Lucky Move

First, let me get one thing straight.
Jupiter is not billions of miles from Earth.
I wrote that it was, and then I looked it up.
Nope.
Jupiter's distance from Earth changes constantly because both planets travel in an elliptical path around the sun.
When Jupiter is closest to Earth, it's 365 million miles (588 million km) away. In that position, Jupiter is so bright in the sky it outshines Venus.
At its farthest, Jupiter is 601 million miles (968 million km) away.

What do I know?
"Jupiter in Pisces" is just a catch-all name for my inexplicable good luck this year, from getting a temporary part-time job wrapping packages at the antique books store, to the four-month house sitting gig, to getting this apartment, 320. All while not getting sick (fingers crossed).
It be like:

 

Even helping BJ while she was dying this spring was lucky, in a way. I mean, lucky that I was positioned in the right place, able to help . . . and did actually help. That doesn't always work out.

I park my bike by BJ's apartment building across the alley from the thrift store, and after almost three months I'm still a little blown away that she's not there.
Her personality packed a punch; she was a salty little Disney character... the sort that leaves a gap when they're gone.

Sigh.

Today after work, Ass't Man (AM) is taking me in his pickup truck to pick up my big armchair at my old place. HouseMate won't even be there, so I'll leave my key, and that is that concluded.

Here's a really unexpected piece of luck:
AM has become sort of a friend this year! He's made significant changes, partly in response to our discussions.

Mostly I've pointed out that he's not been communicating effectively.
I don't say, "You've been a total asshole".
I say, "I see your frustration that you're not getting the results you want. Have you thought about rethinking your approach?"

Thinking about this helps me think about how I communicate too, so its a double win.

Work continues to go well, in general, factoring in SNAFUs. (We got broken into again, for instance––seems to be a yearly event––but nothing much was taken.)
Yesterday Big Boss told me a customer had praised me to him.
She, the customer, had asked me if we had any books by Hemingway. I went right to the H's and handed her the two we had. She bought them both.
And that's why the humans made up alphabetization.

I've been surprised how hard people find it to alphabetize.
A couple times I've asked volunteers who I know can read (mystery books) to alphabetize the fiction section--the only alphabetized section.
They get the first letter right, and after that it's a goner.

Having worked in libraries since I was twenty-three, I have a skewed view: I didn't realize alphabetizing is a specialized skill. But it is.

Let's see... What else?

The Marzipan texts me several times a day in a different mood about  shipping school--varying from hilarity to disgust.
She said she's glad she's there though, even if she leaves tomorrow:

"As with the goat farm, I can't say why. It's like taking a tour of life and looking into a new room."

I'd say that's exactly why. Even a bad trip shakes you awake in a good way, making you feel alive and engaged in a big world.
I put that in the LUCKY column.

 

bink, though, has had one of the worst years of her life--her concussion creeps in centimeters toward improvement... At least it is improving, but because her vision is wonky she can hardly move her head or work on anything for more than a few minutes without becoming nauseous.

But even in this spectacularly bad year, she's having fun planning her wedding to Maura.
I got their invitation in the mail the other day, calligraphed by Maura:
"After 23 years we've decided to tie the knot".

Yay! I'm looking forward to this--most of the other dozen guests are people I've known for decades. It's all very historic.
Only downside: once again I have to shop for an outfit.
Help me, Jupiter!