I hit a stressful part of the day and burned out early today. I am completely wiped. Robin had tumbling tonight and she was the only one in the class, so she got a little private coaching. She did some back tucks, which she adamantly did not want to do a month ago, and finished the class excited about it. I went for a run this morning. Rebuilding fitness is tedious and boring, but I’m still glad to be doing it. I wasn’t glad about it at 6:45am, though.
Author: peanut7312
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April 28
Nothing too notable happened today. I cooked dinner but forgot to make the rice to go with it. Robin found the ring she lost at school yesterday. Christina told me why brains are pink (thank you, blood). I asked ChatGPT to help save my peace lily and it diagnosed it with root rot. Robin’s phone woke me up 15 minutes before my alarm this morning. It didn’t rain. Again.
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April 27
Today I learned that lemons are a man-made fruit that does not come from a naturally-growing plant. I told Christina she was full of shit when she told me that, but Google says it’s true, so I guess it’s true. I also got the rest of my gear for the patio project. I hope these gloves work out better than the ones I’ve been using. I’m itching to try them out. Also today: Pinot got a haircut and half his ears were chopped away due to matting. He looks like a doofus. I went for a run this morning, which has not been as consistent an occurrence as it really should be. Having to crawl back to my old fitness level is boring, demoralizing, and frustrating. With no upcoming races, I have nothing to work towards, which makes running feel pointless. I’m going to need to find a way to make it interesting. All in all, though, not a bad day.
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April 26
Today’s work went faster than yesterday’s. I got into a rhythm with the roots and got twice as much done today as yesterday in the same amount of time. I think two more weekends of digging and I’ll be ready to lay the gravel. And then the part I’m most scared about… compacting. ChatGPT insists I can operate a compactor. Billy says I’m crazy to even try. I’m not there yet, but I’m going to need some kind of plan. Once I finished up this morning, I picked up Christina from her sleepover (which we dropped her off for two days ago). She had a good time. I spent the rest of the day doing chores… food shopping, laundry. Billy suckered me into baking cookies. Not a bad day, but tomorrow it’s back to the real grind. I haven’t run in a week. I’ve gotten quite inconsistent with my workouts and my eating, and it’s showing on the scale. Baking cookies today didn’t help. I need to find that mojo that I’ve had these last two years. I can’t go back to where I was.
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April 25
Started digging around the patio today. It was very slow going, thanks to the massive number of roots I had to dig around and pull out. Digging is so much easier than moving 10+ tons of building material. I felt like I could have gone longer, but I’m trying to pace myself. It’s exciting to see something starting to take shape, even if it’s just a small start. I can’t wait to get back out tomorrow.
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April 24
Christina is sleeping over at her friend’s house tonight and they live right down the street from Carmine’s Pie House, so we stopped on by. It was a fun night. We talked about Robin and high school and other hijinx. Nice to go out and do something a little different.
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April 23
I decided not to be lazy tonight and cooked a real dinner. It was kind of nice cooking. Robin’s been in a grumpy mood all day. Christina’s been trying to schedule a sleepover with her friend, but coordinating with her dad has been nearly impossible. It’s tough being at the mercy of your parents. I don’t remember how these things happened when I was younger. Magic. Probably still is.
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April 22
I had a really good day today. I solved a big problem at work, and that made me feel pretty good. Robin got into her first choice high school, which apparently she no longer wants to go to, but OH WELL HONEY. She also tried out a tumbling class after gymnastics tonight and really liked it, so looks like we’re switching to tumbling. Everything just seemed to click today. Those days don’t come often, so trying to make the most of it.
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April 21
I’m feeling much better today than yesterday, although my hands and wrists are still very sore from gripping the wheelbarrow. Still, I’m very relieved and grateful that this part of my life seems to be mostly behind me. It’s not really an “If you can survive this, you can survive anything” kind of ordeal, but it was definitely a test of strength. Lord knows I have the willpower. I’m plugging away at work, trying to make the most of an unideal situation and prevent it from happening again. I think I am finally on the right track. I’m such a nerd that I want to work on it on my off hours. I’m enjoying the building process. However, despite everything else, I was beaten by today’s Saturday NYT puzzle. I mean, demolished. I can usually at least make a dent in it, but today it slaughtered me at my every move. I guess some days that’s just how it has to be.
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April 20
Everything hurts. My fingers, wrists, shoulders, back, arms, thighs, feet, toes… When I find a position to lie in that doesn’t result in pain, I don’t dare move. This weekend was the hardest work I have ever done in my life. It’s satisfying that I did it, but damn. I’m wrecked. It hurt to right-click my mouse at work. I slept from 9:15pm-7:15am and still feel exhausted today. No regrets, but I’ll be so thankful when I can hold a pencil without wanting to cry.
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April 19
I moved five tons of paver gravel today all by myself, except for the last half hour when I finally gave up and asked Robin to help. My body is just done. Every muscle hurts and I can barely keep my eyes open. This weekend was so much more work than I expected. I underestimated how much material had to be moved by over 8 tons. The worst part is after all the work I did this weekend, all I have to show for it is the same exact pile of crap that was in my driveway, just somewhere else. I am not going for a run tomorrow. These last two days were the hardest workout of my whole life. I’m tired but proud. The work that’s left isn’t easy, but it’s nowhere near this hard, so whew.
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April 18
Billy, Christina and I moved 5.6 tons of patio materials today. Talk about hard work. We (well, I) have another 3 tons to move tomorrow. Billy has to work, so I’m on my own. I’m pretty exhausted, but motivated to get it done. After this marathon, I can go at my own pace because the patio doesn’t block the driveway like this stuff does. I was insanely hungry today, not surprisingly. I also need to be better about drinking water. I had four liters of water and never had to pee. I’m proud of what we did today. Makes the back pain hurt a little less. Just a little.
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April 17
The patio materials arrived today. Billy doesn’t think I can get it all moved in six hours. I hope he’s wrong, but he probably knows better than I do since it’s literally his job to move freight. I am hoping not to have to work when it gets hot, and I really want the use of our driveway. I’ve got my work cut out for me. I’m excited to get this party started. We’ll see if I feel the same on Sunday.
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April 16
I had to do math today, which is always risky. Somehow every time I work something out mathematically, when I try to recreate it later, I get a totally different answer. I can only hope I’m at least close. Otherwise the day was kind of a blur. I got so engrossed in work that everything else kind of blended into the background. We had shrimp tostadas for dinner and that’s always yummy. Robin cleaned the kitchen, and that will make tomorrow morning easier. It’s 9:33 but I’m pretty much ready for bed now.
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April 15
I feel a little better today than the last few days. I have a little hope. I needed some hope. Also Billy, Robin, and I went to the Loop for dinner (Christina had dance). Everyone was in a good mood, so that also improved my mood. Cherry on top was I finally finished this Saturday crossword I’ve been working on for like a week. Sometimes I just need to see things in a different light for them to become clear.
Year in Photos 