1. How tall would you like to be if you had the chance to choose? Hmm..maybe around 5'8? I do like that my shortness keeps me from bumping my head on low things though lol
2. How often do you change your sheets? I wash them every other week
3. When is it time to repurpose an old towel? When it's stained and/or falling apart
4. Do you need to make a trip to a secondhand store to drop something off? I have books to donate to the bookstore lol
5. What was the last book you borrowed from the library? I borrowed a book on depression from the Behavior Health place last week

I'm glad I'm feeling better and have my appetite back, and went to work every day this week! It was amazing sleeping in my own bed again lol

Greyboy is not doing well..mom took him to the vet maybe a couple months ago to get his shots, and hasn't been the same since. He's not eating regular cat food (just voles he catches outside and sometimes Greenies) and is now very skinny, and he pees in weird places. He might not be too long for this world. :( Unlike Snowy, I definitely wasn't prepared for Greyboy's decline. I hope he's not in any pain..

Billiard Table: Billiards originated as a ground game in which players used sticks to push balls through obstacles formed by cones, posts, and arches. The origins of this game can be traced all the way back to ancient Egypt, and variations were played in one form or another almost continuously until the Middle Ages...
To muffle the sound of the balls hitting the wooden surface, a cloth was thrown over the table. Green, which harked back to billiards' origin as a lawn game, was the preferred color - and it remains so today

( july 17-22 )

I can't believe it's the end of the year already! Somehow every year goes by faster than the previous one. Even with covid raging, I did some cool things..went to Valdez and landed on Shoup Glacier and kayaked at Valdez Glacier Lake, went to Anchorage, hung out with Dana in Yuma, got a hysterectomy, etc. I hope covid lessens in 2022, pandemics are tiring for everyone!

And here are the books I read in 2021! I read 68, which is down from the last couple years, but every year is different..sometimes at my parents' house we play games and then it's too late to read, and taking a month to read London didn't help either haha. It's still a nice amount of books though!

January
A book by an author who shares your zodiac sign (Gemini): Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (Jan. 1-5). (5/5)

A locked-room mystery: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (Jan. 6-18). (5/5)

A book you have seen on someone's bookshelf: The Great Halifax Explosion by John U. Bacon (Jan. 19-26). (4/5)

A book with a black-and-white cover: End of the Earth: Voyaging to Antarctica by Peter Matthiessen (Jan. 27-30) (3/5)

( the rest )

The next challenge looks harder than previous ones, but then it wouldn't be called a challenge. :P I haven't failed yet! (I love the "ace" prompt, woohoo!)

I'm relearning Latin! For a long time I've hated forgetting a lot of it since high school (Latinum amo!!), so I went on Duolingo to learn again! There are only like 22 lessons (mom is learning Spanish on Duolingo, and there are TONS of lessons), but a good start to begin with. I've definitely gotten better over this long holiday break haha

Greyboy is so funny..he gets so concerned when you take a shower. He'll jump up on the tub and yowl at you, like "you're in water?! Are you ok??" It's amusing, but sweet too lol

31. What are you looking forward to in the next year? Not sure, I don't really have anything planned yet..hopefully going to cool places and reading more books and stuff haha. I wonder if there are more 365 day challenges out there..they are addictive :P

I am home! Yesterday, before we left the B&B, I left little notes around for the next person to find..like I put "I can see clearly now the dust is gone" by the window, "brrr, it's cold in here!" in the freezer, "best bed ever!!" in my room, and there was this decoration thing with a lid and I put the note in it with a date on it, so whoever finds it knows how long it's been in there..it was really fun haha. Since it was dark on the drive into Yuma, we saw what we had missed before, a little canyon while crossing over the mountains..cool! We stayed at a tiny B&B in Phoenix near the airport..the fold-out bed was one of the most uncomfortable beds I'd ever slept in, but at least it was only for one night. We had dinner in downtown Phoenix and then wandered around for awhile..it seemed to have a vibrant nightlife! Then all too soon is was time for bed..it was a fun trip though!

We had to get up at 5 something today, ugh (why am I always cold when I get up that early?). Ryan was grouchy, but not as grouchy as the lady at the ticket counter, who was yelling in her phone about how she could possibly get her two-year-old to wear a mask, and was like "call 911, call security! There's no security on this floor? What's wrong with you guys?? I'm gonna get a lawyer for this!" and on and on. The person checking us in was really uncomfortable, and would look over at her and sigh. I'd be SO embarrassed if I made a scene like that..her poor kid was just standing there, dazed. I don't know what the outcome was, but I imagine it wasn't pretty. The flights were fine..I watched Die Hard with a Vengeance and some of The Last Castle..I kept peeking out the window so I wouldn't miss the glaciers. It was cloudy at first, and my weather magic worked again because it was clear over the glaciers! Too bad I was right next to the wing, but I did get some pics. Always love seeing the glacial wonderland. <3 Both Greyboy and Abby were very happy to see me haha. It's always hard coming back to "reality" after vacation though :P

( some glacier pics! )

15. What is one thing you've realized or discovered lately? That I really, really want a four-poster bed haha..it made me feel secure and cozy!

16. Which family member did you inherit your hair color from? Mom..people say our hair is exactly the same lol

1. Where do you get most of your pandemic-related news? The Internet, like Yahoo
2. How do you feel about your local government’s leadership during this pandemic? It could be better..our governor doesn't want a mask mandate, for some reason..
3. What does your favorite mask look like, and about how many masks have you accumulated? It has cats on it! I have a bunch scattered around my apartment haha..you know you're in a pandemic when you find masks instead of money in your pockets LOL
4. Where have you most often had takeout during this pandemic? Wendy's, Thai restaurants, etc
5. What new interests, skills, or hobbies have you picked up since mid-March? I started doing crossword puzzles again..I like the "hard" ones on USA Today's site the most lol

Yesterday was the first Thanksgiving at the new house! The bread rolls with honey butter were my favorite, yummm. Greyboy celebrated by switching blankets to sleep on..must be hard to be a cat LOL

Well, it's official..I'm getting a hysterectomy on January 8. I'm nervous, but hopefully it'll be worth it. Only one or two periods for the rest of my life, YAY. I'll have to get a covid test a couple days before the surgery, ugh. I already feel guilty about the work I'll miss haha

( nov. 21-27 )

One fun thing about my parents having a lake in their backyard..

..feeding the ducks (proper food, of course)! We've tried feeding them in the morning, but they're not too interested (they're not "morning ducks" LOL), but in the evening, they love it! There were probably around 75-80 of them on Friday night..it's fun lol. I wonder where they go when the lake freezes..

This is the cats' new favorite spot:

Dad came back home on Friday and must have left the blanket there, and of course the cats claimed it for themselves. :P Dad thinks the house is too cold, but I think he likes it otherwise. Now he has pretty painful osteoarthritis in his hands, and mom had to get him a wheelchair for the days when it's too painful for him to walk..he was amused when he saw it haha.."does it drive fast??" I'm glad he can still find the humor in his situation lol

A snowstorm is coming, and my body is feeling it..yayy being sensitive to weather changes is fun :P

( oct. 10-12 )

Today's trivia: Mob boss Vincent Gigante used to wander around New York in his bathrobe to convince the police he was insane and avoid capture

1. Where would you go if someone asked you to go jump in the lake? Somewhere warm, with no snakes and other critters lol
2. Where would you go if someone asked you to take a hike? A trail with lots of geocaches haha
3. Where would you go if someone asked you to take a long walk off a short pier? Redondo Beach
4. Where would you go if someone asked you to go climb a tree? Hmm..I'm sure I could find a suitable tree in the woods around here :P
5. Where would you go if someone asked you to go fly a kite? Somewhere like Broad Pass in the Alaska Range, where it's always windy

Greyboy may not to get to go outside whenever he wants, but he can now sleep on mom's bed (mom wanted a "cat free zone" in the other house lol), which he LOVES, so I think he thinks that it's a fair trade. :P I miss sleeping with him though!

( sept. 19-25 )

On Friday mom and I helped Ryan and Jo move to their apartment at the new house..poor Sid was looking around the empty apartment wondering what was going on. I had been feeling sad all week about my parents having to move from their beautiful house in the woods, but once we pulled up to the new house and I saw the lake unfrozen for the first time, I knew we'd be fine there..it was SO pretty! It definitely makes up for having neighbors everywhere lol

On Saturday morning the hired help arrived, and we spent all morning STUFFING the back of the Uhaul..we all were like "playing Tetris prepared us for this!" haha. I should have taken a picture of how stuffed it was, it was impressive. :P When it was full we drove to the new house and started unloading..we were STARVING, and was very happy when Ryan arrived with pizza for all of us and a vanilla bean frappuccino for me..it was sooo good lol. The help finished first and ran back to work..I wanted to know where they got their energy, I was wiped out lol. It's crazy how much stuff we have! We weren't done after we unloaded though, we had to go back for the beds and the cats. We knew Abby would be fine, but last time Greyboy was in the car he freaked out and peed in his cage, so mom decided to hold him so he wouldn't panic so much (good thing the new house isn't far from the old house). Greyboy meowed the whole way, and mom kept having to say things like "it's ok, it's just a little drive!" Abby's driven in cars for over 10 years, so she was like "what's the big deal??" and finally just started growling at him. We put the cats in the garage at first (that's where their litterbox is too, next to a cat door to the house)..Abby wasted no time exploring, but Greyboy got in his bed and still meowed a little bit..we showed Abby the cat door, and remembered where it was after that..smart kitty hehe. Hopefully they'll enjoy the new house too! We were sooo tired after that, so we went to bed for the first time at the new house! Abby yowled all night (she meowed the first night I brought her home too..maybe she was confused :P) and Greyboy kept wanting to get into mom's closet..poor stressed kitties!

Yesterday I woke up feeling like someone had run over me with the Uhaul truck lol. Mom said we had more helpers, so I could stay home and keep the cats company (Abby was fine with that, she hardly left my side :P). They packed the garage and other various things in the house..I couldn't believe the amount of stuff they came back with, and there were still things left over! (Someone is cleaning the house tomorrow, so we HAD to get everything off the floor.) I guess you collect a lot of things in 13 years. :P Mom took me to my apartment after we unloaded, and went back to the old house for more things..it might take a long time to unpack everything haha. (I hope dad is pleased..he's in California right now.) I was soooo tired when I got home..I probably slept too much, but I didn't want to do anything else :P

I'll post pics of the house when it gets more settled, but here's a pic of the lake I took yesterday!

SO pretty!! It's so cool we own part of it too :D

( aug. 29-31 )

Today's trivia: Gene Autry is the only person to be awarded stars in all five categories on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (film, television, music, radio, and live performance)

1. What did you have too much of this week? Sitting around, I miss work so much :(
2. What did you have not enough of this week? Work lol
3. What did you have in just the right amount or number? Cinnamon toast?
4. What’s better today than it was a week ago? Alaska is not spiking as much in coronavirus cases as predicted: "We initially saw us coming out of the gate pretty fast, but we're starting to see that plateau already now. We're starting to see that curve being able to push now. So we believe that the social distancing and mitigation efforts that have been going on so far are really making a difference," she said. "What Alaskans are doing right now is literally saving lives. We're not far enough into this to let up the gas yet. We really need to hold that curve." Woohoo! I may be sick of self-isolation, but if I'm saving lives by doing it, then it's worth it. I'm glad to see some hope among all this craziness!
5. When they make a movie about last month, what would be a good song for the soundtrack? "It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)" haha

Neither of my parents let the cats sleep with them, so Greyboy is getting VERY spoiled with me here haha..he's so snuggly hehe <3

( april 2-3 )

Aww Greyboy..I love when cats put their leg over their bed hehe..they get into such interesting positions lol (I also love when Greyboy sleeps with me under the covers <3)

( Day 263-264 )

I'm back in Alaska! Check out this awesome sunset before leaving Tampa (sorry for the glare)

SO pretty!! Nature is amazing <3

I hope grandpa isn't too lonely without us lol..he thanked me again for looking at old pics and stuff..I think he appreciated my interest in our family history. :) On the flights I watched The Avengers, The Incredibles 2, most of March of the Penguins, The Shape of Water (interesting, I can't stop thinking about it!) and some of LOTR: Return of the King. The cats were VERY happy to see us lol..Abby slept by my head and Greyboy by my chest..yay cuddly kitties hehe. I bet I have a lot of catching up to do at work :P

( November 29 - What are your top 5 must see movies for 2019? )