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2024 - Week 41

Arts & Crafts

I made a little holder for my insurance documents out of scrap denim. The plastic one I had was ripped and I was ready for something more environmentally friendly.




It's not my best work, but I think it'll do the trick over plastic junk.

I did some work on the table runner. I took a few rows back because I made a mistake that was causing major tension issues. Later, there was still a mistake, but there's supposed to be a flaw somewhere in every fibre craft project, so I'm not worrying about it.

Car stuff made it impossible to focus on the Fairy Cross-Stitch this week.

Decluttering & Minimalism 

Instead of house decluttering, I had to completely empty my car. It has reached the end of its life with me. On the weekend, I went through everything I took out of it, and decided what will go into the new car. 

Gaming & Streaming 

On Saturday, I playtested the 2nd edition of Starfinder for a friend's birthday. This is a space-themed tabletop RPG that uses the mechanics from Pathfinder. Since a lot of things were the same and the pre-made character I was using had some of the same things my regular character has, it was easy to jump in and have a good time with it. There were some parts that seemed a little buggy, but we had fun. We didn't have our own ship. We decided that if we did, it would be a hotdog ship and it would constantly be in the shop.

Goal Setting & Tracking 

Arts & Crafts: Continue Fairy Cross-Stitch and the table runner. (50%)
Decluttering & Minimalism: Clean one half of my office area. (0%)
Gaming & Streaming: Playtest Starfinder 2e. (100%)
Lifestyle & Sports: Curling and softball. (100%)
Music & Songwriting: Do 3 lessons on Fender Play and 1 in Coursera. (0%)
Reading & Writing: At least one screenplay page. (0%)

Lifestyle & Sports 

I woke up on Monday worried that it was Tuesday because my calves were still upset. But I could opt to play Skip if I need to, so it was silly. Instead, I expected to have my myofunctional (tongue) therapy appointment that I wasn't the best prepared for. I'm just so tired and want to move on from this. As luck would have it, they wanted to move it to Tuesday. That meant having two appointments on Tuesday and curling in the evening.

I wasn't sure how curling would go on Tuesday. I was less excited this week given my upset calves. 

But Tuesday had other things in store for me. 

On the way to my massage appointment, the brakes suddenly gave out on my car. This is one of those times that ADHD is helpful for me because I go into a mode that is rational and decisive. There was a parking lot just ahead and I turned in and guided my car into a spot. Then, I left it there and called my massage therapist's office. The receptionist picked me up. After my appointment, my massage therapist directed me to a garage that was close by. I emailed my boss. After the garage, I walked back to the parking lot and asked if it was OK that my car would be there as I didn't want it getting towed to the wrong place. Then, I walked home and got there just in time for my tongue therapy appointment. And the wait began to hear about my car.

I had time to contemplate my mortality.

I'm so lucky I wasn't going very fast, I wasn't on the highway, and I wasn't somewhere far from home like Saunders. It could have been so much worse. If it had been on the highway during rushhour, I might have died. I'll gladly take the minor annoyance that it caused me for curling. Before that; however, I had a bloody nose. Because why not? I got rained on while walking from Parliament Station to my curling club. Curling went OK, though it felt like I forgot a lot of things that came back to me as the night went on and I got very chilled. A friend drove me home after. But then I was awake for a bit because I wasn't used to being active so late in the day.

On Wednesday, I hit snooze a couple of times. Later, I fixed my window. It wasn't closed properly, so it was letting in cold air and the loudness of the highway. The last thing I needed was more cold air after getting chilled the night before. I felt much better after. Then it was a wait to hear anything about my car. I figured I would call by noon if I hadn't heard from them. When noon came, I decided I would call by 3. Almost $700 later, I had my car back.

BUT

There were serious issues with it. A body/frame issue was causing pressure that was causing a leak in the transmisson. Each of those things separately are very expensive. Way too expensive to bother repairing on a 12-year-old KIA. There were other issues I knew about as well like the rusty areas I had planned to work on. All this meant I had to start the search for a new car. A friend helped me stay as sane as reasonably possible through this.

Thursday was softball. I got a ride from a teammate. We had a very good game. We tied. I caught a foul at home plate and instantly got someone out. This made me feel so much better after the hectic week. Earlier in the day, I also made an appointment to see a car and have mine appraised.

On Friday morning, I emptied and vaccuumed my car. Late Friday afternoon, I went to the dealership that had the used car I was interested in. The test drive went excellent. By 7PM, I had the financing and deal signed for my trade-in and my new-to-me vehicle, a Nissan Versa Note. I also avoided caving into all the BS predatory tactics I endured from the financial manager. Friday then became an evening with no plans and I was looking forward to it. 

First thing Saturday morning, I got my insurance changes in place for picking up my new car on Wednesday. In less than an hour, I had my information updated, the old car removed, and the new car covered. I'm even saving money on this new policy. Among many other idiotic things, the finance manager tried to convince me it was unlikely that the insurance company would answer the phone even if they are open. She was a real piece of work and I don't know how she sleeps at night.

Sunday involved cartoons, cleaning, naps, TV, and crafting.

Movies & Television

As I continue my first watch of Gilmore Girls, I realise Dean (Jared Padalecki) is a terrible boyfriend. He's obsessive and acts like he owns her. If she talks to any other male, he flips out. If she spends time with other friends, he calls or shows up. He doesn't respect her boundaries. He shows up even when she tells him she doesn't want to see him. He's a love-bomber, as evidenced by the whole car thing. He also has nothing in common with her really. Jess may be a bit of a punk, but he would be a much better fit for her. Rory has figured this out, but hasn't figured out how to make the change. Dean doesn't want to move to Boston with Rory and I bet Jess would figure it out if they were together. I know she ultimately ends up at Yale.

Music & Songwriting 

I began the week ordering myself a ticket for the Evanescence concert on October 28th. I didn't get the cheapest ticket, nor did I get a really expensive one. I'll have a decent view in a less packed section and I'm not far from an aisle. The last time I saw them was at Air Canada centre in the early aughts.

I'm glad I did this before the whole week turned into carpocalypse. I'm so excited to see them again after so many years and I'm hoping I can get a band shirt.

Reading & Writing

I made slow progress on The Chatelaine by Kate Heartfield this week. 

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