Today I did a lot of things. I am currently caught up on marking until the final. So I went to the gym (so fun!) and I went for dinner after by myself (so fun!) and I have been practicing my guitar on and off all week, especially since I didn’t have to go to London yet this week. So a lot of practicing throughout the day, five minutes here, twenty minutes there. I am starting to change chords easier. I know we are still not on the super DIFFICULT guitar solo in this song. So we are working up to it. But I’m feeling like maybe just one more week and I will be able to play the song through to what I know. I’m almost constantly getting the hammer ons correct now. I am mostly memorized for the beginning of the song, but I need practice. The teacher last week gave me the verses with the chords on them and it’s a bit helpful. But I realized I need to get the tempo right before trying to sing and play. But also some of the playing changes sooner than I expect when I’m singing it. So I just need more practice, is the answer.

I’m actually pretty impressed that I managed to keep up with practicing guitar. I know I am behind in my lessons though because I don’t have as much time to practice when I keep having to leave town. If I was learning a smaller instrument I would bring it with me, but also I don’t want my modestly expensive (for me) guitar to get broken and I just have a soft shell case right now. So I can’t bring it.

I’m also working on getting the course content into my Brightspace (the online portal) for students for the next class in the Winter term. I did a rubric for scoring their game design documents, but I realized I need to redo it to grade for the things they are supposed to include (lol I was tired when I started ok). I was just titling every week and putting a loose description into the module. So week 3 they learn how to make enemies and I wrote “Why make friends when you could make enemies?” in the module ha ha. Seriously though that week is just an intro to doing a health system and dealing damage. The week after we do healing which is also part of the health system, in case they want to have magic potions or medical care in their game.

Speaking of medical care, I cannot comment on the CEO of UnitedHealthcare getting shot because a) I’m not an American citizen, and b) I would not say nice things. But really I hope privatized health care does not get more of a foothold into Canada than it already has. I like having free healthcare, it makes me happy. And healthy! Like a good healing potion.

I should start thinking of my psych meds as healing potions. Although really psych meds are like if you had to take a healing potion every day twice a day to avoid turning into Someone No One Likes and is Maybe Afraid Of. Not that I mean to be scary. But mania is a Thing and it definitely makes me act a Way. Depression is a little easier for other people because I’m generally withdrawn, but while other people might be like “Aw Theo is sad” on the inside I’m like “I’m fucking dying ha ha ha where’s the nearest bridge?” Which is difficult on me as you can imagine.

Anyway, things are fine. I have some money, enough to have Christmas not be cancelled. And I’m going back on Friday to do my Final Exam and then coming back here on Saturday to do a zoom meeting and then a holiday dinner with other people in the housing place I am at. Busy busy! Next week I have a limited amount of time to get my last gym hours in before my top surgery revision.

I’m excited to see my finished chest. I know it will be a while to heal though. And I probably won’t share pics for a while until it just looks like a regular chest. I mean I was VERY excited with the first surgery because it was such a dramatic change. But this time it will be more subtle because it’s just to get rid of dog ears and some left behind side boob.

Todd is doing good, his bottom surgery healed well. The vet showed me his tiny under developed testicle that they kept in a jar of formaldehyde. Which looked like a long skinny mushroom.

Hard to believe Christmas is coming so soon! I need to get something for my mom. It’s the least fun present that she asked for, but that’s what she wants. I’ve got to clean my house tonight because I think I have some leftover energy to use, and it’s a mess.