Mood swings

I feel like a broken record, repeating myself, but I’m still trying to adjust to this retirement thing. I wish I had more energy and I wish I slept better. I’ve been overeating and I think it’s because there’s a time during the day, usually about 4:00pm, when I just feel like I need a boost. So, sugar.

Surprisingly, I didn’t feel that bad Wednesday morning after finishing all the girl scout cookies on Tuesday night. I guess it wasn’t that many – the last 3 Adventurefuls, and about 1/2 … OK maybe 2/3 … of a tube of thin mints. And everyone knows that even though the box says 4 thin mints is a serving there are times when a whole tube, 15 or 16 cookies, is actually the right amount. I mean the day stared OK. Mark and I walked so I got in a good 5 miles. I had a phone call about recruiting short book reviews for the retirement association newsletter, stopped by the Y to figure out membership, and got a haircut. (Which one? haha, all of ’em). I made fried rice for dinner, and we all had a few cookies for dessert. But I wanted a few more after I did the dishes.

The weather going up and down all the time doesn’t help, although today, Friday, International Women’s Day, is a quiet rainy day and I’m hanging out mostly indoors with the cats. Mark and Pia both went to Chicago, separately. Mark to the symphony, and Pia with a friend and the friend’s mom to eat at a restaurant the mom likes and go to resale shops in Lincoln Park (looks like there are quite a few). So I got a day to myself. To hang out with the kittens and putter around the house.

I started with a walk to Colectivo, a little wet. I ran the the dishwasher because I forgot last night.

My goals for the day were sort tax stuff, wash all the sheets & towels and some other laundry, and finish a letter to apply to be an ombuds on campus. I pretty much got everything done by 5:00. I went through the messy heap of papers on my desk and pulled out all the actual tax stuff and downloaded my brokerage statement. That’s enough for now and I’ll do the rest probably Tuesday – still only March 12 (Note, 3/10/2024 – turns out I didn’t read carefully enough and I was supposed to get my stuff in by March 4th. Oh well, I signed the agreement letter back in January, and I uploaded my brokerage statement today, and I think Tuesday will be OK). The beds are remade with clean sheets. And the letter is ready to be sent with a final proofing on Monday, and I’m waiting to hear from one of my references to make sure it’s OK to list them. Although I keep forgetting that “clean the coffee grinder” was on my list too. I will get to it.

I made a big batch of bran muffin batter, the kind where you mix it up and you can refrigerate it and scoop out batter for just as many muffins as you want on a particular day. Except nobody wanted them but me. So I made them with sticky bun topping and I also made a couple with the sticky bun topping on the inside, and a couple with sugar on top when I ran out of topping.

Saturday was a drier sunnier day. I did two things: went to a meet & greet and Q&A with Madison Public Library director candidates (saved version) and to a memorial for someone who was the music director at WORT when I was a volunteer programmer there.

Jasper and I walked on Wednesday and there were plenty of flowers. No pics of Jasper but I got the flowers.

Trying to finish this Sunday while watching the Oscars. It’s not too fun, so I think I’ll quit now, but here’s a pic of our Sunday dessert, puff pastry apple tart.

And Jasper got taken out for brunch this morning.

And I do think I have figured out one retirement schedule trick. Stack stuff. I’ve been doing two volunteer things Thursdays so I have Tuesdays and Fridays free. I also usually have Monday afternoon open, so I’ve started trying to add stuff then. I’ll keep trying. Stacking.