What the Junk?!

I'm so tired. I could not sleep last night.  It was after 5am when I finally got to sleep and I woke up before 10 am.  I have been yawning and useless all day! lol. I haven't written for NaNo yet but I will write at least a few lines.  I have my word count and I'm almost done with the story, but there is more to go.  I'm just too tired to write much.  If I write tonight it's no telling what may come out! :p

My 'new' MacBook Pro is all set up now. I moved everything over and I got my music on here today.  I also went ahead and made backups of my iPods and my iPad Mini.  I opened all my Scrivener works and made sure to save them to the backup folder.  I don't want to lose those again!  I don't remember if I mentioned it last night, but while I was waiting for Catalina to install on the MBP, I put my yule tree up.  I got it up and put the lights on but left the ornaments for today.  I put those on today and they looked nice.  Sadly though, I am missing a small box of ornaments.  It's a little box with four glass ornaments that I got from Family Dollar several years back.  They were only a dollar, but I love those four ornaments.  I can't find them!  I am not sure where they are, I looked tonight but didn't find them.  I'm not giving up though. I know there are here somewhere!  I'll try to remember to show a picture of the tree tomorrow.  I DID remember to take a picture of the laptop in the daylight.  Here you go:

This is my desk where I sit to write.  It's a nice spot to work on my writing or whatever I'm doing.  It's nice being able to see better with this bigger laptop too.  When it arrived, the seller had put a hard case on it similar to the one I have on the 13" one.  I popped it off out of curiosity to see what condition the actual laptop was in.  My 13" was scratched and banged up pretty badly when I got it.  This guy is FLAWLESS.  The only minute scratches I see are on the bottom.  The top is mint.  It looks like it just came from Apple and it's 8 years old!  I'm glad whoever had it before me took good care of it.  My nice laptop bag is too small to fit it.  BUT!  Some time back, I saw one of those laptop sleeves at Goodwill. It was brand new and it was pretty big.  I bought it knowing it was too big for my 13" MBP but I figured I could use it for something. It fits my 15" MBP perfectly!  My messenger bag that I used to carry to Starbucks to write pen pal letters is big enough to hold it, too! I will probably get a laptop bag in the future, but this will work well for now. The sleeve is well padded and the messenger bag is sturdy and it will still have room for other stuff and the laptop.

Since I didn't post a real post last night and I promised a real one today, I decided to do it early!  I am still very tired today.  I didn't sleep well again last night.  I am hoping to catch up on some tonight, but I probably won't.  Considering that my friend and I are leaving for the beach in the morning.  I never sleep well the night before a trip.  I sleep even less knowing I have to get up earlier than my usual time. :p  

So, yesterday I walked, but I didn't do my workouts.  I would have, but there were a lot of moves that would hurt my foot.  My foot still hurts a lot.  Walking is bad, but it isn't as bad as some of the workouts.  I skipped my workouts  I decided since I won't be able to do any until I get back, I'm just skipping them until Monday.  I plan to eat and enjoy everything possible this weekend, because Monday, I plan to finally get on track!  I want to reach my goal weight!  Since I'll be at the beach this weekend, I plan to enjoy the food. :p

I washed clothes last night and packed my suitcase.  My clothes are all ready, but my other suitcase is still empty. I carry two small suitcases to the beach.  One has my clothes, the other has my electronics, notebooks, bujo, etc.  I also carry my messenager bag, but I carry it up front in the car with me.  I carry my phone, wallet, trip journal, and other things in it.  I also carry a Starbucks tumbler for coffee!  I picked one of of my more recent ones that I haven't used much.  

I was thinking of leaving the laptop at home, but I got some electrical tape and was able to fix the cord.  It's not a permanent fix, but it is working fine at the moment.  I had some other tape on it and I could hear it sparking.  I put the electrical tape on and it's not sparking and it is charging well. ^_^  I really want to be able to use my Macbook!  I have to do nice blog posts at the beach, right?

Today I walked and it was sunny and in the seventies!  Yesterday it was around fifty.  I was able to walk in short sleeves today.  That was weird.  I am ready for this same weather but with an ocean view.  I hope to take a lot of pictures and you know I'll share some after I get home.  I'll also try to share one a day while there.  I plan to get to the Starbucks at North Myrtle.  I have three free drinks on there and I got my notification today that I'm gold for another year.  I already knew that. :p It's nice to see it though. :D

I have such a weird tan line from winter walking!  I wear a pair of long fitness capris so I have a nice tan on my calves but from half way up and past my knee, I have none. LOL  It looks so weird and makes me self conscious.  I plan to get some just above the knee shorts to wear on my walks.  I hope to get grey ones as all the black ones I've worn in the past all get bleached out from the sun.  Grey ones would too, but it wouldn't be so noticeable. I have never tanned in my life until I started walking!  It's so weird.

Ah, I think I totally made up for that short post last night.  I was just so tired.  I am also currently reading a true crime book by Ann Rule that I hadn't read before.  It's so good!  I am carrying my Kindle with me to the beach, and I will probably finish it there.  I'm also still reading the book on coffee.

So, I woke up today to warm weather!  The high today was 72!  It was really nice.  The sun even came out for a bit.  It's been so cloudy and overcast for so long.  It was nice to see the sun.  I got in a nice walk and came home and relaxed a bit before doing my workouts.  I got those done and then did my French lesson and had a few minutes to relax before fixing lunch.  After lunch, I was just hanging out and then I thought about going to Starbucks.  I wanted to go, but I didn't want to get there and not have a place to sit.  I decided that I'd go and if there was nowhere to sit, I'd get a drink and bring it home with me.

I got there and one of the little tables was free!!!!  I put my messenger bag down to hold that table and went to get in line.  I got my cascara latte, a venti!  I also got two new gift cards that I didn't have.  They were just putting them out! I had my pen pal letters with me.  I wrote to all my pen pals and drank my latte.  While I was writing, I noticed that the couple that has the Corgi.  I had to go see him.  I got lots of Corgi kisses!!!!!! He is such a sweet pup.  The pair are regulars like myself.  I was telling her about this being my fourth time coming and trying to get a place to sit.  She said they'd been having the same issues.  I really wish the place was bigger.  We both miss the old location.

I stayed at Starbucks after I finished my letters for a bit and then headed out.  I went by the post office to check my box.  I couldn't mail my letters as I didn't take any envelopes or stamps with me.  I'll mail them on tomorrow's walk.  I only had one letter at my box.  I'm totally caught up except for the new one that just came.  I have the names of two potential pals and I'm going to write a couple of  small intro letters to sent to them with my 'new pal' letter.  I'll do that and then I'll read and play more Pocket Camp.  I'm watching the Olympics again.  More Skeleton tonight.  This stuff is nuts!  The male figure skaters are on tonight too.  

Yeah, here it is Sunday again and here I am at Starbucks.  I decided at the last minute to come and bring my laptop and one pen pal letter.  I had to wait to get a little table with an outlet, but I didn't have to wait long. I'm not at my favorite table, but this one is not bad.  I have already started on today's NaNo.  I only have 483 words so far.  I will probably keep going until I hit 2000  that is what I like to get a day if possible.  We'll see if I can do it today!

I'm sitting here with a caramel machiatto.  I had a promo where any caramel macchiato gets you ten bonus stars.  I'm all about the bonus stars! LOL!  I got that and  I'm blogging.  After I write this, I'll get back to NaNo.  I got more of the holiday Starbucks cards today.  I got four or the die cut ones.  The Barista said that you can get any of them without loading them except the multipacks.  Since the cards in the multi packs are the same ones as the individual ones, I don't mind that one bit. I think there is one that I didn't get last time, but I looked for it today and didn't see it.  I will have to check again when I get home to see what I'm missing.  They do have some that have greeting cards with them. I wonder if they are okay to get without a load?  That would be cool.  One of the giftcards in that is pretty cool looking and I want it! LOL!

It was really busy when I got here, but it's cleared out a lot since then.  I thought they were having another promotion when I pulled up and saw all the cars! LOL  It was insanity.  I'm thinking it will clear out even more as the evening progresses.  Right now, It's not too bad.  I just wish I could get my table. :p Oh well!  At least I have a good one, right?  Okay, I'm going back to NaNo now.  I need to get the rest done and then I'll write that one single pen pal letter!

I decided today that I should take my pen pal letters to Starbucks this afternoon.   I was hoping they wouldn't be too busy and I'd be able to get a seat.  They weren't, and I did!  I sat at one of the little tables.  My favorite table was taken.  I wrote all but one of my letters and was on the last one when I decided to move to the comfy chairs for a bit.  I had gotten there and saw my favorite table open up.  I went and got it and spent the rest of the time there. ^_^  I was happy to get to sit in my favorite spot one last time.  Last time? You ask.  Well, this particular location is moving a short distance away into a larger location.  They will be closing at 2pm on the 31st and won't re-open in the new location until August 4th.  I'm glad I went as I didn't know they were moving so soon.  I got to sit in my favorite comfy chair once more and at my favorite table. That was nice!

Also, while I was there, I got an extra drink for free!  One of the regulars ordered his drinks and they were wrong somehow.  I don't know the details.  He gave one to a lady that was at the counter and asked around if anyone wanted the other.  It was a caramel frappuccino.  I said, yes! LOL!  I had long since finished my cascara latte, so this was a nice surprise!  I enjoyed it immensely.  I shouldn't have had it as I had had a chocolate chip cookie, but free Starbucks! LOL

I got all my letters written.  I hand wrote all of them.  I just need to get them in envelopes and ready to mail.  I'll do that after I finish typing this.  I did take quite a lot of pictures of Starbucks while I was there.  I'm going to miss this location.  It was my first Starbucks!  I've grown so fond of it.  I'm sure I'll learn to love the new location too, but it won't be the same!  Yes, I took my bullet journal with me. :)

Today's workouts were intense.  It was arm day so that part wasn't so bad. The cardio video to open the workouts?  The #100burpeeburnout YIKES!  I survived.  I think that was the main reason I figured Starbucks would be a good idea!  After all the stress lately and then that, Starbucks was necessary. :P  

I hope to get down to the post office tomorrow to mail these letters and check my box.  I hope I have more letters. That would be cool.  Of course if there are more than 9 that might be a bad thing! LOL!

No, I didn't go to the post office and get more letters, yet!  I did sit down and write a stack of letters today.  I have one more to do and then I'll have them all done.  Since I had so many, I decided to type them.  I prefer handwriting, but with 12 letters, I knew my hand would give out.  I didn't want to just write some and type others.  To be fair to all my pals, I just typed them all!  I figured that would be the best way to do it.  I got a book of stamps today so I can mail the letters tomorrow.

I went to Starbucks to get a drink and bring it home to sip on while writing my letters.  Again, when I didn't plan to stay, one of my two favorite spots was open. Figures! Oh well!  I got my drink and came home and enjoyed it.  It lasted until after all the letters were done.  The last letter that I need to do is  a new pal.  I always send new pals a 'new pal' letter that is typed and include a small handwritten letter in it.  I'll do that later so that it can go out with the other letters.  This is a new international pen pal and I've used all my international stamps. Oops!  I'll probably just put regular stamps on it to make it go.

In other news, I ordered a cute little mini messenger bag.  I've been waiting all weekend for the tracking to update.  It finally did today and it's at the post office.  That means it should be delivered tomorrow! YAY!  I found it when looking at different things on Amazon. It was only $10 and I had just gotten a $5 gift card for Amazon so I bought it.  I can't wait to see it.  It's pretty small according to the description.  I'll post pictures tomorrow.

Okay, I'm out of here.  I need to do a few more things and then I need to write that last pen pal.  I also want to work on my bullet journal.  See you tomorrow! :)

I totally missed out on posting a good post yesterday because I didn't have a lot of time.  So, here goes!  Yesterday, I did my workouts. After eating lunch, I went to Starbucks.  I carried my messenger bag with me and all my pen pal letters.  I got there and they were packed.  They didn't have anywhere to sit.  I got my latte and then left.  It took a while to get my latte, so I was hoping something would open up while I was waiting, but no luck. I left Starbucks and went to the park.  I sat in my car and wrote some of my pen pal letters.  I would have gotten out and done all this on a picnic table or a blanket, but it was overcast.  It's a good thing I stayed in my car.  It began raining!  I got all but two letters written and hit some Pokestops while there.  I parked near one so I could hit it every time it reloaded. :)

After the park, I came home and did some housework.  I had two loads of laundry that needed to be finished and put away.  I also had to do some other things.  I didn't even take  a bath.  I did wash my hair though.  I realized it was getting late and I hadn't posted to my blog so I did that quick post.

Today, I was supposed to go walking with my friend, but he couldn't go because of a family situation.  Hopefully we can go tomorrow.  I went to the post office today and mailed my stack of letters.  I had a full box!  It's so fun mailing off a lot of letter and then having a bunch waiting.  I brought those home and then put my air conditioner in my window! LOL  It was REALLY hot today.  Very unseasonably so!  I turned my air conditioner on long enough to make sure it was working okay. I probably won't need it for a while, but I wanted to go ahead and put it in.

I hope it continues to be warm here. Warm, though, not hot! :p  I am not a fan of cold weather or hot weather.  I am a spring and autumn girl!  

I made it to Starbucks tonight.  My messenger bag got out again. :) I got there a bit before 5 and stayed until about 7.  I would have stayed longer, but I was done with my letters and it was a bit cold in there.  I wrote four letters.  Three 'old' pals and one brand new one.  I got the delicious Cascara latte.  Yum!  I also checked in on my Pokemon Go app while there.  The Starbucks is now a Pokestop! :)

After Starbucks, I headed to Home Depot.  I needed to get a quart of paint.  Last night around 11:45, I got it in my head to move my room around.  The way I fixed things, I needed to touch up my nightstand and I also needed to paint the back of it.  The back shows in my new room arrangement so I wanted to paint it to match the rest.  Plus there were places on it that needed touch ups. I had run out of the paint some time ago, but I remembered the name and the brand.  I got Glidden Violet Shimmer paint.  I painted the back of the nightstand and did the touch-ups.  It looks great! I'm happy to have another can of it as I have a trunk in my room, two little 'tables' and a rocking chair on my front porch with this color.  All need touch-ups.  I'll do that tomorrow.

Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to get a parking spot at the post office so I can mail my letters and see if I have any new ones.  Wish me luck!  

Here is the stack of letters I took with me to Starbucks:

I guess it's a good thing I came home to type them. :P

I recently got a few new patches for my Pen pal bag.  I rearranged some of the patches last night.  I put on the new ones and moved around some that were on there.  I got it all fixed up last night, including sewing the patches to secure them  in case the iron on stuff wears off.  Here is the bag now:

I'm really liking it.  I may put more patches on it in the future.  I would like a Jack o' lantern patch and perhaps a envelope patch or something mail wise.  The Myrtle Beach patch in the middle was a lot bigger than I thought it would be, but it's pretty cool!  

Yeah, I know.  I haven't posted in days.  Today's walk was so extremely hot.  I came home and did my workouts, ate lunch, and then rested.  Well, only for a few minutes!  A friend came down and got the majority of the front lawn done with their riding lawn mower.  I got out there with the weeder and got the parts they couldn't do.  It took me a lot longer than it should have and when I came in, I looked like I had been in a sprinkler.  I was soaked to the skin with sweat. Yuck!  I needed to do more of the yard, but I was so tired and hot, that I knew I needed to stop and rest.  Plus, it looked like a storm was coming up.  It's getting darker out there now as I type this.  I keep hearing rumbles of thunder.  If I don't get the rest done tonight, I'm not going to worry about it too much.  The front is done and that is what matters.

While I was doing the front, a vehicle pulled up and this guy got out and started talking to me.  I gave him a look!  Turns out, he was a police officer. LOL~  I told him, "I was wondering why weirdos were pulling up in front of my yard." He was really nice and asked a few questions about some things in the neighborhood.  After he left, I finished my weeding.  I thought when they pulled up that they were visiting my stupid neighbors next door.  People go visit them all the time and park in front of my house instead of theirs.  

Anyway!  I am sorry I haven't posted in days.  I just haven't had the energy to get on the computer.  I mean to post everyday.  Sometimes that doesn't happen.  I got two more patches for my messenger bag.  I rearranged the patches on there last night and put on the new ones.  It looks pretty cool.  I posted a picture of it at Letter and Lattes but I'll share it here too:

I'm really loving all the patches.  I might add more in the future.  We'll see how that goes.

It's Wednesday, so that means I went to Starbucks to write my pen pal letters!  I only had four to write.  Mail has been really slow lately.  I enjoyed my time at Starbucks.  I got all my letters done and then relaxed for a bit.  I also had one of my favorite treats from there.  A Michigan Cherry oat bar.  So good!  I got my favorite seat immediately, too!  I took some pictures and made a little collage to share:

All I have to do now is get all the letters in envelopes, get those addressed, and put them in my bag for tomorrow's walk!  Hopefully I'll actually have mail in my box tomorrow.

Here is my cool messenger bag that I use for toting my supplies to Starbucks.  I have several patches on it including two of the Letter Writer's Alliance which I am a member of!  Visit them by clicking on their link in my sidebar.  It's a great organization.  I love being a part of it.  They send the triangular patch with your membership.  I saw that they had the larger patches too.  That is what gave me the idea of having a cool messenger bag with patches. :)  Here is my bag:

It's not complete yet.  I want to get a few more patches for it.  It's a good size bag and it's perfect for carrying my stuff.  It also makes an excellent overnight bag if needed.  It has two outside pockets that are large enough for a bottle of soda or water.  They are also perfect for carrying my reusable Starbucks tumbler.  There is one large inside pocket, a small zipper pocket and one divided pocket in the front.  I made it into one pocket.  I absolutely LOVE this bag!  I highly recommend it.  I got it at Amazon.  If you are interested, here is the link:

My Messenger bag of awesomeness!

I use two accordion folders.  One for stationary, and one for labels/stamps/fbs/misc  It helps keep everything neat and organized.  These are my two folders:

I keep these in my desk at home, they are easily portable.  I can pop them in my pen pal messenger bag and head out or just put some stationary or other necessaries in my bag and go.  I love being organized.  It makes pen palling a lot easier!

I got in a good, but very HOT walk today.  It said it was in the upper 80's but it felt like 112!  Sheesh.  I came home from my walk and did my workouts.  It was arm day.  My arms are tired! :P  I went out and washed off my car and got my bag ready for Starbucks!

I got there a bit earlier than I usually do.  I didn't get my favorite chair at first, but it cleared up pretty fast.  I moved to it and stayed there until I left.  I got all five letters written. I have them all ready to mail out tomorrow.  I left a few minutes earlier than I usually do because it looked like we were going to get a storm.  I got home before it hit.  There was thunder, lightning, and a LOT of heavy rain.  I'm glad I got home before all that hit!

Now I just need to wash my hair and relax a bit before bed.  I'm at at 75% on being done with End of Watch. It's SO good!  It just gets better and better as I go along. I am anxious to see how it all comes out!