The writing group is changing things up a bit, so I don't think I'll be posting the results of our brilliant scribblings for a while. We - Sam, Katie and I - have decided to try writing a book together, which is going to be a monumental and time consuming adventure! And since it's a collaborative project, I won't post it incrementally, like I was doing with "Worst Case Scenario." I'm still working on WCS, but at a much slower pace than before.
Wish us luck. I'm excited and nervous about writing something together. Having deadlines and other people counting on you participating and doing your part is motivating and offers a kind of competitiveness (they're both better writers than I am, so I'm going to have to push myself to keep up!). On the flipside, you have actual deadlines and can let people down if you don't hold up your end! Thankfully we're all pretty low key and will cut each other a lot of slack. Between work, life and kids, we know things need to be pretty flexible.
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Speaking of flexible...
I've been working on a redecoration project in my room since last summer (things got put on hold when I hurt my back) and I'm FINALLY wrapping it up! I needed to replace my mattress and decided to downsize from a Queen to a Twin which, while it's taken some getting used to, has really opened up a lot of space.
I also decided to get another bookcase, since the two I had were woefully insufficient for the vast number of books that I own. IKEA has consistently been sold out of the black-brown Billy Shelves (I wanted to maintain a matching set, but it was not to be), I decided to order some I found on Amazon. We moved the wall unit I had in my room down to the basement, creating space for the double 5 shelf vintage industrial bookcase I ordered.
(Above) This is the space where the wall unit lived for the last 20 years. While it was great, it didn't hold nearly enough books. I have two years worth of Library Sale acquisitions that needed somewhere to live other than in boxes on the floor in Matt's old room.
(Below) This is my sadly over-stacked bookshelves. I organize by author and genre.
(Above) I've had this bed for as long as I can remember. It was my "big girl" upgrade when Matt came along. I'm kinda proud that I was able to take it apart myself! The headboard now resides in the guest room (the frame and foot board are in the basement).
(Below) I also put together my new Twin frame. It looks so little compared to the Queen!
(Above) So, funny story...turns out our walls aren't exactly straight. Prior to purchasing the new bookcase, I measured my empty cubby to make sure it would fit. Yup, sure, no problem. I had about an inch (total) clearance on the sides. So I built the shelves and tried slipping it into the space...and ran into the wall. I pulled it out and measured it again...then measured the space...then measured the bookcase...then measured the space again. Then I thought to measure the back wall and, lo and behold, it's not the same width as the front opening. This meant I had to go with plan B, so I had to takeALL THE BOOKS OFF the other two bookshelves so I could move them into the space and put the new bookshelf across from my bed.
(Below) New bookshelves, prior to being bedecked in literature of various shapes and sizes.
(Above) And the bookshelves have been filled! All the many, many (many!) library sale books are now off the floor and onto shelves. I had to thin the herd a bit, pulling out duplicates (oops...but only about ten total) and ones I haven't read that didn't sound super interesting. I boxed those back up and am hoping to donate them to Goodwill.
(Below) This is one of my favorite shelves, with my Blake Crouch collection, Lora Zombie unicorns (Cosmic Unicorn and Kissing Unicorn) and Buffy themed cards in the Vampyr book-looking container, a gift I received last year. 😊
It may look odd, but the books that are facing pages-out are ones I haven't read yet. I've banned myself from attending this year's Library Book Sale (assuming they have one), since I always walk out with at least a box of books!
So many books to read, so little time!
I have a bit more to do, including building a set of shelves for next to my bed that will house a couple of books, my phone and whatever else I feel like putting on it. I'm hoping to work on it tomorrow.
I'll post more pics when it's (finally) done-done.
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Fall weather is here! Fall weather is here! Fall weather is here! 🍂🍁
Well, at least for the moment. Last Sunday it was in the high 90s and by Tuesday it was in the 50s (yay!). Next week it's supposed to get back up into the 70s and 80s, but right now I'm happily enjoying the slightly chilly temps, even when they follow me into the office!
September 10th, 2020
I'm not complaining about the temp in the office (64°)...so happy about the fall weather and that I remembered to bring a blanket scarf to work with me on Tuesday! 😊🎃🍂🧡
#64degrees #indoors #yayfall
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Last but not least, a health update. I'd been putting off some doctors appointments and, when I finally went in, I found out my blood pressure has gone up. A lot. I've always had low-normal blood pressure (on the low side of normal), which was up a bit last September (the last time I had it checked). This time it was up even more, just a couple points shy of needing blood pressure meds. It freaked me out a bit. I know my weight is up, but it still seemed weird.
I did some research and guess what? Low progesterone production can lead to high blood pressure...conversely, women's blood pressure tends to go down when pregnant (their bodies are flooded with progesterone). Apparently progesterone dilates blood vessels, which makes it easier for your blood to flow (lowering the pressure).
Another fun fact - chronic stress affects progesterone production. "When your body is stressed, it works to produce higher levels of the hormone cortisol which manages stress in your body. Because progesterone is the precursor to cortisol, when cortisol levels increase, progesterone levels decrease. So, too much stress in a woman’s life can lead to a progesterone deficiency."
So my body is producing less progesterone because of stress, which increases my blood pressure, which causes me stress. 😑
I've been taking supplemental progesterone for about a year and a half now which, depending on the method, has helped a little. One symptom it eliminated was migraines. I'd been getting them with increasing frequency, but they stopped completely once I started taking progesterone. The other symptoms, not so much. They've been getting worse again the past few months, to the point that I changed the form of progesterone I take and, starting this month, I'm adding a new boost - a progesterone cream. It contains some progesterone and also prompts your system to produce progesterone. I also bought a blood pressure monitor, so that I can keep tabs on it at home. Hopefully between the two supplements my progesterone level will increase, which will make my blood pressure decrease.
It's so fun to be a woman. 😒
~ Katie Q. 🐧
Music bonus: I may have posted this before, but I'm too lazy to scroll back and check. 😎 As someone who's struggled with insecurities and anxiety in friendships and relationships, I love and appreciate this song. The "hey stupid" is playful and comes from a place of understanding, as demonstrated by the lyrics "I’m not gonna interrupt / if you need to talk about it / roll my eyes or get offended by the way you doubt it."
Sometimes it just takes a simple reminder - "hey stupid, I love you." 😊
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