life doesn't discriminate

Well, we're a half a year into COVID and life has gotten pretty odd for the majority of us, I think. I know for me that switching to a one-day-a-week shopping day has been draining if only because I don't often have the energy levels needed for all the errands. I have started going out here and there just to hit the Dollar Tree or Rite Aid.

I have, unfortunately, come to the realization that my body is beginning to fail me. While I look perfectly healthy, this year has brought me a worsening of my gastroparesis and several new diagnoses and doctors. At the suggestion of several of my treating professionals, Hannah is being trained for service work including mobility. I've been requested to stop working as well because of the physical tax it is taking on me, but stubborn as I am, I am not ready to admit defeat.

Despite needing more time off this year to figure out my health, I did ultimately leave the vet clinic I was at. After 12 years, I knew I needed a change and was offered a position at a clinic 7 minutes from my home. I started there 17 September and so far am glad I made the change: it's a smaller clinic that has a relaxed atmosphere and a kind staff. I already needed a day off for an appointment in NYC and they were very professional and had no issues with it. I'm exceedingly grateful for it.

All that said, I haven't done as much writing as I'd hoped the extra time would allow. Due to the anxiety and depression wrought by 2020, I have mostly spent my days working on training with Hannah, watching Disney+, and playing Animal Crossing New Horizons. It's hard to admit that, honestly, as I've always turned to reading and writing when times were bad, but all the mental issues have manifested in my ADHD, making anything more than a few sentences at a time difficult. (TBH, this post may be the longest thing I've written in a continuous stretch in a while!) Hopefully that will begin to change. *fingers crossed* I have returned to the SW fic I began in January and while I don't normally post WIPs, I think it'll help me to finish the story.

I never make new years resolutions, because, honestly, I am so not good at keeping them. But I do believe in lifestyle changes so I have decided to start doing 1 small thing each month. This month was making the bed every morning, a stupidly simple and mundane thing, but something I have not reliably done in years. It's so far helped to get me out of bed and stay out of bed on work mornings, which means I have had time to pack lunch and make coffee instead of spending 15-20$ a day on the two.

It's also made it more comfortable to write since I can sit back and not fall asleep, LOL!

Next month, I will start using a planner to organize bills, payday, and other dates. Again, something simple and mundane that I haven't done in years and I know will help to get my life back under control. I also plan to use it to keep track of how much I write each day.

And in March, I'm hoping to be up to a post a week minimum and a weekly word count of 2500. Hopefully by then, I'll also have the new chromebook which should make that a very attainable goal.

Having been away for a while, I decided to clean up things starting last night. So updated the side bar for fandoms/pairings on LJ, cleaned out my inboxes on DW & LJ, and did some minor tweaks to titles & profile, but I plan to drag out my slow AF laptop today and do a few small graphics to replace the images I lost in broken photobucket links. Also, the DW layout is killing me and must be updated.

Stayed up late doing some of that plus working a SW fix-it H/C featuring Poe Dameron (because he hurts so pretty, as the AO3 tag goes). The Lily/James/Severus fic I've been slowly working on is on the back burner for the moment as it gets a bit angsty re: Halloween 1981 and I'm enjoying the thought of a bruised up Poe far more at the moment. I'm also gonna go stealth mode on comment_fic to hunt for some prompts to work with for SGA, because I feel like I dropped Raising Sons without ever really finishing it.

Edit: I forgot how much I hate editing CSS.

How's everyone been doing?

Filmed my last task for my pathology class today. I'm hoping it's passable; I'll be spending the weekend getting the editing done and the jump drive ready to mail to my prof. Fingers crossed, I'll get out of this class with a passing video and my sanity intact.

My goddaughter's birthday party was last weekend, but her 1st birthday is Saturday. Not sure what I'll wind up doing, but I imagine when I start to lose my grip on reality, I'll head over there with a small gift.

I've felt some vague desire to write the last few days. Not SGA, but NCIS: someone going over to Gibbs' house, finding the door locked and peering through a window to see a new TV secured to the wall with an array of kids' toys on the floor. New couch, baby gates, etc. I think my brain has latched onto all the 'Gibbs raises Tony' stories and turned it into a more... canon compliant Gibbs/Tony + Tali. Then I pull out a scrap of paper while I do the records scanning at work (scanner is in the kennel and out of sight of my coworkers) and my brain goes, "Erm, maybe later." Frustrating, that, but it might come spilling out once the stress of the semester is over.

As for fic, I've had the attention span of a pez candy this week and haven't read much, let alone written. We'll see what Saturday brings, but I have gotten back to commenting on the fic prompt comms I follow. I try to remember to check the LJ app before morning appointments; I'm going to have to remember to charge up the Kindle so I can have it for my lunch break. (Which... anyone have some book recs? I've been re-reading Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter when I can get myself to focus.)

Chester... I'm still feeling sad when I think about him, still not interested in listening to anything but Linkin Park on repeat. That, too, has been why I'm having trouble getting focused. But I know, as with the time after my brother passed, it ebbs.

( Political related stuff. )

( And then there's this app I found. )

I did 2 fills today on comment_fic. One HP (Harry/Hermione/Draco), one SG Multiverse (Deaged AU). I've got a few more prompts I'd like to get something written for this week, plus some additional work on the 007 AU. I still need to look at the romancingmcshep prompts for something additional to work on (also back up in case the AU does to me what Catalyst did to me last year and turns into a monster that I barely finished on time).

I've slowed down posting prompts a bit, which I blame on how tired I was last week from work. I intend to get back in the habit this week since things look like they'll be a bit better: one of our vets is on a month-long vacation to Australia & New Zealand and there's only so much covering the other two vets can do, so like as not, we'll have the opportunity to take days off/leave early. It'll give me time for the comm and for homework which I definitely will need this semester.

Follow up on cats: strawberry mint tea when sapped out of a rug onto a towel with white stripes looks like cat pee and smells just enough like it to question your sanity. Both of my terrors (boy & girl) are fine, thankfully, despite having a mama who can be tricked by tea.