coffeewithcalypso

[coffeewithcalypso]

But both candidates were the same 🙄

[coffeewithcalypso]

Between the upper half of my body aching from vaccines (the one side effect I ever really get from them is incredible pain at the injection site) and the lower half aching from working out, I'm feeling really creaky today and considering maybe quitting work early for a nap.

[coffeewithcalypso]

Possibly hot take but it fills me with incandescent rage when, on a podcast, the hosts are like "for those of you who are listening" because they're doing a visual bit. For those of us who are listening? To a podcast? An audio medium?!!!!

Pair this with some podcasts that will release video only episodes on their Patreon or whatever. Stop it! My eyes are busy most of the day. I need something for my ears. Your faces are cute but ultimately you are just sitting at a table or, worse, two separate video boxes. Make a fucking podcast!

If you want to make videos go be YouTubers so I know not to subscribe to your content because I don't watch YouTube. Don't trick me with your audiocontent then make me feel second class because you pivoted to video and I will not follow you there.

[coffeewithcalypso]

I am so madly in love with my partner's mutual obsession with tracking things.

The spreadsheets, the apps, the saved notes, it's all incredible.

Anyway we just downloaded an app to start tracking and rating wines together

[coffeewithcalypso]

The start up cost on working out is rough.

I obviously wasn't doing it before. So I had to get a new sports bra (almost $100 on its own). Some extra pairs of yoga pants. I don't wear a lot of casual clothes, no tshirts, only a few worn out tank tops for cleaning around the house, so I had to get a pack of work out type ones.

I thought I was done for a bit and then yesterday, walking to the gym, my shoes quite literally disintegrated. BOTH OF THEM. More or less at the same time. I wanted a new pair in a paycheck or two because I felt like the ones I had made me walk on the side of my foot. So not a total loss, just not an investment I was ready to make. And because I have no shoes, week two into working out and I'm already skipping days 😭

They have a pool there so I may swim for the rest of the week. Gotta make sure my bathing suits still fit 🙃

[coffeewithcalypso]

I was reading an article about AI and how AI creators think it will replace jobs (but let's put aside the whole debate of whether the digital, daydreaming toddler can become competent or not) and the thing that I don't really understand is why do they want it?

They know it will create unemployed people. All these tech bros are just Conservatives pretending to be Libertarian (because Libertarians are just Conservatives pretending to be Libertarian). Conservatives hate when people don't work. They're currently trying to pass a bill to make the sick and elderly go back to work! So why are they trying to actively create more unemployed people?

The thought process is fewer employees, higher profit. But they know there aren't jobs for people to move to. No jobs. No money. No spending. No profit. I do not understand how their logic breaks down.

[coffeewithcalypso]

Did day two at the gym yesterday and I'm in even more pain. To be fair, my abs are only slightly sore. I did hit legs two days in a row and that's what's killing me.

Taking today off because I planned on cooking and since I haven't actually started mixing my routine up, today seemed like a good rest day. My goal is three days a week. Going tomorrow will still accomplish that.

Both my partner and my friend were really nice about me whining. My partner has been working out for years but my friend just started a couple of months ago. They both were like, the first couple of weeks suck. And they suck even more at the end of them when you still don't really see a change. It takes about a month for it to kind of start to stop hurting constantly and to feel worth it. But also they're men and it's unfairly easy for men to lose weight. I swear if I do all this and don't lose I'm going to be pissed. Anyone who tells you they're working out for anything other than to look good is lying.

[coffeewithcalypso]

In line with the whole exercise thing:

I've also need some new underwear for awhile and god forbid a woman can find reasonably priced ($15 - 20 a pair because it means they're probably not prison labor or sweatshops), pretty (lace and mess and colors, none of this single colored cotton with a bit of trim), well made underwear.

Found a site I thought would fit the bill (especially with their buy x number get y number free because then you get to do girl math). Largest they go is "Large" which is 42" hips. Not waist. Hips.

[coffeewithcalypso]

Man, exercise really is a thing that keeps on punishing you, isn't it?

My partner added me to his gym membership* and I went for the first time yesterday and my thighs hurt now. I hate working out. It's boring, I hate the clothes for it, I hate the shoes for it, I hate the way I look when I do it (splotchy and red and sweaty, hair in a ponytail that really accentuates how round my stupid face, my hair doesn't even do the cute ponytail bobbing thing that straight haired girls have going for them). Doing it around people is terrible, having to look at myself constantly in the mirror because there are mirrors every where is terrible.

I know I need to do it. I do want to do it. The whole thing just makes my stupid brain scream. I don't like being bored. I don't like not looking presentable in public.

I'm focusing on workouts that are like long term "be able to do x at 30 so you can still do y at 80" type stuff as well as tightening up a specific areas. The thing I'm mostly excited for is they have yoga classes and a pool. The pool is the thing I'll be doing once I research what you're supposed to do for swimming exercise.

I know I'm lucky. I'm not paying for it. A couple of friends work out with us so I'm getting social time in. I go with my fucking gorgeous partner who I get to stare out when I get tired of looking at myself in the mirror. He also showed up the first day with a whole workout routine already planned for me based on what I said I was interested in.

I hate it so much. I'm super grateful for. Two very contradictory things can be true at once.

*he would want me to say that he only did this after me bugging him about it a lot. I told him I needed him to start making me go with him and he was super self conscious about the optics of a male partner "pressuring" the female partner to work out. I told him it's not pressure if I'm begging him to do it. I'm very motivated by socializing and accountability

[coffeewithcalypso]

Love notes

[coffeewithcalypso]

I have a 1592 streak on Duolingo. That's after the long break I took after my break up. I've been doing it for around eight years now, with that depression break.

I have been increasingly annoyed with the gamification, the removal of forums, the increase of ads, the obvious fact that they removed forums to push you onto their most expensive subscription that will tell you what/why your mistake was, but with AI tools. I guessed pretty much within a month, based on in app trends and added features, when they went from a public to private company. That's wild even for me. I literally went "these updates are bullshit, they're clearly profit grabs, I bet the company went public" and a quick Google told me I was right. Their announcement this week that they were going to stop using people and start using more AI has pushed me over the edge. I'm pretty sure I'm deleting my account tomorrow. I wanted to finish out the friends quest I was in so I didn't leave someone hanging if they decided to stick with it. It's done.

Almost 1600 days. That's a lot of days 😭

[coffeewithcalypso]

My sign for the 50501 Hands Off protest on 4/19.

I took my partner to the one on 4/5 and it was his first protest ever. Which is wild since I've been going to protests since I was like five when my parents brought me to local March for Life walks. While my politics have obviously shifted since then, I love a protest. And apparently so did he. For the 4/19 one he bought stuff for us to make signs and started bugging all his friends because he was disappointed at how few of our friends who tend to be internet activists were there. It was very cute to see him get so into it.

[coffeewithcalypso]

I think I've said this before but the best thing you can do if you own a home is find people you trust who make expensive situations at least not stressful and for me that's my AC guy.

He consistently under promises and over delivers. He always gives an estimate range and it's always right in the middle of the two numbers.

Today he told me to call him at 8AM tomorrow (gross) to figure out what time he'd come by tomorrow because there was no way he'd make it out today.

Update: His guys are here right now. Yay!

PS I just went look at my previous post because I was pretty sure I was repeating information. And I also put "8AM. Gross." there too. Love that I'm consistent

[coffeewithcalypso]

My partner and I have fallen into a more or less every other day routine of which house we hang out at. We both have pets and don't want any of them to feel neglected but also, as the partner who was always at the other's house in past relationships, I don't want him to feel that way too. It is definitely made easier by the fact that his rental place is a two minute walk from my house.

The problem is this routine has been hell for my already subpar cleaning standards (or they're not, I've been told they're actually pretty high compared to a lot of people, I always feel like everything is a mess). First off my brain doesn't want to do anything that is work after 5PM or on weekends and unfortunately it categorizes cleaning as work. That's always been a struggle. But I also sometimes get a burst of energy late night and if I'm home I can clean. I also feel weird cleaning when someone else is around. And while he's always quick to offer to help that's weird too. He doesn't know where stuff is all the time and really just, it's not his house or mess (this is all my own stuff, nothing he has in any way implied, in fact he's started listing stuff he wants to fix or work on for me because he "is more invested in it than a rental place" since I own it). Given these two things, you can imagine how cleaning is falling to the wayside when we usually get together shortly after work most days. So that's a balance I need to figure out. I also just tend to prioritize other things, mainly socializing, over housework and chores. I am a very social creature.

In other news, the vet signed off on upping my allergy prone cat back to a steroid every day for however long this flare up lasts. So that's… something. Not great since he's still having the flare up when he usually responds well to the steroids. But at least they're a fairly cheap solution and she's willing to let me pursue that.

My AC isn't working. Is it a problem from the heater install? Is it something new? Who knows. My AC guy was like "it ran when we tested it". Which is true. The problem is now it runs for about 10 minutes and then shuts off saying there's a Y1 wire problem. He's coming tomorrow but told me to call him at 8AM. Gross. Sometimes I swear I'm one more problem away from burning this stupid house down. It's just so damn cute though.

My partner got his job and keeps saying he'll help with stuff (like the cat food my allergy cat may have to be one now, will definitely be on for 9 weeks while we do the food trial that is $75 for 7lbs!!!). He'll be making a fairly good amount of money (probably. Who knows what amount of money we'll need to be making to be comfortable in orange facist's economy. The sad thing is, his new salary would have been an obscene amount of money like ten years ago). But I'm not going to let him. I'll spend his money when we're married. In the meantime I'll struggle through. My poor little bank account.

[coffeewithcalypso]

After months and months (starting in the beginning of October) my bathroom is finished*, and I finally had the chance to deep clean the room outside the bathroom where all the construction debris ended up, which was tragically also the room you first walk into when you walk into my house. Also got the giant living room window that my yard guy shattered replaced and the trim to match the other window. I still have to paint. I loved my contractor but her time management was a nightmare. Other than that 10 out of 10. And I don't think any contractor in the world can time a project out correctly.

She also noticed and fixed the trim on a door that my dad installed a year ago but the new door was taller so the old trim didn't fit. So she replaced that trim and the opposite door's trim so they also matched. She didn't do it for free but she did it quickly and for fairly cheap.That also has to be painted.

So my last weekend was a lot of very intensive cleaning. I can breath in the common spaces of my house again. My bedroom and office are still a mess.

I told my partner I've learned a thing about myself that he should know if we're going to get married and that is that I hate cleaning. Which isn't ideal because I love being in a clean environment. Dirt makes my brain staticky. I dream of having pristine houses like both my grandmothers. I dream of being able to afford a maid. Working all day and then having to do domestic is stupid.

Speaking of my partner and money though, he finally has a job after six months of being unemployed. He actually got two offers in a day which he took weirdly hard because he had to make a choice (one that I considered pretty easy looking at the money on both) and it hurt him to disappoint the people at the offer he didn't take. He still doesn't start for another month but at least the end is in sight.

I ran a very expensive allergen panel on my cat that is always getting allergy flare ups and it provided frustratingly little guidance. A slight allergy to dust mites and plant fungus (and weirdly, penicillin) but my vet doesn't feel like that should explain his flare ups but that's where we are for now.

There's sun now and it'll be hot soon, which sucks. I am not a summer girlie. Things are good but everyone feels like they're holding their breath given the everything.

*there is a 2x3 section of wall above a closet that I need to paint but she never got me a piece of the wall to color match. And there's a three foot piece of trim she needs to install that she swears she cut the piece but can't find it

[coffeewithcalypso]

Even in my red town in my red state there was not only a Hands Off protest but a pretty decent turn out for it.

This isn't the best photo but I never get good photos at protests because I try to avoid people's faces. Just to keep everyone safe

[coffeewithcalypso]

It sucks that the reward for finishing my work day is cleaning my house.

Or on special days cooking and then cleaning my house