Ten Things in These Foolish Things

1. Martini, my sweet baby dog, is lying on the blankie behind me with the most rumbly tummy. I can hear it from across the room. Poor thing. I can tell she doesn’t feel good. I don’t know what she could have possibly eaten that wrecked her tummy so badly because I’ve been with her 24/7 for the last several days. I didn’t see her pick up anything weird. I hope she’s ok. Sensitive belly!!

2. This morning I got a message from my former counterpart at The Cutie Pie Company asking me if we could meet and talk sometime soon. She said she’d been away in Europe last week on vacation and while she was gone, apparently Chief Cutie used her team as a punching bag (surprise, surprise). She said that she’s going to have to quit and just wanted to commiserate, I think. She isn’t able to meet with me until after Labor Day, but we’ll be meeting the Friday after the holiday. I then messaged her this evening, telling her that we don’t have to wait that long - she can call me anytime and she thanked me and told me that today was really bad…that one of her PMs was on the verge of crying and that she wouldn’t be surprised if that person quit tomorrow. It made me sad to read, but it also made me doubly glad that I don’t have to go into that toxic environment anymore.

3. Still, I spend all day every day (business hours) trying to network. It’s slow, slow, sloooow going, but I may just be able to squeak out some consulting gigs out of all of this. Anybody work as a consultant? How has it worked out for you? I don’t really want to make consulting a full time job, but at least it might get me a few extra bucks and some new leads. Three different organizations have asked me if I want to consult over the last week.

4. I now owe you guys THREE RADs

5. Two people I’ve never met but I feel like I’ve known personally have died in the last two days. I’m taking those deaths really hard. I wish their families peace and I do hope that heaven is a wonderful place. Please be a wonderful place.

6. I am so freaking lonely here. Sure, I live in a cool city, but it’s nothing if you don’t have places to see with people you love. I shouldn’t complain because I got to see Lovely on Saturday and we brunched in the most gorgeous little place that was surrounded by adorable little boutiques and a fun little ice cream and cookie shop. I wanted to cry when we said goodbye.

7. This is the in-between. I feel like it’s a strange continuation of my Three Cs: Carotid, Covid, Cancer. Maybe it’s the Fourth C. What would that be?? Hmmmm. Oh, of course! CAREER. Here’s the deal. I want this to end as a 5-year phase. All this shit started in 2019. I am writing this down now and the Universe shall listen: I will be DONE with this phase by 2024!! And I will move into the next phase of my life - one that is full of lightness and joy and good things. It is time. And so it shall be.

8. I didn’t even realize that Labor Day Weekend is this weekend. WHAT??!! That’s what happens when you’re not getting PAID to do stuff!

9. I lost my Fitbit. It’s so weird after wearing a Fitbit or other fitness/sleep tracker for the better part of 15 years to not see your step count? Or look at how much you slept the night before? It’s disarming. I’m addicted to my tracker!! The weird thing was, I’d still check the Fitbit app every now and then and it would tell me I had something like 17 steps one day and then 25 steps the next day. I started thinking about it. Hmmm. Is it possible that maybe my Fitbit had fallen off my wrist during my sleep? Like maybe it was tangled in my bedsheets or something? But no…I checked everything up and down. Not in the sheets, not in the duvet. Nothing. And then yesterday it hit me. I started looking at the times when the Fitbit said I was getting steps. It was all during the daytime. And there was one day I drove out to see my mom and dad and on that day my Fitbit said I’d gotten 49 steps. And it even said I’d gotten my heartrate up! That’s IT! It had to be in my car! And sure enough - after checking under the seats and in the space between the doors, I found it in the back seat where I’d thrown some of Martini’s things! The wristband was broken, but there was my Fitbit! Thank goodness. I can live and breathe and sleep again (well, after I get a new band)

10. Speaking of sleep…it’s 8:40 and I’m about to hit the hay. I can always tell I’m depressed because I get into bed around 8:30 and I never want to get up in the morning. Luckily, I have stuff to do in the morning so I’m going to get up early. But. I love my sleep so much and I’m always kind of surprised to wake up every morning. You realize that every time you wake up it’s a gift, right? So I need to remember to take it that way again. I’d almost forgotten.

And this diary is a gift as well. I’d almost forgotten that too.
I love you,
GS