Greetings, Internet! I hope everyone is staying as safe and sane as can be. This week, I watched spring training baseball, did some dissertationing, and passed my driving test! Daily summaries below!

February 24, 2023

• My credit card was compromised for the second time in six months. What the heck? People are so rude.
• Worked out with an SCI trainer!
• “The Rock” was on television, so of course I watched it. Dang, the lighting on Ed Harris’ face is incredible. Or maybe it’s just his face.
• Made myself dinner and grated a quarter pound of parmesan cheese, that way I have it in my fridge for easier access (I just want to use and clean the microplane as few times as possible, so I’m like, let’s grate the cheese all at once!).
• Finished RPDR All Stars, Season One.
• And then missed the latest episode of the current season because I was washing dishes. Whoops.
• Dang, I can’t watch the episode unless I get Paramount+? This is absurd.
• At least it’s still early-ish in the season.
• Wordle: In six!
• Currently feeling: I still haven’t worked on these chapter revisions, but at least I’m really keeping up with my physical therapy. And general life stuff (i.e. at least I’m cooking my own meals instead of reheating things from my freezer). It’s more time efficient to reheat dinners, and there are fewer dishes to clean, but I really like preparing things myself.
• Currently looping: Fiona Apple’s “Fetch the Bolt Cutters.” Truly a masterpiece of an album.

February 25, 2023

• Did the FES cycle. Watched more RPDR: All Stars.
• Oh my goodness, I forgot how annoying a full-on period can be (I ditched my IUD about a month ago).
• My boyfriend’s here!
• We watched “Despicable Me 2,” because we love minions.
• Eventually, we will watch an actual movie.
• SPRING TRAINING BASEBALL!!!
• Also, it’s like freezing outside. I introduced my boyfriend to a snuggie I have in my apartment, and he’s a fan.
• Wordle: Whoops.
• Currently feeling: WE HAVE BASEBALL!!!
• Currently looping: RuPaul’s “Cover Girl.”

February 26, 2023

• Lazy Sunday!
• Went grocery shopping with my boyfriend. If you think I wait to go grocery shopping with him because he offers to carry things…you are not completely wrong.
• We then watched “Moonstruck,” because my boyfriend had never seen it.
• And then I cooked dinner, which took well over two hours, but dang, it looked good.
• Wow, it sure takes me a while to chop onions and mushrooms.
• But dinner was made! And my boyfriend seemed to like it? I don’t know, I think it looks pretty. [Picture is featured for this post.]
• Wordle: Whoops.
• Currently feeling: Huzzah for another lazy domestic Sunday!
• Currently looping: Mostly podcasts.

February 27, 2023

• Administrative day!
• As in, lots of emails, phone calls, etc.
• My mother’s here! She was in California with the grandkids (and my sister and brother-in-law). She brought back treats.
• We got dumplings for lunch. Mmm…dumplings.
• We also started watching “Wakanda Forever.” Give Angela Bassett every award imaginable.
• Okay, “Wakanda Forever” is really good.
• Side note (but not really), this lip sync is incredible.
• Wordle: In six!
• Currently feeling: Today felt productive-ish? I still don’t know when I’m Zoom meeting my advisor. Lol?
• Currently looping: Not much music.

February 28, 2023

• More phone calls.
• Worked out with an SCI trainer!
• Therapy!
• Started working on my dissertation introduction. My meeting with my advisor keeps getting pushed back, but that shouldn’t stop me from working. Also, I have to go through my huge document of notes to find which bibliographical things should be included in which chapters and in which potted history footnotes.
• SO MUCH ORGANIZATION. SO MUCH SIFTING.
• This may take a while.
• Wordle: In four!
• Currently feeling: It’s nice to get back into dissertationing.
• Currently looping: No music today.

March 1, 2023

• Okay, I said I wasn’t going to, but upon telling my mother that my learner’s permit fee covers two driving tests, she was like, “Just get your money’s worth.”
• That, and I told my boyfriend I wasn’t going to try testing again, but his response was, “Oh please, when have you ever stopped at failure?”
• Folks, he knows me.
• I might have hyperventilated and panicked on the way to the driving test site.
• I may have asked my driving instructor for a paper bag to breathe into.
• He did not have one.
• The driving examiner seemed friendly. As he got into the car, we saw a car drive backwards up the other side of the road, cross the median in the road, and then drive backwards down our side of the road, until it was parallel to me.
• The examiner: “When it’s safe to go, you can pull out.”
  Me: <looks at car that sped backwards down the block that was still parallel to me> “Um…is it safe?”
  “Yeah, it’s fine.”
• I did a lol when I tried to parallel park, in that I started in drive, moved three inches, realized what I did, and then put it in reverse and started again.
• I then panicked because I heard a grinding noise, mentioned that the mirror showed me a safe distance from the curb, to which the examiner replied something to the effect of, “There’s a lot of garbage near the curb. You’re fine.”
• Did a K-turn after waiting for two buses to pass (the examiner said, “Take your time”), because I was not taking any chances.
• Finished the test, and the examiner didn’t scold me, so I took that as a good sign.
• By the way, if anyone does the driving test at the Coney Island site, the roads are NARROW AF. You’ve been warned.
• But anyway, THIS BITCH PASSED HER TEST.
• Got pizza with my parents afterwards.
• And bought a new frying pan.
• And some spices for cooking this weekend.
• Wordle: In five!
• Currently feeling: VICTORY! But also, I’m feeling vindicated AF. I didn’t take a single lesson between the first exam, and today. The examiner last time said I had poor steering and terrible judgment. If that were true, I’d need more lessons. Clearly, that was not the case. May we all have driving examiners who grade us accurately.

March 2, 2023

• Did the FES cycle. Caught up on “The Last of Us.”
• Went outside for a celebratory matcha latte.
• I love matcha lattes.
• Caught up on admin stuff.
• Getting more used to cooking things for dinner (instead of relying on frozen food). That said, I got some frozen pizzas in my grocery order, for when I get into dissertation revision mode and need quick meals (I also have boxes of mac and cheese sitting around somewhere).
• Watched more of RuPaul’s “All Stars,” season two. I finally know who Alyssa Edwards is, and I’m a fan.
• Wordle: In six!
• Currently feeling: Still grateful that I passed yesterday’s exam. But also, I should go to bed before 1am. I really need to work on my time management skills.
• Currently looping: We have new Ad Infinitum! “From the Ashes” is their latest single.

Thanks so much for reading! Stay safe, stay sane, and yay, spring training baseball is here!