Ok - a few updates from "when we last left our heros" realms. Side Gig - we still don't know what happened\what our employee was even accused of at the "big event". We declined to do the Worlds event. We don't know "who" ended up doing that event (and I hope it cost them double or more - which is what we SHOULD have charged, but I digress). Things weren't "smooth" as I understand, but things got done. Our partner asked us to buy him out (which we did) so we're regrouping there. Looking at other things to do and see if we can\want to relaunch what we WERE doing. We have all of the inventory - the buy out was essentially the equiv "cash" we initially put in. He didn't go into "why" he wanted out and we didn't really ask. I have opinions, but no facts - remains to be seen if we ever truly know. OK - on to the Litter Robot saga. I should have pulled the plug and sent it back. My senior kitties were having trouble with the clumping litter so on a whim, I used some of the crystal litter I still had on hand and it works great! You have to use a bit less litter, but having it "sit" for 30 min then run a cycle, it works quite well. So I've now changed back to the Crystal litter for the box that's still there and crossing my fingers they'll start to all use the litter robot - 2 of 3 WILL but I'm beginning to think Mom's cat just won't - so it's a really expensive trash can at the moment. Crossing my fingers maybe they'll all use it because I'd much rather just cycle that to empty every 3-5 days w\o having to do a lot of being\scooping\scraping.  And work has been crazy - but we're making sales which means more $$ so I'll just have to make the most of it (and maybe hire out cleaning the house LOL).

This week did not go at all how I expected it to.   Little One came down with the cold Little Bug had, and it went straight to his lungs.  So, most of the time I had planned for exercising got taken up with snuggles, especially on Monday.   Tuesday morning, as I was pulling out of the apartment parking lot, I got a call on my work phone.  It was from a junk removal company, saying they were on their way to pick up our boxes.  The pick up I'd been trying, for 2 weeks, to get scheduled for Friday or Saturday.  In a continuation of the spectacular communication I'd been receiving on the process, they scheduled the guy to come get the boxes on Tuesday without talking to me at all.  And, like 15 minutes after the guy called me, I got a text from one of the 3 people I had been shuffled between in the process of trying to set this up asking if I would be available that morning for the pickup!  So I turned around and worked from home, so I could be there in case anything needed sorting out.  Luckily the guy was great, and all the boxes we had unpacked are gone, along with the mountains of packing paper,  but some advanced notice would have been nice.  And we had been planning to get more boxes unpacked, so we'd have less to deal with ourselves.  Oh well.  We have more room in the apartment, at least.   We are slowly getting settled in, but there is still a lot of work to do.  And somehow, in all of that, my knee pads disappeared.  Which meant I wasn't able to go to derby practice on Thursday like I had planned. 😭   Sunday we spent some time getting the living room put together.  It's almost all set.  But, it was enough all set that we could sit down at our table and play a board game, which has been one of Husband's goals since we moved it.  Halfway through it, Little One knocked over his water glass, and it exploded on the floor (this was the third drinking vessel broken this week, and the other 2 were sentimental to Husband).  And, while he was vacuuming up the small bits of glass that couldn't get swept up, he also vacuumed up the little crochet project I was working on, and it snapped the yarn.  Cue much tears.  At that point it was clear that *everyone* had reached their limit for dealing with things, so I suggested we pause the game and go watch a movie.   The boys, especially Little One, have been excited about The Wild Robot.  Little One read the book in class a few years ago, and absolutely loved it.  So, movie tickets were purchased, and off we went to get a quick dinner before the movie.  The waiter knocked over one of the cups of water while setting down Husband's food, and spilled it all over Little Bug.  🥴  No, I'm not joking.  *disbelief*  But we finished our food in time to get to the movie before the previews were done.   So, no spoilers, but The Wild Robot is really good.  Like, really really good.  I highly recommend it.  But make sure you bring tissues, especially if you are a parent dealing with some *stuff.*  All 4 of us ended up crying.  Multiple times.   I don't know how this week is going to go.  I keep waffling between needing to be super strict and make myself work out every day no matter what and also eat  super healthy, and just giving up.  Because, on the one hand, clearly I have a lot of stuff going on and am I really going to be able to do anything until we're all moved in?  But on the other, it's not like things are going to slow down, so if I can't do it now I never will.  *sigh*  What I really need to do is figure out a nice middle ground that isn't overwhelming but also gets me progress.  Blergh.

Do what you have to do, sometimes it's not the right thing to go all in on the tracking and only you know what will work best  for you. 

I can't believe I missed the Inktober thread! I'm totally down for this. I did Inktober for part of 2021 and I think that this is my year!

Gorgeous Whisper!!

Monday September 30 Two of Cats, by Phoenica Drum circle was Friday and excellent. The extra drumming paid off and it was a delight sorta hearing the rhythms inside a steady beat, sorta playing with the accent placement in a reel and trying to keep enthusiastic newcomers wrapped into the larger rhythm, even when this big ocean drum starts rolling. Just a treat. Next month is the Samhain circle and there'll be a dumb super along with it. It's maybe one of my favorite things all year.  Was I maybe overstimulated racing through the work day, squeezing in a workout instead of a tattoo session, and then getting to circle a bit late? Possibly. It's still an adjustment moving from ADHD stress of a million things undone and needing to dissociate from the guilt, to an appropriately-medicated experience of wielding executive function all day and having the fatigue of a long day without a million ADHD fuck-around breaks.  Had Kaia Kater stuck in my head for the last week. I'm not complaining per se, but it's a whole thing. You're welcome for the contagion.  Not a great day for brains, so please accept the following tributes in lieu of brain-ing today:      

Ahhhhh I love your festive gourds! Hooray for fall decorations!   Sounds like it was a great weekend. Lovely tie-dye, a good experience at church (how grand that folks sing out a bit more!), and what looks like very tasty chili! Rock on!

Yep, same dish, but mine is made with large-flake oats and cooked a little drier, until pretty much all the liquid is absorbed, so it looks much more textured. Also I always have it with raisins and brown sugar, yum!   Yesterday I also remembered a little bit of pumpkin spice paste that’s been hanging around the back of the fridge since last fall. Still good! I will have to make up another batch soon, though, there’s only one or two coffees’ worth remaining. 

I went out of town for the weekend, so that threw everything off.  I should be able to get it tonight; I will report later.     I'm calling a Mulligan.  Tracking has been really problematic, for all for all of my goals.  I'm going to try to stay in touch here, and do the best I can to stay consistent with things, but I'm not worrying about percentages until next challenge starts up.  There's just too much going on right now, and I need to devise a better system if I'm going to not only consistently do the things, but also consistently report on them.    

Ooh that is the worst.  almost as bad as when they try to jam all the rest of the story into the last chapter of the book.    i have several series i am not starting yet as i need book 2 to come out first