People won’t let me be great. I made a lot of money in my business in 2020, considering I was doing it part-time. Imagine what I could have done if I wasn’t required to do overtime at my day job AND I wasn’t suffering from gastroparesis.

A dream deferred. I won’t say that capitalism kills dreams, but I will say big corporations can. Some small businesses can too. Think about the person at a small law firm who wants to become a partner (to make more money). That person can’t work 8 hours a day. Maybe 10 hours on most days and 12 hours at least twice a week. So it’s not just big companies.

I used to really admire Japanese culture because they value quiet, and you don’t have to look people in the eye. But I recently learned that they ADMIRE overworking. WTF? That’s some American bullshit, or so I thought. I still wish Americans didn’t think negatively of quiet people.

Anyway, it’s Saturday night. I still have 5 hours and 20 minutes of overtime time that I MUST do tomorrow. yay. fuck that shit. The money isn’t worth it most of the time, but since things cost more, I’ll take anything.

I got a $100 gift card from work for participating in a series of surveys. I was going to buy food, a refurbished iPad Pro or a printer. Next year, I will probably wish I had bought food. Instead, I found out the iPad only has 32GB, and it’s from 2017. I want it for business. Do I NEED it? No. It would be nice.

Instead, I’m going to buy a laser black and white printer. I’ve had bad luck with color printers, and I definitely don’t need color. This will be 50% for personal and 50% for business. I miss having a printer. I’m going to get a 2-year warranty. I will probably order it on Friday. I need to ensure I will be home when they deliver it. Here is the printer I plan to buy:/

I’m not doing anything for Thanksgiving. Per usual. I’m not going home. I’m going to be off from my day job Wednesday through Sunday. Friday will be the only day I will do NO WORK. I will read, color, knit, organize my computer, etc. Organizing my computer is like work, so I might put that on another day.

Wednesday and Thursday will be 60 degrees. I will probably take my dog to the park on both days. It’s supposed to rain on Friday. On Wednesday, I might go to the Dollar Store ($1.25 Store), a grocery store, and a thrift store. I want 2-3 sweaters. That should be easy to find. I have yet to go to any thrift stores in the area. I hope to pick a good one first because I’m not going to visit more than one.

Thursday will just be the park because nothing will be open. On Friday I’m staying home. I wish I could go grocery shopping, but it’s not a real option on Black Friday. So I’m grocery shopping during the first week of December.

My stress was getting lower, and now they require overtime (ten hours!). I’m okay with it this week because I’m only working two days next week. And then, the week after Thanksgiving, we have more required overtime. Okay. I can PROBABLY do all that. But 10 hours extra back-to-back. Uh, please don’t count on it.

I don’t like people fucking with my health. My stomach is more sensitive. I didn’t work overtime on Monday afternoon because of stomach pain and nausea. I laid down after I did 8 hours and slept almost all evening. That’s why I have to work 5+ hours tomorrow.

Well, I have to get back to work/freelancing. This is a busy time of year for my business too. I can’t wait until around December 20th. Things should slow down. In 2023, I will focus on publishing paperback books on Amazon (coloring books for adults, journals with prompts, planners, etc.). I need to think of a pen name for those books.

Why am I still rambling? I have more work to do if I want to go to bed at 11.

This Week I…

Music of the week: John Mayer, Elle Varner, Lindsay Lohan, Brandy, Carrie Underwood, Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Aaliyah

TV of the week: The Watcher, Survivor

Podcasts of the Week: The Vanished, Cold, Lost in Panama, The Daily, The Piketon Massacre, The Higher Practice for Optimal Mental Health

Books of the Week: I have only finished one book since posting. I’m behind on reading and doing everything. I finished:

I finished I’ll be Watching You by M. William Phelps yesterday. 4 stars. ★★★★ It took me forever to finish this book. I kept starting different books. Personal notes: This shouldn’t be an audiobook, or they should not have read all the chapters. It was annoying the way it was done. I’m pretty sure I’ve read other books by him. Not an audiobook and the sections don’t aren’t annoying when read. I feel like the book could have been shorter. Ned or whoever killed people. He wouldn’t admit it. Of course, I feel bad for the families that don’t know where their family member is so they can bury her. Ned is in jail. Probably should have never gotten out. I can’t remember the details. If he is in jail for life, it’s selfish to not say where the bodies are. Now, if the death penalty is on the line, I get why he isn’t admitting it.

Goals for Next Week:  Yay for only working two days at my day job! This is the first time I’m getting more than the usual Thursday and Friday off. I hope I get some rest because I will be busy with my business until mid-December. And it could be busy at my day job for months. I can’t predict that. I want to clean up next week. I was supposed to do it today, but work got in. I also want to catch up on hobbies.

Weekend Plans: I’m working my day job tomorrow and do whatever I don’t get done today.

Thanks for reading. Have a good holiday if you live in the U.S. and celebrate.