Inventory Overload+ 1 Day Off

 Yesterday, my daughter told me something I didn’t know that was quite hilarious. She said she remembers when Prince George was born (the oldest son of Prince William). She was 6 years old at the time, and she and I watched media coverage of William and Kate leaving the hospital with him. Yesterday she told me that she was disappointed, because she thought they were going to hold him all the way up like Simba. 

I never knew she thought that was going to happen! 😂 

Yesterday, Sunday, was the only day off for a while and for the foreseeable future (besides Christmas I guess). We’ve been doing this chain of Mexican stores that’s very small and homey. I like those stores. Being in them puts me in the mood to make Mexican food, but doing the inventories makes me too tired to cook. They ended on Saturday, and I had my daughter on Sunday. Today started this chain of very large Mexican stores. The same items but in a big box format. Because they’re so big, the other crews have come to town to help us out. They don’t put me in the same mood as the small stores. It’s just all around exhausting. 

I’m also tired but can’t sleep. Kevin had to go with the boss to Nacogdoches Saturday night- it wasn’t the first time I’ve slept in this house alone, but it was the first time I kind of felt uncomfortable. I’ve had my own place many times. But I feel like now I’ve been with Kevin long enough to know how nice it is to not be alone. 

Something is Wrong with my Cat

 

Maybe my cat Alex is just getting old. He’s 11 and a half years old. But he’s been acting weird lately and yes he has a vet appointment set up this week. 

One early morning last week, he was laying on my hoodie on the dining room table as we were about to leave for work. I tugged at it to let him know to get up because i needed it. He always complies, but this day he hissed his butt off at me. He got off the hoodie and off the dining room table, and just stood there staring into space doing angry meow. Kevin and I scolded him verbally. I offered the hoodie back to him thinking I would just wear another sweater. But Alex looked at me like he was getting his thoughts together and then gave me a sweet little “apology meow.”  

Then a few days later in the evening, we were just sitting around when Alex and Mitchell got into the biggest screaming match ever. They haven’t hissed at each other since they were getting to know each other. This was all out cat screaming. Kevin and I had to shout over him to “break it up.”  Finally it stopped, Alex looked around with the same expression and gave Mitchell the apology meow. 

Neither of these things is even remotely like him. He’s always been the best boy. 

Raised by my Kidnapper Interview

 For several years, I have followed the story of Zephany Nurse, who is a woman who was kidnapped from the hospital in 1997 when she was only two days old. Zephany was kidnapped by a woman posing as a nurse (the fact that her last name was also Nurse was a coincidence) and who had also been faking a pregnancy. 

The truth came to light when Zephany (now called Michè Solomon) entered her “matriculation year” (possibly South African version of a fifth year of high school?) and her biological younger sister entered the same school as a freshman. The two bore a striking resemblance. The younger girl went home and immediately told her parents that there was a girl who looked just like her at school. The parents did some leg work, and found their stolen daughter. 

A 90 minute podcast interview with Zephany can be found here. The interviewer is also South African, and I just love their accents. There are some accents in this world that I like so much that I automatically think everyone who speaks with it is beautiful or cute. This might be one of them. 

Christmas Presents

 

These are two presents I got Kevin for Christmas. He and I have been opening gifts to each other all month long. It’s just my daughter that wants to wait. He and I don’t care. It also helps ease the pain of being so overworked right now with year end inventories. 

These are in the TikTok shop and are food boxes from many different cultures. I got him the Japanese ones, although “Teoki Bokki” is apparently Korean. I can’t wait to try this. It’s apparently rice cakes with cheese sauce. Honestly, whenever I’ve eaten rice cakes, I’ve always thought to myself “This needs cheese sauce.”  

Ever since I ordered these, I’ve gotten ads for food boxes from all kinds of places all over the world. I was at my mother’s house yesterday telling her about them. When I tried to give her examples of the countries I’ve seen food and snack boxes advertised from, I said “Morocco, Australia-“ 

She replied, “Zambibi”. 

I sort of paused. My mom’s first language is English, but her mother immigrated here to the USA when she was still a teenager, about 19 years old. I don’t think she ever had English lessons as a child- it was all instant immersion for my grandmother- and my grandmother did this All. The. Time. Where she’d combine more than one language into one word. When my mom said “Zambibi”, she was thinking not only of the country in Africa called Zambia, but also of how middle eastern people call their significant others “Habibi”. I sort of laughed, unsure if my mom was joking, trying to be like her mother or what. Then just replied, “No. no snack boxes from Zambibi.” 

Songs I’ve Been Enjoying

 I’ve been an Enya fan since I was a very little kid, but I never heard If I Could Be Where You Are. It’s the perfect song for a missing person. A couple years ago, I tried blogging about each individual missing person that might be alive and why. It got overwhelming, because there are so many of them. Now, I plan to just write a “why a lot of missing people are probably still alive” post in general. May many of them be found alive in 2025. 

Courage to Change by Sia. Every time I hear a new Sia song, I like her more and more. Did you know that when I was little, I wanted to be called Sia because my Greek name is Dionysia?  Most Greek women named Dionysia are named Denise in English, but Denise didn’t flow with my maiden name. My parents wouldn’t let me go by Sia, though, and if I tried to now, it wouldn’t work because of the singer. Still what an inspirational song!

The Wayseer Manifesto is a little old. I remember when it came out over a decade ago. Some of the scenes are inspirational. Some kind of didn’t age well. I’m not sure if that guy was trying to start a cult or a movement, but the message is nice. 

Angry Hula performed at the Merrie Monarch festival in Hawaii always makes me cry. I love the lady that chants at the beginning. She looks like my godmother actually.  Another beautiful performance during another Merrie Monarch festival. 

Overcoming Depression

 I think being sick with the flu for just about a month sunk me into a pretty moderate amount of depression. I’m feeling better today, and I was also feeling better last night. 

The thing about depression is that I will take depression any day over feeling anxiety or panic attacks. Next month, it will be 11 years since I started having panic attacks, and they are no fun. I do not like to say “they’re worse than pain” because I don’t want to be struck with any kind of pain that is worse than a panic attack. I will always say that panic attacks are worse than any physical pain that I’ve personally ever felt, including childbirth. 

I’m done with my Christmas shopping, so that’s good. Kevin and I are exchanging gifts as soon as they’re delivered. That way, there won’t be anything on actual Christmas but we don’t care. I offered my daughter her stocking for St. Nicholas Day and she refused. So she’ll probably refuse also on her namesday which is 12/9 and her “half birthday” which is 12/11. She always loved getting away with opening small things on those small significant days, but now she wants to wait for everything on actual Christmas. I can’t believe this Wednesday will only mark six months until she’s an 18 year old legal adult!  Hooray for no longer having a custody order anymore. 

Tree and Holidays

 Here is a two second clip of my cat Mitchell biting the Christmas tree. 

We put up the tree, and my daughter came for an early Thanksgiving. She absolutely loves her room at my house in Waller. 

After she left, though, I got really depressed.  My mom came for actual Thanksgiving, and it was just her and I with Kevin and his parents.  She makes fun of me in front of them, and I’m not allowed to say anything to defend myself.  Eventually, I took my maximum allowed dose of anxiety meds, went back to the guest house where Kevin and I live, and fell asleep.  She ruined the entire holiday spirit, and now the depression is a huge fog.  It might also have something to do with the fact that I had the flu for a month idk.