1. Took son to doctor, dealt with subsequent meltdown
2. Did two hours tax continuing ed
3. Figured out dates & hotels for two autumn trips
4. Labeled bags inside board for ease of clean up
5. Discussed a potential cease & desist letter for trademark infringement against Disney, of all places!
6. Napped with my daughter’s dog
7. Listened to book 5 of Dungeon Crawler Carl series
Kenji and I are lounging in bed, enjoying the pretty flowers out the window! Now I want a flower bed right outside my office window…
Since I so often brag about my productive moments... for balance: today I had blood drawn for a blood test in the morning, looked at cruises we wouldn’t ever want to pay for, paid one bill online, and made 3 phone calls (one of which was annoying). That’s it.
Otherwise I mostly played a dumb addictive game on my phone and laid around listening to the rain.
I even forgot to take my morning pills.
Chinese food for the second night this week and listening to book 5 of Dungeon Crawler Carl and falling asleep on the couch… good end to a slow, rainy day.
What made you happy this week
Reading: Orbital, by Samantha Harvey. Short Noel, recommended by Stephen Colbert.
Eating: home made sourdough bread for lunch (at game day), milk duds & popcorn for dinner (at the movies)
Playing: board games with new friends
Obsessing: Over whether to go to Italy in 2027 and how many times to go to Italy in 2027
Researching: transatlantic cruises
Treating myself to: blessed sleep
Review last 5 purchases. Were they wants, needs or impulse purchases?
Weds night: board games and accessories from Stonemaier. IMPULSE/WANT. Barbara wanted to buy something, using my discount. I, as always, found items I also wanted. Though I hadn’t planned to buy them soon. Excited about this purchase.
Weds night: ice cream with Sean — delicious but ooof, too much food. I ate more than I wanted because it was melting in car. I threw away the last kitchen we got home. It was a WANT purchase (mostly for Sean).
Weds afternoon: fried apple pie from McD’s. WANT definitely.
Weds afternoon: meds from Walgreens. NEED.
Tuesday: dry cat food. A NEED.
THEN…. After doing the exercise above, I went and bought 7 more games. Partially to help out a needy gamer.
I just bought 7 more games from Jess L.
I bought Codenames to turn into an art project! Could make some fun presents and/or ornaments with the cards.
And I bought a game for Nora for a Christmas present. So totally justified! But all WANTs.
I wrote this out for a comment on some else’s post on FB. Figured I’d share it here too.
Once upon a time — summer 1976ish — there was a knock at our front door.
Context first! We lived in an old farmhouse in Virginia set back on four acres. Everyone used the kitchen door, near the parking. You had to be ambitious to go to the front door.
More context: my father was a hippie in 1976. He was sitting around in cutoff jean shorts and no shirt. It must’ve been summer. He had shoulder length hair and a full beard.
So! My father gets up and answers the knock at the door. It’s a man and his little daughter, dressed in their Sunday best. They want to talk to my father about God.
My father stood up his full 5’8” height, puffed out his hairy chest, and said: “No thanks. I AM GOD!”
The little girl’s eyes got so big! The man said bye, hustled his little girl away. She probably grew up thinking God is some hairy stoner.
My dad giggled about that for years.
Thursday afternoon:
Peter and I both went to the dermatologist. Then celebrated afterward with a McDonald’s milkshake for him and a fried apple pie for me. Oh it was so good!
But also it dribbled all down my shirt, so now I have to change.
Friday afternoon:
Well, we said we needed rain. Not sure all of it in one hour with big thunder booms was my preferred method of delivery, but our central Florida ground will take what it can get.
Note: Sean and I decided to drive through this rain to a friend’s house. That poor decision is on us, not the weather gods. So we got to witness a lot of the rain and lightning up close.
Saturday night: There’s a boring story about a rude waitress to explain why we are not at the Christmas-themed dive bar and instead are at an old favorite, Fat Rabbit, watching World Cup while dressed in our Christmas green & red. I’d rather focus on this “fancy” lemon drop martini, my garlic parm chicken wings (and Sean’s French dip), and how immensely I love Sean Brodrick who gets me.
A few Blue Sky posts of the past week::
I’ve lost enough weight that I’m back to fitting in my old fat clothes. Yay! Looking forward to buying new clothes at Christmastime. And definitely for my 2027 Italy trip.
I’m a grownup. I can set my own bedtime. 9:45 pm on a Friday seems perfect.
Amazing how good my Apple Watch sleep score is when I don’t have the cat or dog with me. Love them, but a break is good. In Tampa for spa weekend.
Recently I found out there’s a Christmas-themed bar in Tampa. No one I mentioned it to had even heard about it. Saturday, I learned why word hasn’t spread about it. It sucks.
Finished NYT Sunday xword in record time.
Researching my upcoming trips to LA and NC (again). So glad hubby is handling all details for the Atlanta trip. Found hotel in Santa Monica; making plans for a tea party bus tour through Hollywood/Bev Hills. Two art museums with Rembrandts, and a side trip to Ojai (relative) and maybe Pasadena (more art and friend).
NC: ebike rides, art museum, old friends
Came home from a weekend away. The old dog and old cat clearly missed us. I’ve been petting and gently squeezing the cat to refill her love tank*… so I can go out and play board games this afternoon.
* old school Real Housewives reference
Future crossstitch project
Random things — long rambling post
1. Who sent me this?! I received this (first photo) in the mail recently with no note. Skitty is not sure if she wants to give up scratching the rugs. But she agrees it’s very pretty. [It was Laurie!]
2. I’ve always wanted a dollhouse, but I’m way too practical about the cost and the space that one takes. And I don’t want to commit to such a huge project if I’m gonna drop it like a lot of other projects. So I found a great compromise of this little dollhouse bookshelf from IKEA. My plan is to do a couple vignettes on the shelf and perhaps that will scratch the itch enough. Or someday it will evolve into a full size dollhouse.
In the meantime! I have acquired a dining room/game table! And a deck of cards. And a bar cart. And last night I went to a fun event at a local eatery that was doing a craft night to make a miniature bookshelf. So now my little entertainment room has books too!
3. In moving and packing and unpacking over the past few months, I have gathered more than $200 in Barnes & Noble gift cards that we haven’t used over the years! This is insane. So tonight I’m off to buy a brand new physical book. The book is Sara Kendizor‘s Last American Road Trip. She’s a political writer who is often depressing to read, because she has been right for the past 10 years, obnoxiously so. This book is supposed to be a little more lighthearted as she takes her kids on a road trip around America… an America, she believes will soon be gone. But! Supposedly it’s fun to read anyway. As much as I hate how much she has been right the past 10 years, I want to go pay full price (with a gift card! ) for the book as a reward to her for her hard and difficult work. [HA! They don’t have it in stock. Maybe should’ve checked before driving here. But… I’m sure can find something else to buy.]
4. I am proud of myself that I have changed how I operate so that I can spontaneously rush off to the bookstore after reading a review of Sara‘s book. I have used a To Do app (called Things 3) that lets me sort items from my master to-do list to certain days. And I have always had various tasks appointed for a certain day. Of course I would not get to them all because I over-scheduled and some tasks would get pushed to the next day and the next and the next. The system worked for me… Until it didn’t. Recently I had enough. I decided to go with the “experts” who say we should only have three (or at least very few ) priorities in a day. I’ve changed how I manage my to do list and now have way fewer “necessary” tasks each day. So when I have free time, I can either refer to the *optional* list of tasks. Or I can lay down and take a nap. Or take off for the bookstore on a whim. I am loving my less productive system. I am much more about protecting my energy than being productive anymore.
5. My co-pay for doctors is $35. I got my $35 worth today at the Dermatologist because I remembered my list(in my Things 3 app!) of questions. Nothing was cancerous, good. But I did leave with four ointments for various issues. From my scalp to my ankle! (No photos!)
6. Today I learned that William Goldman who wrote Princess Bride… also wrote and won Oscars for Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid and All the President’s Men. Talented man.
Home improvement time!
Exciting.
Hired someone to do all that. I’m over here cleaning out the tub, doing laundry, and re-organizing my To Do list system.
This will make life more pleasant for the next year of living here. Especially after stage 2, when we have new counters and sinks.
207. I’ll be close to 200 when I see the doctor. I’ll be under 200 at Dragon Con.
I’m now talking multivitamins, eating protein more consciously, and I swear I’ll start exercising soon. I need strength training. I want to stay strong and healthy, not just skinnier. I want to be healthy, skinnier and able to walk 10,000 steps a day around Italian hills.
Things 3 for my To Do list, blog for some journaling. Paper notebooks for other journaling. I don’t want my words or habits stuck in apps.
I’ve been wanting to buy a good-sized piece of art for our living room. We moved into this house 6 months ago. I want something new and from a local artist. Figured I’ll find something at an art fair eventually, but that white wall is making me itch.
At the same time, I have a lovely handmade quilt (art sized, not bed sized) made by a friend. And I have not been able to find a place to hang it.
Doh!
My good financial move is: I hung that beautiful quilt in the living room. Maybe we will replace it some day with a painting; or maybe the quilt will be there forever. But now I don’t have a big white wall staring at me making me want to buy the first thing I see. I can take time and find the right piece.
NOTE: yes, it’s off center. I was doing it solo and having to stretch. Sean will help me rehang it properly (and clear that mark off the wall I made) this weekend.
Is it perfect for the space, no. I wanted something horizontal. But it will do for now, and makes us smile thinking of the bluebird of happiness, birds in general in our backyard, and of our friend Linda.
I did not need to be here this early. Could’ve slept another half hour. But I got to see the moon. And do some stretches.
I’m gonna be tired from all the standing. I could’ve stayed in car until 6:30… but I got eager and came out of car at 6:15.
But it’ll be exciting when runners start passing.
Nora fell and scraped up her knee pretty bad a week or so ago, so she said she’ll be slow this race.
Apparently the race goes in opposite direction than I thought! The runners are here, 7:05.
I got photos of Nora, but I’m right in front of the sun so she’s probably not visible
I have nothing else to do unless there’s a medical emergency
There’s hundreds and hundreds of people. Nora was in first 10%. They’re still coming. A few are starting to walk. I can’t see end of line yet, and it’s been more than ten minutes.
People have elementary age kids out running (mostly walking) with them. And kids in strollers. Good for these people!
Ok nearly everyone is walking now… and it’s still at least 75 + people to pass me
The theme is watermelon. I missed a chance to photograph a couple runners in watermelon costumes.
But I did photo the shark!! This is insane , they’re literally hobbled by the costume.
Ok a man who looks like Willie Nelson, at least in age, just walked by. Oh he’s jogging again… (No photo)
We could walk this with little Clementine in a stroller while her mommy runs. Or we could volunteer with little Clem in a stroller
Somehow there were more people than I thought.. and yet… it’s over already. At least my job is already over (technically not yet, I have to wait for sheriff’s officer)
Some of these runners are college students from the university here on the lake and they ran halfway around the lake to start the race. Ran the race around the lake and now they’re running halfway around the lake again back to the university. Remember being 20? I certainly did not appreciate it enough.
Agenda:
Let’s do this!
Heavy question…
Can we name you executor of our wills?
It wouldn’t kick in until the second of us dies. So hopefully a couple decades or more away.
We originally named B / J, when we first did our wills in 2019. But you were only 20, and P was a minor.
It just involves submitting paperwork with the court. Notifying investment banks that the person died, and to distribute to beneficiaries. Yes, you are one of the beneficiaries also.
We have the lawyers’ phone number with a copy of the will, they would guide you. Everything is split 50/50 with you and a trust for P (which M would manage). Assuming we’re all still living in this house, you and M would have to figure out when to sell the house, moving P where.
So apparently we’re at war with Iran again (again, again). And it’s so ho hum, it’s getting barely a mention on social media. And of course, , will TACO Donny call for peace (again, again) before or after the closing bell on Wall Street on Friday?
Boy, it’d suck to be a soldier getting harmed in this and your nation can’t even look up from Wordle.
But… this is exactly what Donny and crew are doing: wearing down our outrage. It’s all so f’ing exhausting. I’m finding it hard to care too.
Wonder what new hell we will be in next year when I look at this post as a quaint memory.
preference: cremated, and interred somewhere people can visit, preferably near other buried family and/or living family.
But I don’t feel strongly. I won’t haunt anyone if circumstances change.
Episcopal service if you choose to have a church service or even if elsewhere. A priest experienced with funerals can help give the event structure. I would like some formality; it helps the attendees, makes the event more serious and set apart from every day.
Funeral poetry and songs: have friends read, assigned or if they don’t know what else to say:
“Sunflowers (instructions upon my death)” by Harry Baker. Change Margate to Lakeland. Take out the couple lines of his favorite song etc.
“Let Me Go” by Christina Rossetti
“All is well” by Henry Scott Holland
“She Is Gone” by David Harkins
“Keep Me in Your Heart” by Warren Zevon (play this song, don’t have someone read it)
Things I’d like to be remembered for: mother of Peter and Eleanor, wife of Sean, friend, daughter, niece. Hostess. Reader. Baker. Collector of trivia, especially presidential and USA history. Board game enthusiast. Puzzle solver. Craft never-finisher. Amateur art historian. Jane Austen enthusiast. Occasional poetry enthusiast. Lover of knowledge. Researcher. Word lover. Future reincarnated otter.
Edited to add:
Suggested funeral songs:
Play John Prine song “Please Don’t Bury Me”
People get ready
Lean on me
Circle be unbroken
I am grateful:
Maryanne — sincere, honest, forthright, kind
Mark — creative, industrious, funny, loyal
Joan — loyal, smart, kind, clever, loving, elegant
Susan — loyal, kind, helpful
Peter — funny, smart, loyal, honest, clever. More resourceful than he realizes
Reading: Beautiful Ruins
Eating: spaghetti for 4th of July
Playing: Ticket to Ride at BGA
Obsessing Over: taking photos of Patrick’s cats and dog
Recommending: Hail Mary (movie) and Widows Bay (TV) — both live up to the hype
Treating myself: nighttime moisturizer, extra sleep
September — Atlanta Dragon Con — drive … need pet sitter…
October — Detroit? — fly with Nora
November — NC? Drive … need pet sitter…
December — LA and Ojai? Fly with Laurie
Key West/Haines City/our house — gaming weekend …Peter pet sits
Nov - April — weekend bike trips to Miami, Gainesville, Tally …Peter pet sits
April 2027 — Italy…need pet sitter?…
Summer 2027 — Halifax or Midwest drive? If no pets
woke up, didn’t sleep great
Breakfast — meh. Met a lovely couple, she’s a former engineer, he’s a writer.
Chilling out with Sean. Reading Loretta’s book
News that Patrick feels poorly, and we’re taking an uber. Got off Raleigh with no issues. First elevator down, then a very Loooooong ramp up to station. Weird.
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