What Happened To Me?!: Volume 1, Chapter 10

 

WHAT’S ON MY MIND

Daylight Savings Time. The only benefit of DST is having something to distract me while my body adjusts to doing things an hour later. 

Sunday is also the one year anniversary of Terri’s passing. I still fondly remember how my big, fluffy girl would snuggle beside me and purr like a vintage muscle car as I lied in bed.

WHAT I REDISCOVERED

The joy and simplicity of listening to music and podcasts via Sony wired earbuds. The noise cancellation is top notch, and they’re great on phone calls. It’s also one less electronic device to tether to a USB cable at the end of the day. 

I think I only paid about $30 for them about a half decade ago.

WHAT I ATE TWICE

Zoodles. Once with roasted chicken breast, and another time with andouille sausage. When they’re cut, prepped and cooked properly, zoodles are divine and a healthy replacement for pasta.

WHAT I BOUGHT IN GTA ONLINE

This Canis Terminus is mostly based on the 2024 Jeep Wrangler, and the license plate says HIMECHAN. Hime plus the chan honorific means “cute or adorable princess”, so it’s self explanatory when you see this vehicle rolling around San Andreas.

WHAT I LISTENED TO

The Chuck Berry Disgraceland podcast was unnerving since I had forgotten about his troubling legacy with the passage of time. That dude was a pure, unadulterated hentai back in the day.

WHAT I READ

Rent-A-Girlfriend, Volume 23 is leading up to something big. Will Kazuya finally tell his rental girlfriend Chizuru that he’s been in love with her for the past 1.5 years? Will ex-girlfriend Mami spill the truth about their rental relationship to Kazuya’s family and friends? And what about Kazuya's trial girlfriend Ruka? 

Those questions won’t be answered in English until May, so all I can do in the interim is admire the flickering flames on that dumpster fire.

WHAT I WATCHED

Qualifying for the Super Formula season opener at Suzuka was last night, and my fears about Juju Noda being rushed into Japan’s top open wheel series before she’s ready were justified. She was over four seconds off the pace, slow enough to become a safety hazard to other drivers during tonight’s race. 

Whoever made the decision to sacrifice her career for the sake of making Japanese motor sports history deserves a good slap or three. However, there’s a even more deserving defendant in Slap Court this week…

WHAT MADE ME SMILE 

I’m thrilled there will be a second season of I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level in 2025. Lady Azusa is the Audrey Hepburn of anime, and I love that she’s become a wholesome, maternal figure for various women and girls that have enriched her new life as a witch. 

In a world littered with MTGs and Groperts, we need more Lady Azusas to balance the scales.

WHO’S IN SLAP COURT THIS WEEK

The defendant: TurboTax, aka Intuit

The crime: After reviewing my tax returns the other day, I pointed out egregious errors and omissions in my income that at least two people at Intuit missed. 

The verdict: My sadistic side is worse than five slaps, and I may or may not have made the tax pro shut down or cry during our last call. I demanded they redo my tax returns and get back to me next week, so this drama is currently without a resolution.

WHO DESERVES A FIST BUMP

I’ll take this one. I gave myself a crash course in reading and understanding combined 1099 statements, a necessary step for me to do my own taxes again going forward. Why should I pay Intuit hundreds of dollars to fuck up my tax returns when I can do that for free? 

All kidding aside, I have a Business Administration degree issued by one of America's top business colleges and it's emphasis is in accounting. The only reason I let Intuit handle my taxes in recent years is that on first glance combined 1099s looked like they were written in a foreign language. 

Once I learn how to properly fill out the supplemental forms for my investment income, I'm confident I can do my 2024 taxes myself next March.

WHAT’S UP WITH MY HEALTH

My eye doctor advised me that people diagnosed with my hidden disability often suffer deteriorating vision. Mine remains unchanged for going on nearly a decade, so that's cause for celebration. So is the fact I lost 3.6 pounds this week. I’ve now officially crossed the 50 pound weight loss threshold. 

WHAT’S UP WITH MY WRITING

I used this week to concentrate on improving my writing and editing skills so they’re on par with what’s being traditionally published. While I’m pleased the first chapter now reads like I breathed life into it, a part of me still doesn’t believe it’s suitable for publication. 

Maybe I’m right? Maybe it’s just my perfectionist side trying to sabotage me?