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I also found a beard/face care routine that ended what was essentially years of not being able to grow any pronounced facial hair due to rashiness and skin buildup, and it's made my life a ton better. Oh and I lost four pounds on vacation just from swimming! Oh and I have a RTX 3090 that I got below the market cost, which means the glass in Control is Actually Reflective! Most of my plants I planted outside in pots didn't die!
Gosh I have a lot of great stuff going on atm that it's literally hard to write it all.
Anyway this thread idea is Good.
Bliss.
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She was completely bedbound, and for the last three weeks, she essentially wasn't even there. You couldn't have a conversation with her. I fed her, changed her diapers, cleaned her, everything, every single day. She slipped into a coma for four days before passing, and every single task I had to do for her filled me with anxiety because I didn't know if she'd still be there when I went into her room next.
I was holding her hand when she passed.
As a result, a new chapter is starting, and as the grieving period fades (minus the occasional triggers that set me off, but those will ease up), I'm starting to realize the implications of that. We can make plans with friends because we're able to leave our house now. My husband and I went out for dinner together, just the two of us the other night after work, which we haven't gotten to do in a very long time.
Anxiety about medications, care routines, and flurries of hospice nurses and staff coming in and out of my house every day multiple times a day are gone. It's like I've been given a blank slate after four and a half years to put myself first for a change, and do things for me and my future, and I'm very much not used to that.
Things that I couldn't devote the headspace to before because I was preoccupied with more important things now have some room to breathe, and it's empowering.
Which leads us to #2:
I had the most productive week work-wise I'd had all year, and probably some time before that too. Two days I worked for 12 hours, and the rest of the days I worked for 10 with a 20-minute lunch break each day. I killed it. This felt like a massive accomplishment considering the week before, and just realistically speaking knowing how long some of the stuff takes to do. Clients were thrilled, and so was I.
Boss's response was to tell me I need to start working weekends, which when math'd out would put me at making a little over minimum wage for a job I've been working at for five and a half years. Haven't had a raise in the past two years, Christmas bonus was cut 90% the past two years in a row, usually don't take more than 4 days off a year, and have been paid below market demand since the day I got the job. I needed the flexibility it offered to take care of my grandma though, and so I was effectively locked in.
Since it's just my boss and I at the job, tackling issues like the above is super complicated.
While I need my job to pay my bills right now, I'm not locked into it anymore. My boss's actions were the straw that broke the camel's back. I've got all my paperwork filed with the state, and will have my website done in about two weeks. After a combined 8ish years in the industry getting really good at what I do, and essentially running a digital marketing agency on my own for the past 4, I'm going to start my own and work for myself.
My goal is to build up my client roster working nights and weekends until I'm making what I do at my current job (lol, shouldn't be hard) and then transition to working full time for myself. Hopefully by the end of this year.
I'm excited. It feels like a new chapter, and I am so so ready for it after all of the heavy this year brought.
My friend's child took me on a virtual tour of a giant blanket home they made. And it had a 'open air' courtyard. And a trampoline (the small kind for kiddos). With different spots for different seated height needs. And that gave me so much hope for the compassion of the next gen.
And someone is funding some gender affirming stuff for me and even just knowing that that is coming in the mail is a huge relief
In two weeks, I am moving me and the girls into a house we are renting. I am majorly stressing over finances until we get settled, but I did it! Took a year and a half, but this house is SO CUTE. I am in love with it and can not wait to move in. Working out childcare for the new job and house has been challenging, but as of tomorrow, that will be settled too!
I still have so much to do. I still have about 2.5 years of school left to sludge through. I have to appeal for financial aid because my completion rate from not having my shit together is affecting it. BUT, I am working on it. So much possibility for good - and bad coming. Excited, terrified, but excited more.
Experience Gained: 47720 (Special) [total: 2933660]
Needed for LVL: 122.00775356245
So, like, I've had this couple as best friends in my real life, for man, maybe like 8-9 years now. We met at a local gaming store, through Magic the Gathering, and we have been roommates on two separate occasions. I was at their wedding, we were playing D&D when they were pregnant with their twins, etc, etc. Anyways, I've told them over the years about 'that game I play' in Aetolia from time to time, and they're skeptical as everyone else is that you tell about MUDs.
Anyways, randomly for the first time in his life, my friend decided to connect to Aetolia earlier tonight, while I was on voice chat with him, and made a character. He's never played a MUD in his life, and was playing on Nexus, and I was super distracted for 3 hours straight teaching him how to play the game. We eventually got into a funny little RP at Temple of the Gods with Haley, and then Kalena after. He learned how to use says, how to emote, and how to use say to, already. He made a Troll, and of course, decided he wanted Aeryx to 'take him to the closest bridge' and that's where he logged out for the night. Oh man. I hope he sticks with it, but even if he doesn't, he at least had the one time and it was funny and memorable.
I found out I was pregnant in March, but towards the end of the first trimester, we got the news that there may have been some very serious complications. I had to wait a minimum of two months for further testing. I had a lot of trouble coping with the uncertainty and anxiety, and eventually the stress of it all got me to a point where I just couldn't concentrate on the game the way I had always enjoyed playing it before. The later testing ultimately showed there were no issues to worry about, but at that point, I didn't really want to try jumping back in knowing that I would have to dip back out again soon. I haven't ruled out coming back in the future, but for now I can very happily say that I'm too busy with a new baby to think about that anytime soon!
This is Liam!
I am so excited, it is a long dream to have this full family!
My head is thinking in circles from so many feelings! I forget minimum half of all words!
If anyone would like to discuss a drop by on Sat or Sun, let me know. We will stop in Savannah on Saturday and drive back to Charlotte Sunday.