :(

Tried Tai chi, and I really enjoyed it, but my trial ended and dude wanted an insane amount of money AND a very long commitment. thank u, next

Went on a hot air balloon ride for 40^th birthday. This was so beautiful and amazing. I’m so glad I went and while it always terrifies me to be high up in the air, the pilot made everyone feel safe. He was exactly what you’d hope for- very professional but welcoming, warm, and full of stories and cheesy tour guide jokes. We launched from and landed on what is legitimately the world’s smallest aircraft carrier and the day was just perfect. Loved, loved, loved this.

Drove to San Diego and stopped in Fresno to see A&N, had a mini GGM with Nik at Dana Point where we talked a lot, saw seals out partying, found a swing set on the beach, and got pedicures. I brought Gus along and he was so good. It was his first road trip with me, and Dad even remarked about what a quiet, well-behaved Chihuahua he is.

Stepped in short notice to play kickball game for a young team that was short on girls. They put me at shortstop and I played the best game of my whole life.

Took Ant to see MFKZ, an anime presentation of a French comic, and we both really enjoyed that.

Played Risk for the first time ever, and was horrified when we just stopped after 5 hours. The game wasn't over yet!!!

Started going to Zumba again and I am starting to get “where were you” from the instructors, so that is helping me show up consistently.

Went to see The Wedding Singer at TMCC with Maria, which was great, as all their productions are.

Went with Sarah to the Zombie Crawl, but I went as a confused person who was just sitting on their couch and got swept along in the madness- an accidental survivor.

Got a dogwalker for Gus, which immediately resolved some terrible behavior problems. Here’s a special scoff for all the dog trainers I read or talked to who insisted that dogs will not pee in their beds, and definitely not out of spite. You are wrong, wrong, wrong.

Voted for people who are not trying to ruin the world

Tried a loosely guided dance class with Sarah and actually… really loved it. We haven’t been back, but holidays be crazy. It’s on my list.

Met with financial planner and made a couple small investments. I made some very conservative (the only time you’ll ever see me say that) choices but also eagerly review my updates in the hopes of a sudden small fortune. It will be best to mostly forget about these.

Read 30 books

Saw Night of the Living Dead in theater with Sarah and Erik, which was really good. This was through Fathom, which is always playing classics or operas or other fun things like Dark Crystal. I’m glad I’m going to these. Makes me happy.

Went to Apple Hill to meet up with A&N and take obligatory fall pictures. This is where people go for fall pictures (and tons of apples) around here.

Went to the Fall Dance Festival with Maria and the girls, and they seemed to enjoy it. This is the end of semester performance for dance majors at UNR, and I love to go see it.

Went recliner shopping with Mike, then went back after about a month after he didn’t like it to pick out a new one for him. Do you know the pressure of trying to pick a recliner for someone else, especially when they are going to sleep in it?

Hosted a coloring party

Visited Daniel in Boyfriendland, Iowa! He has been gone for almost a year now, but he got to do a really short work trip and I went to meet him. It was so good to see each other. You would think this last couple months before he returns would be easy now, but... it still sucks.

Went to an ugly Christmas sweater party/game tournament at C&K's

It was not easy to spend almost the whole year apart from my sweetheart and this political disaster is hell on ice skates, but I got to do some really fun, interesting things with people I love. I feel pretty lucky.

Reno Reno Reno, Honey

I just called to make an appointment for a bang trim at the beauty school, and they're booked solid today (which is fair, as it's Saturday), but they're especially booked today because they're closed all next week. I forgot about this, but they close for a week every year during Street Vibrations, which is an annual motorcycle rally here in Reno. The beauty school sits next to a Harley-Davidson dealership, and they learned years ago that there is no point in being open because there is nowhere for clients (let alone students) to park. There are lots of popular hangouts during this event, but of course that's a big one. Street Vibrations can also get a little wild, but most years the police departments are happy to report a relatively low number of arrests. One year there was a fight between the Vagos and the Hells Angels on the main floor inside the Nugget and one of the Hells Angels chapter presidents was shot and killed. That's not nice, but this place was born in the Wild West, and it's nice to see some craziness poke through the Home Depots and Whole Foods sometimes. As with most of our annual events, Renoites either absolutely love or absolutely hate Street Vibrations, but this is a great example of why I am endlessly entertained by and absolutely in love with this big little city.

WELCOME TO OUR BEAUTY SCHOOL

SORRY, CLOSED
for motorcycle rally

The game

Let's see if this works.

I'm all angry right now because I agreed to play kickball tonight. I'm always relearning that it's never anger but something else, so surely it's just anxiety or some other fear but I feel like this lots of times, like when I have agreed to attend a party- even my own. I usually get ragey in the car on the way there- when no one can judge me- and OH MAN do I wish I was a laid back person sometimes. Is anxiety ever cute? What about irrational anger? Do people always just love you despite who you really are? It catches me off guard when people say I'm nice. No, I promise I'm a judgy asshole. And most of the time I try to keep that on the inside, except that my expressions tell on me.

After the game I will feel better and relieved and sometimes even like a sporty girl. I'll be glad I played in spite of all this- that I can be this anxious and do it anyway. See here's a way I'm going to be a judgy asshole: it's eyebrow raising to me when people say they can't do something because of their social anxiety. It's not a measurable thing and certainly not a comparative thing but here I am with irrational rage and a wobbly stomach over a KICKBALL GAME. But here I am.

Two guys just came out to their cars and were laughing about their game.

"That was ugly!" they laughed.

I've got to take myself less seriously.

Testing?

The last time I tried this, the universe told me to go write elsewhere and now I have a submission for this year's 95 word fiction contest, so I can't be mad, but I do hope Blogger is not busted.

I'm trying to put my impatience at rest and let Gus have some time to sit in the shade. I miss the little grassy bump where Riley and I used to hang out. I'm going to have some help soon to make a little balcony hangout for Gus and Mini and hopefully give him a place to potty. I thought pee pads, but my friend had an idea about something like sand and omg yes, an outdoor dog box. It can work, I just know it.

Wings, wags, and washing

I had a pretty nice day. I woke up at 6 and took all the dogs out to pee, then we came back in and went back to bed.

I actually made breakfast AND egg bakes in a muffin tin to take to work with me. I found a recipe online and had most of the ingredients, so I cracked eggs, cut some counter-dried tomatoes, substituted in some milk, crumbled some bacon, picked out the good pieces of spinach from the sagged salad, forgot the cheese and ran out of pepper, but for once they came out of the pan and I have a whole mess of individually contained little egg bakes, so I feel like the healthiest and most prepared person on the planet.



When I finally got dressed, I found a package notice I'd forgotten in a jeans pocket, and made it to the post office before my sensors got returned. I never made tea yesterday (I got hooked on Diet Cokey again, and am trying to reestablish my tea brewing habit), so I went through the Starbucks drive through and got a sweet tea, then parked and walked in to exchange it for something I can drink. Walmart had the 4 gallon trash bags I love so much in lemon scent, and I bought 3 so I won't have to come back to Walmart anytime soon. I swear, I ought to rewrite the lyrics to Ice Cube's It Was A Good Day.

I came home and between yelling at the dogs, I listened to the organization podcast and bustled around, cleaning and vacuuming. The lady downstairs smokes in her apartment, so the refreshing aroma of cigarettes comes in through the vents and I am constantly looking for ways to banish my smoking karma with little plug in smelly things and room spray and the other day I bought a little tealight wax warmer because I found honeysuckle wax cubes. I just love honeysuckle. So that's been my go to smelly lately, when the AC kicks on, the smell comes in, and I start muttering cuss words or yelling them, depending on my mood. I dropped a bacon crumble in the melted wax while making the egg bakes because of course I did- who else has a pool of melted wax on the counter where they're cooking?

So the organization lady got me all fired up talking about productivity, and then she interviewed the Four Tendencies and Happier woman. Both of them together!? I kicked it into high gear. Lisa talked about counting productivity by finished projects, and Gretchen Rubin explained why identifying your inner motivation doesn't work for obligers. It felt good to be told what to focus on, so I narrowed in and finished a few things and felt like I could face Sunday.

I joined friends for Wing Fest and didn't see anyone else I knew, which is weird for Reno, but nice. We ate bad food and watched the tattoos go by. Wing Fest is serious business- there are trophies and all sorts of categories, but the votes were counted earlier in the day and lots of vendors had run out of wingredients. The strawberry cheesecake sauce was long gone. Yes, that's for wings. Chicken wings. Yes, really.





Tomorrow our houseguests will be collected and I will hopefully google how to make protein bars and have another kitchen adventure. This empty table will lure me to start a new puzzle, Netflix has sent me another France related movie, and I'm going to brunch, so tomorrow should be a nice day too.

 

Gus has been a gracious host, and I learned how to sling an old dog and take all three of them out for a walk at once. Aha!

Stay tuned

Well hello!

I haven't been feeling real bloggy lately, so it's exciting to be drawn back here... and of course, Mini is yowling at my feet, asking to be picked up and loved on. I love you, kitty cat, but you're gonna have to wait a minute.

I just had my... fifth? sixth? consecutive Thursday meeting with Ant. He's doing well, and it's good to see him regularly enough to know what's going on in his life. Last Thursday I was off and had no appointments, so we went to breakfast and thrift store shopping, which we hadn't done together in YEARS. He found an alarm clock, a few t-shirts, a framed Einstein picture, and a giant cardboard cutout of a box of popcorn. I found a couple shirts and... several puzzles.

Tonight we went to dinner (I keep meaning to cook, but my weekdays are a mess) and then hit Winco. I needed to go, and he was low on groceries, so I bought him some milk and cereal, bananas, baby carrots, taquitos, and sent him home with half a container of strawberries and half a container of grape tomatoes, since I love both, but never finish a whole container by myself. He helped me pick out crackers for a diabetic get together this weekend, and when we got in line, he went right to the end while I paid. He was trying to organize the groceries into the bags, and he laughed when I was done before he was, saying he was out of practice.

I brought him back here for a minute so I could split the produce and pick up Gus, and Ant found the cat butt tissue holders. He was thrilled and made a Snapchat video of him pulling tissues out and ripping them in the process, because much like with Rudy the Easter Island head tissue box on my wall, you have to be gentle pulling tissues out of a novelty container. A friend responded quickly, asking where the hell Ant got that thing. "It's Jenny's," Ant told him, as this was an old friend from the last couple years before Chris and I split up. "Of course it is," the friend replied, and I cackled.

So I have not been feeling bloggy or particularly good lately- I neglected some medication for a while that I actually need to keep me and my blood sugar level, and I forgot that, which made Night Bus crazy. "How can you forget to take something like that?!?" he asked. Well... I don't really know how to defend it, because I know I have been told of its importance before. It just gets downgraded in my head after a while, so I have to come up with ways of remembering that it's important. Night Bus just sputtered over that statement, and I pointed out that this is one of the many ways I am going to keep a smart guy like him intrigued. Just TRY to follow my train of thought. I will baffle you!

But I am routinely rotating out my morning and night pill containers just how my inner old man druthers, and while I am still tired and saggy, I am more often able to complete an evening without napping on the couch. I'm not doing a whole lot of exercising, but I walk a lot, and I feel confident that my bursts of energy will return. Sarah's been feeding me leftovers for lunch a lot lately, and we eat lots of veggies and low carby things, and I have been eating lots of salad at home.

I'm currently listening to Silent Child, by Sarah A. Denzil, which is apparently an Audible exclusive, and I swear this is not an ad. It's interesting to me, because I started the year reading a lot of books, and suddenly stopped. This is the first one I'm starting up with again, and I love listening to books. I feel so ADD sometimes, and I was always liked coloring while watching a movie. I do enjoy sitting down to read too, but it is nice to walk Gus and listen to a story or be in another place while washing the dishes. So I'm about halfway through this book. It's a thriller, which I don't normally read, but even though I feel like it's pretty clear what's coming, I am still hooked. Maybe I am supposed to feel like it's clear. Regardless, it feels really nice to be caught up in a book again. I will burn right through this one, and I bet I have a small pile of credits now, plus I signed up for the public library app and can borrow books through them for free.

Tomorrow is game night with friends, Saturday there's that diabeetus meetup organized by that person I met in Winco, and Los Lobos is playing at an outdoor park this Sunday night to kick off Artown. Will I go?

See, I'm still here

Yesterday evening, some poor neighbor hit the gas instead of the brake and ran into the side of the apartment building, breaking both the wall and the gas line. I came home from the grocery store to find the fire department and police and most of the neighborhood checking out the situation. I parked around the corner and walked up, checking in with neighbors along the way. One person said that the kid inside that room had been watching a war movie and thought the sound effects were just spectacular. Everyone seemed in a merry mood except the driver and the maintenance guy.

At the grocery store, I was behind this couple, and they looked back at my cart a few times and offered to let me through ahead of them since they had a lot of stuff. I said it was fine- I had too much for the self-checkout and nowhere to be, so I was good. Plus, our lane had a sign that said "Checker In Training," so no rush indeed. It was his third day and he was so impressed at how many numbers other checkers had memorized. It was nice that we had so much time in line, because I noticed that the woman in front of me had an insulin pump. I could tell because of the tubing, or as my boyfriend Night Bus calls it, the power cord. I saw she had the pump clipped to her back pocket and I was impressed, because when I used the clip, I caught it on everything. I also thought she must be way more graceful than me if she could leave that much slack in the tubing and not catch it on every doorknob in sight. We started talking and as it turns out, she's really connected with the diabetic community, would like some help writing blogs about diabetes, and totally catches her tubing on doorknobs. It was a nice conversation and I'm looking forward to meeting some new people who are dealing with the same things.

Today I am threatening to pull everything out of the combination pantry and hall closet to organize and purge it, but first I need some caffeinated motivation. I brought Gus with me to get some potties and outside time (we've been sitting in the grass) and when we walked towards the carports, Gus stopped at mine and just stared. He looked at the center of the spot, then at the other cars, like "Ok... that one's here... and there's one over there... Where is ours?" Oh god, I love this dog.