Make the fingers work properly, please

I think I'm going to have to get someone to look at my hand. By someone, of course, I mean a doctor. I was having wrist and finger issues several months ago, and did exercises and all that, and found a new way to place my arm for using the mouse, but over the last few weeks, I've been having issues again.
On the up side, there's been no pain. But on the very frustrating side, my fingers aren't being cooperative. My index finger doesn't want to bend. Whenever given the opportunity, it'll shoot out straight, making me push the wrong key or click unnecessarily. It won't stay bent, not matter how I plead, or how slow I go. I've had so many mistypes; and so many irritating things to fix, like, every sentence has an error, and must be fixed. That's not how I do things, and having a hand that's just not cooperating is driving me crazy.
I'm waiting for my annual exam with my gynecologist next month to ask her if she has any hand doctor recommendations. I've been dealing for a couple months now, what's another one? Still, I'm eager to get some sort of medical diagnosis here.

Follow the BLUE brick road

Hey, you guys! Did you see? Arizona voted in its first female senator, and she's a Democrat, too!
Sometimes, kiddos, the vote goes the way that you really want it to. It certainly didn't last time, which is perhaps why it did this time, for some perspective.
But Arizona has been a staunchly Republican state for several years. The last Democrat senator was elected in 1988, and it's been decidedly red since then, for some reason. Anyone know what the tipping point for no more blue senators was? It was way before my time here, so I have no historical knowledge of it.
Also, two House seats were changed to blue in this election, and the balance of power in Arizona is remarkably purple. Odds are it gets bluer in the next couple elections... I'm quite pleased to have been a part of this shift.

I took Sydney to the Tuesday Night Classic movie tonight, and we saw "The Wizard of Oz." She didn't fall asleep or ask to leave, so I consider this evening a win. She told me that she didn't like it as much as she thought she would, but again, she didn't ask to leave early, or even make any comment about the black-and-white part, so I think she may have liked it more than she thinks.
I found myself at a bit of a crossroads though, and I have since talked myself out of it. I briefly considered that maybe since she doesn't really dig the classic movies, I should stop taking her to see them. But then I said to myself, "No, she needs to know these classics, or she'll never understand a ton of pop-culture references, or have any appreciation for entertainment before YouTube and Marvel." And I found that I was really okay with that reasoning. The tickets are only $5, and for that, I can torture her a little bit and teach her something about movies.
I'm a good movie mom, and I'm going to keep being that mom. Tonight, she learned what a Munchkin was, where the yellow brick road leads, and why sometimes, there's no place like home.

Happy anniversary, worker bee

Today is my three-year anniversary at my job. No one knows it but me, and I only told one of my coworkers. It's been an interesting experience at this particular job stop, working in an environment like never before.
After a year on the job, I was submarined by a coworker, and therefore demoted to doing my current part-time job position.
It was a hit to the ego, for sure, but the demotion ended up being the best thing that had happened in the job. I was back to picking up and dropping off my kid at school at regular times, and I was still able to use my brain, and I had time to myself again.
What's weird is that this is the first job I've had where I have a really hard time keeping track of time. Like, if I didn't have Facebook Memories, I'd be at a loss over how long I've even been working there. I'm not even sure how long I've been part time, but it's been at least a year, but maybe only a year? It's a trip to me that I have no concept of the passage of time at that desk. At all my other jobs, I was always very aware of the passage of time, by way of anniversaries, and remembered everything. Here, I'm all, "I think it was November, wasn't it?" I vaguely remember the demotion happening some time in the cooler months?
One would wonder why I'm still working there. It's a matter of convenience. I like the hours, the location, and some of the people. I'd rather work there part time than anywhere else right now. And no one wants to do the job that I do, so I have relative job security. I do get the itch though, to move on to something else. And then I remember that I only work four hours a day three minutes from my home.

Looking forward to my Turkey Day, for sure

Brian and I baked a turkey yesterday so we could have turkey meat for sandwiches. It was super fun, my sandwich last night was delicious, and my house smelled awesome. I found myself hungry for all the fixin's though, too, and I had to go without. I'll just have to wait a week for my potatoes, stuffing and whatnot, I suppose. I shall just have to live my life with fresh turkey sandwiches until then...
I'm actually very much looking forward to my Thanksgiving holiday. California beckons, and my schedule/agenda for the five days we'll be there is full up already. Time with friends, family and Mickey Mouse is what I'm eager to enjoy, and all things are pretty sparkly and happy when peering into next week.

I see candy crushing in my sleep

Oops, I did it again.
I played with the phone.
Got lost in the game.

And because of that, I deleted Candy Crush tonight.
I started playing about 4 p.m. this afternoon, when Sydney took over the television to play her Spider-Man game on the PlayStation. I had a book, but thought, nope, I'll just play Candy Crush for a little while. Six hours later, with just a couple small breaks for food and drink, I put the phone down, disgusted with myself.
"Hello. My name is Kimberly. And I'm a Candy Crush addict."
But I've quit cold turkey before, and I'm doing it again. I deleted the app from my phone directly after stopping, and put the phone down.
I'm done. No more Candy Crush.

Stay strong, 805

My heart is broken today, and it was rendered by yet another angry white man with access to a gun, who decided to kill other people because he was having sad-face issues. I oversimplify, and I know that, but these incidents make me so mad at the fucking guys who can't handle their shit. I mean really, there are a whole of people on this planet, and we're all able to handle our shit and not kill other people, so it gets really frustrating and maddening when some jerkwad comes along and feels like they need to make the world burn.
Thousand Oaks is right down the street from my hometown, and in fact was my home for a few years. This shooting at Borderline, a bar that I've been to several times, broke me yesterday, and it's been a while since I spent a good portion of my day crying at the news. Friends and parents of friends are right down the street, and it was heartbreaking to hear and see them hurting in response to this. I know how I was feeling, and while we were able to hold a little therapy session yesterday and talk about it together, I'm still in a hangover of sorrow.
I want to be there so I can hug my people and my cities, and just be a loving presence in the area. I know I can't help with anything really real, and that's a special kind of hopelessness -- no blood donations or community center donations from me here. I'm just sitting at the computer and phone worrying and hurting. What a fucking sucky thing to happen.
Still, I love that place, and will move my family there as soon as I'm ever able to, because it's one of the best places ever. Feel my hug, you guys.

Candy Crush, be kind to me, please

I can't explain why I've decided to punish and torture myself again, but I have re-downloaded Candy Crush onto my phone. I chose it on a whim, because I needed to test my iTunes password, and now I'm in a wormhole. I'm currently on level 148, and am waiting now for my lives to replenish. I'll admit that it feels a little bit less stressful this time around, and I find that it is a bit easier to set the phone down when my eyes get tired or I run out of lives. I don't seem to be twitchy for the game when I'm not playing it. In fact, it's almost exclusively an afternoon/evening game, and I am fine not even going near it in the morning.
Still, I could kick myself for putting my mind, heart and psyche through this torturous game again. But I also know that I will survive deleting it off the phone with little to no ill effects. All the same, I'm killing time right now waiting to be able to play again.
Isn't it so cute, though? Doesn't look at all like a brain-melting time and sleep trap, right? Sometimes, when I close my eyes at night, I see candies exploding.

I guess she's not a dancing queen anymore

Well, tonight, it happened. I lost a fight against the opinions of "friends at school."
Sydney and I watched "Mamma Mia" a few months ago, and she loved it. I love that movie, and it was so fun for me that she enjoyed the music and movie as much as I do. We have the soundtrack in the car, and we've been rocking out to it regularly.
So when Fathom Events showed the movie today at a theater to celebrate its 10th anniversary, we were excited to watch it. She'd never seen it on the big screen, and she was looking forward to it. In the theater today though, she wouldn't sing along with me to her favorite songs, and was really ready to leave when it was over. On our walk back to the car she admitted that she and her friends talked about "Mamma Mia" today, and they gave her a hard time because she likes the movie, and made fun of it to the point that she decided that she didn't like the movie that much anymore.
"I'm sorry I don't like the movie as much anymore," she said.
"I'm sorry that you're letting your friends decide what you like or not," I said.
"They're not really my friends, but I know them," she said.
"Well, then I'm really sorry you're letting people you don't even call friends decide what you like or not," I countered.
I won't lie; this is insanely disappointing to me. It makes me super sad that she was so easily swayed by her peers ... in regards to a movie about ABBA songs. To be sentimental, I'll whine about how we enjoyed this movie together, and sang the songs together. And now she's decided that it's not a good movie because of some fucking punks in a middle school cafeteria. I breathe a heavy sigh.

You guys, democracy is awesome

It's Election Day, my friends, and I hope you took advantage of your right as a United States citizen to vote for your representatives!
Brian and I are enrolled in the mail-in ballot program here in Arizona, so we got our ballots weeks ago, and mailed them in shortly thereafter. I'm proud to have voted for what I hope will be a Blue Wave in Arizona, where we have a real chance to vote in a Democrat senator for like the first time ever.
I'll be glued to election results all night tonight, and am really hoping that there is some progressive change in this state done today. I mean, we'll see, but I'm feeling an energy that's different than ever before, and let's hope that translates into votes. It's certainly deflating to be reading about all the "problems" at some polling places, and one would think that these places would have their shit together for at least a couple days before an election that they have known was coming for years, right? Alas, they're not, but I hope those vote-casting warriors stay the course and fight for their ballot to be counted.

Just keep writing... Just keep writing

I had an idea on what to write about tonight, but for the life of me, I can't remember what it was right now. I would say that my not remembering is a sign of old age, but this has been an issue since I started writing this blog. I'd get an idea at some point during the day, and by the time I sat down at night, I had forgotten what the idea was.
Why don't you just make a note? you might ask.
Excellent question. I've tried a couple different note-keeping options, but they've all lacked ease of use and efficiency. More times than not, I just don't have pen and paper. And in all honesty, I've never been able to use a note function on my phone with any competence.
So I depend on my memory. And that, to put it mildly, is faulty. So here I sit.
And I still have no idea what I wanted to write about.

Honestly, just leave us the hell alone

We had such a moment with a man yesterday, and it reminded me tremendously of that scene in the "Designing Women" episode when the guy came over the ladies' table to chat because they were just a bunch of ladies and he thought he'd join them.
Roberta, Lilly and I were sitting at an outside table on a resort patio having a perfectly lovely chat yesterday, resting in the shade and enjoying each other's company, when this man came over and sat with us. He had a Scrabble game with him, and just plunked down in the third small loveseat in the seating area we were occupying. Before you ask, there were a TON of empty tables and chairs, so it wasn't because he didn't have anywhere else to sit. He sat with us. Uninvited and unwanted. We continued our conversation as we were, but he kept INTERJECTING into our conversation. We did our best to ignore him, but he kept butting in. So finally, I whispered to Roberta that I wanted to be rude. She agreed, but before letting me go off, said, "Perhaps we should take a walk around?" I said, "Yes, and I could use some water." Lilly agreed, and we all got up. As we walked away, the guy says, "I hope I'm not driving you away..." We continued to ignore, and went inside to find another table, where we sat for another 30 minutes.
DUDE. Understand this: You were neither invited nor wanted in our conversation. We ignored you, hoping you'd take the hint. We got up and left because YES, YOU WERE DRIVING US AWAY. What is it about dudes that makes them think that a group of women strangers would give two fiddlefucks about their opinion on ANYTHING? Like, if we wanted a man's opinion, we would have invited our own men to be a part of the conversation! Or like we would be all, "Oh! You've saved us from our girly talk and frivolousness with your SCRABBLE GAME AND SPARKLING CONVERSATION AND PERSONALITY!"
NO! All men! Leave a group of women to their own peace and conversation. They don't want you there. They WILL GET UP AND ACTIVELY LEAVE YOUR PRESENCE. JUST DON'T BUG THEM AT ALL.

She really just sat there the whole time

I got to benignly torture a woman in the bathroom today.
I went in to the lobby bathroom to change into my hiking shorts and shoes, and was dismayed to discover that someone had taken the larger stall for themselves, though all indications showed that she didn't need it. So I was stuck having to change my clothes and shoes in the small stall. Well, I got about halfway undressed when I realized that there was no sound coming from the stall next to mine. And as I finished undressing and putting on my workout top, it was still quiet and still over there. My snap assumption was that she is one of those women who won't poop or fart in the stall while someone else is in the bathroom. So, I started taking my time. And really paying attention. And it occurred to me that she really wasn't making noise, and really was waiting for me to leave. So then I really slowed down. I don't think it's ever taken me so long to put on socks and shoes, or to pack up my normal clothes back into my bag. And then I had to wash my hands of course, and be sure that they were totally dry before I could toss out the paper towels. And then I finally left.
And I giggled about the woman who was too afraid or embarrassed to potty with someone else in the bathroom and how she just sat there until I left. Was that bad?

Not enough treaters, or treats

Happy Halloween!
I only had five trick-or-treaters tonight. They were the cutest trick-or-treaters ever, but still, there were only five of them. I would love to live in one of those neighborhoods where there are a whole bunch of treaters, and a whole bunch of fun costumes. As it is, I'm glad I didn't buy more candy just for the treaters, as the dent left by those five kids didn't even register in the bowl.
That being said, Sydney still got 136 pieces of candy from her walk around the neighborhood. She and Madi collected, then came back and counted, then poured it into a pile, and then divvied it between them based on what each preferred. So now she has a huge bag full of candy that she likes, with nothing really for me to take to work tomorrow. Of course, I'm still going to take half of it to work. She simply does not need all that candy in the house.
Also, there's less candy for Brian and I to enjoy, since all the candy that Sydney doesn't love got taken home by Madi. So there go all the Snickers and 3 Musketeers, and other randoms that Brian likes. At the end of the day, that's better for us, but right now, I really wish I had more treats for myself downstairs.

No Grinch for me. I don't like him

I'm going to take this morning and share something kinda weird.
I don't like the Grinch story.
It occurred to me as I watched yet another trailer for yet another Grinch movie, that I really, really dislike that story. I've seen the television movie more times that I can count, and I've never been a real fan of it. And when the movies are released, I'm never interested in seeing them.
I think the Grinch is an asshole who should just stay in his cave and treat his dog nicer, and leave those happy people alone if he's so bothered by the holiday. Like, just leave them be. I don't even care that he may or may not be redeemed at the end. He's an asshole, and should just go away.
Dude. You live in a cave. Go find another one away from the neighbors who annoy you.
So, no, I won't be seeing the new Grinch movie. And that's about all I have to say about that.

Frosting is the best "-ing" in the world

It's an entirely different process in recovering from a late night that was not of your making or choosing. Sydney's friends didn't fall asleep until 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, and they weren't quiet about it. I didn't really expect them to be, as it was a sleepover, but it would have been nice to get a couple more hours of sleep than I got, just the same. Sydney had a great time though, which was the entire purpose for the night, and I consider it a wild success!
I didn't get a chance to nap at all yesterday either, so I fell into bed a bit earlier with eagerness for the upcoming sleepytime. And while I still woke up a couple times during the night, it was a good sleep, for sure. Tonight's will be good too, I hope, and I'll try to go to bed early again.
Here's a thing I did: Sydney's birthday cake was super pretty, but it was made with an extra interior layer of frosting inside it. So, the baker took the regular sheet cake, sliced it in half horizontally, applied a layer of frosting, and then put the other half back on, before frosting the entire thing. This is too much frosting. Which, if you know me, is an insane thing for me to say. I love frosting. But this extra layer just made the whole cake super, super, super sweet with frosting. We soldiered through Saturday night, but none of the girls ate much of it, and I couldn't stomach any more than the piece I had. So yesterday afternoon, I came upon a brilliant idea. Brian and I removed the top, scraped out the frosting in the middle, and replaced the top layer. It was way messier than that quick and easy explanation, and Brian and I both ended up with hands full of frosting, but the end result is a way better cake. I'll toss it out tomorrow because we have a ton more sugary treats in the house this close to Halloween, but at least now I can snack on it today with better results in my belly. I love frosting.

Wait? Is it really Friday?

FRIDAY: So for as much as I was all, "I'm gonna be patient with this book," um, yeah. I was up until 12:30 last night finishing it. It was really good, and brought me to tears a couple times, and ended the story and character arcs delightfully. It's not due back to the library until the 13th, I think, so I'll digest it for a couple days and then reread it next week. She's so good, this author. The finale of her other book series is coming out next year, and I'm eager for that too, for sure. Reading is good for you, kids.
VIERNES: There's a smell in my office the last two days, and it's driving me crazy. It's a selection of candles, I'm sure of it, and they're being stored in the small office/storeroom near my desk. Yesterday, I was able to close the door to that room, but today, the worker bee in there has been in there all morning, and I can't shut that door. The smell is kinda Sephora/grandparents' cologne, and it's tickling my nose so much that I'm ridiculously distracted by it, and I'm counting the minutes until I get out of here ... (94, by the way). I had never been one to be terribly bothered by random smells, or anything perfume-y anyway, but this one this week is bugging me.
VENDREDI: I had wanted to walk the trail today after work, but I've got such a list of stuff to do before Sydney's party tomorrow night, and I'm in a state of scatteredness that I may be palpitating, that I chose to bypass the physical exercise for mental sanity. Syd and I will visit Target for party food shopping after school, but the random school activity that will take three hours tonight and was not really on my agenda until a day ago, has me in a slight state of panic. I've got my lists, and they're not crazy, but I'm worried about my timing. I mean, Brian and I are still going to the movies tomorrow morning because I must do that regularly, so I know I'm not too overwhelmed with things to do because I was able to plan that without flipping out. So I'm stressed, but not crazy, and I think I still have all the plans in a good place. I'll go home after work and eat some lunch, wrap some presents, reorganize my lists, and then be ready to get this party started.
FREITAG: One of my responsibilities at work is maintaining the online calendar, and yesterday I got a pile of dates to start for 2019, and I can't believe that the year is almost over already.

An ITEM! list for this October day

ITEM!: Honestly, I think this book may take up every blog post until I've finished it. I'm happily obsessed with it, and taking my time in reading it, which is a straight reversal for me. Usually, I'm up all night and reading at every opportunity. Last night, I didn't get to it until after 8 p.m., and stopped reading before midnight. I'm about 300 pages in, and thoroughly enjoying how the plot is rolling out so far. There are more than 975 pages in it, and I'm so excited about the amount of time it'll take me to finish this one.
ITEM!: Did I complain to you last year during the holiday season that I wasn't able to get to Disneyland to enjoy the holiday-ness there? If I didn't, count yourself lucky, because I'm pretty sure I bitched my mom's ear off about it. Anyway, through a weird kind of happenstance and change of plans, I'll get to go this year. Mom, Sydney and I will visit on Friday after Thanksgiving, and I'm getting super excited about it. Seriously, I'm getting very, very excited. I haven't seen Disneyland in the holidays since Sydney was maybe 5 years old, and I think she's going to love it, and that's the best thing ever. Also, Christmas-y Disney treats!
ITEM!: Sydney's having a birthday party this weekend and I'm ridiculously concerned about how my new area rug in the living room will survive. There will be no small candy to fall between the shag. There will be no pizza or cake in the living room. There will be no drinks but water. I will allow chips and popcorn, but only because I really kinda must, otherwise Sydney may lose friends. But I hope she has fun. But I really, really hope my rug comes out unscathed.
ITEM!: I'm pretty pissed that I didn't win the Mega Millions jackpot last night, as I had some pretty awesome plans for becoming a billionaire. Still, I'll check all our tickets this afternoon, since even a couple thousand dollars would be extremely helpful.

I get to read it FIRST

So remember when I was super giddy about the book that I was first on the waiting list for at the library? Well, it's at my house right now, and I'm 150 pages into it already. I picked it up before I got Sydney yesterday, and started it last night. I'm into it, of course, but I'm also taking my time. It's not due back until early to mid-November, so I should be able to finish it and read it again if I want before then. It was a good stop at the library. Anyway, that's why I probably won't be blogging at night for the next few days. I'll break the rules and do it at work during the day, or at home in the morning, until I'm done. Yay books!

Ballots in the mail in the morning!

Brian and I did our vote this evening, and I'm eager to get our ballots in the mail. We have a real shot of changing the direction of Arizona this year, and we're excited to have our voices heard. Some of the polls indicate that there may be a bit of a blue shift in the state's representation, and if that ends up being the case, I'll be proud to be a part of that change.
We read all about our propositions though, and did our research on the different candidates for all the different elected offices. We'd seen enough attack ads from both sides of every issue and person, so we visited the non-partisan sites for the straight information on the issues. We disagreed on only one proposition, so we might as well have not voted on it at all since we canceled each others vote there. And while I tend to keep my voting opinions to myself, I did insist that Brian vote yes on the city proposition that would protect the nature preserve from any shady, loophole-based development. My own desire for that preserve protection steered my vote for new city council members, too. You a city council member who voted for the preserve development? You're out, as far as my vote is concerned.
So, the vote is super important this year, and I'm so glad to have a voice out there! Unfortunately, though, Arizona doesn't send out "I Voted" stickers in its absentee/mailed ballots (like California does), so I won't have any cool "I Voted" pic to post on any social media, which is a drag, for sure. I want to shame and peer pressure others into voting, and Arizona is not making that easy for me to do!

People! Just cooperate, won't you?

I am not a fan of confrontation. I really kind of avoid it with all my power, to the point where even Brian and Sydney rarely get my more aggressive side. I had to assert myself over the last couple days on one of my Marco Polo threads, and it was satisfying, but also nerve-wracking. I'm just not used to challenging people. I certainly have my opinions, and I am not afraid of voicing them, but when forced to argue my point, I always get flustered and awkward. Or at least I always feel like I do.
Because of this particular confrontation, my entire day was an exercise in feeling like I was inexplicably under attack. Like, the line for the prescription pick-up was long. The baker at Safeway acted like my ordering a cake was a very real imposition on her day, especially when we chose a design that was on a cake on the shelf, rather than one in the book. The guy at Einstein's was super rude and very not into conversation regarding cream cheese. My macaroni and cheese plate was incredibly hot, even through the silicone handle. My daughter didn't want to check out the Halloween doughnuts at Krispy Kreme or go to Starbucks. Target didn't have any paper lunch bags.
It was weird how every single stop made me feel like I was on the defensive. Attack! Defend! Attack! Defend! At any rate, my day ended okay, with little to no actual offenses thrown my way, and I didn't have to throw any punches to finish it up. I think tomorrow I might just spend my entire day in and around my house. Better to not interact with the public perhaps.

Plenty of Hemsworth chest though

Brian and I saw "Bad Times at the El Royale" this afternoon. Is it weird to feel disappointed by a movie that has some real potential? I mean, Brian and I both felt like this movie was almost, almost really good. The cast was intriguing. The storylines were interesting. And visually, it was attractive.
The idea of a group of people meeting at a random hotel with their own stories and paths, and then clashing in some pretty spectacular ways, has some real merit. Especially when it's written by someone like, say Tarantino. Which this obviously was not.
It was slowly paced, but had an ending I didn't entirely expect. I think I love the idea of this film more than the actual film, and that's pretty disappointing. I actually liked this movie, though it may not sound like it.

Once again, super giddy over a book

Something pretty exciting for this reader is happening next week, I think. One of my favorite authors has a new book coming out next Tuesday. I typically only purchase this book series in paperback, so I borrow the books from the library in hardcover so I can read them, until they're in paperback when I buy them. So next week's hardcover has totally been on my radar for the library for a couple months.
I had been checking the library regularly to see when I can get on the waiting list for it. And last week, the book was listed in the Catalog, so I was quick to request it to get on the list.
Imagine my surprise, you guys, when the request went through and the website didn't immediately tell me where I was in line for the book. The next day, I checked the site again, and it had me listed as "(1 of 4)." Today, I'm listed as "(1 of 6)."
Holy crap, you guys, am I first on the waiting list? FIRST?!?! Will I get a notification on Tuesday, (or Monday even?) that the book will be available for me? I am beside myself with excitement! Like, honestly, so excited!
I'm in the middle of my Anne Rice book right now, and I'm hesitant to start something else once I'm done with it. I want to be ready to read once Tuesday comes around ... just in case...

Like, who even cares, but I have thoughts

I have thoughts on the Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson thing, and I usually stay as far away from celebrity gossip as possible, but this guy, and the way he seemed to be riding her coattails and acting like she was the lucky one was irritating me. Also, did you read about how he thought it was okay and cool that she got felt up in front of a crowd at a funeral? And that it was no big deal, even flattering? [Editor's Note: I'll never wish anything more than for men to spend just a few days as women, and then they'll realize all the indignities and hardships and violations visited on us by them, and then maybe they would change their minds on what they deem problematic and bothersome.] So it was with inexplicable and surprising relief that I read about this particular couple breaking up. So many times, we as the public, may feel that someone is better than who they've chosen. And typically, I stay far away from the fray. But with this one, I thought, "Good. Kick him to the curb. You can do WAY better." I just got a creepy vibe from him, and I won't apologize for having an opinion on this one.
I have no other celebrity relationship thoughts to share with you.

I took a nap I didn't want today

My list for right before my mom gets here is usually full up with cleaning my house and stuff. This time is different, of course, because now I have house cleaners coming regularly, and by an awesome twist of fate, they're coming tomorrow, right before Mom arrives.
My list before our adventure this week is still pretty long, but all the icky stuff I hate doing so much will be done for me. And that's super exciting!
I ended up falling asleep on the sofa this afternoon, and that bugs me because I wanted to get more done today. Oh well, obviously my body knew better than my brain. Still, I have a comprehensive list that I will enjoy crossing things off tomorrow and Wednesday.

The grown-ups got to go out last night

Brian and I went to see the stage musical "Waitress" last night.
I was kind of blown away by the amount of people in the audience that didn't seem to know anything about the movie that the musical is based on. A really big plot point of the movie is Jenna's affair with Dr. Pomatter, and I was taken aback by the amount of audible gasps in the audience when the characters got together the first time. And how many were surprised when Jenna finally told Earl to take off. I mean, I know I've seen the movie a couple times, but I always get surprised by people who pay the money for the musical tickets without doing the homework on the movie it's based on.
Anyway, it was a well-done show, and we enjoyed it, even though we agreed that the subject matter is a bit depressing, even though there's a happy ending. I mean, the first seven-eighths are a real drag emotionally, to be honest.
Still, it's all good because the grown-ups got to go out last night.

Target was super cool to me yesterday

I started a new book today, but it's not the book I wanted to start. I have a couple library books right now, and the one of them that I started today is not at all floating my boat. I'm 112 pages into it, and I don't think I'm a fan of the main character, nor do I particularly like the writing style of the author. I think I may try to soldier through a couple more chapters tonight, but I won't be shocked or surprised if I end up dropping this one back at the library in the morning on my way to the trail head.
I did actually buy a book yesterday though. Sydney and I ventured forth to Target, and while wandering through the store, we came across a few copies of the latest Anne Rice book, "Blood Communion," on the bookshelves. I had planned on bypassing the book for a couple months and giving the idea to Mom for Christmas, as I always have a list of books for her to get me for the holiday, but a sticker on the book's front caught my eye. It said,"Signed First Edition." And oh my god, if it wasn't a signed copy. An actual Anne Rice book signed by Anne Rice! That is pretty amazing. Granted, it's not the experience of standing in line at a bookstore for hours waiting to get a book signed, but it's still awesome, and something that I don't have. And I've got almost every Anne Rice book on my own bookshelf. And this one, this particular one, has her signature in it.
I'm such a huge fan of her writing, and her characters, and this is simply a very awesome thing for me. Anyway, that's the book I'd rather be reading, and I may just get to it tomorrow.

It's no secret; I prefer shutters

Let me tell you about something that I've been incredibly bad at taking care of in my house. There aren't a lot of things that fall by the wayside in my life, but this particular aspect of living has long been ignored. I am talking about, of course, the vertical blinds in my windows.
We've been pretty brutal to the vertical blinds, and have a collection of broken ones piling up in a hidden corner of the house. When they break on a window, I take intact blinds from the window in the loft and replace them in each individual room. Because of this, the window in the loft is missing about half of its blinds.
A couple assumptions I have made: 1.) Of course, I will be able to wander into Lowe's or Home Depot and buy replacements whenever I want to. 2.) They will have the proper color I want. 3.) They will have as many as I need. 4.) They will be cheap to buy.
Because of these basic assumptions I have made, the actual research of finding replacement blinds has not occurred at all. For five years, we've been breaking and "fixing" the vertical blind situation in my home.
This is on my mind tonight because Elliot broke another blind in my bedroom this afternoon. Interestingly, the break is in the form of a split up through the middle of the blind's bottom. Typically, the blinds are ripped from the holders at the top and the little catch hole is broken. But not this time, little rascal! I'll be able to leave it hanging in the bedroom, but it will have to replaced at the same time as all the others. Whenever I decide that will be!

Is it too late for tea? Duh; no!

I do love my hot tea in the late evening. It's a ritual that I have had to bypass over the summer, since it is, in fact, way too hot outside to be drinking hot tea.
Over the last couple days though, I've been enjoying some cooler evenings, and therefore, enjoying some hot tea at night. My witching hour is between 10 and 11 at night, and I can feel the draw of the hot tea. I find myself wandering the upstairs, muttering to myself about needing something to drink. Once I head downstairs, the hot tea is all I can think about, and everything is put on hold until I've got that cuppa. Also, I've got some awesome holiday and seasonally appropriate mugs from which to drink my tea, and having unpacked my Halloween mugs, I'm especially eager to partake.
So I sit here right now in my happy place. I've got Stephen Colbert on my television, dogs sleeping on my bed, a computer in my lap, and a hot tea beside me. This is all good stuff. And the evenings will only get colder.

Rain, rain, stay a while

We're in the midst of a pretty awesome rainstorm, and of course, that dominates all conversation. Brian was excited to tell me that the storm stretched all the way from the house to his work, thereby decreeing that this, "is a really big, like, 30-mile wide storm!" Rain is a good thing no matter where you are, so we'll take this unexpected and early fall storm with a healthy dose of gratitude.
I'm glad I walked the trail yesterday though, instead of putting it off until today, as I had entertained. The mountain, I'm sure, is very muddy right now.

As for October, we've got a fun month ahead of us, I think. Brian and I have tickets to see "Waitress" in the next few days; Sydney and I are heading to San Diego with Mom for Sydney's Fall Break; Sydney turns 12 later in the month, and we'll host a party for that; and then, of course, Halloween. October is the beginning of the busy holiday season for us, and I'm starting to get super excited for it!

Bring it on, Halloween

Let's talk about Halloween decorations. I have out everything I think I want out, but there are still some things sitting on the dining room table, waiting for me to find them a place. It's just a couple pieces that I could probably donate very easily and with minimal emotional effort, so that may be the way they go. I do need to close up the bins though and get them back in the garage, because I'm sick of seeing them all over my dining room.Tomorrow, I'll get to the outside decorations. I have some new signage to put out, and some things to organize and prepare for. It occurred to me this morning that Sydney and I will have to hit the pumpkin patch some time in the next couple weeks, and also that I need to come up with some new ideas for those pumpkins. Last year, I had a mummy, spider and candy corn. I haven't seen any super cool or noteworthy ideas yet this season. Obviously, I'll need to do some research on this.
Sydney and I bought our third and fourth bag of candy of the season today. I did myself a favor and bought her candy that I can very easily walk past without a thought, though: Hershey bars and Dove caramel and chocolate candies. I didn't say I don't like them, because they both sound pretty awesome, but that I could walk past them more easily than say, a Twix, Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, Junior Mints, Milk Duds, York Peppermint Patties, Bit-O-Honey, Hot Tamales, Rolos, Tootsie Rolls and CINNAMON BEARS.

Halloween has arrived early

I usually have a pretty strict rule about decorating for a holiday before the first of the month of the holiday. But allowing for the first of October landing on a Monday, and the fact that we'll be gone this weekend, I brought all the Halloween decorations into the house today.
And against my better judgment, I started putting them out.I can't be trusted when it comes to Halloween, you know. I've finished with the kitchen, and I just finished the upstairs. But I'm doing a purging of Halloween somewhat, too, and so far, my dining room table is piled with some decorations that I don't want anymore. Of course, there are some new pieces that I don't know where I want to put yet, too. (Because I have very little self control about Halloween.)
I imagine I'll get everything else out and up tomorrow, since I won't be able to stop myself. What I need to pick up at Target though is another couple sets of nightlights bulbs, and some white light strings, and some small batteries for a couple other light-up things.
No doubt I'll futz and shift things over the next few days, but for now, in a couple places, I'm pretty pleased with how it looks.

Thinking about new TV

I can't begin to tell you the last time Brian and I sat down to watch a new show together. Like, really, it's been a very long time. Our television viewing habits do not really coincide too much, and for something to come along to intrigue both of us is a rare event.
I had a feeling about "Manifest," though, and suggested that we both take the time to sit through that one together. We missed it Monday night because of football, but did finally sit and watch it last night.
By virtue of the airplane plot, I was intrigued to see how similar or aligned the show would be with "Lost," which I loved. I was super pleased with how quickly the airplane passengers were re-introduced into the world, and that it seems like it'll focus on their struggle to re-enter their lives. And the whole voices-in-their-heads thing looks like it'll be pretty awesome. I mean, they're kinda like superheroes now.
As Brian said at the end of the episode, "Well, that was interesting. They've got us next week..."
And as for other new shows? I recorded/set up recording "New Amsterdam;" "Magnum, P.I." for Brian; "Lethal Weapon," because of Seann William Scott, even though it's not a new show but a new one for us; "Murphy Brown," because OF COURSE; and I'm thinking maybe "Single Parents."
I've broken up with so many shows lately that it's kinda exciting to be meeting new shows.

We ate blueberry pie and pizza last night

I'm sure you'll all be glad to hear that yes, we did have our Tombstone 5-cheese pizza for dinner last night, and yes, it was delicious.
Our trip to Walmart was quite successful, in fact. The store had about six different Tombstone pizzas, but in our desperation, we only bought the cheese. We bought three of the cheese, but still, just the cheese. Maybe next time I'll see if we can't branch out a little and try maybe sausage? Or vegetable?
We picked up some shampoo and conditioner for the kiddo, wandered through the games aisle, and sadly, were unsuccessful in finding anything amazing in the Halloween section, though there was quite a bit of stuff there.
We also picked up a couple blueberry mini-pies in the bakery section, and were pleased to discover that they taste almost as good as an AJs blueberry pie. Not as good, but almost as good. They were only 50 cents each, and we bought two. It won't surprise you that one didn't survive 15 minutes once we got home. Sydney tried to put the other in her lunch today, but I foiled her plan because I want some, too. I think we'll share it this evening.
It's pretty exciting to have found a dealer for our frozen pizza fix, for sure, and I'll be interested to see if blueberry mini-pies are available year-round, or if they're seasonal. So, two addictions to be sated in one place. A successful trip, indeed!

Hoping for pizza tomorrow night for dinner

I have a pizza problem. It is a lack of a particular kind of pizza. And you may scoff, but, it is a lack of the 5-cheese Tombstone pizza. Sydney and I love this pizza, and we can happily split an entire pie for dinner. But lately, I've had a really hard time finding it.
Our local Target has had the pepperoni pizza, but not the cheese. My Safeway hasn't had any Tombstone pizza at all. According to the pizza's website though, both those locations should have plenty of both cheese and pepperoni. So, either the website is lying, or the stores are just selling out of the pizza that quickly. I feel like both options are unlikely, but the website is probably more apt to be wrong.
I've been struggling with this for a while, but finally said something to Brian about my struggle tonight. His suggestion: Walmart. "It seems like a very frozen pizza kind of place to look for frozen pizza." And he's not wrong.
Sydney and I have agreed that Walmart will be our quest location tomorrow after school, and if it's there, we'll celebrate with some Wetzel's Pretzels. If it's not, then we will drown our sorrows with Wetzel's Pretzels.

Why does this seem not-at-all familiar?

It's happened, you guys. I borrowed a book from the library that I've already read ... from the library. I honestly feel like there needs to be some kind of online buzzer or bright red, capped notification when you request a book that you've already borrowed once before. And it should be vaguely insulting too. Like, "Kimberly? Are you sure you want to borrow this one? Maybe reread the synopsis and be sure it doesn't seem a little familiar? *heavy sigh* You read this last year, dork."
What concerns me is that I did read the synopsis, in Barnes & Noble. Yes, I actually held the book in  my hands and thought, "This sounds good. I should read it." Not for a second did it seem familiar. Not. For. A. Second.
I mean, I know I read fast, and I certainly know that my casual, pleasure reading ranks incredibly low in my comprehension skills. The books are like fun, wispy clouds that float in and around my head for a bit before fading away. Books and stories I remember are books and stories I have re-read a couple/few times, or which qualify for life- and conscience-altering status. [Editorial note that I still can't spell "conscience" correctly. Twice I needed auto-correct in two consecutive sentences.]
But here's the real weird part. This particular book is the first in a series of three. That means that I read THREE books about those characters, but still didn't remember them enough to have any bells go off in my head while reading the book flaps. Jeez.
So, needless to say, this really doesn't stop me from simply shrugging my shoulders at my bad memory, returning this book, and picking up something new this afternoon. I LOVE READING!

Today, two weird things. Tomorrow?

A couple weird things happened today. First, someone I haven't talked to or texted with in a year or two texted me today and wanted to catch up. Second, someone I haven't talked to in about nine years showed up in my Marco Polo app, though there was no contact made there on either side.
First, I'm feeling like, okay, I'm up for being friends again with the person who reached out to me, but I'm left wondering what or who they thought of that led them to think of me and then to text me. I think we're having frozen yogurt next Friday. I'm happy to see her, but insanely curious why she wants to see me after this amount of time.
Second ... ah, yes, second. This person showed up in my Marco Polo notifications that they joined the app today. And their face is in my conversation tiles on the main page of the app. And I feel like my safe space has been violated. The interesting thing is that I probably showed up in their Polo notifications, too. And I wonder if I'll hear from them. I mean, it's been nine years or so. Curiosity number two.
That's it. Those are the weird things. Tomorrow, maybe something else? I'm almost excited!

Here's my blog post in praise of "Elementary"

My television show watching has fallen off over the last few years; there just aren't enough shows that I still want to watch regularly. One of those show that I still watch with an intensity though, is "Elementary," with Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu, starring as Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson, respectively.
You know how sometimes you can look at a show and say, "Wow. I'm super glad I started watching that?" Well, that's my opinion of "Elementary." I am genuinely pleased with myself for starting and continuing to watch that show. It's a delight to obsess over, and is very rarely disappointing as an hour spent in front of the TV. The show's sixth season finale (or is it seventh?), was broadcast this week, and it was wonderful.
I wish I had made Brian sit and watch it with me, too. I think maybe he would have enjoyed it.

I HAVE DISCOVERED HOT WATER

As unhelpful as my boss was yesterday, I had to try the thing, and it worked okay. So, I'll use it, but only for half my job, since the other thing needs to be done on the other thing. Ho hum. So even though the thing is useful and okay for what it was designed to be useful for, it still only serves half of my purposes.
I'm still reading "The Silent Corner," by Dean Koontz, and I think I'm liking it. I have a love/not love relationship with Koontz. I love the Frankenstein series, and a couple other stand-alone stories, but I definitely do not love the Odd Thomas series, or others that I've tried to read. At any rate, I hope to be done with this book sometime tomorrow, so I can get started on the others that I brought home from the library.
Sydney has a friend over for a sleepover tonight, since they have the day off from school tomorrow, so there is an abundance of giggling going on in the room next door to mine. I'm glad they're having fun. But I do hope they go to bed at a decent time. I'm such a mom!
For whatever reason, it's started to feel super cold in my office lately. I hate being cold, and to warm myself up, I've started heating up water to drink at my desk. In fact, I've done it so much lately, and I enjoy the results so much, that tomorrow, I'm actually bringing my own mug to the office. I'm excited to have a more colorful mug from which to drink my hot water. Obviously, there are many before me who know this about drinking hot water already, but I'm pretty pleased to have discovered it on my own, without anyone suggesting it to me.

Could you BE any more unhelpful?

My boss did something stupid and unhelpful today, and in fact, even made my job more difficult and time-consuming, if you can believe it. But since I really don't know who reads this blog, although I doubt any of my coworkers do, I'll still refrain from mouthing off too much about this latest inconvenience. Except to say that, when you give an employee a topic to research to make their job easier, don't take their recommendation, ignore it, and then find something you like better that only helps the employee with half of their job. Like, really?
It was weird because I had a very apathetic approach to going to work this morning. I said it to my friends, I just didn't feel like going in today. I wasn't dreading anything; and there wasn't anything to be nervous or anxious about. I just didn't feel good about going in.
And then she went and did something stupid and unhelpful, and now I'm thinking that I should really pay more attention to my instincts. Of course, not going in today would have only prolonged the pain from today until tomorrow, so there's that. But you know, it's just grating, and to think that I had a feeling about work anyway.
No worries. I'll just ignore the unhelpful "solution," and go about my business, per usual.

Mood: The Predator on the hunt

It's never a really great weekend when both of your football teams lose in a pretty spectacular fashion. So, there's that. But beyond that, I had kind of a meh couple days emotionally, and I can't explain why that was. I wasn't in a bad mood, which was great, but I wasn't in a really great mood, either. It was a perfectly apathetic mood. Nothing rocked my world.
I did finish a book, and I did start a book, so my reading is going along well.
We did go see a movie, so that was okay. "The Predator," in case you're interested, is a perfectly serviceable movie for the action and intrigue, and is a valiant chapter in the series, but didn't blow my mind at all.
The Emmys are on tonight, and that might be fun, but I'm not sure if I'll be at all into it.
You see? I don't care about anything right now. Ho hum. And of course, I had to write about my meh-ness at this moment. Here's hoping something will inspire me for a post tonight.

ACTUALLY, part of my melancholy attitude can be attributed to the only 0.5 pounds I lost this week on my Weight Watchers. I mean, really? Only half a pound? Mom's probably right that last week's 4 pounds was a water-weight and excess anomaly, but still. I was really hoping for, at the very least, a full pound. I'm inclined to blame my lack of exercise last week because of the heat. I felt really good walking the trail two weeks ago, and I missed it last week. The weather later this week looks to be cooler, so I should be able to go out on Thursday and then again this weekend. That's what I need. To get out of the house and into nature. Also to lose more pounds. I'm feeling very non-accomplished today.

Friday morning statuses dated to Thursday night

STATUS #1: I didn't blog last night because I finally started reading the book that I've been carrying up and down the stairs with me every day for four weeks. And of course, as soon as I finally started it, I am enjoying it, and now I am halfway through with it. I expect that I'll finish it tonight. Then I've got another book here from the library, and I'll read that maybe, and then I can dig into the other books I added to my library queue that I found at Barnes & Noble. Suddenly I am full up of books that I want to read.
STATUS #2: As of Monday this week, I'm down four pounds from the previous week. The Weight Watchers is working again, and I'm all in for the next few weeks. Walking the trail twice last week probably helped a bit, but that'll only happen once this week. It's still too hot to go out in the afternoon for a couple more weeks, so the weekend mornings will have to be when that happens. I'm thinking Sunday this weekend. I'll do my yoga session today, though. And then we'll see how much down we are this coming Monday morning. It's fun, you guys!
STATUS #3: It should a pretty low-key couple days this weekend, though. Brian and I are off to see The Predator tomorrow, and then it's football the rest of the day probably. And then the trail Sunday morning, and then football. Maybe I'll start my new book, or get Sydney to go through her closet. And me through mine, and Brian through his. (Just kidding, Brian hates going through his closet.) And maybe some time in the office here, re-organizing the things that are bugging me. Yes, maybe some cleansing this weekend.

I did some shit today, I guess

My friend said this morning that today was "Getting Shit Done Wednesday." It was a delightfully motivating name for the day, and I feel like it should be adopted by anyone and everyone. I was, relatively, motivated by the initial call to get shit done today, but really, the shame of not getting the shit done was even more motivating.
So, what shit did I get done today? I went to work and did work. Which was pretty awesome since I haven't had much to do over the last couple weeks. I got the polish on my nails changed. I did a couple loads of laundry. I found somewhere to drop off our leaking container of antifreeze. I scheduled a Goodwill pick-up for the old living room furniture. I did a 15-minute yoga session. I kept to my Weight Watchers points.
On the whole, not a ridiculously productive day, but a decent one. I would have liked to hit the trail this afternoon, but it's still too hot outside. And I had wanted to start on my library book, but I'm having a bitch of a time cracking that one open.
From now on, every Wednesday is Getting Shit Done Wednesday.

A musical, family movie night for the win

We went to the theater tonight and saw an old movie. I love Debbie Reynolds so much, so when "Singin' in the Rain" was available for viewing on the local theater's Tuesday Night Classics night, I was all in. I've never seen the entirety of that movie, and was eager to pop my cherry, so to speak. To my surprise, Sydney and Brian were up for seeing the film with me.
To no one's surprise, the theater was full up of old people. I can count on both hands how many people were younger than me in there, and that's including Brian and Sydney. The row behind us had a group of ladies that had come to the movie together, and who clearly thought that this was a party theater, because they chatted and giggled and ate very sweet-smelling candy throughout the film. Happily, no one sang along to anything. Not even the titular song.
Gene Kelly was an interesting character, though. I didn't know that he had co-directed the movie, but in knowing that during the viewing, I could see where Kelly had plenty of, I'll call them "vanity scenes," where he got to dance way more than the story needed. And he dyed his hair for the movie, too, which isn't a big deal, but to be as old as he was flirting and kissing with a 19-year-old Debbie Reynolds was creepy.
As for Debbie, my all-consuming crush continues. She was so awesome. Such a luminescent face on her, with the fun dancing and singing, and just the coolness of her. I will sit my kid down to watch "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" soon, too. It's my favorite. And now, I must see all the Debbie Reynolds musicals. She's amazing.
And holy cow, Donald O'Connor! He was the best dancer of them all.
The movie, really, was a delight, excepting those longer-than-necessary dance numbers. I'm pretty excited that I saw it for the first time in a theater.

My living room looks pretty awesome

ITEM!: And football season has officially begun, friends! The Patriots won their game, and all is right in the world. Brian says I'm a spoiled football fan, primarily because I became a fan of the Patriots in 2003, and I've never had to deal with them losing too much over any kind of years or seasons. I'm alright with that. But I have real respect for those fans that have dealt with successive years of losing; that can't be fun. I'm sure I'll find out at some point, but I'll enjoy this streak while it lasts ... which will probably be until the very moment that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick retire. And they will retire together. Mark my words.
ITEM!: My living room is finished, if you can believe it! Brian and I assembled the TV stand on Friday afternoon, and it looks awesome! I finished putting all the stuff in it that I want in it, and it's a nice piece of furniture in the room! I honestly can't believe that the room is finally looking how I want it. I've been unhappy with the room for so long!
ITEM!: I need to find a charity to come by and pick up the old living room furniture. I saw a Big Brothers, Big Sisters truck a couple weeks ago, and I may just call them. Goodwill was making it difficult on me to find where they come and pick stuff up, and the local hospice organization told me when they'll be able to get my stuff, and did not make it easy on scheduling such a thing. I'm needing to get all that stuff out of my house now, and it needs to be gone, like, tomorrow.
ITEM!: As weekends go, this was a pretty decent one, if a bit boring. There were no movies that we wanted to see, and no place that we really needed to go. So we watched football, and found random things to do here and there in town. ... I finished my puzzle, so that was good.

Football is so fun to watch

Football is back, friends!
And of course, the new season began as last season ended, with me cheering for a team that ultimately gets beat by the Philadelphia Eagles.
And as a new season begins, already a good majority of the talking heads on my television channels already have the Patriots in the Super Bowl at the end of the season. I mean, I do, too, but I'm super biased. I always get nervous when everyone bets on my team, though, because the ground has a tendency to fall out from underneath us in those situations.
Still, when it came to cheering for a team in tonight's season opener, I picked the Falcons, because they lose Super Bowls way better than the Eagles do.

My trail is not this green

This afternoon, after work, I hit the trail for a hike.
It felt good to get out into nature, and to spend some time on my own, just walking and listening to music. What didn't feel good, of course, was the 105-degree temperature outside, and the blazing Arizona sun on my shoulders and forehead.
I knew when I got out of the car that the trek would be a warm one, and I had prepared by bringing a larger water bottle than usual. I filled it up with water at the office, so the water was cool when I started. I decided to just walk the trail though, since I hadn't been out there for about a year, and not push myself to make any "time," or try to encourage more sweat and cardio than I what I'd get from walking.
So I did it, of course. I had some concerns about the heat on my not-at-all-in-shape body, and entertained emergency scenarios where I'd have to call someone, or best-case situations where I'd just have to sit under a tree for a few minutes. In truth though, I was pretty impressed that I didn't have to stop more than the extra drinking stops I made in the shade of the palo verde trees along the way. I didn't get light headed at all. But don't misunderstand, I was very pleased to see the end of the trail when I came to it.
By the time I got to the car, I just sat in it with the air conditioner blowing on me for about 10 minutes and drank the rest of my hot water which didn't stay cool the entire walk. Next time, the Hydro Flask goes with me.
Conclusion: I did the hike, which was my goal, and I made it without any physical issues, which was my fear. I'm a but sore from the exercise, which is amazing, and I'm feeling kinda excited about going out again Friday, which is perhaps stupid?

I don't feel healthy, and that's gotta change

I got bored with sitting on my sofa the other day, and downloaded a yoga app to my Apple TV. The app has several sessions at the three different difficulty levels: beginner, intermediate and expert. I, of course, am a beginner. I started with a 15-minute beginner session for flexibility. I also did a 15-minute beginning session for Morning Stretch. I liked the flexibility session, though, and have done it another time since then. It feels good to do something relatively active with my body, even if it's just stretching.
I also have noticed that I've been getting super winded when walking the dogs around the community. This is a problem because the walk is only a few minutes, and there are no hills or inclines along the route.
I also have noticed that I'm feeling ... heavy ... when walking up the stairs. It's more trouble than it should be to "bop" upstairs to get something done.
All these things have thrown into stark relief the fact that I'm not as healthy as I should be, and would like to be. I can't keep up as much as I'd like, and I'm dragging. This is not a good thing, and I'm motivated to change it.
Yesterday, I restarted my Weight Watchers program. I'm counting my points again, and avoiding all the bad things out there that I shouldn't be eating. As an example, I didn't have a single one of the yummy-looking chocolate chip cookies Merrick brought into the office today. I went to bed a little hungry last night, and intend to do the same tonight.
Tomorrow, I'm going to go hike my trail again after work. I'll hoof it in the afternoon heat and sun, embracing the sweat, and get my maximum calorie burning. At least it's not the absolute heat of the summer, and I'll carry with me a larger water bottle, so I should be fine. And I should have plenty of time between work and picking up Sydney to do my walk, and snack on something after.
And the yoga will continue to be something that I do regularly at home. I should have done a session this afternoon, but I didn't, but I may tomorrow at some point, but definitely on Thursday.
I'm excited for my new venture, and the potential therein. Time to get healthy again.

I really like going to the movies. It's my jam

My local movie theater is celebrating its birthday by offering every ticket to any movie for $5 for members of their awards program. I am such a member. I've got a three-day weekend ahead of me, and $5 movies? Sounds pretty fantastic, doesn't it? Sure, if there were better movies that I want to see in the theater. I think they planned the weekend to celebrate the birthday, with the least possible damage being done.
I've already bought the tickets for our Saturday morning viewing of Crazy Rich Asians.
Other movies in our theater this weekend include A.X.L., of which I know nothing; The Happytime Murders, which JJ and Anthony said wasn't worth the money; Kin, The Little Stranger and Alpha, all of which I don't want to see; Blackkklansman, which looks funny, but is definitely a rental; Christopher Robin, Incredibles 2, The Meg and Mission Impossible: Fallout, all of which we've seen already; and Operation Finale and Death of a Nation, which I don't want to see.
That leaves me with Mile 22, starring Mark Wahlberg, who I don't really enjoy on screen, and Papillon, which I'm intrigued by, but it looks super dark.
There really is nothing else for me to buy $5 tickets for, and it's frustrating the hell out of me. I'm honestly in an existential crisis right now. I'm ready to buy tickets for movies I don't really want to see so I can buy cheap tickets to a movie. I have a sickness.