What the Junk?!

I went out to the post office today and checked my box. Good thing, that poor thing needed to be emptied! LOL!  I had a couple of things from penpals.  I WILL be sitting down this weekend and getting my mail caught up.  I need a few more stamps as I'll have more letters than stamps, but I'm going to get them caught up and sent off. I've bought a lot of cute envelopes lately and I want to use them for my pals. I also printed a sheet of labels from the pack I got at Goodwill yesterday. They worked perfectly! :)

I was sitting at my desk last night on my laptop.  I was going to post to my blog and everything (except my MacBook Pro) went dark.  The power was out. Luckily the display on the Mac was bright enough for me to grab candles. I got my candles lit and arranged around the room.  I was just about to sit and get comfy when the power came back! That was a short outage! I'm glad it didn't stay out too long as it was quite cold last night. I should have posted to my blog via my phone, but I forgot all about it! Once the power was back on, I got comfy on my bed and didn't get back on the computer.

I have written a bit for the last two days.  It's been fun.  I really should write some more tonight, but I still need to put my linens back on the bed.  I have them in the dryer now.  I got all my other usual Sunday stuff done and a few more things.  I tried something tonight that I had never done before.  I was playing around in Pages the other day and went back tonight to look at all the templates in there. I noticed one for envelopes.  I figured, what the heck, I'll try to print one.  I've never printed one and I wasn't sure where to put the envelope to make it print correctly.  I actually got it in the right spot on my first try! The only thing is, I had it reversed so the address would be upside down if you opened the envelope the way you are supposed to.  I then ran another one and it was fine. It looks so nifty! I used one of my favorite pen pal's address for the outgoing line and I will use it when I write her. I REALLY need to write letters. I don't think I've ever been this far behind before.  I feel bad and every day I wait makes me feel worse, but I just can't seem to get myself to write. AHH!  If only I could go sit in Starbucks. :(

I crashed early and hard last night and I needed it.  I was thinking about things before bed and realized that I had stopped setting up my 2021 bullet journal some time back. D'oh!!!!!!  Today, I looked and the things I would use immediately are there.  I still need to add a "21 in 2021" tracker, my NaNoWriMo tracker(s), beach bingo, and some other things I wanted to add. I went ahead and got the first two months done, though!  I have my January habit tracker,  February habit tracker, and I have the weeklies for those months.  I'm adding something new this year.  On the page after the last week of the month, I'm doing a monthly recap page to add anything I want to remember. I can write stuff or glue in things for memories.  I think it will be a nice addition.  I decided to go with a printed habit tracker to save time this year. I found the one I had downloaded several years ago and looked it over.  It didn't have enough lines for all the things I track, so I made a copy of it and then cut part of the bottom off and taped it to the tracker.  This way I added a few lines. Then, I made a copy of that. I went ahead and printed out a year's worth of them and I have the taped one I made to use if I want to make more, or I can just use a blank one I printed. I printed an extra just in case.  I always loved this habit tracker and I really wanted to use it but I track more things than I did when I started.  This way, I can still use this cute tracker and track more. This is going to save me SO much time going forward!

I started my actual pages further into the Leuchtturm too.  I hope to use up all my pages this time!  I always have some pages left. I don't want to have that this time.  I'm sorry I didn't post the last two days. I just got to doing things and never got around to it.  I'm going to try my best to post to my blog every day in 2021!  I don't know if I can do it, but I'm going to try my best. I also plan to get my pen pal letters written and stay caught up with them.  Yes, I STILL haven't written any.  2020 has just not been the best year.  Yes, some good things have happened to me, my friend got me Goontz and my 15" MacBook Pro, but the rest of the year was pretty nasty.  My hope is that 2021 is a wonderful year.  Let's hope that we are able to defeat Covid-19 and try to get our lives back to normal!

It's been one of those days. I haven't done much of anything.  I didn't work on my story. Wait, I take that back, I did put a few words in one part where it needed it, but for the big overhaul, I haven't done that yet.  I don't think I will be doing it tonight as it's almost 11 pm!  I meant to work on my 2021 bullet journal today and get the few Yule cards ready to mail that I send each year, but I haven't done either!  I always send out a few Yule cards each year to some family and a couple of long time family friends.  I have still not written any pen pal letters. I am not sure why.  Well, I do, I just haven't had the energy to want to do that.  Hopefully, I can get those done and out. I didn't buy any cards this year so I won't be sending any cards to penpals.  Well, I found some cards, but I have no clue if I have sent these before or not so I am not sure I should send them.  I always try to write down what card I sent each year and these are not shown as what I sent to penpals last year, but I still don't know where these came from and if they are part of the ones I've sent. UGH!  I hate being old and forgetful! LOL!

Guess who was about to forget to post today? Me!  Sorry about that.  I got some good writing done today.  I wrote 2,777 words on my story! Yay! That makes up for not writing anything yesterday.  I went to the post office as I planned. I picked up my mail, I got a book of stamps, and I paid for my post office box.  After that, I headed back home where I've been since then.  It is raining here again. ~_~; I hope it isn't too bad this time.  I am not ready for cold and rain. Boo on that! I got a few penpal letters.  Now I just need to sit down and write my letters. I hope to do that tomorrow or Sunday at the latest!  I so wish I could do it at Starbucks. I miss my favorite 'third place'. 

Well, letters, no lattes. Phooey!  I got all of my pen pal letters written today and mailed!  Whoo hoo! I'm so glad to have them done.  I got only one at the post office, so I'm now all caught up and have a new one.  It was a good thing to get them all done.  I went to the car wash while out and washed my car.  It needed a fresh wash.  I was going to do it here, but since I was already out, I went ahead and got it done.  I was tempted to go to Starbucks, but I was good and didn't go.  

When I was in the car wash, I took a picture of the pretty rainbow foam.  I always call it unicorn pee. :p. It's pretty, but this time it didn't go on very thick.  

Exciting, isn't it? :p

I had planned to go to the post office this evening and check my box and then swing by Starbucks as it's double star day.  I was able to go to the post office, but not Starbucks.  My friend texted that he was coming over after he ate to work on my air conditioner in my room.  I had enough time to go to the post office because I asked him.  I had enough time for Starbucks too, but I didn't know that at the time. I don't like to make people wait for me.  I missed out on my chance at double stars. :( Oh well, maybe next month!

The post office trip was a success. I received five letters. Four from regular pals and one from a new one.  It's always fun to get new penpals.  For once, I didn't have any mail in my box except pen pal letters!  I am glad I went.  I have informed delivery, but I didn't know about several of the letters.  I don't know if I just overlooked those days emails or what. 

I hope what my friend did to my air conditioner will help tonight.  Last night I had a really hard time sleeping.  It was right at 5 am the last time I looked at the clock.  I couldn't get cool or comfortable.  I'm hoping the air will be cooler tonight. 

I sat down tonight and got all of my letters written and mailed them out.  I checked my box while there and had no new letters. I'm actually completely caught up for once.  Yay!  My box wasn't empty, though.  I had my latest bank statement.  It was nice to not have a completely empty box.

I'm glad to have them all done and mailed.  I hope to keep them on track.  I got a bit behind the last few months, I hope to stay caught up.  We'll see how that goes.  

Yes, it's Monday.  I got my pen pal letters done today! Yay!  I also got them all mailed off.  I had three new ones in my box.  Not new pals, but new letters from old pals.  lol

I was thinking of Starbucks while out, but it was rainy and bleah out, so I just came home after the post office.  I came home to a bit of a mess. The new container I had in the closet to catch the drips was working well.  The old one tipped and fell out on the floor. UGH!  I cleaned that all up and put it back.  I put another heavy item in there to keep it from tipping again.  I hope that helps.  It's supposed to rain for days.  BOO!  

I did take a picture while I was in the post office.  I love the old boxes they have.  There are little windows on most of the boxes so you can see if you have mail or not.  I love this old building.  It's very vintage. I just wish they had lockers.  At my old post office location, if you go something too big for your box, you got a key.  It would open a locker and you could just pick up whatever it was that didn't fit in the box.  It was quite convenient.  

I sat down today and got my letters written and then went to mail them off. It's quite hot outside today.  I should have known when I was trying to sleep last night and it was so warm that I had to turn the air conditioning on!  It's been on all day today, too!  I was walking out the door to mail my letters and realized that one of them didn't have a stamp.  I ran back into the house and got a stamp and then went back to my car.  I drove down to the post office and ran in. I dropped my letters off and then checked my box.  I had five more letters waiting.  Well, four that I'll actually answer.  The fifth was from an inmate. ~_~;  I used to write a few of them, but they always get the idea that we are in a relationship and that is not going to happen. I don't want to date anyone on the outside either. LOL!

I had thought about going by Starbucks while I was out because I have a bunch of stars and I could have gotten a free drink, but I figured with it being Saturday, they would be really busy so I skipped it!  Plus it was hot and I have no air. I prefer hot coffee and today was not the day. If I had air, yes, but I don't.  Oh well! My stars don't run out anytime soon, so I'm good!

I haven't felt well for the last two days.  I felt like I had a slight cold or something the last few days. I feel better from that today, but I have a migraine. D'oh!  So, I don't feel like I have a cold anymore, but I'm constantly sick on my stomach because of the migraine.  I didn't start a puzzle yesterday or today!  Why?  Well, one reason was me feeling so bleah.  The other is my puzzles are running out and I am not sure when I'll be able to re-stock.  I have some 1000 piece ones and some old 500 or so ones, but I am trying to make them last.  Hopefully, I can get to the Dollar store next week.

My friend brought me some delicious food on his way home from work.  He got me a cheesesteak, fries, and a coke.  Lots of the local restaurants are doing takeout specials since they are all closed for dine-in.  It was a delicious lunch and I enjoyed it very much.  It was nice to not have to worry about fixing anything!

I hope I'm feeling a bit better tomorrow. If so, I'll run out to the post office, but that is the extent of my plans for going out tomorrow. I need to check my box and after I do, I hope to write letters.  I have two waiting for me unless any more came that didn't show up on informed delivery.

I am participating in Camp NaNoWriMo! I declared my book/novella today. I am only going to put a 20,000 word count on this project, but I might go more.  I have a basic outline in my head and I've gotten pictures and information in Scrivener for tomorrow's start.

I finished the puzzle today. I also wrote 7 pen pal letters and mailed them. I received two more in my box. Yay for more letters. I am glad to be caught up. I plan to write back soon to the ones that I got today. 

Yes, that is an extra piece to the side!

Yes, I didn't start a puzzle today.  I meant to, but I was working on my Linux laptop longer than I planned.  Last night, I was going to see bout getting out my Linux laptop and putting Journey on it. It's the journal app I used on my Android phone, my MacBook Pro, and online.  I saw where it said you could download a Linux version.  I was excited so I got the laptop out last night, plugged it in and booted it.  It booted and then I got an error message about missing packages.  What?  ARGH! I used my Google Foo to look up a solution.  I went through the steps and it started loading. Yay!  But, it just kept loading. For over an hour.  I knew I wasn't going to fix it last night as it was late and I was tired, so I left it alone.

I got on it around 1:30 today and worked on it.  I went into recovery mode (something I had done last night) but I did a few more things in there, installed a few things via the terminal and rebooted.  Success!  I had to play with it a bit and then went to download Journey.  Sadly, since my Linux runs on i386 and not 64 (Bit? I forget the specs but I know the 64) it won't work.  At least I can use the cloud version!  Oh well.

So, I got my Linux laptop up and running without losing any of my stuff.  I don't have anything on there that is not backed up somewhere else, but I didn't want to install fresh and have to download all my apps and set up my personal settings again. I was happy to get this going!  As I was still playing around on it and hoping to find a way to make Journey work (I never did!) my friend texted and asked if I'd like to meet him at a restaurant that is near to his workplace. I said, sure! I went and we ate and then I drove home. I stopped by the post office and checked my box.  I got two penpal letters from regular pals and a letter from a potential new pal. Yay!

As I was leaving my house to go meet my friend, I had been waiting on a package. I checked my package tracking app before I went to my car and it wasn't delivered yet. I go out, get in my car and notice the mail truck drive down the street.  I drove out and noticed my package.  He had come right after I checked the app! lol . I turned around and went back to my house (I had pulled out of the driveway and was heading up the street before I saw the package) . I grabbed it and carried it with me.  I knew it was swag from Twitter Insiders but I didn't know exactly what it was.  I was so excited to get home and open it up!

I joined Twitter Insiders well over a year ago and I join in on discussions there and they send out surveys every so often. I got picked to win some Twitter Insiders swag!  YAY! I love swag.  I got four really nice items.  A tote bag, a water bottle, a notebook, and a pen.  I love it all and I took a picture of my goodies to share:

Nifty, eh?  I love swag!  I love that it is all useful things, too!  If you've read this blog for a while, you'll know how much I love notebooks and pens! It was a good day for mail.  Swag and penpal letters. :)

It's another one of those days where it doesn't feel like the day it is. LOL The snow was mostly gone today when I got up. I knew it would be like that, but it was still disappointing.  There is still some left in shady areas, but as soon as it warms up, it will be gone too.  It was so pretty while it lasted.

I drove down to the post office today and mailed a huge stack of mail.  After mailing it, I checked my box.  I got a letter from a friend, a new potential penpal, and some junk mail.  The potential new pal is iffy. It's a guy, and I have several male penpals, so that isn't an issue.  The verbiage of his letter is troubling.  When a guy describes himself and says he hopes we become 'good friends' sends warning bells off in my head.  I post in my pen pal ads that I am looking for friends ONLY but guys seem to overlook that.  The few guys I do write are cool and we are good friends and they know I am not interested in all the junk! LOL!

While I was out, I ran by the grocery store and picked up a few things I needed and they were busy as hell! I was lucky and they opened another register and I followed another lady over to it.  She had a buggy full and I had three items and she told me to go ahead.  That was nice!  I was joking with her and the cashier that with how busy they were I was scared they were calling for snow again! 

I started a new puzzle today and it's pretty. It's going to be intense tomorrow.  I got the sky, tree line, and the water finished, but now I have to do the boats and the buildings.  It's very busy and colorful.  I'm enjoying working it though.  

Before I share the picture of the puzzle progress, I'd like to do an update on "What I'm Using Evernote for Today."  Well, I made a simple tracker in Evernote to keep track of all of my Fossil bags!  I have three columns, the bag, where purchased, and notes.  I can keep track of my bags easily this way and it's a great reference.  I know I've said it before but I love my Evernote!

It did snow today! It snowed for several hours and it never covered the streets, but it did coat the houses, cars, and yards.  It was lovely and I enjoyed sitting in my window watching it fall.  At first, I didn't think it was going to stick at all, but after about an hour, I noticed that the ground started looking white.  It started sticking. Yay!  I took a bunch of pictures and I uploaded a few to share.  It was so nice to sit and watch the snow.  I didn't just sit idly while I was watching the snow!  I got my pen pal letters caught up!  It took forever and I mean, forever, but I got them done.  I will head out tomorrow to mail them off and check my box.  I am pretty sure I only have one letter there now.  It's from an unknown person so it could be a new penpal inquiry.  We'll see when I check my box.

After it started to get dark, I finally closed the window and started work on my puzzle.  I finished it right before fixing dinner. It's a pretty puzzle and it was fun to do although it did get a bit intense in spots.  It's a picture of a location in the Czech Republic.  It's buildings along a road and has some body of water in it. Very pretty!  Here are the snow pictures and the picture of the completed puzzle.

Not the most exciting snow pictures, but at least I was able to get some before winter is done. It will all be gone tomorrow I'm sure.