the big nine

it got worse before it got better. it took another couple of hours before i was finally able to get some sleep. during that time i watched random shit, did bloons: adventure time quests, and played inscryption.

i had a revelation while playing inscryption - instead of investing in beating the game, i made a conscious decision to try and just enjoy playing it. i also started "cheating" - the battles only save after they're over, so if you mess up you can just bail and continue from the previous save point.

i ended up completing the 11th challenge level of kaycee's mod before crashing.

the morning started off well, although i was still struggling to formulate a plan of action for when i arrived at the office.

mr smear turned nine years old today! we managed to make it really nice, and special, and he had a really good time. except for the bit where gd took him to the mall in the hope of finding something to engage him / a birthday present, but once they got there he just wanted to come home and wait for me to take them to goodness.

i had an intense day at work, which began with me taking aside my coworker (the "lead" from yesterday) and together we cleared the air and had a productive (albeit somewhat heated) discussion. the whole thing was an enormous relief. that was followed by sprint meetings where we took those points further, and aside from a moment in which my boss repeatedly told me to stop shouting at him* i felt that even the items i wasn't happy with were at least addressed and given some thought.

* i was fired up, everyone was talking over each other, and i hadn't realized i was shouting - so that was embarassing...

the rest of the day was pretty intense, but ultimately successful.

i walked home, and we got ready, and we took the bus to king george. the bus driver was a maniac, and although getting through to the bus' service agent was a frustrating mission it was really nice that the app we're using (rav-pass) makes it easy to get all the actual bus's details and i could be sure that the bus company knows exactly who i was reporting.

our experience at goodness was excellent. the service was a bit off - though it was understandable as they were very short-staffed - and they no longer server the dish mr smear was specifically excited about, but the food and drinks we ordered were delicious and the experience overall was fantastic. not least of which being that mr smear behaved well even by an adult's standards, and he thoroughly enjoyed himself and his food, and the whole thing was just a real pleasure and felt worth the expense.

we got home reasonably early, and after showering and drawing we had a smooth bedtime. all in all, it was a grand day for mr smear ^_^

now... praying to be able to catch up on some of the sleep i missed last night. the war anxiety's still there, and it's *very* frustrating that our western allies are asking us to shoot ourselves (and our credibility) in the foot by exercising restraint, and we've already suffered more casualties up north. here's praying for a peaceful night 🙏