Great Stuff
Sep. 22nd, 2025 10:07 amThis evening is My Friday, and then I have a three-day weekend I didn't ask for! !!! !
After that I am scheduled for six nights in a row, but none of them are overnights! Looks like Kyle is taking some time off. Good for him. And a little extra money will be good for me.
Apparently the shuttle to Pahrump is now happening twice a week - Sunday & Wednesday. I always work Sunday, but never work Wednesday, so I'm gonna request to go ASAP so I can get teriyaki. While I'm there I'll probably get a few things from Walmart, but I mainly want teriyaki.
One pakidge I picked up today contained my new electric kettle. Amazon delivered one last week without the fucking base that fucking plugs in, and I did not have time to wait around for them to replace it or send a new one that might or might not arrive with all the pieces, so after filing a complaint I just went right to Walmart and ordered another one.
So I am extra extra extra thrilled to have it! I'm going to begin My Weekend with some very tasty dorm room ramen!
Sooner than later I also need to buy tea, honey, and at least one mug. Oh, and hot chocolate!
My Sunday So Far!
Sep. 17th, 2025 01:43 pmMy plan for the day was not complicated, or any kind of big deal, but I probably would not have had the free time and the patience and the energy (all at the same time!) for it on a work day.
Around 6:45 I ate a weed brownie and made sure my backpack was fully stocked.
My new five-pack of Halloween socks arrived yesterday, and I washed them this morning, so today I wore the purple pair along with my Buffy shirt, so I felt comfortable and looked cute
At 7:45 I caught the shuttle from my building to the EDR and ate breakfast, then had a nice time in the community garden (mostly this involved reading Harry Potter while listening to music, but occasionally I took breaks to browse the web or write in my notebook).
At 11:22 I left the garden and walked back to the EDR for lunch. While I was eating I took my time, since I wasn't planning to catch the shuttle for another hour. One thing I did was check eBay, Amazon, and Walmart. None of them said anything was being delivered today. After lunch I walked to the post office and checked my box just in case, but nope, nothing.
At 12:30 I caught the shuttle from the EDR back to my dorm. I ate another weed brownie ASAP, then had a really great shower. As I type this, right now, it's currently 2:00 PM. I might have one more weed brownie (maybe a cookie instead), but even if I don't, I've already had enough today that my chances of going back to the EDR for dinner are quite "maybe, maybe not."
Although, if I do make that trip, after eating dinner I could always treat myself to a bit of ice cream, since it will still be My Weekend until the crack of 9:00 PM tomorrow. Have I had any ice cream since I got moved to The Gulch? I don't think so. Damn, ice cream sounds so fucking good, especially with two or possibly three weed treats in my system . . .
Anyway! Right now I'm going to watch something and eat some snacks. I feel pretty darn great.
Oh! Real quick before I finish this and close my laptop! Yesterday I rearranged the extra bed to create more space in the room. It worked very well, and now I cannot stop thinking about how, if I didn't know that HR will eventually be emailing me about moving into a studio and did know that they wouldn't make me have a roommate, I could easily fit a small couch in here. Backed up against the extra bed, facing that wall . . . if I got a table for it, I could have a fairly big smrt teevee and, you know, watch it from my couch! If I mounted the teevee to the wall up near the ceiling, I could scoot the wardrobe & the dresser a few inches to the left and have enough space for some kitchen stuff?
I mean, as it is, I have ordered an electric kettle and would like to eventually get a small microwave, small drink fridge, small ice maker, and maybe a few more small kitchen appliances. But what I'm saying is, there's enough space that I could even get some sort of cooktop and a few pans. Plus a blender and an Instant Pot and I'm not sure what else. The point is just, you know, if only if only, I could make this room even more comfortable & a lot more functional . . .
PAKIDGES: New & Incoming!
Sep. 16th, 2025 09:06 am1. The Adventures of Blue Avenger by Norma Howe
2. new work socks
3. Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
4. four dolls: Spin Master basic Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Luna
5. FOUR BOOKS: The Lost Slayer Parts 1-4 by Christopher Golden
6. three books (Sunshine; The Big Activity Book for Anxious People; and The Tough Guide to Fantasyland), new work shoes, cable organizer, and a two-pack of simple scissors
And now here's a list of everything that is currently on its way to me . . .
1. Fancy Luna doll
2. HBP & DH
3. lot of five Charmed books
4. Dawn Undercover
5. Dunk
6. The Tales of Beedle the Bard
7. Badtz-Maru as Grumpy Bear & some plastic organizers that were on sale
8. plastic storage drawers that were also on sale
9. more tiny trolls
10. laundry pods & mouthwash
11. lens wipes
12. five pairs of Halloween socks
And that's it! Obviously I realize that I do need to chill for a bit, but it's sooo easy to justify buying more books.
P.S. I purchased GoF & OotP on the 8th and the seller still has not shipped them. Yesterday I got a message that said, "Got an extra day off! Your stuff will be shipped out in a bit" --- but that was yesterday, and today those books still do not say shipped. Allegedly this seller has a very busy work schedule and Wednesday is usually their only day off, so I guess I just need to be patient, but come the fuck on.
Weekend Goals
Sep. 15th, 2025 10:37 am* Pick up more pakidges from the post office!
* Keep watching Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (this is extra exciting because my next episode just happens to be “Kimmy’s Roommate Lemonades!”)
* Listen to at least one episode of Gilmore Girls
* Read at least one comic* Keep reading Harry Potter
* Read other stuff
* Clean & organize my room
* Go to EDR for Taco Tuesday!
I passed out some time after 2:30, woke up at 7:00, caught the 7:45 shuttle, ate some breakfast, picked up ALL of my pakidges, and caught the shuttle home. As of this writing, I have not opened everything. But I’m about to start!
. . . Okay, almost everything has been opened! (Ah, the rush.) I got:
* an 18-pack of tiny trolls from Amazon, the only pakidge small enough to fit in my mailbox!
* Chamber of Secrets & Prisoner of Azkaban from eBay
* also from eBay, Cho Chang doll (yep, even cuter in person)
* NEW BOX OF EDIBLES, HAPPY WEEKEND TO ME
* four hand towels from Amazon
* toilet paper from Walmart
* and one box I haven’t opened yet because it contains birthday surprises from Frankie!
Obviously I would be thrilled to have all these new supplies anyway, but for bonus points: I have at least one new pakidge that should arrive today, so it feels extra great to clear all of these pakidges out before then.
Tomorrow I'm working another normal basic dinner shift, and as soon as I clock out My Weekend will start. Then on Thursday I do ONE overnight, then four more normal basic dinner shifts.
I have to say, I really like this better than five overnights in a row. A lot better.
I hadn't made any attempt to discuss this with Chef yet, but I have been trying to plan ways to continue doing some of my overnight cleaning tasks ever since he told me I would be going back to working evenings as soon as Eva left. I did cover a shift for her last week, and I was so tired that I didn't finish until 1:30, so I wanted to see how soon I could get out tonight. It was only a few minutes after eleven! I'm pretty sure I'll be able to keep mopping the entire kitchen every night without going into overtime? I'll see how it goes tomorrow..
Also, if My Weekend is scheduled to start at 11:00 Monday night and end at 9:00 Thursday night --- that's technically only two hours less than a three-day weekend!
________________
In non-work news: I have removed them all so I could actually purchase other things, but the other day I noticed that I had several Hello Kitty toys in my cart. Obviously I understand how it happened (I like to browse Amazon after having an edible), but it's weird. Yes, I really want that new Kuromi doll. Yes, she's so cool that once I get her I'll probably get My Melody and Hello Kitty as well. But, in general, I would be hesitant to actually spend money on Hello Kitty stuff I do not need.
HOWEVER. I really do want at least one of their Care Bears! Badtz-Maru as Grumpy Bear is one of the most perfect toys I have ever seen in my entire life. I must adopt him. Soon.
They also have at least two two-packs (Hello Kitty as Funshine Bear & My Melody as Share Bear; Hello Kitty & Cheer Bear) that just might be worth spending a little.
And speaking of Care Bears, of course I want the Elphaba one. Hunh. I just looked up Glinda, and unless I'm crazy, the bears in the two-pack are slightly different than the solo Elphie & Glinda. The two-pack gives them both sparkles. I'm fairly certain I prefer the solo bears. Who are actually cheaper! Both of them together would be $4 less than the two-pack. So that's good.
God fucking dammit, there's also a very cute Funshine Bear as Fiyero! And Tenderheart Cousin as The Lion, how perfect.
Hmm. Like I said before, of course I want the (solo) Elphaba bear. She's the only one I really Need, but of course I'll get Glinda for her because they are best friends and lovahhhs. The boys are not essential like the witches, but they are both very cute.
So yeah, as of this writing I have not actually spent any money on Hello Kitty or Care Bears, but I am seriously very tempted!
As for toys I have already spent money on, eBay says my Cho doll is waiting for me to pick up at the post office! My lot of four basic dolls is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow (which is technically later today since I'm typing at 1:00 AM), and Fancy Luna should arrive soon.
Books 2 & 3 are also waiting for me to pick up --- along with one small pakidge from Amazon, one big but not heavy pakidge from Walmart (it's toilet paper), and one box of new edibles. I am eager to collect every single one of these pakidges, especially the edibles and the BOOKS, but the earliest I can possibly do that is seven hours from now.
Oh, that reminds me, I just learned something I should have figured out a long time ago: Our post office is closed on Sundays AND SATURDAYS. I mean, the doors are unlocked and you can pick up anything that fits in your box, but if you need someone behind the counter to hand over your pakidges you have to go there M-F 8:00-4:00 (but not 1:00-1:30, they get a lunch break).
Straight Couples I Actually Like
Sep. 11th, 2025 01:10 am2. Luke & Lorelai
3. Emily & Richard
4. Sookie & Jackson
5. Lane & Zach
6. other Gilmore Girls honorable mentions: Babette & Morrie, Kirk & Lulu, Paris & Doyle, Rory & any of her boyfriends
7. Reed & Sue
8. Ron & Hermione
9. Molly & Arthur
10. Jake & Cassie
11. Rachel & Tobias
12. Viola & Duke
13. Nick & Elizabeth (the Parents who got Trapped)
14. Janine & Gregory
15. Gillian & Ben
16. Sally & Gary
17. Beauty & The Beast
18. Sokka & Suki
19. Giles & Olivia
20. Giles & Jenny
21. Willow & Oz
22. Xander & Cordelia
23. Phoebe & Cole
24. Green Lantern & Hawkgirl
25. Superman & Lois Lane
26. Dick & Barbara
27. Peter & Mary Jane
28. Brandy Cinderella & Her Prince
29. Rogue & Gambit
30. Raven & Beast Boy
More Doll Deals . . .
Sep. 10th, 2025 08:22 amThe first one I ordered was the deluxe Luna. I received a seller offer to knock $1 off the price, so her total cost including tax was $16.16.
And then I also ordered a lot of four basic dolls - Luna, Harry, Ron, and Hermione - for $21.50.
Finally, about an hour ago I ordered Cho for $17.23.
Less than $55 for six super cute dolls is not bad at all, but I am cut off until they start getting delivered. There are at least three more Hermiones that I really want. One comes with her Patronus and a robe, one comes with Crookshanks, and one is half of a two-pack that also includes Ginny. I also want another Harry who comes with Hedwig. And the back to school Ron.
I really wish this line had more characters. Like a lot more. Just off the top of my head, I would gladly pay for Gred & Forge, Neville, Parvati (note: could get a second one, put her in a Ravenclaw outfit, and introduce her to everyone as Padma!), Lavender, Angelina, Alicia, Katie, Wood, Percy & Penelope, Harry with Buckbeak, at least one Hufflepuff and Slytherin . . .
Once I have some of these in hand I may or may not order a few of the Mattel dolls as well, but like I said, I am much more into these ones right now.
eBay is fucking awesome.
Dolly Deals
Sep. 9th, 2025 10:07 amLike dolls.
Not just any dolls, but some of my childhood favorites!
They first caught my eye with 1990's Babysitter Skipper. When I was a kid my sister and at least one cousin had the blonde version of this doll, so I remember playing with her a lot. But I'd prefer the Black version, who I've found for as cheap as $55 plus $10 shipping, which is not bad at all for a vintage doll in the box.
And then there is Skipper's best friend, Courtney. Along with her Pizza Party doll (more on her in a minute), this one is the reason Courtney is one of my favorite Barbie characters in the history of ever. Seriously one of my favorite dolls of all time. And she's also available for around $50 still in the box. As soon as I saw her I was seriously tempted to order her right away even though I had already spent about that much money on books.
When you search for Pizza Party Courtney, the first result is only $33.20 --- and again, this doll from the nineties is still in the box. That price is so good. Augh, seriously, I am fighting the urge to order her right now. Especially with my birthday coming up soon.
I also had the blonde Pizza Party Skipper, and might get her again, but would rather have the Black doll. She's about $80, which still seems worth it for a boxed vintage doll.
Oh, someone is selling the blonde one in a lot with Courtney and Kevin for $95 plus $18 shipping. I don't know about that, though. I did have Kevin when I was a kid, so it would be nice to have him again, but I want him less than the girls. Plus, it looks like all three of them are missing a few of their pizza-tastic accessories?
Omfg, eBay even has the Pizza Party playset for less than $150. Okay, that one is easy to resist. I mean, it is cute and I would love to have it for photo shoots, but obviously I Do Not Need It At All.Okey-dokey, on that note . . . if I kept searching I could probably find even more good deals on dolls from the nineties, but I'm already tempted enough by these four, so I'll just post this and close all tabs and shut down my laptop.
Great Stuff
Sep. 9th, 2025 04:05 amWhich is actually pretty easy, because here's a big one: Eva is leaving soon! I'm only scheduled to work three more overnight shifts!
Speaking of work, my weekend started about fifty minutes ago!
I have ordered several ink & paper BOOKS (not just Harry Potter) recently, and the first one should arrive soon!
Three more pairs of the stretchy work pants I love so much are currently waiting to be picked up from the post office!
As I type this I am eating some olives! And I have other snacks, too!
Now that it's My Weekend, I am going to watch KPop Demon Hunters again! And more episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt! And other fun stuff!
I have plenty of comic books & book books to read!
GEN V SEASON TWO will start in like a week! (I probably won't make time to re-watch season one before it premieres, but still!)
My new electric kettle has shipped! Currently scheduled to arrive on Saturday! This is awesome because I already have ramen cups, three kinds of hot sauce, canned chicken, and single-use chopsticks!
Alrighty, that's enough great stuff. I'm gonna go watch something.
Productive
Sep. 8th, 2025 11:57 amWhen I got home I started some laundry, then put away all my stuff, then took another shower. A few minutes ago I put away my fresh laundry.
Also, I went to ebay dot com and ordered Harry Potter hardcovers four & five (the first three will allegedly arrive in a few days) and they suggested a doll I am seriously considering as a birthday present for myself. 1990 Babysitter Skipper in the box. For $55. Very tempting.
I think I want to try to spend as little as possible for the rest of September, though. I mean, obviously I will continue to treat myself to new books & more edibles, and I can never have too many snacks, and if I need new toiletries I will buy new toiletries, but I can wait to purchase any new furniture and slash or appliances (with the possible exception of a small drink fridge). If I do buy anything non-essential, it should be more work clothes (that reminds me, I legit need to order new work shoes pretty soon) or maybe rugs or something else for my room that is small and easy to carry.
But yeah, my general plan is to save as much as possible between now and October. While meeting my needs and occasionally treating myself.
Books I Want To Buy
Sep. 2nd, 2025 05:51 pmEarlier today I ordered the first three Harry Potter books on eBay, which is very exciting. When the first one arrives I'll order number four, and so on until I have all seven. (Will probably also get Tales of Beedle the Bard, but that's a bonus book.)
Other books I would definitely buy right now if I had unlimited money & unlimited storage space include . . .
* all five Tiffany Aching books
* other books about Discworld witches
* Sunshine, Spindle's End, and Born Confused
* Brown Girl Ghosted
* Practical Magic
* comic strip collections: Calvin and Hobbes, Get Fuzzy, FoxTrot, maybe others?
* Claremont X-Men omnibuses
* STORM Volume 2
* Animorphs, of course
* Please Don't Kill the Freshman
* Kelly Thompson's Captain Marvel omnibuses
* Spider-Girl
* BUFFY BOOKS & CHARMED BOOKS, HECK YES
* Replica
* SVJH
* Byrne Fantastic Four omnibuses
* Byrne She-Hulk, too
* more collections focused on Monica Rambeau
* Harley Quinn, duh
* Poison Ivy
* X-Men Blue
* Jean Grey (this is the ongoing series about the teenage version of the character, not any other book that may have been named after her)
* Morrison X-Men omnibuses
* Scarlet Witch
* Runaways
* BKV's run of Ultimate X-Men
* Thessaly
* Fables
* all of the Animorphs graphic novels, duh
* honestly, lots of other comic books and lots of other book-books . . . but I've already listed far more than I have space for. I'd love to buy them all, but they would be pretty heavy on moving day, n'est pas?
Things to Buy for My Room
Sep. 2nd, 2025 05:15 pmBut you know what I could buy now? A teeny-tiny drink fridge. And a small microwave.
This realization has made me spend a lot of time thinking about other things I might like to buy for this room, because hopefully they are small enough to not feel like too much of a burden on moving day. Here is a list!
(If it's in bold, it has already been ordered. Heck yes.)
(Note from the future: Yeah, I thought I would be putting a lot more things in bold. Heh.)
* more towels
* electric kettle
* tea bags
* mugs for tea
* honey for tea
* at least one more lamp
* ice maker
* LEGO flowers
* vase(s) for LEGO flowers
* Buffy tote bag
* at least one more pillow
* more plastic storage
* 4-tier snap-together shelf for new towels
* one or two exercisey things
* back-up personal fan to wear at work
* whiteboard? corkboard? some sort of board with organizational powers
* can always use more notebooks
* and pens
* and highlighters
* this set of pretty office supplies
* more work pants
* more work socks
* WICKED the novel (I want to read it any time after my birthday because I'll be thirty-eight, which is how old Elphaba is when she dies)
* speaking of, books I want to buy deserve their own post
* another blanket or two
* re-stock hand soap, bar soap, mouthwash, cleaning products, etc
* handheld vacuum
* LOTS AND LOTS OF SNACKS
* at least one more water bottle, please
* Gilmore Girls: The Complete Series (DVD)
* some sort of portable DVD player
* maybe I should even buy a small generator? Definitely worth it just to have my fan during power outages . . .
Let's start with work.
Ever since I found out they switched me to nights by showing up for my usual dinner shift and reading the schedule, I have been and still am pretty paranoid that something like this might happen again. Oh stupid Ryan, didn't you know you were supposed to be here two hours ago? Stupid Ryan, didn't you know that as of one minute ago you're fired?
To make it even more difficult, my body is still not adjusting to the change very well, approximately six weeks later. Apparently, the last time I worked overnights, I was three years younger, and my job was mostly standing around. Who knew, being almost thirty-eight and doing lots of difficult physical labor five nights a week is fucking difficult.
Especially with my housing situation being in limbo. Are they still moving me to The Annex? And if so, WHEN? I still feel like it would be kind of dumb to buy any more furniture until I do move, but at this point it's been almost three weeks. Is this normal speed for HR, or are they waiting for someone to move out? If I email them to ask what's up, will they even remember what I'm talking about?
I have missed quite a bit of work since switching to overnight cleaning. Two nights ago Chef had to ask me to sign a write-up. He said that he really didn't want to, but corporate protocol blah blah blah. I briefly explained about how I'm struggling to adjust to the daytime sleeping and settle into a routine, and even a little bit of the housing limbo situation. He was sympathetic. He also mentioned that we are going to be losing Eva in a few weeks and her replacement is going to be me. This is wonderful, because I really miss sleeping at night and getting paid to just wash dishes, but it does make me concerned that they might make me have a roommate again. Chef said he doesn't think they will, I can't remember if he had a specific reason. But that really does make me wonder if they're still moving me to The Annex. Or will HR still think I'm working overnights, since apparently no one tells them when my schedule changes?
(This also means that I'll have to deal with another big change soon, and for the moment my work schedule, like my housing situation, is in limbo.)
I'm also really struggling with the fact that this resort is owned by a billionaire, but the kitchen in the literal hottest place on Earth doesn't have a much better AC. And that's not all, the kitchen is sort of falling apart. The orange hose, dish hose, at least one line fridge, at least one cooler, and at least two little spots right over the dish pit are leaking. How long will it take them to fix this? Will the ceiling collapse first?
Also, I haven't been able to clean the hood in over a week because the big ladder disappeared. Chef said he's working on getting another one, since that one technically belongs to Engineering - which is fine, but again, this place is owned by a billionaire. We should be able to do things like buy a fucking ladder.
Whether they keep me at The Gulch indefinitely or actually move me to The Annex, I will be a short walk away from work, so I won't need to worry about catching a shuttle home, so I could still do most of my overnight cleaning tasks pretty regularly. But I might need to start a little later so I can stay later without risking overtime? Hmmm. But, I mean, if nothing else, I could regularly sweep & mop all of the floors. That doesn't take too long, but it does make a big difference (Michelle has told me so at least twice), but it didn't get done before because I was always racing to finish everything in time to catch the last shuttle and often failing. The cooks, servers, and dishwashers all sweep & mop their own areas of the kitchen nightly, but everybody is so pressed for time that they can't be bothered to make the floor a priority, since after all it is there to get walked on. But I'm fairly certain I could do them all in less than an hour, even after a full dinner shift of dishwashing, every night. I could even deck brush two or three sections every night without taking too much extra time. Filtering and/or emptying our two fryers is also fairly easy. I could still sweep & deck brush behind the line once a week. Cleaning the mop sink as needed is simple. Can't clean the hood again until we get another big ladder, which is actually fine because that does take a lot of time and also it's gross, so I support the idea of letting the cooks do it themselves once a week or so. (I mean, obviously I am willing to do it myself, but they're gonna have to schedule two hours for me to get everything as clean as possible.)