my journal: various subjects, opinionating, CW at times

@mytwistedsoul Can't say I'm surprised! Rats are the most intelligent rodent species going. I had a few pet rats when I was a teenager. Never tickled any of 'em but I did teach my favorite one how to escape from the bathtub by climbing up a long rack leaning against the tub's wall.

@slowdecline48 This is so cool! I never pictured you for having pet rats 😊 Oh man they are unbelievably smart for such small animals! Lol! So cool you taught the one to escape the bathtub 😁 and once they learn something they never forget it. It just a shame they don't live very long 😕

I hear ya. People have been breeding fancy rats for colors for a while now...why don't breeders go for health & lifespan? Those seem like priorities to me.

@slowdecline48 Yes! Exactly! I don't care what color they are but it would be nice to have them around longer

@mytwistedsoul

yours are more interesting xD

@iloveyouxx It was pretty interesting to read about the guinea pigs in Switzerland. You can have just one! 😊 And they make dog owners take a class and have classes for humane fishing. That is pretty awesome 

This is the first I've ever heard of a specific limit on how many guinea pigs someone can own. 😆 ....reminds me of the old law about not keeping a horse in the attic.

@slowdecline48

isn’t it you can’t have only one guinea pig :0 

there was a law like that☠️xD? that’s so random, I was just reading about a bunch of unusual pet laws xD

Yes, I stand corrected! So in the land of blondes, gourmet chocolate & Edelweiss, you must own two guinea pigs not just one. I can see why...it should probably apply to pet rats, too. They're also social animals. Just make sure they're both the same gender...otherwise, your two pets will not stay as just two. (Dunno about guinea pigs, but rats can mate in under four seconds. I learned that firsthand)

@Tinywhisper11 - you might be interested in the above.

@slowdecline48 It's easier to get a horse up stairs than it is down them. Fun Fact 😁

I agree with him.

...s***.

Worked on something for much of the afternoon only for it to not be wholly satisfactory. (Made copies from a library book. Some of the copies didn't turn out well. FedexKinko's doesn't maintain their f***ing xerox machines enough) Then I had a burrito, posted here & eventually got back home...& am still awake. Though I shouldn't be. But I'm most creative at night. Tonight I had to push pens & swing a brush.

Like I said, it's 💩.

The song I was going by until just over two weeks ago, you know already if you've been keeping up with this here journal. I will return to the theme & will still move forward with my land project--now that I have the property, I must do it. No choice now....but, if we're being totally honest. Ever since I turned 30 the real song of my life is...

Nasty Habits

This afternoon I hauled out the old steel workhorse, cleaned & lubed the chain, pumped the tires, the rode to Publix to get my prescriptions. The prices are ungodly now...it's phucking ridiculous. Didn't buy groceries...

...but I did ride there & back. After getting home & situated I checked the time: 9:25 p.m. I did it all in less time than I thought. I didn't hurry back to my apartment, either. On top of that, I finally have some cheese. Three different kinds, too. 😁 Omelettes & scrambles will taste good for the next couple weeks.

@slowdecline48 cheese makes just about everything better doesn't it? But holy *** going to the grocery store is freaking depressing 

You got that right... Publix is kinda expensive, too. It's not as bad as Whole Foods (organic stuff is a price gouge in most cases) but it's not the best choice for budget-minded consumers, either.

So Wednesday & Thursday I worked on the cane project--almost done now--& Friday I rode to Publix & back, in somewhat less time than expected. Probably because I hauled a.s.s when I rode from my apartment to the green overpriced supermarket.

Saturday, I paid for my insanity.

By this Sunday morning, I've dealt with the bill itself but still have interest to pay down. If you're older &/or do physical work often, you'll know exactly what I mean.

Thank you, @VictoriaLove7 ...for the upvotes.

@slowdecline48

The you for sharing your journal, Slow! (｡╹▿╹｡)

@VictoriaLove7 Anytime...feel free to follow. I still don't know what anyone here sees in this journal that's so interesting. If you're the kind of person who reads op-ed columns then yeah, you'll like it here. 😆

- John Rubino

If I believed in a god, I'd have to conclude that one of the ways he punishes people is by making them stay up all night with the runs. 💩💦

(Also if I believed in such a god, I would never worship him. He wouldn't deserve my respect, let alone veneration)

I tried to become a morning person...really I did. Seemed like I had a chance during the parcel search, finding one & the closing of the deal. But with the weather as it is now, well...

(I went to bed early & was awakened by the wind blowing my seat-bucket off the patio. Couldn't get it because the rain was starting. I said "phukit", poured myself the usual glass of water, then had oatmeal & coffee & got to work on processing a few art pieces for my online gallery (in a communal platform))

Guess I'll always be 85+% nocturnal. That's just me. ...it will make all the work on the land that much more difficult. You can't keep the neighbors up at night no matter where you are.

Now I must sleep...

@slowdecline48  Boy that would freak people out if they saw that on the highway 😅 

Sorry the weather's been so lousy for you and a flare up on top of it. I hope you feel better soon

@mytwistedsoul 😂 Yeah. This platform has some interesting GIF options.

@slowdecline48 😂 Some of them are pretty interesting! I forget what I had typed into the search but the results I got were not at all what I was expecting!  👀

Some random verse.

When I composed* the above verse, I was quite sleep-deprived.

Yesterday afternoon I rode to the library to return that DIY book I photocopied pgs from--in pouring rain. Does that sound dumb? Well I had no choice. When did I leave my place?...I don't recall. The sky was still light, if you call gray & overcast "light". 😒

Went to the Dairy Queen nearby to get something to eat & wait for the storm to pass. The 🌧️ lightened up a bit but was still steady...then turned into a downpour right after the onset of night. All I could think was "Jeezus on f***ing toast, man"...*smh* Good thing I know the tied-plastic-bag-over-the-seat trick.

Finally it let up maybe an hour before the DQ was to close...still raining as I rode home, but slowly. (The rain was slow & I was too, until I ran outta patience at around the last quarter-mile)

Now there's slight pain in the front of my shoulders, my neck is bleh & of course my butt feels tender. But I don't mind. Standard cyclist soreness. Pain is fine as long as it's a result of some kind of achievement. If I can keep this up regularly, callouses will grow over my "sit bones"...that would be great. To paraphrase Don Corleone: women & children can afford to be soft. Men cannot.

*if that's a suitable word for how I came up with it... A less polite but more honest term might be "pulled out of my dazed a.s.s".

@slowdecline48 I was just thinking about you lol. Wondering how you were feeling and if the rain had stopped. How are things going at your property - aside from the bad weather and the flare-ups? No pressure to answer though lol

I appreciate the thoughts, Twisty. As for the rest...

...wish I had a boat. Even an aluminum 12-footer with an outboard would do.

Another few days of this nonsense & all the streets will be underwater.

@slowdecline48 Oh man that sucks! Seems like the weather likes to work against us when we have plans doesn't it? Hopefully it stops soon. I know you're kind of working on a timeline especially with your apartment 😕 

I'd like to get out to the land next week, but at that distance transportation is currently an issue. Will probably rent a U-haul pickup or something.

So I left the Arts & Crafts forum weeks ago. No regrets. Tonight something else occurred to me, now that my head isn't hurting as much...

Should I shut down the hobby journal & leave that forum?

I hardly ever post anything in there anymore...rarely go to the forum itself anymore. As soon as the Arts & Crafts forum was put up, it stole the Hobby Zone's thunder. And these days most of my creative work gets posted elsewhere in any case. (No, I will not post a link to it. I keep my life compartmented. It's better for peace of mind)

If I ever post any more art in CupsLand, it seems like this journal would be the best place for it. My stuff in the HZ forum doesn't get much attention now.

What do you think?

@slowdecline48

I think it would be great to keep the one in hobby zone too,  and write here to express anything in your mind. I remember someone awesome said that our mind is not a notepad, so write down anything that make us feel restless or any thought we have

@VictoriaLove7 Thank you for your input.

After staying awake for most of Saturday night into Sunday morning, I slept...woke up briefly, twice. Finally I wake up & need to drain the bladder, much of my head pain was gone, I'm awake...& now it's just after 9:45 in the evening.

🤦🏼‍♂️

This kind of nonsense won't do once I'm on my land. For at least the first year--most likely, two--daylight will be the only light source I have most of the time.

How do I join the day people? I have to, now...out of necessity.

@slowdecline48 Tbh it's hard. Especially when there are days when health issues are acting up. Cause who can plan for those?