Five on Friday #206

EINS - Random Shit

I saw an employee at Walmart carrying a sign that said, "Are you sure it's not still Mercury Retrograde?" and I felt that in my soul.  Thankfully, there is a marked difference between the frustrations of last month and the lack of frustrations this month.  There has been some anxiety (tattoo pain is real, yall, plus the will it rain or not drama after trailering the bikes 5 hours making it pointless), but nothing like the WTFness of July.  Whether it's the lack of Chemistry, meaning my life is more simple, or the fact that we're out of Mercury Retrograde.. I'm taking it.

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Monday night I took an anxiety pill to sleep.  I was angry and frustrated at Teh German for trivial shit that I was making issues of, even though they really weren't issues (like I do, thanks for coming to my TED Talk), I was overly tired from sleeping poorly most of the weekend/week/month, and I.  I slept like a MFing champ.  It was delightful.  I woke up feeling rested.

It's never been a secret that I don't sleep well, but when I've already got a ton of shit going on and then you add the lack of good sleep?  Well, it's kind of a disaster.  I'm trying not to let the impending final semesters loom over my August and give me anxiety, but they kind of are.

And so.. I'm going to try to make it a priority this month to 1- find a new doc. 2- try to find an anxiety medication that doesn't make me forget my entire life.  There is better living to be found through chemistry.  Anxiety medicated Megan doesn't lose her shit about every.little.thing.ever.  And I'll be honest, losing my shit over all the little things is exhausting.  I try to make it funny when it happens to mitigate the fact that, yet again, I'm bitching about something.. but it's exhausting for everyone.  I know it.

In the meantime, I don't have anything I'm worried about forgetting, so I'm putting myself back on the anxiety meds.  Maybe if I'm self-aware of the forgetfulness then I can continue taking the meds after school starts?  We'll see what happens...

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I have a feeling the decision to take the anxiety pill Monday night helped me from having a catastrophic rage-induced meltdown on Tuesday afternoon after discovering the mysterious "red stuff" on the carpet in the loft was actually pizza sauce from the unauthorized pizza buffet the dog sitter allowed the dogs to have.

After noticing the weird red shit all over the carpet and then noticing crumbs, I suspected the dogs got into something while we were away.  Fun fact, THIS is why I finally gave Teh German the ok to install cameras in the house.  I checked the cameras and, in fact, the dogs DID get into something.. Meri helped the dog sitter finish off his uneaten pizza and garlic knots, which had been left sitting on the loft couches when he left during the evening.  Poor Pax was muzzled, but he tried soooo hard to also enjoy the buffet.

If the cameras hadn't caught enough of what happened, these bread bites would have been a dead give away...
Also, WHY IN THE FUCK DO PEOPLE REFUSE TO MOVE SHIT WHEN THEY CLEAN!?!?!?!

I think I'm so used to being disappointed by the people I hire to help us that I was more disappointed than angry that we can't trust the person we thought we could.  I did message the sitter to let him know that he should have told me and was told that he forgot because he was running late.  I'm not sure if he was referring to leaving the pizza out or telling me, either way, I'm not pleased.  I'm not really sure why he didn't feel the need to mention it to me, at all, when he came on Monday afternoon to pick up his stuff.

I also cleaned up the mess he left on the stove when we got home, from the frozen pizza he'd cooked on Friday, which I only know because he asked where the pizza pan was after he arrived and said he was going to cook it.  I don't feel like it's unreasonable to have the expectation to NOT allow the dogs to get into anything while you're watching them.  I also don't think it's unreasonable to expect the person staying at your house to clean up after themselves.

We don't leave food out because of the #GoatDog situation we constantly endure, but also because I don't want to NEED an exterminator.

Dem professional ass lines.

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Speaking of moving shit when you clean...  I found out that Pax is creating tiny clones of himself when I cleaned the loft.  Since there was sauce on the cushions and bread crumbs, I pulled up the cushions to vacuum the couches out and discovered in-progress Pax clones.  I also discovered that our cleaners have never ONCE vacuumed under the couch cushions.  In a house with 2 dogs.  NEVER vacuumed under the couch cushions.

It's hard to see,but there are little in-progress Pax clones in progress in that crack.
Both couches had these black tumbleweeds filling the entire crack, for the full length of the sofa.
There was also a black tumbleweed in the tiny corner where the couches come together that had never been vacuumed up.

Do I have overly high expectations?  Am I unreasonable for expecting that under the couch cushions be vacuumed maybe every quarter or something?  Or that the vacuum wand be used to get corners/hard to reach places?  I'm not asking that the furniture be moved every time.  Siiiiiiiiiiigh.

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We finally, finallly, got some clown fish for the tank.  FINALLY.

They are hard to see, but they are there.
Soon we will be getting an anemone for the fishies, which is really all I wanted to begin with.

Teh German asked what we should name them and I told him that I wasn't sure yet, but we always called our fish "Pete" and "Repeat" when I was a kid.  I will observe said fishies and see if they have any distinguishing marks and then determine names for them.

Update: I have observed said fishies and one has a fat middle stripe and the other has a skinny middle stripe.  This is their distinguishing features and for now, they are being call fat stripe and skinny/thin stripe.  Maybe these names will stick.  Maybe something better will come along.  Either way, Fat Stripe is always charging at me.  We think since it's the slightly bigger fish, it's the female and if that bitch doesn't get outta my face she won't get her anemone!  Come at me, bro.

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If you were interested in the menstrual tracker app situation, I guessed correctly when I said I redownloaded the Garmin app and have continued using that.  Most of the apps for menstrual tracking are more for people with regular periods (not me) or people who are trying to get pregnant, (not me).  There was one app that was overwhelming in all of the mood options, which I liked and hated at the same time.

I'm sticking with Garmin because my data is already there AND because I figured out how to turn off the device not connected notification and I like the few, simple options they offer for menstrual tracking things.

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People who cut open resealable bags and leave stuff in the bag that is now unable to be sealed shut, deserve to be cut.  Period.

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My very smart, sometimes assholish, loving, cute, so very cute, Husband insists on locking the storm door.  INSISTS ON IT. 

WHY IN THE FUCK DID I BUY A $200 SMART LOCK FOR HIM TO LOCK PEOPLE OUT SO THEY CAN'T FUCKING GET TO IT?!?!?!

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Because I'm bored AF, I've made it my goal to bump up the visibility of the GEGR FB page.  Truthfully, I love doing social media things and wish I got paid to do it.  Well, I guess actually I am since I don't really have tasking at work currently.  But fret not, it's coming.  All the documents are coming.  I imagine that they will all be need to be finalized between the few weeks prior to midterms and Christmas.  #PositiveThinking

Also, looking at cute dogs never hurts my heart.  It will soothe the stress of all those document finalization dates which happen to be on the same days as CS assignments being due.

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I've been doing the Tweeter thing again.  This is what happens when I have too much time on my hands.

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I have 5 classes this semester and 4 of them are in the same classroom.  Which happens to be one of THE most depressing classrooms that the computer science department uses.  It's small, cramped, and the projector is in a weird way. 

Anyways... I'm thinking of making a sign to claim my spot for the semester... because.. why wouldn't I?

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New acronym announcement: MIGFYSU
This stands for:
Megan is gonna fuck your shit up.

This is completely in relation to someone sitting in my claimed space in that classroom I'll be spending so much time in this fall.

ZWEI - Money Shit

-Bully sticks for the beasts
-Phone bill
-Water bill
-Tickets for an aquarium event later in the month
-Tattoo session + tip
-Dog sitter
-Gas
-Groceries
-New, less greasy, tattoo lotion + travel bottle
-Several long dresses with pockets.  These will replace the long dresses I have without pockets.  Seriously, pockets are sometimes the determining factor regarding my outfit for the day.
-Replacement shirts from Old Navy.  I need some solid, no funny prints, t-shirts for work and the one/two I do have, have holes in them.  I'll be doing a serious closet purge soon!
-Pizza for lunch
-New front door knob that doesn't lock so Teh German will have one less way to lock people out.
-Replacement screens for the pergola since one of the screens has a rip in it along the entire length of the screen and Teh German has already repaired 2 small holes and this is too large to repair.  I bought something from WayFair for an 11x13 pergola in the hopes that it will be ok for our 11x14 pergola.  When Teh German contacted the pergola company, they said that new screens would cost $289 and would include both the mosquito netting and the solid panels (that we never use anyways).  I wasn't pleased with that and asked Teh German if we could try it a cheaper way first or try repairing it ourselves.  He said yes.  Worst case, my cheaper methods don't work and I'll return the screens I got from WayFair and he'll be paying the $289 for the screens.


Sooooo uhhhhh...
I said fuck it and now I'm completely poor but Willow is paid off!
This is what happens when I'm bored and I've spent too much money over the past few months.
Annndd also, I'd rather see those car payment dollas going towards my savings account, knowing they don't have anywhere else they could be going.
Soo back to being #DebtFree other than the mortgage. 
#Adulting #LikeABoss

DREI - From My Phone Shit

There is a basil plant at work.
I'm gonna make some pesto.

When do computers overheat?
When they need to vent.

This bumper sticker had my name! #WIN

POCKETS!!
All non-pocket dresses will be donated.
#SorryNotSorry

VIER - From the Internet Shit

Husband to me.

It's ok if your strength looks different in this season.
MHN

You are brave.
Even when it does not seem that way and your bravery shows up in your choice to keep going every day.
-MHN

FÜNF - Things that made me happy this week

1. No school August.  Not actually all of August, but a significant enough portion that I'm calling it no school August.
2. 30-40% off everything at Bilo.  I bought all kinds of shit I'm generally too cheap to buy.  Shelled pistachios?  Check.  Pint-sized ice cream?  Check.  + $80 more in stuff that we will actually use/eat.  #NotSorry
3. No more car payment.  I mean, this also means no vacations anytime soon, but I don't have the PTO anyways.. Soooooooo, it's fine.
4. Eating lunch outside with a coworker each day.
5. Not having to lug around my backpack with a computer in it everywhere I go.
6. Dresses that have the empire waist that I desire.
7. POCKETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
8. Using the air fryer for new things.
9. The smell of the clean couch covers... #SilverLinings
10. Not having to sit through all-day long meetings for 3 days this week.

Happy Friday, Gentle Readers.

3 Things.. again

Three movies I've watched more than 20 times 

1. Titanic, but only the first VHS (When the movie was released, it came out on VHS and it was so long, it was split between 2 VHS tapes.  Teh Sister only ever wanted to watch the FIRST VHS, not both (because she didn't appreciate the man hitting the propeller and flipping into the water as much as me), then start it over....).
2. Any Disney movie released between 1991-1997.
3. Erin Brockovich
All of these movies were part of Teh Sister's Movie Repertoire that she would play over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.. and over.. and just keep repeating that for forever.

Three things I don’t do 

1. Tan.  I'll be translucent for forever.
2. Suffer fools or individuals who don't pay attention.
3. Tolerate people trying to make me feel stupid or belittling my efforts.

Three things I'm always up for doing 

1. Most new adventures.
2. Getting ice cream.
3. Silly selfies.

Three good things that happened this month 

1. Chemistry is officially behind me, after haunting me since Fall 2017.
2. Getting ladies-only time with Teh Running Bestie.
3. A cold front that enabled me to ride Bagheera.

Three things I wish everyone knew so well it was ingrained in their bones 

1. "Helping others will help you."
2. You are your most critical critic.
3. You're not the first person to have this problem.

Three things I'm tired of 

1. Trump related media/Trump/politics.
2. School.
3. Being hot.

Three things I'll never tire of 

1. Meri snuggles/Pax leans.
2. The smell of clean laundry.
3. New technology.

Three things I like to photograph 

1. The beasts.
2. All.the.flowers.
3. Distinctive architecture.

Three things I can't resist 

1. Punny jokes.
2. Ice cream.
3. Scratching Meri's butt.

Weekend Review {08/05}

FRIDAY

Chem final was at 08 and I finished that beeyoch by 1030 and headed home to do some work things until Teh German came home.  After eating lunch and having to prod Teh German along, we finally got everything packed, the bikes were loaded up and the trailer attached, and we finally hit the road to NC.

We decided we're going to have to leave earlier than 1:45 on a Friday for our next adventure to NC.  We were in a traffic mess almost the entire way from Charleston to Columbia.  Once we got through Columbia, I checked Waze, knowing that we were going to be near Charlotte during rush hour on a Friday with some rain.. and I just wasn't really feeling that.  Waze routed us around Charlotte and we ended up on one of the shittiest SC roads I've ever endured.  To the point that Teh German was ready to turn around and go back the way we came to find another route.. that's how bad the road was.. Then, there was a bridge and I was like, mayyybee after the bridge the road will be better?  In fact, crossing the river meant crossing into NC which meant the road improved 1000%.  Not an exaggeration there.  I feel like SC takes pride in having such shitty roads, which makes my soul hurt.

We made it to Home, Home, and we met Teh Dad and Teh Stepmom for dinner at a Japanese place.  I don't usually order hibachi at Japanese places here, so that was a nostalgic experience, since I used to eat hibachi all the time when I lived at Home, Home.

After dinner, we headed to Teh Dad's house, parked the trailer in the garage, unloaded the truck, then went inside to hang out.  We met tiny-head dog and   The TV was on, as always, and I snarked our way through Lone Survivor.  I felt a little guilty about it.. but there's only so many cliff faces your shot up body can fall from and you live through it.  Then again, adrenaline does crazy things to a body.. so maybe I'm wrong and that movie is 100% FACT.  LOOOOOLLL.

Even with the snarking, I did tear up at the end when the photos of the entire team and those that died were shown.  The entire time I snarked, I was also mentally saying thank you for having never deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq or a real combat zone.  I did say it out loud a few times too.  When the movie was over, it was bedtime.

SATURDAY

Saturday morning, I got up and had my hibachi leftovers for breakfast while chatting with Teh Dad and Teh Stepmom.  Eventually, it was time for me to shower and head to Mooresville to hang out with Noel for the day.

Noel had drawn the elbow piece the last time I was at the shop, so all he had to do was size the stencil and place it, then we got down to business.

Full of optimism and naivety about how it wouldn't hurt that bad.

Taking a break.  My back was pleased.
It's not easy for a big titty babe to lay on her stomach for hours and hours and hours.

Around 5:20, Teh German stopped by to say hi.  Which was really all he said since he spent most of the time on his phone, I assume, looking for routes to take back to Home, Home.  He had been riding in mountains, but got caught in the rain, when he decided to come down the mountain and make the trek to Mooresville.  I told him it looked like he peed in his pants since the crotch of his pants was wet, but nothing else really since he'd air dried on the ride.

I had planned to leave the shop at 6, but it turned into 6:30.  Oops.  But Noel got through the elbow, the shading of the elbow (which almost made me vomit multiple times and I was made fun of for my pterodactyl screeches at one point because I wasn't mentally prepared), and he retouched the upper arm wavy mandala.  I won't say the elbow was as bad as the foot, but Noel started at 1:40ish and we took a 15 minute break, and we went until 6:20ish.  So 4.5ish hours.  During the shading of the elbow, the shock symptoms started.  My legs were quivering and that vomitous feeling was real.  But, I did not die.

On the way to Mooresville, I had called Teh Granny and asked her to come to dinner, she agreed.  I had to call her when I left the shop to tell her that I was running late and that I'd be home around 7:30.  It ended up being more like 7:45, buttttt I couldn't go as fast down I-40 on the way home since no one else was going fast, RUDE.

It was good to hang out with Granny and Teh Dad grilled chicken and Teh Stepmom made pasta salad, which was delicious.  After Granny left, Teh Dad made a bonfire and we sat outside until around 10:30, when it was finally sleep time.

When I went to the bathroom before going to bed, this attention-whore kitty-kitty entertained me.  If you follow me on Snapchat, you saw the adventures.  I don't like cats as a rule.  I am allergic.  But this cat.. IDK, I liked this cat.  It was strange for me.

SUNDAY

Sunday was ride together day.  The forecast showed no rain, which was awesome.  And we had a reservation at 2 for zip lining.  We had a small breakfast and got moving.

Tiny head, big body dog.
She was a sweetie, with a tail worse than a whip.

We stopped at Bojangles for lunch before heading up the mountain so we didn't have to stop later.  After Bojangles, we headed up Hwy 181, Teh German's favorite curvy road near Home, Home.  We stopped at the Brown Mountain Overlook for Teh German to get in some drone time.  Honestly, we could have stayed longer, but 1- the bugs were swarming me and I did not like it, 2- My elbow was wrapped in saran wrap and when the sun hit it, it felt like it was burning, 3- We had to be in Blowing Rock at 1:30, sooo we didn't have as much time as we wanted.

When we left the Overlook, we passed a motorcycle accident in the worse curve on 181.  All I saw was 2 white blobs, which I assume was the gas tank and another bike piece.  There was no bike with the blobs that I saw.  A group of Harley riders had stopped and several cars, so we kept going, to not add to the confusion, knowing there was nothing we could do.  It was sobering since we had definitely just waved at all the bikers that passed by while we were at the Overlook and we saw no less than 30 bikers while we were stopped for those few minutes.  I didn't see the rider, but we did see an ambulance and fire truck headed toward the accident as we made our way up the mountain.  Teh German hadn't realized it was an accident until I told him.

We went down the Blue Ridge Parkway to get to the zip line place, which was a poor decision.  1- We ended up hitting a dirt road, which is NOT ideal on the bikes, 2- There was gravel in MANY places on the Parkway.  Why in the shit that gravel was not swept off the sides of the road with a street sweeper is beyond me, especially considering that it's summertime and there are SO MANY BIKES and cars, for that matter, on the Parkway.  Teh German had said that he had hit gravel on the road during the rain on Saturday, but he said he was on Hwy 221.  Turns out, he was actually on the Parkway and he'd been over the Viaduct without even realizing it. 

We finally made it to the zip line place, where Teh Dad was waiting for us.  We were in a group of 10 people, which I do not recommend.  10 people is too many, especially when one of those people is Karl.  Karl was a teenager who was doing the course on his own, while his grandparents waited on him in the car.  Karl was a douche who refused to wear his helmet properly, insisted on having his hair over his eyes, and generally didn't listen to any directions given.  Karl quickly became a target of ridicule for the entire group.  Also, Karl had a body odor that none of us found appealing.  He pissed off one of the guides to the point that she told him, more than once, if he fell from a platform, she wouldn't help him get back up.  Obviously, she would have had to, but he kept fucking around and she was pissed at him for not paying any attention to anything anyone told him.

With 10 people, it took too long, IMO.  Yes, we were in the trees for almost 3 hours, buttttt most of that was spent waiting on other people to zip.  A group of 3 passed us when we were close to the end, and they started 30ish mins or so after we did.

Since it was offered, I had purchased a zip and sip ticket for Teh German, which came with a "free" beer at Speckled Trout, a restaurant in downtown Blowing Rock and 1/2 off small plates.  We weren't super hungry, so we split the fried chicken sandwich, fries, deviled eggs, and hoecakes (corn muffin/pancake combo).

The last hoecake with honey butter.
Lawwwd it was delicious.

Fried chicken sammich.

The other purpose in sharing a meal was that left more room for Kilwins!  #SorryNotSorry

Teh German opted for gummy bears over ice cream.
I married a weirdo, but this means more ice cream for me.. sooo #TradeOffs

When we left Blowing Rock, we were juuuuust getting to the turn that goes out of the downtown area and we hit rain.  Teh German and I agreed to turn around and go a different way down the mountain.  Originally, we had planned to take 321 down the mountain, then take 268 to Wilkesboro for some curves then back to Home, Home.. buttt the rain threw a wrench in that plan.

Instead, we took 221 away from Blowing Rock and took 181 back down the mountain.  This actually worked out well enough.  It meant that Teh German got one more session on 181, and we got to take 221, which is one of my favorite curvy roads.  I think that Teh German had meant to take 221 on Saturday, but he didn't realize the difference between the Parkway and 221 and chose poorly.  Now he knows the difference and will probably always pick 221 for the greater than 35mph speed limit.

Unfortunately, when we got on 181, we hit a band of rain.  And Laaawwwddd it was a COLD, stabby rain.  Not only was my neck getting stabbed by rain pellets, but every now and then a trickle of cold water would run down my warm places and I wanted to die a little.  Thankfully, the rain only lasted about 5 minutes and other than being wet and slightly chilly, the ride down was uneventful.

Teh German agreed to just a few more curvy roads before we went back to Teh Dad's, so I took some short back roads, despite how sore my hips were, then we headed home.

Wet crotch...

After greeting the critters, Teh Stepmom ended up coming home within 5 minutes of our arrival.  I went downstairs and promptly showered to try and get warm.  It mostly didn't work.  After, I went back upstairs to socialize and Teh Dad came home.  Teh German came upstairs and we hung out with Dad for a little while until it was finally time for bed.

MONDAY

We left Teh Dad's around 1030 on Monday morning.  Teh German had gotten up around 0830 and loaded up the bikes while I slept in.  I slept like shit for most of the nights we were there, so extra sleep didn't hurt my heart.  I finally got up when Teh German came back inside and packed the suitcase and got ready to go.  We had a light breakfast and then we headed out.

A Carowinds recce challenge for Teh PT Kid was sent.

The ride was uneventful, thankfully.  We got home around 3ish.  Teh German unloaded the bikes while I did some work things.  After, Teh German went to the gym and I went to Walmart to pick up some things.  I stopped by the car wash on my way home and finally opted to vacuum Willow and clean her windows/crevices.  I guess I was doing such good work that my watch recognized it as a workout... soo uhh, there's that.

When I got home, I took the dogs on a quick stroll about the neighborhood before it started to storm.  It was actually perfect timing since the breeze from the impending storm was delightful and it had cooled down outside by at least 10 degrees.  After we returned home, I fed the dogs, showered, and then it was human dinner time.  After dinner, we watched a few episodes of The Americans and then... our extended weekend was over.  Sads.

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This week is my first week of work only and it's a short week since I took Monday off.  I did do some work stuff, but that's fine.  I really only wanted to take a half day Friday and a half day on Monday, butttt since I'd already scheduled 8 hours of PTO on Monday, it would have required a justification to change it, and rather than deal with that disaster, I just flexed the hours.  Whatever.  Nothing is outstanding, so it's fine.

Originally, I was supposed to sit through an all-day long meeting every day this week, butttt there's no room in the conference room for me, so I am exempt.  #SorryNotSorry for how happy I am about NOT being in that meeting all day.

This month was purposely planned to be a quiet month.  The one goal I had, to get Teh German to the mountains for riding, has been accomplished, soooo that leaves the rest of the month for whatever shenanigans we find.  I do have another tattoo appointment at the end of the month, so that's another opportunity for Teh German to ride, if he chooses. 

Here's to lazy evenings, puzzles and audiobooks and socializing over the weekend, and maybe getting in some pool time between summer thunderstorms.  YAY AUGUST!

Five on Friday #205

EINS - Random Shit

Last Friday, Gmail was being weird.  I didn't really notice until I never received the email for our Walmart Grocery pick up.  Over the weekend, I didn't get on a computer at all (yay no homework weekends!), so I didn't open Gmail other than email notifications on my phone, which I usually see and delete right away.. except, I can't recall getting any email notifications all weekend.

Monday when I got to work and turned on the computer and loaded Gmail, I had 18 emails!  I know for many people that is not a lot, but I subscribe to 1 daily email.  That means the rest was Amazon emails, blog comments (sorry yall), and, of course, the Walmart Grocery emails.  DAFUQ?  DO NOT LIKE.

The worst part is that I had been pretty smug about having an empty inbox at the end of last week...

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Sooo uhhhh, fun story.
I have 2 Audible accounts.  Both are never active at the same time.. unllllesssss you suspend one account and forget that you didn't completely cancel the membership and it starts back up again and you don't pay attention because you're an idiot anddd well.. turns out, you DO actually have 5 credits to use on one account PLUS the credits on the other account..... FML.

I've been very confused when looking at Amazon books when it would say I had 5 Audible credits to use, but then I'd sign into my Audible account and it would only show 1 or 2 and I'd just think that the credit count hadn't synced or something..

No, my brain hadn't synced.
TL;DR: I cancelled one of the Audible accounts for real.  Did not suspend.  CANCELLED.
See also: WTF am I going to use all these credits on?  I'm already 5+ unlistened books deep.  Siiiiigh.
Such #FirstWorldProblems, I know.

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Me: Goo Goo Dolls are coming back to CHS in November!
Teh German (tG): Sooo we're going?
Me: You don't HAVE to go.
tG: How much are tickets?
Me: The seats I'm looking at are ~$50.
tG: That's expensive.
Me: Do you remember how much you paid for Blink-182 tickets that one time?
tG: I just remember that you were mad at me and now I'm glad I forgot.
Me: A LOT more than $50.
tG: I thought we talked about saving money...
*I did not purchase tickets.. despite really wanting to.


Later.
Me: So I can get an air fryer for $66 with a coupon applied and the Prime Day rewards applied, instead of $100.
tG: I thought we were saving money.
Me: We discussed maybe buying an air fryer if we liked how it cooked the schnitzel.
tG: I thought we were saving money.
Me: This is a planned expense.
tG: But spending money, even if it’s cheaper is still money spent.
Me: I bought an air fryer for $66.

Later.
I bought tickets for us to go ziplining while we are in NC.
#EndOfSemesterStressShopping

The next day.
I received an email from UPS letting me know a package would be arriving the following day from Cigars INC.. I forwarded the email to Teh German and did NOT type "I thought we were saving money" in the subject or email body.  #SmallVictories

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I get IMMENSE pleasure out of generations being called a singular name.  Like Gen X being Karen or Susan or Dan.  Or Boomers being called Peggy or Frank.  Or Millennials being called Skye or Payton.  I shouldn't.. but I do.  #NotSorry

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I haven't mentioned it, but I LURVE my Samsung Galaxy Smartwatch and I'm glad that the enablers enabled me to check it out.  I would have been ok with the Garmin watch, but I'm happy with the Galaxy.  Although, Google Fi isn't compatible with Galaxy phones currently, otherwise, I'd probably be planning my next phone to be a Galaxy so everything is streamlined.  #Nerd.

That said, the ONLY thing the Garmin fitness tracker has that the Samsung fitness tracker doesn't is a Menstrual Cycle tracker.  Apparently, back in spring 2018, Samsung said they were working on it and now it's over a year later and still nothing.. Uhhh wut?

Honestly, I didn't know what I was missing until Garmin pushed an update that included it a few months prior to my smartwatch purchase, but I really liked being able to track all the minute female details that I deal with.  I cannot understand why Samsung hasn't integrated this with their Health app, when others have been able to do it.

Yes, I could download a standalone app to track menstrual related things, buttttttt why do that when I can complain that my smart technology doesn't do what I want it to?  :D  And also, most menstrual trackers are tied into fertility trackers and I'm not interested in that.

Know what I am interested in?  A fertility test to determine if I can even make babies.. because if not, can I get this IUD removed?

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That reminds me.. I downloaded 4 different "lady time" apps and I'll be doing some RT&E (research, testing, and evaluation) to assess my feelings on them.

The apps I downloaded* were:
Clue Period Tracker
Period Diary
Period Tracker - Period Calendar Ovulation Tracker
My Calendar

*I'd link these for you, but there's a 50% chance it will work and I'd be annoyed if it didn't, so just do a googly search for these if you're interested.

I also reinstalled the Garmin app just for the menstrual cycle tracking abilities.  I have a feeling that I'm just going to use the Garmin app until Samsung gets their shit together and caters to the ~50% of their users without a penis.  Siiiiiiiiigh.

#LaterGram: I already deleted Period Diary and Period Tracker.  One you had to pay to unlock the features that are free on all the other apps.  The other just had a shitty UI (user interface) and it was clunky and difficult to use.

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For the last week, there has been a consistent banging noise from the construction area by our office.  Except, sometimes it's not consistent.. also, it's ~85bpm, per a coworker, so it's at a rate that is too fast, yet too slow.. and it's making me lose my mind.  I know this is first worldy, but I don't like having to put in my earbuds and turn on music to drown out noise.  That's where I am in my life now though...

The reason I don't like having to listen to music is because sometimes, I don't want the distraction.  There, I said it.

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Because I'm a bitch dog animal human, I treat myself with food.  So after my final test on Wednesday, I went to Ye Ole Fashioned for a brownie sundae.  It was a trial (you can read the story/review here), which made me angry that it was delicious.

Why do people have to be so shitty?

Thanks for your minimal effort, Cuntalotamus.

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I went through some nerdy instructions to get Google Assistant on my watch and I feel pride that I was able to follow directions and make it work.  Now to see how much this drains the battery....

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Things that make me irrationally angry:
-When I go to a website and the browser asks if me I want to allow or block notifications.  Block, always.  Why can't this be a preset somewhere?
-Then, after answering that question.. there's a huge popup on the site telling me to enter my email address to be added to their email distro for 10% off or some guilt trip thing..
-THENNNN... another popup asking me to disable my adblocker because they use that revenue to make content.
-When YouTube links have a preview with a play button and then when you click play, you get a message that the video is unavailable.
-Trains during rush hour.  Always.

Fuck you.
Fuck your house.
Fuck the horse you rode in on.
Get out my face with that shit.

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Geek Squad called me on Wednesday afternoon to tell me that my laptop was ready for pickup, and it was really fixed this time.  My entire Wednesday was fucking garbage, so I just had a feeling.. A feeling that my laptop was fixed and that would be the good thing that broke the spell of such a shit day/week/month ooooorrrr it wouldn't be fixed and the trajectory of my day/week/month was irreparable.

I was told I could come and pick it up at 8.  Glad I didn't bother being there before since there was only 1 tech working and he was already working with 2 other customers and didn't get to me until after 8:10.  I was patient.  I was going to be reunited with My Precious.  It was fine.  It was all fine.

Finally, it was my turn and the tech brought out my computer and he booted it up for me to check that the screen burn was, in fact, fixed...  I opened up paint to check the LCD on a white screen... AND THE SCREEN BURN WAS GONE!!!!!  YAY!  So then, I'm looking over the rest of the screen for pixels/imperfections/etc... and I noticed something in the middle of the screen and my heart drops.  I tried to scratch it off with my fingernail and it didn't budge.  I asked the tech if he had any screen cleaner and he cleaned the screen.  The imperfection was still there.. in the middle of the screen...

And y'all.. I almost lost it.  I almost had a break down in Best Buy at the Geek Squad counter because my life cannot actually be real.  All these trials cannot be real.  This has to be a set up.  Like, no one's life is actually this painful/inconvenient/full of trials... right?!

I know, I'm not homeless or in over my head with debt or lacking relationships or friendships.. I know that these "trials" I face are generally #FirstWorldProblems or even #MeganProblems... but as I've said before... It's exhausting dealing with thing after thing after thing after thing.. the never ending dealing with things that really should be quite simple.

And so.. for the 3rd time, my laptop got sent back for repairs.
I asked the tech for a sanity check and I'm not sure if he was just being nice because he saw that I was about to cry, "Am I being reasonable to send the laptop back again for this?"  Him: Yes.  I explained that I edit photos and imperfections on the screen aren't ok and he understood or didn't care.  I'm not sure which.  Either way.

Then , as I was about to walk away from the counter, he placed one of the check-in stickers ON TOP OF ONE OF MY STICKERS that is on the laptop cover and I'm confident they heard me across the store when I wailed, "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"  The one thing I asked for when I dropped it off, the first time, was that the cover with the stickers be preserved, if possible, and I'm actually surprised that they have prevailed... and then, this dude goes and puts a sticker over one?  I c.a.n.n.o.t.

He insisted they are super easy to get off, buttttt as the person who removed the check-in stickers from the 1st repair session, they actually aren't that easy to peel off, thanks so much.  I just.. I'm trying not to care, but it is 100% taking everything in me not to have a meltdown over it.. and I know it's trivial, but for me it.is.not.  There, I said it.  Just thinking about it, after the fact, is giving me anxiety.

So close.
Also, I'm not sure why he couldn't have put the sticker OVER the stickers that they had already placed on the cover....
FUCKER.

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This morning I saw something about Mercury Retrograde and decided to look up the dates for Mercury Retrograde... We've been in Mercury Retrograde since JULY 8TH.

JULY 8TH, GENTLE READERS.

So practically this entire month, that I've been mentally struggling and feeling like I'm on the show, Punk'd, we've been suffering from Mercury Retrograde.

Now look.  I don't wholeheartedly believe in astrology.  In fact, I put about as much stock in astrology as I do in believe that weird shit happens when it's about to be a full moon.  I don't read my horoscope every day and generally, I don't look up astrology related things until something piques my interest or a LOT of weird shit has been going down.  But I can acknowledge that, sometimes, weird shit happens around the time of a full moon/moon related events and I can acknowledge that Mercury Retrograde generally fucks my life up. 

So for me to realize, after the fact, that it's been Mercury Retrograde for almost the entire time that I've been reallllllly struggling?  Yeah, I'll put some stock into that.  Not just because I need something to blame, but because maybe there really is something to it, even if I'm not sure the logic and science behind it... because there is logic and science behind it, even if it's not acknowledged.  We just "believe" in the "old wives' tales" that full moons cause craziness because we always have.

I am so angry and so relieved at the same time.

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I averaged my Chem grade and the only way I could raise my 88.6 to a B was by making higher than a 95 on the final exam.  The lowest grade I could make on the final exam and keep my B was a 50.  Sooooo, rather than stress myself out, I accepted that I'll be getting a B in chem and did minimal studying before the exam, knowing that I wouldn't be getting a higher score than a 95, but knowing that I have done well enough in the class to score better than a 50 on the final exam.

#PickingMyBattles

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This weekend includes:
-Tattoo time
-Zip lining
-Mountains
-And these babies:

ZWEI - Money Shit

-Old Navy credit card bill.  Oops, forgot I hadn't paid it off from when I bought the shorts.
-Zip line tickets.  #NOTSORRY
-Halls Chophouse/Kaminsky's
-Bojangles x2.  I'm vowing to do better.
-Water bill
-Power bill
-$66 5.8qt air fryer... now I need to get that Instant Pot out of my house.
-Brownie sundae I had to properly assemble as an end of semester/chemistry #TreatYoSelf
-Victoria's Secret sent me a $15 coupon for my "half-birthday" anddd they happened to have my style of bra on sale for $20, even though I didn't love the colors.  So I bought enough to get free shipping and when they arrive, I'll prob take my least faves back.  #Priorities

DREI - From My Phone Shit

Duolingo is creepy in how much it know about my life.
Or in this case, Teh German's life.

This bush had the potential to get UGEEEE (like it's sibling in front of the house)...
But, I just don't think it can handle all the water that it gets from the HVAC drippage.
It had flowers and a robust future when I relocated it.
Now it's just puny.  We'll see what happens with it.
But I don't have high hopes of it's survival.

Dem Beets.

And when the beet drops too hard.. and splashes..
and you get beet juice on your light colored shirt.
Dwight never warned me about beet juice or taught me how to deal with beet stains.

  

PMS snuggles with Doodlebug.
I'm glad my rolls provide her with a snoot tray.

Playtime with this Goof brings me so much joy.
Not just because it wears him out and he doesn't pester me, but also because he's just silly.

Pool time on Thursday evening for some bestie time with Teh PT Wife before we headed out of town.
I lived dangerously and didn't even apply any sunscreen except to my tattoos.

VIER - From the Internet Shit

In fact, I sighed heavily before I even got through this entire meme.

1993-1997 Camrys.

Or when a student asks a question that the teacher JUST FUCKING ANSWERED.

No your.. just kids in general.

The shadows that gathered around her could not hinder the light running wild within.
MHN

I cannot tell you the journey will be easy,
but I can tell you it will be worth it to keep going.
MHN

FÜNF - Things that made me happy this week

1. Ice cream in the fridge at work.
2. Clearing my move reminder by walking to the kitchen to fetch said ice cream.
3. NO MO CHEMISTRY!  
4. Even better, NO MO GENERAL EDUCATION CLASSES!!!!
5. Getting to see my laptop.
6. 1 more month through hurricane season means the cold weather comes sooner.
7. Voting on the Carolina Hurricanes new beer name.  Even if the options were all stupid and not specific to the Canes.
8. $60 a year gym memberships that mean no money guilt over not going to the gym.
9. Dogs at the office.  It's like work therapy dogs.  
10. Getting to do tech writer things this week.

Happy Friday, Gentle Readers.