After an extraction and two years of orthodontics, my braces came off Wednesday. I still have 14 weeks of Invisalign and then lifelong retainers, but as of now, the metal is GONE. The Invisalign is no joke, but it’s an improvement over what was an uncomfortable and confidence-eroding couple of years. Entering my 50s and dealing with peri-menopause and its changes to my body and mind was bad enough without braces. But I didn’t do the orthodontics for aesthetics and now, at the end of the treatment, my bite is almost fully fixed and my front teeth won’t continue to chip, loosen and erode, so I guess I can say it was worth it in the end.
Today I am observing the economic boycott. (I probably can’t say the same about the kiddo who needed a Starbucks on her way to school.) This boycott seems like a small thing to protest such enormous fuckery from the regime of the Orange Manbaby and Apartheid Clyde, but I’m committed, and have also been burning up the phone lines with my 5 Calls app. I’m sure that my senators and House Rep are beyond sick of this constituent. I could talk a lot about this political timeline but that’s for another post.
So in a happier topic, this weekend begins a several-week foray into renovating our master bathroom. We live in a 1962 Colonial and while the bath may have been redone in the ’80’s, it’s still what you would expect, which is pretty bad. Brandon is doing a lot of the work himself and I’ve been of limited support (mostly just saying ‘yes that sounds fine’). He has all of our household’s skill with decor and aesthetics. I’m most excited about a trip to Pewabic in Detroit to pick out some cool accent tiles. For awhile, we will all be sharing the kiddo’s bathroom, which may result in her spending more time at her dad’s to avoid the enforced togetherness!
The kiddo has a full-day CPR class tomorrow for her EMT Cadet training and I am hoping to finish up a couple of knitting projects and get some reading done. My library haul this week included two Dune graphic novels and a historical fantasy from Francesca May ‘Wild and Wicked Things’. And lastly, on this Friday evening, I leave you with something that absolutely made my heart leap with joy. In these uncertain times, seeing all four original members of REM reunite this week at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA to sing ‘Pretty Persuasion’ with Michael Shannon is a light that we all deserve.
This week has been a total blur ā but I look back and feel like I traveled miles. There were work complexities, three days in the office, depression and rage over the current political situation (always, now), a comparatively and thankfully minor ice storm, and an evening spent at EMT Cadet training for the kiddo. (As usual, this was the high point for me. This week our intrepid heroines strapped the lifelike dummy to the gurney and fluttered around him performing industrious lifesaving maneuvers. Then, they took turns hurtling the gurney up and down the halls, banging him around the corners, and loading him into and out of the ambulance. Iām glad that the dummy made this appearance; a couple of weeks ago it may have been volunteer moms strapped to that gurney. I speak from personal experience.)
I finished the latest Haruki Murakami book. āThe City and its Uncertain Wallsā was not as swiftly immersive as ā1Q84ā. The book felt a bit disjointed, which makes sense as I learned it was written in two different time periods of Murakamiās life. The cast of people and places include a teenage couple in love who become separated; there is a walled city with a library of dreams, perishing unicorns, and characters who become separated from their shadows. There is another library in another world, a ghostly librarian with a quirky fashion sense, and a boy with a Yellow Submarine parka. The plot and poetry lies amid those details. If you love Murakami and would read his writing even if it was on a bathroom wall in a Tokyo train station, youāll enjoy the delicate unfurling of this book. If you donāt, or if youāre not familiar with him at all, this may not be the book for you.
In other reading news, perusing the NYTimes, I saw this starter pack of romance novels and Iām intrigued. I think the last romance novels I read were back in early high school. One summer vacation, our rental cottage had a rickety bookshelf full of old Harlequins and I worked my way through all of them with single minded determination, staying up late, gritty eyed with fatigue but determined to find out if the romance between the plucky yet wilting amnesiac with a secret twin and the arrogant aristocrat with the eyepatch and the tortured history could ever bear fruit. That led to spending allowance money on a few Regency romances at our local bookstore āThe Printed Wordā (where I also bought my Tiger Beat magazines, horoscope rolls, and later, the biography of Ed Gein which made the clerk ask suspiciously if my mother knew what I was reading). I really only remember āLady Lochinvarā, a Barbara Hazard banger (no pun intended) with the requisite strong-willed heroine and a worldly and fairly smutty viscount, but I know for a fact there were more than that on my shelves for awhile, until they became embarrassingly unsophisticated for my high school literary ambitions. One of my mom friends has a Goodreads account full of ānewā romance ā she says she likes her reading to be āspicyā. Sheās Canadian (and btw Canadians – I am SO VERY SORRY about our embarrassment of a “president” – over 75 million Americans did not choose this for you or for us) so many of these are centered in the hockey world, and have seemingly endless riffs on the word āpuckā in the titles. So thereās definitely a market for it and if romance is written up in the NY Times, it HAS to have an aura of respectability, right?
Several of the classic titles I may have read as a teenager, and one that I most definitely did not…
I feel like I might be coming down with a head cold so perhaps some time spent under the duvet with a couple of recommended steamy romance novels may be the best plan for the weekend ahead. I will report back.
Itās the final day of January and Iām cautiously optimistic that we have made it through what was a very long month of frigid cold, post-holiday crash, political chaos, and dry skin.
1. Dry January. For the first time in several years, my Dry January was a booming success. I made it the entire month (plus an alcohol-free NYE). For the last few years, Iāve made it for some time period (17 days; 28 days; a few years ago I only made it as far as January 6 as you may remember what happened on that date) but usually not for the full 31 days. While I felt like I flew through it without ambivalence or struggling, I did put work in ā I joined the Dry group on the Weight Watchers app, which is full of some of the best people I could have hoped to connect with. I read sober curious literature and listened to several podcasts (āThis Naked Mindā being my favorite). I think itās the influence of our societal approach to drinking that I feel self-conscious about bragging too much on my Dry January because I worry that people will think I did it because I have a āproblemā with alcohol. I could write a much longer post about this (particularly what our modern culture deems āproblematicā when it comes to a highly addictive substance that is not only socially acceptable, but widely encouraged) but for now ā no, I donāt feel that I have a āproblemā with alcohol. I really enjoy red wine, and have a fairly high tolerance for it, but I do not categorize myself as a āproblemā drinker. However, there is a preponderance recent evidence that any amount of alcohol may not be good for us. I had such a positive Dry January that I have now determined that I will also commit to being alcohol-free for the month of February and see where it goes from there.
2. Vibes at home. Emmett, who is our most loving, anxious, needy cat, had a dentist appointment on Tuesday and had two premolars extracted. All of our cats have āemotional problemsā and require accommodations ā two of them are on Prozac and the other is a small, cute, virulent sociopath. When one of them disappears for a day and comes home loopy and smelling of the vet, the other two become unhinged and treat the patient like a dangerous interloper. So there has been hissing, separation, pain med dosing, treats, sleeping accommodations, and general household disruption. Emmett is fine and recovering nicely. Sarge and Josie, on the other hand, are still recovering from his ordeal.
3. Journaling. One of my goals for the year is to use my physical journal more. I have used a Hobonichi Techo Cousin paper planner for a few years now without taking full advantage of all of its space and features (monthly, weekly, and daily pages). Iāve been scribbling more thoughts this month. I plan to use one of the layout pages for an informal monthly goal-set, using key words, quotes and actions, and update the bottom half of that page at the end of the month with my reflections: what went well, what didnāt, what I achieved, etc. Iām looking forward to settling in at my home office desk tomorrow morning (early, because Iāve been sleeping so well with Dry January) with a big cup of coffee, my sticker folio and my nice pen and washi tapes to reflect on January and set up the February page.
4. RTO. Next week begins the more organized RTO (āreturn to officeā) push at Widget Central. Executives have been hands-off about office time, leaving it to managers to set their departmentās guidelines. Iām usually in one or two days a week and set my own schedule for what those days are on a weekly basis. Next week, however, the mandate is for three office days for everyone with Tuesday and Thursday mandatory. This can be a polarizing issue for people but Iām fairly āmehā about it. I like working from home and think Iām pretty disciplined about it, but I also like the office. I do appreciate that feeling of separation of my home space and workspace. I am productive in either space with a possible productivity edge in the office, I like my coworkers, and as an introvert, itās good and healthy for me to socialize with people on a limited yet regular basis. Iām much more opinionated about the quality of my work experience. Trust and flexibility are key ā I do not want to be micromanaged, nickel-and-dimed about coming-in times and leaving-times, I want the ability to flex my time if I need to be home for any reason, have an appointment, etc. (I think a lot of the issues that people have with remote work come down how well managers are trained to identify and handle a poor performer ā if you have an employee, ANY employee, that you cannot trust to do their job and be responsive during core work hours, thatās a performance / management issue, and itās not going to be addressed or resolved based on the location of their workplace.) The biggest issue for me is going to be organization ā meal planning and prep for full days in the office with a commute, packing my breakfast, lunch, snacks, and workout clothes, and making the most of all my days, office and remote.
5. Weekend. No big plans. Babying the neurotic and recovering felines: Brandon is planning a redo of our master bathroom, so we need to go to Ikea to buy the vanity weāve selected; the weather in Suburban Elysia will be clear and seasonal in the 30ās, so I hope to get out for at least one run. Iām working on a small secret knitting project and will likely finish up my recent read, Haruki Murakamiās āThe City and its Uncertain Wallsā which Iāll review next week.
Hope everyone has a peaceful, healthy weekend! xoxo
Inauguration. The Trump train rolled noisily into Washington with their toots and whistles and backfiring pickup trucks and a predictably low class display of capering. Like a carnival of the bizarre and deeply stupid, in its wake it trailed a dribble of toadie weirdos running the gamut from Proud Boys to Nazi tech bro oligarchs glitching out from their boutique drugs to MAGA fembots wearing lingerie to the Rotunda. The yokels outside with faces pressed against the glass were festively adorned with their cult leaderās name and face on their polyester (made in China) shirts and hats and waving their lil flags. God Bless GW, Bill and Hillary for a few unguarded moments of uncontrollable merriment over some of the more gauche and ludicrous aspects of this spectacle (never in a million years pre-MAGA did I think that I would ever have cause to utter the words “God bless GW” but here we are). Itās going to be a long four years watching this gang of thieves mugging for the cameras while they grab all they can with both grubby fists. Luckily, if the Orange Oneās prior administration is any indication, theyāll start turning on each other sooner rather than later and then there will be something to see besides bullies and tackiness.
2. Seems like a good time to pull this out of the archives.
3. To round out my political content, it feels like there are a lot of folks out there who could use a reminder about what throwing a Nazi salute actually means.
4. Moving on. In other news. Polar vortex – the beginning of the week was pretty freaking cold. The kid didn’t have school for two days due to wind chills (what do they do in Alaska, I wonder? Or Minnesota?). I got my office days out of the way early in the week and it was really good to stay in my shearling slippers and fleece leggings the remainder of the week. I usually feed the wild birds and squirrels once a day (and keep a heated bird bath full of clean water available) but when the weather is this cold I fill the feeders as often during the day as they empty, and throw out lots of peanuts. The little guys can use as much help as they can get.
(This not so little guy needs not as much help.)
5. In lieu of watching the news (see number 1) we have been diving deep into the DVR. Brandon always has a massive selection of old movies to pick from. Among other things, we watched a silent film from the great Buster Keaton, āSherlock, Jr.ā It was a masterpiece of comedy and the quality of the 2015 restoration was incredible – crystal clear. I am not usually drawn to movies that old but this one was an absolute gem and what he was able to achieve with film at that time is nothing short of genius. And while I know that his path was a difficult one, may I say that in my estimation, young Buster was kind of a hottie.
Onwards. Keep the faith and as my higher power reminded me this week in a moment of meditation, render unto Caesar.
Daily Tarot card pulls and this Queen has come up for me twice in two weeks.
Obligatory cute cat pic starring Emmett.
My work pants are perilously close to not fitting me; thinking about these āDream Pantsā but afraid Iāll look like a chimney sweep in them.
Windy, warm, and wet for Michigan February.
Finished the Road Trippinā hat in time for my bestieās 50th birthday celebration this weekend – we have an AirBnB, champagne, facial and dinner reservations, and an itinerary of vintage and antique stores to explore.
We’re getting long stretches of mild and uninspiring weather here in SE Michigan – no snow, no sun, not much except a cool grey damp. Is this climate change in action? Winters of my childhood seemed much different, with snow so deep we could dig igloos and tunnels in it, elementary school lockers crowded with wet-smelling coats and mittens, clumping home in moon boots that leaked and had to be lined with bread bags. Regardless, it makes running outside feasible so I’m hoping my January running will be much better than the last 2 years (I don’t think I did more than 10 total miles in January in 2021 and 2022).
A few good things this week: The Elvis birthday movie on Saturday night was everything we hoped it would be – a true Elvis / Colonel Tom Parker stinker called ‘Spinout’. No real plot to speak of, disjointed and ill-timed music numbers (one of which was called ‘Smorgasbord’, which referred to all of the women that Elvis’s character liked to enjoy being a single swinger). We chatted with the theater owner for awhile after the show and recommended ‘Clambake’ for next year’s offering.
My boss and I were finally in the office at the same time this week and she gave me a Christmas present – the Five Minute Journal. My boss is pretty amazing and always thinks of me around the holidays, usually with a nice bottle of champagne. But for a journal geek like me, this gift was perfect. I’m really looking forward to spending some time with it. This will be the 3rd journal / planner I keep – I have a Hobonichi Techo for my personal / family life, a five year journal that I’m 3 years into, and now this.
Other likes: ‘Pale Blue Eye’ on Netflix, which we’re about halfway through – massive shout out that Edgar Allan Poe is played by Dudley of Harry Potter film fame which is an almost unbelievable transformation. My work pants still fit (barely). I’ve been watching a lot of homesteading channels on YouTube (recently just found Little Spanish Farmstead and Hannah Lee Duggan).
two weeks in a row of painting my nails! I donāt even know who I am anymore!
Dislikes this week: I picked up “Livid”, the new Patricia Cornwell, off my library reserve list and so far it is a dud. I’m going to keep going with it but this is a disappointment, since I really enjoyed the last one. MTC on this but so far this is just an ‘everyone is part of a massive conspiracy out to get Scarpetta’ and those are so tiring. I have to go for an ortho consult on Monday because my bite is so bad that my teeth are loose and some are chipping and my dentist can’t do Invisalign out of his office, he has to outsource me due to the complications.
The weekend will be quiet with the kiddo preparing for final exams and Brandon still on a six day work schedule. I hope everyone is able to recharge and enjoy!
The first full week of 2023 was one of those strange ones that feel almost like a failure to launch. Although I was back to working in my home office after Monday, Brandon had some light workdays and the kiddo is still off from school. So there was some banging around in the kitchen as they made lunches and snacks and I think there may have been some shared episodes of āRick and Mortyā between the two of them. Otherwise the kiddo is at the age where she can sleep til 11:30 and keep herself occupied – smoothies with friends, working out, art projects and movie rentals on Prime. Sheās also been prepping her audition for spring theaterās āHello Dollyā production so we are all singing āBARNABYYYYā a lot lately.
We also met up with some of her friends and their moms on Wednesday night for pizza and – indoor skydiving (?!) I did not skydive (although one of the mom tribe did and said it was fun but short) instead choosing to knit on my Clinton Hill Cashmere Bandit Cowl and kibbitz with other moms.
iFly Detroit
It was pretty much chaos at work for reasons that I of course canāt share here.
I started a new book – the third in Tamsyn Muirās Locked Tomb series, which I forgot to mention as one of my favorites of 2022. Iām not sure I understand any of it but itās phenomenal – the tagline on the first of the series (which was also my favorite) promises ālesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space! Decadent nobles vie to serve the deathless emperor! Skeletons!ā Thereās way more to it but yeah, itās epic.
Likes this week: black leggings, Wishful enzyme scrub, Essie gel āBehind the Glassā on my nails, Damar Hamlin, Chapstick Total Hydration tinted lip oil, using my Verilux Happy Light at my desk during these dark days, listening to A Little Bit Culty podcast with a player from the Nexivm insanity, taking all my vitamins every day this week and being riveted to the chaos over the Speaker.
Dislikes: rehabbing a pulled muscle in my back and not running all week, Harry and Meghan, menopausal issues on high all week, post-holiday letdown, this time of year until essentially the end of March, people who donāt do what they say theyāre going to do / being blindsided by that, George Santos, and bring riveted to the chaos over the Speaker.
This weekend is Elvisās birthday which we may celebrate by going to see an Elvis movie at the local cinema (if I can stay awake). Itās also the big audition – so tonight itās thawed leftovers from the Annual Freezer Cleanout, a fire in the woodstove, and a āHello Dollyā rental for additional inspiration and research. TGIF!
I donāt know what was going on in the stars, but the first half of this week almost crushed me. I spent Monday in tears and on the phone with tech support trying to resolve issues with a new work laptop. I missed my dad horribly. Someone stole the head joint of the kiddoās flute out of a classroom. Said kiddo had her own issues with middle school stress. Brandon and I had a fight (about NAZIS of all things). The situation in the Ukraine is unbearable, and the Republicans are typical assholes (DeSantis, Boebert, Abbott and Greene, Iām looking at you).
This was after a very calm last-week where I took some time off and the three of us went to Ann Arbor to eat sushi and nose around bookstores. I also made another pine needle basket. It was idyllic.
But in typical fashion, things balance out and swing back the other way. We got a rental flute while the new head piece is on order. Brandon and I are strong, the kiddo is resilient to middle school angst, and tech support did its job (mostly). External events and people can still be awful but focusing on making my own small home and family as peaceful and supportive and nurturing as possible is the response.
Regardless I am looking forward to a weekend.
Iām in the office for a few hours today, and then kiddo and I are having a bonding night together with takeout and a movie. Theater rehearsal tomorrow and a Girl Scout cookie booth on Sunday and the usual housework and errands in between. Regardless, it sounds pretty damn good to me.
Be well and donāt let the news of the world grind you downā¦.at least not irretrievably.
The blog has been a bit dark of late so letās take a day to look at the brighter things.
I am not entirely in the Christmas spirit yet – life has been pretty busy and Iām in ādouble down and push throughā mode. But the house is decorated and we are opening Advents every night. This year, Brandon got me a mini-wine Advent and I have a yarn Advent from A Homespun House. I also just ordered some fingering weight so I can knit the Cozy Comfort blanket with all my new minis. The kid has a crystals calendar from Etsy, the Stickii Advent (we also subscribe to one of their monthly sticker packs) and the obligatory chocolate Lindt from her Neena. And Brandon has his usual mini liquor calendar in the tree stand I ordered from Etsy last year.
I finally finished my first cross-stitch, which was Halloween themed. Iām not super speedy with stitching- I need ideal light and a good eye day – and Iām sure Iāll be finishing up the next project, which is winter themed, in July. But although Iām not really good at it, I do find it very relaxing and meditative especially when paired with a good podcast.
This weekend the kiddoās Scout troop will be packing grab and go lunch bags for Food Gatherers of Detroit to distribute, and she also has a Christmas band concert. Brandon is leaving for a few days to visit his family, and got boosted on Monday to prepare. I will be ferrying the kid and trying to finish up a few knitting ornaments and stay on top of the tide of Vlogmas that threatens to overwhelm me in an avalanche of tinsel, Christmas carols and frothy coffee displays every time I turn to YouTube. There will also – Iām sure – be some Scandinavian detective novels (Iām in that mood again).
Happy Friday. After today I have five more workdays in 2021ā¦not that I am counting. Be well, enjoy your weekend, shop local and small business and wear some nice warm socks while youāre at it. xo
1. I got my Covid booster on Monday so, like Big Bird, I am fully armed to protect myself and my community. My first two were Pfizer, this one Moderna. My initial side effects were all similar- sore arm, fatigue, headache, all of which were resolved within 24 hours. I took the next day off from work, slept, drank lots of water, and was good to go the following day. However, now, a few days out, Iām developing an itch and mild rash at the injection site. After some Internet research Iāve found that this an uncommon but benign side effect – mostly in women – of the Moderna shot but not seen with Pfizer. Nothing to worry about but who knew.
(And while we are on the topic of Big Birdās vaccination, can we remember that Big Bird has been endorsing vaccines since 1972? And letās also remember that Ted Cruz is a repellent individual who – while vaccinated himself (!) – feels he has nothing better to do to serve his constituents than attack a PUPPET for making little kids feel good about vaccinations in general. Whenever I think the GOP canāt get shittier or dirtier they manage to outdo themselves.)
(Also – fuck psycho Kyle Rittenhouse and fuck his psycho mom and fuck the biased judge while Iām at it. You donāt go out walking around with an AR-15 and then CLAIM SELF DEFENSE WHEN YOU KILL PEOPLE. It was what you INTENDED TO DO ALL ALONG. And then certainly donāt (badly) pretend to CRY ABOUT IT. Youāre a racist scumbag murderer – at least own it now, stand by your shoddy upbringing and flawed belief system and complete absence of morals and ethics and take your punishment.)
2. The other big thing for me this week is the rollout of the new Weight Watchers program. Iāve been on WW for over a year now, after gaining some Covid weight. I gained about 10 on top of being about 10 over where I should be, lost almost 20, stopped working the program and gained back 10 to put myself right where I was pre-pandemic. Iāve been half-heartedly and listlessly tracking since then without much motivation. Peri-menopause is real and it is here. The new program has jump-started me because I can actually earn points back for drinking water, hitting my step goals, and eating non-starchy vegetables! Iām very much in favor of it and am back to tracking constantly. For the first time in months Iāve had over 60 oz of water several days in a row and hit step goals and food targets as well! I love that the program is holistic, there are no ābadā foods, and encourages general health, activity and well-being.
3. Yesterday at lunch Brandon and I walked our annual Thanksgiving donations down to the mailbox. We each donate a specific amount for Thanksgiving (and then again at Christmas) to our selected charities. This year he went with Salvation Army and I chose Gleaners Community Food Bank in Detroit. Then we got Starbucks in the new holiday cups (basic bitch level enjoyment unlocked) and walked around the historic district of our village admiring the Veterans Day flags and banners. A belated but heartfelt THANK YOU for your service to all my readers who are vets!
4. Iāve never been one for expensive shampoo but my stylist convinced me to try samples of Aveda NutriPlenish and dammit after a week my hair looks and feels much improved. I find it difficult to spend that much on shampoo and conditioner but what am I to do? Luckily my salon is having a holiday 25% off sale next week so I can pick up my first bottles at a bit of a discount. Iād be better off if I could go days between washes but Iāve never been able to do that.
5. For several weeks the kiddo and I have been working together on a top secret crafting project for holiday gifts, which I hope to share more about next week. This year, weāre trying to do more handmade gifts for loved ones and Iāll give you a hint – we use a lot of these at this time of year.
Thatās it for Friday. What are you doing this weekend? Brandon and I will do a 4-5 mile run, and I have to get the kiddo sorted out with a pair of black dress pants for her band concert on Monday night. I also hope to finish up her Purl Soho Simple Pleasures hat. The weather should be cooler and wet with possible S-N-O-W! Be well and enjoy. xo
Six Ten 