Quick update
I mean. I say quick, but let's see what happens.
Work has resolved into as we all predicted: plenty of tasks, but too many hands. There are of course lots of things to do -- picking items ordered through the website, processing those orders, packing them up; receiving text books, shelving them, sorting them. But there are about fourteen of us all doing this and now it's post Christmas there'll be less online orders so yes overall, too many hands. I much prefer online orders, but we'll definitely only be doing text books now. Do not like, mostly because it's a lot of walking with lots of books and I'm physically drained and it's causing my pain to climb. But in fact, no one much likes text books except one person from that department. I've got vacation time to be used however and before January 16th plus we were closed Christmas and another day for weather and we'll be closed New Year's. In short, I will be using my vacation time to work four or three day weeks and avoid text books, ha.
I technically can use my time off until the end of January, but the spring semester is going to start off worse than the fall. The students -- 5000 of them -- who live on campus will be back January 16th, Saturday. The first two weeks of classes will be 100% virtual and students -- including commuters I think -- will be required to quarantine that time period. But of course the bookstore will again remain open to the public and students alike. Further, students won't be allowed to work in our store those first two weeks (but they can come buy books and coffee? yeah I can't make sense of it either) and the bookstore hours will be extended by two hours, Monday to Sunday. We will have a total of 5 people to man the cafe. Just 5 of us. So I'm under pressure to take my vacation time early. But since I'll be working so much those first two weeks I'll be getting overtime and new vacation time so I may take time after the kids are allowed to work to recover.
Now other than work
I cut my hair. I don't like it. I cut it too short, oops. I thought I'd cut it just the right amount, but no. It is super short. Boo. I also cut one side too short so my bangs keep falling out of whatever configuration I put my hair in >:( I had to cut it though. I realized I hadn't gotten my hair cut this year (at least I don't think I had and my hair was definitely the longest it had been in years) and that quite possibly my constantly never ending headache might be caused by the weight. And even though I don't like the length, my headaches have definitely eased off. Woo.
I got my first pet sitting in months. I last visited this dog in May I think. May have been April. I don't know. But between the woman working from home and her refinishing her kitchen, she hasn't needed any pet sitting this year until Christmas. It was great to see the dog and I did like my bonus, but I think I can't do this much more. One of the things that has changed for me this year (and even last year) is that my body's needs to work around my chronic illnesses has resulted in me having trouble getting myself together for quick errands out in the morning and my battery gets badly low - ie 5% say - after four. The pet sitting is usually 8 or 9 in the morning for breakfast and then 5 or 6 for dinner. So it's definitely no longer a fit for me :( Much sadness. I may just tell the owner that I need to focus on moving which is actually true. If I don't have much energy in the first place then I do need to focus more on a job that pays out more so I have money to move.
Our holidays were good. I almost didn't have the candles for Hanukah because of how badly the USPS is messed up, but I got the candles three days earlier, woo! And I got potatoes in time for latkes :D Yule was good -- I managed to make a roast in the crock pot that just fell apart. Nom nom. And lastly Christmas which is just a holiday we celebrate more out of habit; I put the tree up because it makes me happy and it's so pretty. But also Christmas pancakes (this year banana chocolate chip buttermilk with real maple syrup) and presents and luncheon (which I made a turkey breast in the oven and it was so so so good). Sibling liked the presents I got them and I got some lovely items too -- a social distancing t shirt, an organizer for my cross stitch thread, a new cross stitch kit, some stim toys, and a plastic lap desk so I can work on my cross stitch on the sofa more easily (previously if I was working on the kits, I had used threads, the pattern, the fabric, the threads everywhere so it was a bit of a chore getting up; now it all sits on the desk nice and easy).
I finished up a cross stitch kit recently so I was really glad I got one for Christmas. I also had a $5 reward at Michael's so with the bonus I got from the pet sitting, I got two more kits (had to be ordered online because my local Michael's doesn't sell them) so I should be good for a bit. I also picked up a smaller crochet hook because I'm finally working with a natural fiber yarn that I may need the smaller size for. The one I have for a purple-green scarf I'm making for my sibling is working out fine for the natural fiber, but not perfectly so I want to try the smaller hook. Lucky that they're less than $2 a piece. But yes I have three projects currently on, ha. I've got about four inches on one of the scarfs and then for mine -- which I'm trying alternating single stitch with double stitch -- I have about an inch started. All in all good progress.
Photos!
Last month's worth of craft progress. I don't know when I started the kit or the scarf, to be honest, but I know I've been working on them for a bit. I did a lot of work on the scarf on the 19th when I was hanging out with sibling at an art show (which sibling didn't do so well) and had nothing else to do and was too distracted to read
And this week's progress, this time with a ruler for sizing.
And Yule.
And lastly if anyone would like a 2021 calendar or some ornaments for next year or some artwork, please check this out: https://ko-fi.com/mikkiarts Sibling made a lot of art and other items for an art show than ended up with only about $100 worth of sales. Most of it can be sold in the next year, but the calendars, not so much. The calendars all have photos taken by sibling and are priced according to labor as well as how much Walgreens charged to print them.
Work has resolved into as we all predicted: plenty of tasks, but too many hands. There are of course lots of things to do -- picking items ordered through the website, processing those orders, packing them up; receiving text books, shelving them, sorting them. But there are about fourteen of us all doing this and now it's post Christmas there'll be less online orders so yes overall, too many hands. I much prefer online orders, but we'll definitely only be doing text books now. Do not like, mostly because it's a lot of walking with lots of books and I'm physically drained and it's causing my pain to climb. But in fact, no one much likes text books except one person from that department. I've got vacation time to be used however and before January 16th plus we were closed Christmas and another day for weather and we'll be closed New Year's. In short, I will be using my vacation time to work four or three day weeks and avoid text books, ha.
I technically can use my time off until the end of January, but the spring semester is going to start off worse than the fall. The students -- 5000 of them -- who live on campus will be back January 16th, Saturday. The first two weeks of classes will be 100% virtual and students -- including commuters I think -- will be required to quarantine that time period. But of course the bookstore will again remain open to the public and students alike. Further, students won't be allowed to work in our store those first two weeks (but they can come buy books and coffee? yeah I can't make sense of it either) and the bookstore hours will be extended by two hours, Monday to Sunday. We will have a total of 5 people to man the cafe. Just 5 of us. So I'm under pressure to take my vacation time early. But since I'll be working so much those first two weeks I'll be getting overtime and new vacation time so I may take time after the kids are allowed to work to recover.
Now other than work
I cut my hair. I don't like it. I cut it too short, oops. I thought I'd cut it just the right amount, but no. It is super short. Boo. I also cut one side too short so my bangs keep falling out of whatever configuration I put my hair in >:( I had to cut it though. I realized I hadn't gotten my hair cut this year (at least I don't think I had and my hair was definitely the longest it had been in years) and that quite possibly my constantly never ending headache might be caused by the weight. And even though I don't like the length, my headaches have definitely eased off. Woo.
I got my first pet sitting in months. I last visited this dog in May I think. May have been April. I don't know. But between the woman working from home and her refinishing her kitchen, she hasn't needed any pet sitting this year until Christmas. It was great to see the dog and I did like my bonus, but I think I can't do this much more. One of the things that has changed for me this year (and even last year) is that my body's needs to work around my chronic illnesses has resulted in me having trouble getting myself together for quick errands out in the morning and my battery gets badly low - ie 5% say - after four. The pet sitting is usually 8 or 9 in the morning for breakfast and then 5 or 6 for dinner. So it's definitely no longer a fit for me :( Much sadness. I may just tell the owner that I need to focus on moving which is actually true. If I don't have much energy in the first place then I do need to focus more on a job that pays out more so I have money to move.
Our holidays were good. I almost didn't have the candles for Hanukah because of how badly the USPS is messed up, but I got the candles three days earlier, woo! And I got potatoes in time for latkes :D Yule was good -- I managed to make a roast in the crock pot that just fell apart. Nom nom. And lastly Christmas which is just a holiday we celebrate more out of habit; I put the tree up because it makes me happy and it's so pretty. But also Christmas pancakes (this year banana chocolate chip buttermilk with real maple syrup) and presents and luncheon (which I made a turkey breast in the oven and it was so so so good). Sibling liked the presents I got them and I got some lovely items too -- a social distancing t shirt, an organizer for my cross stitch thread, a new cross stitch kit, some stim toys, and a plastic lap desk so I can work on my cross stitch on the sofa more easily (previously if I was working on the kits, I had used threads, the pattern, the fabric, the threads everywhere so it was a bit of a chore getting up; now it all sits on the desk nice and easy).
I finished up a cross stitch kit recently so I was really glad I got one for Christmas. I also had a $5 reward at Michael's so with the bonus I got from the pet sitting, I got two more kits (had to be ordered online because my local Michael's doesn't sell them) so I should be good for a bit. I also picked up a smaller crochet hook because I'm finally working with a natural fiber yarn that I may need the smaller size for. The one I have for a purple-green scarf I'm making for my sibling is working out fine for the natural fiber, but not perfectly so I want to try the smaller hook. Lucky that they're less than $2 a piece. But yes I have three projects currently on, ha. I've got about four inches on one of the scarfs and then for mine -- which I'm trying alternating single stitch with double stitch -- I have about an inch started. All in all good progress.
Photos!
Last month's worth of craft progress. I don't know when I started the kit or the scarf, to be honest, but I know I've been working on them for a bit. I did a lot of work on the scarf on the 19th when I was hanging out with sibling at an art show (which sibling didn't do so well) and had nothing else to do and was too distracted to read
And this week's progress, this time with a ruler for sizing.
And Yule.
And lastly if anyone would like a 2021 calendar or some ornaments for next year or some artwork, please check this out: https://ko-fi.com/mikkiarts Sibling made a lot of art and other items for an art show than ended up with only about $100 worth of sales. Most of it can be sold in the next year, but the calendars, not so much. The calendars all have photos taken by sibling and are priced according to labor as well as how much Walgreens charged to print them.