Monday, January 27, 2014

Feedback Appreciated! Blog 2014 Plans.

Hi everyone!  Just writing a short entry to gather some thoughts on future blogging plans for The Progressive Planner.  Since the deactivation of my Facebook page, this has become my main spot for updating everyone.  However, I feel like I'm focusing far too much on personal updates that relate very little to the overarching tasks at hand.

Of course, I'm not suggesting that Life Update Sundays will be removed entirely.  I'll still be posting them here.  But I definitely need to post more entries relevant to the blog premise.

At this point, I'm mostly just brainstorming ways to bring TPP back to its main topic.  Here are a few ideas I've had:

  1. Creating a separate blog for updates on my fur babies Artemis, Zeus, Hermes and Apollo.
  2. Weigh-In Wednesdays - Where I post my current weight and my progress on my health goals.
  3. Wretched Wednesdays (Miscreant Mondays? Sinner Saturdays?) - Updates, no matter how small, on my personal illustration project, I am the Villain.
  4. Money Mondays (Wealth Wednesdays? Savings Saturdays?) - My tips for saving money, research I've done on investing and retirement for self-employed persons, etc.
  5. Simplify on the Sixteenth (Simplify Saturdays?) - Tips on organizing your home.
  6. A book review day?
  7. THIS IS NOT A BOOK Thursdays?
Again, this is just some light brainstorming.  I'm not sure that I want to be posting every day (or that you guys necessarily want to hear from me every day), but I do want to bring the blog back to its roots.

So I want to hear from you.  What suggestions above do you agree with?  What would you like to read from me?  Do you have any separate suggestions?

Sunday, January 26, 2014

January: Week 3 Check-In

JANUARY 2014 GOALS
Month is currently 84% over.
Overall: 118.8% complete.

CAREER - 95.5% Complete
Caricature practice sessions. – 360/360 minutes – 100% complete.
Caricature test session. – 20/20 celebrities – 100% complete.
Caricature studies. – 30/30 minutes – 100% complete.
Make target income for the month. – 82% complete.
Up number of monthly illustrations. – Done | On Schedule | Not Done
One personal illustration. – Done | Flatted | Lined | Sketched | Not Done
Some notes:  I ended up taking off this week for commissions.  Still on target thanks to caricatures.  Now it's just the last minute catch-up.  I don't expect to actually hit full target income, but I'm sure I'll get relatively close, and that's okay.

FINANCIAL - 91.2% Complete
Research one investment or retirement option for freelancers. – 1/1 – 100% complete.
Make monthly additional payment for Aaron’s student loans. – 100% complete.
Make monthly savings deposit. – 63% complete.
Save for a new dining table. – 87/$87 – 100% complete.
Save for a new camping tent. – 29/$29 – 100% complete.
Maintain budget. – 26/31 Days – 84% complete.
Some notes:  63% of our monthly savings deposit is the best we're going to do this month.  With all the vet runs, we've spent a significant amount of our savings on making sure the pets are healthy and happy.  And I regret nothing there.  Unless I magically catch a caricature gig mid-week or push some major overtime (which I'm actually attempting), this section is pretty much done.

HEALTH - 92% Complete
Lose 5 pounds by eating salad, drinking water and not eating out. – 5/5 pounds – 100% complete.
Attempt dancing doing push ups whenever stressed out for one month. – 26/31 Days – 84% complete.
Thyroid test by the 27th. - Done | Planned | Not Done
Some notes:  So I decided to stop counting 5 pounds as 170-165 and actually count them from my starting weight of 173.6 (I have photo proof, but I'm not ready to share it).  I'm 168.6 as of Thursday, which makes five pounds.  I've been pressuring myself way too hard to hit 165 before the end of the month.  Anything under 168.6 is gravy as far as I'm concerned.

HOME - 200% Complete
Simplify 1/3rd of the Kitchen Cabinets. – 200% complete.
Some notes:  We actually got most of the kitchen complete in one day.  All we have left is on top of the fridge.  Aaron even cleaned out the pantry!

KNOWLEDGE - 84% Complete
Read one book. –240/287 Pages – 84% complete.
Daily mental exercises. – Done | On Schedule | Not Done
Some notes:  Almost there!

PERSONAL - 87.5% Complete
Research each garden plant and create a chart. – 12/14 Plants – 86% complete.
Complete 9 pages of THIS IS NOT A BOOK. – 8/9 Pages – 89% complete.
Some notes:  Had a craft day with Sara and her friend Holly.  I got so much done on my book!

RELATIONSHIP - 200% Complete
One date night. – Done | Planned | Not Done – 200% complete.
Some notes:  With our 4 mile walk and the sheet fort, I'd say we had a pretty spectacular month for dates!

SPIRITUAL - 100% Complete
Meditate twice this month. – 2/2 Times – 100% complete.
Attend one Coffee Coven. – Done | Planned | Not Done – 0% complete.
Volunteer for both T.A.R.A. and ESFOA. – Done | Not Done
Some notes:   Coffee Coven didn't happen because I was severely stressed out from work and health issues.  I truly planned to go, but even Aaron talked me out of it to lower my stress.  I'll attempt it again next week.

---

Check List for January
  1. Put together folder of 200 faces for caricature practice.
  2. Create a summary of research into one investment or retirement option.
  3. Put together Weight Loss Wardrobe Money Jar.
  4. Create a chart for each of the following plants: Basil, bay, mint, sage; cucumber, carrots, green onion, leaf lettuce, tomato, spinach; blueberries, lemon tree; aloe, garlic.

Life Update Sunday (v. 1.26.14)


It's been a very long week full of ups and downs.  Mostly ups, on the bright side, but I'll be glad to have a more normal week next week!

Let's start with the most concerning news and something I spoke about on Thursday (technically early Friday).


This is a new asymmetrical mole that has been coming and going on my stomach since mid-December.  I've been hesitant to tell anyone about it until just recently, and kept it between myself and a few select people last week.  I have seen a doctor about it and they're keeping an eye on it for the next four weeks.  More than likely, I'll never have an official diagnosis and it will be removed with a laser by my dermatologist within the next few months.

Maybe never knowing is for the better.  Skin cancer's pretty easy to treat and anything else isn't going to be detrimental to my health.  My doctor did confirm that she didn't see anything particularly precancerous about it, but that I caught it "extremely early," so it's hard to tell.  I will say that she held my hand as we discussed it and gave me something for my anxiety.  I'm going to be absolutely heartbroken when she retires.  It's worth the struggle with the office staff to see her.

This will be my second cancer scare alongside my autoimmune scleritis which they thought might be MS or a pituitary gland tumor in August through November.  I'm only 25, but it feels like my body's already trying to fall apart on me.

On to better topics.


After the extremely cold temperatures this month and watching Artie struggle to walk on the ground because of them, I resolved to purchase booties for him.  As I previously promised, here's the first time he tried them on:


What I was unable to video, and what I really wish I would have, was his first walk outside with them.  Even though they're obviously some sort of pleather, nothing could have prepared us for the clack sound they make on pavement!  It was all Aaron and I could do to keep it together enough to walk him.  Artie also has a habit of kicking up the ground when he's done going potty.  Despite being snug on his legs, the force of his kicks sent one flying up towards a second story window only to bounce off and hit the ground.  The second one hit Aaron smack in the middle of his face.  I collected them and we walked him back to our apartment door, but poor Artie felt so uncoordinated from having the booties just on his front paws that he fell up the stairs and face-planted into the doorway.

He's completely fine, but I told Aaron that the half-hour Artie wore his booties was well worth the $14 I paid for them.  If he never wears them again, I'm still satisfied.


Artie and Zeus have both had health issues this week.  Artie's bout of stomach issues came back on Wednesday and I vetted him.  He got a shot and some pills to help quell his tummy.  Hopefully that clears things up.

Zeus has also had an interesting issue.  Today we woke up to find he had a loose lower canine.  It must have happened sometime in the morning since he was fine late last night.  I actually originally thought he had a piece of lint or paper attached to his mouth and was terrified to find out it was a loose tooth just barely hanging on!  I pulled it out in whole and he seems to be feeling much better.  We typically reserve wet food for special occasions since their dry is special formula, but I fed him some wet food this morning assuming he hadn't eaten all morning because of his tooth.  And, just now, I watched him eat dry kibble.  He's purring, playing and seems normal.  I'm mostly just concerned about infection, so I'll probably call our vet tomorrow to ask.  He's currently still on his UTI antibiotic, so I wonder if that would cover infection or if I'll need some sort of topical.


I think he lost it due to some sort of trauma since his teeth are very white and his gums look pink and fresh.  He'd just been in to see the vet recently as well and they took a look at his teeth, so I'm strongly doubting periodontal disease.

Can't win for losing with the pets' health problems, can we?



Other than that, the pets have been fine.  Zeus and Apollo are reconnecting, Artie has been happy and Hermes has been his regular Asscat self.



On Thursday, I went over to Sara's to craft with her and her friend Holly.  I brought my THIS IS NOT A BOOK along.

This is not a book.

This is (also) not a book.

THIS IS NOT A BOOK is something I gained by losing weight last year.  My goal this year is to complete it by doing 9 prompts a month.  Here's some of my handy work:




This is a Thought Garden.



This is an ANNOYANCE.

This is a Nature Emulator.

It was a great evening and I stayed entirely way too late considering I had a doctor's appointment in the morning, but it was incredibly fun!

Also, yesterday, Aaron and I did what we originally decided was our "official" date night: a blanket fort!


About five seconds after we got it set up, Apollo knocked it down.  Maybe ten minutes after we got it put back together, I clumsily knocked it down.  That's when we decided we needed to go a little further.

Our solution?




We rigged our blanket fort to last by tying it to every surface imaginable, including tables, the sliding glass door and our fireplace.  This apparently made it sturdy as it still stands today!




Aaron and I went out for Burger King (I know, I know, for shame, but a shake and a chicken sandwich just went so well in the fort!).  We even watched a couple movies before falling asleep.


The pets loved it last night and are continuing to enjoy it today.  I'll hate taking it down because we've all enjoyed it so much, but I have to have my front room back at some point!

... Just probably not today. :D

Aaron has a doctor appointment tomorrow.  I finally convinced him to go for a check up and blood work, which I know is a freaking shocker!  First one in over five years.  Yeesh!

And that just about sums up my week.  Let's hope next week is a little less eventful.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Whirlwind Week

I'll update more in my blog entry on Sunday, but it's been a crazy week.  I'm a bit anxious about some things, but am terribly grateful for those who have helped me pass the time while I wait out some news.  Anxiety's a pain.  That being said, please keep me and my wonderful family in your thoughts tomorrow morning, and potentially through next week, as I undergo some trials and tests.

I feel like the universe is trying to prove a point.  Whatever it is, I'm listening.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Life Update Sunday, er Monday, (v. 1.20.14)


Sorry for the delayed update this week!  Things have been hectic, in both a good and bad way, here in our household.

I spent Monday with Sara, as I updated earlier this week.  We're having a craft day on this Thursday if all goes according to plan.  I need to catch up on THIS IS NOT A BOOK, so it gives me the perfect opportunity to do so.

Eventually, I'll start a regular posting of completed entries when I get a spare moment.  Also, to Kasey, the book is a lot of fun now that I've been through about five or so pages.  You definitely need to reserve some time for it (I find about an hour a page is adequate), but it's worth it!



I went walking with Mike on Tuesday night.  We ended up cancelling our Thursday walk and Coffee Coven is taking over our plans for tomorrow night, so it looks like it'll be next Thursday night before we can walk again.  Boy, Thursday's going to be nuts.

Thursday of this previous week, Aaron and I received our Les Mills Combat DVD set in the mail, so we've been working on that.  It's tough.  I have to remind Aaron to modify often or he overworks himself in a hurry.  However, I'm excited to get started on a program that will help me achieve my goals.

Of course, on Tuesday and Thursday, I volunteered with TARA, as I do every week, cleaning out the cats' pods at our local PetCo.  We have four cats left, though Jerry and Cosmo are definitely being adopted.  Jerry just has a small UTI that needs to clear.  UTIs seem to be very prevalent lately, between Artie and Zeus, as well as other stories I've heard.  It's strange!  Nonetheless, they're getting along well.  We added a new Calico to the mix - Holly.  She's gorgeous and loving when she's not trying to make an escape run.  She'll get used to the set-up though soon enough.  Hopefully she'll be adopted not too long after!


On Friday, as I was packing my laptop to visit Charli, I discovered that Hermes, aka Asscat, had chewed through my laptop's charger.  My brand new laptop.  You know, the one I got for Christmas and hadn't even had a moment to use yet?  Yeah, that one.  Ugh.

I discovered it as I followed the cord to the plug in only to see a giant spark and it fall in two.  No wonder he'd been acting strange lately.  I'm kind of surprised we didn't re-enact National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.


The night with Charli and Mel was fun.  I actually learned with them how to play Munchkin.  The last time I'd played, I loathed the game because it seemed so complicated.  It didn't help that the only people playing were people who knew it incredibly well.  Charli and I had never played before, and Mel still needed to remember the rules, so she slowly walked us through it.  Surprisingly, it's a lot of fun!  Definitely not what I remembered from that one experience.  Can't wait to play it again!

Saturday, I volunteered with ESFOA.  We had two dogs from other organizations: Darlene, a gorgeous golden retriever mix (I think), and Auggie, a three-legged Australian Cattle Dog with blue and brown spots in both eyes.  He was absolutely beautiful!  And so mild-mannered.  Someone loved him in his previous life.  Unfortunately, I noticed a few symptoms of a UTI spring up while we were there, including some whimpering when I took him outside to go potty.  On the bright side, I think we caught it very early and it'll be an easy treat with some Clavamox.

ESFOA also received an amazing donation from KU MICU.  I'll let the donor describe it for me:

"My company recently had their annual holiday party.  Most of us are animal lovers, and most of us share a home with a rescue or two, some even have three.  We decided that this year we would collect items for an animal shelter.  Some of us went and bought items, and some of us had extra toys, cleaning supplies and treats at home, that our pets no longer needed or had way too much of. Today I was  at Petsmart in Liberty.  While waiting in line to check my dog in at Banfield, for her comprehensive exam, I watched your volunteers interact with not only the animals, but every person who walked by them.  It was then that I knew that the items I had in my car ( from my procrastination to contact a shelter), had found a new home.  When I approached the ladies about bringing in this bag of goodies, their gratitude, and shock shined.  Although it was not much, it was as if I had just donated a million bucks."
It's things like this that make me love volunteering.  Well, that and Auggie's lovable smile.  And Darlene's deep love of belly rubs.  Every animal I meet makes me love my volunteer work.


He did this all on his own - and got stuck.

Sunday, Artie woke me around 6 in the morning by licking my arm and smacking his lips together.  I thought he might be thirsty, since we've had to keep the door shut to the bedroom because of Zeus's UTI.  I got up, let him out and he paced in front of the door.  Usually we keep Artie to a strict schedule as far as his potty runs go, but if he's pacing like that, I'm more than happy to walk him.  I turned to get my coat and I was already too late - he was going on the carpet.  This is not typical Artie behavior, and it was punctuated by the fact that he was excreting smoothie-consistency dog food.  Poor guy.  I cleaned it up, walked him and went back to bed.

We then woke up to another incident at 11:30 am.  This is when I took away his food for a short time and we started checking him for dehydration and fever.  By 4 pm, we had to keep him in the bathroom since we didn't want to ruin our carpet.  At this point, we'd also had one vomit issue, and a bit of gagging/coughing.  However, otherwise, he seemed happy and excitable.

In 2011, he had an allergic reaction to medication which produced similar results.  When that happened, he was shaking, lethargic and didn't want anything, not even water.  This wasn't quite the same.  He was still playful, excitable and happy - he just had other things happening.  Aaron and I ran through a list of suspects for causes and settled on some cooked lamb fat he'd received the previous day as long as things didn't get worse.

Between all of this on Saturday and Sunday, I had caricature gigs, which means I was running in and out all the time.  It made it so much harder to leave on Sunday afternoon and again on Sunday evening with Artie's issues.  However, when I came back home late Sunday (technically early today), he hadn't had another incident.  And this morning, when we woke up, he was hungry.  We'd given him some low-sodium chicken broth the previous day to help with any dehydration he might be experiencing, but held off till this morning to give him dry kibble.  So far, he's held that down just fine.  We've even walked him a few times and nothing out of the ordinary has happened.  I figure I'll feed him again this evening and, if he can hold that down, then we're in the clear.  Hopefully it really was that the lamb fat was just too rich for him and not something else.

This is why I don't give my dog table scraps.  He's allergic or intolerant to practically everything.  Aaron and I might give him a bit of cooked protein or meat fat at the end of a meal, but that's the most he gets.  And he'll certainly never be getting lamb again.  Poor guy.

This is pretty much why I didn't update yesterday.  I was so busy and so concerned for Artie that it completely slipped my mind.


Other than that, things have been going well.  I believe Zeus is over his UTI, but he's still got another week of medication and I'm determined to keep him on it.  Apollo has also been doing fine after his surgery last week.  He's a crazy little guy, but we love him.

I think that about sums up my week.  I hope everyone's doing well out there!  Feel free to drop me a line and update me on how you are and what's going on!

Thursday, January 16, 2014

More Frozen Songs

Because they just relate so well.
I want to stick Anna's hairstyle on Elsa and it'll just, you know, be me.

January: Week 2 Check-In

JANUARY 2014 GOALS
Month is currently 52% over.
Overall: 72.6% complete.

CAREER - 54.5% Complete
Caricature practice sessions. – 150/360 minutes – 42% complete.
Caricature test session. – 20/20 celebrities – 100% complete.
Caricature studies. – 10/30 minutes – 33% complete.
Make target income for the month. – 43% complete.
Up number of monthly illustrations. – Done | On Schedule | Not Done
One personal illustration. – Done | Shaded | Lined | Sketched | Not Done
Some notes:  It may seem like I'm slightly behind on target income, but I'm right on queue according to my personal weekly calendar.  My month is bottom-heavy with gigs, which is what is causing the less-than-50% on the target income.

FINANCIAL - 45.5% Complete
Research one investment or retirement option for freelancers. – 1/1 – 100% complete.
Make monthly additional payment for Aaron’s student loans. – 100% complete.
Make monthly savings deposit. – 21% complete.
Save for a new dining table. – 0/$87 – 0% complete.
Save for a new camping tent. – 0/$29 – 0% complete.
Maintain budget. – 16/31 Days – 52% complete.
Some notes:  We went ahead and threw money at the loan we're trying to pay off first, which means we'll seem slightly behind here until Aaron's next paycheck, but we're actually right on time.

HEALTH - 34% Complete
Lose 5 pounds by eating salad, drinking water and not eating out. – .8/5 pounds – 16% complete.
Attempt dancing doing push ups whenever stressed out for one month. – 16/31 Days – 52% complete.
Thyroid test by the 27th. - Done | Planned | Not Done
Some notes:  I'm unable to weigh in this week for... reasons.  But I will be checking in next week, for sure.  Also, because the dancing thing just wasn't working out, I decided to change it up a bit.  When I get frustrated, I get a strange tingling sensation down my arms.  I'm going to put that to use by doing some push ups starting today and see how that works out.

HOME - 200% Complete
Simplify 1/3rd of the Kitchen Cabinets. – 200% complete.
Some notes:  We actually got most of the kitchen complete in one day.  All we have left is on top of the fridge.  Aaron even cleaned out the pantry!

KNOWLEDGE - 42% Complete
Read one book. –120/287 Pages – 42% complete.
Daily mental exercises. – Done | On Schedule | Not Done
Some notes:  I'm not nearly getting enough done here.  Been sacrificing it for work.  Gotta stop doing that.

PERSONAL - 54.5% Complete
Research each garden plant and create a chart. – 9/14 Plants – 65% complete.
Complete 9 pages of THIS IS NOT A BOOK. – 4/9 Pages – 44% complete.
Some notes:  After doing some research, I think I'm going to lower the number of plants I want to attempt this year.  Holy crap, some of them take a lot of work!  Like carrots?  You have to water them twice a day every day, ensure the stems don't fall or they won't take root and cover up roots when exposed.  It'd be a twice-daily chore.  I want to try them, but I'm not sure I'm going to.

RELATIONSHIP - 100% Complete
One date night. – Done | Planned | Not Done – 100% complete.
Some notes:  Aaron and I explored a local walkway which turned out to be about a four mile walk.  It was incredibly fun, if not a bit cold.  Aaron swears this isn't our date night though.  We'd originally intended to build a sheet fort, but with Zeus's UTI recurrence, I was concerned about leaving anything he might want to pee on in a public space.  We've been having to close him out of the bedroom as it is.

SPIRITUAL - 50% Complete
Meditate twice this month. – 1/2 Times – 50% complete.
Attend one Coffee Coven. – Done | Planned | Not Done – 50% complete.
Volunteer for both T.A.R.A. and ESFOA. – Done | Not Done
Some notes:   I volunteer for TARA every Tuesday and Thursday.  I signed up for a second shift for ESFOA on Saturday's adoption event, so that'll be done soon as well.  Coffee Coven is next Tuesday.  I'm going to try to force myself to go.  Get over the nerves, Marietta! Just do it.

---

Check List for January
  1. Put together folder of 200 faces for caricature practice. - Started but not completed.
  2. Create a summary of research into one investment or retirement option.
  3. Put together Weight Loss Wardrobe Money Jar.
  4. Create a chart for each of the following plants: Basil, bay, mint, sage; cucumber, carrots, green onion, leaf lettuce, tomato, spinach, (potatoes?); blueberries, lemon tree; aloe, garlic.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Sushi and a Movie


Today was an excellent day.  Sushi and a movie with one of my closest long-time friends, Sara.

I also successfully figured out my curling wand and ended up with some amazing pictures.



Sunday, January 12, 2014

Life Update Sunday (v. 1.12.14)



So you remember how, in my last LUS, we had six-ish inches of snow and ice?  Today was 61F.  In about a week, we've had a 90 degree difference between our highest temperature and our lowest.  Climate change is real, folks.

On the bright side, because it's so gorgeous out, I actually did make it to my Exercise Sundays with my mom.  I've come to understand that I really dislike exercising on machines.  It feels bulky and unnatural.  I'd rather walk on foot than in an elliptical.  Maybe next time I can imagine I'm piloting a mech?  Part man, part machine?  Hasta la vista, baby... fat?

Aaron's feeling much better and is fully over the cold he had last week.  On Saturday, I asked to take a walk.  What started as a "Oh, we'll just go a couple blocks around the neighborhood" turned into four miles in slush and mud, including a small round trip in HyVee and discovering a park we didn't even know existed. Kind of exciting, aside from decimating a pair of perfectly good polka dot flats.  Poor flats.  I barely knew ye.

Actually, I knew ye too well.  Good riddance.

I ended up counting said walk as our date night since our original plans were blown.  For about a week, we'd been talking about building a sheet fort.  Yes, a sheet fort.  I may be 25, but I'm five at heart!  Just ignore the crows feet!

Unfortunately, poor Zeus sprung up with another UTI.  While he has one, he really dislikes going in the litter box (aka bladder torture device) but will begrudgingly do so if there's no where else to go.  I found out it had returned by attempting to put on my poor winter coat.  I've had it cleaned since then, but we've had to pick up everything soft on the floor.  Nothing yet, and I don't honestly expect anything more, but we sincerely felt a sheet fort would be too tempting for him.  Next month's date night, for sure.



Lil Bits had his last vet appointment on Tuesday (or should I say No Bits?).  While he handled it very well, Apollo had the usual after-effects of the vaccination boosters.  His little nose was hot and he didn't have an appetite for about 24 hours.




During this time, he cuddled with everyone and everything.  By the next morning, he was begging for food and back to his normal self, which apparently included climbing the screen door about six feet up.  I'm impressed he left no marks on it, but that little monkey's gotta keep his paws on the floor.


When Apollo returned home, Hermes acted like he'd never seen Lil Bits before.  I don't know if he'd picked up other cat scents from the vet office or if the removal of said goods was a huge issue for Hermes (or if that cat's IQ is really about the equivalent of the ponytail palm he so likes to eat), but the dynamics in our house changed for a while.  I caught them cuddling yesterday though, so I think things are back to normal on that front too.



Hermes is keeping up with his usual antics of climbing the shelves.  Last night, I awoke to the sound of him knocking objects off our mantle.  When I came in, he was on top of the second bookshelf.  Cat looked me straight in the eyes and knocked Aaron's diploma to the floor.

He'd make a wonderful pair of gloves.  Or a very small fuzzy scarf.

Honestly, I'm mostly concerned for his safety.  When we lived in the rental house, he sprained his front right paw diving down from a high window.  These shelves are significantly taller.  Never mind the risk that he might knock one down, or knock something valuable off.  Caaaaaaaaat.


Artie has been feeling privileged lately.  Because of Zeus's UTI, the cats have been closed out of the bedroom.  If I left Artie outside of the bedroom, he'd whine and howl all night.  Every time we let him through the door, he prances in like "Hey, hey guys, hey.  I'm special.  I'm awesome.  Mom said so."  He spent much of last night playing with us, much to my distress.  I like sleep, Dog.  Seriously.




That being said, I've definitely heard a few "Hello?" meows from Hermes and Zeus was pawing at the door last night.  It's been hard on everyone.  I miss sleeping with my Tubby Tabby.  He's my cuddlebug, but I just can't chance another comforter being soaked by accident.  It only happened once, but once is more than enough... particularly since he was laying on my back.

I feel I should clarify that accidents in our house are nonexistent.  My pets are incredibly clean and well behaved.  I can't tell you how many times I've been complimented on my housekeeping.  I take great pride in the organization and cleanliness of my home, and feel a need for it to be meticulously spotless since I work in it.  So for Zeus to have an accident means that he has to have something medically going on.  He's only had two.  The first one was the comforter (and me) in December which told me he had his first UTI.  The second was on my coat the other day, which signified the recurrence.  Both times, it was something of mine, meaning that he's trying to tell me that he's hurting.  I'd rather he do that than hold it in until we have a bigger issue, like kidney problems or urethral blockage.  UTIs in male cats can be particularly fatal.  So if I have to go get my coat cleaned to save my cat, I'll do it.



This next week is incredibly busy for me.  Beyond catching up from some mishaps last week, I have a full commission schedule, a couple gigs at the end of the week, and I'm seeing a different friend each day all the way until Sunday.  Seems like leaving Facebook has meant living a real life instead of a virtual one.  I'll take it!

With that, I think that's enough from me.  I have a book to catch up on and that personal illustration sketch that isn't going to line itself.  Look for my check-in sometime Thursday and an update on my personal illustration around Saturday!

I'll leave you from another song cover I've been feeling particularly close to lately.  Enjoy!