I’m trying for no one else but me.

My new job has been stressful, mainly because I’m getting used to my new schedule and the new things I have to do. It’s a lot of customer service stuff (answering live chats, phone inquiries, and emails) that I haven’t had to do before. But I’m getting used to the structure of how my days will go and I’m asking for help less often. I still hate answering the phone, but maybe that will dissipate with this job, since I’m supposed to answer the phone at least a few times each day. The manager told me it’s okay to tell clients I don’t know something and just take down their info to get it to them in an email, which is a relief.

I’m working on embracing my longer commute. I read a book on the Metro ride home, which is nice. Each block I walk from the office to the Metro station — two, it’s only two blocks — feels like it takes a century to get past. It feels like being in New York, except everything’s wider and it’s less busy. So it’s not like New York at all.

There was a duck standing in the middle of the sidewalk yesterday. Just chilling. She stared back at me when I looked at her as if it was the most normal thing she could be doing with her life.

Two weekends ago (time is crazy right now) we went to our friends’ wedding in Frederick, Maryland. I’d never been there before. It’s a cute little Civil War-y town with tons of independently-owned businesses. Besides the wedding, which was very fun and cute and good to see old friends, we went to the Museum of Civil War Medicine and Mount Olivet Cemetery, which has Francis Scott Key’s grave and memorial. I’m glad we finally went to this little historic town after living in Maryland all these years. Thanks for getting married there, Emily and Ashley. 😊

Boo’s surgery has officially been scheduled for next Tuesday. We opened a GoFundMe and received a bunch of kind donations to help us cover the crazy-high costs of it. She’s going to be cute with only one ear and no tail, but it’s going to be an adjustment, too. I think she’ll be fine with it after she heals. We’ll be the ones who are emotional about it for a bit. We received a generous grant from a volunteer organization, so some of her surgery will also be covered by them. She’s getting so much attention lately. She’s got a lot of fans and well-wishers.

My writing is going well, amidst all of these changes and new experiences. I keep reaching the next 500 words with no trouble, and I’ve come up with some fun plot ideas that tie things together. Just have to remember to actually use them. Does that ever happen to you? You think of a great idea (or even a good idea) and then you forget about it so you never use it? I wish I had a note-taking machine in my brain that transcribed my thoughts and ideas for later.

The other day, I was taking notes and I gave my thumb an annoying wound that’s finally healing. I used to write by hand all the time. I don’t miss it, if it’s going to hurt.