#365Gratitude Day 49:There's hope for me yet

So, one of my bigger weaknesses has to do with clutter.  It's my kryptonite.  I do well when I have order around me, and I have to work hard to overcome clutter when my stuff gets cluttered.  I think what happens is that, in my head, the amount of energy and time it'll take to create order-out-of-the-chaos gets magnified, and I shy away from it.

Every so often though, when I've got some clutter going on, I can find the energy and drive to do something about it.

Case in point, the hope chest in our bedroom.

Missy and I had a plan for this thing.  It was going to be the comfy place to sit where I put my shoes on.  What it turned into was the "here's where unfolded clean clothes get dumped when you're too tired from being up too late doing things" spot.

I went out of my way on Saturday to reboot that sucker, successfully.

CLEANING WARS, EPISODE IV:A NEW HOPE... CHEST

It didn't really take too long.  About an hour of folding, hanging clothes, and being deliberate about things.  And I'm grateful for it, because the very exercise has shown me that succumbing to the clutter isn't a foregone conclusion.

It makes me want to straighten up my home office too.

I feel like such a grownup.

#365Gratitude Day 48:That's money

On Friday I was working from home when I got a mail from my boss to get in touch with him about my "annual pay increase."

I thought that was a funny, and very promising way to refer to going over my performance review.  I was right, too.

I gave him a call, and he told me about the nice raise I was getting, said I was approved for at least one, if not potentially both of the training/conference related things I wanted to do this year, and said this wonderful thing to me, about how I'm "one of the most trusted and valuable employees at the company."

Damn, that felt good.

I've been at my current gig for about two years now.  Before that, I was at a much larger company, who treated me very much like a number, or perhaps a tiny, very replaceable cog in a giant machine.

I don't talk about my day job very much here, for a number of reasons, but I sure am grateful for it.  It's terrific to work someplace where I make a difference, and am appreciated.

#365Gratitude Day 47:Ah Bagels, anyone?

This morning, while updating my blog and doing just a wee bit of random surfing, I stumbled across an amazing piece of ABDL art.  

This one:

Sick and Clingy, by Ah Bagels

In it, a guy with longish red hair, a wet diaper and a shark plushie lays in his sick bed, in his room filled with shark related things, as he's being lovingly tended to by a caregiver with a bottle.

AMAZING.

It's by an artist who goes by the name "Ah Bagels".  I found it at his tumblr.  I had a look through his tumblr, and his stuff is brilliant.  I think I'd like to commission some art from him, based on my writing.

#365Gratitude Day 46:The groove

Yesterday did not seem like it was going to be a high productivity day.

First, there was the absolutely wretched night of sleep I had had the night before.

Second, there was leaving the house late, due to dealing with cat litter maintenance nonsense, and having to stop for gas on my way.

Kinda like that

Third, there was the long lunch I took to meet up with a relative I hadn't seen in about 15 years.

But, as the day wore on, I found my groove.

Something I had been researching and tinkering with for days just sort of clicked.

Also like this

I was going to stay late anyhow, but I found my second wind, and stayed much later and got most of the feature I was working on, well, working.

I went from feeling tired to feeling determined.  At one point, I said, "well, this is a good stopping point, I can come back to the rest tomorrow."

Then I said to myself, "right... fuck that keep going."

When I got home, I was plenty tired.  But I felt good.

#365Gratitude Day 45:A quiet moment of cat love

My girlcat Yin is all over me lately.  She is constantly laying on my lap, bumping her head into me for petting, and has taken to laying on my chest in bed, too.