5:30 a.m.: I’ve been up for a while with period cramps, but kept trying to fall back asleep without dealing with them. Why do I do this to myself? Anyway, I get up, take some ibuprofen, and go back to bed.
6:00 a.m.: Cramps are still being a nuisance so I take a hot bubble bath, which definitely helps. Nothing like a 6AM bubble bath!
6:30 a.m.: After my bath, I sit down on the couch with a new book (Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown!) and read for about 20 minutes, but it makes me very sleepy.
6:50 a.m.: I make toast and then sit down at my laptop to finish the blog post I’m publishing today. I also comment on some blogs.
8:00 a.m.: I get dressed, brush my teeth, pull my hair into a bun, and pack my backpack. I also take my meds and unload the dishwasher.
8:30 a.m.: I leave the apartment and drive to my local Whole Foods. Not for food! (I am much too poor for their prices.) But to do an Amazon return. Usually, I drop my returns at The UPS Store, but the only option for a free, no box return was Whole Foods. They had real Christmas trees right as I walked into the store, and omg, the smellllll. So perfect!
9:00 a.m.: I drive to my salon for a waxing appointment. Long story short, I have a condition called hidradenitis suppurativa, which means I am very suspectible to getting cysts, especially in my underarms. Last year, I had three different cysts become infected and it was quite an ordeal. Once I learned that clogged hair follicles could be the cause of these cysts, I decided to start getting my underarms waxed professionally. And ever since, I haven’t had a single infected cyst! It’s reason enough for me to keep getting my underarms waxed. Anyway, the appointment is quick and easy!
9:15 a.m.: After the appointment, I drive over to Starbucks for my weekly writing date with Mikaela.
9:45 a.m.: Writing date! I order a peppermint mocha and egg bites. I spend my time working on a blog post, commenting on blog posts, and responding to comments on my blog posts.
11:25 a.m.: Writing date complete. I drive home and I’m feeling pretty moody at this point. I’m guessing it’s related to my period, and I hope this moodiness will pass soon. I hate feeling this way!
11:45 a.m.: I’m home. I’m puttering around when I get a Facetime from little miss Olive (Mikaela’s daughter). I chat with her, her younger sister Eleni, and Mikaela while they get ready for a fun afternoon. Once we hang up, I heat up lunch (pizza leftovers from last night) and eat it while watching some episodes of Friends. My mom calls me while I’m halfway through watching a second episode, and we chit-chat for a bit. All of this puts me in a better mood!
1:30 p.m.: It’s naptime. I had another terrible night of sleep, so I’m not even setting an alarm. I’ll sleep however long I need to sleep.
4:00 p.m.: I’m up after a wonderful 2.5-hour nap. (And no, this won’t affect my sleep tonight. I’ll fall asleep easily because I AM BROKEN.) My mom has texted me some fun birthday ideas for me, so I spend time scrolling on my phone, looking at the different options.
4:30 p.m.: I putter around the house for a bit before sitting down on the couch with my book for some dedicated reading time.
5:07 p.m.: I call my mom and we chat for 30 minutes. Afterward, I order dinner. (I thought about going to Publix and getting groceries at this point, but I just couldn’t summon the energy. My energy is typically so low during the first few days of my period.)
5:40 p.m.: More puttering time. I add more ornaments to the tree, strip my bed and put the sheets and pillowcases in the wash, and tidy up around the apartment.
6:00 p.m.: Time for some dedicated blogging work! I mostly read and comment on blogs, and I’m feeling a lot more caught up than I was a few days ago. It’s helpful to have a quiet week with very little plans!
6:40 p.m.: I switch out the laundry and then put my big quilt in the washer. And then my food arrives! I eat dinner and finish up season 3 of Friends. Seeing Robin Williams broke my goddamn heart. What a treasure.
7:50 p.m.: Laundry is done so I remake my bed and switch my quilt to the dryer. I also hang up a photo and do more tree decorating. (I decorate the tree so very slowly, lol.)
8:20 p.m.: I sit on the couch for some reading time! I am really enjoying Atlas of the Heart. I’m envisioning a podcast episode out of what I’m learning, but I’m not quite sure what it will look like yet.
8:45 p.m.: I need to do things, but I don’t want to do things. So instead, I put on a podcast and finish a page on Happy Color.
9:00 p.m.: I do a semblance of a nighttime routine. I also shake out the litter mats and sweep up all the accompanying litter particles before scooping the litter boxes.
9:40 p.m.: Blogging time. I finalize the blog post that will publish tomorrow morning and comment on more blogs. My mom Facetimes me to talk about the Survivor episode she just watched (she’s watching a season I’ve seen before, so we have lots we can talk about!) and then, of course, we get to chit-chatting about other things, as we do.
11:00 p.m.: I’m so tired so I close the laptop, turn off all the lights, and head to bed. But before I can go to bed, I need to ask ChatGPT what this sharp, shooting pain in my head means. A brain aneurysm? A tumor? Will I wake up tomorrow? Since it’s not combined with anything like a fever, numbness, confusion, or vision problems, it’s probably not anything serious. Likely nerve irritation.
11:30 p.m.: Lights out.
END NOTES //
- Sleep score: 73
- Apnea score: 4.8 per hour
- Sleep duration: 5 hours, 40 minutes
- Podcast episodes: 4 (Sarah’s Bookshelves Live, Behind the Bastards, Beach Too Sandy Water Too Wet, Rob Has a Podcast)
- TV episodes: 3 (Friends)
- Facetimes with mom: 3
- Reading time: 1 hour (Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave – audiobook); 1 hour, 4 minutes (Atlas of the Heart)
saturday in the life: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014
Gah – less than 6 hours of sleep again. That is not good, Stephany! Ask me how I know. 🙁
Your day sounded great otherwise. I love that your friend’s daughter facetimed you and that you are an auntie to her and her sister! That is so sweet!
I need to check out this Brene Brown book. I haven’t heart much about it but it’s making you ponder a podcast episode it must be quite good! I just finished “Mornings in Jenin” which is a multi-generational story about a Palestinian family. It was so sad but that is the reality of the lives of many Palestinians. It was a real gut punch to read, though. Now I’m reading a memoir about living with a chronic illness called “What Doesn’t Kill You.” It’s kind of nice to feel seen by the author but gosh she has a hard life as she has Crohn’s disease.
That sleep, my friend 🙁 🙁 🙁
Stephany, you and I are sleeping twins. Ugh!!!! My brain always wants to look up symptoms right at bedtime, too, and I have to tell it no, we’ll do that tomorrow!
Eeee underarm waxing. I mean, I’ve never tried it but I’ve had my bikini area done for…decades, I guess. But for some reason underarms seem more painful. Anyway, who cares, I am just glad you haven’t got the cyst problem. I have a friend who has had exactly that problem and it’s awful.
I read that book – I think I found it underwhelming. But now I’m reading a different one by her for book club and I’m really enjoying it.
Ugh! Glad the bath helped! One time I had my period the same day I had a facial scheduled and I swear that hot table cured me. For that day LOL.
Oh my gosh! That is a brilliant way to prevent those cysts. I’m so glad you figured something out.
You kind of left us on a cliffhanger! I hope you are feeling better!
Your late-night googling of symptoms is very relatable! I’m sorry you had such an up and down day. Stupid hormones!
Eek, that sleep. I’m glad you got a long nap in. I’m glad it won’t mess with your sleep at night. The FaceTime is so sweet. Glad you have a good book to read. I’m slowly reading Yes Please, Amy poehler’s book. I started listening to Sandwich when I’m in a car or on a run.
Oof, that is a tough start to the day! But I’m glad it was a Saturday so you could at least lean into a lower energy day. THAT NAP… back in my 20s (before I ruined my life by having kids NO I’M JUST KIDDING) I used to take loooong afternoon naps sometimes, and I loved it. It just feels so good to lie down and not set an alarm, knowing you can sleep as long as you need to.
Ha ha… Eloise STILL looks like she’s plotting to kill me!
Haha consulting Chat GPT. I do that all the time too.
Slow decorating may be the next big things.