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.