Tommy and I spent last weekend deep in study mode, and I can feel it a bit in my brain, like it’s been steadily filled and stirred for hours without much of a break. It was a lot of quizzes after quiz, the kind where you start out sharp and then slowly shift into that point where you’re answering almost on instinct. By the end of the day, I had to switch gears entirely and just read through notes because I couldn’t keep doing questions anymore.

On Saturday, we went over to the local library and studied for about six hours. We took a break for lunch and went to a local burger place nearby. The food was good, but I was a little disappointed that they no longer had cookies. They used to. Now they’ve replaced them with pie, which is fine, I guess… just not what I had in mind in that moment. I wanted something small and familiar, not a whole slice of pie.

Traffic has also been its own challenge lately. There’s construction on the freeway, and it’s really been slowing everything down, so on Sunday we adjusted our plans and left the house early. Tommy had his hockey gear with him, so we built the day around that. We ended up taking a detour into the city and stopped at Costco first to grab a few things. We had lunch there too, but I only managed a slice of pizza, and even that I couldn’t finish, which set me up for a weird afternoon later.

After Costco, we went to a local coffee shop in the city. It’s technically a coffee shop, but it feels more like a diner. We studied there until it was time to head to Tommy’s hockey game, taking another break in the end for dinner. For dinner, we left the diner and had some Mexican food. It was much cheaper than the diner.

By the afternoon, though, I got really hungry. That’s the frustrating part sometimes, I’ll eat something small, feel okay for a bit, and then a few hours later it hits hard. I probably should’ve just had coffee instead of soda at the diner, since coffee tends to keep my appetite down a bit, but the soda was refillable, and it felt like the easier choice in the moment.

Tommy’s been suggesting I mention it to my doctor since this happens fairly often, getting hungry quickly, even when I can’t really eat much at once. It’s something I’m thinking about bringing up, just to understand it a bit better.

I have Everest today; she’s a little ball of energy this morning. Alex took her out for a walk to help her burn some of it off, since we can’t safely let her stay outside on her own in case she escapes. He was planning to take Merlin too, but couldn’t find Merlin’s leash. That’s probably for the best. I don’t think Alex fully realizes how challenging Merlin can be to walk. He can try, though… once we find the leash. Kel might know where it ended up.

Everest and Mimi have been following me around the house while I do chores. Right now I’m running laundry and working through quiz questions. On weekends, or when I’m away from home studying, it’s basically quiz after quiz with no real distractions, just long stretches of focused work. At home, though, it’s a different rhythm. The animals need attention and want to go outside, the kids come into the office with questions, or they ask for a soda I keep under my desk, and there are always a couple of chores that end up needing to be done. It’s a busier kind of studying.

Right now, it’s lunchtime. I’m thinking of having some leftover salmon.

I did a bunch of quizzes on PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) and Encryption. And I read over the notes. Tomorrow I have an audiology test and an ENT appointment. Alex and I will be leaving early with Tommy and Chris. Then Alex and I will be going to my appointments. Then we will probably sit at a Starbucks until it’s time to go pick Tommy up from work. I’m going to bring my laptop and notes so I can study.

Right now, I’m going to fill out my planner and take Everest out.