Yes, I said it, "Comforting eye food."

One of my new favorite movies is Guy Ritchie's "The Gentlemen." It's smart, clever, funny, and has just the right amount of violence and blood. I knew the first time I saw it that I would become a favorite, and it has not disappointed. What makes me say this now? Showtime has had the movie on regular rotation for the last month or two, and it's been an ideal repeat viewing. And I'm watching the ending of it right now. I can catch it at any point and sit for the rest of it.

I have a tendency to watch movies over and over, and this is just the latest in the list of movies that have joined that illustrious tier. No matter what, I'm in. Other movies on the list? Just a few to entertain you: "Predators," "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword," "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" and "Apollo 13." There are others, of course, but "Predators" and "Legend of the Sword" happen to be on my DVR right now.

Movies are like comfort food to me. Comforting eye food.

"Is he, though?" Perfection.

An update on the leg waxing because I'm sure you all are super interested. It's working. I'm going every four weeks, and the today's visit revealed less hair to wax. This is a positive development, for sure, and I'm cautiously optimistic that I won't need it anymore after the year of waxes I've already paid for.

I've also done more wrapping tonight, and organized some more stuff. Three of my packages arrived today, so I'm feeling hopeful that everything else might arrive soon-ish. Also, I'll share with you that one of my favorite movies to watch while wrapping is "Thor: Ragnarok." I watched it today, and I love it as much as I ever have. Taika Waititi is brilliant, and Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston and Mark Ruffalo are fantastic. Valkyrie is amazing. And I love that Karl Urban has a place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's an excellent background music to my Christmas preparations.

Hot tea and late mail

I didn't even roll the dice with a coffee today, so stuck with my more reliable drink, a hot tea. One for breakfast and one for afternoon tea, and they were both made perfectly perfect because they were made by me for me. The ideal hot beverage.

I just read an article about the United States Postal Service being gridlocked and overwhelmed for the holiday, and that is giving me anxiety. I have a few packages on their way to me with "In Transit" statuses, and I'm super nervous about them getting here on time. My email inbox is a cauldron full of shipping confirmations that can't tell me anything right now. Ugh.

Once is unfortunate. Twice? Comical.

OMG, it was a day of unfortunate coffee incidents.

When Christmas shopping at the mall, I always reward myself with a mocha at Nordstrom. They have a different kind of chocolate that I like the taste of. First, the order, "Decaf, large, nonfat mocha with whip." My standard mocha recitation. The girl asked me if I wanted an americano or regular. I replied that I wanted decaf. She said that they don't make decaf, so it'll be an americano. I'm bugged at this point, because I had the exact coffee drink that I ordered just six days ago, at that exact location. The barista explained that she could make it but it would be a special brewing, so it'll take five minutes. Fine.

Five minutes later, I have my mocha. Sydney and I go straight to the car so she can enjoy her pretzel and me my mocha without masks. Her pretzel is fine; my mocha HAS NO CHOCOLATE in it. I'm incensed. Did they do it wrong on purpose because I ordered my coffee properly? We'll never know.

Disappointed by my mocha from Nordstrom, I decide to replace it with a peppermint mocha from Starbucks. When the small-market coffee shop gives you lemons, the mass-market coffee machine will give you lemonade, right? I knew that the peppermint mocha would be fine because they are corporately mandated to make it exactly the same way every time. We stopped at my friendly neighborhood Starbucks, waited in line, made my purchase, and because it was piping hot, I waited a couple minutes before sipping. Hey, guess what. Not only NO CHOCOLATE, but NO PEPPERMINT. I'm stunned into laughing. I stirred the "peppermint mocha" to be sure it wasn't just separated, and alas, what I have in my hand is a latte. An expensive latte that is devoid of flavor in every way.

Two mochas ordered and paid for, and I was deceived by lattes. Not. Cool.

I was busy, if homebound, on this Sunday

Things I did today:

I wrapped Christmas presents, and got them under the tree. I still have several incoming from various locales, but what I've got, I've got ready for the big day.

I ate some cookie dough that my husband put almond extract in. I did not enjoy this. I hate, hate the flavor of almond extract, but especially in baked goods, and most especially in anything I did not expect it to be in. Two things about this: I did not know we *did not* have any vanilla extract in the house and I expect that if I go looking for it, I will find it; and I did not know that we *did* have almond extract and I may toss that out immediately when I'm alone in my kitchen.

I did not leave my house at all. Brian went and got lunch, and made dinner at home. I didn't even go outside today. I was a comfy homebody.

I helped with a history final project. I hadn't planned on it, but I was needed, and we got it done. She's a good kid; she just needs some direction and focus. Brian and I were helpful.

I froze. I have been cold all day, and have had a hard time warming up. I hope I'm not catching something, because this is a bad time for that, but I did double dose my Vitamin C, and will be doing that for the next several days. I'm going to bed early tonight, too.

I watched "Expendables 3." Because only watching the first two this weekend was not an option.

"The Expendables" is super explode-y

Actually, really watched "The Expendables" and "The Expendables 2" tonight. Brian would not let me start "The Expendables 3," because it was too much man-murder-testosterone-blood-puns-guns for one night. I was disappointed, but I did record "3" so I can watch it tomorrow.

Also tomorrow, I shall begin wrapping presents. I did some more shopping today, and have more orders coming, but I have enough already to get started, for sure. And since my Patriots aren't playing tomorrow, I really don't have anything to make me be anywhere other than the room where the Christmas happens. (The room where it happens, the room where it happens...)

I did find one of the presents that I had bought at one place for cheaper at Target though, so that's an issue. I bought it, of course. The gift is still on order, and will probably be shipped in the next couple days, but once it gets here, it will be returned immediately. I mean, $15 is $15, right?

Sleeping in is a good thing!

I'm looking forward to not waking up to an alarm tomorrow morning. There's something so decadent about sleeping in a nice, warm bed when it's cool in the house, and not having to brave the coolness until you want to... or have to pee. And it's even better when I'm not staying up too late the night before. So tonight is the normal 11 p.m. bedtime, and no alarm tomorrow. All good things.

Also, my dogs got groomed today so my bedmates smell good.

So I'm having a wonderment about my handwriting dystonia issue. I'm thinking that, since the botox didn't work properly, and the whole problem is the arm muscle that's always tensed, that maybe some form of forced relaxation may help make it better. I have a couple thoughts on that. First, perhaps one of those handgun massagers. They seem super violent, but also like they are efficient and purposeful.

My second thought is acupuncture. I did actually google acupuncture and dystonia, and it was a positive search, in that the acupuncture worked for some dystonia, just not specifically the one that I have. So I'll be the guinea pig for that one. I've asked around and no one in my circle here knows an acupuncture technician, so again, I'll be the guinea pig, I guess. I'm at the mercy of Yelp and Google reviews, I suppose.

I'm thinking I'll start with the massage gun though, and then move on to the acupuncture as my second self-diagnosed solution. I have figured out how to fix it. Let's see if either one of them work.

Making my list, which seems to be ongoing

I spent a lot of time on Christmas today. My afternoon was pretty well consumed with organizing what I've already got, ordering what I need, and realizing where the big gaping holes in my list are. My first act was to dig through all the bags and shopping that I'd already done, and organize it into piles for my people. Happily, I discovered that I was better along than I thought.

Still, there is work to be done.

No, I didn't get my cards addressed.

Cooper got his first allergy shot yesterday, and the results in his behavior and comfort have been pretty remarkable. He'd been licking his feet, scratching his ears, and itching his butt on the floor. After he got his shot, he hasn't done a single one of those things. Last night, we had our first full-night sleep without being awakened by his licking and scratching. And I've got to tell you, I feel like Cooper is feeling so much better. He just seems so relaxed and chill, and comfortable. I'm horrified with how long he's been irritated by the allergies before I made the decision to get him his shot.

This will not happen again. Allergy shots for everyone!

ITEM!: Only 15 days until Christmas.

ITEM!: First and foremost, I need to tell you that I got more envelopes at Walgreens this morning. The associate at the front was very helpful, exasperated that I didn't get all my envelopes the first time, and was quick to hand over the extra ones I needed. So, that fixed that. I have no motivation to address them tonight though, so that task will wait another day or two.

ITEM!: I'm watching an HBO documentary, "The Mystery of D.B. Cooper." HBO does an amazing job with their documentary films, and this particular subject is intriguing to me. It's been sitting on my DVR for a few days, and for whatever reason, tonight is the night. I'm interested because they just said that there are several key suspects. I feel like this is going to get super cool and interesting.

ITEM!: When Brian and I were at the mall yesterday, we visited a pastry, cookie, sweets shop. We stocked up on cookies, for certain. I'm always a sucker for a snickerdoodle, and when I saw one there, it was my first request. Brian chose a molasses one, and then we bought a package of day-old cookies, which included chocolate chip, s'mores, almond glaze and frosted sugar. We haven't dug into those yet, but I have definitely tasted my snickerdoodle. And it is so, so delicious! I'm eating it in parts, so I still have about 30 percent of it left, and while I'd like to say that I'm savoring it, every time I eat a piece, I end up eating another piece.

This is not my card, but I do like it quite a lot

I'm in a bit of a snit right now.

I ordered my Christmas cards from Walgreens; two orders of 20. Which, if my math is correct, is 40 cards. With those 40 cards, one would expect there to be 40 envelopes.

Well, not today, Satan. Today, I have 22 envelopes for my 40 cards. I was all ready to address my envelopes and fill them with cards, but now I can't do it yet. I'm adding Walgreens to my list of stops tomorrow, and hoping that I don't get anyone trying to tell me that I actually did get 40 envelopes.

I have the time, of course, because I don't have my Christmas stamps yet. (Mom orders those for me.) But I do want them addressed as soon as I can get it done, because any task that's finished now is no longer on my still-to-do list, which in itself is quite overwhelming.

This kind of hiccup is annoying.

Damn, those iPhones can take a picture

This one of the famous Cabazon Dinosaurs, and as you can see, he's dressed for the holidays. Usually, on most days, he's painted a more "dinosaur-y" green, and without the Santa suit. We were surprised to see him in a Santa suit when we drove up, but were even more surprised to see that the suit is painted on him. That seems like a big use of random resources, but I guess if they were going to paint him a very un-dinosaur-like green anyway, they might as well throw on the Santa suit for a couple weeks first.

Anyway, when we drove past him on our way out to California, it was dark, and Sydney said, "Mom, I think the dinosaur is in a Santa suit!" We decided that no matter what, we'd be stopping on our way back. And quite obviously, we did just that. And it was totally worth it in every way.

This really is a great picture with the bright blue sky behind him.

Excited for a not-dismal season after all

When Tom Brady left the Patriots at the end of last season, I had little to no hope for a decent season this year. When the Patriots signed Cam Newton I had perhaps more faith than I should have that we'd have a better than decent season this year. Alas, my team is not performing well.

During that weird, quiet offseason, before Cam was signed, Brian and I had a conversation in which he said that the Pats would go 4-12 for the season, but I said that we'd at least go .500 for the year. I am excited to announce that we are quite far into the season, with only four more games to play, and the Patriots are 6-6. We may not end the season with an 8-8 record or better, but at least it won't be as dismal a record as 4-12. Already, the Pats and I have won something: Brian's having to admit that he didn't give them enough credit to do some damage this season, and that *I* was right.

Brian's other question for me based on my team's performance this year, when I'm going to be ready to cancel our NFL Sunday Ticket. I'm not sure, but I'll hang on and spend the expense for another couple years. If they're in the toilet for a couple in a row, it may be a line item that gets deleted from the budget. I'll only get to watch the nationally televised games then. Who knows how that will go...

Title for blog on December 5

I had pledged to blog every night this month, but last night I got sucked into more of "The Queen's Gambit,"and was up watching that. I'm five episodes in, currently watching episode 6, and texting my coworker/friend Bri about all the things that happen. She seems to be enjoying my watching it as much as I am.

And in news with a Griswold Christmas angle, we bought our Christmas tree today, and out up our lights outside. Our tree, of course, ended up being about six inches taller than our ceiling, so we had to trim it to get it to stand inside. We decided last year that we needed a few new strings for this year, so that's on our agenda for tomorrow. So our very tall tree is un-lighted in our living room, and awaiting its dress-up tomorrow.

Also, Brian has decided that our icicle lights are too bright and white, and they somehow outshine the multicolor lights and they need to be taken down. And maybe perhaps replaced with something else? I can't say that I disagree with him, which is why I'm okay with his blanket announcement, so we're heading to get new lights for two things tomorrow.

This post is very disjointed and not written well because I'm watching my show, so I'll be done now.

Official Ritz cracker declaration

It's official now. No longer do I buy gimmicky Ritz cracker shapes.

When I saw the "snowflake" shapes, I said to Brian, "Will they be the same size of the regular Ritzes?"

My concern about their size was quickly assuaged. What I discovered though, as I continued to pack the crackers into my snack bag every day for work, was that the structural integrity of the snowflake Ritz crackers was the real problem. I pack six crackers a day, and repeatedly and annoyingly, the crackers are cracking into pieces. Note the crackers in the pic there to the left. That is an actual image from my actual crackers on Monday. Half of them are in pieces.

And before you're all, "How are you transporting them and where do they sit?" I'll tell you that they are treated the same as the original Ritz crackers, and those crackers never crack up. So normal Ritzes survive the ride to work, but the snowflake Ritzes do not. And I'll not buy them again.

Learn from my experience, friends.

COUNTDOWN: 23 days, and 4,000 list items

It's the second day of December, and it's getting done. I made another Christmas present purchase. One less thing on my list. I have a couple other things to be ordered, and will get to those tomorrow, I think. Or at least one of them, for sure.

My brain is a constantly shifting and nebulous Christmas list. A list of to-do items, plans, ideas, and wants that already is somewhat overwhelming, and to make it worse, I can feel the days slipping away.

Having said and whined all that: Today, I got the Christmas card photos taken, and just might get to ordering the cards tonight. I made an order, as I said; started working on the Christmas dinner menu; took the pics; and started creating the actual, working paper list. Also we watched the last 30 minutes of "Elf."

Christmas spirit is full-up in my house right now!

The beginning of the end of the year

You guys, it's December. Already. It's December.

Isn't it weird how this year has flown by but also taken so long to be over?

I'm really pretty pleased with where I'm at for this point in December. I've got a good portion of the big shopping done, uncharacteristically. I need to do the smaller stuff, and intend on getting to that this weekend, but really, I'm in good shape. This month's avatar reflects that, I think. I've got my Christmas shit together, and I'm feeling it.

Also, I finished watching the last three episodes of "The Right Stuff" on Disney+ tonight, and I'm hoping there will be another season of that. (I just Googled, and it looks like there will be, even though it didn't bring in the ratings that were hoped for.) Anyway, it's a good show and I recommend it. You know me; if it's about space, I'm in.

I returned my library book unread a couple weeks ago. I realized that I probably won't get to it during the holidays, and why hold on to it in case there's someone who does want to read it? So I turned it in, and I'm feeling unburdened by that. Come January and the new year, there will be an EXPECTATION regarding reading. I failed miserably at it this year, so next year can't help but be better.

We're basically mainlining movies now

We finished the last of the Harry Potter movies yesterday, and again, they are so good. I mean, the movies are good, but the story itself is so amazingly well written, and outlined and planned to perfection. How the characters are brought together, and then return again and again with significance and purpose, is fantastic. And I can tell Sydney, until I'm blue in the face, that the books are that much better, but she'll still probably never read them.

So for the next series of movies based on books that she'll probably never read: "The Hunger Games." With this group at least, the movies are just about as good as the books, so I'm less irritated to sit and watch these with her as her first exposure to Katniss. And also, Jennifer Lawrence is frickin' stellar in these films. 

I'm not sure what we'll watch after "The Hunger Games," but really, this next month is about the holiday movies that both I have not seen, and that Sydney needs to see. So I'm preparing that list for us, too.

Bring back Sirius and Dumbledore ... spoiler alert

We've been rewatching the Harry Potter movies over this week. Tonight, we watched my least favorite of them, "Order of the Phoenix," and "Half-Blood Prince."

As I told Sydney, "I read the end of 'Order of the Phoenix' like five times right after each other because I was in such denial about Sirius dying." I honestly couldn't believe that what I read was indeed what I had read. I still reject the idea of this particular character dying. Also, there's really not a single good thing that happens in that entire movie.

"Half-Blood Prince" is almost as bad when it comes to disturbing deaths, of course, as well as where the entire story begins down the darkest of dark turns, and begins our descent into "Deathly Hallows."

Anyway, I have a feeling that we'll log hours watching both "Deathly Hallows" films tomorrow, and finish our Harry Potter Appreciation Week with a flourish.

Rose petals optional, of course

I hate shaving my legs. It is a tedious and ridiculous task, and one that I tend to only a few times a year. (Relax any judginess; of course, I shower regularly, I just don't shave my legs that often.) I don't like doing it, is all. And my husband knows better than to comment or complain.

A few months ago, I came upon a fairly obvious solution to my particular problem: waxing. Waxing my legs is my new regular body maintenance. I was getting my legs waxed every eight weeks, as my eyebrows get done every four weeks. I've had the legs done maybe six times by now, and now I've decided that I'm going to wax them more often so as to accelerate the cool result of regular and constant waxing, the hair stops growing. So now every four weeks I get my eyebrows and my legs waxed, and I'm hoping that in a year I'll be able to not have leg hair growing anymore.

So, yes, new body maintenance item in the monthly budget, but it's all good stuff. Especially if after the year or so it makes the whole shaving thing utterly unnecessary. And then this entire thing won't even be a line item or peripheral concern anymore.

Sign me up for the movies on Dec. 25

So the word came out today that "Wonder Woman 1984" will be opening in theaters, and released on HBO Max, on December 25. I won't lie, we are totally going to see it in the theater. Because it totally needs to be seen on the big screen. We've been waiting a couple years, and certainly a number of months, to see this film, and it's finally going to happen! I'm so excited!

This year has been a trip in regards to movies. Every year, early in the year, I make a list of the movies I want to see, and this year's list is WOEFULLY un-crossed-off. Like maybe five were seen, and the rest are on my list for 2021, tentatively, and I guess that makes next year a remarkable one for films? I'll admit that not spending money on the movies two to three times a month was interesting in the pocketbook and savings account, but I've certainly missed the entertainment! I'm intrigued to see how the schedule works out in 2021, especially if the vaccine gets out and about relatively early in the year.

The winner and undisputed champion...

I tried the Toasted White Chocolate Mocha this afternoon, and I write to you having now PROVEN that the peppermint mocha is the best holiday drink at Starbucks. I will not be argued away from this conclusion; I will not have my mind changed. Now it's just a fact.

And the best thing about having realized and proven this to myself is that now I can order and enjoy my peppermint mocha with no guilt and secure in the knowledge that I'm drinking the best drink available to me.

Not sure when I'll pull the trigger and get my peppermint mocha to cleanse my palate of the other drinks, but I suspect it will be soon. Drink security until they come up with something else next year.

This uncharacteristic heat is intolerable

I am horrified ... HORRIFIED ... to tell you that my air conditioner has been flipping on this afternoon and tonight. My thermostat was set at 78 degrees, and I just lowered it to 76 just a few minutes ago. So it is actively blowing cold air on my shoulders right now, and that is very, very wrong for the middle of November. My windows are open for the cooler weather tonight, but the temperature may climb back up to 88 degrees in my backyard tomorrow. I am so over the summer, you guys, and November should really be a safe space.

This is exactly the body wash

So here's a story for you.

Sydney ran out of lotion so she took mine. We visited Target to get her a new bottle of her own. Instead, I ended up getting my own bottle of a new lotion by Dove, rather than my normal lotion by Vaseline, and let her keep mine. I brought home the Dove cucumber and green tea lotion. Today, I used it for the first time. While applying the lotion to my legs though, it didn't really soak in properly. It was weird. Anyway, I read the bottle again and realized that it was, instead, a body wash. A Body Wash.

Body washes do not soak in like lotion. So I ended up getting back into the shower to wash all the dried body wash off. Then I used the lotion that I let Sydney have, and I've put lotion on my list again.

All kinds of Christmas going on over here

Sydney and I did some preliminary Christmas reconnaissance this afternoon, and while we did do just a little bit of actual shopping, it was mostly an exercise in getting ideas Mainly though, our conclusion was that we prefer not shopping on the weekend, and will head back after school one day soon. With the social distancing, most of the stores had occupation limits and therefore lines to get in, and we just didn't want to take the time to do that. Still, I managed to get some good ideas.

So I tried the Carmel Brulle Latte at Starbucks. It was ... not great? A little too sweet? I should know better; I don't generally like the caramel drinks. I'm most definitely a chocolate drink person, so the next taste test will be the Toasted White Chocolate Mocha. I've had a white chocolate mocha before and it was tasty, so I'm looking forward to this one.

Tonight, I finished the main Christmas decor in the house. I've got a pile of extra stuff to find places for, or not, and I should be able to get all the bins into the garage Monday morning. Then I'll head to AJ's and see if the store has anything that I must have. :). I love AJ's for Christmas stuff.

Once I'm done here though, I'm going to make my Master List for Christmas. Currently, it's a growing note in the phone, which is very frustrating to me because the note won't allow me to cross stuff off while still being able to see it. Or make notes within the note. Or all that good stuff that one can do with a written list on paper.

Also, I have a most excellent idea for the Christmas cards.

So much to do, but the movie calls

ITEM!: UPDATE to the car commercials featuring bad dog parents post from earlier this month. Add BMW to the list of offenders. Currently, the car company's ad shows a young man finding a dog, reading its tag, and then driving his BMW seemingly miles away to bring this dog home. What the hell dog parents? And BMW? These commercials are beginning to give me nightmares.

ITEM!: Tomorrow is the last day I'll have Leslie back in my workplace. She's starting a new job next Monday, so is done hanging out with me for a few hours every day while we both work. I think this time may be worse that when she left the job last year. I've been spoiled by having her back in the office with me, and sitting close to me, too, so this new loneliness will be acute. Of course I'm happy for her getting out and finding something new, but to you all, I will whine and pout a bit.

ITEM!: The movie "Howard the Duck" is on one of my Showtime channels right now and I'm watching the end of it. That's all. That's just what I'm doing right now.

ITEM!: I did get all my downstairs Christmas decor out, and it was no small task for the day. Both the upstairs bins are upstairs, though I haven't cracked them yet. I have a decent-sized pile of randoms and stuff to put different places, and more futzing to do, for sure. It's nice having it out though; I'm feeling festive!

Don't tell me what to do, but okay

You guys, I ended up taking a short nap this afternoon instead of watching my ESPN shows. The shows were on, but I slept through them. I remind you that I do not enjoy taking unplanned naps in the afternoons. So because of that, it took more time than normal for me to close my Move Goal for the day. Because I got up later because of Sydney's day off, it also took longer to close my Stand Goal. But both rings did get closed today.

I feel like I have to tell you now how much of a taskmaster my watch has become. I've worn it all day, every day since June, with only one day since then that I missed my Move Goal. It's a record I'm super pleased with, and I strive to meet those two Goals every day. So when the watch says, "Stand," I stand up and walk around for a few minutes. When the watch says that my movement ring is usually farther along by that time of day, I get up and take a lap around the office or the house. (Duly noted that I ignore the "Exercise" Goal entirely, and I will not have a conversation about that.)

But the watch is king, and I've been feeling the benefits of that. I believe it's helped me emotionally and physically, and psychologically, too. The activity I'm sure to put in every day, and the breaks in my sitting time, have helped my peace of mind, and that makes the bossiness of the watch tolerable.

Obviously, they were tasty

Unpopular opinion: I don't mind that Baby Yoda ate the frog lady's eggs.

Honestly, Disney+ has been a lifesaver since this pandemic and the quarantine began. We've watched and rewatched so many of the Marvel movies. We've watched the old-timey Disney movies like "Robin Hood" and "Cinderella," as well as some of the newer old movies like "Hercules" and "Pocahontas." And then we've even watched something called, "The Secret Society of Second-Born Royals," which was not great.

Quite obviously, based on my first statement up there, we've also been watching "The Mandalorian." That show is fun, exciting, sometimes stressful as good shows should be, and well produced. Besides Baby Yoda, I'm pretty fascinated by a show that has shown the main character's face only once in the first season, and so far in the second season, not at all. It's just so weird how a mask and a head tilt can convey emotion or depth of character. And shit on the show is crazy, too. Like a big worm/dragon last week and giant penis spiders this week? Super weird. I'm here for it.

Also I'm watching "The Right Stuff." The show is way better than the movie, and I like how it's diving deeper into the men themselves, and all the peripheral stuff, too. I haven't yet watched the most recent episode, but I think I'll get to watch it tomorrow. It's really well done, with plenty of suspense, emotion, and sadly, disappointment, in a story that we all could Google to find out how it ends at any moment. No one else in my house is interested in watching it with me, so that makes it a Kimmie Show.

What I love so much about Disney+ is that there's still so much for us to watch!

A November ITEM! list for a Sunday night

ITEM!: I bought a new Christmas decoration today, and it's totally awesome, and now I'm even more excited to get all my Christmas stuff out this week. Really; I think I may pull out all the bins on Wednesday. I've accounted for the five days I'll be in California for Thanksgiving, and decided that the Santas and trees and elves need to be out just a bit sooner than I originally thought.

ITEM!: Brian cooked bacon this morning and I was able to save some for making my favorite sandwich for dinner, a BLT. I love that as a woman in her 40s, I still have a favorite sandwich that I will always choose on the menu. I had one from Potbelly Saturday night, but their bacon is a bit too pepper-y for me, so I did not enjoy that sandwich as much as I wanted. I'll stick to the chicken salad from now on.

ITEM!: As a family, we went to the movies yesterday to watch a classic, "Toy Story." It was, honestly, just as cute as it's always been, and a delight to see on the big screen. Still all the bits that made me giggle and still all the clever stuff that's just brilliant. It was a joy to sit and see it in its proper format again.

ITEM!: Ah! The weather! It's been cool here in the desert the last couple days! It should stay as cool for the next several days, and maybe even be cold a day or two, but any day that rolls through without an air conditioner flipping on is a good one!

ITEM!: Also, I thoroughly enjoyed my peppermint mocha this morning!

She's too awesome, and I'm glad to have seen it

Today was a day of days. I literally sat and ate popcorn while I watched the election coverage on CNN. It was mostly everything I had wished it could be (c'mon, Arizona! Get the count done!), and the result was ideal. Pretty amazing the weight lifted among the hearts of the people, right? I was at breakfast when the news was announced, and for reals, there were people cheering and whooping outside the restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona. In Scottsdale, you guys! People were cheering and whooping! It was pretty awesome!

I didn't get my peppermint mocha, either. But that's okay. That celebration will come tomorrow.

But let's talk about Kamala. The first woman vice president just gave her victory address, and it was perfect. First and foremost, she came out wearing white. The white of the suffragettes, and a reminder of the history that she herself had just made. It was perfect. She paid homage to the women who came before her; her mother; the marginalized women of color; the marginalized women of the suffragette movement; and the marginalized women of today's continuing patriarchy and its relentless, soul-crushing weight on our shoulders. And it was perfect.

She remarked on Biden's "audacity" in calling on her to run with him on this ticket. She remarked on the voters and supporters that continue to need representation in the White House, and support in their communities. She reminded us of her promise and determination to help this country heal, but also that she will keep her eye on the prize in regards to climate change, COVID and health care. And it was perfect.

I watched her speech with my daughter by my side, and it was perfect.

Take your PSL, I want my peppermint mocha

It's red cup time at Starbucks, my friends, and I'm eager to get my peppermint mocha on. I didn't make it by to get one today because I actually feel like my first peppermint mocha of the season should be somewhat celebratory, of more than the holidays if you know what I mean. So it may be a day or two before I have reason to pick one up.

I acknowledge that peppermint mochas are available all year long. In fact, Brian typically brings me one for my birthday, Mother's Day, maybe our anniversary, this year for Sydney's birthday too, and at some point for Christmas or New Year's. But I only buy them for myself in red-cup season, when they taste the best.

So some day soon, I'll have reason to get my red cup. And it will be delicious!

Car commercials need to feature better dog parents

I feel like we need to talk about something major here. What is with all the car commercials lately in which humans are bad parents to dogs? There are three right now that I can cite as examples. One is a Toyota commercial, another is a Hyundai, and the third is... well, I can't remember the car, which makes it an effective commercial, too.

Regarding Toyota, this advertising angle tells me that someone in the company's marketing department thinks its adorable when parents let their dogs run away so egregiously that the parents have to DRIVE to catch them. Currently, it's a Toyota Venza and the parents having to drive around a city while their dog runs through the rain, across streets and bridges, and through traffic, before they finally stop him at what I can only imagine is a train yard. BAD PARENTING.

The second one with the car I can't remember is an SUV, in the desert apparently, and driving around all these desert corners, and near rock cliffs and over deep chasms full of desert flora. At the end of the ad, a boy gets out of the truck and runs to hug his dog, who is sitting in the dirt with a leash on. The boy asks the dog why he ran away, but I have to wonder, what was happening that the dog obviously felt it had to run so far? And who let go of the leash? And why, again, did you have to drive so far to catch your dog? BAD PARENTING.

Third is the Hyundai ad. Where the small dog exits the house via doggy door, digs holes in the grass and then buries things in these holes. The commercial really begins with the dog stealing car keys and burying them. The parents come out of the house to realize that the keys could be hidden in any of the holes in the yard. THE FRONT YARD. The parents use the digital car key on their phone to start the car and then DRIVE AWAY. These people have a doggy door out to the their front yard and then just drive away with the dog in the front yard. UNFENCED, of course. Who even are these people? Like, what the hell is going on here? Again, BAD PARENTING.

The ad with the SUV was the first that I noticed in this trend right now. Then the Venza and the Hyundai at the same time. Hey ad agencies, bad dog parents doing bad parenting is not a sound marketing strategy. Stop this now.

I'm glad to have made Massachusetts proud

So today was a very weird day. I have a Marco Polo thread that's a group of friends of varying political affiliations. It was a very quiet thread today, with only three of us posting anything, and we only talked about random stuff that wasn't at the forefront of our minds. Clearly, we're all preoccupied by the election process right now, but none of us wanted to declare victory or even talk about it because no one knows how it'll go, and no one wants to upset anyone else. So we asked about parents, and discussed workouts, and commented on the weather. It'll be weird for just a few days here, but we'll get our shit back together soon, and then we'll be back in the frivolity of our friendship. But until then, still, it's weird.

I find myself feeling super bad for the couples and marrieds that are together but of different politics. I mean, it's stressful enough in my house right now, but at least Brian and I are looking for the same outcome. To be hoping for something that your significant other is dreading seems super, super uncomfortable as a relationship situation. I'm sorry to you all out there; I feel for you.

One of my friends from Massachusetts messaged me tonight asking me if I was in Maricopa County, and then thanked me and the rest of my Arizona brethren for our blue votes yesterday. I told her it was my pleasure, and that I honestly never thought I'd see Arizona go blue, but that I am beyond proud that I was here and participated when it did.

It's been a very weird day. I'm going to go make myself a cup of tea.

Avoiding the talk, watching a movie

I'm avoiding the pundits and their stress-inducing suppositions and predictions, and am currently in my room watching "The Gentlemen" off my DVR.

Among the realizations I've come to over the last couple hours is that Wolf Blitzer's voice gives me anxiety. Just in general, it sounds very much like a screaming, old dude in a grocery store, like he's on the very edge of a panic attack and about to jump the cliff. And he wants to take us with him. I can't handle it.

I voted. I hope you did, too. The rest is just waiting for the numbers to add up.

I feel bad for the teenagers though, because they're old enough to understand the gravity of this election, and to feel the stress of the decisions made, but they can't make any choices themselves. Sydney is stressing out and I'm trying to calm her, but she knows too much and worries too much about what the future brings. I can't say that I blame her for that concern, in fact, I'm right there with her, but at 14, she just shouldn't be worrying about all that stuff at the level she does.

At any rate, I may just go to bed early and see what the morning brings, if you know what I mean. But what will probably happen is that I'll certainly go to bed early, but Brian will wake me in the middle of the night to whisper in my ear.

Big day tomorrow, kids. Get some sleep.

Happy Election Eve, y'all! Tomorrow and the following days are going to be a trip, so let's try to remember to be kind and thoughtful to everyone around us. Except the yahoos walking around with guns trying to be tough and scary and intimidating. They can go crawl back under their rocks. No one needs to be nice to them.

All my Halloween decorations are put away, and I'll get the bins into the garage after Brian leaves for work tomorrow morning. I'm feeling very satisfied with my motivation and getting all that done, I have to say. I started out this morning expecting that I'd take a couple days to put it all away, but it seems I was a woman on a mission. My house looks all kinds of normal right now, and that's good, but it'll get Christmas-ified in a week or two.

But also, I think I'm ready to start squirreling away money for Christmas shopping. I've got one gift already, another was shipped today, and my list is growing. Not that I have any amazing ideas or anything, but it's coming along okay.

That's it for today, I think.

You guys, 2020 is almost over

Well, friends, happy November!

It's going to be a very exciting, stressful, scary, hopeful few days at the beginning of the month, for sure. I've already done my voting, and I think the most unnerving thing is that now I can do nothing but sit back and wait and see what happens next. Brian suggested that we get super drunk Tuesday night, and while at its core that is a good idea, I just won't want to go to work hungover on Wednesday.

Also this month, we are going out to California for the Thanksgiving holiday. We already have a few days all kinds of planned out, so I'm not lacking ideas, and I'm excited to see everyone and hang out and get into some trouble.

Also, as I mentioned a couple days ago, I'll be putting up the Christmas decorations in a week or so.

As they say in my football circles, but a bit altered for my purposes, "On to November!"

Here's our distribution station

I honestly don't want to complain about the COVID and Halloween tonight, but I may anyway. Sydney went over to her friend's house for trick or treating so it was a quiet evening at our house. I put our candy bowl out on one of our dining room chairs outside the front door. The chair itself has a cool spider decoration on it, which is pretty special.

But, even with all those safety precautions, we didn't have a single trick or treater. Granted, I wasn't sitting outside the whole time, but Brian and I went for a walk around the neighborhood and we saw no one. Not a single kiddo, which, while safe, was incredibly boring.

Sydney reports that there were a couple people out, and not many giving out candy, but the last two houses they visited dumped the rest of the bowls of candy into hers and her friend's bags. So there's that, I guess. I usually take a bunch of candy to work the day after Halloween, and my coworkers are already looking forward to the haul I bring in Monday.

I love seeing the littles dressed up, and I'm super bummed to not get to see any this year. And it's such a jovial and fun holiday, and demanding of imagination and creativity, and I miss seeing how people step up to the plate in that creativity department. Also, I didn't dress up myself for the first time in several years.

So this holiday was a bust. Time to start planning for Thanksgiving and Christmas! ... Just kidding! I've got stuff planned for both those holidays already!!

I just need to get my nose into a store

So I'm at that weird place in a person's life when it is time to find a new fragrance. My current perfume is almost gone, and the scent itself has been discontinued. I have a very difficult time finding a smell I like, and I tend to wear only that smell until its gone, so this is a serious commitment I'm looking to make. 

I tend to appreciate a good body mist, a la Bath and Body Works, but if I find a good "parfum" I'm not afraid to roll that way. I have a ton of plumeria body spray, but it's not Brian's favorite, so I use that as my last resort. So yes, if I don't discover something new, I do have a scent to wear, but it's not ideal.

I actually spent quite a bit of time on the Nordstrom app the other day reading scent descriptions and screenshotting what sounded good for an eventual trip to the store to smell them. So you can appreciate my pain, I like a citrusy smell, but also a floral, and somewhat sweet. I had a an Escada perfume for a few years that smelled like strawberries, and I loved that, but it also was discontinued. I guess I pick the random stuff that doesn't draw the masses, making my smells quite temporary.

So here I am, staring at pictures of bottles, imagining them through the flowery descriptive verbiage, and still spraying the last bits and drops I can get out of the bottle I'm still using like some weird addict.

No turkeys, but elves and reindeer early

As a rule, I'm very particular about my holiday decorations. They go up on the first of the month of that holiday. October 1 is when Halloween goes up. Thanksgiving on November 1. Valentine's Day? February 1.

This year, though, because of the ridiculousness of the pandemic and its horribleness as well, I am considering a very special change to the decoration schedule. And with the permission of both mine and my mother's neuroses, I believe that I will not decorate for Thanksgiving, and instead go straight to Christmas in a week or two. This is, to put it lightly, unprecedented.

And I'm actually pretty excited about it. I love all my Christmas decor, and I always love those precious few days between my putting out the decor and the day that Brian insists on buying the tree. You see, to me, the tree is a huge inconvenience and dirt magnet, and more responsibility than I like in my inside forest foliage. Like, why do they have to drop needles and require water every day?

So with this new schedule, I'll get a couple weeks to enjoy my Christmas goodness before the house is soiled by the large tree. Honestly, I'd have a three-foot-tall tree every single year if I could get away with it. I still prefer a living tree to a fake one for the smell. So if I was in charge, I'd buy a teeny one for just the smell and put it on a stool or table or something. Decorated, of course, but tiny. As neither Brian nor Sydney would allow such a thing, I'll instead revel in my couple/few weeks with the pretty decor, before the tree.

So yes, I'm making a significant change to my process this year. My fear is that I'll have to fight this precedent every year now because early Christmas will spoil my husband and my kid. But I'm stubborn, and I really like my Thanksgiving stuff, and I'm the only one that does the decorating, so it's a fight that I will win when I want, and lose when I want. I actually am in charge.

A meal full of apps and small plates

We've got a restaurant near us that we love. It has a number of delicious appetizers and small plates, but, as wonderful as that is, we have not had a memorable entree. We hadn't been to the restaurant in several months, but the company has opened a new location closer to us.

We've since been to the new location twice. Both times, Brian and I have each tried a different entree. Brian had pizza last time, and a prime rib dip today. I had the grilled chicken club last time, and a pizza today. Not a single one of those entrees was remarkable.

This is disappointing in a couple ways. First, the place isn't cheap, so it's an expensive lunch of meh. Second, my husband is not the kind of guy who keeps going somewhere that disappoints him. I figure I have one or two more visits to get a complete, good meal in his stomach before he decides that he isn't going there anymore.

Luckily, like I said, the restaurant's appetizers and small plates are the best part of the menu. Thankfully, it will be the draw of those small plates that will entice Brian back, time and time again.

I love that place, you guys, and I'll eat apps and small plates ALL DAY LONG!!

"Papillon" the movie, not the dog breed

It's not normal for my movie knowledge to fail me. In fact, I can probably count on a couple for more hands how many times I've been truly stumped by a film. I was proud of that. And then came "Papillon."

I'd never seen the movie, and remember vividly that I didn't want to when it was in theaters. But for whatever reason, it intrigued me enough to sit through (almost) the entirety of it this afternoon. It was playing on one of my movie channels that happened to be on when I stopped watching a show on the DVR.

I don't know what interested me enough to stop, but I did, and I watched the rest of it. According to the info button, I had missed about 20 minutes of the beginning.

But what did I know. I did remember some of the peripheries of the movie. I remembered that Rami Malek was in it. I remembered that it was about a prison on an island, and that bad things happen to the people that were held there. I remembered that it was relatively well received and maybe even an Oscar nomination? I remembered that the story itself was pretty sad and hopeless.

Here's where my knowledge failed me. I did not know that Charlie Hunnam was in it. I did not know that the end, in fact, was uplifting. I didn't know that the story was a super good one, and even based on a true story and a real guy.

And here's the kicker. I didn't realize that even though I only remembered that Rami Malek was in the movie, he was NOT the main character. Charlie Hunnam played the part of Papillon! I was halfway through the movie before anyone called any character by name, and it was then that I discovered that Malek's Dega was a supporting role to Hunnam's Papillon.

Obviously, by missing the first 20 minutes, I missed the basic introductions of the characters. But this whole flip-flop (in my head) of which actor played who made me stop the film for a moment, rearrange the basic outline of the movie (in my head), and then start anew with a brighter perspective, and other plot holes that I thought I'd found now fully closed up.

Totally not THAT cold!

So it was cold out today. It hasn't been cold in several months. In fact, we haven't had a high temperature below 80 since, oh I don't know, March? Maybe a day or two in April? It was a treat to put on a sweater this morning, but then came the realization that some of my sweaters need to be replaced, because they're very old and really, really showing it. Luckily, I have Old Navy Super Cash, so I'll see what kind of trouble I can get into there.

As I sit here with my windows open in my bedroom, I find that I'm excited to put the extra blanket on my bed tonight. I'm looking forward to wearing something warm tomorrow, too, and then I believe it will get warmer as the week goes on. So it'll probably still be warm for Halloween this weekend.

It's so weird how caught up a desert-dwelling person can get in the weather. Weather of all kinds, for sure. It's hot; gotta complain about it. It's raining; gotta revel in it. It's cold; gotta celebrate it, and then complain, too.

Get Shit Done 2021

So what's up today?

* I've voted; happily and excitedly.

* My football team is a hot mess, and I'd rather watch any other games but mine, so the money I'm spending on NFL Sunday Ticket is officially being wasted every month.

* Sydney is officially in school, which has been a bit of a blessing for the general environment in my house. She's getting out and being a student, and more importantly, she's more engaged, so everything seems to be better now. Lack of boredom equals better kid attitude.

* Cooper and Elliot are well, and not finding all the scorpions in the house. That responsibility has fallen to me, and Brian now regularly patrols the backyard and kills all the glowing little dudes he sees.

* Brian's busy; I'm busy.

* My dear friend, Leslie, has come back to work in my office on her terms and temporarily, and it makes me so happy to know that I'll be seeing her every day for as long as that lasts.

* Everyone else in my circle is good, and all else is moving along.

* It's impossible to reconcile that October is almost over, and even worse that the year is so close to being over. I had dubbed this year "Get Shit Done 2020," in January, but I have the impression that my mantra may have to slide into 2021.

It's all good these days

Alright, so I've had a bit of a rough several weeks, and because of that, blogging took a distant backseat to everything else going on. But I feel like writing again, and this is the best way to do it.
My kid asked me today if I ever get to take a break. Just like not do anything for anyone. What a weird question. As a 13-year-old girl, it's easy enough for her to imagine a day when she doesn't do anything for anyone. But me? Yeah, no, that is not possible. Even the minimal do-for-others includes feeding everyone and making them comfortable and functioning for the day. I don't even know how to do nothing for anyone. The whole idea is whacky.
Having said that, I have been partaking in a crazy amount of self-care lately. Nothing is more important than me getting my sleep, and taking care of myself, and being a complete human being. It was a bizarre fight until I got here, but it's a pretty comfortable place I'm in right now, and hence, the avatar with her fancy spa robe and slippers, and I think a yummy hot tea sitting on a table nearby. She and I will get there, and blogging again is a big help...

I'm just not feeling the reading

I returned two of my three library books today. I found that every time I looked at them I got anxiety about the time limit on them, and that there were three of them, and that I didn't really feel like reading them. So I picked one to hold on to, and returned the other two. I feel better, of course, but honestly, I probably could have returned the third too, because I doubt I'll get to it any time soon.

Duct tape is medically prescribed

So. The plantar wart.
The dermatologist shaved it down, froze it with three shots of frozen nitrogen, and gave me a prescription for a cream to put on it twice a day. I'm to loofah/pumice it every night before putting on a dollop of the cream, and then cover it with duct tape. Yes, duct tape. Medically, duct tape is part of my wart treatment. It should be gone in a few weeks, like six to eight, and maybe less time or maybe more. I'm pretty excited to be making some progress here, even though it is paining me more tonight than it ever has.

Sydney's movie choice > My movie choice

It's been a weekend, but as I said on Friday night, I'm looking forward to heading in to work tomorrow. We did watch a movie together tonight though, "Spies in Disguise." It was Sydney's pick, and Brian and I had no expectations for it, and it was super cute and we thoroughly enjoyed it. I giggled out loud way more than I thought I would, and the story was clever. We needed a good pick, because I think the last new movie we sat and watched was "Bloodshot," and that was terrible.
As for everything else this weekend, it was somewhat productive. I finished up the manuscript for the new book, and have emailed it to the book designer. I've mocked up the book itself too, and it looks pretty awesome. I trimmed back the rose bushes in the backyard, which is probably the last time I'll be able to be too active outside because the days this weekend were somewhat cooler than normal. Also I finally got Brian to refill the hummingbird feeder so now our birds will stop bitching at us every time we go outside, and I managed to debug my fuchsia without killing it (so far). I did not read any of any of the books I have from the library, and am beginning to wonder if I'll ever read again. BUT I did read my "Entertainment Weekly," so I can officially say that I am trying to do better on that front.

Looking forward to Monday, I guess

It's a weird thing for me, for the weekends to be more of a slog to get through than the work days. It's Friday, and historically, that would be a great thing because there would be stuff to do during the weekend. But lately, for obvious reasons, there's not much to do on the weekends, so I find myself looking more forward to going to work during the week. It's something to do and people to talk to.
Like tomorrow, I have only one or two things on our agenda: AT&T store and water the plants in the yard. Also, bug Brian to refill the hummingbird feeder. And that's like, it, for the whole two days. I have a couple books I can start reading, but I'm not much in the mood for that lately. I have some puzzles, but my back has been finicky and I can't sit at the dining room table for that. It's too hot to go out and do any activity. And it's all indoors and that's no fun, especially when all I really think about is how often my air conditioner is flipping on.
So what's the what. What's the solution here. I'm not sure there is one. We're all living through this weird time right now. Work, right now, is my balm.

Yep, totally a Thursday vibe going on

ITEM!: I had a very frustrating day with AT&T, wherein they have want I want, but aren't able to take my money for some reason. I tried my purchase no fewer than seven times on the app and website, and I got denied every time, and they kept kicking me out of the "store" and out of my account because of the denials. We made our way into the actual store this afternoon, but the wait for assistance was 30 to 60 minutes, and I just didn't have the patience for that. So I'll try again tomorrow and we'll see what happens. I am not optimistic for the website, but perhaps the store will be a better help.
ITEM!: I totally spaced on renewing my library books until today, and they were late for that renewal, and now I owe the library 90 cents. It's important to me that I am a good library patron, so I'll go ahead and pay that fine tonight once I'm done here.
ITEM!: All the illustrations for the next book are done, and now all I have to do is finalize the text. It's scary, deciding that the whole thing is done, and that it is what it is. But really I still have some time to sit with it. I'll be spending my weekend fine-tuning and tweaking it until it sings pure and right. And then I'll be ready to give it to the world. I hope the world likes it, you know?
ITEM!: My plantar wart is becoming a real pain in the foot and I'm super excited to get it removed on Monday. I'm also more than a little nervous about how the damn thing will get removed, and whether it'll hurt. Also, I'm intrigued with how long it may take me to learn to walk again without the weird lean or foot angle. I am so over this ridiculous thing.

Get me a magazine that can go Weekly

I had an addiction once. It was "Entertainment Weekly" magazine. I would get my fix every Saturday, or Friday if I was lucky, and I'd sit and consume every page of it until I was full up. The weeks of the Double Issue, when I'd have to live without for a week, were difficult. But my goodness, I loved that magazine, and couldn't handle life without my fix.
And then "Entertainment Weekly" went monthly. And it suddenly became a chore to sit and read the entire month's worth of entertainment news. I really can't explain it. I haven't read an issue in more than three months. The current issue has been sitting next to my bed for maybe two weeks, and I haven't even cracked it.
Is it a sense of betrayal from the magazine? Is it that I have rehabbed? Is it that the magazine is putting so much content online that most everything in the actual paper magazine seems repetitive? Or I am I just struggling with the concept of reading something right now?
It's dumb, but I actually am super pissed that the magazine went monthly. It was a nice treat for me every weekend to read my EW. And now it's like some dude who comes by every few weeks to show me that he could still be kinda cool, but isn't interested in hanging around or being dependable anymore. But maybe I just need to put forth more effort. I could be a better girlfriend, I suppose, but seriously, EW needs to make it worth it for me.

I've been playing the cards

Today was the second day in a row that I spent a good hour or two playing solitaire. Not iPhone app solitaire, but actual, deck of playing cards, solitaire. I've been shuffling, which bothers and disturbs my dogs, and setting the cards on the floor in a pattern, which is inexplicably an invitation to my dogs, and I've been playing solitaire.
Reminder that playing solitaire is hard when you don't cheat. And I've not been cheating ... much ... unless all the legitimate options are totally gone. It's been a fun exercise for my brain, and my hands. I don't know if shuffling will help with my dystonia, but we'll see, because I've been enjoying the solitaire. I will keep up with it.
Also, Sydney and I peer pressured Brian into playing Uno with us tonight, and I'm here to tell you that I won four out of five games. Brian won the last game we played, and of course, he believes that makes him the champion.