I am a little curious as to where the weekend went.

The 10th went to my boyfriend. It was his 55th birthday, and we spent our fair share of time celebrating his existence. It all started at breakfast. His friend owns the restaurant, and he covered our meal. The staff brought a slice of cheesecake with two candles lit, and everyone in the section sang to him. Yes, even customers. It was surround sound “Happy Birthday” echoes. He won’t admit it, but I think he was touched.

The rest of the day was quite relaxed, though. He went into a carb coma, a nap for non-overindulgent people. While he slept? I worked.

I worked my darn butt off.

I postdated a lot of content, equally spread between Stitched Business Solutions, LinkedIn, and X. I coordinated the posts to relate. The social post is a hint, and the blog discusses the topic more deeply. I felt this was the right approach to showcase my skills. I have the knowledge, and want to prove my credibility.

It was exceptionally productive and put me in a good place with my workload for this week.

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Sunday was Mother’s Day. As a mother, I was overwhelmed with gratitude from everyone. My daughter sent me the first well wishes, of course. She is my only child. I’m so proud of her. She is growing up into an amazing, responsible adult. I’m genuinely proud of her tenacity.

I received well wishes all around, though. From breakfast with my newly leveled-up boyfriend to Mother’s Day wishes from friends far away. Ed’s son shared a little Mother’s Day greeting my way. His girlfriend did the same, and I returned the greeting to her, of course.

As I feared, every restaurant was packed at breakfast. We went to one place we visit frequently, and it was the same. Except when we were going to leave, the manager stopped us and said she would seat us immediately. She said she had an opening at a table, like we wanted.

Once cleaned off, she personally seated us and wished me a Happy Mother’s Day. I was genuinely touched.

As a business major, I found her customer retention skills impressive! It was genuine and beyond “business first.” I look for that type of personality in people who support companies. If she ever moves up or moves on, I imagine she will do exceptionally well.

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Much of the afternoon was spent setting up Fiverr gigs for some of my standard services. I figured this would help spread the word about my capabilities and offerings. It helps build a portfolio of successes that can promote later sales.

Then it turned into an evening of more spring cleaning. If you’ve been following along, this has been a month-long process. I have physical struggles, and my boyfriend has his own, too. We do what we can on the weekend without breaking ourselves. That is all, really.

The featured photo is my office setup. Ed bought me a 6-foot folding table. It is my new desk. My old desk is the tiny thing next to my chair.

I’m pretty happy with the new setup. It gives me the feeling of comfort and productivity that my space lacked before.

For this next section, keep in mind the photo was taken yesterday.

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Today was an average day… except for… that.

This beautiful gift to myself replaces the broken keyboard I bought last week. It came out of the box broken. This keyboard types beautifully. If you look at my featured photo again, you’ll see a trend.

• Hello Kitty Carpet
• Hello Kitty Lava Lamp
• Hello Kitty Stand (for my phone)

Honestly, I have a lot more in my collection than is pictured. It is simply a passion of mine to collect as many Hello Kitty goods as possible.

My daughter has started obsessing over Keroppi, one of Hello Kitty’s friends. Now, my character collection has taken on a whole new meaning. It has become a bond between my daughter and me, and I love that.

I have a Hello Kitty lumbar support for my chair, which is coming soon, too. I also purchased it from Razer. It was an impulse buy along with the keyboard. I find it interesting that shipping is slower from California than from Hong Kong. Especially since the keyboard landed in California before making it to me. I paid for express shipping, yet the lumbar isn’t as fast.

I’ll be patient.

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College students may be the target market for this next statement:

Why do instructors think no student deserves full points on their assignment? Yet, they cannot tell you why you didn’t deserve them.

I have one of those instructors. He is a nice guy, and my grade is still solid. I just question his reasoning for scoring. Assuming no one is ever better than you feels a little egotistical.

If you did your job, then your students should have no problem earning full points on an assignment. What does that say about the instructor?

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I am not religious or spiritual, but I am often intrigued by lore, whether it is mythology or the history behind something mystical. This is why I enjoy learning about various “mystical” traditions, like the Tarot. I enjoy drawing inspiration from the card meanings and reflecting on myself. I like evaluating my values and questioning my choices. I always look for ways to improve myself.

I was looking at Oracle decks today. I thought it would be fun, because oracle decks often feature some of the most beautiful imagery. They feature various meanings (based on the intention of the deck).

As part of my self-care, I wanted to find something beautiful. I hoped it would offer insight into self-reflection and self-empowerment. I asked ChatGPT for suggestions. Good ol’ Phil did not let me down.

Today, I learned about the Shadow Oracle series.

It is precisely as I had hoped. It isn’t about religion or fortune telling. It encompasses self-reflection and discovery. Two decks really stuck out to me. One uses nature. The other takes a different approach with the same intentions. They have different reflections and highlights to consider.

As a part of my morning self-care, I want to start the day off on a positive note. I want to draw a single card. I will read the message. Then, I will reflect on the imagery. I will consider how I could apply the positivity into my day. I will look at how I have been feeling. I will also consider a new route to bring more positivity into my life.

It seems empowering to start my day considering the approach I want to take in my day or life. It is a good thing that does no harm. It simply reflects within.

They will be here tomorrow. I’m looking forward to cracking them open and appreciating them!

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I will say that writing was cathartic tonight. I really needed to let loose and brain dump. It helps sometimes.

I hope you’re all well. Have a peaceful night!