Tag Archives: Cats

Two O’clock in the Morning Randomness

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! It is two o’clock in the morning in my corner of the world. I am not able to sleep at the moment. I am unsure why I am unable to sleep however I personally think it is part to insomnia as well PTSD symptoms. Having little to no sleep also does not help with my depression symptoms. All I know is I would like to get some sleep so I am not a cranky bucket.

I might as well as remind you my reader of why there are advertisements on my blog. I have advertisements on my blog to earn some extra money. However I don’t earn the extra money unless you click on to the ad and let it load. So with each little click to the advertisements on my blog earns me a few cents. I know it is not much money but it something. So, I don’t think I will discuss that advertisement thing again for another few weeks as I am sure you don’t want to keep reading about it as I am sure you are not big fans of the advertisements but they do earn me a few extra cents with each click.

Anyways it sounds like the wind is blowing hard and the rain is pounding against my bedroom window. It sounds like there is some nasty weather outside at the moment and it most definitely not the typical Seattle weather for this time of year although it is not unusual for there to be some wind from time to time.  I just hope this nasty goes away by the time the sun rises but I am not holding out hope for it the nastiness to stop.

Enough about the weather here in Seattle lets talk about it being two in the morning in my corner of the world and how Lil Gertie is happy that I am awake. She is happy I am awake because I have been playing with her to help me through the difficult moments I have been have due to not being able to sleep. This is the time of day she is most playful and usually doesn’t expect to play with me as I am in bed but I think she is happy she is able to play since I am up. I love my cat, Lil Gertie, so much. It is hard to believe that in three days from now it will be seven months since I adopted Lil Gertie. I love her so much and can’t imagine life without her right now. Oh yeah before I forget, I order Lil Gertie a new cat carrier as I have been using the box cat carrier I got when I adopted her. I bought it from Amazon last Wednesday and finally it was delivered last Friday. She still doesn’t like being in the carrier but she hasn’t fought going into it when I have but her in it and she has meowed when she has been in it. I have been putting Lil Gertie into the new carrier so she can get use to it and not so afraid of it. I keep her in it for no more than ten minutes to see how she reacts and no I don’t keep her in the carrier when I am not home. I keep the side entrance of the carrier open and down so she could go in and out of it if she wants. She has gone in it to sniff and quickly came out but hopefully she will know it is a safe place for her so when I do have to take her somewhere, it won’t put her in more stress. The last thing I want is to put Lil Gertie in stress out mode.

I think I am going to get going as I am wanting to attempt to get some sleep tonight. Hopefully insomnia gives me a break and that my anxiety, depression and PTSD symptoms continue to lessen so I can get some sleep. I want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things. You guys are all awesome!!! Peace Out, World!!!

Great News On The Therapy Front

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! I wanted to give you some great news that received in therapy yesterday (Tuesday) but first I need to give you some background to help you understand the great news. So, the agency I am a client of has this “level system” depending on the type of needs and care you are in need of. Level one is the level of highest need and it is based on some number algorithm system based a series of questions that the therapist answers and then the clients answers. So, when the agency put this “new model” into place I scored at a 42 three times in a nine month period of time which kept me at level one. When my current therapist did this past summer my score decreased to a 39 which is a good thing but still kept me at a level one. When we did the survey yesterday my score decrease to a 33 which puts me into a level to but since level ones are technically 39 and above and I just got to a below level one category and it can be based at the clinicians discretion and clients preference  to go down the level. So, even though I am technically a level two I can still be considered a level one and remain with a level one clinician to see if I am able to maintain being a level two and to continue to improve. My therapist says if I am able to maintain and continue to improve, there is high likely that I will have to change clinicians but it won’t happen for another six months or so and I will be able to see him for a month after the official transfer to a new clinician to help with the transition. If I maintain and continue to get better which I hope I do, I most likely will have to change therapist once again sometime between the months of April and June. As much as I like my therapist and don’t want to change therapist at least I know I am improving well enough that I don’t need as much care as I did this time last year. As much as I don’t want to change therapist and even though I am only six points away from being technically a level one I have to be acutely aware that I don’t self sabotage to keep my therapist. I need to remain focused on continuing to improve and hopefully be able to get a level four. I am excited that I am technically a level two and am very happy with my progress. I am proud of myself.

On that note, today (Wednesday) I am taking my cat, Lil Gertie, to the groomers. I am not sure how she is going to react and am fearful she won’t do well at the groomers. My biggest fear is her escaping. I don’t know what I would do if she escaped and couldn’t find her especially from the groomers. I know I am probably high anxiety for no reason but this is my fur baby I am talking about. I just don’t want her to be traumatized. She has been through enough in her life. She is starting to get little mats despite me brushing and combing her as well as her being a short haired cat. I love Lil Gertie and want the best for her.

Well, I have wrote enough for now and do not have much more to say in this post. I really want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated. I hope everyone has a great Wednesday. Peace Out, World!!!

A Monday With Struggles & Other Randomness

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! Today has been a Monday full of struggles. Struggles that are of concern to me as well as my therapist. I went into my mental health agency to attend a group and was able to briefly check in with my therapist. My therapist has some concerns about the increase of depression symptoms and self harm urges. We only talked for about an half an hour as we have an hour appointment tomorrow.

As concerned as my therapist is with increased symptoms he was “happy” that I decided to show up for a group today. Not just any group but Art Group. My therapist thinks doing art is therapeutic for me and I agree with him. It puts me in a better head space even just all so slightly at times. I am extremely grateful that I attended art group today.

I have been doing some good self care since I got home from my brief check in with my therapist and art group. I came home and immediately put my pajamas on and made hot chocolate.  As I sat down with my hot chocolate my cat, Lil Gertie, jumped into my lap. Drinking hot chocolate and petting my cat are two very good self care activities for me especially at the same time.

Now I think it is time to go. I need to get me something to eat. It is time for dinner. I want to thank you for reading my blog. It is very much appreciated from my end of things. I want to thank you for continuing to read my blog and enjoying what I have to say. I do not have much more to say in this post. So, thank you again from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Still Struggling This Monday Morning

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! It is still Monday morning in my corner of the world and unfortunately I am still struggling with depression symptoms which sucks shit. Since my last post and since I am still struggling I decided to email my therapist in hopes that he will call me at some point today to check in with me even though I have an appointment with him tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon. My therapist is usually pretty good with checking in with me when I email and/or call him when I am struggling.

Since, it is only ten o’clock in the morning in my corner of the world and am waiting for my therapist to get back to me, I have managed to do some self care. The self care includes me cleaning out the cat’s litter box (yes, I know that is weird), taking a shower and getting me some food to eat. The shower was quite helpful as I had not taken a shower since Friday evening. I had left over pizza for breakfast.

Another thing I have done since my last post as I wait for my therapist to call me from the email I sent is I went and picked up my meds. I am still on weekly med pick ups and I hope when I see my psychiatric nurse practitioner next week that she will be willing put me back on monthly med pick ups. I am grateful that I don’t have to pick up my meds from my mental health agency and am even more grateful that they aren’t daily pick ups.

Now, I think I am going to spend time with my cat, Lil Gertie, as she has been attempting to get my attention as I have been writing this post. I love my cat very much. This is my first holiday season with her and I plan on spoiling her for Christmas. She is going to be receiving a lot of toys.

I don’t have much else to say in  this post. I want to thank you for reading as it is greatly appreciated from my end of things. I am grateful for each one of you for reading my blog.  Again, thank you for reading my blog. I hope everyone continues to have a great Monday. I also hope everyone has a great work week. For those who celebrate Hanukkah, I hope your last days of your holiday are well celebrated. Peace Out, World!!!

Nothing Like A Nightmare Early On A Monday Morning

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! Well, it is Monday morning and people are starting to get up to get ready for their work day. I have been awake since two thirty this morning due to a nightmare and it is now five o’clock in the morning in my corner of the world. Waking up to a nightmare is absolutely no fun. At least my cat did her job and woke me up from the nightmare before it got any worse. Some how she trained herself to wake me up from a nightmare by either licking my nose or licking one of my big toes. Not sure how she trained herself to do that but I am grateful for it.

Since I woke up from a nightmare, I have been reading comic books and listening to music. Specifically, I have been reading Wonder Woman comic books and listening to Christmas music. For some reason reading Wonder Woman comic books and listening to Christmas music has been quite helpful for me the last two and half hours which I am extremely grateful for.

Now that it is five o’clock in the morning, I will be watching the morning news as I haven’t kept up to date on the news via television all weekend. I did however read the newspaper over the weekend. Sometimes staying away from the news is quite helpful for my mental health and this past weekend it was quite helpful as my depression symptoms have been increasing which sucks shit.

I don’t have much more to talk about at the moment. I want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things. I hope everyone has a great start to the work week. I also hope everyone has a great Monday. Peace Out, World!!!

 

Friday Night At Home In My PJ’s

Posted on by Gertie

Happy Friday Evening, World!!! I have been home for a few hours and have decided to spend my Friday evening in my pajama’s spending time with my cat, Lil Gertie. I spent the night at my grandpa’s last night. I got to my grandpa’s yesterday afternoon and didn’t get back home till this afternoon and it feels great to be home. In fact, it is nice to spend time by myself with my cat. My cat has pretty much been sitting on my lap most of the evening which is very relaxing for me.

I have pretty much done absolutely nothing productive. I have taken a shower and clean the kitty litter box but that is as productive as I am getting this evening. I have been listening to Christmas music as I read comic books. I am reading A Superhero’s Christmas volumes one and two. It is a holiday ritual that I do every year even when I am severely depressed as it is one thing I know I can do as a personal tradition. A tradition I have been doing for about eight years now. I read these two comic books multiple times during the holiday season.  The superhero’s are all DC superhero’s in the comic books.

I thing my Friday evening has been quite relaxing. I have a cat on my lap while listening to Christmas music and reading a Superhero’s Christmas volumes one and two from DC comics. How much more relaxing can a night be? I think I might even watch a Christmas movie but not sure yet.

I don’t have much else to say in this post. I hope you all have a relaxing Friday as well as relaxing weekend. Thank you so much for reading my blog. It is very much appreciated from my end. Peace Out, World!!!

Just a Bunch of Randomness

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! I hope everyone is having a good Thursday evening. I am spending the night at my grandpa’s. I am doing so, so I can spend some time with him. I will be going home tomorrow afternoon. Yes, that means my cat, Lil Gertie, is home by herself. I have a friend who happens to be one of my neighbors that will look on my cat tomorrow morning to make she is okay which I have no doubt the she will be. My friend understands the desire to spend time with my grandpa. He friend also understand the need to check up on my cat.

I was asked this morning via text to see if I could work tonight. I didn’t want to work tonight so I told them I couldn’t because I wasn’t feeling good. I wasn’t exactly lying when I texted that I wasn’t feeling well because I wasn’t when I sent the text. Even though I wasn’t feeling all that great when I sent the text saying I was unable to work due to not feeling well, I could have worked tonight. I just really didn’t want to work.

I have some good news. I emailed my therapist yesterday to see if he could come by my apartment to on occasions to check the cleanliness of it so I can be held accountable to keeping it clean for my mental health and the health of my cat. He emailed me back saying his supervisor said yes just as long as another staff member came along. I emailed him back saying I have no problem with that. I told him I understand that it is for liability and safety reasons. I am happy that my therapist supervisor gave him the all clear to help me be held accountable in regards to the cleanliness of my apartment. No my apartment is not a disaster area but I have started to let my household chores go in recent weeks which is a sign of my depression starting to flare up again. I am grateful that my therapist is even willing to do this and then asked his supervisor who approved it.

I don’t have much else to say. Thank you so much for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end as if it weren’t for you my reader I wouldn’t have a blog. Have a good evening. Peace Out, World.

The Evening Before Thanksgiving

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! Long time not blog. I can give you plenty of reasons why I haven’t posted in a while as well as plenty of excuses and have decided I won’t bore you with them. I’ll just go straight into what I am going to post about.

The last few weeks have been filled with anxiety. They have been filled with anxiety because my therapist was out of the office for three weeks due to health problems and finally came back this past Monday (11/19/2018). He still still didn’t look like he was feeling all that well when I saw him yesterday (Tuesday). But at least I was able to see him for a session without seeing him in almost a month. I had an extreme case of anxiety that my therapist wouldn’t becoming back due to health reason after what happened with Diana. Even though my therapist is back only part time due to his health issues, I am glad he is feeling well enough to be back. I just wish he was feeling back to his normal. But at least I will be seeing him weekly just as long as his doctors continue to say it is okay for him to work.

Another thing that has been causing me a great deal of stress for me is that my psychiatric nurse practitioner kept canceling on me due to a family emergency and a death in the family and I had ran out of refills for meds. But thankfully she refilled them before leaving to go to the funeral. I was finally able to see her last Thursday (November 15, 2018). She upped my new sleeping med and even with the increased, it still isn’t helping me fall asleep as quickly as I would like. At least the Melatonin appears to be helping me stay asleep.

Something else that I am not sure I have  mentioned but my regular doctor has been seeing me every two weeks as a precautionary thing to help me stay out of the Emergency Room (E.R) for both physical and mental health reasons. It appears to be helping. In my opinion it has been quite helpful.

Unfortunately, I did end up in the E.R last Wednesday (11/14/2018) due to an abscessed tooth. Thankfully, they were able to get the Dental Resident over from the Dental school to take care of the tooth and pull it. I am now on antibiotics for three weeks due to the severity of the infection.

On that note, I have been dealing with anxiety regarding the upcoming holidays. It is not just the anxiety I am dealing with in regards to the holidays, I have been dealing with the grief of this being the first holiday season without my grandma. I just wish the anxiety wasn’t so bad especially with the added grief. The one thing that has been quite helpful with the anxiety is my cat. She has been laying on my chest as I sit in my chair when I am high anxiety. She does this to help me focus on my breath. I find it quite helpful that she does this even though it hurts my boobs.

Well, I don’t have much more to say. Thank you so much for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things. I hope that I can post more often and not let things get in the way. Again, thank you so very much for reading my post. If I don’t post tomorrow, I want to wish everyone in the United States a very Happy Thanksgiving. Peace Out, World!!!

The Ways I Am Staying Awake

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! Right now I am trying to keep myself awake as I have work tonight (Sunday) 8:00 pm to 8:00 am tomorrow morning (Monday). The main thing that has been keeping me awake is watching a Harry Potter marathon on the USA network via Hulu. The other thing that has been helping me stay awake is doing some art work.

In all honesty I am enjoying staying up and watching movies despite really wanting to go to bed at the moment. I am enjoying the Harry Potter marathon immensely. At least I am not fighting off boredom and have something entertaining me.

I am also creating some great paintings. I finished one painting that I had already started and loved how it turned out. I also started and finished another painting and don’t really like it. I started another one but haven’t finished it yet. Not sure if I like it yet. I’ll see how I like it when I am finished.

Another thing that has been helpful with keeping me awake in my cat, Lil Gertie. She is active this time of night and I have been playing with her. I am so grateful that I have Lil Gertie in my life. She has been such help to me and my mental health challenges.

It is three o’clock in the morning in my corner of the world. So, I have two to three hours to go before I head off to bed. I hope I can make it as I don’t want to be a cranky bucket for work. So here is to hoping I am able to stay awake and able to sleep when I go to bed.

I want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end. I really am grateful for all of you. Have a good week. Peace Out, World!!!

More Monday Moodiness

Posted on by Gertie

Hello, World!!! It is still Monday in my part of the world. I am still dealing the Monday moodiness I wrote about in my last post. I am still dealing with depression, grief and isolation as well as other not so good emotions.

I have been doing things to help me through the rough emotions since my last post. My cat is now back sitting next to me on my chair. She is purring right now and the purring is helping calm me down.

I have also done some art work. I have done some painting. I am painting something for a friend of mine to give as gift to her as she has been of great support to me. I am not finished with the painting and she has no idea I am painting her something. I hope to be able to give it to her by Thanksgiving.

I have also been writing. I have been mainly writing poetry. Poetry that I hope to share with you my reader someday but not today. Writing poetry is quite helpful for me and I wrote a poem for my grandma in regards to dealing with my grandma’s death on Valentine’s Day of this year (2018).

Thank you so much for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated. I hope to blog again tomorrow. I hope to inform you how my doctors and therapy appointments go tomorrow. Thank you again for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!