Monthly Archives: February 2024

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Mindfulness Meditation practice through the Calm App.
  • Daily morning walk
  • Read
  • Attend a virtual 12-Step meeting
  • Art (color or rock painting)

Monday

  • Mindfulness Meditation practice through the Calm App.
  • Daily morning walk
  • Work on recovery related workbooks
  • Read
  • Art (color or rock painting)

Tuesday

  • Mindfulness Meditation practice through the Calm App.
  • Daily morning walk
  • Work on recovery related workbooks
  • Read
  • Art (color or rock painting)

Wednesday

  • Mindfulness Meditation practice through the Calm App.
  • Daily morning walk
  • Work on recovery related workbooks
  • Read
  • Art (color or rock painting)
  • Attend a virtual 12-Step meeting

Thursday

  • Mindfulness Meditation practice through the Calm App.
  • Daily morning walk
  • Training via Zoom on Recovery and Eating Disorders
  • LGBTQ+ virtual group
  • Volunteer at PAWS Cat City
  • Read
  • Art (color or rock painting)

Friday

  • Mindfulness Meditation practice through the Calm App.
  • Daily morning walk
  • Attend Emerald House (a mental health clubhouse)
  • Attend an in person appointment with psychiatric nurse practitioner
  • Read
  • Art (color or rock painting)

Saturday

  • Mindfulness Meditation practice through the Calm App.
  • Daily morning walk
  • Go to U-District Farmers Market
  • Read
  • Art (color or rock)
  • Attend a virtual 12-Step meeting.

A Productive Sleepless in Seattle Type of Night

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! It is the middle of the night here in Seattle and I am not able to sleep. I really wish I could sleep but sadly, I am not able to due to insomnia. Having insomnia suck sh!t and I don’t wish it on anybody including my worst enemies.

Since I am unable to sleep I have been trying to be productive in some way. I have been reading Revelations; Fire & Brimstone Scroll 1 by Nikole Knight which is the first book in a six book series. I am about three quarters of the way in the book and I am really enjoying it. The genre is dark fantasy and gay fiction and discussed the book with my therapist when I saw her for my session with her this past Friday. She appeared to be interested in the book which is always a good thing. Of course as I read my cat, Billie, was laying my lap.

Besides reading, I have been doing art work as I listened to music. I listened to some old school alternative and grunge music. I mainly listened to Tori Amos and Nirvana as I did art work. The type of art work I did was coloring a giant poster I got from Stuff2Color.com. It is of an elephant. I also have started up painting rocks from a rock painting set that my uncle got me for Christmas. I am enjoying both the coloring and rock painting as I listen to music.

I do not have much else to write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Tough Therapy Session W/Some Awesomeness

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! It is another Saturday evening here in Seattle and despite having a challenging day due to PTSD, I am grateful for the awesomeness of the people around me. Awesomeness that my therapist idea helped with at the end of my session with her yesterday (Friday).

Long story short, my session with my therapist was quite challenging yesterday (Friday). We discussed a lot of childhood trauma shit. Shit that was some of the hardest crap I dealt with as a child. Hell, it was some of the hardest shit I dealt with in my entire life that I shared with my therapist. Anyway, at the end of most of my sessions we discuss ways to take care of myself especially when it is a tough session. I brought up the book I am reading and how it is in the dark fantasy and gay fiction genre’s as well how it is a representation of being in the queer community. My therapist suggested that I find things to do in the queer community such as sports league like kickball or dodgeball. She suggested this since she knows I thrived when I worked a a mental health agency that was queer focused and sadly the agency went under due to the lack of funding. My therapist also gave me an idea to join a book club that is hopefully with other queer readers or a book that is queer related.

On that note, I reached out to the queer community via a Facebook group and asked about queer sports leagues involving kickball or dodgeball. I signed up for a kickball team yesterday (Friday) and will sign up for a dodgeball team when sign ups open up next Friday (March 1, 2024). I am so looking forward to participating in both a kickball team and a dodgeball team.

Since I received a great response regarding queer sporting leagues on Facebook, I reached out regarding book clubs. I am in fact currently looking at book clubs and the books they are reading. Representation in books is much needed.

I do not have much more to discuss in this particular blog post except that I am grateful for my therapist suggesting me getting more involved in the queer community in activities that I enjoy doing. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Having A Hard Morning

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! I am having a really challenging time right now. I had to call the crisis phone number that is through the mental health agency I am a client at about an hour and a half ago. I had to call because of the miscarriage is hitting me hard and sadly has increased the self-harm urges. Self-harm urges I wish I didn’t have. Self-harm urges that I will NOT act on. (NOTE: I am not suicidal and I will NOT act on the self-harm urges.)

Anyway, after talking with the crisis clinician, we came up with a safety plan for me to do to stay safe till one of my natural support persons is available to talk with. The plan is to enjoy the weather outside and go for a walk. Granted it is cold but at least the sun is out here in Seattle.

Another thing is to hang out at home with my cat as I read. I am reading an amazing book about a college aged kid who finds out he has guardian angels that he has crushes on. The college aged kid is also figuring out his sexuality. I am only half way through the book and it is the first book in a six book series.

I don’t have much to write about in this particular blog post except that I will not harm myself in any way. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

A Brief Post About A Sad Event

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! I am not sure how to say this but I miscarried. I started feeling crampy about an hour after my last post very early this morning in the middle of the night. When I went to the bathroom, I noticed blood. My partner took me to the emergency room where doctors confirmed our worst fear of me miscarrying. This phucking sucks and I don’t know how to feel and I am just numb. I was supposed to have an appointment with my therapist this morning but was unable to go to due to being in the emergency room and I forgot to call her. I did send her an email and called her to leave a voicemail when I got back home from the emergency room. Thankfully, I have an already scheduled appointment with my OBGYN tomorrow morning.

I don’t know what else to say. Thank you for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

A Sleepless Type of Night in Seattle

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! It is just after two o’clock in the morning here in Seattle, Washington and I am sadly unable to sleep. Having insomnia on top of having PTSD with some pretty severe symptoms suck shit. Sadly there isn’t much that can be done but at least I have some pretty amazing people in my life to help me. Those people include the people I seek professional help from as well as friends and sometimes family. Let’s not forget about my cat who helps a great deal.

Since I have not been able to sleep, I have been reading or doing some form of art work. I am reading the first book in a six book series. The book I am reading is Revelations Fire & Brimstone Scroll 1 by Nikole Knight. So far I am really enjoying the book. The genre the book is in is gay fiction and dark fantasy.

Like I said earlier since I am unable to sleep, I have been reading and doing some form of art work. The type of art work I am doing is coloring. I am coloring a picture as well as a giant poster. The picture I am coloring I think I am going to give to my therapist and the giant poster I might keep for myself. I just hope keeping something for myself that I helped create doesn’t sound selfish of me to do.

I do not have much more to write about in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader continue to read my blog. If it were not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write on my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Depression Sucks

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! I am struggling with some things that I really don’t want to write about right now. I guess it is something that I sort of process in my own time in my own way. I am not even sure if discussing it with my mental health team as well as my natural support system would be helpful at this point in time as I think you could be more challenging to deal with if I did.

I just really don’t like struggling with depression and sadly I have been isolating which is not a good thing. I am making an effort to not isolate by reaching out to my natural support system. I am also spending time with my cat who is helping with my depression symptoms. Another thing that is helping is taking my daily walks in the morning and adding a second walk in the afternoon or evening. I also have been doing multiple mindfulness meditation practices on the daily basis. I know I need to do more but it is challenging to do when you are having morning sickness due to being pregnant.

I do not have much more to discuss in this particular blog post except I will do my best to blog on the more regular basis. I do want to thank you, the reader for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be continuing to write on my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Caturday w/Billie the Kat + a Friend

Posted on by Gertie

Happy Caturday, World!!! I have decided to start posting pictures of my cat and on occasions other cats on Saturdays as who doesn’t love to look at pictures of cats. For those who are site impaired or blind I will do a caption on the photo as WordPress allows folks to do this on their blog. Well today I will be posting two photos of Billie plus another cat named Rio that got adopted from PAWS Cat City.

Rio a cat who got adopted from PAWS Cat City as he waited to be visited to go to his new furever home.
Billie putting his head into my chip bag to grab a snack for himself.
Billie just being cute as always.

Well, that is it for this week’s pictures of the cuteness of my cat Billie and the sweet kitty that got adopted from PAWS Cat City. I hope you enjoy the pictures. Peace Out, World!!!