O’Malley has decided that the space behind my desk is prime real estate. Normally, I wouldn’t care; cats need their mysterious little hideouts. However, to get back there, he uses my UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) as a stepping stool. Not just the UPS. The UPS and all the plugs behind it.
His favorite target? The monitor plug.
So every so often, my screen just goes black because Sir O’Malley needed to pass through. Then I’m getting up and reaching behind my computer, plugging the monitor back in for the fifteenth time, while he looks at me like I’m the inconvenience.
It’s equal parts funny and annoying. Mostly annoying. But also… kind of impressive how consistently he manages to step on the exact one plug that causes the most disruption.
Speaking of UPSs, I think mine needs a new battery. I think I will try to get a new battery for it once I have my new desk up.
I can’t think of much to talk about today, which is ironic because usually I can turn absolutely nothing into at least six paragraphs. Today? Even the rambling feels like it needs coffee.
It’s almost lunchtime, though, and that is the headline event of the day. I am extremely hungry. Not “a light snack would be nice” hungry. More like “if someone waved a sandwich in front of me, I would consider questionable life choices” hungry. So yes, I am very much looking forward to lunch.
Not much is happening today. Just studying and dog supervision. Everest is here, and since it’s nice enough outside, both big dogs are out there living their best lives. It’s warm enough for zoomies but not so warm that they collapse dramatically in protest.
Mimi, on the other hand, remains indoors. She is an elderly queen. She does not “play.” She rests. She supervises. She contemplates. Also, she is approximately the size of a loaf of bread and would absolutely get trampled by the large chaos creatures outside. So she sleeps. All day.
I’ve been studying for almost three hours, which in brain time is approximately twelve. I could definitely use a break. I suppose this is the break, me writing instead of reading or coding or thinking too hard. It counts. It’s productive procrastination.
Tommy has practice tonight, so we’ll probably fend for dinner. I actually kind of like fend-for-yourself nights. It feels mildly rebellious. Like, “Dinner? Structure? No, thank you. We graze like sophisticated woodland creatures.”
I was thinking about playing Final Fantasy XIV tonight. I haven’t logged in for a while, and I’m sure my character is just standing wherever I abandoned them, staring into the middle distance, wondering where I went. It might be nice to wander around a virtual world and hit things with magic after a day of studying.
I also realized I never looked at my planner yesterday. Very unlike me. So I checked it today and, shockingly, I have nothing planned except studying. Thrilling. However, I do have my trackers, which make me feel like I am a very organized scientist conducting an experiment titled: “Will She Get Her Life Together?” The data is ongoing.
I’ve been thinking about starting a commonplace book again. I had one before, but with half my desk life currently living in a tote (the tote of mysterious desk exile), I suspect my old commonplace book is in there somewhere. Probably nestled between paper clips and forgotten sticky notes.
I do have an empty notebook, though, and it’s just sitting there. A fresh notebook has so much potential. A commonplace book feels like the perfect place for all the things that don’t quite belong in a journal: quotes, thoughts, random observations, bits of ideas, maybe even things I’m learning while studying. Although, really, a journal can be a commonplace book if it wants to be.
Maybe that’s today’s tiny exciting thing: the beginning of a new notebook. Even if the rest of the day is just studying, dog wrangling, and waiting for lunch, at least there’s the possibility of a fresh page.
My afternoon was spent studying. I went back and reread the chapter from yesterday because… let’s just say the quiz and I were not aligned in our goals. The quiz wanted excellence. I offered it vibes and partial recall. So here we are.
Rereading it helped. The first time through, I think I understood it in a “yes, yes, these are definitely words” kind of way. The second time, it actually started to stick. I’m determined to remember this stuff, even if I have to read it enough times that the paragraphs start feeling like old friends. Or enemies. We’ll see.
There’s something humbling about not doing well on a quiz, but also something motivating. It’s like my brain saying, “Oh, you thought we were done? That’s cute.” So now I’m reinforcing it. Repetition. Persistence. Mild academic stubbornness.
I’m going to make some tea and relax for a bit. Kel should be home in a few hours, so I’ve got a quiet window of time to decompress. Tea and not looking at any quizzes for at least 30 minutes.
